Before she realized what was happening, Tobias pressed his lips to hers. Priscilla could not hold back her love from him. She deepened the kiss, allowing her heart to open to the possibilities that lay before them.
Tobias pulled away gently and gazed upon her as he held steadfast, unwilling to let her go. “If it be Gotte’s Wille, I will be with you until death parts us.”
Her eyes clouded over. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
He kissed her softly on the forehead. “Let’s not worry about what our future holds. Let Gott be in control of that. Why don’t we take it one day at a time? Say, starting with the Christmas Skate tomorrow? Will you allow me to escort you to the party?”
Priscilla let out a noise that came out half-cry, half-giggle. “Jah, I’d love to have you escort me.”
Tobias lifted her and twirled her, and then placed a kiss on her lips. “You have made me the happiest mann ever. I love you.”
Priscilla giggled. “I love you too.”
She kissed Tobias eagerly, feeling at peace with the decision to take their relationship slowly—for now. She was in love, and she hadn’t felt so free in nearly a year since the accident that had changed everything for her. At this moment, she’d never felt more free. As long as she didn’t think past tomorrow, she could allow herself to love him—one day at a time.
THE END
{Dedicated to my friend, Priscilla, whose Snow Angels watch over her from Heaven.}
THE GINGERBREAD HAUS
A Novella
Chapter One
“Condemned?” Eden cried. “How can they tear down my haus before I even get a chance to live in it?”
Eden Fisher stood on the dilapidated porch of the gingerbread haus, as she’d always referred to it, trying desperately not to cry as she studied the notice on the door. It had been abandoned since she could remember. When she was younger, she would play here with Ruby and a few of the other girls from school. She’d fallen in love with the haus as a young girl, around the same time she fell in love with Gabriel Miller, dreaming she would live in it when they married.
Surveying the scrollwork on the porch rails that crumbled from wood-rot, she envisioned it with a fresh coat of paint and a few nails. Despite the snow that drifted over the rotted slats of the porch, she could envision a porch swing overlooking lilac bushes overflowing with blossoms. She could almost smell them when she closed her eyes.
She knew the haus and property well after studying it and making plans for it over the years. She knew exactly where her kitchen garden would go, and even which rooms she would use for her bopplies. She would paint the kitchen a sunny yellow and the cupboards white. Her pantry would be filled with canned pickles, chow-chow, and applesauce. She would make quilts for the bedrooms and one for the sitting room to use on cold nights. She envisioned snuggling up in front of the fireplace with her husband and sipping hot cocoa. If the city tore down this haus, she feared the demolition of her future along with it.
Thoughts of Gabriel forced their way to the front of her mind, causing her to blush. She imagined him sitting on the porch swing with her, sipping lemonade and talking about their future plans for the farm while they watched the sunset. She gazed in the front window at the hardwood floors that were in need of repair and a gut scrubbing. The hearth needed cleaning, and most of the bricks had fallen to the floor. She shivered as she watched snow drift down onto the hardwood floor from holes in the roof.
Still, she could envision it with her own familye living there. She would make curtains for the cloudy windows that she would keep so clean the sun would always shine through. The front door would boast a wreath of pine garland and holly berries at Christmas time, while baskets of ferns and fresh flowers would grace the porch in the summer.
It was a dream she’d been dreaming for a long time, but this would be the last time she would lay eyes on this haus. She would always think about the gingerbread haus with fond memories, but now all she could see were her dreams being shattered with one word—Condemned.
****
Gabriel Miller rode into town as fast as his mare would take him, the Notice of Condemnation tucked away in his pocket. It broke his heart to see Eden crying on the porch of her gingerbread haus when he’d passed by earlier after skating at Goose Pond. He hadn’t the nerve to disturb her, despite the fact he wanted more than anything to comfort her and kiss away her tears.
Gabriel had been one of the first to tease Eden when they were younger after she’d begun to call the abandoned place the gingerbread haus. Truth be told, it did resemble a haus made of gingerbread—all except for the gumdrops, but he imagined Eden would paint some large rocks the way she’d always said she would, and line the driveway with them. The haus had a lot of potential, and he couldn’t believe it would be gone if he couldn’t do something to save it.
Gabriel and Eden had known each other since they were younger since she was best friends with his schweschder, Ruby. Though he’d loved her for years, it wasn’t until a few months ago that they’d begun to be social with one another beyond casual friendship.
Somehow when he wasn’t paying attention, love for her had found its way into his heart. They’d been talking to each other at every social function for only a short while, but he’d always known that she was the one he wanted to marry, and he’d hoped they would someday live in her dream home—the gingerbread haus.
After calling the number on the notice from the phone shack, Gabriel headed straight into Goshen to meet with the mann who he hoped would change the course of his future. If it was within his power to save the haus, he would do whatever it took so that he and Eden could someday marry and live there the way he’d imagined they would. He’d been saving for several years to buy the haus that bordered his daed’s farm, and he’d always thought he would have more time. Time was now running out, and he prayed the entire trip that he would have enough to cover whatever the asking price was for the haus.
Gabriel felt tightness in his chest as he entered the downtown office. “I’m here to speak with Mr. Winters,” he told the woman at the desk.
She picked up a phone and announced his arrival, and then asked him to take a seat in the waiting area. He felt out of place as he sat down in the fancy waiting room of the contractor’s office. Copies of Golf Digest fanned the table in front of him, and he was tempted to pick one up but decided against it. He fingered the brim of his hat that rested on his lap as he nervously counted the tiles in the floor at his feet.
“You must be Mr. Miller.”
The voice startled Gabriel as he stood to meet a stout mann in his forties wearing a denim shirt and dark blue slacks.
He extended a hand to Gabriel. “I’m George Winters. Come into my office.”
He led Gabriel to an even fancier office behind a set of double doors. He sat in the leather chair offered him while he admired the built-in book shelves that lined the wall behind the L-shaped mahogany desk. Sitting down in the leather chair across Gabriel, George paused, as if studying him.
“What interest do you have my house?”
Gabriel cleared his throat and lifted his gaze to meet George’s. “I’d like to save the haus from being condemned, Mr. Winters.”
George stood from his chair and sat on the corner of his desk, one leg firmly planted on the woven rug that covered the tile floor. “I acquired that little house from a relative I didn’t know I had. It was part of my father’s estate. I’ve tried unsuccessfully to sell it for years, but because most of the Amish farmers in the area own the land adjacent to the property, no one seems to want it. The lot is so small and the house is in such bad shape, the city has set it for demolition. It doesn’t matter to me because I figured I could at least park some of my equipment there. I’m not in the business of fixing houses; I’m a builder, and we build neighborhoods. I didn’t have time to mess with that house. It’s a lost cause in my opinion.”
Gabriel didn’t want to see bulldozers parked in the lot that adjoined his familye’s acreage. “I t
hink I can fix it, so I would like to buy it.”
George chuckled. “You can’t be serious, Son. That house is beyond repair, and the land is not worth anything. I didn’t think it was worth putting in the money to fix it.”
It meant the world to Eden, and a future with her to Gabriel, but he didn’t think Mr. Winters would care to hear that. “I can fix the haus.”
“I’ll tell you what,” George began. “I’ll sign over the deed to the house to you for consideration of one hundred dollars, but you will have to make all the repairs before the end of the month, or the city will demolish it.”
Gabriel swallowed hard. That was only a few weeks away. Then he thought about the price and couldn’t believe his luck. “I will bring you the money tomorrow morning.”
The two shook hands, and Gabriel walked out of his office feeling like his future had just begun.
Chapter Two
Eden arrived at Ruby’s haus, disappointed that Gabriel was nowhere to be found. She’d barely seen him over the last few days, and was beginning to think she’d imagined his feelings for her over the past few weeks. She was hoping for an invite to the Christmas Skate Party so she would know that they were officially courting, but every day that he didn’t ask her brought them closer to the date she feared they would never have.
Her own bruders were constantly running off, stating they had somewhere to be, but Eden had no idea what they could all be up to. Perhaps they were making Christmas gifts they didn’t want the surprise being spoiled for. All she and Ruby knew was that they were all three being very secretive lately. Eden was happy for the distraction of the work frolic to keep her busy today. It was the Miller’s turn to host the Sunday service at their haus tomorrow, so Eden had offered to help scrub floors and make food for preparation of the day. Prissy had selfishly opted to stay home.
Happy for a day free of Prissy, Eden eagerly walked into the kitchen, where Ruby and Prissy’s mamm were already hard at work. There was nothing like a gut work frolic to keep her mind off things, and Eden was eager to get started. Knowing she would otherwise spend the day consumed with melancholy over the gingerbread haus, she knew hard work was just what she needed to keep her heart from breaking.
Relieved to see Eden walk through the door, Ruby’s Aenti Beth slowly rose from the floor and stretched the kinks out of her back before handing over her scrub brush.
“I will let you two youngsters finish this floor while I start on the baking. I’m getting too old to be down on that floor scrubbing—it hurts my knees.”
Eden smiled at the woman before dunking her brush into the galvanized pail of soapy water and helping her friend with the chore.
“Jesse and Tobias took off as soon as they finished the morning chores again this morning,” Eden said, hoping to learn of Gabriel’s whereabouts.
Ruby brushed back her hair into her work scarf. “Gabe is gone too. He warned me that if I tried to follow him it would ruin the surprise.”
“I kind of thought they were doing something that had to do with Christmas,” Eden said. “You aren’t even tempted to see what they’re up to then?”
Ruby giggled. “Of course I’m tempted, but I have no idea where they’ve been going. I’m very curious about it.”
“Me too,” Eden admitted. “But right now I have too many other things on my mind.”
Ruby looked at her knowingly. “Try not to think about it. Gott has a plan for you and mei bruder, and it might not include the gingerbread haus.”
Eden blushed. “Am I that obvious?”
Ruby giggled. “Jah.”
“No more than you are with mei bruder, Jesse!”
Ruby’s smile turned to a frown. “If my cousin, Prissy, has anything to do with it, she will be marrying Jesse.”
Eden rested on her haunches after tossing her scrub brush into the pail. “Jesse doesn’t like her!”
“She certainly thinks he does!”
Eden rolled her eyes. “Don’t you worry; Jesse likes you—not Prissy.”
Ruby frowned. “I pray that you are right. I know Gabriel has liked you for a long time. I’ve noticed it more in the way he looks at you when you’re here and he’s around.”
Eden repressed the urge to squeal with delight.
“Really? I’ve had a tough time reading his face, but I did catch him looking at me with dreamy eyes when we skated yesterday.”
The both giggled.
“Has Jesse asked you to the Christmas Skate yet?”
“Nee,” Ruby answered. “He hasn’t mentioned it, but he was watching me skate yesterday. Perhaps he’s waiting until he can skate a little better before he asks me; he needs a lot of practice.”
“Mei bruder isn’t the most coordinated on a pair of skates.” Eden stated.
“What about you? Have you been asked yet?”
“Nee. Gabriel hasn’t asked me yet either,” Eden admitted sadly. “What if we are wrong about the two of them?”
“Don’t think that way, Eden. They will ask; they have to.”
“Why do menner always think we want to be asked at the last minute? It’s bad manners to wait, don’t you think so?”
“I’m not sure they think about that,” Ruby said.
Eden picked her scrub brush out of the bucket and resumed scrubbing the floor. “I wonder how they would feel if they had to wait for us to ask them?”
Ruby giggled. “It would probably upset them more than it does us.”
“Jah, menner act like bopplies most of the time.”
They laughed, and Eden felt as if a burden had lifted from her shoulders. It was nice to have Ruby to keep her grounded in her thinking. She wished that they could someday be schweschders, but that would depend on whether or not their bruders cooperated with their plans.
After finishing the floors, they dusted and straightened before entering the kitchen to help Ruby’s aenti with the baking. Earlier, they had brought in a bushel of apples from the barn so they could make a dozen pies. After washing their hands, they each grabbed a paring knife so they could help peel and cut the apples. It was going to be a long day, but at least it would help keep her mind off her troubles.
Chapter Three
Gabriel loaded the lumber, shingles, and paint into the back of the familye buggy, praying it would all fit. He knew he would have to make at least two more trips into town to get supplies, but for now, he hoped this would get him started. The first order of business was to patch the holes in the roof, and fix the sagging porch. He’d also bought a length of rope to tie himself off at the chimney. The pitch of the roof reminded him the most of a gingerbread haus. It was steep, and he wouldn’t take any chances that he could slip and fall. Earlier, he’d taken his tools and ladder over to the haus.
Jesse, Tobias, and several other friends would meet him there in less than an hour, and he planned to get as much done each day as he could. With just over three weeks left before the end of the month when the haus was scheduled for demolition, they had their work cut out for them. His intention was to be able to finish before Christmas as a surprise for Eden. He’d been to plenty of barn-raisings where they put up a barn in the span of a few days during warm months, but that takes an entire community. His team consisted of only seven menner, and because it was winter, he wasn’t certain how the weather would fare the outcome of such an undertaking.
Since Gabriel hadn’t yet confessed his feelings for Eden to Jesse, he hoped the subject of why he was fixing the haus wouldn’t come up. He suspected that Jesse had feelings for his schweschder, Ruby, and he knew it would smooth things over more if they just came out with the truth to one another. Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the way things were handled in the community.
Courting was kept secret. So as far as he knew, Jesse could already be courting his schweschder, and he might not discover it until the Bishop published their wedding. He hoped that his friend would be more respectful of his feelings than that, but he had to admit he hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with his
feelings for Eden either. He couldn’t even be certain that Eden herself knew how he felt about her, but she was about to find out.
Not wanting to appear presumptuous, Gabriel decided not to tell Eden outright about his purchase of the gingerbread haus. Instead, he’d come up with an elaborate plan of leaving her clues that would lead up to the final moment when he would reveal his gift to her. A sinking thought still weighed him down; what if she was not interested in him the way he thought she was? The only thing that quieted those thoughts was knowing she wasn’t presently courting anyone.
Pulling the key from the pocket of his trousers, Gabriel could not forget the pride he felt when Mr. Winters had placed it in his hand. He had a haus, but not just any haus. He had Eden’s dream haus, and he prayed she would agree to live in it one day as his fraa. He imagined the first time she would gaze upon his handiwork, and he hoped he would be able to do the place justice. It deserved to be taken care of and loved by the one woman who was able to appreciate it even in its dilapidated state.
He turned the key, anticipation reeling through him. The door had swollen in the dampness, but one push from his shoulder and it creaked open. Snow had drifted in from the roof and covered the wood floor, accumulating under each area that needed patching. It was going to take a lot to get this place repaired in time to avoid demolition. Gabriel whispered a prayer of thanks for the opportunity to save the haus, and for the chance to show Eden that he loved her.
Gabriel began to unload the buggy, eager to get started. His friends would be here soon, and he wanted to be ready for them when they arrived. He’d spent most of the previous evening plotting out his time for each repair, and estimated he could finish well ahead of schedule. Even if he didn’t finish the inside, if he could get the outside to where it wasn’t a safety hazard that warranted demolition, he would be satisfied enough to present it to Eden. Perhaps she would want to help, putting a woman’s touch to the haus to make it her own.
Amish White Christmas: Three Complete Novellas (Snowflakes on Goose Pond, Snow Angels, The Gingerbread Haus {Amish Christian Romance}) Page 7
