Grace: A Christmas Sisters of the Heart Novel (22 page)

His expression turned awed. “Oh, but she’s beautiful, Melody.”

“I think so, too.”

He looked so wistful, so overcome, she motioned him closer. “Would you like to hold her?”

“No, I couldn’t.” But he did step closer.

“Why not?” Gently, she held her arms out to him. “Hold her, Levi. After all, she’s in your debt.”

Almost as if he was in a trance, he took Faith from her, taking special care to hold the baby’s head and neck securely. Melody had to smile—Faith looked even smaller in his big hands. She hadn’t thought such a thing was possible.

Slowly, he sat down, hardly lifting his eyes from Faith’s peaceful face. Still her little girl slept on.

Finally, he met her gaze. “Why would you say she was in my debt?”

“It was a poor joke, I suppose. But how could I not feel beholden to you? You stayed with me, because I asked. You comforted me because I needed you—even though being in this room had to be a terribly difficult thing.” Though she knew she was stumbling over her words, Melody kept trying to make Levi see things from her point of view. “Levi, quite honestly, I don’t know how I would have gotten through yesterday if you hadn’t been by my side.”

“But I didn’t do anything. It was Zack and Leah who helped you deliver.”

“Only at the very end.” Reaching out, she pressed her palm on his arm. “Levi, I know you would have helped me if they wouldn’t have come.”

“I would have. But I’m glad I didn’t have to.”

As she watched the man she’d come to trust so much hold her baby, Melody felt a contentment she hadn’t known would be possible to feel.

With a start, she realized she was feeling much of the same emotions toward him that she did with Faith. Longing to be with him as much as possible.

Sometime over the course of her visit, and their time together, she’d fallen in love. She, who’d assumed she’d never trust a man again.

Though Levi’s coffee was delicious, the previous day’s exertions still left her exhausted. She tried hard to resist,
but her eyelids grew heavy. “Levi, would you mind watching over Faith for me? Just for a little while?” A yawn escaped her. “Suddenly, I’m so tired …”

And suddenly, she felt so warm and content. She let herself lower her defenses.

She let herself sleep.

Levi blinked as he realized what had happened. Melody had fallen asleep … and had entrusted him with Faith.

In his arms, the tiny baby slept as well. She was so light in his arms, he knew he could have held her all day. And her expression was so sweet, it tore the last of his layers of grief away. Now he could only find hope in his heart. Hope and love for Faith … and a growing love for Melody, too.

When Faith shifted her arm, Levi warily looked at the bed. Melody had made a little area right next to her for the babe.

Perhaps the right thing to do would be to set Faith there and give Melody her privacy?

Yes. That was the right thing to do, for sure. As gently as he could, he set Faith next to Melody and hovered, just to make sure she didn’t cry.

But instead of fretting, the babe shifted, then continued her slumber. Looking like an angel from heaven.

In front of him was a sight he’d always imagined seeing. Of course, the woman wasn’t his wife. And the baby wasn’t the girl who’d died with Rosanna. But for just a few moments, he could imagine that this was his family.

That these girls were his heart.

And so he sat down again. Just in case he was needed.

As Melody slumbered, he took the opportunity to gaze at her. To look upon every feature in a way he would have never allowed himself to do if she was awake. Her hair was slick, silky to the touch.

His fingers twitched as he remembered brushing it away from her face.

Her cheeks held the faint bloom of a blush. He remembered they’d burned bright red in embarrassment when he dared to ask her about her past. And had sweetly pinked when she caught him staring at her for too long.

Her lips, so perfectly formed, gently moved with each breath. He remembered when she’d first smiled at him … and at how dazzled he’d felt. He imagined kissing her, of holding her close in his arms.

He couldn’t deny the truth any longer. He was enchanted by Melody.

And by tiny Faith, of course. A yearning for a child of his own. Forcing himself to look at the baby, he knew there was no greater gift than a newborn baby. How could he ever have asked Melody if she’d planned to keep Faith?

How could anyone look at Faith and only see ugliness? Surely not him.

Burgeoning inside of him was the warm, sweet feeling of happiness. Of protection.

Of hope.

For the first time in ages, he actually wanted to make plans. He ached to ask Melody when he could come visit. Ached to ask if he could write to her.

And … he wanted other things, too. Marriage. A life beside her.

But even the idea of asking for her hand gave him pause. How would she react to such demands? Would she yearn to forget him? To try and put all the experiences they had shared out of her mind?

Steeling himself, he knew he had to try. He wanted to see her again as soon as possible. Even waiting two weeks sounded like too much.

For better or worse … she had become his heart.

A faint knock startled him. Turning, he watched the door open as Leah peeked in. “Hi. Am I interrupting anything?”

“Nee.
Melody is sleeping.”

“And you’re just watching them sleep?”

“I, uh, I just lost track of time, I suppose,” he murmured. Since Leah still stood there, looking at him curiously, he got to his feet. “I should probably go.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep watch over Faith.”

“Yes. Yes, that’s very good. I’ll um, just leave you now.” With effort, he walked out the door. Already at a loss.

Already wishing he’d had a reason to stay.

December 25, 10:00
A.M.

“When can we open presents, Katie?” Mary asked. “We’ve been so patient.”

Katie shared a knowing look with her mother. Though Santa Claus didn’t pay them a visit, of course, the girls each had three or four packages sitting on a windowsill, their fancy green and red wrappings making the room look bright and merry.

Katie had also brought from her room a few other special gifts … one for her mother, and two others, one for Winnie and one for Anna. A part of her was as eager as a child to share her offerings.

But was it appropriate to exchange gifts now, with guests nearby? She looked to her parents for guidance.

As if he could read her mind, her father nodded slowly. “I think opening a few gifts right now would be a fine idea. Though much has been happening around here, it is still Christmas Day. We can’t lose sight of that.”

“I agree,” her mother said. “Once again, we have much to be thankful for. The snow and ice only serve to highlight that.”

Hannah clapped her hands as she scampered out of the room. “I’ll go find everyone and bring them in here.”

Katie chuckled as she followed her parents to the hearth room. Moments later, Jonathan came in with a load of wood, Zack, Henry, and Sam behind him.

“Daed!” Mary called out. “It’s time to open my presents.”

“Who says?”

“Daadi—Grandpa, that’s who.”

Jonathan’s face turned serious. “Then I guess I had best do as he says, yes?” After sharing a smile with Katie, he said, “Let me wash my hands and get more coffee. The weather outside near froze me through.”

When Sam and Henry mentioned they would do the same, Katie stood up and walked to Zack. “I hope you don’t mind that we have a bit of family time now? Of course, if you’d like, you’d be most welcome to join us.”

Zack waved off her remarks with a lopsided grin. “This is a time just for family, I think. I’d be sad if you put off opening presents because we’re here. I just wanted to tell you that I was going to help myself to coffee and then go find Leah.”

“She’s in with Melody and Levi,” Anna supplied.

“I’ll go there, then.”

As Winnie entered the room, Katie’s mother spoke to Zack. “Please help yourself to coffee and some warm cinnamon rolls, too. We’ll have a real breakfast soon, with eggs and potatoes and sausages.”

“No worries,” Zack said over his shoulder as he left. “Those rolls smell so good, I’m sure they’ll suit me fine.”

Soon, it was just their wonderful extended family again. Katie held Eli while Jonathan chatted with Mary and Hannah. Nearby Anna and Henry sat together, looking for all the world like a pair of newlyweds. Every so often, Anna would sneak a glance Henry’s way and he would smile back. Or pat her shoulder.

On the other side of the room sat Winnie and Sam. Their marriage never failed to make Katie smile. While Anna and Henry’s relationship might be classified as more tender and circumspect, Winnie and Sam’s marriage seemed to be filled with talk and teasing. Samuel’s brilliant mind had sparked a curiosity in Winnie that Katie hadn’t ever realized was under the surface. Now she seemed most interested in just about everything around her, and that curiosity seemed to suit Samuel just fine.

As at that very moment—sitting there across from Katie, the pair was teasing each other about Winnie’s proposed garden, and what to plant first. She noticed that Sam was holding Winnie’s hand in between the both of his while they traded barbs.

Finally, near the fireplace, sat her parents. It was no exaggeration to say they were the heart and soul of her
family. Though they’d been up as late as everyone else, their expressions were bright as they watched Mary and Hannah chat up a storm and wiggle with anticipation.

Once everyone was settled, it was time to exchange gifts. Standing up, her father walked to the corner behind the fireplace and pulled out a beautiful walking stick. The top was hand carved into an octagon shape. Just like the other canes and sticks he carved, at first glance it looked deceptively simple, then further inspection revealed true craftsmanship.

He cleared his throat. “Jonathan, I made this for you.”

Her husband looked at the cane with a bit of awe.
“Danke.
It’s a beautiful piece of work.”

Henry—being Henry—seemed to not be able to refrain from teasing. “Daed, are you starting to worry about Jonathan gettin’ around all right? He
is
getting older …”

“I only worry about him when my grandson is up in the middle of the night fussing. And fussing.”

Jonathan chuckled, too. “On nights like that, I feel like I am in dire need of a cane!”

Hannah jumped up. “Do we need to wait much longer to open
our
presents?”

“Not another minute,” Katie said. “Go open them now.”

As she’d expected, the girls looked pleased with their new nightgowns and overjoyed to have robes from a department store … the fabric was incredibly soft, just like a newborn lamb’s coat.

But Katie found her eyes widening with the girls when they opened the next two presents … baby dolls. Not ‘Amish’ handmade ones, either. These were real looking,
with eyes and soft smiles. They looked so dear. “Mamm, you spoil them.”

“Not so much.” With a gentle smile at the girls, she said, “I thought you might enjoy having your own babies for a bit.”

“Just like Eli!”

“Except these won’t fuss as much or as loudly,” Mary added.

With her heart swelling with love and pride, Katie opened up the lid to her sewing basket and pulled out the star quilt she’d labored over for so many nights. “Mary, this is for you. A Christmas quilt.”

Mary’s eyes widened as she examined the colorful, bright star. “Oh, Katie! How did you make it without me seeing?”

Jonathan grunted. “In the middle of the night.”

Mary ran a hand over the quilt again, making Katie realize that all her hard work was worth every minute. “I love it. It’s
wunderbaar!”

Anna came over and knelt next to Mary. “This is truly beautiful work, Katie. Oh, Mary, what a treasure!”

Then, of course, it was time for the girls to hand their grandmother the set of placemats they’d worked so hard to piece together and stitch carefully.

Winnie and Samuel gave each other packets of seeds.

Anna gave Henry a shirt. “I made it myself,” she declared proudly. “And this one, I actually think you’ll be able to wear!”

Henry held it up in front of him. “Ah. Yes, this time the arms are the same length,” he said.
“Danke,
my
liewe.”

As Katie watched everyone exchange their simple gifts to each other, her whole being filled with joy. This was what she’d been looking forward to when they’d all planned to spend a week together at the inn. Time together.

“Mamm,”
Mary ventured, “did you get Daed anything?”

They’d already agreed not to exchange gifts. With Eli’s birth, and the chance for all to be here at the inn, Katie knew there wouldn’t be a single other thing in the world that she needed.

But it was Jonathan who answered. “A little over a year ago, when Katie agreed to marry me, she gave me her heart and reminded me about togetherness again. She’s given me joy and trust.”

She looked at her husband with happiness. Oh, but he was such a good man. A kind one. “I feel the same way,” she said.

Then, to her surprise, he stood up, left the room, and returned with a cloak. A beautifully made cloak in black, with a soft lining, too. “But I did think you could use a new cloak, Katie. This one should keep you warm all winter long. You and the babe,” he whispered.

She knew the coat symbolized so many things. It would cover her body and keep her warm. It symbolized the shelter she’d so often yearned for years ago.

And every time she would put it over her shoulders, she knew she’d remember the joy of this day. “I love it,” she said simply. Then, she reached out to him and nodded.

Positively beaming with pride, he reached for her hand and looked around the room again. “Just last night, Katie
told me she had yet another present for me … a new baby is on the way.”

The room erupted in cheers as Anna and Winnie rushed forward, followed by Katie’s mother and father.