A Family for Christmas by Irene Brand Page A

forehead.
    â€œAnd I’m happy to meet you, sir. Evan has talked about you a lot.”
    Tears glistened in Karl’s eyes, and he said, “I see…why…Evan…likes you…so much.”
    As they talked, occasional flashes of pain crossed Karl’s face, but he listened eagerly as Evan told him about the farm activities. Evan reported on how many gallons of milk they’d shipped the day before, how they were herding the livestock into barns and sheds because of the cold snap that was predicted.
    Karl asked a few questions in his halting voice. And Evan requested his father’s advice on several business matters relating to the farm. Wendy didn’t have any idea what they were talking about most of the time, but she listened carefully, marveling at the bond of affection and respect between the two men.
    During the few times she’d seen her father in her adult years, they’d never had anything to talk about. When he came to see her and took her out to dinner and to buy some new clothes, she didn’t know whatto say. What would her life have been like if her parents hadn’t divorced? Would she have had this warm relationship with her parents that the Kesslers took for granted?
    When it was obvious that Karl was getting tired, Evan said, “We’ll go now, but Mom is coming back tonight.”
    He took his father’s right hand and clasped Wendy’s hands. “Let’s have a prayer together,” he said. While he prayed, Wendy wondered if the Christian faith the Kesslers shared had made them the affectionate family they were.
    The more she was around Evan and his family, the more her love for him increased, but so did her doubts. It may have been a mistake for her to come to Ohio. Considering the differences in their backgrounds, she doubted that she could ever feel at home with his family.
    All the time they were with Karl, Evan had an up-beat attitude as he laughed and joked with his father about various farm incidents. But when they returned to the truck, Evan leaned his head on the steering wheel, and his shoulders shook with sobs.
    â€œOh, Evan!” Wendy said, moving close to him and putting her arms around his heaving shoulders.
    â€œI can’t stand to see him that way,” he said. “As long as I can remember, he’s been a forceful, hardworking man. As a child, I thought there wasn’t anything my daddy couldn’t do. He’s always had a strong voice. He sings in a barbershop quartet, and he’s one of the main singers in our church choir. Now he can’t even talk.”
    â€œBut he’ll get better,” Wendy said. “I was impressed with the little I saw of the hospital’s rehab department. Looks to me like he’s in good hands.”
    Evan lifted his head, and Wendy wiped the tears from his face. He leaned toward her and pulled her close. “Thanks for encouraging me, sweetheart. I’m sorry that you won’t have the opportunity to see our area in normal times. We’re all troubled about Daddy, and according to the local meteorologist, we’re in for some record-breaking winter weather. I’d like for you to have seen us as the happy family we usually are. Christmas is one of our most special seasons, and we always have a good time visiting with our far-flung cousins.”
    Wendy thought it might be better that she was seeing the raw side of life with the Kessler family. If she’d visited during the summertime, when all was well with them, she might not have learned the things she needed to know in deciding her future with Evan.

Chapter Seven
    B efore they returned to the farm, Evan decided to show Wendy the business section of Gallipolis. “This city was settled by wealthy Frenchmen a few years after the Revolutionary War ended,” he explained. “It’s always been a prosperous, active city.”
    He drove along First Avenue to point out Our House Tavern, which