A Log Cabin Christmas by Wanda E. Brunstetter

reminded her that the journal was old and had probably been stuck in the desk for quite a while.
    Elizabeth read a few more pages, smiling when she came to a journal entry about a mouse that had gotten into the pantry and eaten the cookies Grandma had made, and frowning when she read how Aunt Lovina and Elizabeth’s mother, who was two years younger than Lovina, had argued about who would wash and who would dry the dishes. Their mother had stepped in and settled the dispute.
    Elizabeth sighed. She wished she’d known her mother’s parents, but they’d both died before she was born.
    She turned several more pages and continued to read, until she came to an entry dated April 20, 1860. It read:
    My sister, Cassandra, is marrying Charles Canning today, but she’s taking a horrible secret with her. Cassandra used to be courted by Raymond Stinner, but when he dropped her suddenly and married Carolyn Flannigan, she quickly turned to Charles and agreed to marry him right away. I wonder what Charles would say if he knew Cassandra was pregnant with Raymond’s baby
.
    Elizabeth’s mouth went dry as she stared at the journal entry, trying to piece things together. Raymond Stinner was David’s father. Until now, Elizabeth had no idea that he’d courted her mother, much less that she’d been carrying his baby when she married Father. How shocking to learn such a thing about her own mother, whom she’d always held in such high esteem.
    But who is that baby? Elizabeth wondered. Her heart began to race. Could Mother have had a miscarriage, or do I have a brother or sister I don’t know about?
    Anxious to learn more, Elizabeth continued turning the pages in her aunt’s journal, until she found one that read:
    Christmas Eve, 1860: Cassandra’s baby was born today. Cassandra had told everyone that the child was due in January, but now she’s saying the baby came early. That’s just to protect her reputation, of course. She doesn’t want anyone to know—especially not Charles—that she was pregnant when they got married. She especially doesn’t want him to know that Raymond Stinner is the father of her baby. The little girl weighs six pounds and seems to be quite healthy. Of course the reason for that is because she’s not really premature. Cassandra named her baby, Elizabeth. I guess you could say the child is Cassandra’s little Christmas secret
.
    Elizabeth swayed unsteadily as the journal slipped from her fingers and dropped to the floor with a thud. If Raymond Stinner was her real father, that meant she was David’s half sister! Stunned, she thought,
No wonder we both have blond hair and blue eyes
.
    When the truth of it all set in, she covered her mouth and choked on a sob. “Oh, dear Lord, how can this be? Why did You allow such a terrible thing to happen? I can never marry David now!”
    As Elizabeth stared into space, her mind racing, the only thing she could see was her dream of being David’s wife and all the wonderful plans they’d made fading further and further away. In a matter of a few minutes, Elizabeth’s world had gone from a future filled with hopes and dreams to an unsettling question:
What now?

Chapter 3
    I got busy workin’ and forgot to ask when you first returned to the shop—is your granddaddy okay?” Gus asked David.
    David nodded. “He fell off a ladder but wasn’t really hurt. Just got the wind knocked out of him, I guess.”
    “Glad to hear he’s all right.”
    “Grandpa tries to do too much, and Mother worries about him too much.”
    Gus chuckled. “Guess that’s what women do—worry about those they love.”
    “I suppose Elizabeth will worry about me after we’re married.” David reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the gold timepiece that had belonged to his father. “Speaking of Elizabeth, I think I’ll head over to the cabin now and see how she’s doing.”
    Gus’s forehead wrinkled. “I thought you were gonna work in the shop until the end of the