by DiAnn Mills
Midway through the meal, a pounding at the door seized her attention. Papa rose from his chair and answered it. The heavy wooden door with its leather hinges squeaked open.
“Evenin’, Thad. Come on in. You haven’t visited us in a long time.” Papa shook his hand. “You’re just in time for supper.”
Emma Leigh couldn’t believe Thad stood before her. Whatever could he need from them? He looked a bit troubled. She hoped nothing terrible had happened to his aunt or uncle.
“Evenin’ to you, too, Mr. Carter.” Thad removed his cap and nodded at Mama. “Hope everything is well with you, ma’am. Sorry to disturb your supper, but I will only be a minute.”
Emma Leigh noted how broad his shoulders had become. Since they were in school together, he’d grown to quite a handsome man. She felt herself blush. She shouldn’t be thinking such thoughts, but Thad had always captured a soft spot in her heart.
“If you don’t mind, sir, I’d like a word with Miss Emma Leigh.” Thad’s clear blue gaze bore into hers as though he’d read her earlier thoughts.
She felt her skin tingle and knew a bright shade of red glistened on her cheeks.
“You have a fine-looking family, Mr. Carter. I know you must be proud.”
Thad’s kind mannerisms and carefully chosen words told of his Christian upbringing. If he weren’t so shy, Emma Leigh would set her cap for him.
Papa glanced at Emma Leigh. “Daughter, this gentleman would like a word with you.”
“Certainly, Papa.” She rose from her spot on the well-worn bench and snatched up her shawl from a peg near the door.
“Thank you,” Thad said to Papa.
Thad stepped aside from the door, allowing her to pass. Emma Leigh caught a glimpse of his reddened face and assumed the color came from the dipping temperatures. Once again she smelled the rich scent of wood, so much a part of him and his position at the Jones Inn.
Once the door shut, she whirled around in the twilight to face him. “Is something wrong?”
“I believe so.” He replaced his woolen cap. “Emma Leigh, I wanted to make sure you were all right after I knocked you down this morning.”
He’d walked all this way to check on her? The thought stole her breath. “Thad, how very sweet of you. I’m fine, perfectly fine. I never gave the matter another thought.”
He nodded slowly. “Good. I worried you might be hurt, and I needed to apologize again.”
“And I looked for you before I left because I feared I was rude to you earlier in the day.”
His eyes widened, and a slow smile spread across his thin face. Thad had been a frail-looking child, but it seemed as though he’d suddenly filled out the hollow places. Those deep-set robin’s-egg blue eyes and striking features were now those of a man.
Oh my, what is wrong with me?
“You tried to find me?” He jammed his hands into his pockets. His breath puffed into an icy cloud, giving evidence of the plummeting temperatures.
“Of course. Thad, we’re friends—have been since we sat next to each other in school. I always welcome a conversation with you.”
He shrugged. “Thank you, Emma Leigh. You have a knack of being able to talk to people easier than I do. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.”
“Never! Oh my, have I turned into some dreadful person? I certainly hope I haven’t given you the impression we should be friends in secret.” The horror of being rude to him curdled her stomach.
“No, not at all. It’s…it’s simply I can’t always think of clever things to say.”
She lifted her chin. “Nonsense,” she said as gently as possible. “You have always found plenty to say to me.” Her mind raced. “Thad, you have given me a wonderful idea.”
“I have?” He raised a brow.
“Yes.” Delight danced across her mind. “Mr. Jones gave me an assignment today. He wants me to come up with a memorable way for the staff to celebrate Christmas. I couldn’t think of a thing until now.” She touched his arm. “Oh, thank you. Thank you ever so much.”
“For what?” He clearly looked baffled.
She laughed. “Secret friends. Don’t you see? We can all be secret friends for Christmas.” She placed a finger to her lips as she considered the particulars. “All the staff could place their names into a basket, then each of us would draw a name. The person whose name we receive will be a secret friend for…for about ten days before Christmas. On Christmas Eve when we have our dinner, we’ll find out who’s our secret friend!”
He chuckled, and she liked the sound of it. “Emma Leigh, your idea sounds like fun.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Absolutely. Mr. Jones will be pleased, I’m sure.”
She clapped her hands. “I can’t wait to tell him. Oh Thad, thank you so much. And I will tell him it was your idea.”
“But it isn’t.”
“But it is. You deserve the credit. After all, you’re an answer to prayer.”
A sudden gust of wind chilled her, and from Thad’s stance, she gathered he must be cold, too, for his face looked rather pinched.
“You need to come inside and warm yourself before heading home.” She offered a genuine smile. “I’m sure Papa would hitch up the wagon and take you.”
“It’s not necessary. Once I start walking, I’ll get plenty warm.” He glanced toward the road and shifted.
“Are you certain? At least let me make you a hot cup of tea.” He’d been so good to walk all this way, and now she had the perfect plan to propose to Mr. Jones.
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I must be going. Please give my best to your parents.” A gust of wind caught his scarf and he paused. “I will see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow it is.” Emma Leigh felt a sudden twinge of timidity. Certainly a new emotion for her.
His familiar smile, the one she’d grown up with, now caused a flutter in her stomach. What had happened to the skinny little boy, Dr. Horatio Benson’s only child?
He plodded across the barnyard on his way to the road. Emma Leigh watched him curiously, her mind recalling the many lazy hours they’d played together as children.
He’d chased rabbits scampering into the brush. She’d raced after butterflies.
He’d fished in the lazy creek in the back corner of his parents’ small farm. She’d waded in the cool stream, allowing her toes to sink into the soft mud.
He’d carved their names into an old oak. She’d picked wildflowers. And when Emma Leigh had tried to make friends with the neighbor’s bull, Thad had pulled her beneath a fence just in time.
Then a tragic accident took the lives of his parents. For the next three years, Thad had lived in Boston. Emma Leigh hadn’t seen him until she began working at the Jones Inn and discovered he had sought employment at the same establishment.
“Thad,” Emma Leigh called out.
He whirled around, and she waved. An unexplainable impulse caused her to hurry in his direction. “I’m so thoughtless. Please forgive me, but how are you doing?”
He waited until she caught up with him. “Fairly well. I’m able to help my aunt and uncle with their farm and still keep up my parents’ place.”
“I’m surprised you’re not living at your parents’ home.”
“I thought about it long and hard, but this seemed the best way for me to put aside money to attend medical school and help out my aunt and uncle at the same time.”
Her heart raced. “Thad, you’re going to be a doctor?”
He scuffed at the hard ground before lifting a smiling face. “Yes, just like my father. Once I’m finished with my schooling at the medical school in Boston, I’d like to tend the same folks here as he did.”
Her heart felt a distinct comfort. “I’m proud of you. And you’ll make a fine doctor. You’ve always been so gentle and caring.”
He massaged his hands. She wished she had gloves to offer him. Maybe next winter she’d have some of her own.
“I appreciate your encourageme
nt, Emma Leigh. You have a real gift with words and making folks feel good about themselves. God willing, I’ll do my best. My father gave his life to the people of this community, and I can do no less.”
She felt chills mounting on her arms. “I won’t keep you any longer. Good-bye and Godspeed.”
As she trudged toward the cabin and the firelight flickering in the window, she had a sudden urge to turn around.
Thad Benson stood in the same place she’d left him. He lifted a hand and waved. Perhaps they’d collide again…real soon.
Chapter 3
Thad walked the miles home in the dark and cold, but his heart felt as light as a spring day. No matter that snow dusted the road before him and the wind attempted to find solace inside his coat. He had reasons to rejoice. Emma Leigh was neither hurt nor upset with him.
He’d even seen such rosiness on her cheeks. How he’d like to think he might have put the color there. Thad’s mind danced with pictures of Emma Leigh—her hair as dark and rich as the soil on his parents’ farm and her skin as fair as thick cream. To him she looked like a queen, from her sweet ways to her lovely features. He envied the lucky man who won her heart.
The cold dissipated with more warm thoughts of Emma Leigh, and only when he lifted the latch on his aunt and uncle’s wooden door did he notice the frigid temperatures.
“Thad, I’ve been so worried,” Aunt Klara said, rushing from a chair at her spinning wheel to the door to meet him. Her Swedish accent soothed him, and he stepped into her motherly embrace. “Warm yourself by the fire, and I’ll get you something to eat. I have beef stew.” She released him but not before patting him on the back.
“I’m sorry to have alarmed you. I needed to pay a visit to the Carter family, and it took longer than I expected.”
Uncle Albert lifted his gaze from his Bible. A concerned look etched additional wrinkles into his leathered face. “Is everything all right there?”
“Yes. I—I accidentally caused Miss Emma Leigh to take a spill today and wanted to make sure she escaped unharmed.” He grasped his uncle’s hand. “I apologize if I caused you any unnecessary discomfort. I’ll do the evening chores now rather than after I eat.”
“They’re finished. You’re home now, and the load is lifted from my mind.” Uncle Albert offered a reassuring smile.
Thad scraped a chair across the wooden floor and sat at the table. “Thank you, but I could have done them.” Weariness suddenly settled in his bones, and for the first time that day he relaxed. The aroma of Aunt Klara’s kalops, Swedish beef stew with special spices, caused his stomach to rumble. She dished out a hearty bowl and sliced a thick piece of rye bread to go with it.
The comforts of home kept him at his aunt and uncle’s. Perhaps selfishness ruled a part of his heart, but he despised being alone—and knew he’d starve with his cooking.
“The health of the Carters could be better. Mr. Carter is still pale, and the younger children have runny noses,” Thad said after quietly blessing his food. “Looks like two new additions to their family since I was there, too.”
“Elizabeth and Charles,” Aunt Klara said. “Nearly lost the boy that first year, but he’s getting stronger.”
The thought troubled Thad. “Makes me wish I already practiced medicine.”
Uncle Albert closed his Bible. “You’ll be a fine doctor when the time comes.”
Emma Leigh had made the same comment earlier.
“God is with you,” Uncle Albert continued. “He’s given you a sound mind and a gift for wanting to heal. I saw the same attributes in your father.”
“Thank you, Uncle. I’m anxious to begin my studies. If I can be half as good a doctor as my father, I will be pleased.”
His uncle chuckled. “The young—anxious to be about their business.”
“I have enough money saved for the fall session,” Thad said. “Although I will miss both of you. All I need to put aside now is money to live on and purchase my textbooks.”
“I heartily approve of your frugal ways.” His uncle returned to his Bible reading.
Thad thanked Aunt Klara for the stew. When he first came to live with his aunt and uncle, her Swedish mannerisms and traditions often confused him. He hadn’t always been pleasant. Later when he apologized, Aunt Klara quickly forgave.
“It would have been easier if I’d been more like your mother.” She’d tilted her head as though she understood the grief plaguing his heart.
Often he wondered why God had not blessed Uncle Albert and Aunt Klara with children. They gave so much of themselves.
She poured him a cold glass of buttermilk. “I keep thinking the sooner you leave for school, the sooner you’ll be a fine doctor for our community. This time for good.”
Uncle Albert stood and tucked his Bible under his arm. “Mornin’ comes early. I’m heading to bed.”
He dutifully kissed Aunt Klara’s cheek and ruffled Thad’s hair as though he were but a boy.
“Good night, Uncle. Sleep well.”
Uncle Albert disappeared into a darkened room and closed the door behind him.
“You need your rest, too,” Thad said to his aunt. “I’m fine, and I’ll be ready for bed as soon as I finish eating.”
She pulled a chair closer to him, folded her hands in her lap, and took a deep breath. “Thad, is there a matter plaguing you?”
“I don’t think so.” Unless you consider my useless feelings for Emma Leigh.
“Are you working too hard with the farm and at the inn? Every day you do chores at your parents’ home and then here.” She leaned closer.
“Not at all. I enjoy hard work.”
Silence crept between them. The fire crackled, and the dog snored.
“Is your heart hurting for Miss Emma Leigh?”
Thad closed his eyes. Did it really show?
“Love can be a painful thing,” she said, gray tendrils framing her oval face.
He nodded. “She’s a fine lady.”
“And you’re a fine man.”
“If I had my schooling done, perhaps I could think about…well, consider the possibilities. I could make a few repairs on my parents’ home and clean things up proper-like.”
Aunt Klara touched his arm. “Sounds to me like you have done a lot of thinking about the matter.”
Thad never lied, but offering information about his private thoughts was another matter.
“Well, you finish your supper, and I’ll leave you to your thinking.” She rose from her chair and bade him good night.
If Aunt Klara read his heart so easily, did others know, too?
Monday, November 17, 1851
“I’d like the inn ready for Christmas by Monday, December 1,” Mr. Jones announced at the morning staff meeting. He dug his hands into his trousers’ pockets, and the motion revealed a festive plaid vest of red, green, and gold. He teetered back and forth on his heels, grinning broadly. “This is our favorite time of the year. Don’t you agree?”
Thad glanced at the staff of eleven—seven women and four men—nodding and voicing their approval. The spirit of Christmas had arrived at the Jones Inn. The enthusiasm would mount until it seemed the walls would burst with laughter and merriment. He’d joined the staff a little more than a year ago, and he well remembered last year’s joy in celebrating the Lord’s birth. Guests loved the atmosphere of the inn during this special time, and the staff took pains to make their stay memorable. The mirth could not be equaled at any other season of the year.
Mr. Jones cleared his throat. “Thad, you are in charge of finding the tree—a tall, full one for the entranceway. Make sure you take someone to help you. Mrs. Jones and I will decorate it. We rather enjoy that part of Christmas. Mrs. Weares, as in years before, your responsibilities are to oversee the overall trimming of the entire inn. I’d like every room to hold a bit of Christmas cheer.”
Mrs. Weares nodded, her thin face breaking forth into a smile.
“Sarah, as head cook, I want you to provide the guests with
the best of food. Spare nothing when it comes to their pleasure.” Mr. Jones nodded at Emma Leigh. “Miss Carter, are you ready to explain the details of how all of us will spread ‘goodwill towards men’ amongst each other? My wife and I are looking forward to what you’ve planned.”
So Mr. and Mrs. Jones planned to be a part of the celebration. Thad stole a glimpse at Emma Leigh. Her rosy cheeks brightened, and as always when she was excited, her big brown eyes sparkled.
“Yes sir,” she said, rising from her chair.
“Come along then. We’re all ready to hear your plan.”
Emma Leigh grasped a small basket and made her way to Mr. Jones’s side. He stepped back, making a formal gesture for her to begin. The staff laughed. For certain the holiday season reigned in their bones.
Emma Leigh moistened her lips. “This year, our Christmas party will be slightly different. Oh, we’ll have a marvelous meal on Christmas Eve, but there will be one addition.” She took a deep breath. “In just a moment, all of us will write our names on a piece of paper and place them in this basket. Then we will take turns drawing out a name. The one you select is your secret friend from December 15 until Christmas Eve. As often as you like, you may select something for your secret friend and leave it on the wooden table in the kitchen for him or her to pick up. The items are to be small, a sweet treat or a note—or anything you feel appropriate. The idea is to spread love and cheer in ways that don’t involve a great deal of money. We simply want everyone to be remembered. On Christmas Eve, we all find out who our secret friends are. Is this fine with everyone?”
From the sounds of the women clapping, Thad surmised the secret friend proposal suited all of them. Although the men looked a little less pleased. To Thad, it really didn’t matter. He merely wanted to see the joy on Emma Leigh’s face.
“Oh my,” Sarah said and covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. “I hope I get one of you skinny maids so I can fatten you up.”