The Gift (24 page)

“I’m doing what needs to be done. Something I should probably have done long before now.” Adam dashed into the yard, doused the woodpile with kerosene, and threw in a match. In an instant, the wood went up in flames.

“No! No!” Carrie shouted, running toward Adam before Leah could pull her back. “You’re gonna kill Chippy!”

Adam’s brows pulled together. “Chippy?”

“The little chipmunk that’s been living in the woodpile. Remember when the girls told you about it?” Leah stepped up to Adam. “We haven’t seen him for a while, so I think he may have found another home.”

Adam gave a nod. “Guess I’d forgotten about him.”

“Chippy! Oh, poor Chippy!” Carrie sobbed. Then Linda started crying, and soon Amy joined them.

Adam was flustered and didn’t know how to make things right. In his state of confusion, he turned to Leah and said, “I… I really need your help with the girls. Will you marry me, Leah?”

L
eah stood in stunned silence, staring at Adam and wondering if he’d lost his mind. Surely he couldn’t have meant what he had just said. Until now, he’d given no indication that he wanted to marry her. They weren’t even courting, for goodness’ sake.

She glanced at the children and noticed their wide-eyed expressions, as their tears were brushed quickly away. They were obviously as surprised by Adam’s proposal as she was. Except for Carrie’s hiccups after she’d stopped crying, not a sound could be heard. At this moment, the chipmunk was obviously far from their minds, but what were Adam’s nieces thinking right now?

“Uncle Adam, are you and Leah getting married?” Linda finally asked, looking at him with astonishment.

Adam shuffled his feet a few times. “Well… umm… We are, if Leah agrees to it.”

Rubbing the back of her neck, Leah looked at Adam and said, “I… I think we need to talk about this in private, don’t you?” She couldn’t imagine why Adam had suddenly asked her to marry him—especially in front of the girls. He certainly wasn’t in love with her.

Adam’s face turned a brighter shade of red as he nodded. “But I want to stay here with this fire a little longer to make sure it goes out. Why don’t you go into the house with the girls? I’ll come in when I’m finished out here.”

“I have a better idea,” Leah responded. “The girls can go inside and finish their snack, while you and I talk out here in the yard.”

“Guess that would be okay.”

Leah opened the back door and gestured for the girls to go in. They hesitated a minute before stepping inside. Then Leah joined Adam on the lawn and stood watching the fire. When the branches burned to glowing embers, Adam stirred through them with a garden rake.

“Let’s sit in my buggy so we can talk without our conversation being heard,” he suggested. “I can still watch the embers from there.”

Leah nodded but turned her attention to the small pond at the far end of Adam’s property. He’d told her once that the water was always cold, no matter what time of year it was. The pond was spring fed, and at the lower end, the water emptied into a small stream. Adam had said that even during the drought they’d had last year, the pond stayed full of water.

Right now, Leah wished she were a little girl again, because as warm as she felt, she’d like nothing better than to kick off her shoes, run down to the pond, and jump in. Suddenly, the air seemed so heavy, she could hardly breathe.
Those lucky ducks,
Leah thought when she noticed a pair of mallards swimming in the center of the pond.

“Leah, are you coming?”

Startled, Leah looked back at Adam. “I’ll be right there.” Her palms grew sweaty as she followed Adam across the yard. When they reached his buggy, she took a seat in the passenger’s side, and he went around to the driver’s side.

“Leah, I…” Adam paused and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for blurting that out in front of the girls. It was stupid.”

Leah tipped her head. “Which part was stupid—asking me to marry you or saying it when the girls were present?”

“The second one… or maybe both.” Adam gave his earlobe a tug. “I mean, you might think I’m dumb for proposing marriage when we haven’t even courted.” Adam paused again, as though waiting for her response.

“I’ll admit, you took me by surprise,” Leah said. “I assume the reason you suggested we get married is because you’re concerned about the girls and want them to have a full-time caregiver.”

“It’s true, but it’s more than that.”

Leah held her breath, waiting for Adam to continue. Part of her hoped, even wished Adam had asked her to marry him because he felt something for her. The truth was, she’d begun to have feelings for him. While she might not be in love with Adam, a friendship was forming, and if given the chance, she was sure it could turn into love.

“What else were you going to say, Adam?” Leah prompted, trying to control her uneven breathing.

“It’s just that… Well, the girls have developed a fondness for you, and I’ve seen the way you are with them. I believe you must care a lot for my nieces.”

“You’re right. I’ve come to love Carrie, Linda, and Amy very much.”

“As do I,” he said. “That’s why I want what’s best for those girls. I believe having you as their substitute mother would be a good thing for all of them.”

“What about you, Adam? What’s best for you?”

He glanced at Leah, looked quickly away, and turned to face her again. “Clearly, you can see that I need help with the girls.”

Leah released an exasperated sigh. “I know that already, which is why I’ve been coming over to help every day while you’re at the store.” Adam undid the top button of his shirt then pulled the collar away from his throat. “You’re making this hard for me, Leah.”

“I’m not trying to be difficult. I’m just trying to understand how us getting married would be the best thing for me.”

“Does the idea of marrying me repulse you?” His unreadable expression made Leah even more confused.

She shook her head slowly, unable to look away. “Of course not. But since we’re not marrying for love, I have to wonder what kind of life we would have.”

He paused, tapping his chin. “It would be a marriage of convenience, Leah. You can sleep in the guest room, because I wouldn’t expect you to share my room.”

“I see. And you would be fine with that?”

“Jah. Unless there comes a time that we both felt differently.”

Holding her hands tightly in her lap, Leah forced a smile that she didn’t really feel. This truly wasn’t the type of proposal she’d romanticized about. Glancing over at the embers that had nearly gone out, she murmured, “For the sake of the girls, I will marry you, Adam.”

“R—really?” he stammered. “How soon?”

“I think the soonest I could plan and get ready for a wedding would be the second week of November. That’s less than three months from now, and I don’t think our church leaders would approve of us getting married any sooner than that.”

Adam drew in a deep breath, pressing his palms against his chest. “Danki, Leah. I promise to be a good provider for you and the girls.”

Provider?
Leah swallowed hard, as the reality of the situation hit her like a bale of hay falling from the loft in the barn. She had just agreed to become Mrs. Adam Beachy, but they would be married in name only.
What in the world have I agreed to? I’ve thought many times that I would never marry a man unless we had been seriously courting and were deeply in love. Oh my. I wonder what Mom and Dad are going to say about this—especially when I haven’t even taken the time to pray about my decision.

“Can we go tell the girls our news?” Adam asked, feeling like a sudden weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He could hardly believe that Leah had said yes to his proposal.

“I think that’s a good idea,” she responded. “Since they heard you ask if I would marry you, I’m sure they’re anxious to learn whether I agreed to become your wife.”

My wife.
Adam let the words play over and over in his head. All these years he’d sworn that he would never marry, yet in a split second, here he was an engaged man. Could a marriage of convenience such as theirs really work, or was it wishful thinking on his part? For Carrie, Linda, and Amy’s sake, he needed it to work, and he would do his best to make everyone happy and see that Leah had everything she needed.

She’d have to give up doing reflexology, of course, because she would be too busy for that once they were married. Adam wouldn’t mention anything about that to Leah yet—not until after they were married. She may not be willing to give up something she thought was helping people. If he said anything now, it could be a bone of contention, and it might keep Leah from marrying him.

Adam stepped down from his buggy and went around to help Leah get out, but by the time he got there, she was already on the ground. “If you’ll wait a minute, I want to pour a bucket of water on the ashes. I think the fire’s almost out, but I want to make sure before we go inside.”

“Sure, that’s fine.”

As Adam put water into the pail, he glanced at Leah. She was looking toward the pond again.
What is she thinking about? Is she watching those ducks, or wondering what she’s agreed to? What was I thinking with a proposal like that? Shouldn’t I have prayed about this first? Well, I can’t take back my proposal now.

Adam poured water where the branch pile had been. White smoke wafted through the air as the last of the embers sizzled out. “I think that about does it.” He motioned to Leah, and they headed for the house. “Would you like to tell the girls, or would you prefer that I make the announcement?”

Leah stepped onto the porch and turned to face him. “Since it was your idea, I think you ought to be the one who tells them.”

“You’re right.” Adam opened the door for Leah and then followed her into the house. Thinking the girls might be in their rooms by now, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up the stairs, “Amy! Linda! Carrie! Would you please come down here? I have something I need to tell you.”

“Adam, look at me a minute,” Leah said, brushing his arm with her hand.

When he turned his head, she wiped her thumb over a spot on his cheek. “You had something smeared on your face. I think it was a piece of ash from the fire.”

Adam ran a finger over the spot where Leah had made contact. Was the sudden flush he felt from her gentle touch?

“It’s gone now.” Leah lowered her gaze.

A few minutes later, the girls appeared. “We were watching out the living-room window,” Linda said. “Saw you and Leah sitting in your buggy.”

Carrie bobbed her head in agreement, rubbing one of the spots where she’d been stung.

Adam bit back a chuckle. When he glanced Leah’s way, he noticed a smile tugging at her lips. Did she think it was funny that the girls had been spying on them?

“Why don’t we all go into the living room so we can talk?” Leah suggested, ushering the girls into the other room.

“Good idea,” Adam agreed, wondering why he hadn’t thought of it.

After everyone had taken a seat, Adam got right to the point. “Well, girls, as you know from what I said earlier, I’ve asked Leah to marry me.” He paused and waited, hoping at least one of them would say something, but they just looked at him with curious expressions.

Adam rubbed his sweaty palms along the sides of his trousers. “Leah said jah, so unless you object, we’re going to be married in November.”

“Do you have to wait that long?” Linda asked.

Adam glanced at Leah and noticed her look of relief. He was glad, too, that none of the girls had objected.

“It’s not really that far off,” Leah said, slipping her arm around Linda, as she sat beside her on the couch. “I’ll need time to make my dress and complete some preparations for the wedding.”

“Can I help?” Amy asked.

Leah nodded. “I’m sure there will be plenty that all three of you can do to help me get ready for the wedding.”

Carrie climbed into Leah’s lap. “Are you gonna be our new mamm?”

Tears welled in Leah’s eyes. “I could never take the place of your mother, but I won’t have to go home every evening once your uncle and I are married, and I’ll love you like you were my very own kinner.”

The girls seemed satisfied with that as they clustered around Leah, expressing their happiness at this news. Even Amy, although looking guarded, seemed okay with the idea.

Adam leaned back in his chair, suddenly exhausted. Maybe he’d made the right decision, asking Leah to marry him. Of course, he might feel differently in the morning.

L
eah could hardly believe Adam had suggested they invite their friends over for a bonfire on Saturday night. But here they were gathered around the fire by the pond, roasting hot dogs. The girls sat between them, and on the other side of the fire sat Priscilla with her boyfriend, Elam, and Elaine with Ben.

It was a cool evening, perfect for sitting around the fire pit. The end of August had a way of giving little hints of the fast-approaching autumn weather. One day it could be sweltering and uncomfortably humid, and the next, it could be the exact opposite.

The girls seemed to be having a good time, and after getting stung by all those bees, Carrie seemed to be healing well. Leah didn’t think she’d ever forget the sound of little Carrie’s screams that day. Thankfully, as with most children, Adam’s youngest niece had recovered rather quickly.