The Gift

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “Don’t you want to sit there?” she asked, barely meeting his gaze.

  “No, that’s okay; I’ll just stand.” While Elaine took a seat, Adam positioned himself in front of the desk, where he could look directly at her. He wanted to see the expression on her face when he asked his question.

  Moistening his lips, Adam spoke quickly, before he lost his nerve. “I need to ask you something. It’s about Leah.”

  “If it’s about Leah, then shouldn’t you be talking to her?”

  He shook his head. “I’d rather not talk to her until I know how she might respond.”

  Elaine leaned forward, resting her arms on Adam’s desk. “I can’t really speak for Leah, but what is it you want to know?”

  “Do you think she would agree to marry me?”

  Elaine touched her fingers against her parted lips. “I knew Leah had been watching your nieces, but I didn’t realize you two had been courting.”

  A tingling sensation crept up the back of Adam’s neck. How was he going to explain this to Elaine? It was so embarrassing.

  “Well, uh… we’re not exactly courting.” He paused and swallowed a couple times. “Actually, we’re not courting at all.”

  “Then why would you be thinking of marriage?”

  Adam shifted nervously, giving his shirt collar a tug. “Well, umm… the thing is…”

  “Oh, wait! I think I get it.” Elaine pushed her chair aside and stood. “You want Leah to marry you so she can take care of the girls all the time; not just when you’re here working. Am I right?”

  Adam nodded. “I know it may seem selfish, but I’m really thinking of Carrie, Linda, and Amy. In the short time Leah’s been caring for them, they’ve grown attached to her.”

  Elaine’s eyes blinked rapidly. “So if Leah agreed to marry you, your marriage would be based on need, rather than love?”

  “Jah, but I do have a high regard for Leah. She’s been good with the girls, and I believe she cares for them as much as they do her.”

  “Do you want my opinion, Adam?”

  He nodded once more.

  “You ought to talk to Leah about this, because I have no idea whether she’d be willing to marry you or not. I just know that if it were me, I wouldn’t marry a man I didn’t love.”

  When Elaine left Adam’s office, he sat down at his desk and wiped his forehead with a hankie. This evening, when he got home from work, he would do as Elaine suggested.

  CHAPTER 24

  When Cora arrived home from work that afternoon, she went straight to the kitchen to fix herself a glass of iced tea. As she’d pulled into the driveway, she’d noticed that Jared’s bike wasn’t on the porch, and she figured he might have gone out for a ride. Looking out the kitchen window, Cora gazed into the backyard. She was lucky to have found this house to rent, even though it was rather small. Across the road was a cornfield that belonged to the farm sitting farther back. The rental agent had told Cora that the land this house was built on was once a part of that farm, but a good many years ago the owner sold off a section of the property and kept only what was on the other side of the road. It was peaceful, and even with the road out front, the meager traffic was made up mostly of horses and buggies.

  I hope Jared gets home soon, because I’m hungry and would like to start supper, Cora thought, moving to the living room and plopping down on the couch. She took a sip of iced tea then set her glass on the coffee table. Yawning, she removed her shoes and stretched out on the couch. Even though there were no long corridors to walk at the clinic, she’d been on her feet most of the day, and they’d begun to ache. With one last peek at the cozy living room, Cora closed her eyes, letting her mind wander.

  Things had gone fairly well with her first day on the job. The doctors seemed nice and weren’t demanding, like a few of the physicians at the hospital in Chicago had been. The other nurse, Sandy, had been helpful, too. Compared to the hospital routine, the amount of patients that came to the clinic today had been few.

  She thought of the little Amish girl she’d seen first thing this morning. For some reason, Cora couldn’t seem to get that child off her mind. She hoped Carrie would be able to sleep tonight. Just one bee sting could be miserable, but Carrie had so many of them. It was good that she hadn’t had a severe reaction. While the child’s mother had shown concern, she’d seemed quite calm about it. Cora figured that was probably why Carrie hadn’t overreacted, as she’d seen some children do when they were frightened or in pain.

  Several other Amish people had come to the clinic today, in addition to a few people who weren’t Amish. Living and working in this rural area would take some getting used to, but Cora felt that she’d made the right decision by moving here. Evan and his pretty new wife weren’t about to leave Chicago and the private practice he’d worked so hard to establish. Cora couldn’t live with the painful reminder that she’d been jilted by the man she still loved.

  When the front door opened and slammed shut, Cora opened her eyes. “Jared, I’m glad you’re finally home. Where have you been anyway?” she asked, stretching as she sat up.

  He sauntered across the room and flopped into the recliner. “I rode around on my bike for a while, checking things out in town. Then I went to the pizza place for lunch.”

  “Do they have good pizza there?”

  “It was okay.”

  “I’ll have to try it sometime. Did you do anything else today?”

  “Met this kid named Scott Ramsey. He’s my age, and guess I’ll be going to the same school as him.”

  Cora smiled. “That’s good. I’m glad you’ve made a friend already. I’m anxious to meet him.”

  Jared shrugged. “Didn’t say he was my friend. Just said I met the guy.”

  “Do you like him?”

  “He’s okay, I guess.” Jared rose from his chair.

  “Where are you going?” she asked in irritation. “I’m going to be starting supper soon.”

  “I’m going outside for some fresh air.” As Jared shuffled toward the door, the hem of his jeans dragged on the floor. “It’s hot and stuffy in here.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll call you when supper’s ready. Oh, and you need to throw those jeans you’re wearing in the laundry basket tonight. After they’ve been washed, I can hem them up a bit.”

  “No way, Mom! I like these jeans just the way they are,” Jared called as he went out the door.

  Cora rose from the couch with an exasperated sigh. Whatever happened to the darling little boy Jared used to be?

  Walking back to the kitchen to start supper, she had to admit her son was right. It was a bit warm in here. Fanning her face, she opened the kitchen window then went back to the living room to open the front door. Thankfully, there was a screen door to keep the bugs out. Cora hoped this good country air would cool things off soon.

  This little two-bedroom house was a far cry from the spacious home they’d left in Chicago. It didn’t even have an air conditioner. Cora thought about buying a portable one and putting it in one of the windows, but fall was just around the corner and the weather should be turning cooler soon. For now, they’d get by with what they had.

  Leah scurried about the kitchen, getting a snack for the girls. She’d been late picking Linda and Amy up from school and wanted to make sure their treat wouldn’t be eaten too close to suppertime.

  “Are you doing okay?” Amy asked, gently patting Carrie’s arm.

  Tears welled in Carrie’s eyes. “Jah, but Chippy’s gone.”

  “I’ll bet he’s hiding out in that pile of wood,” Linda spoke up.

  Carrie sniffed deeply, as more tears fell. “Die ieme will get him.”

  “I’m sure that Chippy won’t be bothered by the bees,” Leah said, placing a platter of cheese and crackers on the table for the girls. “He may even have left the woodpile and found another home by now.”

  “I don’t think so,” Linda said with a shake of her head. “Chippy liked our woodpile.”

  “If
he is in there, he’ll come out when he’s ready.” Leah poured each of the girls a glass of milk and joined them at the table. “How was school today? Did you make some new friends?”

  “I did,” Linda said around a mouthful of cracker. “Her name is Carolyn. She’s the same age as me.”

  “I’m glad you made a friend.” Leah looked over at Amy. So far, the child hadn’t eaten a thing. “How was your day, Amy? Did you make a new friend?”

  Amy slowly shook her head, as she fingered her napkin. “I miss my friend Mandy back in Nappanee.”

  “I understand,” Leah said. “Good friends are special, and some friends we keep for the rest of our lives.”

  Amy heaved a sigh, dropping her gaze to the table. “Don’t think Mandy and I will be friends for life, ’cause we live too far away now. I’ll probably never see her again.”

  “Maybe Mandy and her family will come here to visit sometime. Or maybe you’ll get to go visit her there,” Leah gave Amy’s arm a light tap. “In the meantime, it would be good if you made some new friends here.”

  Amy frowned. “Don’t want any new friends. Never wanted to move here, neither. I wish things could be like they were when Mama and Papa were alive.”

  Leah’s heart went out to Amy. The girl still grieved the loss of her parents. Amy’s sisters did, too. Leah was sure that being here in a strange place with no special friends probably made it seem even worse.

  “Who would like to help me make a tossed green salad for supper?” Leah asked, hoping a new topic might help.

  “I will!” Carrie’s hand shot up.

  “Are you staying for supper?” The question came from Linda.

  “No, but I thought a tossed salad might go well with whatever your uncle decides to prepare.”

  “He usually just fixes sandwiches or soup,” Amy mumbled.

  “Oh. Well a tossed salad would go with soup, don’t you think?”

  The two younger ones nodded their heads, but Amy sat staring at her glass of milk.

  Leah left the table and was about to get the lettuce from the refrigerator, when Coal started barking from the porch. Leah liked it when the dog alerted her that someone was coming. She presumed it was Adam. She watched from the window as the girls’ uncle stooped down to pet the black Lab. Although she’d never heard him say so, Leah knew Adam liked the dog.

  Soon after, Adam entered the kitchen. His cheeks were pink, and perspiration gathered on his upper lip. “Hello everyone.” Deep wrinkles formed across Adam’s forehead as he stared at Carrie. “What happened to you?”

  “She got stung by bees,” Linda spoke up before Leah or Carrie could offer an explanation.

  Adam stiffened. “How did that happen?”

  Leah explained how Carrie had gone looking for Chippy in the woodpile and disturbed a yellow jackets’ nest. “Even though she didn’t appear to have a serious reaction, since she had so many stings, I took her to the clinic to be checked out.”

  Concerned for his niece’s welfare, Adam bent to take a closer look at the welts on Carrie’s arms and legs. Then he looked back at Leah. “What did they say at the clinic?”

  “Carrie was seen by a new nurse there first, and then the doctor came in,” Leah replied. “He gave us some medicine for Carrie to take that will help with the swelling and said I should continue to put ice on the places where she’d been stung.”

  “You said the hive is under the woodpile, right?” Adam asked.

  Leah nodded.

  “I’ll take care of this problem, once and for all!” Adam opened one of the kitchen drawers and took out a package of matches. Then he grabbed a can of kerosene and headed out the back door.

  “Where’re you going, Uncle Adam?” Linda called.

  Adam glanced over his shoulder and saw that the girls and Leah were following in quick pursuit.

  “I’m doing what needs to be done. Something I should probably have done long before now.” Adam dashed into the yard, doused the woodpile with kerosene, and threw in a match. In an instant, the wood went up in flames.

  “No! No!” Carrie shouted, running toward Adam before Leah could pull her back. “You’re gonna kill Chippy!”

  Adam’s brows pulled together. “Chippy?”

  “The little chipmunk that’s been living in the woodpile. Remember when the girls told you about it?” Leah stepped up to Adam. “We haven’t seen him for a while, so I think he may have found another home.”

  Adam gave a nod. “Guess I’d forgotten about him.”

  “Chippy! Oh, poor Chippy!” Carrie sobbed. Then Linda started crying, and soon Amy joined them.

  Adam was flustered and didn’t know how to make things right. In his state of confusion, he turned to Leah and said, “I… I really need your help with the girls. Will you marry me, Leah?”

  CHAPTER 25

  Leah stood in stunned silence, staring at Adam and wondering if he’d lost his mind. Surely he couldn’t have meant what he had just said. Until now, he’d given no indication that he wanted to marry her. They weren’t even courting, for goodness’ sake.

  She glanced at the children and noticed their wide-eyed expressions, as their tears were brushed quickly away. They were obviously as surprised by Adam’s proposal as she was. Except for Carrie’s hiccups after she’d stopped crying, not a sound could be heard. At this moment, the chipmunk was obviously far from their minds, but what were Adam’s nieces thinking right now?

  “Uncle Adam, are you and Leah getting married?” Linda finally asked, looking at him with astonishment.

  Adam shuffled his feet a few times. “Well… umm… We are, if Leah agrees to it.”

  Rubbing the back of her neck, Leah looked at Adam and said, “I… I think we need to talk about this in private, don’t you?” She couldn’t imagine why Adam had suddenly asked her to marry him—especially in front of the girls. He certainly wasn’t in love with her.

  Adam’s face turned a brighter shade of red as he nodded. “But I want to stay here with this fire a little longer to make sure it goes out. Why don’t you go into the house with the girls? I’ll come in when I’m finished out here.”

  “I have a better idea,” Leah responded. “The girls can go inside and finish their snack, while you and I talk out here in the yard.”

  “Guess that would be okay.”

  Leah opened the back door and gestured for the girls to go in. They hesitated a minute before stepping inside. Then Leah joined Adam on the lawn and stood watching the fire. When the branches burned to glowing embers, Adam stirred through them with a garden rake.

  “Let’s sit in my buggy so we can talk without our conversation being heard,” he suggested. “I can still watch the embers from there.”

  Leah nodded but turned her attention to the small pond at the far end of Adam’s property. He’d told her once that the water was always cold, no matter what time of year it was. The pond was spring fed, and at the lower end, the water emptied into a small stream. Adam had said that even during the drought they’d had last year, the pond stayed full of water.

  Right now, Leah wished she were a little girl again, because as warm as she felt, she’d like nothing better than to kick off her shoes, run down to the pond, and jump in. Suddenly, the air seemed so heavy, she could hardly breathe. Those lucky ducks, Leah thought when she noticed a pair of mallards swimming in the center of the pond.

  “Leah, are you coming?”

  Startled, Leah looked back at Adam. “I’ll be right there.” Her palms grew sweaty as she followed Adam across the yard. When they reached his buggy, she took a seat in the passenger’s side, and he went around to the driver’s side.

  “Leah, I…” Adam paused and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for blurting that out in front of the girls. It was stupid.”

  Leah tipped her head. “Which part was stupid—asking me to marry you or saying it when the girls were present?”

  “The second one… or maybe both.” Adam gave his earlobe a tug. “I mean, you might think
I’m dumb for proposing marriage when we haven’t even courted.” Adam paused again, as though waiting for her response.

  “I’ll admit, you took me by surprise,” Leah said. “I assume the reason you suggested we get married is because you’re concerned about the girls and want them to have a full-time caregiver.”

  “It’s true, but it’s more than that.”

  Leah held her breath, waiting for Adam to continue. Part of her hoped, even wished Adam had asked her to marry him because he felt something for her. The truth was, she’d begun to have feelings for him. While she might not be in love with Adam, a friendship was forming, and if given the chance, she was sure it could turn into love.

  “What else were you going to say, Adam?” Leah prompted, trying to control her uneven breathing.

  “It’s just that… Well, the girls have developed a fondness for you, and I’ve seen the way you are with them. I believe you must care a lot for my nieces.”

  “You’re right. I’ve come to love Carrie, Linda, and Amy very much.”

  “As do I,” he said. “That’s why I want what’s best for those girls. I believe having you as their substitute mother would be a good thing for all of them.”

  “What about you, Adam? What’s best for you?”

  He glanced at Leah, looked quickly away, and turned to face her again. “Clearly, you can see that I need help with the girls.”

  Leah released an exasperated sigh. “I know that already, which is why I’ve been coming over to help every day while you’re at the store.” Adam undid the top button of his shirt then pulled the collar away from his throat. “You’re making this hard for me, Leah.”

  “I’m not trying to be difficult. I’m just trying to understand how us getting married would be the best thing for me.”

  “Does the idea of marrying me repulse you?” His unreadable expression made Leah even more confused.

  She shook her head slowly, unable to look away. “Of course not. But since we’re not marrying for love, I have to wonder what kind of life we would have.”