“Well, Jaycee had mentioned that you lost your folks. Judy and I, we’d like to help you.”
Judy stepped forward. Two loaves of bread were in her hands, and she had something tucked under her arms. “We brought you some bread that I baked this morning. And jam.”
“And cookies!” Christopher said, holding up a plastic bag.
Tears welled in Shannon’s eyes at their kindness and generosity. “Thank you so much. That’s so thoughtful of you.”
Amish people weren’t dangerous, were they? They sure didn’t seem like it. At least, not this older couple on her doorstep. Should she invite them inside? She didn’t know, but she didn’t want to be rude. Mom would’ve invited them in. “Would you…would you like to come in?”
The older couple shared a tender look. “Sure, but just for a few moments,” Christopher said.
“I’m sure you’re busy,” Judy interjected.
“It’s okay. Come in.” She moved to the side so they could enter. “You may have a seat.” She gestured toward the couch.
One thing Shannon had always loved about their house is that it felt light and airy. With lots of windows and light-colored walls, their home felt welcoming.
“Brighton, go bring the others in.” Shannon turned to their guests. “Would you like some water?”
“Sure, I’ll take some,” Judy said, handing the loaves to Shannon.
“Me, too,” Christopher added.
Shannon quickly took the loaves of bread and jam Judy offered to the kitchen, and filled two glasses with filtered water. As she walked back into the living room, the children also did.
“Look, Melanie! It’s Santa!” Jaycee shrieked and raced toward their Amish guests.
Shannon laughed. “This is Christopher and his wife, Judy. It’s not Santa, Jaycee.”
“He looks like Santa to me. He even bought me a candy bar!” Jaycee carefully studied Christopher, who sat sharing a large grin with his wife.
“I brought you cookies today,” Christopher’s smiled broadened.
“Cookie!” Melanie squealed.
Shannon stepped forward and pulled Melanie by the hand. “Judy and Christopher, I’d like you to meet Brighton, Jaycee, and Melanie. And I’m Shannon.”
“Gut to meet you.” The couple’s heads bobbed.
“Won’t you have a cookie?” Christopher held out the bag to Shannon.
She smiled her appreciation, then took it and distributed one to each of the children. “Go sit at the table so you don’t make a mess,” she told her siblings.
“Thanks, Santa!” Jaycee grinned and immediately took a bite out of his delicacy before reaching the table.
Shannon pointed Jaycee to the his designated dining chair and shook her head. “I guess we’re going to have a hard time convincing him. Especially since you brought cookies.”
Christopher winked. “I don’t mind.”
“It was kind of you to come by.” Shannon bit into the most delicious sugar cookie she’d ever tasted. “This is wonderful!”
“I can teach you how to make them, if you’d like,” Judy offered.
“That would be great. But I’m afraid I don’t have the ingredients on hand. I don’t do much baking.”
“You and the kinner could come to our house. We can make them there.” Judy nodded.
“Where do you live?”
“Pleasant Township. Off the Two-fifty. Not too far,” Christopher said. “I’m sure the little ones would like to see our new kittens. And the foal that was just born last week.”
“You have a horse?” Brighton joined in the conversation.
“He’s got reindeer too!” Jaycee had wasted no time gobbling down his delicacy.
Christopher chuckled. “I suppose there might be some deer out in our woods.”
“See? I told you!” Jaycee now stood next to Christopher, patting his hand.
“That sounds like it would be fun. What do you guys think? Do you want to go visit Christopher and Judy one of these days?” As soon as Melanie finished, Shannon helped her down from the dining chair and cleaned the crumbs off her hands.
“And we get to bring more cookies home?” Brighton asked.
“Yep. Whatever Shannon makes she can take home.” Judy took little Melanie onto her lap.
“Cool! When are we going, Shan?” Brighton smiled.
“I don’t know.” She turned to Christopher and Judy. “When is a good time for you?”
“How about Saturday?” Christopher looked to his wife and she nodded.
“I think that would work well for us.” Shannon sat on Mom’s rocking chair.
“Great. Then Saturday it is. I’ll write down the address for you. Come whenever it’s convenient. We should be home all day.” Christopher seemed as excited as Jaycee was.
“Thank you. That sounds wonderful.”
“We will have a gut time,” Judy said, stroking Melanie’s back.
Shannon was a little surprised at how well Melanie had taken to the couple. She seemed perfectly content to sit with Judy.
A half hour later, they said goodbye to their unexpected but very welcomed guests. Shannon found herself looking forward to Saturday.
EIGHT
Shannon frowned as she punched her timecard to clocked out of work on Friday afternoon. Disappointment darkened her mood on the drive home.
Wesley hadn’t come back. He’d said he would, but he didn’t.
She sighed. Didn’t anyone keep their word nowadays? He seemed to be genuine when he said it. Had the attraction only been one-sided? Apparently so.
But maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he had bought her a meal. Maybe something terrible had happened. No, she wouldn’t think that way. She’d rather he be unreliable than in a hospital somewhere. She’d had enough tragedy to last a lifetime.
Perhaps he’d gotten busy and he’d show up next week. Yeah, she’d cling to that hope. Because clinging to hope was better than assuming the worst or having no hope at all.
A relationship at this point in time probably wasn’t the best idea anyway. She didn’t have time to date. She had a household to run, bills to pay, mouths to feed, shoes to buy.
And the Christmas gifts. She still had no idea what she’d be able to afford to get the kids. It would be difficult enough trying to keep her spirits up without their parents there. How would her siblings react to their first Christmas without Mom and Dad?
She already knew how she was feeling. Lost. Empty. Alone. And missing Mom and Dad with every breath she took.
It would likely be the worst Christmas they’d ever experienced. Her heart ached at the thought.
~
“Shan! Shannon! Come on. Let’s go! Let’s go!” Jaycee bounced up and down on Shannon’s bed, waking her out of dreams that were too impossible to ever come true.
“Really, Jaycee? What time is it?” She rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes and squinted at the alarm clock.
“It’s seven! Santa said we could come at any time. Come on, let’s go!”
“Seven, Jaycee? It’s Saturday. Let me sleep in.” She yawned. She hadn’t fallen asleep until well after midnight, researching Christmas on the cheap.
“Too late! Mel’s up.”
“Jay. Cee.” She employed her best warning tone.
“I didn’t wake her up, promise.”
“Fine. Let me get dressed, then I’ll figure out breakfast.”
“Bright and me already had cereal.”
“It’s Brighton and I. And I hope you only took one bowl each. It has to last us.” She hated that she sounded like an old miser.
“We did. We’re saving room for cookies!”
“Cereal and cookies, huh?” I must be the worst substitution for a mother. Ever. “You should eat a piece of fruit too.” It was the mature thing to say, wasn’t it?
“Ah, Shan,” he whined.
“I mean it. If you want to have cookies at Judy and Christopher’s, you need to have some fruit.” Of cou
rse, knowing Jaycee, he’d find a way to sneak a cookie anyhow.
“Can I share a banana with Bright or Mel?
“It’s may I, and yes, that will be fine.”
She watched as Jaycee skipped from her bedroom. Well, time to begin the day whether she was ready or not. At least it promised to be interesting.
~
Wesley veered off the dirt road and pulled into the back entrance of his grandparents’ property. They’d requested he do that each time he came so his truck wouldn’t be visible from the road. He’d honored their wishes without argument.
As he neared the barn, he noticed activity in the yard. Did his grandparents have company?
He parked and slipped his keys into his pocket and sauntered toward the house. If Grandpa was busy, he’d wait to go see him. Perhaps Grandma was baking something delicious. Spending time with his grandparents had always been a pleasure, especially when Grandma had fresh baked treats for him.
He pulled the screen door open and it groaned in protest. “Grandma? You in here?”
“In the kitchen, dear.” He heard muffled voices.
His grin widened. His favorite place.
He waltzed to the kitchen prepared to pull his grandmother into a hug. Sweetness assaulted his senses the moment he stepped into the room.
Grandma turned around along with her guest. They both wore aprons tainted with flour. “Wesley!”
His eyes widened as he laid his eyes on the girl of his dreams. Right there. In his grandmother’s kitchen. Looking as attractive as ever. Was he dreaming all this up?
“Are you stalking me?” Shannon pointed a finger at him, an unreadable expression on her face.
No, he wasn’t dreaming. This had just turned into a nightmare. Great, now she would really think he was some creep. And she’d likely blame him for roping his grandparents into his scheme.
“I promise.” He held up his hands. “I’m not stalking you. I had no idea you were even here.”
Her lips moved slightly upward. Did she believe him or not? He couldn’t tell.
He frowned. “You’re not going to call the police again, are you?”
“The police?” Shannon and Grandma both said it at the same time.
“Yeah, like at the restaurant the other day.”
A strange look flickered across Shannon’s face. “What are you talking about?”
“The police. At the restaurant. When you called and told them I was stalking you. Does that ring a bell?”
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. When you were at the restaurant, there were no police there.”
“So it wasn’t you?” Relief filled him.
“What wasn’t me?”
“You didn’t ask the police to run me out of the parking lot?”
She gasped. “No. Why would I do that?”
“Well, someone did.”
“What?” She shook her head. “Okay, wait. Start over from the beginning. I am so confused.”
“So am I,” Grandma said. “I’m guessing you two have met before, then?”
“Yes,” they both said.
“Okay,” Wesley began. “The other day when we met at the restaurant, after we had lunch—”
“You two had lunch together?” Grandma’s eyes widened.
“Yes,” they both answered again. This time a smile played on her lips.
“After I left the restaurant,” he continued, “I decided to just wait in my truck until you got off work. So we could talk.”
“You did?” Shannon seemed surprised.
“Yes. But then a police officer pulled up and asked me to leave. Or, really, he ran me off. He said someone from the restaurant had called and reported a stalker. I thought it was you.”
“It wasn’t me.” She shook her head. “I had no idea. I was expecting you to come back during the week like you said you were going to.”
“I had planned to.” He shrugged. “But I figured that if you called the cops on me, you definitely didn’t want me coming back.”
“Was I rude to you?”
“Rude? No, of course not. You were sweet.”
Her countenance softened along with her voice. “Then why would you think it was me who called the police?”
“I don’t know. You were the only one I talked to. Who else would it have been?”
Her shoulders lifted. “I have no idea. I’ll have to ask when I go into work next week.”
“So, does this mean you don’t mind if I stop by to see you?” He couldn’t tamper the hopefulness in his tone.
“I already told you that I’d like that.” She sounded shy now. “By the way, thanks for the nice tip. You really didn’t have to do that.”
His gaze caressed her beautiful face. “I wanted to.” He stepped close and boldly reached for her hand.
A throat cleared loudly, reminding him that he and Shannon weren’t alone in the room. He backed away, feeling deprived of the physical contact they’d almost had. “Sorry, Grandma.”
A timer went off.
“Sounds like the first batch of cookies is done.” Grandma opened the door of the oven compartment of the woodstove and pulled out a cookie sheet. She looked to Shannon. “You’ll need to slide these onto the cooling rack.”
She broke eye contact with him and moved to retrieve a spatula and potholder from the counter.
Wesley stepped out of the way, into the kitchen’s entryway. “I think I might hear a baby crying?”
“Oh, that’s Melanie. I’ll get her in just a little bit.”
He neared and held out his hand for the spatula. “I’ll do this, if you’d like. You can go get her.”
The shyness was back. “Thank you.”
He stared after her as she disappeared from the room. He blew out a breath, shaking his head. He still couldn’t get over the fact that Shannon was here. In his grandparents’ home. What good fortune he’d stumbled upon! Wait, good fortune? No, it wasn’t that at all. His first instinct had been correct. God had planned their initial meeting. And now, it seemed, He’d arranged for them to meet again in the most unlikely place he would have imagined. And if it was God, well…
“I see someone has taken a liking to our Englisch guest.” Grandma’s words broke his inner musings. Or, more accurate, the love spell.
“How do you know Shannon?”
She handed him a cookie. “It’s quite a story. But I think maybe she’d like to share it with you.”
His expression puzzled. It wasn’t like Grandma to give up a chance to tell a story. “Do you like her, Grandma?”
“I do.”
Their conversation ceased and silence filled the room as soon as Shannon walked back in carrying an adorable little girl, whose face appeared to be a much younger version of Shannon’s. “This is my baby sister, Melanie. Melanie, meet Wesley.”
The little one took one look at him and clung to Shannon with all her might.
He chuckled. “Wow. Glad to know I have such a magnetic personality.”
“Jah, but it looks like you need to turn the magnet over,” Grandma jested.
“It’s okay.” Shannon jostled the little one. “Wesley is a nice man. Judy is his grandma.”
“Judy!” Melanie squealed and reached out to his grandmother.
“She loves your grandma.”
He loved the giggle that tripped from Shannon’s lips. But he really shouldn’t be noticing her lips.
“I see that.”
“Your grandparents invited us over to make cookies and see their farm. The boys are outside with your grandpa.”
Grandma approached the table with Melanie on her hip. The little one’s face beamed as she bit into her cookie. “Why don’t you two go find your grossdawdi before Melanie and I decide we want all these cookies for ourselves.” She winked.
“Sure thing, Grandma.” He winked back. He turned to Shannon and cocked his head sideways, gesturing toward the door.
She followed him outside. “Okay, I have so many que
stions for you right now,” she blurted out the moment they stepped out the door.
He laughed. “Yeah, me too. How on earth do you know my grandparents and why have I never met you before? Oh, wait, I’m sorry. Ladies, first.”
“No, it’s okay. We actually met your grandparents at Walmart. Well, Jaycee did.”
“Jaycee?”
“My youngest brother. He’s five,” she explained.
“Walmart?” His brow arched. “Really?”
“Yeah. Then they showed up at our front door the other day bearing gifts.” Her grin expanded.
“That’s interesting.”
Grandpa approached with a boy on either side of him. The youngest one held Grandpa’s hand, but clung to a kitten with the other.
Shannon stepped close to him and whispered, “That’s Jaycee. He thinks your grandpa is Santa Claus.” Her hot breath on his ear did strange things to his insides.
He glanced at her, a smile dancing on his lips. “Really?”
“Shan, look what Santa’s got! I bet lots of little boys and girls want kittens this year. That’s why he has so many.” He raced to his sister and held up a kitten. “Want to hold her? Santa said I could take her home if it’s okay with you.”
“No, Jaycee. No animals. Sorry,” Shannon said.
“Ah, for reals? But Santa said…” Jaycee looked up at Grandpa, his eyes pleading.
“I said if your sister said yes. But that’s okay, I won’t give them all away. I’ll keep one here so you can play with her when you come over.”
“You will?” Jaycee crushed Grandpa’s legs with a bear hug. “Thank you, Santa!”
“Jaycee, it’s Christopher.” Shannon sighed.
Grandpa chuckled. “I don’t think anyone is going to convince him otherwise.”
“Grandma said to tell you that cookies are ready,” Wesley interjected while he had the chance.
“That’s what we were just going to check on,” Grandpa said, his eyes sparkling. It looked like he was having just as good of a time as the boys were.
“Perfect timing.” The older boy rubbed his hands together.
“You boys make sure to wash your hands before you take any cookies,” Shannon insisted. She sounded like she took her mothering responsibilities seriously. Which made Wesley admire her even more.
Unlikely Santa Page 4