Amish Christmas Joy (8 page)

“We took our things to the Laundromat.”

“I think you will see that this way is better. The clothes will smell so nice and fresh. Can you help me pin these pants to the line?”

Joy stretched her arms above her head. “I can’t reach it.”

Caleb wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her to the proper height. “Now can you get it?”

Joy giggled. “I’m as tall as you are.”

“And almost as heavy. Get to pinning.”

His arms were starting to ache by the time they were finished, but seeing his mother and his daughter working happily together was worth the discomfort.

When he put Joy’s feet on the ground, she clapped her hands together and bounced up and down. “Can we go see the puppies now? Can we?”

His mother shook her head. “School doesn’t let out until three-thirty. Then we must give Leah time to get home. You should go at four o’clock. I have another basket to hang. Don’t run off.”

As his mother went back up to the porch, Joy turned to him. “What time is it now, Daddy?”

“It’s not time to go yet.”

“Will you tell me as soon as it’s time?”

“I will.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. Do you believe me?”

She looked at him intently, then gave him a great big grin. “
Ja!
You always keep your promises.”

“That’s right, I do.” No matter how painful it was to do so.

He shook off the thought. “Here comes your
grossmammi
with another load. Let’s help her hang up the clothes.” He picked up Joy again.

“Someday I’m going to be big enough to do this by myself,” she declared, struggling to place a clothespin on one end of the sheet his mother hung over the line.

Someday she would be, and he wouldn’t be around to see it. The thought was a sobering one. He wanted to see her grow up. He wanted some part in who she became.

So, why couldn’t he come back to visit? Now that he had faced his parents and gotten over that hump, was there really a reason he couldn’t? Just because he couldn’t live Amish didn’t mean he had to cut himself off from Joy completely. Would his parents agree to his visits? He was sure his mother would.

Cheered by the idea, he started thinking about annual or semiannual trips home. He’d write and let his folks know he was coming so Wayne and Rhonda could avoid seeing him if that was how they wanted it. Perhaps in time, that rift could be mended, too.

He wanted to see Joy grow up. He wanted to be a part of her life, even if it was a small part. Until now, he’d only focused on the crisis in front of him. He’d been unable to look ahead. Now that he could, coming back for visits was a great idea.

He would tell Leah of his decision tonight. What would she think of it?

* * *

Trixie’s barking alerted Leah and her friends Rebecca, Sarah and Joann to more visitors. Leah was surprised to see Caleb and Joy on her front porch when she opened the door.
“Gutenowed.”

Caleb looked ill at ease. “Good evening. I see by the buggies out here that you have company. I hope we’re not imposing.”

“I want to see Pickles. Can I, please?” Joy bounced beside him.

“Joy has been bugging me to let her visit the puppies again. My mother thought it would be all right if we came after you got home from school tonight.”

Leah had mentioned tonight’s baking frolic to Maggie and Rhonda at church. Maggie must have sent Caleb today because she knew Leah would have company. It eased the awkwardness of allowing Caleb into her home. Bless Maggie for being so considerate, but why hadn’t she brought Joy?

Joy folded her hands together. “Please, can I see Pickles? I know she’s missed me.”

Grinning at the girl’s excitement, Leah nodded. “I think she
has
been missing you. Come in.”

Caleb, his shoulders hunched against the cold, said, “I can wait out here.”

An outsider coming to visit a
maedel
who lived alone could be cause for talk. He was being protective of her reputation. That surprised her. It was odd how many things about Caleb Mast had surprised her in the past few days.

“You may come in. I’m sure you will remember most of my friends.” She stood aside as he entered. He stopped only a few feet past the doorway as he took in the women seated around her kitchen table. Joy, when she realized there were more people in the room, became shy and hid behind her father.

Leah made the introductions. “Caleb, this is Joann Yoder, now Joann Weaver.”

“I remember you from school.”

“It is
goot
to see you again.” Joann gave him a welcoming smile.

“Joann married Roman Weaver a few weeks ago.”

“Congratulations. I heard about Roman’s accident. I hope he makes a full recovery. Tell him I said hello.”

“I will.”

“Next is Sarah Beachy. She is married to Levi Beachy. I don’t believe you have met Rebecca Troyer. She moved to Hope Springs a few years ago from Berlin. Her husband is Gideon Troyer, a cousin of Adam Troyer. This is Caleb Mast. He is Maggie’s youngest.”

He nodded to each of them in turn. “I’m sorry to crash your party.”

He gently coaxed Joy forward. “This is my daughter, Joy. She is the one on a mission.”

“’Cause I’ve been missing Pickles and she has been missing me,” Joy declared.

Leah grinned at her friends. “Joy was here the day the puppies were born. She named the blond one.”

“Pickles is a marvelous name,” Joann said.

“Are you going to name the others?” Rebecca asked.

“Yup. They are Peanut Butter and Jelly.”

Sarah was trying hard not to laugh. “Pickles, Peanut Butter and Jelly. I’d say those are some unusual but tasty names for puppies.”

“If there had been a fourth one, you could have called it Church Spread,” Joann added in all seriousness.

“What’s that?” Joy asked, looking up at her dad.

Caleb smiled at her. “Church spread is peanut butter mixed with marshmallow cream.”

“I had that Sunday. It was yummy.” Joy closed her eyes, grinned big and rubbed her tummy, her shyness forgotten.

“My grandfather loved to eat his church spread with dill pickles. I don’t have church spread, but I do have oatmeal raisin cookies. Would you like some?” Leah picked up a plate from the counter and held it out to Joy.

Joy glanced up at her father. He nodded. She quickly took two and rushed to the corner where Trixie lay with her pups.

Leah was left standing beside Caleb. She realized her friends were all watching her closely. She held the plate toward him and tried for a casual tone. Anything to hide the fact that her heart was racing as it always did when he was near. “We are getting ready for a cookie exchange at Rebecca’s home on Friday. Would you like to sample some?”

“Oatmeal raisin is my favorite. How did you know?” He winked at her friends, as if she had made the cookies just for him.

Her smile turned chilly. “Your brother told me.”

That took the grin off Caleb’s face.

Instantly, she was sorry. No one at the table knew the full story about Leah’s broken engagement. They only knew that Wayne and Rhonda had had a hurry-up wedding. They certainly weren’t the first young couple to have a babe arrive early. Only Sarah knew Leah had been serious about Wayne. It was never mentioned after the wedding took place. As upsetting as it was at the time, Leah realized now that she hadn’t truly been in love with Wayne. She had been in love with the idea of marriage and starting a family of her own.

Would she have grown to love Wayne the way a wife should? She honestly didn’t know.

She set the plate aside and joined Joy where she knelt by the puppies. “Would you like to hold Pickles?”

“Yes, please. Daddy said I wasn’t to bug you about it. I was just to look at her.”

“Then you have done very well to obey him.” Leah lifted the pup from the blanket.

Joy took the puppy from Leah. “Has their daddy been here?”

“
Nee,
he has not come by again,” Leah admitted.

“But it’s almost Christmas. Pickles wants to see her daddy for Christmas.”

Caleb said, “She has her mother and that’s all she needs right now.”

“No, she wants them both. See how unhappy she is. It’s all right, Pickles.” Joy hugged the puppy to console her.

Leah met Caleb’s gaze. What was sad was the way Joy gave the puppy her own wants and needs.

Joann joined them. “May I hold a puppy?”

“Of course.” Leah handed her friend the largest male.

“What do you think, Joy? Is this Peanut Butter, or is this Jelly?” Joann asked with a grin.

Joy gave the question careful consideration as she held Pickles next to her cheek. “I think that one is Peanut Butter. He has brown feet.”

“Have you come home for a Christmas visit?” Rebecca asked Caleb.

“Something like that.”

“Then you must bring Joy to our cookie exchange. I know she will enjoy it. There will be many children her age there. My husband would be delighted to meet you. He was out in the
Englisch
world for years before returning to us. He enjoys talking about cars and airplanes and all the things that he used to know.”

Caleb shot a quick glance at Leah and then looked down at his boots. “Thank you for the invitation, but I’m not sure I can make it.”

Sarah said, “We hope you can. We won’t even require you to bring a pail of cookies, for I’m sure your mother will bring plenty. There will be more than enough for everyone. Leah, I think your last batch should be about done.”

Leah glanced at the clock and hurried to her oven. The cookies were a little browner than she liked but thankfully not burned. She set the baking sheet on top of the stove and began removing the cookies. Caleb went to crouch beside Joy and admire the puppies. “They are getting bigger already.”

Leah watched their interaction. It would be a good idea for Joy to interact with the other children on a fun occasion. Caleb would be reluctant to come if his brother and Rhonda were there. Maggie could bring the child, of course, but Leah found herself wishing that Caleb would come, too. The more he became involved in the community, the greater the chance was that he would change his mind and stay.

She transferred the last cookie and set the sheet aside to cool while she spooned more dough onto a second sheet. “Joann, have we heard who all is coming to the exchange?”

Joann’s work at the paper left her privy to all the local goings-on. “I don’t think there will be as many families there as last year. We’re having it a week earlier, and it turns out Esther Zook is hosting a quilting frolic for her niece on the same night.”

Sarah moved to snitch a warm cookie from Leah’s plate. “That means Grace and Henry Zook won’t be there, but Levi and the twins are coming. What about Rhonda and Wayne?”

Leah resisted the urge to see if Caleb was listening. She bent and put a new tray of unbaked cookies in the oven. “Rhonda will go to the quilting bee. She mentioned that Wayne plans to visit with Bishop Zook about a church issue, so they won’t be at the cookie exchange.”

Joann replaced the puppy she was holding and returned to the table. “If our turnout is small, we can hold another one closer to Christmas.”

Sarah said, “We should hold one when the twins are away visiting their grandmother. Then everyone can be assured that they will get home with cookies and not empty pails.”

The women laughed. The twins, Moses and Atlee, were notorious pranksters.

Caleb stood and said, “Joy, it’s time for the puppy to go back with her mother.”

She replaced the puppy and gave Trixie a pat on the head. “Your baby likes me, but she needs you more. You are a good mommy.”

“That’s right,” he said and took her hand.

Leah turned away from the stove with a dozen cookies wrapped in a blue-and-white-checkered napkin. She handed them to Joy. “A few for the road.”

“Yum.” Joy gleefully grabbed the offering.

“What do you say?” Caleb prompted.

“Thanks. I mean,
danki.
”

Leah propped her hands on her hips. “Your
Deitsh
is getting better all the time.”

“
Mammi
is helping me. Can I have a cookie now,
Daed?
”

“When we are in the buggy. Leah, will you walk us out?”

She hesitated and glanced at her friends, but they were busy looking through her recipe book for a new sugar cookie. She followed Caleb outside. He opened the door of the buggy for Joy and she hopped in. He said, “Now you can have one.”

“Two?”

“One.”

“Okay.”

Leah grinned at Joy’s dejected tone. Caleb turned to face her. “You don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?” she asked, even though she knew what he meant.