A Christmas Bride in Pinecraft (2 page)

I
t's going to be all right, Beverly,” Eric said into the phone for at least the fourth time in fifteen minutes. When he heard no immediate reply, he walked to his window, stared out at the gray Philadelphia sky, and explained himself. Again. “I know this is a shock, but you'll get through it,” he said gently. “What matters is that you weren't hurt.” He closed his eyes as he imagined how much worse things could have been for her. He wasn't sure how he would have handled it if she'd been calling from the hospital.

“But . . . but, Eric, it's terrible. It's so terrible,” Beverly sputtered. Her voice had a definite Pennsylvania Dutch accent, a sure sign that she was extremely distressed.

He had to get there as soon as possible.

He ached to comfort her and wished he were sitting across the
kitchen table from her so he could see her pretty green eyes and ascertain just how flustered she was. Instead, he was reduced to sitting in his office with a phone to his ear, trying to do his best to reassure her. Outside, Eric noticed that snow had started to fall, adding to the seven inches that had accumulated the evening before. He wandered back to his desk and clicked on his laptop. Hopefully flights weren't grounded. He needed to get on one headed south and fast. “I know, dear. But—”

“But what?” She hiccupped. “Ach! Eric, all the money in the lockbox was taken. And the lockbox itself! I'm so very sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“But still . . .”

But still she was going to apologize.

While the search engine on his computer looked for flights, Eric leaned back in his chair and propped his slippered feet up on his desk, hoping and praying that eventually some of his words would penetrate her fog. “We can get you another lockbox,” he soothed. “The cash may be gone, but it was just five hundred dollars.”

“That's a lot of money.”

“It is, but it's not your life savings, Bev.”

She ignored him. “And the gathering room? It's a terrible mess. A horrible, terrible mess. Lamps are broken! Glass is everywhere. I don't know how I'm going to get everything to rights in time for the next guests.”

“You will. You always do.” He couldn't resist smiling as he remembered the first time he'd visited the inn after inheriting it from his neighbor. Beverly had been cool and distant. But she'd also carried an air of supreme competency. He'd realized right
then and there that she was a born innkeeper. She could juggle multiple problems with ease. And in the months since their first meeting, she'd proven that his first impression had been right on the money. It was one of the reasons he hadn't felt too guilty about returning to Philly until his house sold and he could relocate to Pinecraft for good.

She could handle anything. Now he just needed to make sure she remembered that.

“You sound so confident, Eric.”

“I'm confident in you.” Hating that he wasn't standing right by her side so she could see how sincere he was, he continued to coax and cajole her as best he could. “Look, why don't you take a deep breath and just ignore the mess for now. I don't want you to get cut or hurt.”

After sighing, she said quietly, “Eric, I can't just sit here and stare at everything. My mind is such a blur.”

“That's because you need to calm down. Everything will look better in the morning.” Especially because, by then, he would be headed her way.

“I doubt that. All the glass and debris will still be on the floor.” Her voice turned weepy again. “I know I'm not making a lick of sense, but I really am at a loss of what to do first.”

At last, it seemed she was asking for suggestions. Though she couldn't see him, Eric smiled. “I know. Go make yourself a cup of tea, honey.” He winced as the endearment slipped through. “You should eat a couple of cookies if you have them, too.”

“Cookies?”

“The shortbread. Those are still your favorite, right?” he mur
mured as he clicked on a one-way flight and pulled out his credit card.

“Eric, I'm not
hungahrich
—”

And here came the actual Amish words.

“Honey,” he began just as he realized what he was saying again and quickly amended it. “I mean,
Beverly
, please listen to me. Please, go get some hot tea and sit down. Then I want you to try to relax. I'll be there tomorrow.”

“Eric, tea won't help. And while shortbread cookies might actually taste good, I don't think I have any butter—Really?” She gasped suddenly. “You will?”

“Really.” Glancing at his laptop, which showed his flight confirmation, he said, “I'm getting on the first flight out to Sarasota. I'll be with you around lunchtime tomorrow. And I'll even bring you cookies.” He looked at his watch. “That's just a little more than twelve hours. Just hold on until then, okay?”

At last, he heard her sigh and relax. “You don't mind coming down here to help me? I mean, I know it's your inn and all. But truly, you don't mind coming on the spur of the moment like this?”

“If you knew me better, you wouldn't ask.”

She hiccupped again. “I thought I did know you well. What don't I know?”

It was time to evade and redirect. “You know me as well as anyone. The best parts of me, anyway.”

She sniffled into the phone. “We can talk about your past, if you'd like.”

“Don't worry about me right now.”

He was starting to realize that he'd kept too much of himself hidden from her before now. But he hadn't wanted to shock her about his past and so he'd kept it firmly locked away whenever he'd been around her. It hadn't been a difficult undertaking. Beverly had been raised Amish and now was a conservative Mennonite living in the middle of a quaint Floridian Amish community. She spent her days baking and looking after guests and visiting with her neighbors. She worried about how much flour and sugar were in her pantry. She knew how to fold a napkin into a work of art.

In short, her life was pretty much the exact opposite of his, and he was glad of that.

But now he couldn't help but feel that if she'd known a little bit more about his past, about the things he'd experienced, she would have had far more confidence in him. She would have realized that a simple burglary wouldn't faze him.

Not in the slightest.

“There's more to me than what you've seen, Beverly.”

“That sounds rather ominous.”

He felt a bit ominous, actually. Chances were good that Beverly wasn't going to like some things she found out about him—if he ever really opened up to her. He cleared his throat, hating how awkward he sounded and felt. “All I'm trying to say is that you can count on me to handle just about anything.”

“This robbery might put you to the test.”

“I can handle it,” he repeated. Knowing it was time to change the topic, he said, “So, are you going to sleep at your friend Sadie's tonight?”

“At Sadie's? Oh,
nee
.”

Perturbed, he dropped his feet back down to the tan Oriental carpet covering his cherry floors. Frowning, he asked, “If not Sadie's, where do you plan to sleep?”

“Here, of course.”

He didn't have to be standing in the same room as she to hear the slight tremor in her voice. Once again, he tried to be the voice of reason from much too far away. “Beverly, I'm sure Sadie won't mind if you sleep in her guest room. I think you should go over there as soon as we hang up. You'll rest better.”

“I couldn't.”

“Bev, I don't want you to be by yourself.” Surely if she stayed the night alone at the inn she wouldn't get a single moment's sleep. Every creak and groan would keep her on edge. And understandably so. Thinking of her scared and frightened made Eric feel worse than helpless. “Just grab your toothbrush and walk over to Sadie's house. We'll deal with everything when I arrive. You said the police helped you board up the window?”

“
Jah
. The
fenshtah
is boarded up.”

“Then the inn will be safe enough. Simply lock the doors and walk next door. The break will do you good.”

“I can't go next door. Sadie was almost as upset as I was. And, well, you know how she talks. If I stay any length of time around her, she's going to only make me more distressed.”

She probably had a point. Her friend Sadie did talk nonstop and seemed to believe only in extreme emotions. Eric could just imagine what doom and gloom Sadie might invent and share with Beverly. She'd probably get Beverly so wound up, neither
one of them would get a bit of sleep. “Perhaps you are right. But still, I don't like the idea of you staying there alone tonight. Would you like me to make some calls?”

“Don't worry about me, Eric. Now that I know you'll be coming here tomorrow, I'll be fine.”

She wasn't going to be fine but he decided not to argue with her. The minute they got off the phone he was going to take matters into his own hands. It was better that way. Then she wouldn't be able to argue with him.

“All right, then. Try to get some rest, and I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Jah
.
Meiya
.”

Though he could only hope
meiya
meant tomorrow, he thought he heard a hint of relief in her voice. “Okay. I'm going to go, but I'll get there as soon as I can. Look for me around lunchtime.”

“I—I will do that.”

“I'm going to let you go now so I can get packed.”

“
Jah
, that is a mighty
gut
idea.
Danke
, Eric.” She sounded forlorn. And so very Amish. And so alone. He would give just about anything to wrap his arms around her and hold her close, but until he got to Florida, all he could do was attempt to soothe her with words. “You're welcome, Bev. Now, please don't worry anymore. We'll figure out everything when I get there. All you should think about is resting. Okay?”

“Okay. But maybe I should sweep a bit. Eric, the mess—”

“We'll deal with that tomorrow,” he said more firmly. “I promise, I don't care about anything besides the fact that you are all right. Now, please, just take care of yourself. We'll get everything sorted out when we're together tomorrow.”

“I think you might be right,” she said, her voice holding a bit of hope in it for the first time. “It might be easier to tackle all this together . . .”

“I know it will be.”

“I'm mighty glad you're comin' out.”

“I am, too.” Hoping to lighten things up, he teased, “Now, let's hang up so I can pack, okay?”

She giggled. “All right. Good-bye, Eric.”

“Good-bye. I'll see you tomorrow.” He hung up with a grin. That small little chuckle in her voice had made him feel like he was the king of the world. She was going to be okay.

Now all he had to do was make sure she wasn't alone until he got there. He ran his thumb across his cell phone's screen until he came across the Kaufmanns' house number. Even though the Kaufmanns were Amish, they were New Order, which meant they had a phone in their kitchen. Thank goodness.

To his surprise and relief, Zack answered on the second ring. After learning that Zack and his bride had been over at his parents' house playing cards and talking about the break-in, Eric got down to business.

“Hey, I know it's late but I need a favor,” Eric said.

“Of course. What may I do?”

“Is there any way you could ask your parents to let Beverly stay at their house tonight? She's alone at the inn and though I know she's scared to death, she's refusing to impose on anyone. I know your mom will make her feel more at ease.”

“Of course we'll do that.”

Eric closed his eyes in relief. “I owe you. Thanks a lot.”

“
Nee
, thank you for calling. We should have done that al
ready. Actually, I shouldn't have taken Leona home and left Beverly there by herself.”

“You needed to see to your wife, Zack. I understand that.” Eric was starting to realize that he felt just as responsible for Beverly. Because she had such a confident air about her, most people forgot she was only in her thirties and running a business by herself. She needed someone to have her back, to make sure she took care of herself. He was now happy to be fulfilling that role. “Now, are you sure your parents won't mind having her stay the night?”

“They won't mind at all. I bet we'll have her safely nestled in my parents' guest bedroom in no time.”

“Thanks. Listen, if your mom has time, you might ask her to go with you to get Beverly.”

Zack chuckled softly. “You think I'm going to need some help, do ya?”

“Maybe. She can be pretty stubborn.” Thinking of all Beverly's protesting, he added, “She was actually thinking about sweeping the floors tonight.”

Zack whistled low. “Sounds like I better get going, the sooner the better.”

“I'd really appreciate it if you could get over there as soon as possible.” For a moment, he considered even asking Zack to call him after he got Beverly situated, but he didn't want to impose on the man's time even more.

“We got this. And don't worry. You know my
mamm
. She'll be eager to help. As will Leona. Between the three of us, we will get Beverly settled in without a problem.”

“Thanks. And try to get her to rest in the morning if you can,
would you? My flight doesn't land until noon or so and I don't want her going back to the inn at seven in the morning.”

“We'll do our best to keep her occupied until you arrive.”

Eric was starting to feel like he was asking too much. “Um, are you sure you have time? I could try to call Penny and Michael Knoxx . . .”

“I'll call them if we need to, but I think for now we'll be okay. We'll take Beverly out for a long breakfast tomorrow. We'll go stand in line at Yoder's!”