Rebecca Kertz - Her Amish Christmas Gift

The way he arched an eyebrow made her bristle. She stiffened and became more determined not to let him rattle her. She’d hit the ball despite his presence.

“It’s oll recht ,” Jedidiah called out to her. Her eldest cousin, he stood on third base and gazed at her with a smile of reassurance. “Keep your eye on the ball. You can do this.”

I can do this. She was a decent player. Isn’t that why they first asked her to join the game? Ignore Nate Peachy. Ignore him. Ignore him.

Noah watched for her cue. Charlie gave a little nod, and her cousin pitched the ball. She kept it in her sights and swung. The impact made a loud crack as wood met leather and sent it sailing over the head of her cousin Daniel near third base, past the stand of trees beyond the property. With a whoop of joy, Joseph ran from second to third as Jedidiah sprinted home. Charlie ran to first base and made it to second then to third, as Nate’s younger brother Jacob came out of the bushes with ball in hand. She took a chance, followed Joseph and raced toward home. As the ball headed in her direction, she slid into home plate and grimaced as she felt the sting of a scraped knee.

“Are you oll recht ?” a deep voice said. She glanced up and saw concern flicker in Nate Peachy’s blue eyes. She started to get up and the man was there helping her. “Charlie,” he murmured into her ear. “Are you hurt?”

She shook her head, not wanting him to know how much her knee stung and her hip ached from the jolt against the ground.

“Great job, Charlie!” Jed hollered. She grinned at her teammates, who carried on as if she’d won the lottery. Then she looked over at Nate smugly.

“Yahoo!” Joseph yelled. “We won! You never let us down, cousin!”

She forced herself to grin at them with triumph.

Jacob Peachy grumbled good-naturedly as he threw the ball to Noah, who then grabbed the bat and markers they’d used for bases. Jacob met her gaze. “How did you learn to hit a ball like that?”

She shrugged. “From playing with my cousins.” She’d been playing baseball with them for over a year. She could still recall the day Joseph had asked her to play and the thrill of her teammates’ pleasure when she scored a run.

Jacob shook his head as he smiled. “I should have picked you for my team.”

“Now you’ll know better for next time.” She paused. “If you get the chance,” she added. He laughed, then headed to join his friends.

“Charlie.” Nate came up from behind her and stood close, too close. “You’re bleeding. Come with me.”

She glanced down, saw a trail of blood down her right leg. “I’ll be fine.”

“ Ja , you will,” he said, “after I put a bandage on it.”

“I don’t need your help.”

His eyes narrowed and he looked annoyed. He heaved a sigh. “Would you like me to pick you up and throw you over my shoulder?” he murmured for her ears alone.

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Wouldn’t I?”

Face flushing, Charlie glanced around and saw that no one found it odd that she and Nate were having a conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was to cause a scene. She’d done enough impulsive things in her life that had given her parents undue worry. “Fine. Let’s not make a big thing of it,” she muttered, meeting his gaze.

To her relief, he simply nodded. He didn’t look smug that he’d won their argument. In fact, she felt an odd little flutter in her chest when she saw the way he continued to eye her with concern. She followed him at a distance, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he was leading her into the house. She glanced around and saw the rest of his family outside. She could catch the deacon’s wife’s attention, have her give her first aid, but she had a feeling that Nate would cause trouble for her if she did. Besides, what was one little bandage, right?

Nate went to the side door and held it open for her. Charlie drew a sharp breath. The man was good-looking; she’d give him that. But those gorgeous blue eyes in a face with fine features under a crop of dark hair weren’t what made the man, and she wasn’t sure she liked Nate in any way, shape or form. But she’d seen his compassion and tenderness when dealing with his younger sisters. She’d seen it whenever someone needed his help and he’d been right there to assist. And now, to her shock, he was concerned for her.

He wants to help me. Why should I allow it to bother me? Because she suspected that he disapproved of her, and she feared getting a lecture about acting like a proper young Amish woman.

She met his gaze as she climbed the steps. The way he stared at her gave her goose bumps.

“Afraid?” he asked softly.

“Of what?”

His expression filled with satisfaction. “Exactly. There is nothing to fear.”

It was a clear autumn day with pleasant temperatures and sunshine. The house was silent, especially for Visiting Sunday. The warmer weather would soon be gone. Everyone preferred to enjoy these last days outdoors. As she glanced around the Peachy kitchen, Charlie raised a hand to tuck fine strands of hair under her prayer kapp . She became aware of Nate as never before.

He gestured toward a chair. “Sit,” he ordered.

Annoyed, she lifted her chin.

“Please,” he added softly.

She sat, willing to listen after he’d asked nicely.

He opened a kitchen cabinet and pulled out a tube of ointment and a box of bandages. He set them on the table close to her before he reached into a drawer for a clean tea towel. He ran the sink, wet the cloth and returned to her. “Where exactly did you hurt yourself?”

She reached for the wet towel. “I can clean it.” But he ignored her and hunkered down to wipe up the trail of blood. She blushed. She was barefoot and her feet were dirty, as were her legs from playing ball and sliding across the yard into home plate.

Nate was gentle as he washed her leg. He wiped up what he could see then looked up at her. “Here,” he said, his voice husky. “You can clean the rest.”

Charlie nodded and waited until he turned away to raise her dress just enough to reveal her scraped, bleeding knee. As the cloth touched the wound, she hissed out with pain. Nate spun and locked gazes with her. He glanced down then scowled at her. “Charlie Stoltzfus, look what you’ve done to yourself.”

She stiffened and looked away, unwilling to see the condemnation in his eyes. “I had a home run.”

“ Ja , you did,” he said with a chuckle that had her shooting him a startled gaze. “ Gut job, by the way.”

She gaped at him. He wasn’t scolding her; he was praising her. Stunned, she could only stare at him.

“You’ve dripped bloody water on the floor,” he said gently. He reached and took the cloth from her then washed it under the faucet. “Are you hurt anywhere else?” he asked casually. She averted her glance, glad that he couldn’t see the rising heat in her cheeks.

“I’m fine,” she said too quickly.

He looked at her then, arched an eyebrow as he returned to her side with the washed cloth. “Charlie.”

Her gaze pleaded with him. “I’m fine.”

He observed her a long moment, his expression softening. “As long as you’re sure.”

She bobbed her head.

He towered over her, a tall man older by at least seven years. “Will you let me take care of your knee?” He regarded her kindly.

She drew a calming breath. “Ja.”

“ Gut girl.”

She glared at him. “ Please . I’m not a child.”

He knelt and gently cleansed her knee and the lower half of her leg. He dried it with another clean cloth that she hadn’t noticed he’d held. “What are you? All of sixteen?”