Leigh Bale - Her Amish Christmas Choice

Martin flashed a gentle smile. “I often carry a prayer in my heart, as well. Gott is perfect and knows all things. He hears all prayers, even those we don’t speak out loud. Although He doesn’t always answer us on our timetable. When was the last time you prayed?”

She took a deep inhale and let it go. “Yesterday, but I prayed most the night my father died. I couldn’t understand why God had abandoned us. But it’s odd. Instead of anger, I felt a warmth deep within my chest and an unexplainable knowledge that God was with us even during that dark time. And Mom became sick with lupus even before Dad was diagnosed with cancer. She helps with the soap making but she can’t do a lot. Still, I knew I’d find a way to take care of her. And then, a few months later, Carl Nelson called to say that my Grandpa Walt had passed away and left me this store. That’s when we moved here. So it seems the Lord heard and answered my prayers after all. I just wish my father hadn’t died.”

Now why had she told Martin all of that? She didn’t know him. Not really. Yet she had confided some deeply personal things to him. She stiffened her spine, hoping Martin didn’t make fun of her.

“I’m sorry you lost your vadder ,” he said. “You and your mudder must have gone through a very difficult ordeal. But I’m so glad you recognize how the Lord has blessed you. I believe when we think all is lost, that is when Gott is testing us, to see if we will call on Him in faith or in anger. Yet, He doesn’t leave us comfortless. He is always with us if we seek Him out.”

Martin’s words touched her heart like nothing else could. For a moment, she felt as though God truly was close to her. That He wasn’t a remote, disinterested God, who was withdrawn and didn’t really care about her and Mom.

“Hank, don’t climb so far. Komm down now. It’s time for us to get back to work,” Martin called to his brother.

Turning her head, Julia saw that the boy was high in the elm, clinging to a heavy branch. The boy looked over at them, saw Julia and immediately scrambled down.

The enchanted moment was broken. Although she’d like nothing better, Julia realized she couldn’t sit here all day chatting with Martin. She had plenty of work to do. Honestly, she was stunned that Martin was so easy to talk to.

“Well, I’d better get inside and help Mom. Thank you for answering my questions.” She came to her feet, dusting off her blue jeans.

“Anytime,” he said.

Hank came running, a huge smile on his face. “ Hallo , Julia. Did you see how high I climbed?”

“Miss Rose,” Martin corrected the boy with a stern lift of his eyebrows.

Hank ignored his brother, focusing on Julia. “I went higher than ever before. I could even see the top of your roof. You have a big hole up there where the shingles have blown away.”

Julia blinked, then glanced at Martin. “Oh, dear. A hole in the roof? And winter is coming on.”

“Don’t worry. As soon as I’ve completed the porch, I’ll take a look at it,” Martin said.

“But there are so many other chores needing to be done. I didn’t even think about the roof.” A feeling of helpless dread almost overwhelmed her.

“Never fear. The Lord will bless us and it’ll all get done.”

Martin sounded so confident. So sure of himself. So filled with conviction. She couldn’t help envying his faith. His words of reassurance brought her a bit of comfort, but what if he was wrong? What if they didn’t get the workroom set up in time?

She had been making single batches of soap up in the tiny kitchen of their apartment almost every evening but that would only satisfy the grand opening of their store on December 1. It would take her four weeks of making super batches of soap to satisfy her wholesale contract, and the soap required four to five weeks to cure after it was made. She must ship her orders by the end of January in order to meet her next contract deadline the first of February. So much was riding on her being able to make soap by the end of November. By the end of December, she had to have most of the soap made.

As she went inside, Julia hoped Martin was right.

The pressure was on. Martin knew Julia was worried. He could see it in her eyes. He’d heard the urgency in her voice and could feel the apprehension emanating from her like a living thing. If Hank was right and there was a big hole in the roof, it would need to be repaired before the autumn rains began, which was any day now. Depending on what needed to be done, it could suck up precious time he needed to build the shelves and countertops for her workroom.

It was Martin’s job to get it all done in time for her to open her shop. He felt the seriousness of the situation as though his own livelihood depended on it. His reputation was on the line. He’d been doing a lot of carpentry work for people in the community and wanted to increase his business as a side job for more income to build his barn and, one day, his new house. He also wanted to make Julia happy and ease her load in any way possible.

Working as fast as he could, he built the framework of the awning first. Standing on the rickety ladder, he affixed the lag bolts. Satisfied with his labors, he looked down at Hank, who had wandered over to peer through the store windows. No doubt he was looking for Julia.

“Hank!”

The boy jerked, looking guilty. Martin resisted the urge to smile.

“Hand me up those two-by-six boards,” he called.

Hank lifted a four-by-six board instead.

“ Ne , that’s the wrong one. I need the two-by-six.” Martin forced himself to speak gently, although he felt impatient for his brother’s mistake. It was costing him precious time.

Hank laid a hand on the smaller boards and looked up at him with a questioning gaze.

“ Ja , those are the right ones. That’s gut . Hand them up.”

Martin reached out a hand as Hank lifted the boards one by one so he could nail them into place. By the time he’d laid the furring strips over top of the frame, it was almost dinnertime. He’d accomplished a lot today but should soon start for home. Mamm would be expecting them. He would finish up tomorrow. The weather should hold for a couple more days so he could repair the roof. For now, it was time to leave.

“You’ve done a fine job today.”

He turned and saw Julia standing off to the side of the porch, looking up at him. Hank immediately raced over to stand beside her, gazing at her with adulation.

“I helped,” Hank said.

She blessed him with a smile so bright that Martin had to blink. “Of course you did.”

Hank beamed at her. “Do you like to sing?”

Martin stiffened, knowing what his brother was about to ask. “Not now, Hank.”

Hank threw a disgruntled glare at his older brother. “But I want to ask her—”

“It’s not the right time,” Martin said.

Julia hesitated, looking back and forth between the two. In a bit of confusion, she spoke to Martin as she inspected his work with a critical eye. “I didn’t expect you to get the porch finished today, but it looks almost complete.”

“ Ja , it has come together well. I’ll put on the finishing touches and paint it first thing in the morning. I hope it is satisfactory,” he said.

“It’s more than satisfactory. It’s beautiful. If I didn’t know better, I would say it was never damaged. You’ve cleaned up every bit of mess, too. I can’t even tell you worked on it today.”

As her gaze scanned the porch and awning, he could see her searching for any imperfections. He climbed down and set the ladder aside for his use tomorrow.

“My daed taught me to tidy up after work,” he said.