Christmas in Apple Ridge (20 page)

Ready to embrace all of life, she went inside the store and called Gloria. After making plans and packing, she went to Lizzy’s.

While waiting for Gloria to arrive, Beth talked with her family and exchanged gifts. Lizzy and Omar couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. Lizzy caught Beth watching them and gestured toward the bedroom. Beth followed her.

Lizzy had barely passed through the doorway when she turned. “I … I wanted to tell you something. Omar asked me to marry him this afternoon.”

“Hmm, he’s still here, and the two of you are glowing, so I guess you said yes.”

“We’ve been talking about it for a while, but he officially asked today. I told him you had to be the first to know. Can you believe I’ve finally found love?”

Tears stung Beth’s eyes, and she hugged her aunt tightly. Lizzy had carried unspoken aches for years. Arm in arm they left the room.

“Ah, you told her,” Omar said softly.

“Ya.” Lizzy stared into his eyes. Beth headed for the living room to give them a moment of privacy. When she looked back, her aunt and the bishop stood toe-to-toe, holding hands and whispering things
no one else would ever know. Omar kissed Lizzy on the cheek, and Beth wondered if they might marry before the wedding season. The rules altered for those who’d lost a spouse; they could marry whenever they wanted. Omar had been single for many years, and Beth knew he’d cherish Lizzy as the great find she was.

An hour later Beth sat in the passenger’s seat of Gloria’s van, waving to her family as she and Gloria pulled out of Lizzy’s driveway. Snow continued to fall throughout the long, quiet drive, and Beth gazed out the window while chatting with Gloria. It felt magical to have snow on Christmas, but she wished it would stop.

The weather continued to slow their drive on Highway 22, but a little over four hours into the trip, Gloria merged into the far right lane to cross the Fort Steuben Bridge.

“I hope your surprise visit doesn’t work out for you like it did for Jonah,” she said.

“It won’t,” Beth replied. “He said the Kinsinger family spends Christmas Eve at his grandparents’ place, although he goes to Pete’s for a while first.”

“Maybe we should stop by there on our way, just to be sure.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

Brake lights shone through the white fog ahead of them, and the van fishtailed as Gloria brought it to a halt, barely missing the vehicle in front of them. Surely they could make it all the way to Jonah’s. It was only fifteen, maybe twenty, more miles, but unease made Beth’s skin tingle.

Beth looked behind them. Three or four cars almost locked
bumpers before regaining control. Ahead of them, traffic on the bridge was barely moving.

Gloria craned her neck, trying to see beyond the cars in front of them. “If the snow gets any thicker, we may both be staying with his grandparents tonight.”

“I really don’t think you should try to go back tonight. Will staying be a problem?”

“Ronnie won’t be home until suppertime tomorrow. I’d like to be there in time to have a Christmas meal waiting. This is supposed to let up by morning, so we’re good.”

“Is it hard having a truck driver for a husband?”

Gloria wrinkled her nose. “Honey,
anything
can be hard—having a husband gone all the time, or underfoot all the time, or no husband, or … whatever. The answer is to build a life around those things. If I sat around waiting on him, I’d get unhappy. So would he. If he gets home tomorrow and I’m not there, he’ll start supper, knowing I don’t get mad when he’s gone and he needs to return the favor. It works.”

They slowly inched across the bridge and continued on Highway 22 until the Ohio River was miles behind them. Just as Beth started to relax, brake lights flashed ahead of them, and a couple of cars slid off the road. The sound of metal crunching made Beth’s stomach lurch, but Gloria managed to stay on the road as she stopped the van.

“What happened?” Beth asked.

“Not sure, but it doesn’t look good.” Gloria turned on the radio. “Maybe there will be a report.”

The minutes inched along almost as slowly as the cars crammed
together on the highway. Finally a traffic report let them know a tractor-trailer had jackknifed miles ahead of them.

Even as they crept onward, Beth knew what they had to do. Once they turned off Highway 22 and began driving the back roads that lead to Tracing, the journey could be even more unpredictable.

She stared at the snow-covered roads. It seemed wrong that an object as feathery light as a snowflake could collect into something keeping her from Jonah, especially when she was this close.

“Gloria, we can’t keep trying to ignore the weather. We need to find a motel.”

Gloria sighed. “I think you’re right. But with this weather, an empty room may not be as easy to find as it sounds.”

Beth studied an information sign ahead, trying to read what hotels might be close. “It’ll be easier to deal with than getting stranded in a ditch.”

L
ike every Christmas Eve, before going to his grandparents’ house, Jonah sat across the table from Pete. But tonight Jonah stayed longer than normal, hoping to hear from Beth. He’d called her, but twice the phone was busy, and since then no one had answered. She’d be with her family by now, and he should leave. He knew that. Still …

“Care for a game of chess?” he asked.

Pete’s day-old whiskers formed odd patches as he smiled. “Think you got the Christmas magic on your side this year?”

“Nope, but I’m all for giving an old man a break once in a while.”

“Giving an old man …” Pete leaned across the table. “Listen here, Jonah Kinsinger, you’re the Old Man.”

“Then give me a break. And stop calling me Old Man in front of other people. It’s caused me nothing but grief lately.”

The phone rang, and Jonah almost knocked the table over jumping up to answer it.

Pete laughed. “You’re right. You don’t have an ounce of Christmas magic in you.”

Jonah hurried into the store, glanced at the caller ID, and grabbed the phone. “Merry Christmas. I was hoping you’d call.”

“Probably not hoping
I’d
call,” Lizzy said.

“Well, Merry Christmas to you too, Lizzy, but I was hoping you were Beth.”

“I figured that the first time we met.”

Jonah chuckled. “Where is she?”

“In Ohio, stranded in a motel off Highway 22.”

“She went somewhere on business on Christmas Eve? In this weather?”

“No. She went to see you.”

“Me?” As the news sank in, he felt he housed the excitement of Christmas.

“The two of you need some serious help with your romantic gestures, which is why I’m intervening. I thought Pete might own a tractor or you might have some way of reaching her.”

He wasn’t sure he did have a way to get to her. He didn’t know anyone who owned a tractor. He had a sleigh, but it needed a specific type of snow to work. “Do you know what motel she’s in and where?”

While Lizzy shared the info, Jonah took notes.

“I’ll give it try. Merry Christmas, Lizzy.”

“Merry Christmas.”

Beth looked at the small, dreary motel room. Concrete block walls, cold stale air, and the tinny sound of the cheap television Gloria was
watching made the disappointment sting even more. Blasts of frigid air found their way around the door that led directly outside. She removed the pins from her prayer Kapp and bun and, unwinding her hair, sat on the edge of the bed.

Gloria held out a small bag of chips. “It’s all the vending machine had left.”

Beth shook her head. “They’re all yours.” With her coat still on, she slid between the cold sheets and pulled a blanket over her head. Gloria flipped from one news station to another.

Though she didn’t feel sleepy at all, Beth closed her eyes anyway. When the sound of sleigh bells jingled over an anchorman’s voice, she figured she must be sleepier than she’d thought.

The television went silent. “Did you hear that?” Gloria asked. “Santa must be coming to this old motel.”

Beth sat up. “You hear sleigh bells too?”

“Sure do.”

They moved to the window, but the frost kept them from seeing outside. Gloria shrugged and returned to watching television. Beth slid into her boots and added a wool scarf over her head before she opened the door. A blast of freezing air ripped through the room, stealing what little heat they had. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

The sound of sleigh bells rode on the night air like magic, and she looked in the direction the noise came from. She expected to see a dad in a red suit playing Santa for his stranded children on Christmas Eve, but no one came into sight.

As she listened, she realized the sound was coming from the back side of the motel.

She closed her eyes, letting the snow drift around her as she remembered so many childhood years of dreams and hopes. Memories of all the times her Daed came up with a substitute for a sleigh ride warmed her. The longer the sound went on, the lighter her heart felt. So her plan to see Jonah hadn’t worked. This was a substitute year, but now that she fully trusted him and knew she loved him, they’d fulfill the real dream soon.

She opened her eyes. Through the dark night and white cloud of swirling snow, she saw a horse pulling a black sleigh with an Amish driver.

Is it possible?

Beth blinked.

Jonah
.

Her heart pounded madly. Jonah pulled on the reins and slowed the horse until the sleigh came to a halt. He looked straight at her, and her mind jammed with too many thoughts to process.

His beautiful smile didn’t say nearly as much as his brown eyes. “Merry Christmas.”

Tears brimmed, and she couldn’t find her voice.

“I knew if I kept circling the motel, you’d come outside.” He held out a basket. “My mother sent dinner.”

She moved closer and took the basket. The aroma of a Christmas feast filled her.

“Of course, you’re welcome to come home with me.” He patted the seat beside him. “Or we can stay here and eat … if I’m invited.”

Stay here?

Beth shook her head. “No. I mean, yes. But … but no.”

He laughed.

She drew a deep breath. “You’re invited to stay, but I’d much rather you go. I … I mean … taking me with you, of course. Oh, and Gloria too.”

He leaned forward. “Are you rattled, Beth Hertzler?”

She nodded, and tears warmed her cheeks. Was she dreaming? “How …”

“Lizzy called Pete. I just happened to be there … waiting and wishing you’d call.”

In her mind’s eye she saw children in the sleigh—just for a moment. She heard their laughter, but she couldn’t tell how many of them there were. She saw a white prayer Kapp or two and a couple of black felt hats. In that moment she understood why she’d begun hearing the sleigh bells of her childhood again. For her, it was the sound of hope and love. It rang inside her as she slept, trying to remind her that love was alive and worth whatever it took to hear it when awake. But she couldn’t have started hearing them again without Jonah.

An overnight bag sailed above her head, and Jonah caught it. Gloria took the basket of food from Beth. “I’ll keep this. You go.”

Jonah placed the bag on his far side. “You’re welcome to join us,” he said to Gloria.

“No thanks. I’ll turn in early and hit the main roads first thing tomorrow. I have a feast to hold me over until then. I’ll come back for her on Sunday.” Gloria passed Beth her prayer Kapp and pins. “You enjoy your Christmas.”

Beth hugged her. “I will. Thank you for this, and call Lizzy for me. I’m sure she’s sitting by the phone in the office, waiting to hear what happened.”

“I will.”

Beth climbed into the sleigh. Jonah lifted a blanket, and she slid in beside him. The seat, as well as the blankets, was warm. She looked at Jonah for an explanation. He showed her the power source for the two electric blankets—a converted car battery.

“Pete loaned me the blankets. I had the rest.” He made a clicking sound with his tongue, and the horse moved off, gaining speed.

Within minutes they were beyond all signs of town life. As they glided along the back roads, going up and down the hills that dominated the area, Jonah told her where the sleigh came from and why it was ready for use that night.