The Gift

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Maybe you could cook a tasty meal and invite him over for supper,” Elaine suggested. “You know what they say about the way to a man’s heart being through his stomach.”

  Priscilla snickered. “I don’t think that would get a marriage proposal from Elam. He’s sampled my cooking several times, and even though he said what I fixed was good, he didn’t mention marriage.”

  “You could let him know that you think he’s handsome and strong,” Elaine said. “His love language might be words of affirmation.”

  Priscilla’s eyebrows lifted. “Love language?”

  Elaine nodded. “There’s a book about it. According to the author, certain things cause a person to feel loved. One is words of affirmation, and then there’s—”

  Linda tromped into the kitchen with her hands on her hips. Turning to Leah, she said, “Uncle Adam wants to know if you three are coming outside to roast marshmallows with us. He said if you’re not, then he’s gonna eat the whole bag himself.”

  Laughing, Leah pushed back her chair and stood. Elaine and Priscilla did the same.

  “Guess we’d better get out there,” Leah said, still chuckling, “because we sure wouldn’t want Adam to eat all the marshmallows and end up with a bauchweh.”

  Linda shook her head. “No one likes to have a stomachache.”

  Feeling a little better about things, Priscilla followed the rest of them out the door and headed toward the fire burning brightly in the yard. She wasn’t planning to tell Elam that he was handsome, but maybe there was something she could say that would let him know she thought highly of him. If words of affirmation really was his love language, maybe they would give him what he needed to finally pop the big question.

  CHAPTER 27

  Cora stood in front of the living-room window, staring out at the darkened sky. It was the last Friday of September, and Jared was spending the night with his friend Scott again. She had met the boy, as well as his parents, but wasn’t sure if he would make a good friend for Jared. While Scott seemed nice enough, he wore his hair too long, dressed sloppily, and had so much dirt under his fingernails she wondered if he ever washed his hands. Of course, Cora realized that she shouldn’t judge the boy by his looks. As long as Jared didn’t get into any trouble when he was hanging out with Scott, she had no objections to their friendship.

  Shivering, Cora pulled the collar of her pink velvet bathrobe tightly around her neck. It was a bit chilly this evening. She wished she’d thought to ask Jared to bring in some wood before he’d left so she could build a cozy fire in the fireplace. A small house had its advantages, for it didn’t take long to warm things up with a roaring fire. But that wouldn’t happen tonight, because Cora wasn’t about to go outside and haul in wood. That would risk ruining the beautiful robe Evan had given her for Christmas last year. She fingered the silky ribbon decorating the sleeves. Evan had chosen pink because it was Cora’s favorite color.

  Tears trickled down Cora’s cheeks as she reflected on that beautiful morning. If she’d only known then that it would be the last Christmas she, Evan, and Jared would spend as a family, she might have said or done things differently. Of course, looking back on it now, she wasn’t sure what she could have done differently. If Evan wanted to cheat on her, she probably couldn’t have done anything to prevent it.

  Pulling her thoughts back to the present, Cora left the window and turned on several of her decorative battery-operated candles. She preferred them not only because they created the ambience of real candles, but they also were handy in case the lights went out and were safer than regular candles. A few of the battery-operated ones were also scented, which released a nice aroma into the room.

  Taking a seat in the rocking chair, Cora leaned back and set the chair in motion. She and Jared had been here almost a month now, but she hadn’t made any real friends. She couldn’t count on Jared for companionship, either. After school when she got home from work, he was either in his room doing homework or making some excuse to be outside by himself. While he hadn’t actually said the words, Cora knew he was still angry at her for moving to Arthur.

  Thankfully, Cora’s job at the clinic kept her busy during weekdays, but the weekends were the worst. She hadn’t even made any close connections with the people she worked with at the clinic. During the day, as expected, most of the conversations were on a professional level; then after work, everyone went home to their own lives. Cora hoped that as she got to know everyone better, maybe some close friendships would form. In the meantime, she had suggested several things she and Jared could do together, including a trip to one of the nearby lakes, but he’d said he wasn’t interested. Cora was convinced that her son didn’t want to spend any more time with her than he had to.

  Cora had tried to set things up with Evan so he could have Jared over the weekend, but Evan had said he had something else going on and he’d have Jared some other time.

  “I’ll bet you will,” Cora muttered, clenching her teeth until her jaw ached. “When you walked out on me, you apparently deserted our son, as well.” She stared into the flame of the flickering candle she had placed on a doily in the center of the coffee table. She loved the feel of velvet, and while rubbing her hand over the sleeve of her robe, she continued to think about Evan. They’d been so happy during the first several years of their marriage. At least, she’d thought they were. Evidently, she’d been too blind to see that he’d lost interest in her and had started seeing the other woman. Maybe I’m just too naive, Cora thought, remembering how her mother used to call her that. I should have seen the warning signs when Evan lost interest in me.

  Because it signified happier times, Cora had almost gotten rid of the robe she wore this evening. But as she looked around at the few things she’d unpacked, just about everything Cora owned reminded her of the marriage she thought had been made in heaven.

  Leaning her head against the back of the rocker and enjoying its soothing motion, Cora closed her eyes and allowed her mind to take her on a trip down memory lane. Back to when she and Evan were newlyweds….

  “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” Evan asked, caressing Cora’s cheek with his thumb.

  Her eyelids fluttered as her lips curved into a smile. “I think you told me an hour ago, but I never get tired of hearing it.” She leaned into his embrace. “I love you, too, Evan.”

  “I can’t imagine us being any happier than we are right now, but I think as the years go by, our love will grow even stronger.” He kissed Cora’s cheeks and her nose, and then his lips settled on hers, in a kiss so tender and sweet, Cora felt that it would stay with her forever. Nothing and no one could ever come between her and Evan. He was her soul mate—the man she was destined to marry. And this was the life she was meant to live.

  Cora’s cell phone rang, jolting her eyes open and bringing her memories to a halt. The phone lay on the small table beside her, and she quickly reached for it. Looking at the caller ID, she realized that it was her Realtor, so Cora answered the call. “Hello, Mr. Sherman. I hope you’re calling with good news.”

  “No, not really,” he said. “No offers have come in on your house yet.”

  “Then why are you calling me?” she asked a bit too sharply. This was not what she wanted to hear.

  “The house has been on the market for a month now without even a nibble, so I think it might be time to lower the price.”

  “Lower the price?” Cora nearly jumped out of her chair. “Are you kidding me? That house is in top-notch condition, and it’s worth every penny I’m asking for it.”

  “It may be worth that much to you, Mrs. Finley, but during the last open house I conducted, several people said they thought it was overpriced.” There was a pause. “If you really want to sell your home, then I think we ought to drop the price by ten thousand dollars.”

  Cora’s face felt like it was on fire. She needed every penny she could get. “Ten thousand dollars is a lot of money, Mr. Sherman!”


  “Do you want to sell it or not?”

  Cora could hear the impatience in his voice and knew she’d better give him an answer quickly. Drawing in a deep breath, she said, “Okay, you can lower the price by eight thousand, but I won’t go down any more than that.” Even as she spouted the words, Cora knew if the house didn’t sell at the lower price, she might have to relent and let it go for even less. If it meant getting out of this dinky rental, it might be worth the sacrifice.

  “Sounds good, Mrs. Finley. I’ll keep you posted.”

  Feeling defeated, Cora clicked off the phone, turned the candle switches off, and headed down the hall toward her bedroom. Maybe things would look better tomorrow.

  The next morning, as Cora sat at the kitchen table drinking a second cup of coffee, she stared at the tablet and pen in front of her. She needed to make out a grocery list, as well as record a few things she needed at the health food store. She glanced at the clock. It was a few minutes past ten. If she waited to leave the house until closer to noon, she could stop somewhere for lunch before doing her shopping.

  Maybe I’ll try out that pizza place where Jared met Scott awhile back. Since he found a new friend there, maybe luck will be on my side and I’ll meet someone, too.

  Cora knew that probably wouldn’t happen, but the thought of a Canadian bacon with pineapple pizza sounded pretty good to her. If she bought a large size, she could bring the leftovers home for her and Jared’s supper this evening. She’d told him to be home by three, so that meant he planned to be here for the evening meal.

  Cora hurried to finish her lists and then gulped down the last of her coffee. She would take a shower, get dressed, and head out the door by eleven.

  A chilly wind blew under the eaves of the porch as Leah stepped out to shake some throw rugs. Since Adam let his employees run the store most Saturdays, it gave her a chance to get some cleaning done at home. She’d been at it since early this morning and was almost done.

  Arf! Arf! Arf!

  “What’s the matter, Sparky?” Leah looked toward the screen door, where the dog stood, peering out.

  Sparky turned and ran through the house, barking. Then he came back to the door again.

  “I know, boy, I miss her, too.” Leah felt sorry for Sparky. Ever since Mom had gone to Wisconsin to help Aunt Grace, the little terrier had been watching for her return. He whined like a child crying on their first day of school, not wanting to be separated from their parents. If a dog could mope, Sparky had certainly been doing a lot of that lately. The other night Dad had laughed and said, “That dog’s gonna wear a path to the door, watching for your mamm.”

  Leah glanced at the single feeder she had left hanging near the porch. It had been almost two weeks since they’d seen the last hummingbird. She smiled, remembering how just yesterday she’d mistaken a dragonfly for a hummingbird. She was surprised to have seen even that.

  Alissa had suggested leaving at least one feeder out until closer to December. That way, she’d explained, any late-migrating hummers would have a place to stop and juice up before heading southward to warmer climates.

  I’m sure going to miss those flying jewels, Leah thought as she scanned the yard, just in case. Think maybe I’ll treat myself to lunch in town. Then I need to make a visit to the Stitch & Sew to choose the material I want for my wedding dress.

  Leah knew she should have done that already, since the wedding was only two months away, but she’d been so busy taking care of Adam’s nieces and trying to keep up with everything that needed to be done at home. With Mom still gone, Leah had taken on more responsibilities, although Dad helped out as much as he could when he wasn’t working. Hopefully Mom would be home by the first week of November, so she would not only be able to attend Leah and Adam’s wedding but could take over her household chores again, too.

  Leah smiled, thinking about her folks’ reaction to Leah’s acceptance of Adam’s proposal. Dad had simply said he thought Adam was a good man and that he hoped they would be happy. When Leah had called Mom and told her the news, she’d chuckled and said, “I’m not a bit surprised, Leah. Remember when I told you that I thought Adam was a handsome man? I figured it was just a matter of time before you saw that about him, too.”

  Leah shook the last rug and stepped back inside. Surely Mom has to know I’m not marrying Adam just because he’s good looking.

  Leah had actually been surprised when neither Mom nor Dad had questioned the reason behind Leah’s hasty decision. Maybe they’re so relieved that I won’t be living at home the rest of my life as an old maid that they don’t care what made me decide to marry Adam.

  Leah placed the rugs on the living-room floor and headed to the bathroom to wash up. “I wonder if Adam thinks I’m pretty,” she mused, glancing in the mirror. “I guess it doesn’t really matter, but I’d kind of like to know.”

  After washing her face and hands and changing into a clean dress, Leah slipped her black outer bonnet on her head, grabbed her purse and shawl, and headed out the door. She would stop at the pizza place in Arthur for a quick lunch and afterward go straight to the fabric store.

  CHAPTER 28

  Cora tapped her fingers impatiently on the table as she waited for the pizza she’d ordered. It seemed like it was taking a long time. Maybe that was because she was so hungry. Her stomach growled noisily, and taking a quick scan of those sitting closest to her, Cora was glad that no one seemed to notice. The pizza shop was busy this afternoon, typical of the ones back in Chicago. Some folks came and went, picking up takeout orders, while others like her were eating in the restaurant.

  A few teenagers sat at a booth in the corner. Cora noticed Jared wasn’t among them. I wonder what he and Scott are doing today. Jared rarely talked about the things he and Scott did. As a matter of fact, Cora’s son didn’t share much of anything with her these days. But at least she knew who he was with, and having spoken to Scott’s mother on the phone the other evening, Cora felt once again that Scott was a nice enough kid. His mother had mentioned that her husband had been out of work for a while but had found another job recently. It was one more reminder of how grateful Cora felt for her position at the clinic.

  Turning her attention to a young Amish couple with two small children, Cora watched as they bowed their heads before eating. How long has it been since I said a prayer?

  Cora smiled when one of the little boys, who couldn’t have been much older than three or four, closed his eyes like his parents. Taking a closer look, Cora realized the boys were twins with the blondest hair she’d ever seen. When their prayer was over, one of the boys looked at her and grinned. She returned his smile and gave a discreet wave. I wish Jared was still that young and innocent. Things were much easier when he was a small child.

  Looking toward the counter where the pizzas were made, Cora’s nose twitched. The aroma of pepperoni, onions, peppers, and sauces made her stomach rumble again. What in the world could be taking so long to make my pizza?

  Cora glanced toward the door and saw a young Amish woman with golden brown hair enter the restaurant. Even though it had been several weeks, Cora remembered meeting her when she’d brought her little girl into the clinic.

  Cora waved, and the young woman waved in response before placing her order. When she took a seat at a table near Cora’s, Cora looked over at her and smiled. “Do you remember me? I’m Cora Finley—the new nurse at the clinic. We met when you brought your daughter in after she’d been stung by yellow jackets.”

  The woman nodded. “My name is Leah Mast, and Carrie’s not my daughter. I take care of Carrie and her two older sisters while their uncle’s at work.”

  “Oh, I see.” Cora thought it was odd that Leah had said the girls’ uncle, and not their parents, but she didn’t think it would be proper to ask about it.

  “If you’re not waiting for someone, would you like to join me at my table?” Leah asked.

  Cora didn’t have to be asked twice. “It’s no fun eating by yourself, and si
nce I’m all alone, it would be nice to have the company.” She scooped up her glass of iced tea and took a seat across from Leah. “How is Carrie doing now?”

  “She’s fine. We were relieved that she didn’t have a serious reaction to the stings.”

  “Allergic reactions can be quite serious,” Cora agreed.

  “You’re right about that. I practice reflexology, and one of the women I treat had a reaction to some walnuts awhile back, so I know how frightening things like that can be.”

  Cora’s eyebrows lifted. “Are you a licensed reflexologist?”

  Leah shook her head. “I’m not licensed, but I’ve been doing reflexology for several years. In fact, my grandmother taught me when I was a teenager. Since I don’t charge a set fee, I’m not required to get professional training or be licensed.”

  “Don’t you think you’d make more money if you could charge a set fee?” Cora questioned.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it.” Leah shrugged. “Besides, I don’t practice reflexology just to get paid.”

  Cora leaned her elbows on the table and looked closely at Leah. She wanted to know what made this young woman tick. “Why do you do it, if not for the money?”

  “I want to help others. I see my ability to help them feel better as a gift.”

  Cora reflected on that before responding. Do I see my nursing abilities as a gift or just a way to make money?

  When Cora had finished her nurses’ training, her focus had been on helping others, but she’d also needed the money she made—especially since she’d had to go into debt to pay her way through nursing school. There’d been no financial help from any of her family. Cora had been given no choice but to make it on her own—until she’d met Evan. Dr. Evan Finley had been to Cora everything that her family had never been. He’d understood her reason for wanting to be a nurse and had even paid for her to get more schooling.