Christmas in Paradise

by J. E. B. Spredemann

  Lizzy nodded happily. “She will. I know she will. Mommy cries when you’re not here.”

  The older man approached them. “Lizzy, why don’t you go inside and see what your grandma is doing. Your father and I need to talk.”

  “No!” Lizzy shook her head adamantly and clung to Richard’s pant leg. “I want to stay with Daddy!”

  Richard crouched down next to her and spoke softly but firmly. “Do as your grandfather says, Lizzy.”

  “But I miss you, Daddy!” Her eyes filled with tears and she hiccupped.

  “It’s okay, Lizzy. I’m not going to leave. You go on into the house now.”

  She nodded tearfully.

  “I love you, Lizzy.”

  “I love you too, Daddy.”

  Lizzy turned and slowly walked to the house, glancing back every few seconds as though to be sure he was still there. Richard gave her an encouraging nod and she finally entered the house with a little wave. He quickly swiped at his eyes before straightening to meet his father-in-law’s gaze.

  The man surveyed him observantly before speaking. “I hope you care for Matilda as much as you care for Lizzy.”

  Matilda? Richard frowned, then realized who the man spoke of. “Mattie.” Richard nodded. “Yes, I do. Even more so.”

  The man watched him thoughtfully for a moment. “I am Matthew Riehl, Matilda’s father.” He extended a hand.

  Richard shook it. “I’m Richard Greene, Mattie’s husband.”

  Matthew nodded. “Tell me why you are here, Richard Greene.”

  “To talk to my wife.”

  “To talk to her or to argue with her?”

  “Just talk, hopefully.”

  “And what are you planning to talk about?”

  For a moment Richard felt like telling the man it was none of his business and he had the right to speak with his wife whenever he wished, but he knew the disrespectful statement would not be well received. “I would like to explain everything to her and to tell her I have no desire to let this be the end of our marriage.”

  Matthew nodded again. “I, too, do not wish to see my daughter divorced. But Mattie believes you have been unfaithful to her, and that is not an accusation made lightly. I’d appreciate an explanation.”

  “I would really like to speak with Mattie about it.”

  “I understand. But as she is currently under my care, I will do my best to keep her from any and all harm, emotionally and physically.”

  Richard didn’t miss his father-in-law’s accusatory tone. “With all due respect, sir, I have no intention of harming my wife.”

  “From what my daughter’s told me, I find that hard to believe.”

  “Listen, Mr. Riehl. I know you care for your daughter. But I love her even more. What Mattie believes about me is untrue. I’d like to clear things up between us, but I cannot do that if I don’t have access to her.”

  “Are you saying you have not had an inappropriate relationship with another woman?”

  “No.” Wait a minute. What was the question? “I mean, yes. Of course, I haven’t had a relationship with another woman. I told you already. I love my wife.”

  “Yet you leave her and the children alone for weeks? In the big city, where all sorts of mischief takes place?” Her father raised a condescending brow.

  His words pierced Richard’s heart. Is that what he’d done? Left his wife and children open to attack from enemies – both physical and spiritual? He frowned, now ashamed of his thoughtless actions.

  Her father drove his point home. “I don’t know if I’d call that love.”

  “Please, Mr. Riehl.” Richard raked a hand through his hair. How could he get through to this man? “Okay, I admit that I haven’t done everything right. I’m not perfect and I don’t expect I’ll ever be. But I’m trying here. I wouldn’t have come all this way to get Mattie and the kids if I didn’t love them.”

  “I see.”

  Richard sighed and waited patiently for Mattie’s father to acquiesce.

  Matthew frowned. “I will see if she cares to see you.”

  Richard blew out a breath as he watched Mattie’s father stride toward the house. Okay, God. I guess I deserved that. Did You just put Mattie’s father in my path to toughen my character? He needed to regain his calm demeanor if he was to see Mattie soon. At the moment, he was too worked up. It had been a while since his patience had been tested to this extent.

  Richard bent down, grasped a handful of clean snow, and rubbed it on his face. He shivered from the freezing temperature of the ice, but it forced his mind to momentarily think of something else.

  Was Matthew talking to Mattie even now? If so, what was he saying? And how was she responding?

  As the minutes ticked by, it seemed like he’d been forgotten. God, please give me a chance to talk to her.

  He turned when he heard the door creak open. Mattie's father strode toward him purposefully, and his stomach clenched in anticipation of his response. He couldn’t read Matthew’s expression.

  Mattie’s father nodded. “She has agreed to speak with you.”

  Chapter 13

  Richard breathed deeply and followed his father-in-law into the house. Lizzy beamed at him from the table where she sat eating a snack, and he tossed her a wink and a smile. He continued up the stairs until Matthew came to a stop in front of a bedroom door.

  “This is Mattie's room. You may go in and speak with her.” He shot a pointed look in Richard’s direction. “You may not upset her. If you do, you will not be welcome back into this house. Do you understand?”

  “I do, sir. Thank you.” Richard tarried by the door and studied his father-in-law, who stood sentinel.

  The man gave him a questioning look.

  So he had to spell it out. Richard frowned. “May I speak with her alone, please?”

  A twinkle lit the man's eye then quickly vanished. “Oh yes, of course.” He turned and started down the stairs.

  Richard rested his hand on the doorknob, whispered a quick prayer, and then opened the door.

  <><><>

  Of all the items on Mattie’s mental list of things to do, seeing her unfaithful husband ranked pretty close to the bottom. Yes, she still loved him. But she was uncertain whether she could ever trust him again.

  The only reason she’d agreed to see him was to appease her father. He had insisted she give Richard a chance to explain his side of the story. She valued her father’s advice now. Although they didn’t agree on everything, they’d gotten along surprisingly well since she’d returned. Out of respect for her father, and a smidgen of curiosity, she agreed to talk to Richard. Hesitantly. And since added stress wouldn’t help the baby any, she decided not to protest either.

  Richard currently stood by the door, observing her as though she were an old acquaintance he hadn't seen in years, and he was unsure of what to say first. A silent moment passed as she waited patiently for him to say or do something.

  “Hello, Mattie. I hope you’re feeling better,” he spoke the words softly.

  “What did you come here for, Richard?” She fought to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

  She expected her wayward husband to retaliate with a terse remark. Instead, she noticed that he fought the immediate response that flew to his lips. She frowned, but her respect for him increased.

  “I-I came to set things straight between us, Mattie. I don’t want to lose you.”

  Mattie sneered. “Right.”

  He ventured forward a step, a sheepish expression filled his features. “I’ll answer any questions you have, but first off, I want you to know I’m not the complete jerk that you think I am.”

  “Really?” Mattie raised a brow. “And I’m supposed to believe that?”

  “I haven’t been unfaithful to you, Mattie,” he insisted, his voice strained. “Not once. I promise.”

  “Then explain to me why you’re away from home so often. Why do you no longer have time for me and the kids? Why did I come to your office and
find you holding hands with your secretary?” Mattie tried to calm her breathing. She was getting worked up and that was not a good thing.

  “I was away from home so much because I was called in to work. We had a legal emergency. I didn’t want to alarm you about the dire situation we were dealing with. One of the companies our firm was involved with was discovered to have embezzled funds, millions of dollars, from several clients. Because of the relationship between their company and ours, the business was in jeopardy. My boss called me in to work longer hours as we all tried to combat the claims against the company. Because of legal issues, I was not at liberty to discuss the issues at hand.

  “I spent as much time with you and the children as I could. When I didn’t come home, I stayed the night at Pastor Bill’s place. I was trying to get help for our marriage. You refused to go to counseling, so I went alone. His place was closer to the office and, honestly, I didn’t want to come home to another argument. I was exhausted. And I knew that the children didn’t need to hear us fighting all the time.”

  Mattie tried to process everything he’d said. “Oh, so you’re saying it was my fault that you didn’t come home.”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. Please, just stop assuming things.” Richard’s fist closed and then released.

  Mattie took a deep breath and attempted to keep her voice level. “What do you expect when I visit you at your office and you’re holding hands with another woman?”

  “I told you that I could explain that, if you’d just hear me out. The only reason I was holding hands with my secretary is because we were praying. For you and me and our marriage. Mattie, she is a godly Christian woman, with whom I happen to pray from time to time. She’s also married herself and has a baby boy.”

  “And you expect me to believe that?” Mattie wanted to believe his words, but she wasn’t ready to accept them just yet. She needed more proof of his alleged innocence.

  “You can speak with any of them if you want – my boss, my secretary, Pastor. I’m sure they’d all be willing to give you their side of the story.” He rubbed the stubble on his chin. “If it makes a difference, I’ll even fire my secretary if that’s what you’d like. There’s nothing in this world more important to me than you.”

  “I don’t want you to fire her, but I’m not fond of the idea of you holding hands with another woman – even if it is to pray.”

  “Done. I won’t do it again.”

  Richard approached the bed and took her hand. “I love you, Mattie Greene, and I would never purposely do anything to destroy our marriage.”

  Her eyes misted and she met his gaze. “Then why has everything been so difficult? How come we can hardly even talk anymore without it becoming an argument?”

  “Pastor Bill explained to me why he thinks we’re having so much trouble – lack of communication. Carson basically said the same thing. Somewhere along the line, we’ve disconnected. With me being away from home so often, it causes a rift in our relationship. And then when we talk, we’re both uptight and lonely and feel betrayed because we have physical and emotional needs that don’t get met.

  “Neglecting church doesn’t help either, and I realize that’s my fault, as the spiritual leader of our home. Perhaps your change in hormones with this new little one of ours could also be contributing to the stress. When we don’t communicate, or miscommunicate, things aren’t properly understood and we end up arguing. And then we let fear fester in our minds and come to absolutely ridiculous conclusions – like me having an affair with my secretary and you running off with your cousin.” He frowned.

  She couldn’t help a small smile. “Did Elisabeth tell you about Johnny?”

  “Carson did, in fact. I wish I’d known before I went and made an idiot of myself.” He grinned ruefully.

  She chuckled a little. “I think we need to come up with a new rule: assume nothing.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” He lifted a brief smile then turned serious. “So what does this mean for us, Mattie? Will you forgive me for all the foolish mistakes I’ve made?”

  Mattie perceived the trepidation in Richard’s eyes, and her heart warmed at his open vulnerability. He truly did love her like he claimed. She knew that if she rejected him, she’d break his heart. How could she help but love him?

  She nodded. “This means we have to wait about ten weeks before we can go back home.”

  He sighed in relief. “Do you think there’s room in this place for the two of us? Staying at the hotel all alone will get awfully lonely.”

  “You’ll need to discuss that with my father, but I’ll put in a good word for you,” she teased.

  Richard’s face split into a grin and he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. She reached up and held him there. This was the man she’d fallen in love with.

  Now that she was back in his arms, she never wanted to let him go.

  Chapter 14

  Elisabeth sipped on her wassail and turned to Carson. “It’s too bad Mattie and Richard couldn’t make it to the Christmas party. I hate to see them miss out.”

  “Yep, it’s unfortunate for them,” Carson sympathized, “but at least they’re together now.”

  “I have an idea. Let’s bring the party to them.” Jonathan Fisher’s face beamed.

  “Won’t that be too upsetting for Mattie?” Carson interjected.

  “How could bringing good tidings of great joy be upsetting? If anything, it’ll lift her spirits,” Jonathan reasoned.

  “You’re right. Let’s do it.” Elisabeth smiled.

  “We’ll sing Christmas hymns at their door,” Susanna Fisher suggested.

  “I’ve always loved Christmas caroling. She’ll feel so lucky,” Annie Hostettler beamed.

  “Should we call Matthew and Maryanna and warn them?” Elisabeth reached for her phone.

  “No way, they’ll love a good surprise,” Jonathan said.

  “You mean, you’ll love seeing the bewildered look on Maryanna’s face when we all show up!” Susie smiled.

  “You know me well, schatzi.” Jonathan winked at his wife.

  “But Luke and Brianna haven’t showed up yet. Should we wait for them?” Elisabeth suggested. “Who else isn’t here yet?”

  “Luke and Brianna are always late!” Elisabeth’s brother, Jacob, smiled at his wife. “Ain’t so, Rachel?”

  Rachel nodded. “Jah, but they should be here any minute. You know how it is with a new little one in the house. It’s not that easy to just get up and go.”

  Everyone near nodded in agreement.

  “Let’s all bundle up and go in the sleighs! Or maybe our Englisch friends will take us?” Jonathan asked.

  “I’m not too sure we have room for everyone, but we can take the smallest ones to keep them out of the weather,” Carson suggested.

  “Jah,” Jonathan agreed. “Or, we can leave them home with Bishop Judah. I’m sure Grossmammi Lydia won’t mind a few extra little ones to watch.”

  “Gideon and I can stay too,” Esther Fisher, Jonathan’s mother, volunteered.

  Carson turned from the window. “It looks like Luke and Brianna just showed up. I’ll run out and tell them not to unhitch.”

  “Let’s go!” Jonathan announced, then threw his arm around his brother-in-law’s shoulder. “Hey, Josh. What do you say if we greet Matt with a snowball or two?” He raised his eyebrows twice and mischief flickered in his eyes.

  “I’m in!” Joshua Hostettler grinned.

  <><><>

  “Is that singing?” Mattie sat up and listened.

  “You’re not getting up,” Richard warned. “Bed rest, remember?”

  “But, Richard. It’s Christmas Eve! And I thought I heard singing outside.” Being cooped up in her room was beginning to grate on her nerves.

  Richard arose and moved to look out the window. “It looks like Carson and Elisabeth and a bunch of Amish people.”

  “Really?” Mattie perked up.

  “I think they’re here for yo
u.” Richard grinned and opened the window slightly.

  Mattie smiled as familiar voices wafted into the room. Silent Night in the original tongue resounded off the walls. It was the first time this season actually felt like the Christmases she’d been used to. She closed her eyes and blinked back tears. Only her friends and family in Paradise would do something so thoughtful.

  <><><>

  “Mattie, you should have seen Dat and Onkel Josh get your vatter!” Judah Fisher smiled.

  Mattie gasped. “What happened?”

  “When everyone was singing outside your window, Dat and Onkel Josh knocked on the door. When your vatter answered, they hid. He went back inside and they knocked again. This time they hid too – I think your vatter thought it was the kinner. Then your vatter walked out and both Dat and Onkel Josh hopped out of the shrubs and ambushed your vatter with snowballs!”

  Mattie smiled. “No way.”

  “Yep, and your vatter went right after them, chasing them down the lane!” Johnny added, laughing.

  “Oh, I wish I could have seen that!” Mattie smiled at Richard and explained, “My father and two uncles were the best of friends growing up, and they have always pulled pranks on each other. I guess that’s where I got my mischievous streak from.”

  “We,” JJ reminded.

  “Yeah.” Mattie smiled, then noticed two young ladies standing in the doorway behind them. “Is that–?”

  “Oh, yeah.” The twins nodded and grasped the hands of the young women. They approached Mattie’s bed. “These are our wives, Sarah Ann and Ellie.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Mattie smiled. “I’m glad JJ found someone to straighten them out,” she teased.

  Mattie turned to Richard. “I don’t think you’ve properly met my cousins.” She gestured toward the twins. “Richard, this is Johnny and Judah. JJ, meet my husband, Richard.”