Grace: A Christmas Sisters of the Heart Novel

December 20, 8:00
A.M.

“Anna!” The Christmas bells hanging on the wooden door of Katie Lundy’s childhood home, the Brenneman Bed and Breakfast, tinkled as she entered. Her gaze drifted to a pair of candles adorned with red ribbons on the front table, and a familiar warmth settled over her. “Anna? Are you here?” she again called out.

Before she had completely shut the heavy door, her parents started fussing.

“Katie, whyever are you creating such a ruckus in the house?” Her mother’s form suddenly appeared in the doorway leading to the kitchen. Wiping her hands on her apron, she chided, “You could have woken up all of our guests.”

From the other side of the foyer, her father came into sight. “Yes, Katie, that yelling would be a problem … if we did have a houseful, which we do not, thankfully.” As he looked her over, his frown contrasted with the twinkle in his eyes. “But you are loud enough to wake the dead, child.”

No matter how old she got, receiving criticism from her parents never failed to make her cheeks bloom like roses in July. “I’m sorry.” Making sure to keep her voice down, she craned her neck to look beyond her mother into the cozy kitchen. “I’m looking for Anna. Is she here?”

“I am,” Anna announced from the landing at the top of the stairs. Looking down at Katie from the well-polished banister, her best friend and sister-in-law smirked. “I think someone is excited to go shopping today.”

There was no reason to lie. She
was
eager about their planned outing for the day. “I can’t help it. It’s been a long time since we’ve played hooky.”

Her mother grinned. “If you’re this wound up about a shopping trip, I’m thinking you should plan more outings.”

“It’s only because they are so rare that I’m excited. If it was a usual occurrence, it wouldn’t matter so much.” As Anna walked down the steps, Katie continued. “Jonathan got an unexpected day off at the lumberyard, so he’s with the girls and Eli.”

Her mother clucked. “You should have brought the
boppli
here. I would have happily taken care of him.”

“Jonathan didn’t mind watching the baby. Besides, I wasn’t sure if you had houseguests.”

“It’s December twentieth. Of course we don’t have houseguests,” her mother said. “All I’m doing is getting the house readied for our family holiday.”

Though they never formally closed the inn for the celebration of the Lord’s birth, Katie couldn’t remember when they’d ever hosted guests at the inn during this time.

Once the calendar marked December fifteenth, visitors suddenly stopped arriving. Their absence allowed the large, rambling house to become a home once again.

This year, in honor of young Eli’s birth and Anna and Henry’s marriage, everyone decided to spend a whole week together: Katie and her family; Anna and Henry; Rebekeh and her family; and this year, at Anna’s and Katie’s request, Winnie—Jonathan’s sister—and Winnie’s husband Samuel were going to stay the week of Christmas as well.

Yes, the house was going to be mighty full, but joyous and merry, too. It would be the perfect time for Katie to take a breath and rejuvenate. Lately, she’d been so tired, it was all she could do to keep her eyes open at night. Once or twice, she’d even fallen asleep during Eli’s nap.

Jonathan thought she was doing too much, and she probably was. She had many responsibilities now, with a home, a three-month-old baby, and two busy stepdaughters.

But all of it was a joy. And nothing that couldn’t be made better with a little bit of comfort from her parents.

Speaking again, her mother worried her bottom lip. “I went shopping yesterday, but I feel sure I didn’t buy enough flour and sugar.”

“Just give me a list, Mamm,” Katie said. “I’ll pick up
whatever I can.” Katie was just about to motion for Anna to hurry and put on her boots and cloak when Henry walked down the stairs waving a sheet of paper.

“I’m afraid our plans are about to change,” he murmured.

When he stopped by his bride’s side, Anna pulled the paper out of his hand. Moments later, she frowned. “Oh, no.”

Katie strode closer, her mother right behind her. “What on earth is wrong?” she asked. “You both look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“This is a mailed-in reservation,” Anna murmured.

“So? What’s special about that? We get them all the time.”

Henry showed them the envelope he still held in his hands. “Our zip code was either written wrong or the mail carrier couldn’t read it. So, from the postdate, it looks like it’s been on a trip around Ohio.”

Katie tapped her foot. “And? Come on, Henry. I want to go look at fabric.”

“Well, the fact of the matter is, Mr. Levi Bender is planning to arrive here today”—he pointed to a sentence at the bottom of the page—“and we were supposed to have contacted him if we were full up by the eighteenth.”

Katie’s mother leaned her hand on the banister with a sigh. “And here it is December twentieth. How long will he stay, Henry?”

“Through the holiday,” he said grimly. “He says here until December twenty-eighth.”

Although she knew it wasn’t a Christian response, Katie felt a swarm of irritation buzz through her as all her plans began to evaporate. She’d been looking forward to only
being surrounded by family for the next week or so. It had been such a crazy year and a half, with Anna and her brother marrying, she marrying Jonathan … his barn burning down, Winnie in the hospital.

And Eli being born in October. All Katie wanted to do was enjoy peace and quiet and her family. She didn’t want to have to cook and clean for a guest. She didn’t want to have to keep reminding her girls to keep their voices down, either.

“This man is going to ruin our Christmas! Can’t we turn him away?”

Her father glared. “Of course not.”

Her mother walked to her
daed
‘s side. “Well, we’re just going to have to be grateful for a Christmas guest. That’s all there is to it.”

“But now how are we all going to stay here together?”

“One man’s arrival won’t change things.” A line appeared between her mother’s brows. “Not too much, anyway.”

Katie reached for Anna’s hand. “Anna, let’s get going now, then. With a guest arriving, chances are
gut
that we won’t have another chance to get away.”

With a look of regret, Anna shook her head. “I’m sorry, Katie, but I won’t be able to go. If we have a guest coming, I’ll need to prepare a room.”

With a sense of dismay, Katie felt all her anticipated plans fall to the wayside. “But—”

Anna turned away from her. “Irene, which room would you like to put him in?”

“In the room up at the top of the stairs, I suppose. It’s our best room.”

She was talking about the attic room, of course. The room Katie had planned to occupy with Jonathan. It was lovely, and claimed its own private bathroom—something that Katie had been looking forward to since she still woke up often with Eli.

As everyone looked upstairs rather mournfully, her mother sighed. “I have to say that having a guest here for Christmas has put me in a dither. What in the world are we going to do with Mr. Levi Bender here for the next eight days?”

One by one, everyone scattered. Soon, only Katie stood alone in the foyer. A strong sense of loss filled her. And though she knew it was not their guest’s fault, she couldn’t help but feel resentful. No matter how pleasant the man was, his presence was going to spoil their relaxed holiday plans. “Levi Bender, how in the world are we going to be able to get rid of you?” she murmured … just before she finally unhooked her cloak and joined her mother in the kitchen.

December 20, 2:00
P.M.

It had taken him all day to get there. First, Levi had had to rise with the roosters at dawn and tend to his small menagerie of animals. Then, after checking and double-checking that all was in order for the two teenaged boys who would be staying at his home for the week, he’d waited for the
Englischer
to pick him up and drive him to the bus station in Columbus.

Because snow was still falling, the bus was running an hour late. Levi had sat in his chair and sipped a toexpensive coffee out of a Styrofoam cup that a vendor had been selling right there in the lobby. He’d kept to himself and tried not to notice the looks of interest passing his way. Those same looks that he always felt whenever he was in the outside world.

After claiming a seat on the bus, he’d ridden for two hours, switched buses, and then rode for another hour and a half to Peebles. Now he was in an
Englischer’s
car again. On his way to the Brenneman Bed and Breakfast.

“So, have you been to this area before?”

“No.”

“Oh. You got family out here?”

In spite of the generic question, Levi felt a shudder rustle through him. “No,” he said again, this time with more force.

In the rearview mirror, the taxi driver raised his eyebrows. “Sorry, buddy. Didn’t know that was a sore subject.” His tone and the slight inflection at the end of his reply led Levi to believe that the driver was waiting for more explanation.

Levi merely looked out the window. In his experience, that was how most
Englischers
were—too nosy about things that didn’t concern them at all.

Because he certainly wasn’t going to tell anyone why he’d left his community to travel by himself for Christmas. Why he’d rather stay in the company of strangers than in the midst of people who’d known him all of his life. Why he was willing to sleep in a small guest room with only a bathroom down the hall than spend another
night in his own bed—in a house that he and Rosanna had designed and help build.

Rosanna!

Even just thinking her name brought a fresh wave of sorrow, like a toothache he couldn’t help but probe, bringing more pain to the surface. Since he was already hurting, Levi pushed himself to recall another person who had once meant so much to him … Ruth.

As the taxi traveled the winding roads toward the inn, Levi closed his eyes and let the agony fill his body for one last time before he pretended that the two most important women in his life had never existed.

Of course, that was the crux of it all … wasn’t it? Rosanna and Ruth weren’t around, and they never would be again. Ever.

Because he’d killed them.

December 20, 3:30
P.M.

“Miss? Do you need any help, miss?” the
Englischer
asked with a concerned expression. “You look like you’ve kind of got your hands full there.”