Grace: A Christmas Sisters of the Heart Novel (7 page)

Katie looked at her more closely. “How is it you came to be here, Melody?”

“I took the bus.”

“No, I mean, even coming here three weeks from your
due date is awfully close to your time. Actually, I’m surprised your family let you leave. How did you choose this inn, anyway?”

“My boss … she gave me a gift certificate.”

“I’m thankful for that. But why did you decide now?”

Starting to feel uncomfortable, Melody stumbled over more words. “Well, after I deliver, I’ll have a baby to watch over. I wouldn’t be able to come here, then …”

“But for Christmas? Why don’t you want to be home?”

“I … well …” Melody felt as if her throat was closing up.

Anna cleared her throat. “Melody, please forget Katie asked that.” Turning to her sister-in-law, the blonde glared. “None of that is any of our business.”

“I’m sorry. Am I being rude? I’m merely just curious. All I know is that my doctor said I needed to stay put when I was so close to my time. What did yours say? Do you have a doctor or are you going to use a midwife?”

“I have a doctor.”

“Well, what did he say?”

“It’s a woman …”

Katie put a hand on her hip and waited.

And waited.

Actually, all of them stared at her, wanting answers. And Melody couldn’t really blame their curiosity, after all. Here Anna had just shared how she’d been held at gunpoint!

But Melody wasn’t used to sharing. Nor was she used to talking about anything to do with the baby. As she struggled to tell them something, anything that wouldn’t
reduce her to tears, she could feel the blood leave her face. “I didn’t ask my doctor’s permission.”

“What about your husband?”

Melody reached out to the counter for support as her world tilted. Oh, but she was afraid she was going to pass out again. “I don’t have one.”

All four women’s eyes widened. Just as quickly, Katie closed them again. “Oh,” she mumbled.

Just like her extended family in Kentucky, they were shocked.

Of course they were—her situation was shocking.

But carrying the burden alone for nine months was taking its toll. Melody’s knees felt locked. She shook a foot slightly, hoping to regain some circulation. Anything to enable her to slink out of the room.

How had this happened? She’d gone from feeling happy to embarrassed in seconds. Now the room felt claustrophobic. Too hot. A wave of dizziness intensified, making her head spin.

As she gripped the counter, Melody chided herself again. Oh, but she should have known better. She should have made up a story. Told them her husband left her. Or he died. Something. Anything.

Anything other than her truth.

But she’d known that those lies wouldn’t make her feel any better, and she would just be letting herself open to more prying questions. “I think I’ll go lie down now.”

Winnie trotted over and reached for her arm. “Wait, Melody. Please, don’t go—”

“I—I must.”

“Then I will walk you.”

But just as Winnie was about to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulders, the situation became too much to bear. With a jerk, she avoided Winnie’s hand and turned to the right. Quickly she raced down the hall. If she was quick enough, she could be in her room before the tears came. If she kept her mind on her steps, she would be in her room before she did something really stupid. Before she turned back around and told the women about getting attacked one evening on the way home from work.

Before she told them about how scared she’d been when the elderly couple found her, and then called the police.

How foreign the hospital had felt. How bruised and battered her body had been. How shamed she’d felt. For months.

As she climbed into the soft bed, the icy sheets caused her teeth to chatter. Soon enough she knew her body’s heat combined with the down would warm her well and good. But at the moment she felt as cold as if she’d been exiled to the farthest reaches of the arctic.

Only far, far more alone.

The moment Melody disappeared, Anna glared at her. “Wow, Katie. Way to go.”

“What?”

“You know what, daughter. Fact is, I am ashamed of you,” her mother whispered. “Your prying questions were terribly rude. That girl’s business is none of our concern.”

Katie flinched. Oh, but she hated being admonished by her mother. “Mother, you know very well I didn’t mean to make her cry. All I was doing was asking questions.”

Winnie cleared her throat. “A whole lot of questions.”

“I wasn’t that bad.”

Anna and Winnie exchanged glances. “Oh, I think you were,” Winnie said.

But even as she tried to defend herself, Katie knew she wasn’t quite being honest. She had grown up with guests in the house—Amish and English. They’d all come from different walks of life, too.

Some of the couples who came weren’t married, and hadn’t even pretended to be. Others did things she thought strange.

But early on, her parents had taught her not to judge. To maintain a comfortable camaraderie with everyone, yet to maintain an invisible wall between them and herself, especially with new guests. People who visited the be-and-breakfast didn’t necessarily come to make friends with the Brennemans. They came to relax.

And their inn was an inn, not a place to try to change people. Customers paid money to stay there. Money that was hard earned. They didn’t deserve to be interrogated about their private lives … just as the Brennemans didn’t care to be asked too many personal questions, either.

She knew that.

She also knew it wasn’t her business how Melody had gotten in her condition, or if she was married or not. It certainly wasn’t her place to judge. She should know that, too. Not too long ago, she’d been chased by regrets from
her past, and had done an awful lot to keep those regrets from meeting the light of day.

But instead of holding true to those learnings, she’d acted on her own selfish desires. Every time she looked at Melody a little part of her brain informed her that it was time to face the truth—her erratic mood swings and tiredness had nothing to do with the busyness of the season.

It had far more to do with something else. The fact that she was pregnant again. The fact that she was trying to keep it a secret. The fact that she still hadn’t told Jonathan and felt guilty about that.

Fearing that any defense of her rude behavior would only make matters worse, she held her tongue and hoped her mother would let things pass.

But obviously Anna could not. “How could Melody not have been offended?” she scolded, shaking her head in dismay. “Not only were your questions too personal, but your tone of voice was snippy, too.”

“Snippy?”

“Oh, you know what I mean.” Anna threw up her hands in dismay. “That poor thing came here, seeking refuge, and you’ve sent her to her room in shame.”

Now her cheeks felt like they were on fire. “You’re right, of course. I’ll apologize to her later.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Oh, I’m sure that will make everything you said all better.”

Katie’s temper flared. “Stop acting so righteous. I was wrong, but you have to admit I wasn’t asking questions out of thin air. Her situation is curious.”

“Katie,” her mother warned. “Again, I must caution that her life is none of our business.”

“I know. But … what do you think happened?”

After checking to make sure no one was lurking outside the door, Winnie shrugged. “Probably the same thing that’s happened to more women than we could count. She thought she was in love and rushed her wedding night. It happens and is unfortunate, but it’s nothing to be shocked about.”

“But why is she here?”

“Who knows?” Anna volunteered. “Maybe she just wanted a vacation.”

“That’s doubtful.”

“Well, maybe she and her man are in a fight. Maybe her boyfriend will come looking for her on Christmas Day.” Anna’s eyes brightened. “Now that would be exciting, and so romantic, too.”

Winnie sighed. “Terribly romantic.”

Irene piped up. “The last thing I’m eager for is a commotion between two lovebirds on Christmas Day.” After another moment passed, she said, almost reluctantly, “Something tells me that her situation isn’t so rosy. What she needs is our kindness and prayer, yes?”

“Jah.”
Holding Eli once again, Katie thought of everything that had happened to her over the last year. Just two years ago, she’d been a restless girl, sitting in this very kitchen, wishing something wonderful would happen to her. Wishing that Jonathan Lundy would one day finally notice her and come calling.

And call he did—but not in any way that she’d imagined.
The widower had asked her to help care for his two daughters while his sister Winnie was in Indiana. After some discussion, her parents had reluctantly let her go. But it had been quite an adventure.

Jonathan’s girls, Hannah and Mary, hadn’t been all that accepting because they missed their mom. And she’d gotten some letters from a girl in her past.

Remembering just how topsy-turvy her life had felt, how out of control it had seemed to be, she wondered if her recent contentment had changed her. Had she now become the type of judgmental person she’d always claimed never to be? “I promise I really will apologize later,” she said meekly. “I will try to become the friend she needs, too. I shouldn’t have been so nosy. I don’t know why I’ve been treating her so harshly.”

“I don’t know why you have, either,” her mother said. “But it is time to stop. See that you do apologize, Katie.”

In her arms, Eli’s eyes drifted shut. Unable to stop herself, she gently pushed a stray lock of hair away from his forehead. “No matter what, I’m sure Melody will be as overcome as I was by her child’s birth. Babies are miracles.”

Even as she said the words, a flutter filled her stomach. Yes, babies were miracles. Even to new mothers who were already feeling overwhelmed.

Walking to her side, her mother pressed her lips to Katie’s forehead. “Yes, indeed, they are. Now, however, we need to concentrate on the work to be done.”

“Yes, let’s make those cookies,” Anna rushed to say. “My Henry will want something tasty to snack on this afternoon after being outdoors all day.”

“
‘My
Henry,’” Winnie mimicked with a smile.

“Oh, stop, Winnie,” Anna said, her cheeks flaming. “You’re just as dreamy when you speak of Sam.”

“Perhaps,” Winnie allowed.

“I just like to tease you because he’s my brother,” Katie said. “Never would I have ever imagined Henry being thought of that way.”

“He’s lucky I do. I’m a
gut frau.”

The three of them laughed as the tension dissipated and things were back to normal.

With a satisfactory smile, her mother nodded in Anna’s direction and then walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a large bag of brown sugar. “I’m thinking molasses cookies might be just the thing,” she murmured. “Let’s get busy.”

December 21, 12:00
P.M.

Light rain started falling after two hours on the road. Soon after, the rain quickly turned to sleet, causing traffic to slow. Every lane was packed with cars, giant semis, smaller trucks, and an assortment of other vehicles. Some were loaded down with packages and gifts. Others were so filled with people that the drivers didn’t seem to be paying too much attention to the road.

As the sleet continued to fall, people switched lanes without turn signals and seemed eager to blow their horns for the slightest infraction. It was stressful.

So stressful, that Leah had to do anything she could to remain calm and in control. She listened to music, all the while imagining the look of surprise that was sure
to appear on Melody’s face when she showed up at the Brenneman Bed and Breakfast out of the blue.

No doubt, her girlfriend would start crying within minutes, too. She was a crier.

Actually, Melody was kind of everything. From the minute Leah had met her Amish friend, she’d been struck by the way Melody had yet to meet an emotion that she didn’t wear on her sleeve. She was such a sweetheart. Leah was so glad she’d decided to ask for a few days off to visit her.

No one should be alone so close to Christmas.

Just as Leah was driving under a bridge on the interstate, and was carefully navigating the lanes as the traffic changed from three lanes to two, construction zone signs appeared. She frowned as she gripped the wheel tightly. The already crowded lanes narrowed as the road dipped into a valley. Combined with the driving rain and sleet, it took all her concentration to stay in her lane and keep with the traffic flow.

Sweat beaded her brow as she came upon a line of concrete-filled orange barrels. Now the lanes felt claustrophobic. There was nowhere to go except forward. At regular intervals, she looked to her left and right, making sure she was aware of where the rest of the cars were at all times.

Then the cars in front of her screeched to a halt. She slammed on her brakes.

Around her, cars swerved and then perilously slid on the already slick pavement. Metal crashed into metal, horns blared, people yelled, and airbags flew open.

Leah gripped her steering wheel hard as she could as she tried her best to not only get out of the way of careening cars, but to escape hitting the Toyota in front of her head-on. As she felt the vibrations of the antilocks doing their best, panic rose in her. She had no control over her vehicle. No way of stopping. “Please, God,” she whispered. “Please—”

Her body reverberated against the seat belt as her Civic met the inevitable. Luckily, it wasn’t quite hard enough to send the air bag out, but the impact was jarring.

She was shaking now. Shaking. Crying. “Please God. Please God.”

All around her, a dozen cars fell into the same situation. Each slammed or rolled into another vehicle, or the median. Or the shoulder. Or the railing. One right after the other with enough force to push a long line of vehicles smack dab into one another—just like a row of cards or dominoes.

Leah was thankful that the jolt she’d received hadn’t done too much more than bruise her slightly and leave her emotionally shaken. She was sure others hadn’t been near as lucky.