Otto instantly appeared below him and Elizabeth’s and David’s footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs.
“What happened?” Otto asked.
“I think I slipped on one of David’s toy logs,” he replied through gritted teeth. “Help me into the living room, would you?”
Levi slung his arm around Otto’s shoulder and used the railing on the other side to support himself. Hopping on one foot, he made his way to the sofa. Having followed them, the children watched intently as Levi slowly brought his leg up to rest on the coffee table and carefully peeled back his sock.
“It’s already swelling. I’ll get some ice.” Otto was gone and back in a flash with a dish towel he’d filled with snow, just as he’d done for Sadie. Levi placed it on the tender skin.
“You think it’s broken?” Otto asked.
“Neh,” Levi replied although he wasn’t sure. “I think it if was broken it would look misshapen. This is only swollen.”
“Do you think you should get it checked out at the hospital?”
Hearing Otto’s question, David fled the room and Elizabeth burst into tears. “Are you going to die, Daed?”
“Neh. I’m not going to die. But I probably do need to see a doctor.”
“At the hospital?” Elizabeth asked.
“In the emergency room, jah,” Levi replied honestly. The throbbing in his ankle was intensifying. “I’m not sure how I’ll get into the buggy, though.”
“I’ll go to the phone shanty and call Scott. He’ll give you a ride in his truck.”
“On Grischtdaag?” Levi questioned, but Otto was already out the door. Elizabeth was still crying, so Levi distracted her by asking for a glass of water. “And tell your brother to kumme join us, please.”
When Elizabeth returned, she was balancing a glass filled to the brim. “David isn’t in the kitchen.”
“Then run upstairs and get him. I want to tell him about my trip to the hospital.”
“Can we kumme?”
“Neh, I’d like you to stay with Onkel Otto.”
When Elizabeth left again Levi set the glass aside—he was in too much pain to drink the water, but for the children’s sake, he couldn’t let on. Elizabeth tromped back down the stairs in a matter of seconds, announcing David wasn’t in his room, either.
“David!” Levi called, figuring he was in one of the downstairs bedrooms or the basement. “David, this is no time for games. Kumme here!” He repeated himself, but when his son didn’t answer, Levi directed Elizabeth, “Quick, put your coat on and stop Onkel from leaving! Run!”
Elizabeth did as she was told, but she must have left the mudroom and kitchen doors open, because Levi felt an initial burst of icy air followed by a steady cold draft, and he could clearly hear her calling Otto in the distance.
Moments later, Otto rushed inside and searched the house. Even though he’d just been in the barn and hadn’t seen David, he rechecked it and searched around the workshop, too, but David wasn’t anywhere to be found.
“Why would he have left the house? Where could he have gone?” The anguish Levi felt in his ankle was nothing compared to the roiling in his stomach.
“Every time it’s his turn to choose where to play, he says section D,” Elizabeth informed her father.
“Section D?”
“Jah, on the map you gave Sadie. He likes it because his name starts with D. I’ll show you.”
That’s just like Sadie—teaching the twins how to read a map and spell their names at the same time, Levi thought as Elizabeth disappeared into the kitchen and came back holding the large square of paper. She pointed to David’s favorite rows within section D and Otto charged out of the house.
Levi suggested they pray, so he and Elizabeth bowed their heads together until they heard footsteps on the porch. If Levi wasn’t mistaken, it was the sound of only one person approaching. His heart plummeted. Please, Gott. Please.
Otto came into the room carrying David, who wasn’t wearing a coat or a hat and mittens. His face and ears were bright pink and he was shaking uncontrollably.
“Give him to me.” Levi stretched out his arms. Otto carefully placed the boy on his father’s lap and covered him with a quilt.
“I’m s-sorry, Daed.” David sucked in little gasps of air. “I should have p-picked up all my toys. I’m sorry, Daed. I don’t want you to d-d-die.”
“It’s okay, David. It’s okay,” Levi repeated. “It was an accident. I should have been watching where I was walking. I know you didn’t mean for me to get hurt.”
Levi rubbed David’s arms and rocked him the way he hadn’t done since he was a toddler, both of them in tears.
* * *
The day after Christmas, Sadie’s church district observed Second Christmas, a day for the Amish to visit and exchange small gifts with their extended families and friends. But between her contentious departure from Levi, the long trip home, fielding endless questions about what happened to her cheek and her younger brothers’ excitement over Christmas, Sadie was exhausted. So, much to Cevilla’s dismay, when the rest of the family was getting ready to journey to her eldest brother’s home on the other side of town, Sadie excused herself from accompanying them.
Once everyone left, she retreated to her room. There she set her suitcase on a chair. She had rummaged through it to retrieve the gifts for her family members the day before but otherwise hadn’t unpacked it yet. When she lifted a folded apron, she uncovered a small box—she’d forgotten all about it, but recognized it as the gift from Maria. Inside was a small battery-operated clock, its face decorated by a sweet little painting of a blueberry bush. Sadie knew the clock was meant to emphasize Maria’s oft-repeated encouragement “There’s still time.”
Not anymore there isn’t, Sadie thought, uncovering a second box. Otto’s gift was a mug with a black bear painted on it. She thought of him looking for a black bear dessert in the grocery store, which made her crack up. But suddenly her laughter turned into sobs and she couldn’t stop crying.
After all the tears she’d shed into her pillow the last two nights, Sadie would have thought she’d cried herself out, but apparently she hadn’t. For as firmly as she believed she’d made the right decision in telling Levi she wasn’t returning to Maine, Sadie still cared about him and the twins. She still missed them, and it had only been two days. Even though she knew it wasn’t good for her to wallow in her sorrow or cling to her memories, she decided to read her diary. I might not have a future with Levi and his family, but at least I have a past.
She had just curled up on the sofa with hot chocolate in the mug from Otto and was leafing through her diary when there was a knock at the door. With a sigh, she set the diary aside, lifted the quilt from her lap—now that she was so acclimated to Maine’s temperatures, the quilt was unnecessary anyway—and reluctantly went to answer it. What she saw on the porch shocked her. Levi was propped up on two crutches and wearing a medical walking boot. Levi. In Pennsylvania.
“Frehlicher Grischtdaag,” he said.
* * *
Her concern for his condition temporarily overshadowed any misgivings. “Are you okay?” she asked, neglecting to wish him a merry Christmas, too.
“It’s only a sprain. A bad one, but no broken bones.” The strain in his voice indicated he was worse off than he claimed.
“What happened?” Sadie was so stunned to see him there and in such a condition she didn’t invite him inside the house.
“I slipped on David’s toy and landed on my ankle wrong.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” And she was, but she couldn’t concentrate on his injury when there was a more pressing question on her mind. “Why have you kumme here?”
“I want to talk to you about something important, but, uh, it’s kind of difficult for me to keep standing here.”
Still on the defensive, Sadie joined him
on the porch. “All right, have a seat.” She ambled to the swing and held it steady so Levi could situate himself. Then she leaned against the rail opposite, facing him, her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn’t cold; she was leery.
His voice fraught with remorse, he elaborated on the story of how he’d been injured, focusing on the aftermath when David had felt so guilty he ran from the house without a coat to his favorite section of the farm.
Picturing the little boy shivering in the cold, Sadie’s eyes filled and she pressed her hand flat against her heart to quiet it. “You must have been terrified when you couldn’t find him.”
“Jah. And when I realized why he had run away—” Levi’s eyes watered, too. “I was devastated to see my son racked with guilt like that. And then it really sank in. I finally got it, that Leora wouldn’t want me to feel guilty about her accident, either.”
“That’s true.” Sadie nodded, but she didn’t see what any of this had to do with her.
“I wasn’t to blame for Leora’s accident, but I am to blame for how unfairly I treated you after you took the kinner sledding. You’re right, Sadie—I have a tendency to apologize for things I don’t need to apologize for, but not for the things I should. So I’m apologizing now. I’m very sorry I treated you so unfairly and unkindly—and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Sadie only hesitated a split second. Forgiving Levi came naturally. She liked him so much, and besides, the Lord knew how many times she needed to ask for forgiveness. “Jah, I forgive you, Levi. And I probably could have been...more tactful in how I responded to your concern about the kinner. I realized later you probably heard the twins screaming and you didn’t know it was from sheer exhilaration.”
“I wasn’t just frightened on the kinner’s behalf, Sadie. When I heard their screams, I was frightened something had happened to you. I don’t think I could bear it if...” Levi’s voice drifted off but there was no need for him to complete his thought; Sadie understood.
He looked so solemn she waited a moment before jesting, “Well, nothing did happen. As I’ve told you, we tomboys are tough.”
For the first time since she’d opened the door, a shadow of a smile crossed Levi’s face before they both burst out laughing. It felt like old times again. When they quieted, Levi asked, “Could you please get that box the driver left over there?” He pointed to a large white box at the bottom of the porch stairs, which was sitting next to a knapsack. Sadie hadn’t noticed it earlier. She brought it to him, but he shook his head and told her it was for her.
Sadie didn’t want a gift. She’d already forgiven Levi; he didn’t need to do anything else to show her how sorry he was. “Levi—”
“Please, just open it.”
Sadie reluctantly balanced the box on the railing and lifted the lid to find a dark blue woolen coat. She held it up in front of her. It appeared warm and well made and the color was distinctly feminine. When she tried to tell him she couldn’t accept it, Levi cut her off.
“It’s the gift I’ve wanted to give you for weeks. But I didn’t want to overwhelm you with something so personal. And I still felt guilty about Leora’s death. My guilt made me feel like I didn’t deserve to...to feel toward any woman the way I feel toward you. Or to hope you feel the same way about me.”
Sadie’s thoughts were churning. So, her perception was accurate; Levi had been drawn to her romantically. But whatever glee she experienced to hear him admit he liked her was dashed by the reality that she and Levi were too different to have a harmonious relationship. It just wouldn’t work.
In the face of Sadie’s silence, Levi continued, “So that’s the gift I should have given you. And the question I should have asked was if I could court you. It would be wunderbaar if you’d return to Maine to continue caring for Elizabeth and David, too, but I’d understand if you’d prefer a long-distance courtship. That’s completely up to you. All that matters to me is that you allow me to be your suitor.”
Although it shredded her heart to refuse him, Sadie knew she couldn’t say yes. “You don’t for how long or how much I’ve wanted you to ask me that, Levi, because I do share similar feelings for you. But we can’t walk out together. We’re too different. We’ve both tried to adapt to each other’s expectations and it hasn’t worked.”
“You don’t need to adapt to my expectations anymore, Sadie. I’m the one who has to change. I’ve said that before but this time it’s different. Don’t you see? I left the kinner alone with Otto. He probably has them snowboarding down Mount Katahdin as we speak! I never would have allowed him to watch Elizabeth and David alone before. But I’m doing it now because I’ve already changed. And because you’re worth taking the risk. I like you so much, Sadie.”
In all of the times Sadie ever imagined what it would be like to have a man make it abundantly apparent how much he cared for her, she couldn’t have dreamed up anything that moved her as much as what Levi just said. She was speechless—no, she was breathless—from sheer elation.
He must have taken her lack of response as indecision, because he prompted, “You were the one who reminded me Gott gives us more than one chance, especially at something as virtuous as love. Will you give me another chance, too? Please?”
Her legs wobbly, Sadie lowered herself onto the swing next to Levi and peered into his earnest, expectant eyes. “Jah, of course I will! I very much want to have you as my suitor and I’d love to return to Maine to be the twins’ nanny.”
Levi’s expression suddenly came to life; Sadie had never seen him grin like that before and it made her shiver. He reached over to take the coat she’d forgotten she was still holding. “You’re cold. Put this on.”
He held it up for her as she stood and slid her arms into it. Sitting down again, she angled herself to face him. “Denki. It’s so warm and pretty.”
“So are your eyes.” Levi leaned closer and Sadie closed her lids and tilted her chin upward to receive his kiss.
As his soft, eager mouth met hers, his whiskers feathered her lip. Sadie abruptly pulled back and giggled.
Levi’s eyes sprang open. “What’s voll schpass?”
Dismayed, Sadie clasped his forearm to emphasize her contrition. “I’m so sorry, Levi. I wasn’t laughing at you. It’s just that I’ve never kissed a man with a mustache before. It tickled.”
“Ah.” Levi smoothed the hair on his upper lip with his fingertip. “I’ll shave it off.”
“Neh, please don’t. It looks very handsome on you.”
“Denki, but I’m not sure my pride can take it if you pull away and laugh every time we kiss. And I, uh, I hope to kiss you a lot during our courtship.”
“I won’t giggle anymore. I promise.”
“Really?”
“If you give me another chance, I’ll prove it,” she teased.
So Levi kissed her again and when she neither laughed nor pulled away, he murmured, “I guess you’re right. You’re already getting used to it...” Then he kissed her two more times just to be sure.
Sadie finally knew what it was like to kiss a man with a mustache and when she described it later in her diary, perfect was the word that came to mind.
Epilogue
Thirteen months later
“What do you think, kinner, are you ready to snowshoe up a mountain?” Levi called to the twins.
“Jah,” David said. “I’ll show you!”
“Me, too!” Elizabeth echoed.
Using their poles for balance, the children slowly but skillfully began traversing the slope on the other side of the barn, one shoulder angled toward the top of the hill, one toward the bottom, just as their uncle had taught them.
“I’m not sure I’m ready,” Maria admitted, struggling to keep up with her new husband and niece and nephew. She and Otto had gotten married two weeks before Christmas, which was two weeks after Sadie and Levi were wedded, and the six of them had g
one snowshoeing almost every Sunday afternoon since the first snowfall that season. “I never should have given Otto a book about Mount Katahdin last Grischtdaag.”
Hearing her, Otto laughed and waited until she caught up with him. Not far behind, Levi and Sadie deliberately paused to watch David and Elizabeth progress toward the top of the hill.
“Their skills have really improved since last winter, thanks to Otto’s instruction and all the time you spent practicing with them,” Levi remarked.
“You’ve gotten pretty gut yourself,” Sadie replied.
“Denki. I never would have made it this far without you to challenge and help me over the past year.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that. Otto is a very good teacher.”
Levi’s voice went low and serious. “I’m not just talking about snowshoeing. I’m talking about how much you’ve encouraged me to live a fuller life. To worry less and trust Gott more.”
“My life is fuller because of you, too, Levi,” Sadie replied. “So is my heart.”
Levi planted his poles in the snow so he could reach over, wrap her in his arms and give her a kiss. Nuzzling his nose against her cold cheek, he whispered, “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
“Jah, I do because you show me all the time.” Sadie kissed her husband back. “But there’s nothing as wunderbaar as hearing you say it in plain language.”
* * *
Watch for the next book in
Carrie Lighte’s Amish of Serenity Ridge miniseries, coming in Spring 2020!
Dear Reader,
As someone who frequently vacations in Maine, I’m delighted to begin a new series set in the Pine Tree State. For research, my sister and I recently took a trip to the small Amish community in Unity. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, spent time talking to a local farming family and shopped at an Amish market that sold the tallest and sturdiest clothes-drying racks we’ve ever seen (an essential household item if you have a large family but no electric clothes dryer). We can’t wait to go back again this year; we plan to visit on a Wednesday or Saturday, which is when you can buy fresh, homemade doughnuts.
Courting the Amish Nanny Page 18