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The Christmas Visitor

By Amy Grochowski

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CHAPTER ONE
After a long trek to the veterinarian’s office, Mattie Beller was out of breath before she managed to push her scooter halfway up the steep hill to Annandale Farm. She inhaled as deeply as her burning lungs allowed, only to lose most of the precious fresh air to a hacking cough.
Like an invitation to step out of the cold and rest a spell, smoke wafted heavenward out of the new schoolhouse chimney. The children would have gone home hours ago, but their new teacher, Ellen Miller, must still be at work.
The urgent order of calcium supplements for the Yoder’s jersey cow remained tucked safely in the basket attached to the front of her blue scooter. A visit with her new friend wouldn’t delay her overlong and would give her a second wind before she made her delivery to the Yoder’s farm—another two hundred yards up the hill.
Mattie crossed the road to the empty schoolyard and rested the scooter against the front porch. One surviving pansy, protected by the bottom step, sported a bright lavender bloom in defiance of the cold.
A shiver shimmied up her spine, although she couldn’t decide whether against the early December chill or the reminder of her decision to reject the school board’s offer.
She shook the nagging doubt from her thoughts.
Ellen was a goot teacher. Everything was surely working out for the best.
9

She eased the front door open in an effort not to startle Ellen.
“Hello. It’s only me.”
“Kumm rei.” Ellen called for her to come inside. Her attention remained focused on her work at the desk. The pencil in her hand glided across the paper at the top of a stack, making an occasional mark. “Vass kann ich du fa dich?”
What can I do for you? Mattie laughed at the formality. Or she would have, except the sound stuck in her throat and turned into a squeaking cough.
Ellen dropped her pencil and came running to Mattie’s side.
“Oh, Mattie! Are you alright? I thought you were one of the parents.”
“Fine. Just need to catch my breath.”
“Sit down.” Ellen pulled out the chair from behind her desk, and Mattie didn’t hesitate. She hadn’t had a spell this bad for a long time. She’d had more than her fair share back in her school days. Thankfully, today she wouldn’t endure the teasing she had back then.
“Better?” Ellen’s kindness drew her back to the present.
“Very much. Danki.” The ache in her chest was lessening and each breath becoming easier. “I’m on my way from the vet with medicine for the Yoder’s jersey cow. I saw you were still here.”
“I’m so glad you stopped. I’d much rather a visit from you than from a parent. Not that I don’t like them or anything. But a friendly visit is better.”
“You know, I’m on my way to the Yoders’. I may have to tell our new minister about this.” Mattie watched the horror on Ellen’s face turn to understanding, and they burst into laughter at the same time.
“‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,’ like the Bible says, for sure. You’re not coughing anymore, Mattie.”
Nay, she wasn’t. What a relief. Maybe she’d outgrow this horrible asthma after all. She’d hoped for that miracle when she turned eighteen.
Two years later, she was still waiting.
“Now I’ve got my breath, I’d better get on up to the farm. Rachel was very worried that Joel might need it.” And as a dairy farmer’s daughter, Mattie understood Rachel’s urgency. Mattie stood and returned the chair to the teacher’s desk.
“Sorry to see you go so soon.” Ellen walked with her to the door.
“I’m sure if Rachel thinks the medicine is needed right away, then you must go. You know, I’ve never known an Amish woman who is a vet tech before. Our bishop and ministers would never allow such a thing; but I sure hope that if I never marry, I’ll be as happy as Rachel.”
Mattie was doubtful Ellen truly needed to worry over becoming a spinster. Mattie’s twin brother, Mark, kept his business pretty close to the chest, but he’d sure been easier to get along with since Ellen came to the district to teach. Not to mention the long looks she’d seen pass between Ellen and Mark at every church gathering or the late nights Mark came home in the buggy after being gone for no reason.
“I suppose as long as we are doing whatever work Gott has given us, then we can be content.” Mattie sure hoped so because if happiness depended on marriage, she was in trouble.
Even before her family moved to the island, where eligible men were few to none, Mattie had small hopes of attracting one. Rachel, on the other hand, was beautiful, and everyone loved her. She could be married, if she wanted, even if she had passed the typical marrying age. She’d told Mattie she was still waiting for the one Gott had for her. In the meantime, she meant to be about Gott’s business, which for her was caring for animals. And for once, the future looked a little brighter to Mattie after that conversation. She only needed to find the work Gott had for her.
Mattie retrieved her scooter, not that she could ride it up the hill. She’d have to drag it alongside her. She looked over at Ellen standing on the front stoop. “Maybe I can come again soon and stay for a longer visit.”
“I’d like that. If you weren’t in a hurry, you could wait and catch a ride with me. My cousin is going to pick me up in an hour or so.”
How strange. As far as Mattie knew, all of Ellen’s kinfolk lived in the States, except for Lydia Yoder. Lydia was originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and recommended Ellen for the teacher position after . . . since no one else was available.
How did a cousin all the way from Pennsylvania come for a visit to Prince Edward Island without Mattie ever hearing a word about it?
“So, your cousin is related to Lydia, as well? When Rachel sent me from the vet with this medicine, she never mentioned that anyone was visiting with the Yoders for Christmas.”
“You know Rachel. She’s always focused on her work with the animals. I guess she didn’t think about it. My cousin isn’t related to Lydia, but they were neighbors. And Lydia was our teacher for our first and second years of school.”
Mattie still didn’t understand how she had missed the news, but she did recall a neighbor of Lydia’s who fit the description. A super shy girl who visited with Lydia’s family at Christmas a few years ago.
She’d helped Lydia’s sister-in-law with the children.
Mattie hoped the girl had outgrown some of her shyness. Ever since her family moved to the island, Mattie had been lonely without her friends back in Ontario. How often had she longed for female company outside of married women or children? First Ellen and now . . . Anna. Was that her name? No matter. This Christmas might not be so gloomy after all.
“This is wunderbar goot news, Ellen. New Hope has been lonely without other young people.”
“Why don’t you drop off the medicine and then go with us to town? I want to get a few small gifts to send home. Maybe the three of us can even go to a restaurant for supper.”
Anna must have changed dramatically, if she was confident enough to drive a buggy to town. Mattie found such a remarkable change difficult to imagine. Ellen, however, was more than bold enough to do the driving.
“I’d want to make sure my mamm doesn’t need me to help with supper at home tonight.” Even if Mamm needed her, Mattie would welcome the ride home. She’d had enough exercise for the day already. But knowing Mamm, she’d shoo Mattie right out the door at an opportunity like this. “Would you mind stopping by my house to check?
It’s on the way.”
“Of course not. When you get to the Yoders’, just explain everything to, um, my cousin. I’ll wait here for you both.” The twinkle in Ellen’s eyes and the drawl of her words as she referred to her cousin struck Mattie as odd.
Oh, well. She didn’t know Ellen well enough to understand her peculiarities—a fact Mattie was eager to change. Probably not as much as Mark, though. Mattie couldn’t help but smile. Mark deserved a special someone. And having a sister would be a pleasure among six brothers.
“Ya, Ellen. I’ll hurry. We’ll be back for you, right on time. Danki for the invitation.”
“No need to rush. Take your time.” Again, Ellen smiled with a little more mischief than the situation warranted.
Maybe she was hoping for a chance to see Mark. Mattie didn’t mind. She was happy to finally have the kind of fun a single young woman ought to be enjoying with friends. Even the remainder of the hill to the Yoder’s farm didn’t appear quite so daunting now.
She reached the top of the hill a little less winded than when she’d gotten to the school. But she was increasingly thankful she’d be riding in a buggy after this. When she’d left home to run this errand for Rachel and the Yoders, she hadn’t any hint her asthma would act up on her. But asthma never asked her permission to come a’courtin’.
A more unwelcome suitor had never lived.
Ach, Ellen Miller had her thinking in terms of beaus and matchmaking. And that kind of thinking was sure to lead Mattie to disappointment.
An open sign hung in the window of Lydia’s Amish Shoppe, which occupied the side of the barn nearest the road. A visit in the shop to see Lydia and Anna first was tempting, but she really ought to go straight to the barn and deliver the supplements to Joel.
“Halloo?” Her voice echoed off the walls inside the barn. A whinny from Joel’s Morgan mare, Amazon, was her only reply. The barn was immaculate, as she expected. She placed the calcium supplement package on a dry shelf next to the handwashing station. The milking stall appeared recently scrubbed and made ready for use again after the jersey calved. The adjoining stall smelled of fresh straw but lay empty as well.
Walking out the opposite end of the barn, she caught sight of the jersey lying on her side in a corner of the small fenced lot.
Mattie neared enough to observe the swollen udders but paused to avoid distracting the cow from her labor. “Poor girl, looks like today is the day, for sure.”
The cow’s pregnant belly squeezed with a contraction, and the animal kicked at her sides in protest. Rachel’s sixth sense about animals sure did pay off. If the cow ended up needing the calcium after she calved, then Mattie had arrived just in time.
Where was Joel?
She slipped back through the barn and looked across the fields. Well, wherever he’d gone, he’d be back soon enough. After all, he’d been concerned enough to call the vet. Besides, she knew what to do. She was a dairy farmer’s daughter, after all. It wasn’t the old cow’s first time at this either. If worse came to worse, she’d run get Lydia to find her husband.
She headed back through the barn and stopped to wash at the sink. Just in case. Her datt preached cleanliness in assisting a birth. She scrubbed all the way up to her elbows with disinfectant soap and rinsed well. As she reached for the paper towels, she sensed someone standing in the doorway.
“Not sure she’s ready yet. I’m glad you’re here, though. You probably have more experience in this sort of thing.”
Have experience. Joel knew better. He must be joking.
She tossed the towel in the waste basket, found some lubricant and a glove on a shelf, then turned toward the door. Instead of her church’s minister, a young Amish man with no hat and a mess of sunstreaked, brown hair leaned casually against the door post. Who in the world are you?
There were a few other church districts in the area, but the strict
Troyer Amish church never mixed with hers. Besides, this man wasn’t dressed as they did, and he didn’t look like the more relaxed Mennonite church group either.
A warm merriment flickered in his dark brown eyes, as if he understood perfectly how he’d thrown her off balance.
“Where did you come from?” Her voice finally caught up with her brain.
“Pennsylvania.” He pushed off the post and stepped closer to Mattie.
“Sorry, I started us off on the wrong foot. I was coming back from telling Joel that Cowsy might be getting more distressed, and I saw you headed in here. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” Cowsy?
“I’m Winston.”
Winston—what a nice name. He was unusually handsome. He was also a stranger, who called the old jersey Cowsy as if he was a child. But Mattie’s thoughts were such a jumble, she couldn’t be sure. Maybe she was the addled one.
He was looking at her. Those intense, brown eyes changing from warm to questioning.
“Ach, I’m Mattie.” How she wished Joel would hurry and save her from this awkward encounter. “I was just delivering some calcium supplements. So, um . . . I—or we, I guess—should go check on her.
The cow.”
Winston stepped aside and motioned for her to go first. The gesture gave her a pleasant thrill, like the comfort of a silky sip of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day. She was the daft one.
Walking ahead of him, she couldn’t help but look behind her and ask, “Did you say Cowsey?”
The answer came as a low rumble of laughter.
“Wait.” She whirled around. “Are you Ellen’s cousin?” •
The cute Amish woman came to a sudden stop and turned on a dime.
Winston stumbled back a step to avoid plowing right into her. Her eyes, the deep blue of a dusky sky, were pinned straight at him.
He might not dare confess to being Ellen’s cousin.
First, she’d seemed unsure of him, as if he was the child who’d named the jersey Cowsy. Seven-year-old Samy Yoder insisted he call her beloved animal by name. He thought it was cute until he made a fool out of himself. And now, the pretty young woman was giving him a hard, questioning look, as if he wasn’t who he claimed to be.
“I am. We’re first cousins.” He had no reason to lie about it.
Mattie’s apron caught a breeze and billowed out from under the hand she’d planted firmly on her hip. Her lower lip pouted ever so slightly, and her eyes dimmed further as she cast her look downward. A prayer kapp covered her light brown curls—mostly. Small ringlets escaped their confinement at her temples. More appeared along the back of her neck when she turned and stalked toward the laboring cow.
The woman was as alluring as she was confusing. Winston didn’t consider himself a difficult person. He got along with almost anyone, but Mattie was proving a challenge.
Ellen had told him about Mattie. She was one of only two unmarried Amish females over the age of sixteen in the New Hope church district. Rachel was the other, and she had no interest in marriage. Or so Ellen said.
By the reception he received just now, he had to wonder what his cousin was up to. She either hadn’t mentioned him to her new friend, or her description had put Mattie off. Of course, it made no difference to him. She had nothing to do with his reasons for coming to this new church district on Prince Edward Island. Although, it sure was going to put a damper on his visit if he couldn’t get along with his cousin’s only friend.
As Mattie neared the old cow with caution, Winston stayed back to watch her work and give them both space. She spoke to the laboring jersey in a soothing tone, taking care as she assessed the situation. She rolled up her left sleeve and pulled a long, rubber glove all the way up to her arm pit, slathered some lubricant over her arm, then reached into the cow as routinely as any dairy farmer—not necessarily any dairy farmer’s daughter.
Despite himself, Winston was impressed. He’d helped his uncle on the farm but was long out of practice. Working in his father’s business took all his time the past several years.
Mattie walked back toward him, taking care to remove the glove from the inside out. She showed no sign of squeamishness at the slimy residue now tucked within the glove in her hand. He’d have to get back into farm life awhile before he could match her level of composure.
“I can feel the front hooves and the nose. Won’t be long. I don’t think she’s going to need our help delivering, but Joel and the vet are real concerned about milk fever after the calf comes.”
“Joel said he’d be coming right after me. And you’ve brought those calcium supplements. Ol’ Cowsey is going to be fine.” Winston watched for her reaction to his emphasis on the cow’s name. Instead of scowling at him this time, he was treated with a half-smile. “You know Samy gave her that name, right? Not me.”
“Nay.” She shrugged. “But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”
He laughed, and she responded with a full smile before she walked away to the barn to redd up. Maybe she wasn’t finding him such a disappointment after all. Strange how much that relieved him.
Or maybe the miracle of new life simply enraptured them both.

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