The storm blew itself out during the evening. By morning there wasn’t a cloud in the sky to obscure the stars that were still out when Becca and Tully went to the barn. A half-moon hanging above the horizon left the snow-covered landscape almost as bright as day. He tramped a path through the snow that was thigh-deep in places and helped her along. Tully was careful to keep the conversation casual. If she noticed he was quieter than usual, she didn’t comment on it.
The sun was just rising when they finished. Tully followed Becca along the narrow path toward the house. He stopped and cocked his head to the side. Did he hear sleigh bells?
The sound grew louder. He looked toward the lane and saw four magnificent high-stepping Belgian draft horses hitched abreast come charging into sight. Snow flew up from their hooves. Their breath made clouds of white around their heads as the sun glinted off their shiny caramel-colored backs and brass harness bells. An Amish man he didn’t know stood on a wedge-shaped road grader behind them, a mountain of a man who looked as if he could handle the massive team easily.
He pulled to a stop in front of the house. The horses tossed their heads and snorted, seeming eager to be off again. “Guder mariye, Becca,” he called out. “You shouldn’t have any trouble getting to church service now. You are the last home on my route.”
“Danki, Jesse. I was wondering if we would have to take the sleigh.”
“My boys can break through most any drift as long as it’s not higher than their heads.” He nodded to her and spoke softly to his team. They lunged into their collars, pulling the grader easily and leaving a cleared path nearly ten feet wide with snow piled high on either side behind them.
“That man gives new meaning to the word horsepower.” Tully watched in amazement as they made one more pass around the yard and went out the lane.
Becca chuckled. “Jesse Crump has a fine team. He and his wife farm on the other side of New Covenant, and he works for the bishop building garden sheds.”
“How much does it cost to have your driveway plowed by four giant horses?”
She looked perplexed. “There is no charge. Jesse does it because it is needed.”
“For everyone in your Amish community?” How many hours had the man been up clearing roads?
“And for some of our Englisch neighbors. We take care of each other.”
She went into the house. He followed her after one last glance at the open lane. Tully could still hear the jingle of harness bells in the distance. “The mountain man gives new meaning to the word neighborly, too,” he muttered to himself. He found more to admire about the Amish every day he was among them.
The next half hour was a flurry of activity as everyone got ready for church. Tully cleaned and shined his boots and put on his best pair of jeans along with a blue-and-white-striped Western shirt adorned with pearl snaps.
When he came into the kitchen, he saw Gideon dressed in a black suit with a vest. Becca wore a dark blue dress with a snow-white apron and a freshly starched kapp on her head. Annabeth sat in a chair while her mother fixed her hair. Tully watched in amazement as she combed, folded and pinned Annabeth’s thick auburn tresses into a type of flat bun on the back of her head. Becca settled her daughter’s kapp over the bun and pinned it into place.
“That’s amazing.”
“What is?” Becca asked, adding a bobby pin to her own kapp.
“That you can get so much hair under those things.”
“It’s easy.” She turned around. Her mouth dropped open in surprise.
He looked down at his shirt and jeans. “Is something wrong?”
Annabeth gave a big nod. “You are not plain enough, Tully. But your buttons are very pretty.”
“They’re snaps.” He demonstrated by popping them open and closed on his cuff. He looked from Becca to Gideon, who were both still staring at him.
Gideon cleared his throat. “You look goot for an Englischer.”
“But much too fancy to be an Amish fellow,” Annabeth added.
Becca had recovered her composure. “You look okay. Are we ready?” She collected a large box from the table and headed for the door. Tully jumped to open it for her. Annabeth followed her mother. Gideon came slowly on his crutches with his injured leg held stiffly out in front of him. Tully grabbed his jean jacket and stayed close behind the old man until he was safely settled in the front seat of the buggy.
“I’m going to follow you in my car.”
Becca nodded. “All right.”
The trip to New Covenant took about twenty-five minutes on the snowy road. He stayed behind them with his amber lights flashing to warn people coming up behind him that there was a slow-moving vehicle ahead. Almost everybody slowed down. Only two cars shot around them. One was a red sports car whose driver felt it was necessary to blast his horn in the process.
They passed Annabeth’s school and turned into a farm not far beyond it. There were already a dozen buggies lined up beside the barn. He recognized Michael Shetler leading a horse, still wearing his harness, away from one of the buggies toward the open barn door. Otto met him and took the horse inside.
Michael came to Tully’s car door. Tully rolled down the window. “Have you come to worship with us?” Michael asked.
“Gideon didn’t think it would be a good idea. He suggested I go to an English church not far from here. Can you give me directions?”
“To Pastor Frank’s church? Sure. Go back out on the highway and go left to the first intersection. Follow the road toward Fort Craig. You will see the church on the left side of the road just after you get into town. Tell Frank I’ll be late for our regular meeting this week.”
“I’ll do that. Becca said I should come back for the meal. About what time would that be?”
“Our meetings last about three and a half hours, so if you return close to noon, there should be something left for you to eat.”
“Thanks a lot.” Tully watched Becca help Gideon out of their buggy. He started to get out of the car to assist her but quickly saw she had more than enough help as numerous men, including the mountainous Jesse, came to her aid. She glanced his way and lifted her hand in a small wave. He did the same. A moment later she was surrounded by a group of women, and they all went inside the house.
A familiar sense of loneliness took hold of him, although he tried to ignore it. Becca and Gideon had made him feel so much at home that seeing them surrounded by other Amish while he sat in a car made him aware of just how far apart they truly were. He put the car in gear and followed Michael’s directions.
Near the outskirts of the town, a small building caught his eye. The sign above it said Lumberjack Bar. The parking lot was empty, but that wasn’t unusual for any bar at this time of day. He drove on, glad he didn’t have to face that temptation when he was already feeling ill at ease.
Finally he saw the small white church he’d been told about. He turned into the paved parking lot that had been cleared of snow. A beat-up orange truck with a snowplow on the front was parked at the far end of the lot. It might do the trick, but it sure wasn’t as pretty as Jesse’s big horses.
Tully got out of his car. Either he was among the first to arrive, or Pastor Frank had a really small congregation. He met the preacher just inside the door. The middle-aged man dressed in black looked Tully up and down. “An unfamiliar face. Welcome to the Lord’s Community Church. Are you here to attend worship, or do you need directions to somewhere else?”
“I’ve been told that you’re a good preacher. I thought I should come see for myself.”
“Then you are doubly welcome. Would you happen to be the cowboy that’s staying with Gideon Beachy and his family?”
His question took Tully aback. “How could you know that?”
“The Amish children around here used to attend our public school. Many have remained friends with their former classmates. The story of your ability with a rope spread quickly, including to my next-door neighbor’s children, who hurried over to tell me about it.”
“For people who don’t use telephones, the Amish don’t have trouble spreading news.”
Pastor Frank chuckled. “That is the truth.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost time to begin. Please find a seat.”
“Before I forget, Michael Shetler said he would be late to his regular meeting with you.”
“Thank you for the reminder. I have had a change of plans. I’ll have to let Michael know.”
“I can give him the message.”
“Great. The new days and times for our meetings are in the bulletin.” He took one from the bookshelf behind him and gave it to Tully.
There were more people coming in now. Tully moved to a pew at the back. While he waited for the service to begin, he scanned the paper Pastor Frank had given him. He saw the note about time changes for several meetings. One in particular caught his attention. The regular AA meeting had been moved from Friday to Saturday evening at six. The other meetings were for bereavement and survivors. He wondered which one of the three Michael attended.
Tully rolled up the paper. It was good to know there was an AA meeting available to him if he needed it while he was staying with the Beachys. Would he be able to remain anonymous in such a small, tight-knit community, or would word of his addiction get back to Becca before he got home from the meeting? It made him hesitate to attend. So far he hadn’t needed the support the way he had when he was back in the city, but that was only because he fell into bed every night too tired to even think about driving out to find a drink.
He took note of the well-dressed families around him. A few members wore jeans with nice shirts or sweaters, although none wore the Western style he favored. He gathered more than a few inquisitive glances, making him feel like an outsider in a group where everyone knew each other. Several young children moved along the pews, climbing over their parents and fussing. Some of the teenagers looked bored. They checked their phones frequently. Older people sat quietly with their heads bowed.
A woman with a pink streak in her blond hair began playing the organ up front. Around him folks lifted their hymnals and flipped through the pages. What the congregation lacked in harmonious voices they made up for with their enthusiasm. Tully didn’t bother trying to sing. He could twirl a rope, but when he tried to sing in a group like this, he sounded like a frog with a sore throat. Singing to the cows was a different story. They didn’t care what he sounded like, so he was able to carry half a tune.
Pastor Frank turned out to be an interesting speaker. Tully heard his message of a child’s anticipation for the arrival of Christmas and hoped-for presents under the tree. The pastor used it to show the world’s anticipation for the arrival of God’s only son on earth. Tully believed in God—he just wasn’t sure God believed in or cared about him.
He didn’t stick around after the service was over. It had only been little more than an hour, but he was already missing Becca.
He drove back to Michael Shetler’s place, intending to sit in his car until the Amish service was over. The sound of singing reached him when he shut off the engine. He rolled down his window.
The song wasn’t like the hymns at Pastor Frank’s church. There wasn’t any music, just voices raised together in slow, almost mournful undulation. They were singing in German—he recognized some of the lyrics. He got out of his car and moved onto the porch to hear better. The front door opened. A small boy of about three or four darted out quickly, followed by an older boy, who scooped him up. As they turned back, Tully recognized the kid as one from Annabeth’s school.
The boy grinned. “Hello, Cowboy. Do you have your rope handy? My little brudder is having trouble sitting still this morning.”
“Sorry, I don’t.”
“I’m joking. Come in.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
The boy nodded and went in, carrying his brother. Tully followed slowly. Inside he saw benches set up in rows with a narrow center aisle. The women sat on one side. Men sat on the other. He saw Gideon sitting near the front on a kitchen chair with his leg propped up with a pillow on a low stool. Tully quickly picked out Becca across the room with Annabeth beside her, and something in his chest eased. Simply seeing her made him feel better, happier.
The man preaching in Amish at the front of the room paid no attention to Tully. Off to his side Tully saw the younger boys occupied the last row of benches. Otto sat on the end beside the boy with the runaway toddler. Otto scooted over and patted the bench beside him. Tully smiled his thanks and sat down.
“Do you want me to tell you what the preacher is saying?” Otto asked in a low whisper.
“If it’s okay, sure.”
For the next hour, Tully listened to Otto relay what the minister and then the bishop spoke about. Some of it he was able to gather for himself when the bishop read from the German Bible he held. It was Matthew, chapter one. The messages preached were about remaining humble and keeping the true meaning of Christmas in hearts and minds during the season. The bishop asked his congregation not to be distracted by the colorful decorations and fancy gifts their Englisch neighbors used to celebrate the season but rather to remember it was a babe born in a lowly stable who quietly brought salvation to mankind.
When the next hymn started, Otto handed Tully a large black book and opened it for him. There weren’t any musical notes, just the lyrics written in German on one side of the page with the English translation beside it. Tully listened to the worshipers singing and realized Gideon had been wrong. Tully didn’t feel uncomfortable. The deep faith of those around him was as warm as if a blanket had been laid about his shoulders.
“Is it strange having an Englisch fellow live with you?” Becca’s friend Gemma Crump asked as they set out food on the tables following the preaching.
“It was a little strange at first, but I’m getting used to Tully. He certainly keeps Gideon from fussing.” His presence also decreased her loneliness, but she didn’t share that with her friends.
Gemma glanced at Becca from under lowered brows. “What does Danny think about the arrangement?”
“I’m not aware of how Danny feels about Tully, and I’m not sure I’d care. He did voice some concerns about Tully’s influence on Annabeth, but other than her fascination with his storytelling and rope tricks, I don’t see that she is being harmed by knowing him.” Annabeth was playing outside with her friends.
“I wish I could’ve seen his demonstration with his lasso,” Gemma’s mother, Dinah, said, setting out coffee cups.
“I saw it,” Bethany, Michael’s wife, said. “It was impressive.”
It had also been a glaring reminder that he wasn’t one of them. As had been the clothes he had on that morning. She had only seen him wearing his chambray shirts and dark jeans. They weren’t so very different from the clothing worn by other young men in the community, except Tully wore a belt with a large buckle. Amish men only wore suspenders.
“He sat in on the last of our service,” Dinah said looking out the window.
“I saw him.” Becca tried to sound as if it didn’t matter, but her heart had given a happy little leap knowing he was near again. It was amazing and frightening to know how much she had come to want his presence.
“I overheard Gideon telling Leroy that Tully has a wonderful sense of humor,” Dinah said. “My Leroy only thinks he is funny,” she added with a wry smile.
Gemma giggled. “I may tell Daed you said that.”
Becca looked at her friends. Should she say anything? She was troubled by the unhappiness Tully tried to hide with his jokes and stories. She focused on cutting the apple pies she had in front of her. “He tells wonderful tales, but he uses humor to hide his pain. From what I have gathered, his life has been filled with sorrow and unhappy memories. I want to change that.”
When no one said anything, Becca looked up. They were staring at her with shocked expressions on their faces. “What?”
“It sounds as though you have come to care for this young man,” Dinah said.
“As a friend,” Becca said quickly. The younger women looked relieved, but Dinah retained her look of concern.
“He feels bad about injuring our calf.” Becca tried to explain what she wanted. “I’m sure that’s part of why he offered to stay on and help when Gideon was hurt, but there is more to it. Tully has no family, no home to go to, not even a job to support himself, and yet he spends his time making us laugh and offering his help for nothing except food and a place to sleep. He has said he will stay until after the school program as his gift to Annabeth. I want to give Tully a Christmas season that he will remember fondly when he leaves us. As our gift to him. That’s what I mean.”
Gemma glanced at the other women in the room. “We give our Englisch neighbors candy or breads for them to enjoy. We sing carols to spread the joy of the season. Giving is something we all must practice.”
“That’s what I would like to do for Tully. I want us to share our gift of a plain Christmas season. I want him to feel included, not simply tolerated. Do you think that’s wrong?”
“I don’t,” Bethany said. “I’m sure we can come up with a dozen ways to make his stay with us special.”
Dinah grinned and nodded. “It is charity to a stranger. Are we not instructed by the words of Jesus to be good Samaritans? The bishop has met Tully and agreed that it was acceptable for him to stay with you. I think he will like this idea of including Tully in our celebrations.”
The outside door opened, and Bishop Schultz, along with Leroy Lapp and Tully, came in together. The bishop and Leroy were laughing heartily. “That’s a fine story, Tully,” Leroy said.
The bishop slapped Tully’s back. “I will share it in the Christmas cards to my brothers and sisters who live in Ohio. A rooster riding a pig all the way through Arthurville. I would’ve liked to see that.”
The bishop sobered when he realized the women were staring at him. “Shall I call the community into eat?”
“We are ready,” Dinah said with a smile. She leaned closer to Becca. “I have a feeling this is going to be a wonderful Christmas season.”
Becca smiled at Tully. “I couldn’t agree more.”
The men went through the line first and took their places at the backless benches that had been stacked to make tables. Tully came at the end of the line. Becca added a large piece of cherry pie to a plate that was already loaded with thick slices of bread, cold cuts, cheese spreads and pickled beets. He smiled at her. “You looked like the cat that swallowed the canary when I walked in. What gives?”
“My friends and I were simply making plans for the Christmas season.”
“And?”
“And nothing else. Go sit and eat. There are others waiting for a place at the tables.”
“I thought I might sit with you.”
“Oh nee,” Dinah said at Becca’s elbow. “Men and women eat at separate tables, just as we sit on opposite sides during our worship.”
“That would explain why the young people outside don’t seem to be in a hurry to eat.”
“They know there is plenty, and their turn will come after the older members are finished,” Dinah said.
“And in the meantime, the boys and the girls can visit and make eyes at each other,” Tully added.
Dinah frowned. “Who is making eyes at what girl?”
“The tall girl with glasses is making eyes at Moses Fisher,” he said.
“My niece?” Dinah squeaked and moved to the window to look out.
Becca exchanged a glance with Gemma and smothered a laugh. Tully crossed the room and sat at a table where he could see her. While he wasn’t exactly making eyes at her, she soon grew uncomfortable under his scrutiny. She left her serving table and went around to fill coffee cups.
“Please stop staring at me,” she said softly as she handed him a cup of piping-hot liquid. She hissed as some of it splashed on her fingers when she set it down.
“Then don’t stand in my line of vision. Why are all the women looking at me and smiling like they know something I don’t?”
“Are you done eating?”
“If you’re that eager to get rid of me, I am.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, dipped it in his glass of water and handed it to her. “Wrap this around your hand.”
She looked around to see who might be watching, but no one was looking their way. She took it from him, wound it around her stinging fingers and nodded her thanks before moving on to the next table.
After Tully left the room, Becca was able to concentrate on her tasks. Although she would normally stay and visit with her friends, she went to Gideon to see if he was ready to leave. His cough was much better, but she noticed his leg was swelling above his shoe.
“I’d like to visit longer, but I’m ready to go home. Where is Annabeth?”
“Playing outside. I’ll get her. Where is Tully?”
“I heard him say there is a game of horseshoes being thrown in the barn. It’s a game he enjoys almost as much as checkers. I’m sure you’ll find him there.”
Becca walked down to the barn. There was a competition going on, but Tully wasn’t one of the players. He was watching the game. When he caught sight of her, he nodded toward the door, got up and left the building. Curious, she followed him outside and saw him walk around the side of the building.
When she turned the corner, he was waiting for her. “Let me see your hand.”
She still had his damp handkerchief wrapped around it. “It’s fine. Just a little scald.”
“Does it hurt?”
“Nee.”
“The only burn that doesn’t hurt is a third-degree burn, and that is serious. Am I going to have to arm wrestle you to get a look at it?”
She relinquished her hand but turned her face away from him. He gently unwound the bandage and turned her hand over. “It’s blistered. Don’t tell me it doesn’t sting.”
“Only a little,” she admitted.
“Shall I kiss it and make it better?” he asked softly.
Did he think that’s what she wanted? He didn’t seem to understand how impossible such a thing was. How could she turn his affections aside without hurting him? “Please don’t make fun of me.”
“Okay, I’m sorry.” He looked contrite as he packed a little snow into the handkerchief and wrapped it around her hand again. He didn’t release her fingers. Nor did she pull away.
He sighed softly. “I need you to tell me the truth, Becca.”
What was he going to ask? If he wanted to know the reason for her racing pulse, could she say it was because of him? She slipped her hand away from his.