Peace by Shelley Shepard Gray

Author:Shelley Shepard Gray
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780062204530
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-09-20T16:00:00+00:00

“Jacob, we are going to be so busy tomorrow,” Deborah said as they put away the delivery of bread that had just arrived.

He paused his careful stacking of rolls. “Only in the evening, right?”

Though he wasn’t all that excited about it, he had told her that he’d be willing to share Christmas Eve dinner with her parents. Things between them were still strained, and he imagined they always would be.

But if they were willing to move forward, he certainly could, too. He’d do anything for Deborah, but he didn’t want to be there all day!

As she wiped down a tabletop, Deborah murmured, “Don’t forget, we also said we’d visit Walker and Lydia in the morning.”

He looked at her curiously. Something was on her mind, and it wasn’t their Christmas Eve schedule. “I am looking forward to seeing them. It’s for brunch, yes?”

“Jah.”

“Well, it will be a lot of eating, but it shouldn’t be too busy, Deborah,” he said with a smile. “Since the store will be closed, I might even take a nap in the middle of the day.”

She stopped her wiping and looked in his direction. “Well, I hope it won’t be too much activity, because”—she paused and bit her lip—“well, Jacob, I asked Sheriff Kramer to take us to see your daed on Christmas day.”

He froze. “You did what?”

“I stopped by his office to talk to him about visiting hours and such. He said he’d be happy to take us.” Not meeting his eyes, she said, “It’s all arranged.”

“I think not.”

“You need to visit your father, Jacob. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

She was probably right, but he wanted to do this in his own time. “Deborah, I’m not ready.”

Looking resolved, she shook her head. “That is why I took things out of your hands. Mose and I already called the prison to let them know that we would be coming up to see your father. And I’m not going to back down, especially since Mose was so kind as to offer to take us on Christmas Day of all days. Oh, Jacob, what a gift that will be to your father!”

“It’s a gift I’m not ready to give!” Though he hated raising his voice, the frustration—and fear—he was feeling overruled his best intentions. “Deborah, you have overstepped your place.”

“Don’t yell. I’m doing this for you, Jacob.” More quietly, she added, “For us, too. Before you know it, the visit will be over. You can see how you feel then. But it’s important to take this first step.”

“What if it doesn’t go well?”

“Then at least you’ll have visited. Jacob, I love you, and I want to be a gut frau. I try to follow your advice on most everything. But this time, you need to trust me to know what is best. And you need this. You need to see your father and find some peace more than anything.”

Though his teeth were practically grinding, he knew she was right. And though he didn’t expect any miracles, he knew that the sooner he crossed this bridge, the better.

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