A Hope Springs Christmas. Patricia Davids

a long letter telling her how much you miss her, how sorry you are for your impatience and how you look forward to seeing her again.”

      “I’m not all that good with words, Frau Wyse.”

      “They are in your heart, Henry. Look for them there.”

      He nodded and rose to his feet. “Danki. I will do that.”

      When he left, she walked out into the area where Levi and the twins were putting the top on a buggy. When they had it set in place and bolted on, she said, “I have chicken stew simmering at my house. Levi, if you don’t have other plans you are welcome to eat with me for I know Grace usually does all the cooking.”

      The twins rushed toward her. “We’re starving,” they said, together.

      She held up a hand to stop them. “Psalm 101:7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.”

      The boys looked at each other. “What does that mean?” Moses asked.

      Levi walked by with a small grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “It means you’re on your own for lunch. Danki, Sarah. I’ll be happy to break bread in your home.”

      “But we were only teasing Henry,” Atlee insisted.

      “Ja, it was a joke,” Moses added.

      “It was cruel, and you took pleasure in his discomfort. But I forgive you, and I’m sure Henry will, too, when you ask him.” She turned to follow Levi out the door.

      “So we can eat with you?” Moses called after her.

      Sarah paused at the door and looked back at their hopeful faces. She smiled at them. “No.”

      Their shocked expressions were priceless. She softly closed the door behind her.

      * * *

      Levi opened Sarah’s front door and allowed her to go in ahead of him. The mouthwatering smell of stewing chicken and vegetables made his stomach grumble. His poor breakfast had been hours ago.

      Sarah said, “You can wash up at the sink. It will only take a few minutes to get things ready. Are you upset that I refused to feed the twins?”

      His family never asked him if their actions were upsetting. He wasn’t sure what answer Sarah wanted to hear. He chose, hoping for the best. “Nee.”

      “I’m glad. I don’t want you to think that I intended to discipline them without asking your permission. I simply wanted to make it clear to them that actions have consequences. They were intentionally unkind to Henry.”

      He turned on the water and picked up a bar of soap from the dish. As he washed his hands, the scent of lavender mingled with the delicious smell of the cooking meal. He held the bar close to his nose. It smelled like Sarah, clean, fresh, springlike.

      He put the soap down and quickly rinsed his hands. He dried them on a soft white towel hanging from a rod on the end of the counter. It didn’t feel right using her things.

      When he turned around, Sarah was staring at him. She asked, “You do understand, don’t you?”

      He hadn’t been listening. “What?”

      “Why I told the twins they couldn’t eat here.”

      “Sure.”

      She waited, as if she expected him to say something else. Nothing occurred to him. He slipped his hands in the front pockets of his pants. Could he feel more awkward? Not likely.

      Nodding, she said, “Goot. Sit.”

      She indicated the chair at the head of the table. Jonas’s place. Okay, that was going to feel more awkward.

      Levi pulled his hands from his pockets and took a seat. Sarah moved around the kitchen, gathering plates and silverware. He rubbed his hands on the tops of his thighs. He was hungry, but he hadn’t realized how intimate it would feel eating alone with Sarah. They weren’t doing anything wrong. He knew that, but being this close to her set his nerve endings buzzing like angry bees.

      Even sitting in this chair felt wrong. It was Jonas’s chair. It didn’t matter that Jonas was gone. It didn’t seem right to take the place that was once his. Memories of their last hours together poured into Levi’s mind.

      He could hear Jonas’s hoarse whisper as plainly as if they were back in the upstairs bedroom before his death.

      “Watch over Sarah when I’m gone, Levi. Promise me you’ll watch over her until she decides to remarry.”

      “You’ll get better.”

      “Nee, my time is up, my friend. God calls me home. I want Sarah to find happiness with someone again, though I pray she doesn’t remarry in haste. I know women who have and regretted their decision.”

      “Sarah was wise enough to choose you in the first place. She’ll be fine.”

      “You know my Sarah well. I’d rest easier knowing she loved someone strong, from a good family, with a fine farm or business. Promise me you’ll watch over her until she meets him, Levi. Promise me this. It’s all I ask of you.”

      Sarah set a glass of fresh milk on the table, jarring Levi’s mind out of the past. He picked up the glass and took a long drink. Her gaze remained focused on his arm.

      He stopped drinking. “What?”

      “I can mend that rip in your sleeve right quick if you’ll slip your shirt off.”

      He turned his arm trying to see what she was talking about and splashed milk out of his glass in the process. Embarrassed, he looked for something to clean it up with. She was quicker, placing a kitchen towel over the puddle and trying hard not to laugh. Why was he so clumsy when she was around?

      “Sorry,” he muttered.

      “Don’t worry about it. Accidents happen. Shall I fix your sleeve?”

      He didn’t care if his entire arm was hanging out of his clothes. He wasn’t about to take his shirt off in front of her. He muttered, “Grace will fix it later.”

      “All right.” Sarah then carried a steaming black kettle to the table and placed it in front of him. She returned a few seconds later with a plate of freshly sliced home-baked bread and a tub of butter, setting them within his reach. She took her seat and bowed her head.

      Levi did the same and silently said the prayers he dutifully prayed before every meal. When he was finished, he looked up and waited. Sarah kept her eyes closed, her hands clasped. He cleared his throat. She took it as the sign the prayer was finished. Looking up, she smiled at him and began ladling steaming pieces of chicken and vegetables into his bowl.

      She was so pretty when she smiled. It did funny things to his insides.

      She said, “I hope you like this. It was one of Jonas’s favorites. The recipe belonged to his mother.”

      Levi suddenly found his appetite had fled. He laid his spoon down

      Sarah’s eyes filled with concern. “Is something wrong?”

      “This is Jonas’s place, his chair. I shouldn’t be here.”

      “Levi,” Sarah said gently, “I miss him, too, but his place is with God in heaven. You are free to sit in any chair in this home. You were Jonas’s friend, and I hope you are my friend, too. He would welcome your company as I do. I know you were very fond of him.”

      He had been more than fond of Jonas. He had loved Jonas like a brother. When Jonas gave him a job, Levi had no idea what a great friend and mentor Jonas would become. All these things ran through his mind, but he had no idea how to tell Sarah what Jonas meant to him.

      She patted his arm. “It’s okay. He was fond of you, too. He would like it that you have come to eat at his table. He would be upset that I haven’t invited you sooner. Now eat, or your food will