Courting Emily (A Wells Landing Book 2) (16 page)

She was excited. She enjoyed being with Elam. He was steady and strong. He loved his family and would do anything for them. He loved God and their church, his community, and the work he did at the dairy farm.

Nor did she want him to be. She hadn’t spoken to Luke since the night he’d come into the barn and asked her to wait on him. Was she really supposed to wait? For how long?

She had looked up race car driving on the Internet in the library, and it was not easy to make it “big,” as Luke called it.

Did he want her to wait for years while he chased his dream in the
Englisch
world?

One thing she knew for certain: the longer he stayed gone, the harder it would be for him to return.

Luke Lambright wasn’t the only one with dreams. Emily had a few of her own. Like most Amish girls, she wanted to get married, start a family, set up house somewhere, and watch her children grow. In the great spectrum of dreams, she supposed they were modest. But they were hers, and she would see them through.

She bit back a sigh as the teacher welcomed everyone to the pageant. She told a little about the school and the scholars who would be performing. Then she announced that she was certain some of those there tonight had been hearing rumors and yes, they were true. Even though the wedding season wasn’t quite over yet, her intended had proposed, and she would not be returning as the teacher the following fall.

She was three years younger than Emily.

How long was she supposed to wait?

She squeezed Elam’s fingers, unintentionally tightening her hand around his.

“Are you
allrecht?
” Elam asked.

She nodded, then smoothed the frown from her brow. No sense in giving herself wrinkles. She smiled strictly for his benefit and loosened her grip.

Elam seemed about to say something, then the first performer stepped forward and a hush fell over the entire crowd. Whatever he’d wanted to say would have to wait until later.

 

 

Punch and cookies were served after the pageant. Parents strolled through the small one-room schoolhouse while others immediately headed home.

Elam too was ready to get in his buggy. He had been thinking about this evening for a couple of weeks. Was it wrong to want to spend some time alone with Emily?

He loved the time she spent with his family. And he loved everything she had done for his father. She had given them all a new lease on life. But no matter where they seemed to be, with nine sisters between them, someone was always around.

“Are you ready now?” he asked, trying his best to hide his impatience. A body would think he had never been alone with a
maedel
the way he was carrying on, but Emily was different. So very different.

“
Jah
.” She seemed to be enjoying herself, not stalling, and Elam immediately felt ashamed of his hurry-up attitude.

Emily had worked here as a teacher up until last year. Aside from her sisters, the other scholars had been in her charge. As caring as she was, he knew she enjoyed talking and visiting with the families just as much as she had the pageant.

“It’s okay,” he backpedaled. “We can stay for a bit longer.”

She smiled at him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was getting so late.” She tossed her plastic cup still half filled with punch into the trash can and prepared to leave.

“Are you sure?” All of a sudden he felt like a bully just for wanting to be alone with her.

“
Jah, jah
.” She held out her coat for him to help her with it.

She had no more slipped her arms into the sleeves than Becky sidled up. If the mischievous look in her eyes was any indication, this was no chance encounter.

“You’re not leaving now, are you?”

“Yes,” Elam said with as much conviction as he dared. “We are.”

“But you can’t leave. You . . . haven’t tried a piece of Abner Chupp’s peanut butter fudge.” She looped her arm through Emily’s and led her away. Elam had no choice but to follow.

Fifteen minutes later, after sampling Abner’s peanut butter fudge and his cookies and his cream bars, Elam finally set his foot down.

“Go find
Mamm
and
Dat,
” he told Becky with a nudge. “It’s time for me to take Emily home.” He couldn’t stop the thrill his words created. He was taking Emily Ebersol home. And if everything went as planned . . .

“
Jah,
okay,” Becky said. “You’re welcome.” Then she smiled and sashayed away.

“What was that all about?” Emily asked.

Elam shrugged, hoping his expression didn’t give away anything. He’d hate to spoil the surprise now.

Emily nodded. “It was like she was trying to keep us in here for some reason.”

“Hmmm.” He took Emily’s elbow and steered her toward the door.

“This way,” he said, helping her down the schoolhouse steps. “I parked over here—”

He wasn’t able to finish the sentence as he caught sight of his buggy.

Just as he and Emily had decorated a buggy for one of the courting couples in Becky’s group, the teens had in turn decorated for them.

He had asked them to do this something special for Emily, but he hadn’t expected it to come out so utterly perfect.

Red ribbon had been wound around the horse’s tack and all around the reins. Pine boughs shaped into wreaths were tied to the door and the entire thing was covered with a pristine white sheet. The horse tossed his mane as if anxious to be on his way and the sound of jungle bells filled the night.

“Oh, Elam.” Emily sounded close to tears. “It’s beautiful.”

And it was. “Come,” he said, his voice sounding like a bucket full of rusty nails.

He was overly aware that everyone around was watching them closely as they made their way to the buggy. He helped Emily inside and slid in next to her, doing his best to pretend this was another ordinary evening.

But it wasn’t.

The inside of the buggy smelled like apples and spice. Mixed with the scent wafting in from the pine wreaths, he felt cocooned in Christmas.

“This is really nice,” Emily said.

“
Jah
.” He handed her a thick plaid blanket, aware that the entire scene looked like an old-timey
Englisch
Christmas card. That was fine with him. He needed tonight to be special, extra special.

“
Danki
.” She spread the blanket across both their laps.

His hands shook as he took up the reins and set the horse into motion.

She half turned in her seat to stare at him. “You set all this up, didn’t you?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Maybe, my foot.” But she smiled when she said the words. “What’s this?” She pulled a basket from behind his seat. It contained a thermos and a container filled with cookies.

“Apple cider and buttermilk cookies.”

She placed the basket behind his seat once again, that smile still lighting up her face. “You thought of everything.”

This time he couldn’t help but return her smile. “I wanted tonight to be special for you.”

“It is.” He could hear the sincerity in her tone.

“Extra special.”

“Why is that?”

His heart gave a nervous thump. “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

 

 

Riding along next to Elam was magical. It was the only word she could find to describe it. She felt as if she was living a dream, or maybe playing a part in one of those
Englisch
movies. The night seemed perfect, just enough lingering chill to say Christmas was coming. The stars twinkled, the wind was still, and the sound of jungle bells filled the air.

“Where are we going?” It had only taken a few moments before she realized they weren’t headed toward either of their houses.

Elam shot her a smile over his right shoulder. “You’ll see.”

Emily snuggled a little deeper into her coat. Not because she was cold, but for the cozy feeling she got from sitting next to Elam.

Then to her surprise he began to sing. His voice was rich and deep as he sang “Love Is Patient and Kind.” She had heard the song many times before, but never had anyone sang it to her.

Emily leaned back and found herself nestled against him as the buggy swayed with each step. Magical,
jah
. The night was perfect.

“We’re here.”

Emily opened her eyes hardly aware she had closed them until he spoke. She blinked and leaned forward, staring out at the town of Wells Landing below them. Main Street was lit with the old-fashioned street lamps that lined both sides, but it was the multicolored twinkling Christmas lights that took her breath away.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, her voice hesitant, as if mere words could shatter the night.

“
Jah
.” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Is something wrong?”

“
Nay,
no, just uh . . . would you like some cider?”

Emily smiled. “Very much so.”

He retrieved the thermos and filled the attached cup with the warm brew. “There are no other cups.” He handed the lid to her.

“We can share.” She took a sip and passed it back, wholly aware of the intimacy of the action. Yet somehow it felt . . . right. Her and Elam, the magical night, and a cup of toasty apple cider.

“Emily.” Elam cleared his throat, then started again. “Emily, you have come to mean so much to me and my family over these past few weeks.”

“I feel the same,” she said, unable to stop her frown. “Is everything okay?”

Elam swallowed hard, then took one of her hands into his. “I have something I need to tell you.”

“Okay.” She resisted the urge to jerk away from him. Maybe if he wasn’t touching her, he wouldn’t seem so stern or serious. But she loved the way his callous palm seemed to envelop her entire hand, warming her fingers halfway up her arm.

“I have loved you my entire life.”

“What?” she breathed.

He shook his head. “Let me finish. Please.” He took a deep breath as if gathering courage. “I have loved you my entire life, but I know that you and Luke Lambright . . .” He stopped. “I’m making a mess of this.” Elam sighed and looked to the sky as if asking for help. “Emily, will you marry me?”

Emily started to tremble. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She was speechless in the face of his proposal.

She closed her mouth, then opened it to try a second time. Not that she knew what her answer would be.

Elam laid one gloved finger over her lips. “You don’t have to answer now. I know you don’t love me. But I’m willing to take a chance that one day soon you will . . . that you might come to care for me.”

“I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’ll think about it.”

“
Jah
. Of course.”

“I think my feelings for you are clear.” His voice sounded unpracticed in the cool night air. “I would do anything to make you happy. You have come to mean so much to my family, to me.”

She swallowed hard. “I care about you all.” It was the truth.

“That’s all I can ask for.” He gave a satisfied nod and set the horse into motion once again.

Emily bumped shoulders with Elam as the horse pulled them back down the small incline. It was a nice feeling, sitting beside him, brushing against him with the sway of the buggy. Elam was a
gut
man, steady and true, but the idea of loving anyone other than Luke was as foreign to her as Spanish.

She chanced a peek at his handsome profile as he steered them toward her house. Her father was right: Elam would make a fine husband, a
gut
father. But she wasn’t ready to make that commitment yet. She needed a little more time to get used to the idea that Luke was gone. He wasn’t coming back and life in Wells Landing had to go on.

If nothing else, Elam deserved that much. He deserved to know that she was over Luke, and no matter what, his memory wouldn’t come between them. She would wait until then before she gave him her answer.

 

 

Luke stared at the pathetic Christmas tree. Someone had placed the drooping two-foot pine on the chipped dining room table.

Of all the things he wanted to experience in the outside world, an
Englisch
Christmas topped the list. Maybe not with Santa and reindeer, but a beautiful tree like the one they put up in the hardware store in Wells Landing. There was something special about that tree. Luke wasn’t sure if it was the twinkling red and white lights or the glitter-covered ornaments, but just looking at that symbol in the frosty window of the store made Luke feel like God was behind it.

He knew how ridiculous that sounded and how the bishop would feel about such a statement. But Luke didn’t care. That tree stood for everything good about the
Englisch
world, and how they felt about God.

Looking at the scraggly thing on the table just made him sad. It made him want to go back to Wells Landing, even only for a night or two, and look in the hardware store window.

He had fifty dollars to his name. His car wouldn’t take him from Van Buren, Arkansas, to Oklahoma without an oil change, a new set of spark plugs, and a tank of gas. But right then, he would have given anything to be back on Main Street.

Chris Troyer slapped him on the shoulder, startling him out of his melancholy thoughts. “Why so glum, chum?” Chris laughed, the permanent smile on his face not one bit dimmer by the thought of spending Christmas away from his family.

He never said as much, but Luke had the feeling that Chris’s home life wasn’t happy. All Luke knew about him was he had eleven brothers and sisters and he never quit smiling. But his grin stopped long before reaching his eyes.

So Chris’d had a hard life. He’d left the Amish to start again. And he wasn’t looking back. But Luke had left more behind than Chris.

Emily’s sweet face materialized in his mind.

“Girl troubles?” Chris asked.

“Something like that,” Luke muttered. But it was more than just Emily. He missed . . . everything. He missed his uncle, his friends, the Christmas tree in the window at the hardware store.

“Come on in here,” Chris said, waving him toward the living room. “We are going to watch a Christmas movie.”

Luke shook his head. He didn’t want to watch a movie about Christmas. He wanted to live it. He wanted . . . “I think I’ll go lay down.”

Chris shrugged in his whatever-you-want sort of way and plopped down on the worn couch. The other two ex-Amish who lived in the house were already gathered around the television waiting on whatever it was to start.

Luke hovered in the space between the dining room and the living room. He couldn’t even talk his feet into moving toward the attic stairs. The Christmas tree before him stood as a mockery to everything he had dreamed. It wasn’t like he thought it would be. Nothing had been like he thought it would be. Not . . . one . . . thing . . .

“You okay, man?” Tony Stoltzfus asked.

Luke could barely nod. “I think I’m going out for a while.”

“I thought you were going to lay down.”

Luke frowned. “I’m going to go home for Christmas.”

 

 

“I’ve never been picked up for a date on a tractor before.” Emily eyed the big green machine with mistrust.

“Then it’s time you got out a little more.” Elam smiled at her, and Emily’s doubts melted away. Well, most of them. “When did you learn to drive one of these?”

“During my
rumspringa
. Now are you going with me or not?”

“Where are we going again?” She was being difficult, but she couldn’t help herself.

“It’s a surprise.”

Emily crossed her arms. “I don’t like surprises.”

Elam cocked his head to one side. In the golden light of the setting sun, she couldn’t read his expression, but she had a strong feeling it fell somewhere between laughing and exasperated. “Everyone likes surprises.”

“Everyone likes
gut
surprises.”

He herded her toward the tractor. “Are you implying that my surprise might not be
gut?
”

“Are you feeling guilty about your surprise?” She stopped when her knees bumped against the green painted metal. “Whose tractor is this anyway?”

Before he answered, he wrapped his hands around her waist and hoisted her into the cab. “It’s Andrew Fitch’s tractor.”

“And he just let you have it?”

“For the night,
jah
. Are you going to complain about it all evening or have you decided to try and enjoy yourself?”

“I think . . .” She tapped one finger against her chin, trying to appear as if she had a big decision to make. “I’ll enjoy myself.”

“
Gut,
” he said. “Hang on to your
kapp
. You are in for a ride.”

Emily couldn’t remember the last time she had been on a tractor. Even though the night air held the chill of winter, she enjoyed the fresh air and being so close to Elam.

And okay, so maybe she did like some surprises. But she wasn’t prepared when he pulled the tractor across the highway and down the road that ran between the Millers’ cornfields.

“Are we going to the pond?”

The weather wasn’t cold enough for them to even think about skating on the water.

Elam shook his head. “You’ll see.”

They drove past the Millers’ and continued on. Emily began to notice the power lines on the sides of the road. Street lamps and security lights began to show the way.

“Almost there,” Elam said, turning down the lane with dormant fields on either side.

Several buggies, a few tractors, and many, many cars were parked to the side. Elam pulled Andrew’s tractor alongside the other vehicles and turned off the engine.

“I still don’t know where we are,” she said as she hopped down.

“We’re in Bethlehem.”

She tilted her head, studying his expression from one way and then the other. Was he serious? He looked serious enough. Then he smiled as he handed the man at the front gate two tickets and led her into a field.

“This
Englisch
farmer sets this up each year. He uses the kids from the local high schools to act out the Christmas story.” As he finished, they came upon the first part of the journey.

A young man stepped forward and recited these words: “‘And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.’”

Behind him a light turned on, shining on a man dressed in full Roman armor. Emily guessed he was supposed to be Caesar Augustus as he signed a paper with flourish. The light went out, and the narrator continued, this time walking forward down a path. The spectators followed.

“‘And all went to be taxed,’” the narrator continued, “‘every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.’”

Behind him another light shone down this time onto a weary man who led a donkey. On the back of the beast sat a tired, pregnant woman. Man, woman, and beast appeared as if they were ready to collapse any minute.

For the first time in her life, Emily thought about what it meant for them to walk from Galilee to Bethlehem. She had no idea how far it was. But the journey couldn’t have been easy. Especially not when pregnant and close to delivery.

She and Elam walked along with the crowd, following Mary and Joseph. They ambled along, Mary perched on the back of the donkey, Joseph’s heavy footsteps leading the way.

Once they reached the destination, the lights went out and a single spotlight focused on a new narrator. “‘And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.’”

The lights came back on, and there sat Mary with the baby Jesus.

Tears sprang into Emily’s eyes at the beautiful depiction. She moved a little closer to Elam, sharing his heat and the sight with him.

“It’s beautiful,
jah?
” he whispered.

Emily nodded, unable to force words past the lump in her throat.

“‘And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.’”

As the fictional Mary laid the baby in a wooden trough, Emily wiped away her tears with the back of one hand. The baby stretched and fussed a little about being put down. Emily was both shocked and overjoyed that the presenters used a real baby for the exhibit.

The light remained on Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, but another light snapped on to their left. As Emily turned, the narrator spoke.

“‘And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.’”

The shepherds milled around, herding their lambs and sheep who bleated in response. Everyone laughed at one little lamb who wanted to play rather than be herded.

“‘And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.’”

The shepherds fell to their knees and bowed their heads as an angel appeared.

Emily wasn’t sure how they accomplished such a feat. The angel fairly glowed, suspended above the shepherd and the flocks of milling sheep.

“‘Fear not,’” the angel said. “‘For, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’”

The narrator spoke again, “‘And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’”

They continued to watch as the shepherds made their way to Bethlehem to see the new baby. The wise men came from the faraway lands, bringing the new babe precious gifts. The kings wore long, jewel-colored robes and gold crowns on their heads. Above the manger, a bright star shone, brighter than any Emily had ever seen.

Elam clasped her hand into his own, and Emily smiled at him. What a wonderful gift to see such a production. He returned her smile, squeezed her fingers, but kept her hand in his.

Hand in hand they walked through the field, enjoying the remarkable story with the others who had come. There were Amish and
Englisch
alike, all celebrating the special birth.

At the end of the trail to Bethlehem, vendors were stationed. There were places selling food, hand warmers, Christmas ornaments, and various other holiday goods.

Elam led her to a stand selling hot drinks. A couple was ahead of them in line, each trying to decide what to get.

Emily scanned the menu. “What’s a hot vanilla?”

“I s’pose it’s like a hot chocolate, but vanilla instead,” Elam replied.

Emily made a face.

“You don’t like that idea?”

“Why would I drink vanilla when I can have chocolate?” she asked in return.

“I think it sounds good.” He took a step toward the counter as the other couple took their drinks and left. “I’ll have one of those.”

The man behind the counter poured the drink.

“
Jah?
” Emily asked.

Elam shrugged. “It’s
gut
to try something different for a change.”

For some reason his words rang like a challenge. Was he talking about hot vanilla drinks or the two of them? “Okay then, I’ll take one, too.”

They took their drinks, wandering around looking at the wares for sale.

Emily sipped her hot vanilla.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“It’s delicious.” Better than delicious. So much better than she thought it would be. Rich, creamy, and surprising, the hint of cinnamon deliciously unexpected.

He shot her a knowing look, but refrained from actually saying,
I told you so
.