As Grace entered the schoolhouse, where Anna and the other schoolchildren would be putting on their Christmas program, weariness settled over her like a heavy fog. The past few weeks had been stressful for everyone. Not only had Dad’s shop been blown up and his cows killed, but also two days ago, Dad and Mom had come down with a bad case of stomach flu, which meant they wouldn’t be able to attend Anna’s program tonight. Grace hoped no one else in the family came down with the flu.
At least there have been no attacks in the last two weeks, she thought as she took a seat behind Anna’s desk. Anna had scurried behind the curtain at the front of the room, and Cleon stood near the back, holding Daniel.
She glanced around the room and spotted Abe standing at the back near Cleon. Cleon’s brother Ivan was there, too, along with his girlfriend, Amanda. Grace figured it was just a matter of time before Ivan and Amanda became engaged. Soon Cleon’s folks would only have Carolyn living at home.
Children grow up too quickly, she thought as she spotted Abe’s daughter Esta slip behind the curtain, along with her brothers Josh, who’d recently turned eleven, and Gideon, the oldest. Ruth sat at a desk with Abe’s youngest boy, five-year-old Owen, beside her, while she held little Molly in her lap.
Grace smiled when Ruth nuzzled the top of Molly’s blond head. My sister will make a good mudder to Abe’s kinner. I’m glad she’s found love again.
“How are your folks feeling?” Aunt Rosemary asked as she took a seat across the aisle from Grace. “I hear they’ve both got the flu.”
Grace nodded. “They’re still pretty sick. Martha stayed home to see to their needs so Ruth could be here to watch the program.”
Aunt Rosemary’s eyebrows puckered. “Does that mean they’re going to miss Christmas?”
“It looks that way. You’re still invited to our house on Christmas Eve, and we’re planning to come to your place on Christmas Day. If no one else gets sick, that is,” Grace quickly added.
“We’ll have to pray they don’t.”
“Jah.”
Grace turned toward the front of the room as the children’s teacher stepped in front of the curtain. “Welcome to our Christmas program,” she said. “We’ll begin with some recitations and poems by our first and second graders.”
The first graders gave their recitations first, and then it was Anna’s turn. She glanced at Grace and smiled. “A long time ago, a sweet baby was born. God’s Son, Jesus, came to earth that special morn.”
Grace smiled and gave Anna a nod to let her know she’d done a good job reciting the poem.
As the program continued, Grace thought about what Christmas meant to her. It was a joyful, peaceful time of the year, when family and friends gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus and thank God for His many blessings. She thought about the sacrifice God had made to send His Son to earth to die for the sins of the world and how Jesus had suffered so those who believed in Him might have eternal life.
Nothing we’ve had to go through can compare with the suffering Jesus endured, Grace thought. Even what Mary and Joseph went through as they searched for a place where Mary could give birth had to have been stressful.
She watched Esta, dressed as Mary, enter carrying a baby doll in her arms. Grace thought about how God had told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt because Jesus’ life was in danger. Trials and suffering would always be part of life, she realized, but it was how people chose to get through those trials that made the difference. They could either cry about their troubles and live in fear, or they could trust God and rely on Him to see them through. Tragedies either drove people away from God or drew them closer to Him. Grace hoped everyone in her family would draw closer to God during this Christmas season and keep their focus on Him, not the unpleasant circumstances that had been brought into their lives.
Martha pulled the heavy quilt on her bed aside and sank onto the crisp, white sheets. She’d spent all day waiting on Mom and Dad and was exhausted. She rolled onto her back, watching the evening shadows dance across the ceiling and trying to relax. As tired as she felt, sleep refused to come.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Martha bolted upright in bed and turned on the battery-operated lamp by her bed. It sounded like someone was throwing something against her window. She jumped up and raced over to the window, pulling the curtain aside. A man wearing Amish clothes, bathed in the light of the full, bright moon, appeared to be staring up at her room.
She opened the window and stuck her head out, hoping to see who it was.
“Psst. Martha! Can you come down?”
The man looking up at her was Luke. Martha willed her heart to stop throbbing.
“I’ll be right there!” She closed the window and slipped out of her nightgown and into a dress and sneakers. She quickly did up her hair, set her kapp in place, and tiptoed out of the room. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped and listened, hoping Mom and Dad weren’t awake. Except for the soft snores coming from their room, all was quiet. She grabbed her jacket from the wall peg and slipped out the back door.
The smile Martha gave Luke when she stepped up to him took his breath away. “Luke, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“Came to see you.”
She glanced around. “I don’t see your horse and buggy. I hope you didn’t walk all the way over here in the cold.”
He shook his head. “I drove over in my truck, parked it down the road a piece, and came the rest of the way on foot. Didn’t want to take the chance of anyone hearing me come in.” He leaned casually against the trunk of a tree and reached into his jacket pocket, hoping she wouldn’t know how nervous he felt. “I wanted to give you this,” he said as he pulled out a paper sack.
“What is it?”
“Just a little something for Christmas.”
“Ach, Luke, I wish you hadn’t done that.”
“Why not?”
She dropped her gaze to the ground. “Because I have nothing for you.”
“That’s okay. I didn’t expect anything.” Luke pushed the paper sack at her, and she lifted her gaze. “It’s not much, but I thought you might like it.”
With another smile that warmed Luke’s heart, Martha took the sack and peered inside.
“It’s a book on grooming and boarding dogs. I figured since you’ve had some trouble breeding dogs, you might like to try something different for a change.”
Martha removed the book from the sack and stood staring at it.
“If you don’t like it, I can take it back. I bought it at a bookstore in New Philly, so it won’t be hard for me to return.”
Martha shook her head. “No, no. I like the book. Danki, Luke.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ve actually thought about boarding dogs, but the notion of grooming dogs has never occurred to me. It’s something to consider for the future.”
“If you got into boarding and grooming dogs, would you continue to breed them, too?”
“Probably so.”
“At least the dogs you raise are well cared for, and you always make sure they get good homes.”
“Jah. John Peterson is taking good care of Flo, and the same holds true for the Larsons and Esta Wengerd.” Martha’s forehead wrinkled. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to keep in close contact with everyone who buys my dogs.”
“Most folks who spend the money to buy a purebred dog will see that it’s cared for, don’t you think?”
“I hope that’s always the case.”
Luke glanced up at the house. “I didn’t wake your folks when I threw pebbles at your window, I hope.”
She shook her head. “Mom and Dad have been down with the flu. I’m sure they’re asleep.”
“What about Ruth?”
“She went to the Christmas program at the schoolhouse with the Wengerds, and she’s not back yet.”
Luke blew out his breath, wishing he could say all that was on his mind.
Martha pulled her jacket tighter around her neck and shivered. “It’s sure cold out here. I wish I could invite you in for some hot chocolate, but—”
He held up his hand. “It’s okay; I understand. If your daed knew you were out here talking to me, that would be bad enough. If he found me sitting in your kitchen sipping hot chocolate and eating cookies, he’d probably have a heart attack.”
She playfully poked his arm. “Who said anything about cookies?”
He snickered. “Guess my stomach was doing some wishful thinking.”
“I don’t know when or how it’s going to happen, Luke, but I feel confident that one day Dad will finally realize you’re a good man.”
“And that I’m not the one responsible for the attacks against your family,” he added.
“That, too.” Martha groaned. “I’m sure you heard about some of my daed’s cows being shot a few weeks ago.”
He nodded and was about to express his concerns, when he heard the distinctive clippety-clop of a horse’s hooves on the road out front.
“That might be Abe bringing Ruth home,” Martha said.
“I’d better go in case it is.” Luke started to walk away but turned back. “Would it be all right if I come over to see you at Irene’s place sometime? I’d like to talk some more about the attacks and who I think might be responsible.”
“I’d like that, too, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to talk in front of Irene or Carolyn. Maybe we can meet somewhere in town.”
“Okay. When and where do you want to meet?”
She shrugged. “The next few weeks will be busy with Ruth and Abe’s wedding coming up, so I probably won’t have much chance to meet with you until that’s behind us.”
“I understand. If we have a minute to talk after the wedding, maybe we can decide on a time and place then.”
The sound of the horse drew closer. Luke turned and saw the silhouette of a horse and buggy starting up the driveway. He had to go. “Have a Merry Christmas, Martha,” he called before racing around the side of the house and into the field.