Her Amish Christmas Gift

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?”

“I’ll be nineteen in two weeks.”

He seemed taken aback at her answer. She wasn’t sure but she thought he’d murmured, “I had no idea.” But he didn’t look at her when he spoke. He was busy applying first-aid ointment before he covered her scrape with a bandage. “There you go,” he said without expression. He reached for her arm and helped her to her feet.

“Danki,” she murmured and quickly turned to leave, her arm tingling where he’d touched her. He didn’t stop her from going. Charlie hurried outside to join her family for lunch. She didn’t look back to see if Nate had left the house. She went right to the food table, grabbed a plate and helped herself. Spying her family at a table under a shade tree, she made her way over and sat down with a smile. If anyone wondered why it took so long for her to join them, they didn’t mention it.

“Gut game, Charlie,” Henry Yoder said as he set a plate in front of his wife then slid onto the bench next to her.

Charlie didn’t say anything at first as she stared down at her plate. She should have been there to help the women. She’d been so focused on the game that she’d lost track of time. Now she felt guilty for not doing her share. She’d have to make sure she did most of the cleanup afterward.

“Charlie?”

She blinked and realized that her brother-in-law had spoken and she hadn’t answered. “I’m sorry.” She saw him eyeing her with concern. She managed a grin. “It was a gut game. Noah and Daniel aren’t happy with me right now.”

“Ja, but Joseph and I are.”

She gave him a genuine smile. She really liked her sister Leah’s husband. They’d been married a year, and her respect and liking of him had only grown. The fact that he made her sister ridiculously happy only heightened her feelings for him.