The Gift

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  Mamm looked up when Susanna finally sat and joined them. “How is she?”

  “She looks better,” Susanna said. “She has some color in her cheeks. I told her to soak for a bit.”

  “We put in some of your bubble bath, Mamm,” Amanda added.

  “Good. I hope it relaxes her.” Rubbing her temples, she said, “What a night. Until we saw your father holding her the way he was, it never crossed my mind that Traci had been hurt. I just thought she’d forgotten the time.”

  “Me, too,” Susanna said.

  After pouring herself a cup of tea, Amanda sat next to their father. “Daed, Traci said something kind of disturbing. She said that one of the boards of the bridge had been damaged. Maybe even on purpose.”

  He frowned. “She mentioned that to me, too.”

  “What do you think? Could she be right? Did you see anything?”

  “It was too dark to tell.” He shrugged. “I told her that was probably not the case, though.”

  There was something in the way he spoke that gave her pause. “Do you think there could be a reason someone might want to do that?”

  “I don’t want there to be . . .” After he took a fortifying sip of tea, he added, “But it is disconcerting, especially coming so close to that fence being broken the way it was.”

  “So you think it’s a possibility,” Susanna said.

  “Nee, I didn’t say that.” Looking at her intently, he added, “Sue, we are trying to make a new life for ourselves here. We want to be a part of the community. A positive part of the community. No one is going to appreciate us making a big fuss about a couple of weak boards in an old bridge.”

  Mamm nodded. “People are finally realizing that the Vances’ financial troubles had nothing to do with us, too. And we have a whole farm to manage now. That’s too much on our plate to be making up problems where they don’t exist.”

  Susanna heard what her parents were saying, but didn’t necessarily agree that they all should be sticking their heads in the sand. “But we can’t forget that many things have been happening to us that are out of the ordinary. Why, since we’ve moved here, we’ve had my buggy accident, then the fence, and now this. It can’t just be a string of unfortunate events.”

  “It might be,” Mamm said. “I think this is just a case of Traci letting her imagination get the best of her.”

  After looking over her shoulder to make sure Traci wasn’t walking their way, Susanna added, “I’m going to go look at that bridge just to make sure.”

  “I’m not going to stop you, Susanna,” Daed said after sharing a look with their mother. “But please watch who you talk to about this. Don’t go starting trouble where there is none.”

  “I won’t say anything to anyone else. But I do think we need to check the board for Traci. Just to be sure.”

  “You going to play detective, Sue?” Amanda teased.

  “Nee. Well, maybe.” She yearned to laugh, and make light of her suspicions, but she simply wasn’t able to do that. She still had nightmares about her buggy accident. She also believed Traci. Their little sister was a lot of things, but she wasn’t the type of girl to make up stories about broken boards.

  “Please, be careful,” Amanda whispered.

  “Don’t worry. I intend to be.” Actually, it would make her extremely happy to walk out to the bridge, see a couple of rotten boards, and realize that her little sister had simply had a bad accident.

  She hoped and prayed that was the case.

  CHAPTER 12

  Monday, December 18

  It had been a long day. An endless one. Neil had put in ten long hours at Horse Cave Salvage, much of it in the back of a warehouse in shipping and receiving. Because they received cartons of food and medicines close to their expiration dates from all over the area, the loading dock was always busy. Usually, he liked how fast the hours flew by. But sometimes, such as that afternoon, he found himself wishing that Horse Cave Salvage wasn’t as popular a store as it was.

  By the time he’d clocked out, his arms felt like they were about to fall off from unloading freight from a semi that had arrived at six in the morning.

  Most drivers stepped in to give folks a hand, but not that one. After informing them all that he was union and paid to drive freight, not load or unload it, he’d sat down with his phone and either played games on it or aimlessly watched Neil; his manager, Junior; and two other men unload and restack boxes for two hours.

  Then, after the driver left, they’d had to rearrange everything yet again, thanks to an unexpected delivery that had arrived two days early.

  By the time Junior had waved him off at four, Neil was in a terrible mood and only wanted some time to himself. Not even the envelope holding his sizable paycheck lifted his spirits.

  Keeping his head down, he strode through the crowded store, hoping to avoid having to speak to anyone he knew. When he at last stepped outside and breathed deep, he was struck by how much the weather had changed since they’d closed the warehouse doors. It was bitterly cold and spitting snow. As his body struggled to adjust to the sudden change in temperature, he burrowed his head and shoulders further into his coat.

  It seemed to be a fitting end to his workday. Because they’d sold their horse and buggy, he was reduced to walking home from work. Though Neil could easily call for a driver, even the thought of standing around at his place of work for another fifteen minutes was unacceptable.

  Lengthening his stride, he concentrated on hurrying home and ignoring the people he passed in the parking lot. He didn’t want to help any customers, and he really didn’t want to chat with anyone he knew.

  Then he saw her.

  Susanna Schwartz was loading four or five cases of large Mason jars in the back of her buggy. Her expression was strained as she wrapped her hands around a case and hefted it.

  He wanted to walk by. He knew if he did, she would probably never even know that he’d ignored her.

  But he couldn’t do that. Not again, at least. Dale had been right the other day when they’d been standing in the middle of his snowy field. Neil’s circumstances might have changed, but he had not. No matter what happened in his life, he wasn’t the type of man to watch a woman struggle by herself.

  Especially not her.

  Mentally preparing himself to take part in yet another awkward conversation, Neil walked to Susanna’s side. “Hiya,” he said simply.

  She stilled. “Neil. Hello. What are you doing here?”

  “At the moment, I’m trying to help you,” he said as he shooed her hands away. When she stared at him in confusion, he lifted one of the heavy cases and placed it in her buggy.

  After a pause, she stepped away. “Danke. Those boxes were heavier than they looked.”

  “They always are.”

  Humor, and a new burst of awareness, filled her eyes. “Sounds like you’ve lifted your share of boxes.”

  “Only today.” Though his arms protested, he picked up the last two cases together and deposited them in the back of the buggy. Tried to tell himself that he had not just done that to show how strong he was. “I unloaded freight for hours today.”

  “You work here?”

  “Jah.”

  A new line of worry marred her forehead. “Do you hate it?”

  He realized she was feeling guilty about their situation. “You know what? I don’t. It turns out I enjoy getting off the land, working an honest day’s work, and getting paid for it, too. Today just happened to be a long day.”

  “I’ve had a long Monday, too. I had meant to do something important this morning, but I couldn’t get out of the house until now. I finally decided to work on these.”

  Glad to be concentrating on her instead of himself, he tapped one of the boxes. “What are you going to do with all of these?”

  She smiled brightly. It transformed her features from pleasing to beautiful. “Oh! They are Christmas gifts.”

  Smiling right back at her, he couldn’t resist teasing. “So, yo
u’re going to be giving out Mason jars for Christmas?”

  “Ha, ha.” Pointing to the large bags of beans and rice that were already in the buggy, she said, “I’m making soup mix. I’ll layer on the dried peas, white beans, and other ingredients in the jar, then attach a recipe to it with a red-and-green ribbon.”

  He’d seen things like that in fancy gift shops. “I bet it will look real nice.”

  “I hope so. I’m going to try my best.”

  “Looks like you’re making a lot of it.” He was kind of surprised. He hadn’t thought she knew too many people well yet, but maybe he simply didn’t understand women and gift giving.

  She chuckled. “You’re right. I am. Some are gifts, but I am going to try to sell some, too. When I went in Blooms and Berries the other day to get some garland, I noticed that they sold a lot of items like this. Waneta, the woman who was working, said tourists come in to get Amish-made crafts. I thought I would make some to sell for some extra money.”

  She’d surprised him. He’d been so fixated on his family’s losses and her family’s gains that it hadn’t occurred to him that she was also feeling the pinch of the holiday season. “I hope it is successful.”

  “Me, too.”

  With the last cases well situated in the back, Neil closed the buggy and moved her shopping cart to the corral. She stood to one side, watching him.

  He realized then that she was wearing a thick wool dress in a dark-evergreen fabric. Over it, she had a traditional black cloak. Black knit gloves were on her hands, and she was wearing a black bonnet over her kapp. Her light-brown hair, fair complexion, and green eyes stood out against the dark colors.

  She really was pretty. But there was something else about her that he admired, too. He liked how assertive she was. He liked that she was trying to help her family.

  Most of all, he was glad that she seemed as hopeful as he did that they were putting their first awkward conversation to rest. When he realized that he’d been standing next to the line of metal shopping carts, staring at her while lost in thought, he knew it was time to go.

  “Well, I’ll be seeing you. Good luck with your soup mix.”

  “Danke. And thank you for your help, too. If you hadn’t stopped, I would still be trying to get those jars into the buggy.”

  “You would have done it. I’m starting to think that you just might do anything you set out to do.”

  “I don’t know about that, but I’m willing to try. That’s all one can do.”

  “Indeed. Well, good-bye.”

  Her smile dimmed. “Wait! Are you walking home now?”

  “Jah. Like I said, I just finished my shift. And with the snow? It’s time I got home. You, too.”

  “My word. You worked all day, helped me with my cart, and now are walking home. Would you like a ride?”

  “It’s out of your way.”

  “I don’t have anything else to do this afternoon. I would enjoy the drive.”

  He knew he shouldn’t accept her offer. Though he believed her family wasn’t the reason for his family’s living situation, his father wasn’t of the same mind. However, his legs were tired, his body was aching for a break, and his arms were just as worn out. “All right, then. I accept.”

  AS SUSANNA CLICKED the reins and coaxed Midge forward, she could hardly believe that Neil Vance had accepted her offer of a ride. She also was pretty surprised that he’d stopped to help her. She’d been caught off guard about how warm and friendly he’d been acting, too.

  Obviously, she still had a lot to learn about Neil. He was more complex than she’d first imagined.

  She was also becoming attracted to him. With the side doors of the buggy shut tightly against the cold, he seemed to take up the majority of the small space.

  Or maybe she just couldn’t seem to think of anything but him.

  Maybe it was because he was so different than most any other man she’d been so close to. He was big. Big hands, broad shoulders, barrel chested.

  His voice was as deep as she remembered, too. She also liked how he didn’t play games with her. Before, he hadn’t liked her. Then, he asked her to forgive him.

  Now it did seem they were becoming friends.

  “Guess what? We had quite a scare last night. My little sister Traci fell into the creek.”

  “What? Which one?”

  “The one dividing the Kaufmanns’ property from ours.” She paused, unsure if she’d just put her foot in her mouth.

  But instead of looking hurt, he merely stared at her curiously. “Did she slip on the rocks? Is she hurt?”

  “One of the boards broke on the bridge. She fell onto the ice and it broke. But she’s okay.” Thinking of Traci’s stuffy nose and small fever in the morning, she amended her words. “Well, for the most part. I think that accident gave her a cold.”

  “It’s a blessing she didn’t get hurt worse.”

  “I agree.” For a moment, Susanna considered telling him about how Traci was sure someone had sabotaged the boards, then decided to keep that information to herself. They were finally getting along; no need for her to make things awkward again.

  “Please tell her that I hope she feels better soon.”

  “Danke. I will.” They drew to a stop at an intersection. The snow had lessened. Since they were on a back road, no cars were around. It was just the two of them for miles. “Where to now?” she asked.

  “Turn right. We’re going to go about two miles down the road, then you can drop me off.”

  “At your house?”

  “Nee. I think it would be best if I got out at the front gate. There’s a good place to turn around there, too.”

  “I’ll stop wherever you ask, but . . . is it also that you don’t want your family to see us together?”

  She could practically feel the tension between them return. “Partly. My father might not understand.”

  “What about your brother and mother? Do they dislike me also?”

  “Nee.” Staring straight ahead, he murmured, “Susanna, this problem lies with my father and his disappointments with himself, not you.”

  “I’m so glad you don’t hate me.”

  “I never hated you. I was upset with the situation. I was ashamed that everyone I knew was aware of my family’s problems. I took some of that embarrassment and anger out on you and I’m sorry about that.”

  “I understand.”

  He looked at her again. This time there was a sweet tenderness in his gaze. “I hope so, Susanna. I want us to be friends. I also really, really hope we can start having conversations that don’t feel like minefields.”

  “Me, too. Hey, have you talked to Dale lately?”

  “Only briefly at church. Why?”

  “I was just wondering if he told you that my family visited his a couple of days ago.”

  “I’m glad they invited you over.”

  “They didn’t. You see, my father discovered that someone damaged our fence. Daed wanted to ask if they knew anything about it. My mother decided that we should all go. She even had us bring a pie.”

  “What do you mean, someone damaged the fence? What happened?”

  “It was on the north side of the property. Near the grove of pecan trees. A good six-foot section was torn off and in pieces on the ground.”

  “I’ve never heard of something like that happening before.”

  “I think the Kaufmanns were taken aback about it at first. I think Mr. Kaufmann thought my father was even accusing them. But of course my daed said that he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to do so much damage to their own fencing.”

  “Did the Kaufmanns have any idea of what could have happened?”

  “Nee. I think everyone’s hoping it was just some random act of violence.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” he murmured before he pointed to the entrance to a large farm with an impressive front gate. “You can let me off here.”

  Carefully, she directed Midge to the side of the road. Hoping to end th
eir conversation on a lighter note, she cleared her throat. “Something else happened during our visit to the Kaufmanns.”

  “Oh? And what was that?”

  “Dale took my sister Amanda outside to visit privately.”

  Neil’s posture relaxed as he smiled broadly. “Somehow I ain’t too surprised about that.”

  “I wasn’t, either. Between you and me, I think my sister really likes Dale.”

  “I can’t wait to ask him about that.”

  “Um, try not to make it sound like I was gossiping about him.”

  “I know you weren’t. We were merely catching up on news. That’s all.” Then, to her surprise, he reached out and took hold of her hand. It felt rough and warm against her bare skin. Almost comforting. “Thank you for giving me a ride home. Be careful driving back to your house, okay? The roads can be slick.”

  “I will,” she whispered.

  After giving her hand a small, gentle squeeze, he climbed out of the buggy. “I’ll be seeing you, Susanna.”

  She smiled at his comment. But as she watched him walk away, Susanna wondered what exactly he meant. Did she simply imagine he’d see her around town? Or did he have something different in mind?

  CHAPTER 13

  Monday, December 18

  I didn’t expect you to be home at this time of day,” Neil’s father said when he walked into the house. “Why aren’t you at work? Did you call off early?”

  And just like that, all of the warm thoughts he’d been entertaining about Susanna evaporated. In some ways, his comment was more jarring to his insides than that first burst of cold air had been to his cheeks that afternoon.

  “Of course not, Daed. I worked a full day.” More than that, actually. “I was fortunate to get a ride home.”

  “With whom?”

  “No one you know,” he said, hating to fib but taking comfort in the fact that he wasn’t actually lying. “Where are Mamm and Roy?”

  Your mother is over with Joseph. He asked for her help with his laundry. Roy is still at his new job.”

  “Still? He went into work earlier than I did.”