“That’s sad.”
“It is. Did you know they are sometimes called a flying mousetrap because they eat so many mice? They truly are a farmer’s friend. I still don’t see him.”
Caleb removed the piece of straw he had in his mouth. “Give your eyes time to adjust to the dark. I assume you are here because you heard from the school board.”
Leah lay back beside Joy and closed her eyes. “I did. Eli and Nettie brought me over. They are inside speaking with your parents.”
“Let me guess. Wayne got them to vote against me.”
She opened her eyes and turned in his direction. The worried frown on his face put a crease between his brows. She was happy to give him the good news. “Nee, he was overruled by the others. She can start on Monday.”
Caleb sat up. “Are you serious?”
“I am.”
Joy pointed overhead. “He’s looking at us. He can turn his head all the way around. Cool.”
Leah leaned close to follow Joy’s finger. “I see him now. His face is so pretty and white. Doesn’t he have huge eyes? They help him see at night. Maybe he thinks we are giant mice here in the straw.”
“That’s silly. We don’t have big ears, and we don’t have tails.”
“Very true. Joy, how would you like to come to school on Monday?” Leah asked.
“I don’t know. Would I have to go alone?”
“There are twenty-seven other children in my school, so you can’t possibly be alone.”
Caleb stretched out in the hay once more. “You wouldn’t have to walk to school alone, if that’s what is worrying you. I will go with you and spend the day. How would that be?”
“I guess that would be okay. Are the other kids going to think I’m stupid?”
“Nee,” Leah answered quickly. “They are going to see what a very special person you are. You can be a big help to me at school, you know.”
“How?”
“Just by speaking English. It helps the younger children learn the language when they hear it spoken. Anna Imhoff is very excited that you will be in our school.”
“I like Anna. She’s really nice to me. Oh, look. The owl is gone. Where did he go?”
Caleb sat up and tickled her chin with a piece of straw. “He went out to hunt for his supper. He doesn’t have a grossmammi to cook for him. He has to go find food himself. Shall we go in and see what Mammi has cooked for us?”
“I want to stay out here in case he comes back.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“Nope. No arguments. Leah and I are going inside. If you stay out here, you will make your grandmother worry about you. She’ll be mad at us for leaving you out here alone. Do you want to get us in trouble?”
She mulled over the idea and shook her head. “No.”
Each time Leah saw Caleb with Joy, she was amazed at the difference in him. The frantic, frazzled man she first met outside the grocery store had become a caring and compassionate parent. He was making an effort and making progress at becoming a father. She could see the love for his child growing stronger every day, and it pleased her.
He helped Joy to her feet and began brushing away the bits of straw stuck to her coat and bonnet. “You had better brush me off, too. I don’t want to carry all of this into Grandma’s clean house.”
Joy energetically brushed the back of his pants and as high as she could reach on his back. “I can’t get it all. Leah, can you help me?”
Leah rose to her feet and shook out her skirt. Caleb held his arms out to his sides. She moved close and set to work picking the straw off his coat, ignoring the way her insides fluttered at his nearness. She smoothed away the loose bits from across his shoulders. Even through the thick material of the coat, she could feel the firmness of his muscles. She could tell he was used to hard physical work. Slowly, she brushed down each arm. Finally, all that was left was a few pieces of straw in his hair.
Without thinking, she slid her fingers up the nape of his neck. His hair was short but thick. It felt like soft fur beneath her fingers. When she realized what she was doing, she stepped away quickly. “Clean as a whistle.”
He cleared his throat. “Thanks. We should go.”
“Ja. Eli and Nettie are probably wondering what happened to me.” She started toward the ladder, but he stopped her by grasping her arm.
“They will think you’ve been rolling in the hay. Hold still a second.”
Standing behind her, he gently brushed at her back. He kept one hand on her shoulder to steady her. In the space of a few seconds, it went from a friendly gesture to an intimate experience. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck. His hands stopped moving and rested on her shoulders. Her own breathing became ragged. If she turned around, would he kiss her?
“Come on, guys. I’m getting hungry.”
Embarrassment sent a wave of heat to Leah’s face. She’d completely forgotten about Joy. “We’re coming.”
* * *
Caleb watched as Leah quickly followed Joy down the ladder. Once again, he had let his growing desire override his common sense. Yet Leah hadn’t rejected him outright. She’d tolerated his touch, but what did that mean, exactly?
She kept her attention on Joy and held her hand as they crossed the yard. “I’ve brought your books and some supplies. Pencils, crayons, paper and such. You have all you need to begin school.”
She stopped at the buggy and drew a bag from the backseat. She handed it to Joy. “Don’t forget to bring it to school on Monday.”
“I won’t.” Joy gazed up at her with admiration shining in her eyes. Caleb knew exactly how she felt. Leah always seemed to know what Joy needed.
Inside the house, Nettie and Maggie were busy at the stove. Maggie said over her shoulder, “Ike and Nettie are staying for supper. I hope that is okay with you.”
Leah smiled, but it was stiff. She cast a sidelong glance his way and then quickly looked at his mother. “What can I do to help?”
“You and Joy may set the table.”
The meal was one of the longest that Caleb had ever endured. Leah sat across from him and spent the entire time trying not to look at him. It was a relief when everyone finished. The men went into the other room while the women began to clean up.
Eli moved a small round table and positioned it between two chairs. “How about a game of checkers?”
Ike pointed to Caleb. “Better warm up with the boy before you take me on.”
Eli snorted. “It will be a rare day that I can’t best you, but take a seat, Caleb, and give your father a short reprieve. Will you be black or red?”
“Red.” Caleb sat down and put his pieces on the board, but his mind wasn’t on the game. It was on Leah. What was she thinking? Did she find his touch repulsive? If not, where did they go from here?
The short answer was nowhere.
Eli beat him soundly in record time. Caleb looked to his father. “Daed, why don’t you have a go at him? You always were a better player than I was.”
Ike rose from his chair. “Are you ready to take your beating, Eli?”
“Ha! You can try.”
Caleb watch them set up a new game and then wandered to the doorway that led to the kitchen.
Joy sat quietly at the table with her chin propped on her hands. She had been quiet throughout the meal. Was she feeling okay?
“What’s the matter, Joy? Do you have a headache?” he asked. It was something Dr. White had told him to watch for.
“No.”
Maggie pressed a hand to her forehead. “You aren’t warm. Do you feel sick?”
“Mammi, your house isn’t very Christmassy.”
She still wanted a Christmas tree. Caleb wondered how his mother would handle the request.
Maggie looked around the room. “I reckon you’re right. Do you want to help me fancy it up?”
Joy brightened. “Sure. Can we put up a Christmas tree?”
“Nee, child, for that is a worldly thing. It is not permitted. I kno
w something we can do. I’ve been getting Christmas cards from my friends and family for the past few weeks. I keep them in a box in my bedroom. Wait a moment and I will get it.”
She returned shortly and set a shoe box on the table. “Let’s put them up so everyone can enjoy them. Leah, would you get me a ball of yarn from my knitting basket by the fireplace?”
“Of course.” While Nettie, Maggie and Joy began sorting through the cards, Leah approached Caleb. He was blocking the doorway. She paused in front of him but kept her gaze on the floor. Softly he said, “I didn’t mention how nice you look tonight.”
Color bloomed in her cheeks. She smoothed the front of her dark green dress with its matching apron. “This is only one of my school dresses. It’s not new. In fact, it’s a little stained and worn.”
“Actually, I hadn’t noticed your dress.”
Her eyes flashed up and locked with his. He didn’t flinch from her gaze. He wanted her to know that he saw her, and he liked what he saw. He stepped aside. She rushed past him. Quickly, she came back with a ball of yarn, but she avoided looking at him. Caleb followed her into the kitchen and took a seat across from his daughter at the table.
“What do we do now?” Joy asked.
Maggie glanced around her kitchen. “I reckon we have to decide where we want to hang our cards. Then we will put up some yarn and hang the cards on it. Where do you think they should go?”
Joy looked around. “I’m not sure.”
“You used to hang them across the windows when I was little.” Caleb began reading some of the cards. A few of them were store-bought cards, mostly from the English neighbors and shopkeepers in the town. The others, from family and Amish friends, were homemade and decorated by hand.
“All right, we’ll start with the windows.” His mother opened one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out some thumbtacks.
With Nettie’s help, she stretched three strands of yarn across the large windows that looked out onto the front porch and then stood back with her hands on her hips. “Do those look straight?”
“They look fine,” Caleb said. “Joy, why don’t you pick out the ones you want to hang up?”
“Okay.” She began sorting through the box. “I like this one, and this one.” She handed them to Leah, who was seated beside her. Leah took them to the window.
“Daddy, you hang up these.” She handed him a small bundle.
Caleb worked silently beside Leah until Nettie began to hum a Christmas song. Leah started humming, too. Soon Caleb began to sing the well-known hymn, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” and Leah, Maggie and Nettie all joined in.
Still singing, he went back to the table and picked up Joy. He carried her to the window so that she could hang the rest of the cards she had chosen.
When the song was finished, Joy clapped her hands. “Now it looks more like Christmas.”
Eli and Ike came to the doorway. Ike said, “I reckon I could bring in a little greenery for the mantel tomorrow.”
Maggie smiled at him. “Ach, that would be wunderbaar. I love the way the pine branches make the house smell.”
Caleb reached for his coat. “No reason to wait until tomorrow. I can go cut a few now.”
“But it’s dark outside already,” his mother said.
“I’ve got a flashlight.”
Maggie turned to Ike. “Go with him and hold the light.”
“These old bones don’t want to go back out in the cold.”
Caleb saw his chance. “Leah, would you come hold the flashlight for me?”
“That’s a good idea. Thank you, Leah.” His mother smiled at them both.
His father came to the table. “Joy, would you like to make some Christmas cards to send to your friends back in Texas?”
“I don’t know how.”
Ike sat down at the head of the table. “I will help you. Mama, do we have some colored paper?”
“We do. I have cutouts of flowers and birds and butterflies. I collect them all year for just this reason. I have glue, too.”
“Leah brought me colors. Can I use them?”
“Ja. We will make some lovely cards to send to your friends.” Maggie left the room and returned with another, larger box.
The adults all took a seat at the table to join in on the card making. Nettie began another song and soon everyone was singing along.
Caleb put on his coat and held Leah’s for her. She slipped into it and quickly stepped away. He took a flashlight from the cabinet and held it out to her as he opened the door. She took the light and walked out ahead of him.
The clouds had moved on and a clear, star-filled sky arched overhead. The moon was a slim crescent rising in the east.
She turned the flashlight onto his face, making him squint against the brightness. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
He turned his face away. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I assumed you wished to speak to me privately, since you asked me to accompany you outside.”
“Can you shine that light somewhere else?”
“Sorry.” She aimed it at the ground.
“Thank you. I didn’t have anything special I needed to tell you. I just wanted your company. I’ll get the saw from the shed. Mind if I use your light?”
“Not at all.” She sounded confused. He didn’t blame her.
His ulterior motive was to spend time alone with her, but he did have questions about Joy. Perhaps it was better to get on a safe subject.
“I know you’ve had a chance to read Joy’s records. Do you think she is ready for the second grade?”
“I don’t think so. Her grandmother kept very poor records. I don’t believe she put a lot of effort into educating Joy. I could be wrong. I can evaluate her and make a better judgment in a few days.”
“I don’t want her to feel bad about not keeping up with the kids her age.”
“I think I will be able to manage that part of it. As long as she feels included and comfortable, I don’t think she’ll realize that she is behind others her age. This will be her first public school. She won’t have anything to gauge it against.”
“She ran away from the private school I enrolled her in.”
Leah shrugged. “She may do the same at Walnut Valley. We won’t know until we give it a try.”
He collected the saw from inside the shed, and by unspoken consent, they began walking into the woods along the path that led to the school. “I’m sure you’ll make her feel comfortable. You have that effect on people. Will my being at the school make you uncomfortable?”
“Nee, parents visit our classroom often.”
“I’m not exactly your run-of-the-mill Amish parent.”
She tipped her head slightly to study him. “You are getting there. I see a little pine tree that looks eager to donate some branches to help celebrate our Lord’s birth.” She pointed the flashlight to the side of the trail.
Caleb walked up to the small fir tree. It was only about six feet tall and shaped like a perfect Christmas tree. “It’s a shame I can’t take the whole thing back for Joy. She wants a Christmas tree so badly. I didn’t realize how hard it would be for her to give up all the English trappings of the season.”
“Are they hard for you to give up?”
“Me? I never bothered with a Christmas tree. My condo was too small. Christmas was just another day for me.”
“Then it is a good thing that Joy has come into your life to make Christmas meaningful again.”
He smiled softly as he remembered meeting his daughter for the first time. “She told me her nana used to say she was her special Christmas Joy because she was born on Christmas Day. I think Joy believes the holiday decorations are there to celebrate her birthday.
“Mom intends to make her a special birthday cake and have a small family celebration on Christmas night. You’re invited to come.”
Leah grinned. “I will. We want her to know her birthday is important to us, too.”
He trimmed a few of the lower, longer branches to take back to the house. Hopefully it would be enough to give Joy the sense of Christmas that she craved.
Leah walked all around the small tree. “I see no reason why Joy can’t have her Christmas tree. It wouldn’t be right to cut it down and bring it into the house. That would be worldly. But to put a few homemade decorations on this little tree out here for just the two of you would be an acceptable thing.
“We can make decorations that will look pretty and feed the birds, as well. Stale popcorn strands with dried berries. Perhaps some orange slices or apple slices smeared with peanut butter and coated with birdseeds. No one would object to such a useful tree.”
It was the perfect solution. Why hadn’t he thought of it? He looked at her in amazement. “How do you do it?”
“How do I do what?”
He stepped closer and spoke softly. “How do you see what others need and find a way to give it?”
She gazed at his face. He could see the starlight reflected in her eyes. Her white kapp outlined her face with a circle of brightness in the dark.
“I don’t do anything special.”
“Yes, you do. You do something special for my child every time you see her. You calm her, you teach her, you encourage her and you bring her joy. You have a very special gift.”
She looked away. Was she uncomfortable with his praise? “The Lord gives us what we need to follow the path He has chosen for us. Teaching is my calling. Any gifts I possess are given by Him.”
Caleb placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her face until she was looking at him. “Then for the first time in a long time, I give thanks to Him for what He has brought into my life. You.”
Caleb ached to kiss her. He wanted it more than he wanted his next breath. They were cocooned by the night. The scent of fresh-cut pine filled the air. He leaned toward her slowly, waiting to see if she would reject him or welcome him.
He didn’t get the chance to find out. His mother’s voice broke the connection between them as she called their names.
Amish Christmas Joy (Mills & Boon Love Inspired) (Brides of Amish Country - Book 10) Page 12