Grace: A Christmas Sisters of the Heart Novel

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  “You came to do what?” the girl asked, her voice sounding high pitched. Almost angry.

  “I have a certificate.”

  “For what?”

  As the girl’s eyes continued to stare her down, Melody fumbled for a better explanation. But truly, all ideas fled her mind. She didn’t know what to say. How to explain about everything she’d been through. Everything she’d done.

  Then it didn’t matter. Because her knees gave away, her world spun, and her suitcase fell to the ground with a thud.

  Seconds later, she felt the cold icy snow cradle her cheek … as her world went black.

  Chapter 2

  December 20, 4:00 P.M.

  The girl had fallen.

  Heedless of the open door behind her, Katie ran out to the patch where the girl lay crumbled. A light amount of snow coated the ground, and moisture filtered through the heavy wool of her dress as she sank to her knees. “Miss?” she whispered. “Miss? Can you hear me?”

  Unfortunately, no fluttering of eyelashes or gasp of surprise greeted her. Instead, the girl remained motionless, her gray dress and black apron in disarray around her ankles. Katie lifted the girl’s hand and felt for a pulse along her wrist. She sighed in relief as a steady rhythm of blood coursed through the veins. “Oh, thank goodness,” she breathed. For a moment, there, Katie had feared the worst.

  Without regard for the damp ground, Katie sat down and resituated the girl’s head. With an anxious heart, she slipped off her black traveling bonnet and carefully set her kapp to rights.

  But still she lay there, quiet.

  “What to do?” Katie murmured. Spying the white dishcloth that had fallen from her hand, Katie picked it up and folded it several times. Finally, she rested the girl’s head on it. “At least your kapp might stay dry this way.”

  And still, the girl was unresponsive. “What could be wrong?” Katie murmured. Puzzled, she pressed her fingers to the girl’s forehead. Perhaps she was feverish? No. Her skin was cool to the touch.

  Though her brain told her the newcomer had simply passed out, Katie’s heart began to pound. She’d never witnessed anyone being so unresponsive for so long.

  And so she tried for a reaction yet again. “Miss? Can you hear me? Miss? Are you all right?”

  Close up, she noticed that the girl’s hair was a striking auburn, the color of a fox’s coat in winter. The strands that had fallen out of the kapp and bonnet looked rich and lush against the her fair skin. By force of habit, she carefully smoothed back the hair, like she did with her stepdaughters.

  That touch led to more methodical ones. Perhaps the girl had hit her head and was bleeding? As Katie examined the girl’s scalp, looking for evidence of a serious injury, her own pulse raced. What were they going to do if this girl did indeed need emergency medical assistance?

  Oh, she hoped not. They were far enough away from the main roads that any ambulance would take at least ten or fifteen minutes. And that might be too late.

  Oh, she needed this girl to rouse!

  And once more Katie thought, perhaps it was all her fault she’d even fallen! No one needed to tell her how rude she’d been. Frantic now, she raised her voice. “Miss? Miss? Please answer!”

  “Katie?” Anna called out from the door. “What’s going on?”

  In spite of the gravity of the situation, Katie took a moment to smile. No matter how “Amish” her friend Anna had become over the last two years, in many ways, she would always be English Anna. Some of her phrases and gestures were too imbedded to remove. “This girl—she fainted,” Katie replied. “At least I think that is what has happened. I can’t seem to rouse her.”

  “Is she injured?” Anna stepped forward, taking care to watch her footing on the slippery walkway. “Henry said he was going to salt this well, but maybe it’s still icy? Perhaps she slipped and fell?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I … I was staring at her. Actually, Anna, I was glaring at her and asked what business she had here.”

  “And then?”

  “And then she told me her name and then fainted.”

  “She’s got to be cold. I’ll go get a blanket.”

  “Hurry, Anna.”

  Before she turned away, Anna reached out and wrapped an arm around Katie, giving her comfort like she always did. For a moment Katie leaned close. “It will be okay,” said Anna.

  “I hope so.”

  As Anna turned and scampered back inside, Katie anxiously looked at the girl—and counted her blessings. Oh, she was so grateful to have a friend like Anna.

  Moments later, Anna tucked a thick blanket around the girl. “I told Mamm to find Henry. We need to bring her inside. Do you happen to know what her name is?”

  “Melody. I’ve already forgotten her last name, though.” Shame burned her cheeks as she once again remembered how she’d greeted the girl. Now each rude gesture seemed to be magnified and terribly embarrassing. “Anna, I think maybe this is my fault. I wasn’t very welcoming.”

  “No one faints from a poor welcome, Katie.”

  “I hope not. But I could have been nicer. No, that’s not right. I should have been much nicer.”

  “Don’t worry so. Regrets will only make you lose sleep, not solve the problem.”

  “That sounds Amish.”

  Anna smiled. “That’s because I am, of course.”

  As they both looked at the girl—at Melody—with concern, Katie couldn’t help but dwell on the fact that Anna hadn’t attempted to soothe Katie’s worries about her dicourteousness. Was it because she’d noticed that Katie had been bad-mannered before?

  “What are you two doing in the snow? Don’tcha think it’s a bit cold out here for that?” Henry called out, striding forward from the barn. Before they could correct him, his eyes widened. “Ah.”

  “The girl is ill,” Anna said. “And she’s with child, too.”

  “We better take her inside,” Henry said. “It’s far too cold to rest on the ground. I’ll pick her up and carry her to the hearth room.”

  But just as Henry was about to slide an arm under the girl’s back, Melody blinked, then peered at them.

  At Henry. Immediately, her look of confusion slid into pure fright. “No!” she cried.

  Henry immediately stepped backward. With both hands up as though he was at the mercy of a bank robber, he spoke slowly. “I’m sorry. I … I was just going to pick you up. Don’t be afraid …”

  The girl shook her head.

  Katie could see her tremble. “Melody? You’re at our inn. At the Brennemans’. A van dropped you off,” she said as quietly and as clearly as she could. “Do you remember coming here?”

  Slowly, their guest’s eyes focused. She continued to stare at Henry. Finally, she nodded once.

  Oh, thank goodness! “Do you remember seeing me?” she murmured.

  When the girl still stared at them all confused, Anna took a turn. “It’s okay,” she soothed. “Don’t try to get up. You fell. Do you remember that?”

  She shook her head, darted a look Katie’s way, then moaned again. “I’m sorry.” Looking beyond Katie to Henry, awkwardly standing a few feet away, the girl swallowed hard. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “I’m fine now.”

  “Are you hurt?” Katie asked.

  “Nee.” She bit her lip, then shifted to a sitting position. “I guess all the traveling made me dizzy.”

  “And no wonder, you’re going to have a baby!” Anna said as she scrambled to her feet. “That makes everything just a little harder, especially a long day of traveling. And here we are, keeping you out here on the sidewalk.” Reaching out, she clutched the newcomer’s arm. “Here, dear. Let us help you up.”

  Katie reached to help, too, instinctively knowing that the girl would shy away from Henry’s touch. Grabbing the girl’s other arm, they pulled her to her feet. Standing up, it was painfully obvious that Melody was extremely pregnant. “When is your baby due?”

  “Three weeks.”

  “Three wee
ks? Then why in the world—”

  Anna stilled the rest of Katie’s question with a warning look. “Outside is no place to have a conversation. Let’s get you inside, in front of a fire and warm you up. Would you care for some tea?”

  “Yes,” Melody said softly. “Danke.”

  They were up the steps and almost at the front door when a blue truck pulled up the long driveway. Seconds later, a man got out and grabbed a suitcase from out of the truck’s back before it pulled away.

  Though their arms were full with Melody, Katie didn’t feel that she and Anna should turn their backs on the man. Henry had already gone into the barn, so there was no one else to greet him.

  “I bet this is another guest,” Katie mumbled. “Mr. Bender?” she called out. “Mr. Levi Bender?”

  The man met her gaze with a fierce glare. “Yes, that is me.”

  Great. Their Christmas guest was a sourpuss. “Wilkum! Welcome to the Sugarcreek Inn,” she said dutifully. “Please follow us in.”

  Now that Melody was steadier on her feet, Katie motioned for Anna to get the door. “Let’s go inside now.”

  Alarmed, Melody pointed behind her. “I’m afraid my bag is still out there in the snow.”

  “I’ll go out and fetch it just as soon as we get you inside,” Anna said.

  Mr. Bender must have heard her, because he abruptly turned away, marched back down the steps, stomped out to Melody’s things and picked them up, too. “I’ve got them.”

  “Indeed you do,” Anna said. “That is so very kind of you. Danke.”

  Mr. Bender scowled in response.

  Katie smiled weakly as they made their way into the house. And what a procession it was! Their sullen hous-guest. Their pregnant stranger. And Anna, dear Anna, who was now acting more hospitable and Amish than she ever.

  And herself. Katie. On the outside, she was doing her best to be welcoming; inside, she was filled with bitterness and resentment toward the newcomers. Without a doubt, these guests were odd. Strange. And they were ruining all the plans that had been made during the past month.

  Once they entered the foyer, Anna pointed to the staircase. “Just set the bags down and follow us, Mr. Bender.”

  To Katie’s amazement, he did just that, following Katie and Melody into the hearth room. Moments later, Melody was seated on the couch and her face seemed to gain some color.

  Mr. Bender, in contrast, stood as far away from them as possible, arms crossed over his broad chest. His scowl had returned, especially every time he looked toward Melody.

  Her mother’s arrival broke the silence. “Ah, our visitor has arrived.” She beamed. “Welcome. You are Mr. Bender, jah?”

  “Jah. And danke.”

  “And we have another visitor, Mamm,” Katie interjected quickly. “This is Melody.”

  As usual, her mother was nothing but generous and kind. “Welcome to our home, Melody. We hope you will enjoy your stay.”

  After asking who wanted coffee or tea, Anna retreated to the kitchen.

  Katie knew she should do something, but she wasn’t quite sure what. Levi Bender was still standing, and Melody and her mother were staring at each other warily, almost like dogs on the street … sizing each other up.

  While Katie struggled to think of something to say, anything appropriate, her mother broke the silence. “So, Melody, I have to admit that I didn’t expect to receive two guests today.”

  The lines around her lips tightened. “You didn’t?”

  “No. Are you here by chance? Are … you lost, miss?”

  “Not at all.”

  The girl answered politely, but there seemed to be much that she wasn’t saying. Katie didn’t appreciate that. Though they hosted many guests at their bed-and-breakfast, the inn was also her home. She didn’t appreciate housing someone who was in the habit of lying. “I have to tell you, we don’t have a record of your reservation. Your appearance is something of a shock.” As was her condition. And her fainting.

  She blinked. “That is surprising. I’m sure I made a reservation.”

  Katie now knew she was lying. “When did you call?”

  “Last week sometime? I spoke with a … man.”

  That was yet another signal that the girl was telling stories. Rarely did her father or Henry answer the phone.

  “Did you, now?” Katie asked sarcastically as irritation filled her. This girl had a lot of nerve, to appear in their yard on the twentieth of December, lying through her teeth! “Do you, by any chance, happen to remember this man’s name?”

  “No …”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Katie, go into the pantry and bring out some peanut butter cookies,” her mother said sharply.

  Katie immediately complied. But as she left the room, avoiding the constant glare of Mr. Bender, Katie heard her mother’s gasp. “Oh, my. You’re going to have a baby!”

  As the girl murmured something in return, Katie stumbled. Why in the world would a girl be coming to the inn by herself at Christmas?

  And where was Melody’s family? Her husband?

  And why was she traveling, anyway? When she’d been that far along with Eli, the midwife had cautioned Katie from doing anything too strenuous at all. And Jonathan had been beside himself with worry, coming home each day from the lumber mill at noon just to check on her.

  So how come Melody’s man had let her go? And if he had … of all the places in the world … why had she settled upon their inn?

  Just five days before Christmas Day?

  Chapter 3

  December 20, 4:30 P.M.

  The feeling that had been boiling inside of Levi from the moment he’d seen the three women walking in the snow increased tenfold. Now, instead of just being empty and listless, emotions he’d carefully tamped down months ago surged forward with a vengeance.

  Anger. Despair. Worry. Shame. Guilt. It was all coming back.

  Coming here had been a mistake.

  Already the Brenneman Bed and Breakfast felt too confining. Too warm. Too homey. Too close. He ached for anonymity the way most others yearned for acceptance. He most certainly did not want to be sitting in the family’s private parlor drinking coffee and eating cookies.

  He’d resisted, of course. When the pretty blonde brought in a tray of refreshments, Levi attempted to escape. But Mrs. Brenneman would not take no for an answer. Before he knew it, he was seated across from her, holding a thick mug of piping hot coffee.

  At least, he mused, they weren’t paying too much attention to him. No, all their focus was pinned firmly on the petite girl with auburn hair who looked no older than twenty years of age.

  But it wasn’t her age that frightened him. It was the fact that she was heavy with child.

  As he continued to sip his coffee, the other women fussed and asked questions. As she haltingly murmured that she’d come all the way from Kentucky, and that her baby was due in three weeks’ time, Levi felt his skin flush with embarrassment.

  The women acted like this was a usual thing, to discuss pregnancies with complete strangers. Worse, the proprietor, Mrs. Brenneman, acted like they were all about to become fast friends.

  He would not.

  Fact was, he had not come to the inn in order to make new friends. He had come to wait out the holiday as best he could. He did not want to get to know the Brennemans, and he most certainly didn’t want to get to know Melody. Even just looking at a woman heavy with child brought back too many painful memories.

  Regret for his decision to escape to the Brennemans’ filled him. For some reason, he’d imagined that the inn would be filled to the seams with guests, not filled to the seams with family.

  The Lord had surely wasted no time in proving to him that it wasn’t possible to avoid feelings and responsibilities and hurts. They always came back.

  Like His presence, they were always there. Lurking among the depths. Waiting to be acknowledged.

  He wished he had a way to leave. For the first time in a long while he wished
for a driver’s license. For a car of his own. Then he’d be able to escape. Never had he imagined that he’d be surrounded by so many women.

  “Is your coffee all right?” the blond woman asked, disrupting his thoughts.

  “It’s fine.” When she looked pleased and stood up, he stared at the heavy ceramic mug in front of him curiously. The liquid inside was rich-looking and dark. Now that he noticed, the aroma of a superior blend wafted toward him, teasing his senses. Had he taken a sip yet? He didn’t remember.

  Though he hoped the woman would take a hint by his brusque manner and leave him in peace, she soon appeared again. In her hands was a blue stoneware plate filled with soft peanut butter cookies and generous slices of iced cranberry bread.

  With a bit of a flourish, she presented it with a smile. “Please have some bread, if you’d care to. I made it fresh this morning.”

  He took a piece because he didn’t have a choice. It was still warm. The faint scent of tangy cranberries, walnuts, and sugar drifted toward him—reminding him of just how long it had been since he’d had anything fresh from the oven.

  Not since Rosanna. As expected, the realization made his stomach knot. There was no way he’d ever be able to eat a bite; yet somewhere in the depths of his psyche, good manners reared up.

  It would be rude not to eat even a little of the food. But perhaps he could take it to his room and find a way to dispose of it later? “I’m ready to see to my room. Is it ready?”

  “It is, but please don’t hurry on our account.” Not looking perturbed in the slightest by his awkward manner, she smiled serenely. “Please, just relax and enjoy your snack. That’s why you’re here, right? To relax?”

  He was there to forget. To hide.

  When he looked at her, confused, she flushed prettily. “I’m sorry if we seem out of sorts. But it can’t be helped, actually. We only received your reservation today!”

  “Today?”

  “Yes. There was a problem with the delivery, I guess. Anyway, I know things are a little chaotic now, but we’ll get it all settled soon enough.”

  Levi figured that by “a little chaotic,” she was referring to the pregnant girl who’d fainted.