“You were a wonderful father to John and Keith.”
“I spent so many years worrying about those boys. Worrying about providing for them. But now…things are so different for us, Kate. The house is paid for. The business is thriving. You’re thriving. God has given me a wonderful gift. He’s given me the gift of time. This child will have a father that’s involved in his or her life. And speaking of gifts, I have one for you.” He took her hand and led her downstairs into the cabin.
Kate gasped when she saw a beautiful wooden cradle sitting in the middle of the room.
David wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tight. “I returned the cruise tickets and bought this instead.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“And I was thinking, if we added on to the porch outside our room, we could build a nice nursery.”
“I would love that, David.”
“Kate, would you have a baby with me?”
She smiled and nestled herself into his embrace. “I would love to have a baby with you, David.”
A CHRISTMAS PROMISE
By Sandra Robbins
Chapter 1
Bethlehem, Maine, no longer existed. Not in the way Emma Townsend had always known it. At least that’s what she understood from listening to the town manager and the three selectmen for the last half hour as they outlined the plans emergency teams had put in place to tackle the cleanup and rebuilding of her hometown.
It had been years since a small tropical depression had developed into a powerful storm so late in the season and swept inland along the New England coastline. But that’s exactly what happened a week ago when Hurricane Eleanor, a Category 2 storm with sustained winds of ninety-five miles per hour, roared ashore. Now the citizens of Bethlehem who hadn’t sought refuge elsewhere sat quietly in the school gymnasium that had survived, and pondered the difficult task facing them.
Thankfully, no lives had been lost, but some of the shops and boutiques that lined Main Street had been blown away, and those left behind had suffered major roof damage. Some of the stately trees that lined peaceful streets had survived while others still lay tangled across the landscape like giant piles of pickup sticks. And fishing boats lay upside down in places where they’d never been before.
Now as Murray Samuels, the selectman who’d served the longest, stood behind a small lectern and continued his account of losses the town had incurred, the expressions on the faces of the townspeople grew more solemn. Mr. Samuels finished his speech and let his gaze drift over those in attendance.
“So, to sum up what I’ve just said, we have been declared a disaster area. That’s why you’ve been seeing volunteers, along with emergency management personnel, coming in to help us get back on our feet. We’re hoping electricity will be restored in a week, maybe two. Homes that are uninhabitable have already been identified, and we will keep the shelter open here in the high school and the one at Bethlehem Community Church for as long as they are needed. Thank goodness both buildings, as well as many of your homes, survived the storm. In fact, we should all be thankful that Eleanor weakened to a Category 2 storm before she came ashore. If she hadn’t, most of us probably wouldn’t be sitting here today.” He stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. “Now I’ll turn the meeting back over to Town Manager Kate Walters.”
Kate rose from her chair and took her place at the lectern, gripping it with both hands and letting her gaze drift over the assembly. Lines of worry creased her face, and Emma frowned at how tired Kate looked. She could only imagine what the woman she admired so much had gone through ever since the weather forecasters had warned Eleanor’s path had changed and was headed straight for Maine.
A weak smile pulled at Kate’s lips as she brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I want to thank our selectmen, who have worked so tirelessly ever since this emergency presented itself, and I want to thank you, the citizens of Bethlehem, for your dedication to your hometown. I’m sure if we all work together, we will soon have things back to normal around here. We ask for your patience until that happens. Now does anyone else have anything to add before we all get back to work cleaning up Hurricane Eleanor’s mess?”
Michael Benson, better known to his congregation at Bethlehem Community Church as Pastor Mike, rose to his feet. “I’d like to say something, Ms. Walters.”
“What is it, Pastor Mike?”
He rubbed his red-streaked eyes, and Emma’s heart did that funny little skip it did every time she looked at her handsome unmarried pastor. She knew that he, too, had been working nearly around the clock with the volunteers who’d come to help, and he looked as if he were about to fall asleep on his feet.
Emma winced at the pained expression on his face. She wished she could put her arms around him and offer him some of the comfort he gave to his congregation all the time. Even though he was only a few years older than she was, and although she’d secretly hoped for months he’d ask her out, he’d never given her any reason to think she was special to him. In fact, he didn’t treat her any differently than he did Mabel Harrison, who was eighty-five on her last birthday.
Pastor Mike cleared his throat. “This last week has been a real learning experience for me. I’ve watched TV coverage of hurricanes for years, but there’s no way to understand it until you live through one.”
Kate nodded. “I don’t imagine they have many hurricanes in Illinois where you came from, but we’ve had our share around here.” She paused and took a deep breath. “Those of us who’ve lived here all our lives know this is one of the hazards of being on the coast. I’ve seen hurricanes before, but I’ve never seen one like this so late in the season. Usually by October we breathe easier, knowing we’ve gotten by another year without a major storm.”
Pastor Mike continued. “I know we have a lot to do before life gets back to normal in Bethlehem. But I have a question I think we’d all like to have answered today.”
“What’s that?”
“Like you said, this is the last of October. Christmas is only two months away. Ever since I arrived here, I’ve heard so much about the live nativity the town does that I could hardly wait to be a part of it this year. So, with all the storm damage, what are your plans for getting it ready?”
Kate looked in the direction of the three selectmen sitting at a table next to her. Two of them stared down at their hands clasped in front of them and remained silent, but Murray Samuels directed a steady gaze at her. When none of the three spoke, Kate sighed and turned back to face the assembled crowd. “I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you. We’ve decided to cancel the live nativity this year.”
“What?” The word erupted all across the room, and several people jumped to their feet.
“You can’t do that,” John Roland yelled. “The live nativity has become a tradition in Bethlehem.”
Kate shook her head, and Emma thought she saw a tear sparkle in the corner of her eye. “No one is more upset about this decision than I am. If you remember, I was the one who pushed for the nativity in the beginning. We have no choice, John. The building where the props were stored was blown away, and we have no idea where the contents ended up. Besides, we have other things to be concerned with. We don’t need anything added to our worries right now.”
Emma glanced at Pastor Mike. He looked as if he’d been punched in the stomach. She knew how much working with the nativity his first year in Bethlehem meant to him. He’d mentioned it often in his sermons. Before she realized it, she had jumped to her feet.
“Kate, please reconsider what you’ve said. The nativity may be just the thing this town needs to pull us back together. I know my girls’ choir from the school will be upset if they don’t get to perform the songs they’ve been practicing for weeks. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s already been working to get ready.”
Kate sighed and glanced at her fellow council members once more. “I’m sorry, Emma. Although the decision wasn’t unanimous, the majority voted to cancel this year. At this point ther
e’s nothing to be done about it.” She took a deep breath. “There will be no live nativity in Bethlehem this year. Now it’s time to close this meeting so all of us can get back to work cleaning up our town.”
“But Kate,” Emma shouted, but it was too late. Kate and the three selectmen had scurried out the side door of the building and disappeared from sight.
One by one the town residents began to walk from the room. Their slumped shoulders, grumbled comments about the town council’s decision, and shuffling steps spoke volumes about how Hurricane Eleanor had affected their lives in the last week. An air of resigned doom seemed to hang in the air, and Emma brushed at the tears in her eyes.
She reached for her coat that hung on the back of her chair and was about to slip her arms in the sleeves when a voice interrupted her thoughts. “May I help you with that, Emma?”
Emma whirled around and gulped at the sight of Pastor Mike standing behind her. She swallowed the panic rising in her throat. “N-no, thanks. I’ve got it.”
She pushed her arm in the sleeve of her coat, but somehow her fingers got tangled in the torn lining she’d been meaning to repair, and the coat wouldn’t slide up her arm. Pastor Mike chuckled, reached behind her, and held the coat until she worked her fingers free and slipped the coat on. Then he stepped back and smiled. “There. That’s better.”
Her face burned, and she was sure her cheeks must have turned a bright red. With trembling fingers she buttoned the coat and tried to smile. “Thank you for your help.”
He smiled again, and his blue eyes seemed to light up. “No problem. I can’t have the star soloist in our church choir getting sick because she went out in the cold with her coat halfway on.”
Emma’s face grew warm. “I’m not the star soloist. I just like to sing.”
He nodded. “I know. The joy music gives you is written on your face every time you sing.”
Emma’s mind raced for something to say, but it was as if her brain had suddenly shut down. She glanced around the room and realized they were the only two left. She swallowed and turned to leave. “There’s nothing I enjoy more than singing God’s praise. Now I think I’d better be going. I told Lucy Parker I’d come back to the church to help serve lunch to the people who are staying there. I’ll see you later.”
She turned and hurried out the front door but had only taken a few steps when Pastor Mike caught up with her. “I’m going there, too. I’ll walk with you.”
Emma hesitated a moment before she responded. Other than complimenting her on a solo she’d sung with the church choir, he’d never initiated any other type of conversation with her. What would she say to him all the way back to the church?
Come on, Emma, it’s not like the guy’s asking you for a date. You just happen to be going to the same place.
She shook her head and frowned. So much for thinking like a silly schoolgirl instead of a schoolteacher. Pastor Mike had no interest in her, and she needed to quit hoping he did.
As dedicated as he was to his ministry, it wouldn’t be long before he’d be noticed by a larger church in some big city, and he would be gone. And she’d still be right here in Bethlehem, where she was born and raised.
Emma took a deep breath and smiled. “I’d love to have some company, but we’d better hurry. Lucy will be wondering where I am.”
Her heart did that funny flip again when he returned her smile. “Then we’d better get going. I’d hate to be the one to cause a problem between two of our most dedicated church members.”
His eyes danced from the teasing she heard in his voice, and for the first time since the hurricane roared ashore she felt some of the tension ease from her body. She glanced up at the sun beating down on the snow that had fallen last night and said a quick prayer of thanks for good weather after what they had endured. It was a perfect day for a walk in Bethlehem, and she couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather share it with than Michael Benson.
Chapter 2
An hour later Mike stood in the church kitchen and stared across the filled tables in the fellowship hall. There seemed to be more people today than yesterday. At last count they’d had over a hundred people staying in the church, and more showed up every day. He said another quick prayer of thanks that God had spared their building so they could offer shelter to those whose homes had been destroyed or damaged in the storm.
As he glanced across the room, he caught sight of Emma Townsend moving between the tables, a coffeepot in her hands. She’d been one of the first on the scene after the storm moved inland, and she’d worked ever since to see that the refugees were fed and comfortable. He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she poured coffee, all the time smiling and chatting with those who’d been displaced because of the storm.
As she bent over to fill an empty cup, her brown hair sparkled in the light coming through the window. His pulse raced, and he took a deep breath to slow his pounding heart. He’d felt an attraction to Emma since beginning his pastorate in Bethlehem, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask her out. What would the congregation think about him dating a member of the church? The committee who hired him hadn’t mentioned anything about that, but this was his first pastorate and he didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his position. Besides, he might not even like her if he got to know her. But still, there was something about her that drew him to her.
He groaned and raked his hand through his hair. Maybe his reaction to the pretty schoolteacher had something to do with how lonely he’d been since he arrived in Bethlehem. Not that the church members had ignored him. They’d been wonderful, but they all had their own families. And he’d spent a lot of time by himself.
Today when Emma jumped to her feet and asked about the nativity, he’d sensed they did indeed share some of the same ideas about the importance of certain things in life. That was what had given him the courage to ask if he could walk back with her to the church. Maybe the time had come to find out if they had other things in common.
She finished pouring coffee and started back to the kitchen, and he moved to intercept her. “Emma,” he called out before she could exit the dining room.
She stopped and turned to face him. “Yes?”
For a moment he couldn’t remember what he’d intended to say. His tongue seemed to have plastered itself to the roof of his mouth, and he couldn’t speak. Not with the way she tilted her head and stared at him with just the hint of anticipation in her chocolate-colored eyes.
“Uh,” he stammered, “I—I appreciate your help on catching me up on all the family connections in our church and in the town while we were walking back here. Even after six months, I haven’t been able to figure out who’s related. Now I think I have a better understanding.”
“You’re welcome. I was glad to do it. I know it’s hard when you move to a new place to learn everybody’s names and how they’re connected. Not that I’ve ever had to do it. I’ve lived here all my life.”
“It’s wonderful to have roots like that,” he said. “My family moved around a lot with my dad’s job. I think it would be great to live in the same house all your life like you have.”
She smiled and nodded. “Yes, it is. My grandfather built my house, and he always said it could withstand a Category 5 hurricane. Now I know it can make it through a Category 2, but I’d just as soon it not be tested any further.” Her eyes darkened. “But I was sorry the house our church provided for you was lost to the storm. Maybe some of your belongings will be found during the cleanup.”
“I keep hoping, but nothing yet. I guess I’ll be staying in my office here for a while, but that’s no problem. That old couch in there is comfortable enough.”
Her eyebrows drew down across her nose. “I’m surprised you’ve slept any at all. It seems you’ve been working day and night for the last week.”
“No more than everybody else. You’ve been busy yourself. I appreciate all the work you’ve done here at the church to help the people displaced by the storm.”
“
It’s been my pleasure.” She smiled and glanced down at the coffeepot she still held. “And I’d better get back to work.”
She turned to walk into the kitchen, but he reached out and caught her arm. “Emma, wait a minute. I wanted to talk to you about something else.”
She glanced down at his hand on her arm, and he released his hold on her. “What is it?”
He cleared his throat and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I was just thinking about what you said at the meeting today.”
A puzzled expression covered her face. “Oh? What did I say?”
“You know, that part about the nativity might be just the thing to pull this town back together again. Do you really believe that?”
She set the coffeepot on a table and nodded. “I do. I looked around the room, and everybody there seemed so sad, like they didn’t know how to face what had happened. I thought maybe if we had a project like the nativity, we could work for a common cause. That could give us hope that no matter what we encounter, we can overcome it if we all work together.”
He stared at her for a moment before he nodded. “I think you’re right. I’ve been thinking about that ever since we left the meeting. Right now, I believe the most important thing we can do to give hope to our town and help us move past what’s happened is by uniting everybody in putting on the live nativity.”
Emma frowned. “But you heard what Kate and the selectmen said. They don’t want to do it.”
“I know. They have enough to do getting all the city services back up and running, not to mention removing all the debris and begin rebuilding. But what if our church took the nativity on as its project this year?”
Her eyes lit up, and she smiled. “You mean, do it ourselves?”
“Yes. What do you think?”
She was silent for a moment before she spoke. “I think it would be a big undertaking, but I know we could do it if we all gave of our time and worked together. But how can we get the town council to go along with this?”
Christmas Comes to Bethlehem - Maine Page 7