Christmas at Promise Lodge (16 page)

“I have to clean the sleigh and polish it up a bit,” Roman said. “Name a time that suits you, and I'll be here.”

Mary Kate suddenly felt as giddy as a little girl at Christmas. “How about two? I'd ask you to have dinner with us, but Gloria will still be in a snit.”

Roman squeezed her hand and released it. “See you at two, then. I'm so glad you want to go, Mary Kate.”

She watched Roman stride toward the kitchen to say good-bye to her parents. Was this turn of events real, or was she caught up in a dream? All those times Gloria had had a date and she'd been stuck at home, Mary Kate had imagined herself going out with someone even cuter and more wonderful than her sister was seeing—and today her fantasy had come true.

She slid out of the recliner and waddled toward the stairs, feeling better than she had for days. Roman deserved a girl wearing a fresh dress and a smile, a young lady-in-waiting who could rise above her weariness to have some fun.

So that's who Mary Kate decided to be.

Chapter Eighteen

“What a beautiful afternoon,” Rosetta murmured. “Is it just me, or does the snow have a special sparkle to it today?”

Walking beside her, Truman chuckled. “Far as I can see, all the sparkle starts with you and spreads over everything else, Rosetta. You're right. It's a fabulous afternoon.”

Rosetta tightened the arm she'd slung around his waist. “I suppose part of this sensation is enjoying our first winter at Promise Lodge,” she said softly. “The lodge and the new houses look so pretty with snow on their rooftops and smoke rising from their chimneys. The hillsides are so clean and crisp—so perfect, without so much as a footprint.”

“Unlike the yard around the lodge and Noah's place, where he's been throwing Queenie's Frisbee. From our place up on the hill, Mom and I love to watch out our front window when they play in the snow.” Truman reached the end of the road, just past where Marlin Kurtz's family lived, and turned around to survey the expanse of property around them. “Do you—or any of these other folks—ice-skate, Rosetta? By Christmas the ice on Rainbow Lake will support us, most likely.”

Rosetta shook her head. “My sisters and I have never lived close enough to a pond to learn how,” she replied. “We had roller skates when we were kids, but I suspect it's an entirely different skill, balancing on a single blade rather than having four wheels underneath each foot.”

“That can be my winter mission, then—teaching you to skate. The church camp was always closed during the winter, so my older brothers and I had the frozen lake to ourselves,” Truman reminisced. “We played pretty rough hockey games, but it was all in
gut
fun. Now Stan and Dave are married and raising their families out in Indiana. We lost our younger brothers, Pete and John, when a car crashed into the back end of the buggy they were in, back when we were all still in school.”

“Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,” Rosetta murmured. “I'm blessed that all of my sisters are still alive—and living in the lodge with me.”

Truman's smile brightened and he tightened the arm he'd slung around her shoulders. “
Jah
, you sisters are a tight-knit bunch. An inspiration to us all about moving past your losses and making the most of your lives. My mother goes on and on about how she enjoys spending time amongst you.”

“Your
mamm
's a special lady.”

“She is,” Truman agreed as a pensive expression stole over his face. “And how's Mattie doing? When Amos told me he called off the wedding—and why— I gave him quite an earful about how he'd probably take longer to recover now, on account of how depressed he's getting. Not that I changed his mind.”

“Mattie's sad, but like you say, she's moving forward and finding other purposes for her life.” Rosetta sighed. “We're all concerned about Amos, though. Roman tells us his legs seem to be getting weaker from not getting any exercise. Eli and Marlin are figuring to construct a ramp up to his porch and install some grab bars in his house—and Noah has suggested a workshop added on to the back of Amos's place, where he'd be able to build small furniture and do some woodworking, even if he's confined to his wheelchair.”

“He needs something to occupy himself, for sure,” Truman agreed. “I've told him I'll drive him to his doctor's appointment this week and then we'll get his physical therapy set up. Maybe those therapists can get Amos motivated to work with his hands and focus on doing things he enjoys.”

“If he finds a new way to generate some income, I think he'll feel better about himself—and about life in general,” Rosetta added with a nod. She shielded her eyes from the sun to gaze toward the entry to the Promise Lodge property. “Is the snow glare affecting me, or is that a sleigh turning off the road?”

“It is.” Truman rested his head against hers, pulling her closer as they watched the horse-drawn vehicle glide across the snow. “Oh, but it would be fun to take you for a sleigh ride, sweetheart,” he murmured. He quickly kissed her cheek. “Who's the sleigh belong to? The two folks riding in it are so bundled up I can't tell who they are.”

“Let's find out.” Waving her arm high above her head, Rosetta grasped Truman's hand and they jogged down the hill toward the lodge. She grinned when the passengers returned her wave, and the sleigh headed up toward them. “Why, I think that's Roman and Mary Kate under those blankets! I didn't know he had a sleigh.”

“But he does have a girlfriend, obviously—and I'm pleased to see Gloria didn't play the third wheel,” Truman remarked. “Don't get me wrong. Gloria's a nice enough girl—”

“But she's been trying so hard to make Roman notice her, we're all embarrassed for him.” Rosetta's smile widened as the sleigh came closer. The horse's harness had bells on it, and the merry sound of their jingling made the perfect accompaniment to the snowy, happy scene. “Isn't that Amos's mare, Mabel?”

“I believe you're right. Hullo, you two!” Truman called out. “What a fine sight you make, dashing through the snow.”

Mabel whickered, shaking her head—and the bells—as she halted a few feet away. Even though Mary Kate was swaddled in blankets up to her chin, with her black bonnet tied tightly over her head, she appeared as light-hearted as Rosetta had ever seen her. Roman seemed delighted to be keeping her company.

“What a beautiful sleigh,” Rosetta said as she approached it. She ran her gloved hand over the seat's curved wooden back, which was upholstered in deep green velvet. “How long have you had this sleigh and not told me about it, Roman?”

Her nephew's laughter rang out over the snowy hillside. “Amos had it stashed under a tarp in the shed, so I asked if I could borrow it. Cleaned it up a bit—”

“And it's padded in all the right places,” Mary Kate chimed in. “I was feeling pretty achy at home in the recliner—until Roman talked me into coming along for a ride.”

Rosetta smiled. That was young love talking, if ever she'd heard it.

“Could we possibly take it for a spin after you two are finished?” Truman asked eagerly. “I'll tend to the mare—”

“Or we could give Mabel a rest and hitch the sleigh to my gelding,” Rosetta suggested. “Chuckie could use a
gut
run, and he's sure-footed in the snow.”

Roman looked at Mary Kate. “What do you say? Have you had enough for now, or do you want to loop around the campground one more time?”

Mary Kate's brown eyes sparkled. “What if we went inside to visit with your
mamm
and the others while Truman switches the horses? Then he and Rosetta could give us a ride back up to the house and be on their way.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Roman replied as he took up the lines again. “I'll pull up closer to the lodge so you don't have to walk through so much snow.”

As the mare took off toward the tall, timbered lodge with another shake of the sleigh bells, Rosetta felt happy all over. “Unless I miss my guess, my nephew's going to be getting hitched in the near future. Did you see how both of them were glowing?”

Truman tucked her hand under his elbow as they walked the rest of the way down the hill. “If anybody can handle starting out married life with a wee one, I think Roman's the right fellow for the job. Got a steady head on his shoulders and a
gut
heart—not to mention a house all set up for a family.”

Rosetta nodded, thinking those qualities applied to Truman, as well. And someday, God willing, she hoped to be the woman he took as his wife. To have and to hold . . .

* * *

After Truman harnessed Chuckie, he ran his hand along the bay's back, checking the leather, the lines, and the tarnished bells. “This tack could use some saddle soap to soften it up,” he remarked to Rosetta, “but the sleigh looks to be in fine condition. Makes me wonder how long Amos has had it, because you don't often see such carving details in the wood these days.”

He watched Rosetta running her gloved hand along the rounded back of the seat. Truman had found her lovely in the bright sparkle of the afternoon, yet here in the unlit barn she appeared even more enticing. When she met his gaze, his pulse thundered. “Oh my,” he said in a breathy voice. “We'd better move along or I'm likely to find a warm spot in the hay for some serious kissing.”

Rosetta's low chuckle lingered like the wisps of vapor framing her face. “I'm not supposed to encourage that sort of talk,” she whispered, “but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking the same thing. Roman and Mary Kate will be watching for us, wondering what we're—”

“They can wait.”

Truman started around the back of the sleigh, pleased when Rosetta met him halfway and reached for him as he slipped his arms around her. Their heavy coats formed a bulky barrier between their bodies, but not so much that he couldn't savor her soft curves as his mouth explored hers. He reminded himself that they were adults in total control of their hormones and emotions, yet with every sweet taste of Rosetta's willing lips Truman yearned for more.

He broke away with a final, lingering kiss and a sigh. “I'm not supposed to let my mind wander in this direction, I suppose,” he murmured, “but if Floyd doesn't recover from his stroke—can't carry out his duties—maybe there's hope that a new bishop will allow us to marry.”

“Or maybe I'll tire of following that Amish rule about marrying outside the faith and become your wife anyway,” Rosetta whispered. She gazed into his eyes, her expression intense. “Every day lately, I've asked Jesus if He would cast me into the fire for loving a man who's not of the Old Order.”

Truman swallowed so hard his Adam's apple hurt. The last thing he intended was to tempt Rosetta beyond her religion, causing the potential separation between her, her sisters, and her close Amish friends. Yet her question sent a tingle up his limbs. “What's His answer?”

“I'm still waiting, to be sure it's God I'm hearing rather than my own selfish, wayward heart,” she replied.

Truman rested his forehead against hers, praying that he, too, wasn't allowing his thoughts to stray. “Much as I dislike the punishment of shunning—as many ways as I would have to reorganize my landscaping and snow plowing business—I've wondered if I shouldn't convert to your faith,” he admitted in a tremulous voice. “I'm not sure how much longer I can . . . wait.”

Rosetta hugged him hard and then stepped away. “I—I wish this love were simpler.”

“We'll figure it out,” he vowed as he, too, put some distance between them. “Meanwhile, Chuckie is wondering why we hitched him up, if we're just going to stay in the barn.”

With a nervous laugh, Rosetta got up into the sleigh while Truman slid the barn door open. The bright snow glare made him squint as he sucked in a few deep breaths of the frosty air to settle himself. When he realized Rosetta was clucking to the gelding, he stepped aside to let them out—and then hollered when she urged the horse into a fast trot.

“Hey! Aren't you forgetting somebody?”

Rosetta's laughter drifted back to him, as merry as the jingle of the sleigh bells. As Truman closed the door, he watched the horse-drawn sleigh race across the garden plots, now covered with snow, and then loop around the row of brown cottages behind the lodge. Roman and Mary Kate stepped out onto the porch with Mattie and Christine, who clutched their shawls around their shoulders as they waved at their sister. Truman figured he might as well start walking toward them. Would Rosetta take off without him again after the kids settled into the sleigh's backseat?

Moments later, she steered the sleigh toward Truman and stopped the horse a few feet away from him. “Going my way?” she teased. “I'm not one for picking up strange men, but for a cute fellow like you I'll make an exception.”

Truman had to chuckle. Roman and Mary Kate were laughing in the backseat, assuming he would take the lines and insist on being the driver—but why not let Rosetta have her fun? She was prettiest this way, when an expectant smile lit her face and her brown eyes sparkled. Truman slid onto the seat and adjusted the blankets around them.

“Forward ho!” he exclaimed, waving as they left Christine and Mattie behind.

When they'd let Roman and Mary Kate off at the Lehman place, Rosetta offered him the lines. “You're a
gut
sport, Truman. The look on your face when I shot out of the barn was priceless.”

“
You
are priceless,” he insisted. “How about if you drive, Rosetta? I've not allowed that before, but for a sweet girl like you, I'll make an exception. My fate's in your hands.”

Rosetta laughed as she lightly clapped the lines on Chuckie's back. “You're in big trouble now, Wickey,” she teased. “We might not make it back anytime soon.”

As Truman scooted closer and slipped his arm around Rosetta's shoulders, he felt alight with sheer happiness. “It's not how far you travel, but who's beside you that counts,” he murmured. “Let's roll.”