by Amy Clipston
“I’m sure he didn’t mean to.” Mandy touched Katie Ann’s arm. “We were visiting with my parents and mei schweschder, and we lost track of time. We didn’t leave mei haus until after four.”
The excuse sounded so ridiculous that Katie Ann just turned back to the counter, picked up the pot holders, and lifted the meat loaf pan. “I’ll take this to the table.”
Emma rushed ahead of her. “Let me put a trivet on the table for you.”
Katie Ann delivered the meat loaf and side dishes to the table, and Clara poured glasses of water while Mandy set out plates and utensils. Then Katie Ann took a seat between Clara and Chris. Ephraim brought a folding chair from the utility room and squeezed in between Mandy and Emma.
After a silent prayer, they filled their plates, and conversations popped up around the table. Katie Ann peeked at her brother and found Mandy whispering to him as his lips pressed into a thin line. Was she telling Ephraim he’d forgotten his sister?
“Emma, you make the best barbecue meat loaf,” Clara said after swallowing a bite. “What’s your secret?”
“It’s all in the barbecue sauce,” Emma responded before revealing the recipe.
“How’s your family, Wayne?” Clara asked a minute later.
Katie Ann stabbed a forkful of meat loaf. As she chewed, she pushed around the pile of green beans on her plate.
“Do you like to cook and bake?”
Katie Ann’s head whipped up, and she found Chris looking at her. “What?”
His dark eyebrows lifted. “I asked if you liked to cook and bake.”
“Oh.” Katie Ann nodded. “Ya, I do.”
“Will you make pies and kichlin to sell at the stand?” he asked before taking a bite of meat loaf.
“I will.” She studied his handsome face. Was he always this friendly with girls he’d just met? She ignored the question as the urge to know him better piqued her curiosity. “Are you a cabinetmaker like your dat?”
“Ya, mei dat owns a shop, and mei bruder and I work there.” He buttered his baked potato.
“Is your bruder older or younger?”
“He’s three years older than I am. He’s married, and he and his fraa live just a mile away.” He finished buttering his potato and then offered her the butter.
“Danki.” She began to butter her own potato.
“I think the plans for the garden sound really gut,” Chris said.
“I do too.” She tried to smile, but her disappointment in her brother continued to nip at her.
“I can’t wait to see it when it’s harvesttime,” he added.
“Ya,” she said, agreeing.
They made small talk while they ate. When everyone had finished, they drank coffee and ate the cookies Katie Ann brought and the chocolate pie Clara brought.
After dessert, the three young women helped Emma clean the kitchen, and the young men went outside to continue talking on the porch. Katie Ann kept her head down as she washed the dishes and set them in the drying rack. Mandy worked beside her, drying the dishes and setting them back in the cabinets, while Clara wiped down the table and swept the floor. No one said much.
“Danki for supper, Emma,” Clara finally said when the kitchen was clean. “I’ll see you Tuesday.”
“Gern gschehne,” Emma said. “Be safe going home.”
Mandy looked at Katie Ann, and her expression clouded with what looked like concern. “Are you going outside now?”
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
Mandy hesitated and then nodded. “All right. Gut nacht, Emma. Danki for supper.”
“Gern gschehne.” Emma gave her a little wave before Mandy disappeared through the mudroom. Emma turned to Katie Ann. “Was iss letz? Why didn’t you walk out with Mandy?”
“Nothing is wrong.” Katie Ann busied herself by folding the damp dish towels. “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t left with a mess.”
“Katie Ann.” Emma touched her shoulder. “I’ve gotten to know you very well during the past few months, and I can tell when something is bothering you. I don’t mean to pry, but you can always talk to me.”
“I know.” Katie Ann bit her lower lip as she debated how much to share. “I’m just upset because mei bruder forgot to pick me up today. He and Mandy visited with her family after church, and they were supposed to get me on the way here. That’s why I was late. When Ephraim didn’t show up, I had to ask mei dat if I could use his horse and buggy.”
“I’m sure it was an honest mistake.”
“It’s not just that.” Katie Ann could hear her voice thicken. “Everything is different now that he’s dating Mandy. I’m invisible when they’re together. I feel like I’m losing mei bruder and my best freind.”
“They don’t mean to ignore you.” Emma smiled. “They’re just all wrapped up in each other right now. The relationship is new, and they’re getting to know each other. I’m certain Ephraim would never want to hurt you.”
Katie Ann looked down at the worn tan linoleum as doubt swirled through her mind.
“You should just talk to Ephraim alone and tell him that he hurt your feelings. Then he’ll apologize, and everything will be fine.”
Katie Ann forced a smile as she looked at Emma. “Okay. I will.”
“Gut.” Emma gave her a quick hug. “You get on home now before your parents start to worry. I’ll see you Tuesday.”
“Okay.” Katie Ann thanked Emma for supper, and then she shoved her cookie plate into her tote bag and retrieved her sweater from the mudroom. She walked outside and shivered as she made her way down the porch steps.
Her feet slowed when she spotted Ephraim and Chris standing in front of what she assumed were Chris’s horse and buggy. Chris laughed, and his laughter was loud and boisterous, causing her brother to join in. She was intrigued by Chris’s contagious laugh, and for a brief moment, it brightened her dark mood. But when Ephraim and Chris looked at her, she nodded, frowning, and kept walking.
“I’ll see you at home,” Ephraim said.
“Bye, Katie Ann!” Mandy called from inside Ephraim’s buggy.
Katie Ann gave her a halfhearted wave before untying her father’s horse and climbing into his buggy.
As she grabbed the reins, she looked at the two men one last time. When Chris gave her a big smile, her pulse galloped. Why did a man she barely knew cause her heart to react that way? Something had to be wrong with her.
A knock drew Katie Ann’s attention to her bedroom door later that evening. She looked up from the Christian novel she’d been reading on her bed. “Come in.”
She felt her lips press together in a scowl as her brother entered.
“Can we talk?” Ephraim’s tall stature filled her doorway.
“Ya.” She closed the book and set it on her nightstand as her stomach clenched. “What do you want?”
He stopped at the footboard of her double bed. “Mandy told me you were upset because I didn’t pick you up on our way to Emma’s today.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I completely forgot I was supposed to give you a ride.”
Katie Ann sat forward as her temper flared. “How can you say that? We talked about it after church, when I said good-bye to you before I went home with Mamm and Dat. I asked you if you’d stop by the haus and get me, and you said yes.”
He gave her a palms up. “I’m sorry. I forgot.”
“So you weren’t listening to me.” A heaviness settled in the center of her chest.
Ephraim swiped his hand down his face. “I don’t know, but I’m sorry, okay?”
She studied him as a thought occurred to her. “When did Mandy tell you I was upset?”
“While we were eating at Emma’s haus. Why?”
“So you’ve known for three hours, and you’re just now apologizing?”
“I wanted to earlier, but you were talking with Mamm. I thought I should wait until we were alone.”
Katie Ann leaned back on her headboard as she continued to study her brother. He’d wa
ited three hours to apologize to her. Did that prove how insignificant she now was in his life? The question sent hurt and anger swirling through her.
“Look, I made a mistake.” He tapped her footboard. “Will you forgive me?”
“You’ve never forgotten me before. I feel like I’m invisible when you’re with Mandy.”
He blew out a puff of air. “I didn’t mean to make you feel that way. Mandy is important to me, but you’ll always be mei schweschder.”
“Do you love her?”
A smile turned up his lips and spread across his face. “Ya. Ya, I do.” He jammed his thumb toward the doorway. “I need to take a shower. Gut nacht.”
As Ephraim disappeared into the hall, Katie Ann reeled at the information her brother had just shared. He was in love with Mandy. He was in love with her best friend!
Katie Ann wanted to be happy for him, and she knew she should be happy for him. But instead, her heart seemed to break a fraction. Nothing would ever be the same. And she missed the way things used to be.
CHAPTER 2
Chris glanced at the clock on the wall in his father’s shop as he wiped his hands with a red shop rag. He smiled as his plans clicked into place in his mind. It was almost three, the time he’d hoped to leave so he could meet up with Wayne and head to Emma Bontrager’s house for their first Tuesday meeting. He’d finished all his tasks in record time today. Now he just had to convince his father to allow him to leave early.
The familiar sweet scent of wood and stain filled his nostrils as he crossed the shop lined with workbenches, all cluttered with an array of tools. The soft yellow light from lanterns perched around the large former barn illuminated the shop. A pile of wood sat beside cabinets in various stages of development that were perched on the benches in the corner.
He passed a workbench where his older brother, Arlan, sanded a cabinet as a diesel generator hummed. Then Chris came to a stop at the doorway of his father’s office. Leaning on the doorframe, he waited for him to look up. He was sitting at his desk, peering at a large ledger, with his reading glasses perched on his long, thin nose. But when Dat’s attention remained on the numbers in the ledger, Chris knocked on the door, pushing it open wider.
“Christian.” Dat removed his glasses and tossed them onto his desk as Chris stepped inside. “I didn’t realize you were standing there. Is it suppertime already?”
“No.” Chris sank onto a nearby stool. “But all my work is done. I was wondering if I could leave early today.”
“Leave early?” Dat’s dark eyebrows lifted. “You never leave early. In fact, I normally can’t get you to come in for supper on time. Where are you going?”
“I have plans with Wayne.” Chris wiped the wood dust off his dark trousers. “I finished sanding those cabinets, and I can stain them first thing tomorrow. I’m ahead of deadline, so may I please leave?”
Dat touched his graying brown beard as he studied Chris. “What sort of plans do you have with Wayne?”
“We’re going to Emma Bontrager’s haus again to make more plans for the community garden project. You remember I told you about that, right? Wayne and a few of his freinden are building a community garden in memory of Emma’s husband. I’m going to help build the stand to sell the baked goods, fruit, and vegetables with the spare wood you said I could have.”
“Right.” Dat nodded as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. “You’re awfully excited about this community garden project.”
“Ya.” Chris shrugged. “I enjoy spending time with Wayne.”
“Is that the only reason you’re so eager to help with this garden?”
“No. I just think it’s a great project to benefit the Bird-in-Hand Shelter, and I want to be a part of it. It’s a wunderbaar charity. That’s what Jesus told us to do, right? We’re supposed to help each other.”
Chris hoped his expression didn’t betray his words. While he did believe in the project and wanted to spend time with his favorite cousin, those weren’t the only reasons he was excited to go to Emma’s house. He wasn’t exactly lying, but he wasn’t ready to tell his dat about the pretty blond he’d met at the meeting on Sunday. He’d spent the past two days thinking about Katie Ann Blank and wondering why she looked so sad when she left Emma’s house. For some unknown reason, he longed to find out what had upset her. He just hoped she also planned to be at Emma’s house tonight.
“All right.” Dat nodded toward the doorway. “Go on and have fun. Tell Wayne I said hello. Just be sure to get those cabinets stained tomorrow morning. We need to install them on Friday.”
“Danki, Dat.” Chris waved at his brother before heading out of the shop.
He breathed in the crisp spring air and strode past the two additional buildings that were part of his father’s business. A large building closer to the road served as a showroom, complete with a tall sign reading Lantz & Sons Cabinets. A smaller building beside it was the shop they used for staining. Chris started helping his father work on cabinets when he was old enough to hold a sanding block. Someday his father would retire and he and Arlan would take over the business. But surely Dat had many more years of work to complete.
Chris quickened his steps as he approached the back porch of their house. He had thirty minutes to shower and change before he had to head out to Emma’s. He’d love a chance to talk to Katie Ann alone. He’d been wondering if she had a boyfriend, although he didn’t want to ask Wayne. If she didn’t, then maybe, just maybe, Chris had a chance to win her friendship—and then her heart if she was the girl he thought she was.
Katie Ann pressed down on the lid of the large container with the taco casserole she’d made for everyone at Emma’s house today. Then she glanced up at the clock.
“You’re not late yet,” Mamm said. “It’s only three fifteen.”
“Gut.” Katie Ann had been rushing around all day, eager to complete her chores before it was time to go.
Will Christian Lantz be there again today?
Her cheeks burned at the silent question, and she quickly dismissed it. Why was she wasting a thought on a man she didn’t even know? Besides, he most likely had a girlfriend and would never be interested in someone as ordinary as her.
Returning her attention to Mamm, she pointed to another casserole dish on the counter. “I made an extra casserole for you and Dat. You just have to warm it up.”
“Danki. That was sweet of you. You know your dat loves your taco casserole.”
“Do you need me to do anything else before I leave?”
“No, but danki for offering.”
Katie Ann retrieved her notepad and tote bag from her bedroom and then hurried down to the kitchen. Ephraim stood talking to Mamm. Katie Ann slowed her steps as a frown overtook her mouth. Her anger from Sunday persisted despite Emma’s advice to forgive her brother.
Ephraim turned toward her and pointed toward the back door. “I loaded all our gardening tools into the buggy. Are you ready?”
Katie Ann shrugged as she fingered the strap on her tote bag.
Ephraim’s eyes narrowed. “Are you still angry with me?”
Katie Ann shrugged. “I’m just a little hurt.”
He blew out a loud sigh as he started for the back door. “I’ll be in the buggy. If you’re not outside in five minutes, I’m going without you.” Then he disappeared through the mudroom.
Mamm lifted her eyebrows as she turned toward Katie Ann. “Why are you being so rude to your bruder?”
“We had an argument on Sunday.” Katie Ann shifted her weight on her feet as embarrassment ignited her cheeks.
“Why did you argue?” Mamm’s honey-brown eyes seemed to peer right into Katie Ann’s soul.
“He forgot to pick me up. That’s why I had to take Dat’s horse and buggy to Emma’s.”
Mamm was silent for a moment. The ticking of the clock above the sink seemed somehow louder as Katie Ann awaited her mother’s assessment of the situation.
“You’re still u
pset about a mistake your bruder made two days ago?” Mamm asked.
Katie Ann nodded as guilt tightened the knots in her back. “He forgot about me.”
“It’s our way to forgive, Katie Ann. You know that.”
Katie Ann nodded.
“Besides that, you don’t realize how blessed you are to have your older bruder in your life. Mine moved to Ohio twenty-five years ago, and I miss him.” Mamm’s expression warmed. “You need to forgive Ephraim. We all make mistakes because we’re human and we fall short of the glory of God.” She gestured toward the mudroom. “Go before he leaves. And make sure you tell him you forgive him before this gets blown all out of proportion.”
“Ya, Mamm.” Katie Ann gave her a quick hug before grabbing the casserole dish from the counter. “See you later.”
In the mudroom, Katie Ann pulled on her sweater and then rushed outside to her brother’s waiting buggy, where she found him scowling. Her mother’s warning rang in her ears as she climbed into the back.
“I didn’t think you were going to come out,” he grumbled as he guided the horse down the driveway toward the road.
“I’m here.” She stared out the windshield. As much as she longed to clear the air between them, her pride strangled her words.
The clip-clop of the horse hooves and the whirl of the wheels filled the buggy as they made their way to Mandy’s house. Katie Ann hoped someday she and Ephraim would find their close sibling relationship again. Until then, she’d feel like the fifth wheel on his buggy.
Chris glanced around the large field behind Emma’s house, where a young man he didn’t recognize plowed the designated garden area with a team of horses. A group of young folks, including Mandy, Ephraim, Wayne, and Clara, stood together and talked. Chris searched the faces for Katie Ann’s, and his excitement dissolved when he didn’t find her.
You’re here to help your community, not find a girlfriend.
He gritted his teeth as guilt filled his chest. But when he spotted movement in his peripheral vision, he turned to his right and found Katie Ann sitting at a card table on Emma’s back porch. She had her head bent as she concentrated on something on the table.
