Grace: A Christmas Sisters of the Heart Novel (3 page)

“Yes,” Melody said softly.
“Danke.”

They were up the steps and almost at the front door when a blue truck pulled up the long driveway. Seconds later, a man got out and grabbed a suitcase from out of the truck’s back before it pulled away.

Though their arms were full with Melody, Katie didn’t feel that she and Anna should turn their backs on the man. Henry had already gone into the barn, so there was no one else to greet him.

“I bet this is another guest,” Katie mumbled. “Mr. Bender?” she called out. “Mr. Levi Bender?”

The man met her gaze with a fierce glare. “Yes, that is me.”

Great. Their Christmas guest was a sourpuss.
“Wilkum!
Welcome to the Sugarcreek Inn,” she said dutifully. “Please follow us in.”

Now that Melody was steadier on her feet, Katie motioned for Anna to get the door. “Let’s go inside now.”

Alarmed, Melody pointed behind her. “I’m afraid my bag is still out there in the snow.”

“I’ll go out and fetch it just as soon as we get you inside,” Anna said.

Mr. Bender must have heard her, because he abruptly turned away, marched back down the steps, stomped out to Melody’s things and picked them up, too. “I’ve got them.”

“Indeed you do,” Anna said. “That is so very kind of you.
Danke.”

Mr. Bender scowled in response.

Katie smiled weakly as they made their way into the house. And what a procession it was! Their sullen hous-guest. Their pregnant stranger. And Anna, dear Anna, who was now acting more hospitable and Amish than she ever.

And herself. Katie. On the outside, she was doing her best to be welcoming; inside, she was filled with bitterness and resentment toward the newcomers. Without a doubt, these guests were odd. Strange. And they were ruining all the plans that had been made during the past month.

Once they entered the foyer, Anna pointed to the staircase. “Just set the bags down and follow us, Mr. Bender.”

To Katie’s amazement, he did just that, following Katie and Melody into the hearth room. Moments later, Melody
was seated on the couch and her face seemed to gain some color.

Mr. Bender, in contrast, stood as far away from them as possible, arms crossed over his broad chest. His scowl had returned, especially every time he looked toward Melody.

Her mother’s arrival broke the silence. “Ah, our visitor has arrived.” She beamed. “Welcome. You are Mr. Bender,
jah?”

“Jah. And danke.”

“And we have another visitor, Mamm,” Katie interjected quickly. “This is Melody.”

As usual, her mother was nothing but generous and kind. “Welcome to our home, Melody. We hope you will enjoy your stay.”

After asking who wanted coffee or tea, Anna retreated to the kitchen.

Katie knew she should do something, but she wasn’t quite sure what. Levi Bender was still standing, and Melody and her mother were staring at each other warily, almost like dogs on the street … sizing each other up.

While Katie struggled to think of something to say, anything appropriate, her mother broke the silence. “So, Melody, I have to admit that I didn’t expect to receive two guests today.”

The lines around her lips tightened. “You didn’t?”

“No. Are you here by chance? Are … you lost, miss?”

“Not at all.”

The girl answered politely, but there seemed to be much that she wasn’t saying. Katie didn’t appreciate that. Though they hosted many guests at their bed-and-breakfast, the inn
was also her home. She didn’t appreciate housing someone who was in the habit of lying. “I have to tell you, we don’t have a record of your reservation. Your appearance is something of a shock.” As was her condition. And her fainting.

She blinked. “That is surprising. I’m sure I made a reservation.”

Katie now knew she was lying. “When did you call?”

“Last week sometime? I spoke with a … man.”

That was yet another signal that the girl was telling stories. Rarely did her father or Henry answer the phone.

“Did you, now?” Katie asked sarcastically as irritation filled her. This girl had a lot of nerve, to appear in their yard on the twentieth of December, lying through her teeth! “Do you, by any chance, happen to remember this man’s name?”

“No …”

“Are you sure?”

“Katie, go into the pantry and bring out some peanut butter cookies,” her mother said sharply.

Katie immediately complied. But as she left the room, avoiding the constant glare of Mr. Bender, Katie heard her mother’s gasp. “Oh, my. You’re going to have a baby!”

As the girl murmured something in return, Katie stumbled. Why in the world would a girl be coming to the inn by herself at Christmas?

And where was Melody’s family? Her husband?

And why was she traveling, anyway? When she’d been that far along with Eli, the midwife had cautioned Katie from doing anything too strenuous at all. And Jonathan
had been beside himself with worry, coming home each day from the lumber mill at noon just to check on her.

So how come Melody’s man had let her go? And if he had … of all the places in the world … why had she settled upon their inn?

Just five days before Christmas Day?

December 20, 4:30
P.M.

The feeling that had been boiling inside of Levi from the moment he’d seen the three women walking in the snow increased tenfold. Now, instead of just being empty and listless, emotions he’d carefully tamped down months ago surged forward with a vengeance.

Anger. Despair. Worry. Shame. Guilt. It was all coming back.

Coming here had been a mistake.

Already the Brenneman Bed and Breakfast felt too confining. Too warm. Too homey. Too close. He ached for anonymity the way most others yearned for acceptance. He most certainly did not want to be sitting in the family’s private parlor drinking coffee and eating cookies.

He’d resisted, of course. When the pretty blonde brought
in a tray of refreshments, Levi attempted to escape. But Mrs. Brenneman would not take no for an answer. Before he knew it, he was seated across from her, holding a thick mug of piping hot coffee.

At least, he mused, they weren’t paying too much attention to him. No, all their focus was pinned firmly on the petite girl with auburn hair who looked no older than twenty years of age.

But it wasn’t her age that frightened him. It was the fact that she was heavy with child.

As he continued to sip his coffee, the other women fussed and asked questions. As she haltingly murmured that she’d come all the way from Kentucky, and that her baby was due in three weeks’ time, Levi felt his skin flush with embarrassment.

The women acted like this was a usual thing, to discuss pregnancies with complete strangers. Worse, the proprietor, Mrs. Brenneman, acted like they were all about to become fast friends.

He would not.

Fact was, he had not come to the inn in order to make new friends. He had come to wait out the holiday as best he could. He did not want to get to know the Brennemans, and he most certainly didn’t want to get to know Melody. Even just looking at a woman heavy with child brought back too many painful memories.

Regret for his decision to escape to the Brennemans’ filled him. For some reason, he’d imagined that the inn would be filled to the seams with guests, not filled to the seams with family.

The Lord had surely wasted no time in proving to him that it wasn’t possible to avoid feelings and responsibilities and hurts. They always came back.

Like His presence, they were always there. Lurking among the depths. Waiting to be acknowledged.

He wished he had a way to leave. For the first time in a long while he wished for a driver’s license. For a car of his own. Then he’d be able to escape. Never had he imagined that he’d be surrounded by so many women.

“Is your coffee all right?” the blond woman asked, disrupting his thoughts.

“It’s fine.” When she looked pleased and stood up, he stared at the heavy ceramic mug in front of him curiously. The liquid inside was rich-looking and dark. Now that he noticed, the aroma of a superior blend wafted toward him, teasing his senses. Had he taken a sip yet? He didn’t remember.

Though he hoped the woman would take a hint by his brusque manner and leave him in peace, she soon appeared again. In her hands was a blue stoneware plate filled with soft peanut butter cookies and generous slices of iced cranberry bread.

With a bit of a flourish, she presented it with a smile. “Please have some bread, if you’d care to. I made it fresh this morning.”

He took a piece because he didn’t have a choice. It was still warm. The faint scent of tangy cranberries, walnuts, and sugar drifted toward him—reminding him of just how long it had been since he’d had anything fresh from the oven.

Not since Rosanna. As expected, the realization made his stomach knot. There was no way he’d ever be able to eat a bite; yet somewhere in the depths of his psyche, good manners reared up.

It would be rude not to eat even a little of the food. But perhaps he could take it to his room and find a way to dispose of it later? “I’m ready to see to my room. Is it ready?”

“It is, but please don’t hurry on our account.” Not looking perturbed in the slightest by his awkward manner, she smiled serenely. “Please, just relax and enjoy your snack. That’s why you’re here, right? To relax?”

He was there to forget. To hide.

When he looked at her, confused, she flushed prettily. “I’m sorry if we seem out of sorts. But it can’t be helped, actually. We only received your reservation today!”

“Today?”

“Yes. There was a problem with the delivery, I guess. Anyway, I know things are a little chaotic now, but we’ll get it all settled soon enough.”

Levi figured that by “a little chaotic,” she was referring to the pregnant girl who’d fainted.

“Now, where are you from?”

“Berlin.”

“My. That’s quite a ways.”

“Long enough.”

“Was your trip all right?”

“There were no problems.”

“Do you have family there?”

“Some.”

“But no wife?”

Her voice was melodic. Her tone hopeful. He felt like she was beating him with a stick, though. Each intrusive comment made him shudder. “I have no wife,” he finally said.

She grinned. “I didn’t imagine so.” At his look of shock, she chuckled. “I’m sorry. I mean, no wife I know of would let you leave at Christmas!”

The proper thing to do would be to at least smile at her horrible attempt at a joke. The polite thing to do would be to try harder to make senseless small talk.

But as her voice rang in his head—as her words reverberated, reminding him again that his Rosanna had died at Christmas—Levi felt ill.

The table shook in his haste to stand up. “Excuse me,” he murmured, then trotted out to the front porch. To the cold, cold air.

At least there he could concentrate on the wind and snow to chill his features. To calm his reserve.

To let him try to figure out what in the world he’d been thinking … when he’d decided to escape his life for Christmas.

Obviously, no matter where he went and no matter how hard he tried, there would be no escape from his guilt.

Ever.

December 20, 5:00
P.M.

The movements in her belly were called Braxton Hicks contractions. That’s all they are, Melody told herself as she lay on her side in the middle of the queen-sized bed in her room. But as the muscles in her stomach squeezed again, and she shifted uncomfortably, Melody wondered how much different
real
contractions felt.

Because these, she decided, felt terribly real to her.

Breathe, she told herself. Breathe deep. That was the mantra she had repeated to herself for the last nine months. Ever since “it” had happened. Ever since she’d been attacked and violated by the side of the road on her way home from work.

As Melody slowly inhaled, counted one Mississippi, two
Mississippi, and then exhaled, her body seemed to relax slightly. And the burdensome stress that had become her constant companion eased. Little by little, she felt her shoulders loosen, then the muscles in her back and hips stretch and give way. Finally the cramping lessened and the baby seemed to settle inside her again.

She was not going to have a baby today. Closing her eyes, Melody said a prayer of thanks.

Thanks for her body’s newfound patience, and for all her blessings. Yes, that was what she needed to do. She needed to get her bearings and feel good about herself again. She needed this little vacation, this time of rest, more than she’d ever needed anything in her life. Shifting, she moved to her other side and pulled one of the fluffy down pillows closer to her chest. The scent of starch and detergent drifted forth, smelling fresh and clean.

Reminding Melody of how wonderful-gut it was to be in such lovely surroundings.

Soon after she’d gotten her bearings, Mrs. Brenneman had walked her to her guest room … a beautiful room decorated in blues and whites on the first floor, right behind the main sitting area. Because getting off her feet had sounded so wonderful, she ignored her feelings of unease as Mrs. Brenneman wished her a good rest, paused to look at her in concern again, and then quietly shut the door behind her.

And she had a lot to be uneasy about. So far, everything about the inn had been different than what she’d imagined. The family living in and managing the inn were far more nosy than she’d anticipated. It was also extremely
obvious they weren’t all that excited to have her stay with them. If Katie had been able to send their uninvited guest on her way, she surely would have. During every encounter, Katie had been especially scornful. It felt as if there was nothing Melody could do about that attitude, either.

Except to leave.

And then there was the other guest. Levi Bender. A lone man who obviously was harboring some secrets of his own. Plus, he was so sullen, it looked as if the very act of smiling would cause him pain. What could have happened to him? Melody wondered. He’d actually paled when he saw she was pregnant.