His Promise

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  “Here you go, Grace,” Irene said with a chuckle as she placed not one but three plates on the table. “Eggs, sausage, grits, pancakes, and Bill even threw in a buttermilk biscuit fresh from the oven! A monster breakfast for probably the littlest person in the restaurant.”

  Pushing aside her book, Grace chuckled, too. Her slim build and constant appetite had always been both a mystery and a sore spot with her sisters. They’d often said it simply wasn’t fair that she could eat so much without gaining weight.

  She used to be self-conscious about it. But now?—she was thankful to have one less thing to worry about. “Danke. It looks wonderbaar.”

  “I hope you will enjoy it. Bill said he’d give you a piece of pie to take home if you clean your plate.”

  Grace giggled. “Uh-oh. I fear I’m so hungry that I just might do that. I’d love to take a piece of Bill’s pie back with me.”

  “Why are you so hungry? Is your mamm not feeding you?”

  It was a joke in the county that Josephine King could bake circles around most anyone. “My mother is probably cooking up a storm for the rest of my family. They ain’t here. They went to my grandparents for Christmas. I had to stay behind for a job.”

  “Are you watching another lucky pet?”

  “I am. I’m pet sitting at the Lees’.”

  Irene’s eyes widened. “You’re staying in that big house by yourself? For how long?”

  “For two weeks.”

  Irene frowned. “Sounds like a long time, especially at Christmas.”

  It was, but she sure wasn’t going to make Irene worry about it. “They have an adorable dachshund named Snooze. He’s keeping me great company,” she lied. Patting the book, she said, “I also have a stack of mysteries to read. I’ll be fine.”

  Irene looked at the book doubtfully before focusing back on Grace. “I’ll bring you that piece of pie in a container in a few minutes. What kind would you like? Pumpkin, pecan, or apple?”

  “Pecan, please.”

  “You got it. Enjoy your breakfast.”

  After bowing her head and giving thanks, Grace opened back up the book and dug into her meal, savoring every bite of food that she hadn’t had to make. When she was about halfway done, Irene came back. “Here’s your pie and your check for when you’re ready.”

  “Hey, Irene? Who is that lady sitting over there by herself?”

  Irene turned to look. When she faced Grace again, there was a look of bitterness on her pretty face. “That’s Miss Schultz.”

  “Miss Dorma Schultz?”

  “Jah. The very one.”

  “I was just talking to, uh, someone about her the other day. It turns out the Millers’ house is on the Schultzes’ old farm.”

  “They were once very wealthy, weren’t they?”

  Grace raised her eyebrows. “I would imagine she is now, since she sold off all that farmland.”

  “If her relatives had let her keep any of it, you mean.”

  “What?”

  “She lives on her own in a small house just a couple of blocks from here. Bill says her extended family volunteered to handle her money—and promptly took most of it.”

  “That’s awful! Wasn’t there something she could do?”

  “Probably, if she was in better health.”

  “Is she sick? What’s wrong with her?”

  Irene shook her head. “There’s more to the story, but I can’t share it now. You’ve got a meal to finish and I’ve got customers to wait on.”

  “Oh! Yes, of course.”

  When she had just about cleaned her plate, Grace set her fork down and closed the book with a contented sigh. Getting out of the house had been a mighty good idea. The food was wonderful, her book got even more exciting, and she was able to chat with John Michael without offending him. She even got to chat with Irene and a few other acquaintances.

  And Miss Dorma!

  Feeling terrible that she hadn’t already walked over to say hello, Grace decided to forgo the rest of her errands and go sit with her. Who knows? Maybe Miss Dorma would even like her slice of pecan pie to take home.

  Grace paid and hurried to the washroom to clean up. But when she came back out, Miss Dorma had already left.

  All that remained was a neatly folded dollar bill next to her coffee cup.

  Chapter 8

  After they ordered their food and downed their first cups of steaming hot coffee, John Michael noticed that Noah’s attention had wandered. Every couple of minutes, Noah would stare at something directly behind him.

  “What’s going on?” John asked after turning around and seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

  Noah blinked. “Huh? Oh, sorry. I can’t seem to stop looking at that lady sitting behind you. I think she almost looks like Dorma Schultz, but that can’t be right. I keep trying to place her. Has that ever happened to you?”

  “More than I’d like to admit.” He turned around again but only saw the back of an elderly lady as she was walking out the door. “Was that her?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Now John Michael was determined to get a better look. He craned his neck to see her turn . . . and then realized that Noah hadn’t been wrong. “That was Miss Dorma, all right.”

  “I know she’s gotten older, but she don’t look good.”

  “No, she don’t.” The woman he saw looked like a shadow of her former self. Whereas she used to be spry and almost athletic-looking, she now looked frail, as if a harsh wind could blow her over. She also had only an old wool shawl wrapped around her shoulders. It couldn’t have been enough to guard against the cold.

  As John Michael watched her walk down the street, he said, “The first time I glanced behind me, I didn’t recognize her at all.” It made him sad, too. He liked her so much when he was a little boy. Though they hadn’t been close, he would always take the time to say hello to her if he saw her on the street or in a store.

  “When did you see Miss Dorma last?” Noah asked.

  Looking at her as she passed from view made John realize just how long it must have been.

  “Oh, boy. Not in years.” He laughed softly. “I’ll tell you how I knew it was actually her—it was that posture! I don’t think I’ve ever met another person who stands as straight as she does.When we were little, my mother used to tell my sisters to stand proud and straight like Miss Dorma. I grew up thinking that Miss Dorma could do no wrong.”

  Noah grinned. “I thought the same thing! Though, I did used to wonder where she got that scar on her cheek. Me and my siblings always wanted to ask, but we never did.”

  “I’d forgotten about that! I never asked her, either.”

  “Of course not! She’d say we were being impertinent.”

  “And we would have had no idea what that meant and would be afraid to ask,” John said, enjoying the trip down memory lane.

  “My brother Silas used to shovel her walkway every time it snowed. He always complained that she never paid him even a dime. All she ever did was tell him that he was a good boy.”

  “He wanted her to pay him?” asked John.

  “Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that her treating him like a youngster when he was fifteen grated on his nerves.”

  John Michael chuckled, thinking he could imagine her saying such things very easily. “Knowing Dorma, she probably said that on purpose because she thought he was getting too big for his britches. She used to be quite a character, ain’t so?”

  “Jah. She cared about everyone, like they were special to her.” Noah sipped his coffee and mused, “You know, my parents said they liked to watch her in action after church. She’d herd us kinner around like a sheepdog.”

  “One time she had me washing tables after church before I remembered that I had been hoping to take off with my friends.”

  “I was right there with you, John. My siblings and I both loved and feared her at the same time.” Noah’s amused expression faded. “Her skin looked a bit sallow. I wonder if she is sick.”


  John knew Noah had extensive medical training as an EMT. “I think you may be right. At first I thought she was simply looking frail, but that isn’t it.”

  “She seems vacant,” Noah said. “Almost like she is confused. That’s why I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off of her.”

  “I should try to figure out where she lives now and check on her.”

  “That’s a good idea, John.” Clearing his throat, Noah said, “Have you heard anything about her lately?”

  “Funny you should ask. Grace King and I were just speaking of Miss Dorma the other day. Grace is pet sitting over at Mr. and Mrs. Lee’s house. If you remember, they bought part of the Schultz land and my family bought up the other half.”

  “That was some time ago.”

  “At least ten or twelve years past.” The lump that had formed in his throat seemed to be growing bigger by the second. “Mei mamm and an aunt saw her maybe a year ago. I seem to remember that she was staying with relatives. I’m going to ask the captain about it at the firehouse. Maybe we could stop by, do a wellness check.”

  “I’ll be happy to join you,” Noah said.

  “Danke. I’ll let you know what they say.”

  After Irene brought them more coffee, they continued their conversation. “One of my aunts told me a while back that Miss Dorma was living in a little haus on the edge of town,” John Michael said. “I remember wondering how she felt about living so close to people after having hundreds of acres all her own.”

  “You could ask her that when you stop by.”

  “I will.” Feeling even more certain that he owed Dorma a visit, John Michael said, “You know what? I think I owe it to Miss Dorma to stop by as soon as possible, even if the captain doesn’t want us to go as a member of the fire department. She did so much for all of us.”

  “It’s settled, then. Next time we’re both off work on the same days, we’ll find out where she lives and say hello.”

  Glad that they had made plans, John Michael felt himself relax. “Let’s talk about something else. How is your Sadie and the babe?”

  Noah smiled. “Wonderbaar. The boppli is doing well and Sadie has taken to motherhood like she was born to care for babies. Nothing seems to worry her too much or make her anxious.”

  “I’m glad you’re happy.”

  “Me, too. To be honest, I didn’t expect to fall in love anytime soon. I thought I’d concentrate on my job for the next five or six years, then eventually find the right partner. I’m mighty glad I was wrong.”

  Thinking about Grace, he said, “I suppose one never knows what God has in store for us.”

  “If I’ve learned anything from being an EMT, it’s that life is rarely neat or organized. The Lord plans things in His own time. It’s up to us to simply hold on.”

  “That’s good advice.”

  “Sorry you two have been waiting forever!” Irene said as she hurried over with a tray in her hands. “Bill wasn’t happy with the way your poached eggs turned out, so he made you a new plate, Noah.”

  “They look fine, indeed. Worth the wait.”

  “And here is your club sandwich for breakfast, John Michael.”

  “It looks fantastic. So good I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear the way you criticized my meal.”

  “Sorry, but you do have to admit that it’s odd. I’ve never known of another customer besides you to order sandwiches for breakfast.”

  Holding a triangle in his hand, John grinned at her. “I surely don’t know why. Sandwiches are perfect most any time of the day, especially at breakfast.”

  She laughed. “I’ll take your word for it, John. And, Noah, for once, try and relax for a few minutes. You usually wolf down your sandwich and go.”

  After she left their side, John Michael grinned at Noah. “You can act like you’re so busy you have to eat on the run, but I know better.”

  “What is that?”

  “You are in a hurry to get home to your wife.”

  Noah grinned again. “I can’t deny it. I feel like I waited all my life for Sadie to come into my life. Why would I not want to spend as much time with her when I can?”

  As John Michael closed his eyes to give thanks, he realized Noah’s words hit close to home. He’d already waited a long time to have a chance with Grace King. It would be foolish for him not to try to spend as much time with her as he could.

  After all, who knew when the Lord would give him another such opportunity?

  Chapter 9

  Three hours later, John Michael found himself helping his father oil and polish their sled, and thinking about Miss Dorma again. He had a job where he risked his life for others, was proud of it, and liked knowing that he was able to give back to the community. Realizing that he’d essentially forgotten about Dorma Schultz was hard to accept. He was ashamed to realize that he’d received so much from her but had not spared her a moment’s thought when she wasn’t around.

  Worse, from the looks of that shawl, she was in need.

  After washing off the worst of the dirt and sanding the sled’s runners, he and his father turned it right-side up and got to work on the rest of it.

  John Michael got busy rubbing some grapeseed oil into the leather of the seats while his father wiped down the wood. “I’m glad you pulled this out, Daed. It will be good to put this sleigh to use. You ought to attach some sleigh bells on the back for Mamm. She loves that.”

  Looking pleased, his father nodded. “She surely does at that. Hearing them ring through the fields will add a bit of Christmas cheer, too.” Rubbing his hand along the back of the polished wood, he mused, “I have a feeling this old girl has been feeling sorely neglected. We’ve hardly gotten more than an inch of snow in the last three years.”

  “I was beginning to wonder if snowy winters were going to be in our past.”

  “I’ve thought the same, son. But this winter has showed us that ain’t the case at all. Why, I am wondering if we’ll see the ground again before March.”

  “I heard it’s supposed to snow again tonight.”

  Daed grunted. “That means we’re going to have some shoveling to do before church.”

  John Michael nodded. “I’ll do it. I might walk over and see if I can help Grace King, too.”

  “Ah, yes. She’s staying over at the Lees’.” He straightened and carefully folded the cloth in his hands. “Your mother told me.”

  His father was a lot of things but subtle wasn’t one of them. “I’m sure I told you, too, Daed.”

  “How was chatting with Grace after all this time?”

  John Michael paused. “Difficult at first. She didn’t seem to want anything to do with me.”

  “The sisters are close. No doubt there were some hard feelings there.”

  “There were.” John Michael figured that was also an understatement. Grace’s demeanor had bordered on arctic. “She eventually came around, though.”

  “That don’t surprise me none,” his father said with a new gleam in his eyes. “She always seemed to have a light within her that Beth didn’t.”

  John Michael just about choked. “Daed, you can’t say things like that.”

  “Whyever not?”

  “It’s not nice.”

  Daed waved a hand. “I’m not being mean if I think it’s the truth. And I do.”

  “Still . . .”

  “I always thought it interesting to see how two kinner from the same family could be so different. And those girls certainly are.”

  “Indeed.”

  “And while we would have loved Beth and appreciated her gifts . . .”

  John Michael felt his lips twitch. This roundabout way of talking about a touchy subject was extremely familiar. “Just say it, Daed.”

  “Very well.” After looking like he was bracing himself, he blurted, “If you and Grace one day found something between you, I wouldn’t necessarily think it a bad thing.”

  “Don’t start matchmaking.”

  “I’m not.” His father�
��s eyes twinkled. “One would have had to be deaf and blind not to notice the way Grace used to fancy you years ago. She would blush beet red every time you spoke a word to her.”

  He had noticed Grace’s infatuation, but he’d tried not to dwell on it. She was too young for him, and he’d been determined to work things out with Beth. Later, when he was starting to realize that there was nothing between them except the sense that they should be perfect for each other, he’d begun to doubt his feelings for any woman.

  He’d spent so much time with Grace because he was at the King household trying to connect with Beth. But more often than not, after he’d caught up on the day’s events with Beth, they would start talking to her sisters—and he would end up talking mostly to Grace.

  He’d felt at ease with Grace; enjoyed her company. She was quiet and liked to read, just like he did. She loved animals and had a goofy sense of humor. He also felt as if she needed him—as if she’d gotten lost in the shuffle of her boisterous household and needed someone to pay attention to her.

  So he did.

  But then one day when he was in the barn with her, looking at a new foal, he realized that he’d found everything he’d been searching for in Grace, instead of Beth.

  He was horrified. Needing space from both women, he broke things off with Beth abruptly—and somehow managed to look like a cad to the whole family.

  “Grace isn’t blushing when she sees me now.”

  “Of course not,” Daed said quickly. “She’s a mature young woman with her own pet-sitting business. However, I have often wondered if feelings ever really change.”

  “Are you saying that you think Grace could still have a crush on me?”

  “I’m only thinking of me and your mother, son. I met her when I was fifteen and we got married at eighteen. Both of our parents were so pleased; it was practically an arranged match. Then, through the years, she and I grew up, had you, raised sheep for a while, and farmed. Now we are almost retired, but still I love her.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I love your mother, but sometimes I canna help but be amazed by the idea that two people can form a bond when they’re children, adopt other interests, and after all this time still feel the same.”