“He said the Costa family is paying him a lot of overtime right now. I’m glad he’s taking advantage of that. He needs to earn his keep.”
His father’s criticism and harsh tone were new and difficult to get used to. Ever since he’d told all of them about his many financial mistakes, he acted like a different man. Now he seemed to find fault with all of them. Nearly every conversation with him was filled with complaints and jabs.
He didn’t use to act that way. When Neil was little, he remembered his father always being patient with him. He’d never raised his voice when a glass broke or he’d done poorly on a paper or test at school.
He’d been even more understanding with Roy, often chuckling when his little brother had messed up a chore.
Neil supposed his father had good reason for his shift in attitude. Uncle Joe had made his life very difficult. And now that they were all living on the same property and his father essentially worked for him, his father never got a break from him.
So, yes, his father’s dissatisfaction with his life was understandable. But his sniping made a tough living situation even worse.
“How was your day, Daed?”
Sipping his glass of water, he shrugged. “About how you would expect. Joe asked me to work in the tack room today, mending lines and oiling bridles.”
“At least you were inside.”
His father rolled his eyes. “It was a waste of time. Everything in there was already in good order. I had told Joe that we needed to order seeds and such for spring planting, but he thinks it’s too early.”
“It’s December.”
“I know. By this time, we not only usually have everything ordered, but most of it has been delivered and organized in the barn.”
“What did he do while you were in the tack room?”
“Who knows? He wasn’t around me. That’s all I cared about.”
“I feel badly that Mamm is at his house doing laundry. She already does so much around here. She shouldn’t have to take on more work, too.”
“I know, but she said it wasn’t a problem.”
Neil knew that she most likely was trying to keep everyone happy. That was his mother’s way. Standing up, he pulled the paycheck from his pocket. “I got paid today. Here you go, Daed.”
For the first time since he got home, his father’s expression became less caustic and far more vulnerable. “You know, Neil, I think you should start keeping your pay. We have money in the bank now; and though Joe is a thorn in my side, he does pay me well.”
“How about I help contribute for a little while longer? Christmas is coming up, you know.”
“I doubt we’ll be celebrating this year, Neil.”
“I know we won’t be exchanging gifts or anything, but give the money to Mamm. She can use it to buy a turkey. Or all of her baking supplies. You know how she likes to give all those cookie tins to practically everyone she’s ever met.”
“This ain’t the year for her to do that.”
“You know how much she likes baking all those cookies. We can’t tell her no.”
His father laughed, the noise sounding harsh and brittle in the cramped room. “Of course I can. It would be too awkward, anyway. Now everyone who we give those tins to will know how bad our situation has become.”
Usually, Neil would back down. But they’d already been through so much. There was no way he wasn’t going to fight for one of his mother’s favorite activities of the whole year. “She loves making those gifts, Daed. She writes everyone notes. And it doesn’t matter where we live, anyway. It’s still Christmas.”
“You are acting as if what we’ve just been through doesn’t matter.”
“Nee, I’m acting as if us living in this house on Uncle Joseph’s property isn’t the end of the world. We still have each other, Daed. We’re still getting up every morning. We can’t simply hide out here until things change.”
“You watch your mouth, boy.”
Neil gritted his teeth but held his temper. “Yes, sir.”
The door opened then, bringing in a burst of cold air, his mother, and Roy.
“Oh good, you’re here!” Roy called out as he shifted a large paper sack in his arms. “Now you can hear the story Mamm was telling me about Joseph’s laundry room. You’ll never believe this—he keeps a turtle in there!”
“It’s the sweetest thing, really,” Mamm began as she glanced at Neil and his father. Her smile faded. “What’s wrong?”
But instead of answering, Daed surged to his feet. “What is that, Roy? You are supposed to be working, not going out and spending money. Has this year not taught you anything?”
Roy carefully set the bag on the counter. “This is a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Costa.” Pausing dramatically, he said, “I’ve been noticing that Mr. Costa is having a time of it, looking after his wife and their two little girls and all. So the other day I asked him if I could start staying a little later so he could be with his wife.”
“Mrs. Costa is expecting again,” Mamm said. “You men probably wouldn’t have heard about that.”
Roy nodded. “He was so pleased when I was about ready to leave, he gave me this sack full of food.”
“He gave you food?” Daed asked.
“Well, jah.” Warily, Roy glanced at Neil, then at their mother.
Her smile now forced, Mamm said, “I think it’s so cute how Jonathan Costa dotes on his frau. He acts like she’s made of glass and is always fussing over her. I’m real glad that our Roy has been so helpful to them, too. Even though they’re Englishers, they’re some of my favorite people in the county.”
“Jah, what you offered, that was real good,” Neil said as their father continued to stew. “I’m sure they appreciated your kindness.”
Roy smiled. “Danke. I was nervous about overstepping myself, but Mr. Costa told me he was so pleased that he’d hired me to help with the livestock and the extra chores around the farm.” Pointing to the paper sack, he said, “That’s why he gave me this sack. I think he knew I wouldn’t have wanted extra money. He told me that those cans and things were just sitting around, but I have a feeling that they bought them especially for us.” Reaching into a sack, he pulled out a roasted chicken. “He even gave us a chicken,” he said with a laugh. “He said Mrs. Costa roasted two chickens too many when their relatives came over.”
“Now I’ll hardly have to cook tonight at all,” Mamm said, her eyes shining.
“We canna accept it,” Daed said.
Roy carefully put the chicken down on the counter. “Why not?”
“It’s charity. No one gives food unless they think the receivers can’t afford to buy their own. And we can.”
“I can’t take the food back to them, Daed,” Roy said. “It would be rude.”
“It was rude of him to give it to you in the first place.”
“He meant well. It wasn’t rude. And it wasn’t charity, either. Why, you know how important Mr. Costa is. He’s a part owner in several businesses all over the county. All he wanted to do was give us something, the same way Mamm makes everyone cookies each Christmas.”
“It ain’t the same.” Pointing to the door, he said, “Go take that food back right now.”
“Nee,” Roy said, his tone full of ice. “I’m not going to disrespect Mr. and Mrs. Costa like that.”
“But you’ll disrespect me?”
“If doing the right thing means disrespecting you, then yeah, I guess I am.”
Just as their father inhaled, Neil pressed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Go take a shower or something,” he said quietly. “I’ll deal with this.”
Roy shook his head. “Nee, bruder. It ain’t like that anymore. I’m not going to run off while you attempt to fix things.” Glaring at their father, he said, “It’s time you stopped feeling sorry for yourself, Daed.”
“You are talking nonsense.”
“You deliberately twisted and turned a kindness into something ugly. What is more, you’ve been doing thing
s like this for some time now. It needs to stop.”
Twin spots of color appeared on their father’s cheeks. “You have forgotten who you are speaking to, Roy. I raised you better than this.”
“Nee, you raised me to respect others, have faith in Jesus, and practice forgiveness toward others. I can’t say that you’ve exhibited any of those behaviors lately.”
“Roy,” Mamm whispered. “You must stop.”
As their father clenched his fists and visibly attempted to rein in his temper, Roy shook his head. “No, Mamm. I ain’t going to sit here and watch Neil work long hours, watch you try to pretend that we’re all okay, and keep my mouth shut while my father bites at all of us just because he wishes we still had our farm. He needs to come to terms with the fact that we don’t have it . . . but we are still okay.”
Walking across the small space, Roy clasped one of his father’s arms. “Daed, we are still okay. Stop grieving for what we lost and, if you can, learn to be grateful for what we still have.”
“Unhand me, boy.”
Immediately, Roy dropped his hand. After a long minute, he exhaled and turned away.
Neil felt tears in his eyes as he watched Roy walk down the hall to the shower, his mother press her palms to her cheeks, and his father walk out the door.
Feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, Neil sat back down, closed his eyes, and prayed for them all.
CHAPTER 14
Tuesday, December 19
Tuesday morning dawned bright and sunny. Susanna was grateful for the good weather since the mood inside their house was rather dark.
When she’d awoken, she’d discovered Amanda sitting next to Traci on the couch with her arms wrapped around her. Traci was pale. Her eyes were watering and she had a terrible cough.
Then their mother informed her that Daed was just as sick and was in bed. After helping with some chores around the house, and realizing that the rest of the inhabitants in the house were about to take naps, Susanna decided to finally go out to the bridge and try to figure out what had happened.
She needed to prove Traci wrong. She needed to be able to tell herself that no one could have tried to damage the bridge on purpose.
She set off, determined to spend some time appreciating how beautiful everything looked all covered in white.
She also used the time to try to reflect on how she was feeling. She thought back to before they moved to Horse Cave. She’d been so excited and hopeful when their father had first told them about his inheritance and his bid on this farm.
It hadn’t even occurred to her then to think about the family that was selling the farm. Now that she’d met Neil Vance, though, she was wondering why the Lord had put them on either side of such contrasting beliefs.
Approaching the bridge, she noticed the broken board right away. It was split in two. Below it, the five-foot-wide creek was frozen . . . with the exception of a sizable hole in the ice.
Staring at it, she imagined Traci falling through the ice, being scared, at a loss for what to do. The only saving grace was that it wasn’t terribly deep. The water was only about three and a half feet deep. Not enough for a thirteen-year-old girl to drown in . . . unless she’d hit her head and gotten trapped under the ice.
A chill that had nothing to do with the cold temperatures settled inside her. Traci could have died.
After allowing herself a few seconds of grief, she shook it off and got back to the reason she’d come there. She needed to inspect the boards, to see if there was any visible mark or indication that could prove Traci’s suspicion correct.
She stepped toward the bridge, suddenly wishing that she hadn’t come alone. Of course, even if she did fall through another board, she would be okay. She wasn’t a scared teenager, she was taller than Traci, and it was a bright day. She wasn’t going to get stuck or disoriented or overcome by panic.
But it still would have been better to have gone with another person.
After eyeing the wood slats as well as she could from the bank, she knew she had only one option if she was going to hope to find any answers. She was going to need to get on the bridge, kneel down on one of the sturdier planks, and then peer at the broken wood.
Decision made, she set down the little quilted backpack she’d been carrying and stepped onto the bridge. Immediately, her foot slid.
It was icy.
Glad she was wearing gloves that had a bit of a grip on them, she clutched the handrail and took another step. Then two more.
She was about two feet in. After another couple of steps, she would be able to kneel down and look for damage.
Feeling more determined, she took another tentative step. The wood groaned under her weight. Had this one been sabotaged, too? Perhaps if she knelt on one knee. Wasn’t dispersing her weight supposed to be better in—
“What are you doing?”
Startled, she turned, then felt her foot slide on another patch of ice.
Neil Vance muttered something as he reached out for her and grabbed her by the waist.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked around a squeal . . . as he brought her off the bridge and set her down on the bank of the creek.
Then, there they were, standing together, his large hands firmly grasping her by her waist. Somehow hers were now on his forearms. Holding on to his thick wool coat.
Once again, she was reminded how tall he was. With his boots on, he stood at least six inches taller than she. His unusual flinty-blue eyes studied her expression.
Then promptly set her free.
“What am I doing?” he repeated, giving her a look that said that he thought she had completely lost her mind. “I’m trying to save a second Schwartz sister from falling into the creek.”
“I wasn’t about to fall.”
“Well, you really shouldn’t have been trying to cross it.”
“I wasn’t. I was only attempting to get a better idea of what happened.”
He looked around. “So you came out here by yourself.”
Since that was obvious, Susanna pointed to the hole in the ice instead. “Traci fell in right there. Then her dress got caught on a rock or branch or something in the ice.”
“How did she get out?”
“My father found her.”
“And she really is all right?”
Worry laced his tone. He was worried about Traci, and that helped her calm down and act less argumentative. Lifting a shoulder, she answered with care. “More or less. As I told you, she’s a bit sick, with a bad cold now; and we learned she also turned her ankle. She should be right as rain in a couple of days.” Staring at the hole in the ice, she felt an unwanted tremor race down her spine. “She could have been hurt much worse.”
“Susanna, if you needed to cross the creek this morning, you should have just walked across on the rocks. It’s frozen solid because it’s so shallow there.”
“Is that what you did?”
“Jah.” Looking over her, he said, “Are you scared to cross on the ice? I can help you, if you’d like.”
“That’s kind of you.” It was actually really kind. So far, everything that he’d been doing, lifting her off the bridge, offering to help . . . well, it was all very kind.
It was time to tell him the truth.
“I was hoping to get a good look at the wood planks.”
“You can’t fix it today, Susanna. Listen, when the weather gets a little warmer, I’ll come out here with Roy or Dale and repair it.”
“I hate to point out the obvious, but this bridge isn’t your problem anymore.”
“Don’t be so stubborn. I’m trying to help you. Listen, I helped my father build this bridge. Dale and Roy helped repair a couple of loose boards just last summer. We know what we’re doing.”
“The boards were replaced that recently?”
He paused. “Yes. Why?”
“That just surprises me.”
“Because? Wait. What do you want to inspect?”
&nbs
p; “To see if the wood had been tampered with.” Before he could say something sarcastic, she said, “Traci is sure that someone weakened the board. She heard a sharp snap as it broke.”
“Anything that breaks would make a snap, don’t you think?”
“Usually, I would agree, but she also pointed out that recently she, Amanda, and I all stood on the bridge at the same time. None of us heard any creaking. The wood seemed strong.” Blowing out a burst of air, she said, “And you just said you thought it was in good repair.”
He looked wary. “I thought it was. But snow and rain and everything else can weaken it. I bet that is what happened.”
“Traci is small. She’s only about a hundred pounds, Neil. Maybe even a little less than that.”
All traces of humor were gone from his face now. “Why would someone want to tamper with this bridge?”
“I don’t know, but I have a guess.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “You might as well tell me.”
“I think someone wanted one of us to get hurt so we would start to get afraid of living here.”
“I think you’re letting your imagination get the best of ya. Boards break all the time.”
“That is true. But then again, someone did shoot at me just a couple of weeks ago. And then, there was the broken fence.”
“Don’t you think you are jumping to conclusions?”
“Nee. Someone wants us gone and isn’t going to rest until that happens.” Looking at him directly in the eye, she lifted her chin. “I’ve decided I’m going to figure out who it is.”
CHAPTER 15
Tuesday, December 19
A lot of unexpected things had happened in his life, but Neil couldn’t ever remember anyone telling him something so outlandish that it took his breath away.
“Are you serious?” he asked.
She was standing so rigid and stiff. So tightly wound up, he could practically see the tension emanating from her. A breeze blew through, pulling up the edge of her cloak to reveal a bright-blue wool dress. That dress, combined with her robin’s-egg-blue knit scarf and matching gloves, made him think of the blue jays that often nested in the woods. So bright and cheerful, yet so wary of everything and everyone around them.
The Gift Page 9
