A Family for Christmas (3 page)

Evan explained his doubts about Wendy's spirituality, adding, “And from what Wendy says, she hasn't ever had a comfortable family home like we have. If she could only visit us and understand why family tradition and our faith are so important to us, she'd surely understand. I'd invited her to come for Christmas, but with Daddy sick, I don't think it's a good idea.”

“I want to meet Wendy, so let's see how your father improves. If he's getting along all right,
I'll
invite Wendy to visit us. And we must pray for Wendy's spiritual awakening.”

“I've been praying for her. I've asked her to go to church with me, but she's always made excuses. That's the reason I hadn't proposed to her.” With a sheepish expression on his face, he admitted, “But I got carried away a few days ago and asked her to marry me, without considering the consequences.”

He remembered vividly how Wendy had looked when she'd walked toward him earlier in the week; he felt as if he were waiting at the altar for her. He realized that much of his love for her stemmed from a physical attraction, but he wanted it to be so much more. He yearned for a marriage like his parents had, united not only physically, but spiritually and emotionally, too.

“Wendy and her mother live alone, and she may not want to leave her mother on a holiday.”

“We'll find a way. All things are possible to those who believe. Now that my concern for Karl has lessened, I'll spend more time in prayer for you and Wendy. If it is God's will that you should marry Wendy, He'll provide a way.”

Heartened by his mother's support, Evan picked up speed. They left the town of Gallipolis behind them, and headed south on a highway along the Ohio River toward their home.

“I don't know what to do next,” he said. “Should I call her, or let the situation rest for a few days?”

“Use your own judgment.”

“I want to call right away, but being impulsive has already caused trouble. Maybe I should wait a few days to give her time to decide if our love is strong enough to overcome all barriers.”

 

Although she'd angrily ended the conversation with Evan, Wendy was convinced that he'd get in touch with her. Should she apologize or should he? As the days passed and Evan didn't call, Wendy became more and more distressed. Why had she been so angry with Evan? Was it because she'd been overwhelmed with the possibility of losing him? Yet had she lost him through her own misguided words?

She didn't leave the apartment during the Thanksgiving weekend, fearing that Evan would call and she wouldn't be there to talk to him. Wendy didn't tell Emmalee that she'd broken the engagement. But her mother must have sensed there was trouble because
she was more lighthearted than she'd been since Wendy had told her about the engagement.

After her return to the university, Wendy practically lived with the cell phone in her hand, fearing she would miss Evan's call. Throughout the week, she couldn't keep her mind on studying, and she doubted she would pass any of her final exams. In desperation, she decided that if she and Evan were going to make up, she'd have to make the first move. And rightly so, she figured, since
her
bad temper had caused the problem in the first place. She would ask about his father's health, and if he seemed to be angry, she wouldn't prolong the conversation.

After another night of sleeplessness, as soon as she got out of bed, Wendy dialed Evan's cell phone number. No answer. Before she completely lost her nerve, Wendy punched in the number of his parents' home, hoping Evan would answer the phone.

“Kessler residence. Hilda speaking” was the answer she received.

Hilda! Was she speaking to Evan's mother or one of his sisters? For a moment, she couldn't remember their names.

In a timid voice that didn't sound like her own, Wendy asked, “May I speak to Evan?”

“Evan isn't here. He's working in the dairy barn. May I ask who's calling?”

“This is Wendy Kenworth, Evan's friend in Florida. I called to ask about his father.”

“Evan has told me about you. Thanks for your concern, Wendy. My husband is doing very well, but he
has a long road to recovery. He's in rehab now. We're hoping he'll be home before Christmas.”

“I'm happy to hear that. Thanks.”

“I'll have Evan return your call.”

“I have a ten-o'clock class. I'll be in my dorm room until then.”

“Wendy,” Hilda said, “Evan told me he'd invited you to visit us here in Ohio. The family would like to meet you. I know your classes will end soon, and you won't go back to school until after the first of the year. Why don't you spend part of your Christmas break with us?”

“I don't think I can. I'm supposed to work during the holidays. I need the extra money to help with my school expenses.”

“If you change your mind, let us know. We'd enjoy having you visit. I'll ask Evan to return your call.”

He hadn't telephoned by the time Wendy had to go to class, and she trudged across campus. It was agonizing to turn off her phone while she was in class.

She finally received the call at noon, while she was in the cafeteria eating a sandwich.

“Hi, Wendy.” Evan's cheerful voice came across the miles. “Sorry I wasn't in when you called before. I'm missing you.”

Wendy's heart skipped a beat. He didn't sound angry.

“I'm glad your father is recovering.”

“But it's as I told you before—he won't be able to take over the farm interests for several months.”

“I should have been more understanding, Evan. I
know you're doing what you think is best. Considering the circumstances, maybe it was the best decision to forget our engagement.”

With a sinking heart, she heard his answer. “You're probably right, at least for the time being. But I still wish you'd come to visit us during your break. I'll send you a plane ticket if you'll arrange to come.”

“My mother—” she started, and Evan interrupted.

“Wendy, you can't seem to understand why I feel it's necessary for me to sacrifice my plans for my family. Don't you see that you're doing the same thing with your mother? Every decision you've made, since I've known you, has been tempered by how it would affect
her.
”

Rather than making her angry, Evan's comment opened Wendy's eyes to the truth. She
was
tied to her mother's apron strings.

F
or the rest of the week, Wendy mulled over the invitation to visit the Kesslers. When she went home for the weekend, she'd made up her mind. If she was ever going to get married and have a home of her own, she couldn't be held back by her mother's manipulation. In the years since her divorce, Emmalee could have made a life of her own, instead of depending solely on Wendy's presence to give her life meaning.

Wendy had allowed her mother to dominate her life simply because she wanted to avoid conflict. Would she have the courage to make her own decision now? As she planned how to break the news to her mother, Wendy sensed an extra strength that she hadn't possessed before. What had generated this unusual surge of willpower?

During her annual visits to her paternal grandparents when she was younger, Wendy had gone to
church, and she'd heard people pray, but she didn't have a personal knowledge of the power of prayer.

Prayer seemed to be an integral part of Evan's life, not something he did only on Sunday. He prayed before they ate, even in a restaurant. He prayed for help with his exams. He prayed that God would help him make the right decisions. He didn't start a day without asking for God's direction.

As she waited for Emmalee to come home from work, Wendy wondered if the strange new courage she possessed today was a result of Evan's prayers. Was he praying for her now? It was a comforting thought.

After they'd eaten dinner, and Emmalee had changed into lounging clothes, Wendy pasted a smile on her face, took a deep breath and flexed her fingers in an effort to relax. She couldn't delay any longer.

“Evan and his mother have invited me to visit them during my Christmas break. I intend to go.”

“So you've made up with him.”

“Yes.”

An obstinate expression crossed Emmalee's face. “You aren't going anywhere without me. You have no idea what kind of people they are.”

Determined that she wouldn't bend to her mother's will, Wendy said, “I
am
going, Mother. I'm twenty-two. If I'm not old enough to make some decisions now, I never will be.”

“Obviously it doesn't bother you that I'll be spending Christmas alone.”

Wendy bit her lip nervously, her resolve wavering.
Are you praying, Evan?

“You have single friends at the store who'd be glad to share Christmas Day with you. You'll be working the rest of the time. I'd like to meet Evan's family. I want to see why he loves his family so much that he'll give up, not only me, but his career to take care of them. And Christmas Eve is very important to the Kesslers. I want to experience that part of the holidays with them.”

Emmalee was in no mood to listen to reason. “I've slaved for years to give you a home. Now that you're about to graduate and be on your own, when you could relieve me of some of my financial burdens, you're through with me.”

Tears pricked at Wendy's eyelids. She felt like she was ten again, but she clenched her fists. She focused on Evan's strong features, his loving ways and his prayer life as a lodestar to keep her on the right course.

“I
am
going to visit the Kesslers during the holidays.”

If she didn't keep repeating those words, she'd weaken. She had to keep that goal in her mind.

“Very well!” Emmalee said at last. “As much as I've tried to change you, you're just like your father. When you have an opportunity to work for two weeks and help with the expenses, you skip out and leave me holding the bag just as he did.”

Wendy considered reminding Emmalee that she'd refused to accept alimony from her husband or any financial help from his family. Instead, Wendy repeated, “I'm going to visit the Kesslers during the holidays.”

Perhaps sensing Wendy's determination, Emmalee said no more. With some dignity, she went to her bedroom and closed the door, leaving Wendy with heaviness in her chest and tears in her eyes.

She had always tried to avoid conflict. When she'd enjoyed a visit with her paternal grandparents, she hadn't told her mother about the good times she had, because Emmalee resented her in-laws. When Emmalee had protested that she was going out too much at night, Wendy had stopped dating and had spent the nights at home studying. Actually, that had been a blessing in disguise, for she'd made the honor roll all through high school and had won a full scholarship to college.

She'd initiated conflict with Evan, and now that they'd reconciled, she was at odds with her mother. What was wrong with her that she seemed to plant discord no matter what she did? But since she'd won the battle, she knew she must move forward before her mother planned a counterattack. She went into her bedroom and dialed Evan's number.

Happiness was evident in Evan's voice when she told him she intended to come to Ohio for Christmas.

“You'll be finished with classes by the fifteenth, won't you?”

“Yes. My last final is on December twelve.”

“Good. That will give me time to arrange for an electronic ticket and send your receipt by express mail. Have you ever flown before?”

“No,” she said, “and I'm a little worried about it.”

“You can get a plane in Jacksonville, and you'll
be flying into the Columbus International Airport. There will be one change, either in Atlanta or Charlotte. I'll choose the easiest route for you.”

“Thanks, Evan.”

“Since I can't return to Florida for a while, thank
you
for coming to see me. I can't wait to see you.”

He wanted to ask how her mother had reacted to the visit, but Evan thought he might be happier if he didn't know. He settled down to a week of waiting before he could see Wendy again.

Considering his eagerness to be reunited with Wendy, Evan couldn't understand why he took his youngest sister, Olivia, with him when he went to the airport to meet her. Olivia had pestered him for days, wanting to go with him, but he'd resisted her entreaties until the morning he was preparing to leave for the airport.

Overcome with shyness about seeing Wendy, and with the memory of her harsh words still in his mind, he was uncertain of what they'd talk about. Deciding it might be better to introduce Wendy to his family gradually, he told Olivia she could go with him.

His little sister was a special gift to Evan, since she'd been born seventeen years ago on his eighth birthday. The fact that they always celebrated their birthdays together had been a bonding factor. But Olivia's personality made it impossible not to love her because she was as affectionate as a half-grown puppy.

In their baby pictures, Evan and Olivia could have passed for twins; their physical characteristics were similar. Like him, she had blond hair, blue eyes and
a sprinkling of freckles on her creamy white skin. Glancing at his sister, who didn't even try to conceal her eagerness to be going to meet her brother's girlfriend, he knew it wouldn't be long before Olivia would be dating, too. Although she was tomboyish and preferred working in the fields rather than in the kitchen, she was tall for her age, quick and graceful and the local boys were already asking Olivia for dates.

 

Wendy's heart did a little flip-flop, and she stopped in her tracks when she entered the arrivals area and saw that Evan hadn't come alone to meet her. She'd seen pictures of Olivia, so she knew who she was. She'd been looking forward to the three-hour trip from the airport to the Kessler home to determine the status of her current relationship with Evan. That would be impossible with Olivia along.

Wendy cautioned herself to avoid being jealous of Evan's sister. She'd already accepted that, if she married Evan, she would have to share him with his family.

Evan's eyes glowed with welcome, and he hurried toward her. He stooped to drop a soft kiss on her lips. With his arm around her, he led Wendy to Olivia.

Spontaneously, Olivia hugged Wendy. “Oh, you're so pretty. Evan, why didn't you tell us that? I've always wished I had dark hair, but I guess I'm stuck with being a blonde.”

“Those freckles would stand out like beacon lights if you had black hair,” Evan said, lightly tweaking his sister's nose.

Laughing, Wendy said, “I didn't like my hair when I was a teenager, either. In fact,” she said, with a knowing look toward Evan, “I've always been partial to blondes.”

“Well, I'm glad to hear that,” he said, feigning a leering grimace. He took Wendy's carry-on case. “Let's go and get the rest of your luggage. The weather forecast indicates some snow, and I want to start home. We may have a white Christmas.”

“Oh, I hope so,” Wendy said, her blue eyes large and luminous. “I've seen snow a few times in our area, but it didn't stick on the ground.”

“I can't promise for sure, but I figure you'll see some snow in a few days.”

Those words Wendy was destined to remember, since inclement weather had a lot to do with her opinion of Evan's home.

 

Darkness had fallen when Evan turned off the fourlane highway at the small town of Rio Grande to travel on a curving, narrow road. By that time, Olivia had stretched out on the back seat of the Kessler's sedan and had gone to sleep.

Soon Wendy felt completely isolated in a sea of darkness. They crossed several small streams as they wound through the gently rolling hills. Leafless trees, as well as evergreens, formed a canopy over the roadway. When the headlights illuminated two deer standing in the middle of the road, Evan braked sharply. Wendy's hand flew to her throat. The deer stared into the headlights, and Evan turned off the lights. Wendy
cringed in the inky-black darkness, and she moved closer to him, clutching his arm.

“The headlights blinded the deer,” Evan explained, tooting the horn a couple of times. He turned the lights on again. The deer jumped a fence and disappeared into the heavy underbrush at the road's edge.

Until they'd left the main highway, Wendy had been chatting easily, but Evan noticed that she'd become unusually quiet after they'd turned onto the byway. This was probably the first total darkness she'd ever seen. He wondered if this was another hurdle he'd have to overcome if he brought Wendy to Heritage Farm as his wife.

 

Wendy had envisioned Evan's farm home in a rustic setting, so she was hardly prepared for the magnificence of the floodlit Kessler home standing on a hill overlooking the Ohio River. As they approached along the curved driveway, Evan explained, “My ancestors came here from Germany before the Civil War. Our home was built several years later. The bricks for the house were made right here on our land. They weren't of high quality, so my grandfather plastered the exterior of the house and painted it white.”

Green shutters framed the windows of the square, two-story building, and electric candles glowed in each window. Despite her tension, Wendy sensed a welcome. Evan bypassed the front door and went to a one-story ell at the rear of the house.

“Daddy built this wing several years ago for a
combination kitchen, family room and three-car garage.”

An electric light over the door illuminated the covered entrance where Evan brought the car to a halt before waking Olivia. Wendy braced herself as Evan opened the door for her. Even his comforting hand on her arm didn't calm Wendy's nerves as she went inside to meet his family.