Dr. Simon squinted, trying to make out the shapes of the people in his house. “Sing us one of your German carols. They take me right back to my days in the Army.”
They filed into the house with Erla and Menno leading the way. The two dozen of them fit nicely into the Simons’ spacious living room.
Tyler let go of Beth, but he cupped his hand over her elbow and led her to stand by the hearth, where a fire crackled merrily. “Is this too warm?” he said.
“Nae, it feels gute.”
They sang three songs, all in German, and Dr. Simon sang along when he remembered the words. Tyler sang so softly that not even Beth could hear him, but he did it with a smile, so she knew he didn’t mind.
Even though she longed for the feel of his hand again, Tyler couldn’t very well hold her hand in plain sight of everybody, but he gazed at her with warmth to rival the fire. Pleasant goose bumps tickled her skin.
Mrs. Simon handed out hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows, and Erla, in turn, gave the Simons the goodie basket.
As they sipped their hot chocolate, Vernon pushed his way between Tyler and Beth and leaned over to warm his hands by the fire. “If you can’t make yummasetti, I don’t mind meatloaf and stuffing,” he said.
Beth shook her head and laughed. What had Tyler said about Vernon? He was nothing if not persistent? “I’m really quite hopeless as a cook.”
Tyler didn’t smile, but his eyes flashed with amusement. “I make very gute pancakes and bacon.”
Vernon wrinkled his forehead until it looked like a nicely plowed field. “Can you bake bread?”
“Amos said I make it too dry.”
Clouds gathered on Tyler’s face. “Amos mostly didn’t know what he was talking about.” After he drank the last of his hot chocolate, he said, “I’ll be right back.” He turned and walked away.
Beth almost screamed at him to come back. He’d promised to stick by her side, and he’d left her stranded with Vernon Schmucker, who was excessively preoccupied with food. And fishing.
“Do you know how to make pie? I love raisin pie.”
Beth kept her gaze glued to Tyler as he made his way to Erla and whispered something in her ear. Beth didn’t know what he was saying, but Erla seemed to grow increasingly irritated as he spoke. She folded her arms, glanced at Beth, and rolled her eyes.
Still talking, Tyler spread his arms as if he were asking for a hug. Erla cracked a smile and nodded. “Denki,” Beth heard Tyler say.
The carolers began filing out the door, and Tyler returned to Beth as if she would disappear if he didn’t hurry. Relief soaked her like rainwater.
Tyler took Beth’s hand, right there in plain sight of Vernon. “My mamm has a gute recipe for whoopie pies,” Tyler said. “Do you like whoopie pies?”
At this point, Vernon probably felt quite annoyed. He couldn’t get a word in edgewise without Tyler interrupting him. Beth hid a smile, partly because of the look on Vernon’s face and partly because Tyler’s hand felt so nice.
Walking against the tide, Menno parted the crowd of carolers parading out the door and gave Vernon a firm pat on the back. “Vernon,” he said. “Erla needs you to be our Vorsinger. She’s afraid everyone will run out of enthusiasm for the caroling unless you keep us going.”
Menno, with his solid build and firm grip, pulled Vernon away from Beth and Tyler even as Vernon tried to protest.
“Erla won’t take no for an answer,” Menno added.
Vernon glanced at Beth in confusion, but apparently, Menno didn’t take no for an answer either. They were soon out the door.
Tyler squeezed Beth’s hand. “Sorry about leaving you with Vernon like that, but I had to make sure he wouldn’t ruin the rest of our evening.”
“What did you do?”
“I told Erla it was her turn to entertain him. He’s been tagging along with us long enough. No offense to Vernon, but I don’t want to share you with anybody tonight.”
Maybe she should have been offended that Tyler acted as if he had a right to monopolize her or manipulate events to be with her. Instead, her heart fluttered, and she found herself smiling unintentionally.
They were the last two onto the wagon. Vernon stood at the front, leading the group in “Coventry Carol,” which had a very nice bass part. Their blankets waited for them. Once they sat down, Tyler sidled close to her and wrapped the biggest blanket around Beth’s shoulders. He didn’t withdraw his arm.
She raised her eyebrows.
He smiled playfully. “I don’t want you to get cold.” “I’m plenty warm.”
“Because I’ve got my arm around you. Does this bother you? Because I think it must be what Heaven feels like.”
She felt her face heat up. “I don’t mind.”
“And no one can see that I’ve got my arm around you under this blanket.”
Beth giggled. “You just fell off the turnip truck if you believe no one can see us. You’re too close not to attract attention.”
Tyler’s eyes danced as he squeezed her arm. “Gute. People are always happier if they have something to gossip about.”
She leaned against him and let him enfold her in his arms. “I’d hate to disappoint anyone.”
The clouds parted, and Beth glimpsed a sliver of moon surrounded by a patch of bright stars. Their breath hung in the air as the clip-clop of horse hooves echoed in the frosty evening above the singing. Beth didn’t think she’d ever been so content. She glanced at Tyler. He studied her face with that endearing seriousness he wore like a favorite hat.
“Your eyes reflect the moonlight,” he whispered.
“So do yours.”
“Do you know what I see when I look in your eyes?”
His intensity unnerved her. Better to make him laugh. “Sheer exhaustion?”
He determined not to be distracted. “I see a thousand stories waiting to be told.” He smoothed his finger down her cheek. “You’re laughing in all of them.”
She held absolutely still, savoring his touch as her surroundings seemed to disappear. They might have been the only people in the world. His soft, low voice lingered like the scent of cinnamon pinecones and caressed her with its deep longing. Beth could have closed her eyes and listened to it forever.
Vernon’s bass part could be heard above all other singers. “Away in a manger, no holding hands on the hayride.”
Both Tyler and Beth glanced up in surprise to see Vernon glowering at them pointedly, as if he were the hayride enforcement officer.
Beth turned to Tyler. Amusement flashed in his eyes. Beth stifled her laughter by clapping her gloved hand over her mouth.
Some heads turned, but Tyler didn’t show any inclination to put even a little space between them. If anything, he tightened his arm around her, without taking his eyes from her face. “You should always be laughing,” he said.
The horses turned up the lane to Huckleberry Hill. Mammi and Dawdi were their last stop. Halfway up, they all jumped off the wagon and walked. The lane had become a little steep and too much of a burden for the team of horses pulling their weight. Tyler wasn’t even subtle about it. He grabbed Beth’s hand and trudged up the hill without the slightest sign that his actions were out of the ordinary or inappropriate.
When they reached the top of the hill, the carolers took a moment to catch their breath, and then Vernon led everybody in “Silent Night.” She and Tyler fell to the back of the group as they ambled to the porch.
The music floated up among the tall, bare maples and echoed off the snowdrifts. Beth closed her eyes to savor the sweet sound of voices blended together to sing of Jesus’s birth.
All is calm, all is bright.
A single pillar candle burned in the front window. The wreath on Mammi’s front door was made from different size balls of red, green, and white yarn glued to a Styrofoam wreath. A pair of knitting needles stuck out of one of the green balls and added a festive touch to the front porch.
Mammi opened the door with Toby in her arms. Beaming
like a lighthouse, she whispered in Toby’s ear. Toby shaped his mouth into an O and listened spellbound as they finished their song. When the last strains of heavenly peace faded into the night, everyone paused momentarily in silent reverence. Even Toby stilled in Mammi’s arms as a hush fell over the carolers.
Of course, Toby’s wonderment was as short-lived as his attention span. The quiet came to an end when he clapped his hands and yelled at the singers. “Ball, ball.”
Several people laughed. Beth smiled. Toby had a way of wheedling his way into people’s affections.
“What a surprise this is,” Mammi said. “I thought you only went caroling to the shut-ins and the elderly. Come in and sing for Felty.”
One by one they stepped into Mammi’s house, stomping their snow-covered boots and wiping their feet on the mat. Beth and Tyler were the last to enter. As soon as Toby saw them, he reached out his arms for Tyler. “Mommy,” he said, rejoicing when Tyler opened his arms wide and enfolded Toby in a bear hug, complete with growling and tickling.
Beth’s ironclad resistance almost melted. She had a soft spot for anyone who adored Toby.
She took a deep breath. What did she think she was doing? The Christmas music and the hot chocolate must have weakened her resolve.
She had promised herself she wouldn’t let her heart be ambushed ever again, and here she stood, in the same place she had been four years ago, flirting and holding hands and making eyes at a boy. It must have been the miniature marshmallows that got to her. She loved miniature marshmallows.
A wall of warmth enveloped her as she walked into the great room. Mammi had spent hours stringing popcorn and cranberries to hang at the windows with the long evergreen branches cut from pines in the woods. She had knit ten bright red bows, which she used to tie off the evergreen at the window corners. It definitely looked like Christmas at the Helmuth house.
Dawdi sat in his recliner, and Mammi fumbled through the fridge. “I’ve got some leftover rice. I’ll cook up a batch of rice pudding while you sing to us.” A saucepan clattered loudly as she set it on the cookstove. She poured the rice into the pan and waved her hand in their direction. “Go ahead and sing. Don’t mind me.”
Beth would have decamped as far from Tyler as she could, but he held Toby, and she couldn’t very well abandon her son just to avoid Tyler. Tyler smiled at her while bouncing Toby on his hip. He seemed so natural, so content. He’d make a wonderful-gute father someday. But not Toby’s father.
Beth would have to renew her search for a wife for Tyler. He deserved to have a gute woman by his side and children he could care for.
Vernon decided on “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” and they sang all four verses.
How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given. Thus God imparts to human hearts the blessings of His heaven. No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in.
That particular verse had always touched Beth. God’s gifts were given so quietly that many people didn’t even recognize blessings when they came.
She felt the familiar pang in her heart and folded her arms across her chest to keep the hurt from spilling out. She had seen nothing but sorrow for the last four years. Why hadn’t God taken care of her? Why hadn’t He stopped her from marrying Amos? Didn’t He love her? Didn’t He care how painful her marriage had been? Apparently He didn’t. He had forgotten her. She must look after herself.
“There’s another verse to that song,” Dawdi said. Without further fanfare, he began to sing, “O little Inn of Bethlehem, how like we are to you. Our lives are crowded to the brim with this and that to do. We’re not unfriendly to the King, we mean well without doubt. We have no hostile feelings, we merely crowd Him out.”
“A very gute message,” Erla said.
Dawdi waved his hand in the air. “Sing another.”
They sang “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” and “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” and then Mammi, still busy in the kitchen, announced that the pudding wasn’t quite ready yet.
When they started “Jingle Bells,” Toby wanted to get down. Tyler set him on his feet, and he danced around the room as they sang all the verses they knew and Vernon shook his bells with untempered enthusiasm. Tyler laughed when Toby bent over, tucked his head, and did an unintentional somersault. He sat up, not quite sure how he’d ended up on his backside. The laughter bubbled amidst the music.
“The pudding is ready,” Mammi announced when they ended “Jingle Bells” with a loud “Hey!” Mammi stacked some plastic spoons and a tower of Styrofoam cups in the table. “Everybody get a cup and a spoon, and I will dish you some pudding.”
Beth sensed a bit of foot dragging as one by one the carolers lined up for their share of rice pudding. Mammi had a widespread reputation as a bad cook. No one wanted to hurt her feelings, but few people looked forward to eating one of Anna Helmuth’s concoctions.
Even Vernon, who apparently dreamed about food in his sleep, let several people go ahead of him. Was he hoping that if he stood at the back of the line, Mammi would run out of pudding before he got any?
Had Mammi passed on her cooking skills to Beth? Amos certainly would have said yes. She had never made him a meal he had enjoyed. Of course, Amos had always been at a loss for kind words, so she couldn’t be sure. Since leaving Indiana and Amos’s constant criticism, she had come to consider herself an adequate cook. Treva had liked it when she’d made cheese, and Tyler always devoured her cookies.
A lump stuck in her throat. Tyler devoured Mammi’s cooking too. His eating habits didn’t tell her anything.
Although she should have pulled back, she let Tyler take her hand and lead her to the pudding line.
“You go first, Tyler,” one of the young people said. “We know how you love rice pudding.”
Tyler grinned at Beth and picked up two cups from the table. “Fill them to the brim, Anna,” he said. “I’m star ving.”
With her eyes sparkling in delight, Mammi shook her finger. “Now, Tyler. You must save some for everybody else.”
From the back of the line, Aaron Troyer called out. “Don’t worry about us, Anna. Tyler’s worked hard today to organize this hayride. He deserves the biggest helping.”
Truly pleased that Tyler wanted two helpings, Mammi shrugged and filled his cups. Beth glanced at Mammi’s pot. Tyler’s selflessness wouldn’t do much to help the rest of the carolers, even those in the back of the line. Mammi had made a generous batch.
Beth held out her cup, and Mammi poured her a ladleful of runny white pudding. At least it wasn’t so thick that it would stick in her throat on the way down. No matter how unappetizing, runny was better. Beth studied her cup. The pudding had some sort of wrinkly red fruit floating in it. They might have been cranberries, but she decided it would be better not to ask.
They sat down on the sofa, and Tyler set one of his cups on the end table. Toby skipped to Tyler and wanted to be picked up. Tyler scooped Toby onto his lap and offered him a spoonful of pudding. Toby opened his mouth and let Tyler feed him.
To Beth’s surprise, Toby didn’t spit the rice all over Tyler’s shirt. “More,” he said, smacking his lips and grinning with his whole face.
Tyler put the cup to Toby’s lips and let him drink the pudding like a glass of milk. Toby gulped the pudding like it was his first nourishment in days.
Beth looked into her cup as if it held a perilous mystery. Doubtfully, she dipped her spoon and licked it. It wasn’t horrible. In fact, Mammi’s rice pudding tasted like nothing more than warm milk and sugar, with occasional lumps of rice and cranberries for texture. As long as she swallowed the cranberries whole, she could eat without cringing. Thankfully, no one would end up with a stomachache for having eaten it, and Tyler would not have to suffer for his thoughtfulness.
The other carolers discovered that the pudding was edible, and Beth could almost hear an audible sigh of relief as everyone sat down to enj
oy their rice drink. Most abandoned their spoons and drank it down. Vernon went so far as to slurp, which was a sure sign that he enjoyed it.
Mammi handed Dawdi a cup, and he took a hearty bite. “This is the best rice pudding ever, Banannie. The queen of Africa never ate this well.”
Toby drank Tyler’s whole cup. “He likes it,” Tyler said, glancing at Beth cautiously. She hadn’t said a word since they’d arrived. The thoughts tumbled around in her head like pebbles in a swollen river. If she could stop her brain from spinning in circles, she might be able to make sense out of the confusion.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Jah. A little tired yet.”
She could see by the set of his jaw and the agitation in his expression that he was already trying to figure out a way to make things easier for her without offending her. Part of her wanted to push him away and scold him for his annoying interference. A bigger part of her wanted to dissolve into his embrace and thank him for caring.
He looked too serious. The urge to kiss that frown right off his lips grew too great. She’d have to make him smile or else go crazy thinking about it. “Dodging Vernon is exhausting,” she whispered.
He quirked the corners of his lips upward. “Unfortunately, it might be our turn to sit with him on the ride back. We can only ask so much of Erla and Menno.”
“I won’t be sitting with him at all. I’m already home.”
Tyler looked sincerely disappointed as he bounced Toby on his knee. “I was afraid you’d realize that. I wanted one more chance to cuddle with you.”
Beth turned her face away and willed herself not to blush. “You heard Vernon. No holding hands on the hayride. If I were going back, we’d have to follow the rules.”
He chuckled. “Says who?”
Mammi walked around the room with a garbage bag in her hands, collecting cups and spoons.
“Denki,” Tyler said as both his empty cups went into her bag.
Anna handed the bag to Felty and took Toby from Tyler’s arms. “Tyler, there is something I want you and Beth to see in the barn.”
Huckleberry Christmas Page 17