Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"T his has turned into a disaster," Kayla said as she dragged Lucas away when no one was looking. "The other families are making wunderbar snow people." She pointed to an Englisch couple with two little girls. "They've made a snow family based on their own family."

Lucas glanced at the corner spot where the family had indeed made a daed and mamm , and two dainty little snow children. "Give 'em time. Their family might fall apart one day."

Kayla slapped at his snow-covered barn jacket. "Don't say that. We can't let our grossdaddis make us feel the same way they do."

"Well, look around," he said, lifting his hands in the air. "They're making snowballs to hit each other, rather than creating something cute that would merit pie."

"You go and help my family, and I'll go help yours," she said, shoving him toward her laughing, arguing siblings. "Go," she ordered, giving him a challenging stare.

Lucas didn't stop to think. He hurried over to where her grandfather was struggling to make another snowball to throw. Grabbing the bucket they'd abandoned, he filled it with snow and went to the half-finished, sad-looking figure that leaned to the left.

"What are you doing?" Billy asked, shocked. "You're supposed to be over there." He pointed to the Myer bunch. "They don't know a thing about making a snowman."

"Says who?" Lucas replied. "I came to help you with this one since your grossdaddi is too busy trying to hit my grossdaddi with a snowball."

"They didn't listen to the rules," Billy said, sighing. "You'll help me?"

"Sure. Let's get busy," Lucas said, glancing to where Claude was giving him the stink eye. "We'll show all of 'em."

Billy laughed and started back on the poor fellow in front of them. That brought Billy's mamm , Cella, to help. She glanced at Lucas with a smile.

Becky came running out, her hands on her hips. "What is going on? I need help and I can't find anyone."

One of Lucas's younger brothers hit her in the face with a snowball. Becky let out a scream that stopped everything, and her fiancé ran to check on her.

Claude spotted the shenanigans and glared at Lucas. "I'm done. I won't have someone harming my granddaughter."

"You have two," Billy pointed out. "Kayla looks fine, and Becky just wants attention."

Claude let out grunt, then glanced to where Kayla was finishing up a nice snow lady. Lucas's mamm was helping her and they were laughing. Mamm had a kind heart and she was probably secretly happy that he'd found a pretty girl to flirt with. Mamm wanted grandbabies.

Becky kept fussing but soon turned with her fiancé and went back inside. Claude stomped away and Tobias did the same, but both in different directions.

After that, everyone finished up with little fussing or fighting. Eliza announced the thirty minutes were up, but the two patriarchs were nowhere to be found.

Lucas glanced around. The other families had made nice snow people, while the Myers and the Hollingers had made a big mess. The one snowman he and Billy had finished toppled over before it could even be judged.

The pecan pie and goody basket went to the family of four who'd made a family of snow people. At least they'd had the right idea and followed the directions. Their snow family had smiling faces and big red and green scarves and cute carrot noses. They wore colorful bonnets and hats. They stood confident and sure amid the half-finished attempts and melting snowballs all around them.

Eliza gave Kayla and Lucas an apologetic glance, then shouted, "Hot chocolate and pie for everyone."

Lucas didn't hesitate. He hurried to Kayla and motioned. "Let's get some pie. We deserve it, ain't so?"

" Ja ," she said, giving her remaining family members a defiant cheeky grin. "I'm starving."

* * *

Kayla returned to their suite soon after the midday meal had been served. Her family ate early to avoid the Myers, so she didn't get to see Lucas again after they'd shared pie and hot chocolate out by the firepit.

The pavilion was being set up for her sister's wedding this weekend, so they'd watched as the husbands of the sisters—Jonah, Levi, and Matthew—worked to string fresh evergreen branches together to make the open platform more festive. Lucas got up and offered to help and they'd readily agreed.

At least the King family didn't have a feud with anyone. They worked together in an almost choreographed way, going through their daily duties with laughter and playful teasing.

She and her sister needed to be like that, but they'd fought from day one, according to their mamm . Kayla had loved her baby sister until Becky took over the limelight and began getting more attention. As the years passed, they'd had some precious memories and some horrible quarrels.

Was she jealous? Neh , she was a little envious but she wanted her sister to be happy. Kayla had accepted that she might not ever fall in love and marry, that she would be a wallflower rather than a beautiful rose. Becky told her she needed confidence, but Kayla wasn't sure if Becky had confidence or just too much pride.

But now, when she thought about Lucas and his beautiful smile and sparkling eyes, she longed for her own wedding day, her own family, her own life. Only, he was part of a family her relatives disliked because of a childish feud that should have ended years ago.

Maybe some people never completely grew up.

These thoughts had danced through her head as she and other visitors watched while the men hung handmade wooden Christmas renderings that looked like Christmas cards all along the swirls of black iron trim that followed the roofline. She'd helped make some of the wooden cards while sitting in their suite at night. She and Becky and Mamm had been painting them for weeks, and the sisters had helped finish them up once they'd arrived here.

After Lucas got busy, she'd waved to him and then headed inside for a quick bite of more nutritious food, and now she was here in the room she had to share with her sister. Becky's bed was covered with clothes and decorations, while Kayla's was neat and clear. She sank down on the soft starburst quilt trimmed in red, green, and gold. It was festive but still plain. She loved the coziness of the little room and the comfort of the bigger room where her parents were staying. They had a small sitting room between them with a fireplace and a snack table.

She had a view of the back garden from the window in the smaller bedroom, so she found the book she'd been reading and settled into a nice chair to enjoy the scene.

After a few peaceful moments of reading an Amish romance, Kayla stood and stretched, then glanced out the window.

Lucas walked by, stalking, his hands fisted at his sides. Then she spotted his daed and grossdaddi following him, calling out to him. Lucas kept walking.

Had he gotten into trouble because of the snowman fiasco?

Watching in fascination, she saw his daed , John, following him. John caught up with him and reached out to Lucas in a gentle way, his hand touching his son's shoulder. Lucas turned to face his father and John said something, a smile rather than a frown on his face. Lucas listened, his stance softening. He lowered his head and said something to his daed , and then he smiled, too. The tender moment between father and son held her heart with its sweetness. The way they'd looked at each other, their frowns changing to smiles, showed a deep, abiding love.

But Tobias Myer watched their exchange, then lifted his hands in the air and stomped away.

Could they be discussing her?

As if they knew someone was watching, both father and son glanced up, and Lucas spotted her standing there. He gazed at her for only a moment, his expression telling her so many unspoken things. He gave his daed one last pleading glance, then looked away, the frustration in his expression telling her despite the tight smiles, he was not happy.

Putting her book down, Kayla was headed for her cloak when Becky came into the suite and blocked her way.

"Excuse me," she said, trying to pass her sister. "I need some fresh air."

" Neh ," Becky said, shaking her head. "You do not need to go out and find that boy."

"What makes you think I'd do that?" she asked, her own anger boiling like a kettle with a flame under it. She'd have to show restraint or the situation would only get worse.

"Are you serious?" Becky asked, her hands on her hips, her eyes bright with smug triumph. "Tobias Myer made it clear to Daed that you are to stay away from his grandson."

"He did what?" Kayla whirled and went back to the window. Lucas was nowhere to be found.

"If you're thinking to meet him, he's probably gone back to his room, per his grandfather's orders," Becky said. "So you can get over the notion that you two can be friends. You need to steer clear of him, Kayla. He's a Myer. We all know what that means. Or at least most of the family does."

"What exactly does being a Myer mean?" Kayla shot back. "Lucas didn't start this feud and he doesn't even live in Lancaster County. We met here and we enjoy doing things together. Why is everyone so against that? And why are you, of all people, against it? You're getting married and yet you can't allow me a bit of happiness with a man I happen to like a lot."

Becky started to say something and then stopped, her eyes going wide. "Oh, my. You really do have feelings for this boy?"

"He's not a boy," Kayla replied as she sank down on a slipper chair covered with a lush floral pattern. "He's a grown man and I'm a grown woman, the older sister in fact. But everyone seems to have forgotten that."

"Are you jealous of me?" Becky asked, but for once her question held a different tone. An almost apologetic tone.

"I'm not jealous," Kayla replied. "I'm happy for you and Jason, but I'm sad for me. You're the outgoing, pretty Hollinger sister, Bec, and I'm the plain unmarried older sister who keeps getting offers to take home stray cats. We have enough cats around our house."

Becky started giggling, her hand going to her mouth, her eyes misty.

"You think this is funny?" Kayla began to pace, the well of emotions she'd held inside for so long bubbling to the surface in a heated rush. "All I've heard for the last few months is wedding, wedding, wedding. And you are one of the worst brides ever, with your demands and your assumptions and your thinking I should be at your beck and call. I only want to get to know a man who seems to accept me— me —Becky. Just the way I am. Plain and simple."

Becky reached for her arm to stop Kayla's pacing. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at the idea of you surrounded by cats. You are pretty, Kayla, but you hide your light under a bushel as the verse goes. You sing like a beautiful little bird but you're too shy to let the world know that. You quilt better than I ever will and when it comes to cooking, Mamm always turns to you."

"Because you are never there," Kayla retorted, stinging at her sister's depiction of her life. "You're mostly out doing things."

"I enjoy being with people, that is true," Becky said. "And I'm probably overdoing things with the wedding, but I'm nervous and marriage is a big step and what if I mess up? You never mess up, Kayla, because you never take risks or step outside what is safe and easy."

"I'm trying to do that very thing right now," she said, wishing her sister wasn't so daft at times. "I like Lucas and I'm going to keep getting to know him. How is that for stepping out?"

"I think it's about time," her sister said. Then Becky hugged her in a tight grip. "And now that I can see the truth through your eyes, I'll back off, just to see it happen."

Shocked, Kayla glanced at her sister to make sure Becky wasn't teasing. "So why come in here and jump all over me about Lucas?"

"I was trying to warn you about Tobias," Becky replied. "I'm sorry if I sounded self-righteous and overbearing." Becky grimaced, her cheeks turning pink. "I reckon I did, at that."

"You?" Then Kayla started giggling. "You'd never do that to me, ever."

They both started laughing then. Mamm came in and gave them a once-over. "Well, this is different."

"We just made a pact," Becky said. "I'm not going to be the mean bride anymore and Kayla is going to step out with Lucas a lot more."

"Becky," Kayla said, embarrassed.

"You did say that," her sister reminded her. "And I am making a pact with you. I need my sister to be happy, and not just for my wedding, but in her own life, too."

Kayla glanced at Mamm and saw no animosity. More like shock and awe. So she was equally honest: "I'm going to step out and I'm going to be happy. I really want to spend time with my new friend."

Mamm absorbed, accepted, and then nodded. "Okay then. I'm going to take a nap."