Grace: A Christmas Sisters of the Heart Novel

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  Fearing that any defense of her rude behavior would only make matters worse, she held her tongue and hoped her mother would let things pass.

  But obviously Anna could not. “How could Melody not have been offended?” she scolded, shaking her head in dismay. “Not only were your questions too personal, but your tone of voice was snippy, too.”

  “Snippy?”

  “Oh, you know what I mean.” Anna threw up her hands in dismay. “That poor thing came here, seeking refuge, and you’ve sent her to her room in shame.”

  Now her cheeks felt like they were on fire. “You’re right, of course. I’ll apologize to her later.”

  Anna rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m sure that will make everything you said all better.”

  Katie’s temper flared. “Stop acting so righteous. I was wrong, but you have to admit I wasn’t asking questions out of thin air. Her situation is curious.”

  “Katie,” her mother warned. “Again, I must caution that her life is none of our business.”

  “I know. But … what do you think happened?”

  After checking to make sure no one was lurking outside the door, Winnie shrugged. “Probably the same thing that’s happened to more women than we could count. She thought she was in love and rushed her wedding night. It happens and is unfortunate, but it’s nothing to be shocked about.”

  “But why is she here?”

  “Who knows?” Anna volunteered. “Maybe she just wanted a vacation.”

  “That’s doubtful.”

  “Well, maybe she and her man are in a fight. Maybe her boyfriend will come looking for her on Christmas Day.” Anna’s eyes brightened. “Now that would be exciting, and so romantic, too.”

  Winnie sighed. “Terribly romantic.”

  Irene piped up. “The last thing I’m eager for is a commotion between two lovebirds on Christmas Day.” After another moment passed, she said, almost reluctantly, “Something tells me that her situation isn’t so rosy. What she needs is our kindness and prayer, yes?”

  “Jah.” Holding Eli once again, Katie thought of everything that had happened to her over the last year. Just two years ago, she’d been a restless girl, sitting in this very kitchen, wishing something wonderful would happen to her. Wishing that Jonathan Lundy would one day finally notice her and come calling.

  And call he did—but not in any way that she’d imagined. The widower had asked her to help care for his two daughters while his sister Winnie was in Indiana. After some discussion, her parents had reluctantly let her go. But it had been quite an adventure.

  Jonathan’s girls, Hannah and Mary, hadn’t been all that accepting because they missed their mom. And she’d gotten some letters from a girl in her past.

  Remembering just how topsy-turvy her life had felt, how out of control it had seemed to be, she wondered if her recent contentment had changed her. Had she now become the type of judgmental person she’d always claimed never to be? “I promise I really will apologize later,” she said meekly. “I will try to become the friend she needs, too. I shouldn’t have been so nosy. I don’t know why I’ve been treating her so harshly.”

  “I don’t know why you have, either,” her mother said. “But it is time to stop. See that you do apologize, Katie.”

  In her arms, Eli’s eyes drifted shut. Unable to stop herself, she gently pushed a stray lock of hair away from his forehead. “No matter what, I’m sure Melody will be as overcome as I was by her child’s birth. Babies are miracles.”

  Even as she said the words, a flutter filled her stomach. Yes, babies were miracles. Even to new mothers who were already feeling overwhelmed.

  Walking to her side, her mother pressed her lips to Katie’s forehead. “Yes, indeed, they are. Now, however, we need to concentrate on the work to be done.”

  “Yes, let’s make those cookies,” Anna rushed to say. “My Henry will want something tasty to snack on this afternoon after being outdoors all day.”

  “ ‘My Henry,’” Winnie mimicked with a smile.

  “Oh, stop, Winnie,” Anna said, her cheeks flaming. “You’re just as dreamy when you speak of Sam.”

  “Perhaps,” Winnie allowed.

  “I just like to tease you because he’s my brother,” Katie said. “Never would I have ever imagined Henry being thought of that way.”

  “He’s lucky I do. I’m a gut frau.”

  The three of them laughed as the tension dissipated and things were back to normal.

  With a satisfactory smile, her mother nodded in Anna’s direction and then walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a large bag of brown sugar. “I’m thinking molasses cookies might be just the thing,” she murmured. “Let’s get busy.”

  Chapter 7

  December 21, 12:00 P.M.

  Light rain started falling after two hours on the road. Soon after, the rain quickly turned to sleet, causing traffic to slow. Every lane was packed with cars, giant semis, smaller trucks, and an assortment of other vehicles. Some were loaded down with packages and gifts. Others were so filled with people that the drivers didn’t seem to be paying too much attention to the road.

  As the sleet continued to fall, people switched lanes without turn signals and seemed eager to blow their horns for the slightest infraction. It was stressful.

  So stressful, that Leah had to do anything she could to remain calm and in control. She listened to music, all the while imagining the look of surprise that was sure to appear on Melody’s face when she showed up at the Brenneman Bed and Breakfast out of the blue.

  No doubt, her girlfriend would start crying within minutes, too. She was a crier.

  Actually, Melody was kind of everything. From the minute Leah had met her Amish friend, she’d been struck by the way Melody had yet to meet an emotion that she didn’t wear on her sleeve. She was such a sweetheart. Leah was so glad she’d decided to ask for a few days off to visit her.

  No one should be alone so close to Christmas.

  Just as Leah was driving under a bridge on the interstate, and was carefully navigating the lanes as the traffic changed from three lanes to two, construction zone signs appeared. She frowned as she gripped the wheel tightly. The already crowded lanes narrowed as the road dipped into a valley. Combined with the driving rain and sleet, it took all her concentration to stay in her lane and keep with the traffic flow.

  Sweat beaded her brow as she came upon a line of concrete-filled orange barrels. Now the lanes felt claustrophobic. There was nowhere to go except forward. At regular intervals, she looked to her left and right, making sure she was aware of where the rest of the cars were at all times.

  Then the cars in front of her screeched to a halt. She slammed on her brakes.

  Around her, cars swerved and then perilously slid on the already slick pavement. Metal crashed into metal, horns blared, people yelled, and airbags flew open.

  Leah gripped her steering wheel hard as she could as she tried her best to not only get out of the way of careening cars, but to escape hitting the Toyota in front of her head-on. As she felt the vibrations of the antilocks doing their best, panic rose in her. She had no control over her vehicle. No way of stopping. “Please, God,” she whispered. “Please—”

  Her body reverberated against the seat belt as her Civic met the inevitable. Luckily, it wasn’t quite hard enough to send the air bag out, but the impact was jarring.

  She was shaking now. Shaking. Crying. “Please God. Please God.”

  All around her, a dozen cars fell into the same situation. Each slammed or rolled into another vehicle, or the median. Or the shoulder. Or the railing. One right after the other with enough force to push a long line of vehicles smack dab into one another—just like a row of cards or dominoes.

  Leah was thankful that the jolt she’d received hadn’t done too much more than bruise her slightly and leave her emotionally shaken. She was sure others hadn’t been near as lucky.

  While she was still in an adrenaline rush, she coaxed her car to the shoulder of the
highway. There was really no way anyone could get around her at the moment, but she felt safer with her car off to the side.

  For a split second, she praised God for being by her side—and praised Mr. Johnson, her ancient driving instructor. He’d been the one who had made her practice what to do in emergencies in the driving simulator.

  After putting her Civic in Park, and pretty much resigning herself that the car was never going to shift into Drive again, she lifted up her emergency brake, just to be on the safe side. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief and looked around.

  The highway looked like a parking lot.

  Now she was just high enough on the crest of the hill to understand what had begun all this mess. About a mile up ahead, two semis had collided. One was halfway off the road. Only one lane was open, and it was being used by emergency vehicles.

  There was no way Leah was going to be going anywhere for hours. Her little Honda’s front bumper was smashed, and the backend was damaged enough to put it out of commission forever.

  She couldn’t catch her breath. Tears fell in spurts as she tried to get her bearings. She was okay.

  Leah wasn’t sure how long she sat there. Five minutes? Twenty? She felt as if she was looking through the rest of the highway in a daze. As if she was just an observer.

  Like the scene around her was in a movie she was watching.

  Slowly, she unbuckled. Since a few people had gotten out of their cars, she decided to do the same. With her heart racing, she unlocked her door, and satisfied that other drivers around her were doing the same thing, she got out.

  Immediately, Leah regretted that action. The temperature was bitterly cold and the rain and sleet mixture felt brutal against her cheeks. Obviously, it was just a hint of things to come. Too late, she remembered that the forecasters had predicted more snow and cold in Louisville. Wind gusted and ice shards stung her face—a hint of things to come in Ohio, where likely a huge cold front was already moving in. She had hoped to make it to the inn before the weather turned bad, but there sure wasn’t a chance of that now.

  She’d just slipped on her hat and gloves and was wondering who to call—911? AAA?—and had decided to take a closer look at her car’s front end when a very handsome patrolman made his way over.

  “You should stay in your vehicle, ma’am. It’s safer for you inside than out here. Warmer, too.”

  Since her nose felt numb, she had to agree. But Leah still couldn’t resist teasing him a bit. “Safer from the weather or from other cars?”

  He looked around at the long line of fender benders and scowling people. “Both,” he said dryly. “These types of things bring out the worst in people. And it is really cold.”

  The officer was tall. At least six foot. He had the kind of jaw and cheekbones that looked carved out of stone. But he didn’t look hard. No, his eyes were kind. And his demeanor was relaxed and easy. Even the cold didn’t seem to affect him all that much.

  She lifted her cell phone. “I’ve never been in an accident like this before. I’m not sure what to do.”

  “We’ve got some tow trucks on the way. Yours is one of the ones that’s going to need a lift, I’m afraid.” With a frown, he tapped the Civic’s smashed back end. “It’s not going anywhere.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  “Hello? Officer?” Behind them, an elderly man was calling for assistance.

  The patrolman turned the man’s way and grimaced. “He’s in bad shape. Listen, I’ve got to go help him.”

  “I understand.”

  He stepped away, but looked reluctant to do so. “More officers are coming, but they’re having a hard time getting here, what with all the accidents.”

  “Okay.” Why was he telling her so much?

  His eyes met hers. “What I’m trying to say is, why don’t you hop back in your Civic and stay put until I come back? Then I’ll help you.”

  He would? That sounded awfully nice. And too good to be true. “You think you’re going to have time to come back my way?”

  “Of course. It’s what I’m here for.”

  As his calm words registered, her muscles relaxed. Maybe she was going to get out of this mess in one piece and then figure out how to get to the inn.

  For a moment, he looked like he was going to touch her arm, but he didn’t. However, his voice did gentle. “I promise, miss. I’ll come back and help you. But in the meantime, I don’t want you to freeze. Go sit in your car, turn on the engine and get warm if you can, and I’ll be back soon.” He turned and started trotting to the man.

  Impulsively, Leah called out, “Officer, be careful!”

  Looking her way over his shoulder, he winked. “Always.”

  Bemused, Leah followed his directions. She got in her car, turned the engine back on, leaned against the seat cushion—and watched.

  He patiently listened to the elderly man who’d been calling out to him, nodded to another, and patted a woman’s arm. He sure did seem extremely capable.

  Then, of course, she couldn’t help but smile at herself. What in the world had just happened? Was she really sitting in her car, admiring a highway patrolman?

  Uh, yes.

  There was something special about him. She felt an unexplainable connection with him that she’d never felt before. Of course, that was really crazy. Right?

  Twenty minutes later, he returned. Quickly, she rolled down her window. “You’re back,” she said.

  “I promised I would be.” When he bent down to talk to her through the opening, she realized that his eyes were light brown. Almost amber or citrine in color. Almost golden.

  “So, are you still okay?”

  “I’m fine. Well, as good as I can be, stuck on the freeway,” she amended.

  “Good.” He smiled encouragingly. “Just over the bend, four tow trucks are on the way.”

  Unfortunately, there were at least six cars surrounding her that looked like they needed to be towed. “It’s going to take a bunch more than four to get this cleaned up.”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s a nightmare.” But instead of looking perturbed, he grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ve seen worse.”

  As a horn blared in the background, the officer rolled his eyes. “Everyone is getting impatient.”

  She felt bad for monopolizing him. “Listen, you don’t have to keep coming back to check on me.”

  “I want to. It’s just, well … is there any way you’d be able to wait a bit to get rescued?”

  “Huh?”

  His cheeks flushed. “There’s some folks in a Cadillac a couple of cars over who need assistance, and a woman who’s six months’ pregnant who I’d like to get to shelter as soon as possible, too.” Searching her face, he said, “I’m sure you’ve got things to do, but—”

  She cut him off. “I’m healthy and not in that big of a hurry. I can wait.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Of course, Officer. I can wait my turn.”

  His eyes positively lit up. “I can’t tell how glad I am to hear that. Okay. Here’s the deal, I’m going to work with the other officers to get the worst cases cleared away ASAP.”

  “And then?”

  “And then I’ll be back shortly with an update.”

  The way he looked at her, like Leah actually mattered to him, gave her a little jolt of pleasure. For the last year, all she’d done was go to class, study, and work. She hadn’t had time to date. Certainly no time to start a relationship.

  But this man appealed to her. And once more, what was happening between them seemed to be out of her hands—just like the accident. Like it was inevitable.

  Slowly, she ventured, “You’ll come back, or will it be someone else?”

  “Me.”

  “I’m glad.”

  White teeth flashed. “I told the other guys that you were all mine.” A look of horror crossed his face. “Oh. Excuse me. I mean, scratch that. I mean, we’re all trying to connect with one or two people out here so y’all aren’t hearing c
onflicting reports.”

  “It’s fine. Go to work.” She looked at his nametag. “Officer Littleton.”

  “Just for the record, miss—it’s Zack.”

  “I’m Leah.”

  He tapped her door with two fingers. “Leah … stay here and be safe. I promise, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “I’ll be waiting,” she murmured after she rolled up her window and watched him once again try to calm some other accident victims down.

  Now she was sitting in her injured vehicle while tow trucks were being summoned and AAA was working with her to get a rental car.

  Things being what they were—and the fact that at least eight other cars were in the same position, and given that there was a steady stream of ambulances and fire trucks and police cars around—Leah knew it was time to grab a hotel for the night. In Louisville.

  She was scared. She’d never gotten a hotel room by herself before. Plus, Louisville was a big city. She had no idea even where to find a hotel, let alone one that was in a safe part of town. She’d grown up hearing plenty of stories about bad things that happened to foolish vacationers in Louisville or Cincinnati.

  Realizing that she was letting her imagination get the best of her, Leah forced herself to calm down. And then she realized she really was being pretty silly. Just being in a big city didn’t mean she was in danger …

  Melody was proof enough that bad things could happen anywhere, at any time.

  Since she had plenty of time to wait, she called her mom and gave her an update. Her mom, of course, had offered to drive out and get her. But Leah knew if she went home and actually had time to think about making the drive—well, she wouldn’t be going anywhere.

  Her well-intentioned visit to Melody would be just that—a good intention that never went anywhere.

  So, she’d done her best to sound braver than she felt. And tried to act calmer than she was with the police officer who kept coming back to check on her.

  Zack, his name was. And as far as she was concerned, he was one of God’s angels. He’d been so kind to her, so helpful, she knew that couldn’t have been in his job description.