Sleigh of Hope (12 page)

Rebecca was responsible for getting the sleigh and the festive decorations. How could he ask her to stay behind? He didn’t know, but that’s what he had to do.

“Hold up,” Boyd said. He looked up at Anna. “Why don’t you stay home and let Leo ride along with Adam and Rebecca. Cyrus and I will follow behind the sleigh and drop the rest of these slabs along the way. We can keep an eye on things.”

“I’ll be sorry to miss the fun, but not sorry to stay in my warm kitchen,” she said, allowing Boyd to help her down.

Adam couldn’t contain his jubilant hoot as he playfully wrestled Leo.

“When you two quit your dancing, I could use a cup of that cider,” Boyd said, heading toward the cider keg.

Turning Leo loose, Adam helped Rebecca pour cider into tiny canning jars from the crate her mother had sent along for that purpose.

“This is going to mean so much to our neighbors. Thank you all for everything.” He turned to Rebecca and Leo. “Thank you for helping.”

Anna hugged him with tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Adam. Contributing is healing.”

“And exhausting,” Boyd said, making everyone laugh. True to form, he was keeping the moment light for the women who needed no reminder of their own troubles. “It’s time to get moving. You’ve got a lot of stops to make before supper.” He turned his empty jar bottom up and placed it in the crate.

“I will see you all later,” Anna said. The ladies returned their empty jars then waved a joyful goodbye as Adam drove the sleigh out Main Street toward their first destination. Boyd and Cyrus followed far behind, a nod to Adam’s integrity and allowing him and his friends to make this journey on their own.

“I didn’t expect you to come along,” Adam said to Leo, who was seated on the other side of Rebecca.

Leo’s smile faded. “Do you mind?”

“Of course not, you dolt!”

“Good. I was worried I’d be too late to catch you,” he said. “Mr. Darling took me to the orphanage to see my friends before we went back to the mill for that last load.”

Rebecca exchanged an incredulous look with Adam before she turned and hugged Leo. “I’m so glad you got to see your friends!”

Adam’s chest tightened for an instant but he swept the jealous thought from his mind. There was nothing wrong with Rebecca and Leo becoming friends.

“Were they surprised to see you?” she asked.

Leo nodded. “Sure were. Mrs. Darling made up a basket for them and the other six kids there. They will all get a nice Christmas Eve dinner and new winter scarves. I promised my friends I’d help them find a home like Benny and I got.”

“I’ll help, too,” Adam said, and he meant it, even if that home was his own.

“Here’s our first stop,” Rebecca said, pointing to a small clapboard house on Chestnut Street where a pile of slabs and a mess of sawdust sat in the side yard and curls of smoke rose from the chimney. “Looks like they will have a warm fire for Christmas.”

Adam pulled the sleigh up in front. “Let’s all deliver the first basket together,” he said.

They carried two baskets, a sack of flour, and a crate of canned goods to the door.

When Mrs. Sackett opened the door and saw the three of them offering her family a Christmas meal and several more after that, she burst into tears. Three boys appeared in the doorway behind her, curious to see what was making their mother weep.

Mr. Sackett rounded the corner of the house with a saw in his hand. When he absorbed what was happening, he shook his head, his expression a mix of suspicion and disbelief. “Who sent this?” he asked in a way that made Adam nervous. Men like Mr. Sackett were proud and didn’t take kindly to charity.

Adam didn’t want to offend anybody. He exchanged a concerned look with Leo and Rebecca, hoping for guidance, but they said nothing. “Um... all this is from... um, well, it’s from the Sleigh of Hope.” As he gestured to the magnificent sleigh behind him, Leo and Rebecca stepped aside.

The eyes of the Sackett boys widened and they jostled each other trying to get a closer look.

“We would like to share a cup of cider with all of you,” Rebecca said, giving Mr. Sackett the smile she used when wanting to sway her father to her way of thinking. “The Sleigh of Hope is about spreading hope and goodwill. Please share in the spirit of our adventure and pass it along to others.”

Adam knew the instant Mr. Sackett gave into Rebecca’s sweet invitation. His shoulders lowered and a resigned look came to his eyes, as if he were tired and welcomed a helping hand wherever it came from. “Cider sounds nice,” he said, nodding to his family that it was all right to accept their gifts.

While Mrs. Sackett and the boys took everything inside, Rebecca and Leo ran to the sleigh to pour the cider.

Adam waited outside because he had something to say to Mr. Sackett. “There’s a big pile of slabs at Old Gus’s place that should be a bit easier for you to cut up than the items in his old furniture shop. I don’t suppose you’ve been charging to help him out.”

“Course not!” Mr. Sackett said, his brows slashing downward, revealing the level of offense he’d taken to Adam’s comment.

“I didn’t think you were,” he said, looking Mr. Sackett straight in the eye. “There’s no shame in helping one another,” he said. “That’s all this is, Mr. Sackett. Friends helping friends. Neighbors helping neighbors. We give what we can. We receive with gratitude when we must.”

For several seconds Gordie Sackett said nothing, just looked at Adam as if he were trying to settle things in his mind. Finally, he sighed as if shrugging a great weight off his shoulders. “I always think it’s my elders that have wisdom to share.” He watched Leo and Rebecca return carrying five jars of cider, their faces reflecting their joy of giving. “Guess there’s something to be learned from everyone.”

“I agree, Mr. Sackett.” Adam had learned many lessons this Christmas season, the most important from Cora and Benny who welcomed each other without judgment or jealousy. And he’d learned from Leo, who had nothing to give but his friendship.

He carried that spirit of love and generosity from house to house as they delivered baskets and pails and sacks and crates of goods to families in desperate need of hope. Sleigh bells signaled their arrival, calling those families to their windows and doors, inviting them to enjoy a cup of cider and partake of the gifts brought by the Sleigh of Hope. With each departure, Adam received more than he gave.

Three hours later they pulled up at the greenhouse where their families were waiting to celebrate with them, and Adam finally understood the answer to the puzzle his father had given him.

His soft laugh drew questioning looks from Leo and Rebecca.

“Is something funny?” she asked.

He shook his head. It wasn’t funny at all that he had been so thick-headed and blind. “The
gift
of each Christmas is
giving
,” he said. “My dad was trying to explain that the day we started working on Cavneys’ home, but I didn’t get it until today.”

He reached around Rebecca and extended his hand to Leo. “This is long overdue, but I’m sorry about... everything,” he said. “If you and Benny think you want to come back, I promise to be a much better brother than I’ve been so far.”

“I don’t want to be your brother,” Leo said, punching Adam’s shoulder. “I want to be your best friend.”

Adam’s throat filled with emotion. “I’d like that.” He rubbed his smarting bicep. “Are you sure?”

Leo hopped out of the sleigh and looked up at them. “The Darlings are good folks. Mr. Darling knows more about music than I could ever hope to learn, but I sure enjoy hearing about it and playing his guitar. He says he’ll take me to the orphanage to see my friends, and even try to find homes for them. Mrs. Darling’s mothering is just what Benny needs, and now that she’s watching Cora each week, he still has a playmate. I could do without all Mrs. Darling’s fussing, but I like the way she talks,” he said with a grin, letting Adam know that he enjoyed Tansy’s fawning and just didn’t want to admit it. “It’s a good home for me and Benny.”

Suddenly, no one had anything to say. Breaking the awkward silence Rebecca said, “We should get the team settled.”

Spurred to action, Adam guided the sturdy matched bays into an enclosed shelter at the side of the greenhouse that would keep them out of the weather until Radford took his family home for the night.

While he helped Rebecca out of the sleigh, Leo waited outside, shouting for them to hurry up because he was starving.

Adam smiled down at his sweetheart, knowing Leo was going to be a little hungrier by the time he and Rebecca left the shelter. Neither of them spoke but her eyes, shining in the lantern light, welcomed him. Heart pounding, he lowered his head.

Before his lips touched hers, something hit the back of his head with a solid thump and spray of snow that covered both of them.

Rebecca sputtered and wiped the snow off her face.

Adam felt the back of his head, covered with packed snow, and knew instantly what happened.

Leo stood at the shelter entrance laughing. “What?” he said, trying to look innocent. “You said the gift of Christmas is
giving.
”

Rebecca laughed, but Adam could only shake his head. “If it takes the rest of my life, Sullivan, I’ll pay you back for this.”

“Well, I plan to be around that long, so you’ll have plenty of opportunity,” Leo said. “Your uncles are pulling up. Now that I’ve kept you two out of trouble, snuff those lanterns so we can go eat. I’m starving.”

“You’re always starving,” Adam said, wondering if he should throttle Leo or thank him.

The sleigh was empty now, but as Adam put out the lanterns, his heart was full in a way he’d never experienced.

He escorted Rebecca out of the horse shelter, knowing Leo and Rebecca’s friendship was the best gift of all.

THE END

Thank you for reading
Sleigh of Hope
. If you enjoyed this story please consider posting an online review, which can help other readers find great books and promote an author or book you love.

I’m planning to release Adam and Rebecca’s book in 2013. Sign up for New Book Alert at
www.wendylindstrom.com
. You can also find me on
Twitter
@WendyLindstrom and
Facebook
www.Facebook.com/AuthorWendyLindstrom

You will find more Grayson Christmas “moments” in
Shades of Honor
,
Lips That Touch Mine
, and
Kissing in the Dark
.

Read more about Adam and Rebecca in
Kissing In The Dark
at
www.wendylindstrom.com/work/kissing-in-the-dark

Series Order:

Shades of Honor

http:/www.wendylindstrom.com/work/shades-of-honor/

The Longing

http://www.wendylindstrom.com/work/the-longing/

Lips That Touch Mine

http://www.wendylindstrom.com/work/lips-that-touch-mine/

Kissing in the Dark

http://www.wendylindstrom.com/work/kissing-in-the-dark/

Sleigh of Hope

http://www.wendylindstrom.com/work/sleigh-of-hope/

The Grayson Brothers Boxed Set (4 books)

http://www.wendylindstrom.com/grayson-brothers-series-boxed-set/

Dear Readers: Even with many layers of editing, mistakes can slip through. If you encounter typos or errors in this book, please send them to me at
http://www.wendylindstrom.com
(via contact link).

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Upstate New York is a beautiful, timber-rich area, populated by sugar maples that explode with color every autumn. Abundant forests of black walnut, oak, and majestic pines sweep down across mountain foothills and give way to miles of sweet-smelling grape vineyards that skirt the shores of Lake Erie. Creeks and gorges cut winding paths from mountain to shore, bringing water and power and life to towns built along their banks. In the midst of this land you’ll find the quaint village of Fredonia where this story takes place.

I spent many years living in Fredonia, learning about its rich history and enjoying life in this small connected community.

As I wrote Sleigh of Hope and revisited Fredonia and the Grayson family, I returned to a time when families and communities came together to help each other, to promote peace and goodwill, and to give hope to those in need.

For the sake of historical accuracy, the Grayson men wouldn’t have hunted turkey for their Christmas meal. By the late nineteenth century wild turkeys were reduced to extremely low levels because of excessive logging and farming that reduced their habitat. As agriculture shifted west after the American Civil War the woodlands gradually recovered and New York once again became a beautiful, timber-rich state with plentiful wild turkey.

Thank you for indulging the small liberties I’ve taken with the setting and history of Fredonia—a wonderfully romantic setting for a story of love and hope.

Peace and warmest wishes.

~WL

Electronic Books by Wendy Lindstrom