He’d broken through her resolve once again. Chastising herself, she forced herself to turn away. Snatching up a fresh snowball, she pulled back her arm and shot it across the yard, almost to the split rail fence.
Levi whistled and handed her another.
Arching back, she zinged the snowball even further.
“Boy! Am I glad I put you on my team.”
Levi’s grin was infectious. Virginia laughed as she dropped to the ground and began to scoop fresh snow and pack it into balls.
“Now, I know Ben’s strategy. He’s more of a defensive leader. He’ll hold back his troops, hiding in their hollow and not wasting snowballs, only taking shots when they’re sure to hit. So what we’ll do…”
His words were lost as a snowball hit him square in the face. The girl’s shrieked with laughter. Levi and Virginia spun to see their enemies at the top of their protective rise. Ben and Seth rained snowballs down on them with such rapid speed they could barely fight back. Virginia sprawled backwards and Levi toppled to his side, firing a snowball as he fell.
Giving Levi and Virginia no chance to rally, the boys continued to fire at them. With snow clinging to her eyelashes and filling her mouth, Virginia saw they were running out of ammunition. But Trudy dropped to her knees and began packing as quickly as she could. She handed the balls to Nellie who fed the boys faster and faster. She and Levi had no chance…especially since Levi had started laughing so hard, he could barely throw.
Seth and Ben started down the slope, firing as they went. Virginia had one chance to make her point to Seth. Grabbing a snowball, she curled into a tight ball, shielding her face and wiping away the melting snow. Seth stepped closer, laughing now. Virginia rose to her knees, pulled back her arm and let loose. The snowball hit him square in the face. Hard. He fell…flat on his back.
All laughter and firing stopped as Seth lay unmoving.
Had she hurt him? Virginia scrambled to her feet and ran to his side. Dropping to her knees, she wiped the snow from his face. His nose was red where the snowball had hit him. His eyes were squeezed tight as if he was in pain. Her stomach clenched.
“Seth, are you all right?”
Levi dropped down beside her.
Suddenly, a grin split Seth’s lips. Without opening his eyes he said, “That…was…great!”
Blinking against the snow clumping his eyelashes together, he rose on one elbow. “But you still didn’t win the war. We beat you.”
Relief swept over Virginia, making her weak. She fell into Levi. His arms came around her and his wonderful laughter washed over her like a balm. He fell back, laughing and dragging her with him. Suddenly they were cheek to cheek, and before she knew what was happening, he was above her, leaning in for a kiss.
Lips red from the cold covered hers, wet and warm at the same time. He smelled fresh and crisp and his arms held her, protecting her from the cold beneath her. Heat shot through her, chasing away the snow’s icy touch and turning her body to liquid. She would have stayed right there forever, dazed and delighted. But Nellie started to giggle, bringing Virginia to her senses.
Her arms found their strength. She shoved Levi away and climbed to her feet. Angry at her own weakness, she swiped at her mouth with a cold, soaked mitten, wiping away the last lingering sweetness of Levi’s kiss.
All of the children had been watching, smiles plastered on their faces, until they saw her actions. Their smiles faded and their gazes darted from her to Levi and back again.
Lost for words, she spun and ran back to the cabin.
They’d stoked the fire before they went outside. The flames had died down but the contrasting heat of the cabin swept over, making her near frozen skin tingle and burn. She peeled off her borrowed mittens and Lydia Harper’s jacket she’d finished altering last night. Water dripped from her shoes and long skirts as she crossed the wooden floor to stoke the fire. Just as she finished, the door flew open and Levi stepped in carrying a blast of cold air with him.
“Virginia, I’m sorry if I offended…”
“Don’t.” She held up her hands in an abrupt movement. “Don’t apologize. The kiss was perfect. You’re perfect.”
His cheeks, already flushed from the cold, darkened even more. He shook his head and cocked at an angle almost as if he hadn’t heard her clearly. “If I’m perfect, then what’s the problem? Is it the children? The cabin? Is there too much work?”
“No. Your family is wonderful. Your home is…a home. I could live here.” She turned to face him, her back stiff and straight. “I love it all…I could easily fall in love with you. That’s the problem, Levi. I don’t want to love anything.”
His features sagged in shock. His gaze widened. After a long while, he shook his head slowly. “What happened to you, Virginia? What made you so afraid to care?” His voice was so low she could barely hear him. “Was it your father?”
Now he’d surprised her. “How did you know? I haven’t told you anything about my family.”
One shoulder lifted. “The few things you have said sounded like he wasn’t very…kind.”
“Kind?” Virginia scoffed. “He was cruel and vicious. He hit my mother regularly. Then he started to turn on me. That’s when my mother tried to stop him. He beat her so badly she died.”
Levi made a small sound almost as if someone had punched him in the gut. He stared at her, wordless.
She glared back, all the hurt and anger she’d never been able to express coming out at long last. “My mother died protecting me…from my own father.”
Levi shook his head, struggling to find something to say. “She…she must have loved you very much.”
Virginia nodded, curtly. “That’s exactly my point. I don’t want to love that hard…ever. Anyone or anything. I want to go my own way. Choose my own path and not care about anyone or anything.”
She let her harsh words stand between them like a wall, a barrier against further feelings. Levi seemed lost, unable to respond.
At last he did. “So you think the answer to your loss is to not love at all.”
“Is your answer better? What would your life be like now if your parents hadn’t died? They left you with four mouths to feed, forcing you to make ends meet and to marry a woman you’d never even met.”
“I have faith God will bring me through.”
She laughed. “He’s not done a very good job so far. He’s saddled you with someone who doesn’t plan on sticking around.”
If possible his features darkened even more. “If you truly feel that way, why did you marry me?”
“Because I knew there was a way out. The women on the train talked about an annulment. Do you know what that means?”
His lips thinned. “Yes, I know.”
“That’s what we need to do, Levi. We need to keep this marriage in name only. I’m here to help you get on track. But when you’re on your feet, I want to be free to go my own way.”
He shook his head slowly. “Where will you go? What will you do?”
She had never gotten that far in her thinking. “I don’t know yet. But that’s my plan and I’m sticking to it.”
Pushing past him, she walked into her bedroom and shut the door.
5
Levi was so tired, he had to hook the pick axe over his shoulder. Otherwise he would have dragged it out of the mine, snagging on rocks as he went. The closer he came to the mine opening, the more light he saw, even if it was the faded sun of a winter day.
Daylight recharged him. One day, hopefully soon, he’d spend every day in the bright light, leaving the mine and its dark depths far behind. But that time hadn’t come yet. He needed to find another pocket, enough money to carry his family through the winter and to buy some stock and seed for the spring.
He’d made up his mind. Finding a fortune was his father’s dream. Not his. His bountiful garden had convinced him that his talents lay with the land. Ben and Seth had a touch with animals. If he could find just enough gold to set them up, he’d lock up
the mine and leave it forever. He’d spend his days with his hands in the soil and evenings by the fireside with Virginia.
Ever since she’d come, he’d found peace in the simple things. A good meal. His family around the table. His sisters’ laughter and the look of pleasure in Virginia’s eyes as she learned a new letter while “helping” with their nightly lessons. Every night brought him more pleasure. He was more convinced than ever that they could find happiness right here, perched on the side of the mountain, overlooking God’s country.
Now if he could only convince his bride.
The crisp scent of snow and pines brushed over him, bringing a cold chill. He didn’t need a heavy coat deep in the mine so he left it in the shanty his father built just outside. Shivering in the cold wind, he hurried across the distance to the lean-to on the rock face. His mother had hated the mine dust being dragged into the cabin so his father built the little shed where they could change and wash up before heading home. Levi slipped inside, his lantern flashing into the dusky interior. The beam flashed on a tall, lidded bucket on the bench. Pressing his hand against the tin side, he felt warmth and smiled.
Virginia might have said she didn’t want to care but it was too late. She already did.
He leaned the pickaxe in the corner, and hung his clothes on nearby hooks. Then he poured the warm water into a basin and splashed it on his face.
At first he’d been so upset by her declaration about an annulment, he didn’t know what to say or how to act. It had taken him weeks to sort through his feelings. During that time, he’d watched, listened, prayed and noticed a lot more than Virginia was willing to acknowledge.
He realized that she already cared about him and his family. All her comments about staying free were just noise, like a frightened dog barking a warning.
Each night he came home to a hot meal, fresh baked bread and vegetables she’d canned. Roast chicken. Rabbit stew. Tonight, venison from a deer Ben shot last week. Each night a sweet treat, a hot breakfast before he left the next morning, and warm water in the shanty every evening when he came out of the mine. Her thoughtfulness had gotten him through these last weeks of drudgery in the mine. She might not realize it, but no one spent that much time doing things for people they didn’t care about.
More often than not, she was the first to request readings from the Bible. Either he or Ben would read, long into the cold, dark night. The girls refused to go to bed without hugs and kisses from Virginia. She’d even managed to reach Seth. Since their snowball battle, Levi’s youngest brother seemed to find things to talk to Virginia about…even if he couldn’t find the time for his oldest brother.
If all those things hadn’t already convinced Levi that Virginia cared, one day she’d asked for money to buy yarn. With Christmas coming, she wanted to knit new mittens for the girls and scarves for the boys. She’d started plans for presents a month ago. Levi’d been so pleased, he doled out some of the last of his precious coins.
All things are possible though the One who strengthens us.
Like it or not, Virginia cared. She was hooked and that fact gave Levi hope. Christmas was only four weeks away. His wife might be determined to stick to her plan, but Levi had a plan of his own. His mother’s family had a wonderful tradition he wanted to share with Virginia. It would be his answer to her declaration about not loving.
Finished washing up, he bundled into clean clothes and a heavy jacket, wrapped his scarf around his neck, picked up his rifle and hurried out into the cold, dusky evening. Fortunately, the snow wasn’t too deep on the mountain where he was going.
The trees he was looking for were all located very close together in the forest. He chopped off several branches of each, tied them to his pack and headed home. Darkness had settled over the mountain by the time he reached the yard. He could smell fresh bread as far away as the tree line. The warm, yeasty scent travelled on the crisp air.
His family had anticipated his return by keeping the shutters open. Golden light shone from each window onto the bright white, snowy ground. Levi passed the house, heading toward the barn, his footprints crunching in the trodden snow already beginning to ice over.
The barn was warm and the lantern lit the darker corners. The horses shifted and grumbled at having their evening rest disturbed, but Levi was on a mission.
Packed into a corner, he found the circle form. Removing his gloves, he stripped one of the branches and wound it around the metal form. The evergreen needles pricked his fingers and oozed sticky sap over his hands, but the crisp, fresh scent of spruce made up for the mess.
When all of the metal had been completely covered with green, he halted. The wreath was sparse looking but soon it would be plump and full…hopefully just like their lives.
Levi wiped the sticky sap away with turpentine, gathered up his things and headed toward the house. He’d paused on the wooden step to stomp the snow and mud off his boots when the door jerked open. Light and warmth spilled over him.
“Finally,” Nellie breathed. “We thought you were never coming home.”
He stooped to kiss the top of his sister’s head. “I’ll always come home.”
“Oh!” She spied the wreath in his hands and took it from him. “Look what he brought us!” Spinning, she ran across the room, trailing the scent of spruce behind her.
Levi grinned and stepped inside. His efforts were worthwhile just to see the look on Nellie’s face but what he truly wanted to see was Virginia’s reaction. He placed his rifle in the holder above the door, then stripped off his heavy coat and left his boots by the door. Nellie plopped the wreath right in the middle of the table…set for dinner. Apparently, they’d waited for him to eat.
He hurried across the room to wash his hands. Anticipating his move, Virginia scooped up a towel and grasped the handle of the water pitcher, warming on the stove with a pad.
Standing close beside her as she poured the blessedly hot water over his hands, he smelled the light scent of lavender that followed her everywhere. Her hair was pulled back in its usual tight braid with wispy tendrils floating around her cheeks. He yearned to reach out and sweep them away. Ached to run his fingers over the soft, creamy skin beneath. But he hadn’t dared to touch her since their brief kiss after the snowball fight. Even now, she wouldn’t look up, didn’t dare to meet his gaze.
Head bowed over the pitcher, she spoke softly. “Mind telling me why we’re putting dirty branches in the middle of my clean table?”
Now, Levi knew she was affected by his presence. He’d learned that she resorted to sarcasm whenever her emotions were awakened.
He smiled. “The branches aren’t dirty. I washed them with pure, clean snow when I cut them off the tree. They dried as I carried them down the mountain.”
She glanced up then, caught sight of his grin and in spite of her determination to stay snippy a smile tickled the corners of her mouth.
“Well then, I guess that makes them clean enough for our dinner table. But that doesn’t explain what they’re for.”
“It’s an Advent Wreath, Virginia. Haven’t you ever had one?” Trudy had clearly been listening in.
“Not everyone knows about them, Trudy.” Levi took the towel Virginia handed him. “It’s a tradition our mother’s family brought over from Germany.”
“Can we eat now? That roast we’ve been smelling all afternoon is probably burnt.” Seth sounded irritable.
With a quick glance at Levi, Virginia bent and opened the oven door. “Not likely, Seth Harper. I know what I’m doing.”
Yep. Virginia was definitely caught off guard. Her sarcasm was showing. Grinning, Levi pulled out his chair and scooted into place. His brothers and sisters scrambled over the benches.
“It’s a pretty puny looking wreath,” Ben remarked as he settled into his seat.
“That’s because it’s not done. I figured I’d better get inside to dinner before Seth expired from hunger. We have time. It’s five weeks until Christmas. Advent doesn’t actually start ti
ll next week.”
Virginia plopped a platter of cut venison in front of Levi. “Five weeks before Christmas. Not so, dirty branches on my table. Someone better explain Advent to me.” Her attempt to sound irritated only produced blatant curiosity.
“Let’s say grace first. We don’t want Seth passing out.”
Levi grinned at his brother, but the boy only scowled in response. The gesture didn’t bother Levi as much as it would have a few months ago. He was beginning to understand that–much like Virginia—Seth’s sarcasm and prickly attitude was a defensive gesture.
Everyone bowed their heads and clasped hands, including Virginia. She never repeated the words but she was always respectful and even reminded the children to say their blessing when they forgot and jumped on their food. Another little sign that perhaps her heart was changing…a sign that encouraged Levi. So with a hopeful heart, he bowed his head and said thanks.
As he filled their plates with slices of succulent venison, he explained the symbolism of the wreath. “Evergreens stay green all year round. We wrap them around the circle to remind us of our everlasting souls.”
He spooned mashed potatoes onto Nellie’s plate and handed it to her. “Tell Virginia what the circle represents.”
His little sister stared at him with a blank expression. Then, tilting her head, she flashed him a winsome smile. “I don’t remember.”
Levi raised one eyebrow in a mock stern gesture. “Well, it looks like Virginia’s not the only one who needs to learn about our tradition.” He wiggled his eyebrows and Nellie giggled.
“The circle represents God’s never-ending presence. The evergreens, our souls, are intertwined with Him in eternity.”
“Don’t forget the candles, Levi. That’s my favorite part.”
“That’s right, Trudy. Why don’t you tell Virginia what the candles mean?”
The child turned to Virginia, her face lit with excitement as she described the four candles, one lit each week, counting down the weeks until Christmas. “Each Sunday night at dinner we say a prayer and light a new candle to remember how Jesus brought light into the world and saved us. We light three purple ones and one pink.”
Christmas Mail Order Angels: The complete 11 Volume Set Page 42