Sunday, December 10
Well, I’ll be,” Neil Vance muttered as he watched the brown-haired woman with the striking green eyes approach. There she was, just as if she’d stepped out of a dream.
Or at least a mighty good memory.
“Who’s that?” Dale Kaufmann, his best friend and former neighbor, asked as he caught sight of the woman approaching him.
“That is the girl I saved in that buggy accident in November.” Unable to help himself, he smiled. Looked like some wishes did actually come true.
Dale pulled the brim of his black hat down over his eyes so he could stare at her without looking too rude. “You didn’t tell me she was so pretty.”
“I thought she had pleasing features, but I didn’t remember her being so pretty.”
“What? Were you blind?”
Turning away, Neil tossed Dale a disparaging look. “It was pitch-black. And snowing. Plus, she was on the ground and hurt. I wasn’t exactly checking her out. I was helping her, you know.”
“I would have helped her, too, of course.” He paused. “But then I would have noticed what she looked like.”
“Somehow, I think you would have.” Dale had always been a flirt.
“Don’t act like I’m being rude. You’re noticing now.” He smirked. “If you ain’t careful, she’s going to realize you’re staring at her as much as I am.”
“Shut up and be nice,” Neil hissed under his breath as he stepped forward. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Looking from him to Dale and then back again, the woman flushed. “I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation.”
“It weren’t important,” Dale quipped.
She smiled, then looked back at Neil. “This is kinda awkward. I mean, I don’t know if you remember me—”
He smiled. “I remember you.” When she still looked unsure, he added, “You made a pretty big impression on me, seeing as how I was worried that you were gonna die.” As Dale jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow, he realized that was pretty blunt. “Sorry. I mean, I don’t think I could forget about you if I tried.”
Her green eyes warmed, making them look almost liquid. “You did save my life. I’d venture to say it ain’t every day that a man gets to be such a hero.”
“I’m glad I happened to be there. I guess the Lord intended for me to be taking a walk that Friday night.”
But instead of looking relieved, something in his words made her look even more fretful. “I have wondered why you were there . . . we seemed to be the only two people in the area.”
He wasn’t sure, but he kind of thought he heard a layer of doubt in her tone. “Obviously, that wasn’t the case. Someone was shooting that rifle and it wasn’t me or you.”
“Oh! Yes. Of course. It’s a blessing you happened to be nearby. An answer to a prayer, for sure.” Before he could comment on that, she continued. “Anyway, I remembered you, too, though I didn’t catch your name.”
“It’s—”
Looking increasingly troubled, she talked right over him, continuing in a rush. “I’m Susanna. I had thought maybe the deputy would have told me your name when he came by the hospital, but he didn’t. So I never got the chance to ask him who you were. If I would have known, I would have thanked you before now.”
“No thanks are necessary,” he said, meaning every word. “I’m just glad I was there to help you. But let’s fix our introductions now, okay? I’m Neil Vance. And this is my friend Dale Kaufmann.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Susanna,” Dale said. “Mighty nice.”
As usual, Dale was putting on his charm a bit too thickly. Feeling a little possessive over her, though that made no sense, Neil said, “Don’t mind Dale. He’s just overtly friendly. Like a, um, puppy or something.”
Dale raised his brows. “Really, Neil?”
“Weren’t you just telling me that you needed to leave?”
“I was not.” Turning to Susanna, Dale said, “Since you are new, we noticed you from across the yard. Where did you move here from?”
“Funny you should ask that.” She cleared her throat as she awkwardly gestured over to a table of women watching their interplay. “I came from Ohio. I mean, my family did. And, um, I was just telling those ladies that I remembered what my rescuer looked like, but I hadn’t caught your name. After I described you, they pointed you out. I canna hardly believe it.”
“Small world, right?”
“Jah.” Her smile eased slightly, but it was still tremulous. Neil wondered why. Was she naturally shy? Did she think he was going to get mad at her or something because she sought him out? If so, he needed to fix that.
Stepping closer, he smiled as he folded his hands behind his back. “I’m glad you came over to say hello. I’ve thought about that night more than once. I wondered what happened to you. You okay now?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. Neil, I just want to say . . . well, I just want you to know that I’m so very grateful to you. You saved my life that night.”
“I don’t know if I did that, but I’m glad I was there to help you.”
“Nee, I’m fairly certain you did. The doktah at the hospital told me that my Good Samaritan gave me a wonderful early Christmas gift. You gave me my life.”
“You’re embarrassing me now,” he teased.
She laughed. “I’ll stop, then. Embarrassing you wouldn’t be the way I’d ever want to repay you.”
When she laughed, Neil thought her face fairly glowed. Barely able to stop staring, he looked down at his boots as he sought to regain his composure.
He wasn’t sure why God had meant for the two of them to have crossed paths that way, but now he was thinking that surely the Lord had intended for them to know each other well. For what other reason could He have given them such an incredible meeting?
He had to see her again.
“Listen, where are you living? Maybe I could stop by one evening this week after work.”
“I would like that, but, um, well, after the girls told me your name, I realized something else. Something that you might not know about me.”
“And what is that?” He could only imagine what tales those girls had told her.
“Um, well, you see, my full name is Susanna Schwartz.”
“Schwartz.” He’d literally choked out the name.
While Susanna continued to stand there motionless, obviously waiting for him to absolve her of any guilt she might be feeling, Neil felt every muscle in his shoulders and neck tense.
Actually, he felt like he was cracking into a dozen pieces. Though of course she had nothing to do with his father’s poor financial investments, his secrets, or his increasingly outlandish ways of solving their problems.
But while he knew that, he also knew that this woman who was standing in front of him—looking so composed and, well, perfect—seemed to symbolize everything that had been taken away from him.
Dale stared at her. “You’re my neighbor?”
“Well, ah . . . I guess I am. I mean, my family is, if the Vances used to live near you.”
“They did,” Dale said. “Our farm lies just to the north of yours.”
Looking just as perturbed as Neil was feeling, Susanna looked down at the skirt of her forest-green dress before lifting her chin again. “So, Neil, if you want to stop by, you would need to come to your old house.”
“I won’t be doing that.”
“Yes. Well, um, I guess it would feel a bit awkward . . .” Her voice drifted off. It was obvious that she wasn’t sure how to smooth things over.
But that was the problem, wasn’t it? There wasn’t a way to do that.
“It would be more than a bit awkward, given the way your family forced us out before the holidays.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t under—”
“My parents asked, practically pleaded, to push the closing to January. But your parents wouldn’t budge. For some reason, you had to be in our house before Thanksgiving.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Neil,” Dale said under his breath. “Stop.”
Seeing her dismay, watching those tears, Neil knew he should stop talking. He was being mean. Worse than that, really.
“I see.” The way she was staring at him told him everything he needed to know. She looked guilty.
And though he knew better, a small part of him was glad about that.
By now, she probably had heard that his parents really hadn’t wanted to move; that it was only because of his father’s poor money management, gambling, and that he owed his uncle Joseph so much.
His daed hated owing his brother the way he did, and Neil couldn’t really blame him for feeling that way, either. Uncle Joseph was the type of relative to bring up another person’s faults at every opportunity. Daed had finally had enough and put the farm on the market—even though Uncle Joseph had simply wanted his father to deed the land to him.
Neil’s mamm had cried when they put the house up for sale. Things had gotten worse when months passed and there were no takers. Against the real estate agent’s advice, they kept dropping the price. Then dropped it some more. And when it was at a rock-bottom price, the Schwartz family swooped in. Then, to everyone’s dismay, they’d countered with an even smaller amount. It had been insulting.
But by this time, Uncle Joseph was clamoring to be repaid his money—or for Neil’s father to simply give him the farm. But his daed said he would rather sell the place to strangers than watch his little brother mismanage what was supposed to be his sons’ inheritance.
All of that meant that his parents had made precious little money on the place. After paying the debts, his dad had to further swallow his pride by moving into the small house on the edge of Joseph’s property.
“Look, I appreciate you coming over to thank me. That had to have been hard. I think we should agree, though, that we don’t have anything to say to each other.”
Before she could respond, Dale spoke. “Hey now, Neil. You can’t be putting all the blame on Susanna. It ain’t her fault.”
“Stay out of this, Dale. It ain’t none of your business.”
Glancing at Susanna again, who was now pale, Dale shook his head. “I can’t. I live next door to her now.” Softening both his tone and his expression, he said to Susanna, “It’s good to meet you. I’ll tell my family that you were kind enough to introduce yourself. I’m sure my mother will be by sometime soon.”
“Danke. I hope that we could maybe one day be friends.”
“I hope so, too.”
After sharing a tremulous smile with Dale, Susanna visibly steadied herself, then turned to Neil. “I know it must be hard, leaving your land, but it was for sale. My parents only bought it.”
“I ain’t going to talk about this now.”
“So what happened in the storm, you saving me, holding my hand in the snow, it means nothing?”
“I would have done the same for anyone lying on the side of the road. But do I want to know you? Do I want to one day be friends?” he asked, his voice derisive. “Nee.”
She flinched. “Simply because we’re living in your old house?”
“It’s because of more than that. A lot more.”
Turning his back on her, he walked down the driveway. He sensed that she was still standing there. Probably still staring at him while wearing a look of hurt and confusion.
Their meeting and the way he’d left her would no doubt create a lot of talk among their friends and neighbors. He should care that he’d just publicly embarrassed her. He should be embarrassed about his behavior. This was not who he was.
But right at this moment, he couldn’t think of anything beyond that he needed to put some distance between himself and Susanna Schwartz.
The sooner the better.