Patricia Davids Christmas Brides of Amish Country: An Amish ChristmasThe Christmas QuiltA Hope Springs Christmas

by Patricia Davids

  Sarah pulled a folded quilt from the back of a rocker and spread it across Levi. She coaxed him to give up her coat and then tucked the quilt around his shoulders. She pressed her palm to his forehead. He was burning up.

  “If I make you some hot tea will you be able to keep it down?” she asked.

  “I think so.”

  “When was the last time you had something to eat?”

  “I’m not hungry. I just want to sleep.”

  “Not until I get some fluids in you. I’m going to check on the twins.”

  When Levi didn’t respond, Sarah took it as his consent. She quickly put the kettle on and made her way up the narrow stairs to the upper story of the house. The first room she looked into belonged to Grace. It was painted a lovely shade of lavender with a large throw rug on the floor and a beautiful lavender-and-white quilt on the bed.

  The next door she opened was to Levi’s room. It was tidy and clean. The walls were a pale gray. His bed had a simple dark blue blanket as a spread. He was a tidy man.

  The last room she looked in was not neat at all. There were clothes strewn on the floor, shoes had been tossed aside and lay where they’d fallen and numerous books and magazines lay helter-skelter around the room. From a set of twin beds, one bleary-eyed and one bright-eyed boy looked at her in astonishment. She marched to the bed closest to the door and laid her hand on Atlee’s brow.

  He was hot, but his fever wasn’t as high as Levi’s.

  Moses drew his covers up to his chin when she came toward him. “What are you doing in here?”

  “I’m seeing who is sick and how sick they are.” She clapped a hand on his forehead. He was cool to the touch. His eyes were bright, his lips weren’t cracked.

  She fisted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “You aren’t sick.”

  “I am. I ache all over. My stomach is churning. I feel terrible,” he insisted.

  “You’ll feel better when you’re done helping me.”

  “Helping you do what?”

  “Levi is downstairs and he is very sick. I don’t think I can get him up to his room by myself. You have five minutes to get dressed, and then I’m coming up here with a pail of cold water. If you’re in this bed when I get back, you’ll get a bath.”

  “You wouldn’t?”

  “Trust me, I would.”

  She turned to leave. Stopping by Atlee, she straightened his covers and said, “I’ll bring you some hot tea with honey in a few minutes. Do you think you can eat something?”

  “Maybe some toast if you don’t mind making it.” He coughed harshly.

  “I don’t mind a bit. Try and get some rest.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He closed his red-rimmed eyes with a sigh.

  Downstairs, she found the kettle starting to whistle. She took it off the heat and filled two big mugs with the steaming liquid. She added tea bags and honey, and then set two slices of bread in the oven.

  She checked on Levi. He was curled up on the sofa with the quilt pulled tight around his neck.

  The poor man, he looked miserable, but there wasn’t much she could do for him. “Levi, can you drink some of this?”

  He shook his head and burrowed deeper under the quilt. Giving up, she carried the mug back in the kitchen.

  Sarah glanced at the clock. When the five minutes was up, she found a saucepan and filled it with cool water. She flipped a towel over her shoulder and set the pan, the tea-filled mug and a plate with the toast on a tray. She carried it all up the stairs. As she suspected, Moses was still in bed, trying to look as if he belonged there.

  Setting the tray down on Atlee’s nightstand, she helped him sit up in bed by arranging his pillows at his back and gave him the mug of tea. He wrapped his hands around it and took a sip. “Ach, that’s wunderbaar, Sarah. Danki.”

  “You’re welcome.” Taking the pan, she walked around his bed and threw the water on Moses.

  He came out of the covers yowling like a scalded cat. He stood in his pajamas, glaring at her while water dripped from his hair. She took the towel from her shoulder and held it out. “I couldn’t find a pail. You’re lucky all I found was a small sauce pan.”

  He snatched the towel from her. “I’ll catch my death for sure now.”

  “I doubt I’ll be so lucky. Get dried off, get changed, strip your bed and clean up this mess. All of this mess.” She indicated the rest of the room.

  Without waiting for him to reply, she turned toward the door. Atlee sat in his bed with a stunned expression of disbelief on his face. She said gently, “Finish your tea, dear. It will help bring the fever down.”

  He nodded. She smiled and walked out the door.

  Twenty minutes later, Moses came into the kitchen. He was dressed in his work clothes. He held a bundle of sheets in his arms.

  She took them from him. “I’ve made some scrambled eggs and hash browns. When you’re finished with breakfast, you can help me get your brother up to his room. I may need to send you for the doctor later, so stay nearby.”

  He frowned and glanced in the living room. “Is he really that sick?”

  “I’m afraid he may be.” Her own father had died of pneumonia. His illness had started out the same way as Levi’s. She always thought her father’s stubborn refusal to see a doctor had contributed to his untimely death.

  She wouldn’t think about another death at Christmas. God would not do that to her. Besides, she didn’t love Levi. There was no reason he might die.

  She said, “I don’t know if Levi took care of the horses this morning or not. Would you please check and take care of them if he didn’t?”

  “Will you pour more water on my head if I say no?”

  She sighed heavily. “Nee, but I will be sorely disappointed for I have always thought you had the makings of a good man in you. I know Levi believes you do, and I trust his judgment.”

  Moses cast her a sheepish glance and then stared at his boots. “I’ll take care of it. Keep my eggs warm, will you?”

  “Of course.”

  He pulled on a coat and settled his hat on his head. When he glanced back at her, she realized how much he looked like Levi. Maybe he would grow into a good man after all. She prayed it would be so.

  She spent the next half hour coaxing Levi into taking the cough medicine she found in the bathroom cabinet along with a couple of aspirin and sips of warm sweet tea. She could tell it was an effort for him just to raise his head, but he managed to swallow a full cup of the liquid. She left his side feeling better about his condition. Moses came in as she put the kettle back on.

  “The stock is taken care of. I’ve stoked the fire in the shop. I can finish most of the work that Levi had planned for today. How is he?”

  “He took some tea. Do you think we can get him upstairs?”

  “It would be easier to bring one of the cots down here and move him onto that.”

  “That’s a good idea, Moses. I’ll let you do that while I get the laundry started. I need to get your sheets out on the line so you have someplace dry to sleep tonight.”

  “I can always sleep in Grace’s or Levi’s room.”

  “Won’t Atlee feel better knowing you’re close by?”

  “I reckon you are right about that. I’ll go get the cot.”

  Between the two of them, they got Levi moved to a more comfortable bed close to the fire. It didn’t make him happy. He fretted for the next hour, more concerned about Sarah than about his own comfort.

  “You must go home, Sarah. I don’t want you to become ill because of me.”

  She tucked his quilt more tightly around him. “I’m a grown woman. I’ll go home when I want to and not before.”

  “I wondered how soon that remark would come back to haunt me.”

  “Rest and don’t worry
about me. I feel fine. It is up to God if I catch your flu. Now hush. I will hear no more about leaving. Atlee is sick, too. Who will take care of him with Moses in the shop all day?”

  Levi said, “I will see to the boy’s needs.”

  Sarah was tired of arguing with him. She stepped back and raised her hands. “Okay, I was about to take some soup up to him, but you can do it.”

  “Finally, the woman is minding me. Praise the Lord.” He pushed his covers aside and sat up.

  When he didn’t go any farther, Sarah said, “The soup is in the kitchen.”

  He teetered on the side of the cot. Closing his eyes, he lay back with a moan. “I can’t do it.”

  “I told you so.”

  “You’re laughing at me. You’re always laughing at me,” he muttered wearily.

  “Nee, I have never laughed at you, Levi.”

  He opened his bloodshot eyes and stared at her. “Yes, you have.”

  “When?”

  He started coughing again. She brought him a drink of water. He took a sip and lay back with his eyes closed.

  She should let him sleep, but his comment bothered her. “When did I laugh at you, Levi? If you thought I was, it wasn’t on purpose and I’m sorry.”

  “It was on purpose. You wanted me to kiss you...and then you pushed me in the creek. Everyone saw. Everyone laughed.”

  She recalled the day vividly. She was saddened to realize he thought she had acted deliberately. She reached down and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. He needed a haircut. She was pleased to note his skin felt cooler.

  “You startled me, Levi. That’s why I pushed you away. I didn’t mean for you to fall in the water. I’m sorry the others laughed, but I wasn’t laughing.”

  He rolled on his side away from her. “I want to sleep now.”

  “All right. I’ll be here if you need me.” He didn’t answer.

  She left him alone and took a bowl of soup up to Atlee. She was pleased when he managed to eat most of it. She hoped Levi would be able to take some later.

  With Moses working in the carriage shop, Sarah got busy on something she had been dying to do for days—putting Levi’s house to rights.

  She re-washed all the dishes in the cupboards. As she suspected, some of them had had only a cursory cleaning. After that, she scrubbed down the kitchen walls and counters. She was getting ready to mop the floor when she heard the door open. Expecting Moses, she was surprised to see Nettie Imhoff and her aunt Emma coming in.

  She rushed to stop them from entering. “There is sickness in the house, ladies. It would be best to visit another time.”

  Nettie set a large basket on the kitchen table. “My son Elam told me as much. Knowing that Levi is a bachelor, I came to see if I could be of use. I stopped by Emma’s place and asked her to join me.”

  “Men are no good at taking care of themselves or anyone else when they’re sick,” Emma declared.

  “You look like you could use a stout cup of coffee. I can do that much.” Nettie untied her bonnet, hung it along with her coat on the peg by the door and smoothed her apron.

  “That sounds lovely.” Sarah kept her voice low so she wouldn’t disturb Levi.

  Nettie glanced at the cot in the other room. “How is he?”

  “A little better, I think. I was very worried this morning. Atlee is sick, too, but his fever isn’t nearly as high as Levi’s.”

  Nettie said, “My friends in Sugarcreek wrote that this flu has been harsh, but it only lasts a few days. Levi and his brother will be better in no time.”

  Sarah felt the unexpected sting of tears in her eyes. “I’m silly to fret, but with Christmas coming I can’t help but worry that something bad will happen again. Jonas, my parents, Bethany, they were all taken from me at Christmastime.”

  Emma drew her into a comforting hug. “God has given you far too much grief for one so young, but do not doubt His mercy.”

  Sarah sniffed and wiped her eyes. “You’re right. I must lean on His strength.”

  “What can we do to help?” Nettie asked.

  “Until Levi or Atlee need something, I’m trying to put this house in order.”

  Emma frowned at the grimy floor. “The house is missing the mistress.”

  “I can’t give Grace high marks in housekeeping. Levi seems to be the only one in the family who likes an orderly existence. The twins are slobs.”

  The older women chuckled and Sarah smiled. It was good to have them here. She hadn’t realized how scared she had been. Having Levi laid up brought back so many bad memories of her husband’s illness and death.

  “A strong cup of kaffi first, then we clean,” Emma declared. She glanced toward the living room and lowered her voice. “While the men are stuck in bed and can’t mess it up before we’re finished.”

  With the three of them working, they were able to scrub the kitchen floor, strip and air the beds, wash a half dozen loads of laundry and clean the bathroom, all before two-o’clock in the afternoon.

  Sarah blew out a weary breath as she hung the last sheet on the line. She glanced down the rows of bed linens, shirts, pants and socks flapping in the breeze. Thankfully, the day was sunny. She’d be able to gather them in a few hours and begin the process of ironing, mending and putting them away. She’d forgotten how much work it was to do laundry for more than one person. She was tired, but in a good way.

  At least her string of suitors wouldn’t come looking for her over here.

  Her aunt and Nettie left after exacting a promise that Sarah would send for them if she became ill or the Beachy brothers didn’t recover as expected.

  Levi refused any supper, but since he was keeping liquids down, Sarah left it at that. Atlee was feeling better while Moses came in looking worn to the bone. Sarah laid a hand on his forehead. “Are you feeling ill now?”

  He shook his head. “It was a busy day, that’s all.”

  “Levi will be pleased when he learns how you stepped in to take his place. I’ve left some soup on the stove and there is fried chicken staying warm in the oven. Just put the leftovers in the refrigerator.”

  He sniffed the air. “What’s that funny smell?”

  Sarah tried not to laugh. “Pine cleaner.”

  “Oh.”

  “Moses, I’m sorry about tossing water on you this morning.”

  He grinned. “I reckon Atlee and me played enough jokes on you that I had a little payback coming. Just remember what I said about pranks.”

  “It’s only funny the first time?”

  “Ja.”

  “I’ll see you first thing in the morning. Don’t be afraid to come get me if either of them get worse.” She glanced once more toward Levi’s bed. He would be fine. She had to have faith. So why didn’t she?

  * * *

  Levi wasn’t sure if he was still among the living, but he decided he must be when he rolled over and every muscle in his body protested.

  Daylight streamed in through the window on the east side of the house. What time was it? How long had he been asleep?

  He sat up in bed and discovered he could do it without getting dizzy. He was definitely on the mend. Maybe it had been Sarah’s tea.

  He realized he was thirsty. Rising, he made it as far as the kitchen. There was a pitcher of orange juice and several glasses on the table. He sat down and poured himself a drink. It tasted wonderful.

  “You need a haircut.” Sarah was standing behind his chair. He should have known she was in the house. When was the last time one of the twins made fresh-squeezed orange juice? Before he could form an answer, she was running her fingers through his hair.

  His ability to speak vanished altogether. He stopped breathing. It was the first time a woman who wasn’t his sister or his mother had touched him like this.
<
br />   “I never realized you have such nice curls.” She tugged gently, testing the length and thickness of the hair he battled into smooth submission with a brush each morning. His scalp prickled, and gooseflesh rose on his arms. A shiver raced through his body.

  She stopped. “Are you cold?”

  He wasn’t, but he lied. “A little.”

  “Do you want to move closer to the stove?”

  “Nee.” He could already feel the heat building in his body. Did she realize how her touch affected him? He hoped not. He prayed not.

  She said, “How foolish of me. A haircut can wait until you’re feeling better.”

  Even if he had been at death’s door it wouldn’t have mattered. All he wanted was for her to keep her fingers in his hair. He managed to say, “I reckon a haircut is past due. Might as well get it over with. If you don’t mind the chore.”

  “I don’t mind at all. Let me get a towel.” She seemed delighted with his capitulation. She left the room humming and returned a few moments later with a large white towel under her arm, scissors and a comb in her other hand.

  Setting her tools aside, she shook out the towel and put it around his neck, fastening it behind him with a safety pin. Taking up the comb, she studied him for a moment. He glanced at her from beneath his lashes.

  Her blue-green eyes narrowed as she assessed his head. She tilted her face first one way and then another. She ran the comb through his hair. It caught on a tangle and he winced.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right.” He prepared to withstand a few more pulls for his hair was matted from his fever.

  She started combing again, more gently. “Levi, can I ask you something?”

  “Ja.”

  “Yesterday, you said... Oh, never mind.”

  “I accused you of laughing at me. I know you weren’t. You were only trying to help.”

  “That’s true, but you said when we were in school that I...that I asked you to kiss me. Why did you say that?”

  “It was a long time ago. Can we just skip it?”

  “I want to know what I did that gave you that impression.”