“But it’s going better now, isn’t it?” Katie asked.
Ruth smiled. “Yah, from what I’ve heard.” Ruth sobered again. “But no woman should have to go through that. Mabel told me what happened, and I couldn’t believe Norman was capable of such things. Then when Mabel showed me the bruises I got angry, blaming Norman for all of it. All the time not seeing my own part in pushing them together. Thankfully Mabel asked for and received help even before Da Hah passed His judgment on me.”
“I don’t think you should be so hard on yourself.” Katie stood up. “Are you coming along okay with your injury? May I get you anything right now?”
Ruth sighed. “I’ll be well enough to get out of the house in a couple of weeks or so, the doctor claims. And I can’t wait. It’s awful being cooped up in the house and having other people tend to me all the time. Thankfully poor Albert has been kept in decent food. People have brought in so much or he would have starved by now.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Katie asked again. “I can’t stay long, but I could help with some housework perhaps or maybe dinner.”
“You’ll do no such thing.” Ruth waved toward the couch again. “Sit down and tell me about school. And about Ben of course. I hear things are going well between the two of you.”
“Yah!” A smile crept over Katie’s face as she settled onto the couch again. “I get to see Ben every Sunday now. And he’s back home with his mamm and daett, for which everyone is very thankful.”
“So Ben’s made peace with the faith?”
Ruth as usual knew more than she should know about people, but her apology had been sincere so Katie overlooked it. Besides, Ruth would always be interested in other people’s lives. It was part of who she was. She meant no harm. “Da Hah has been faithful in that area. I thought way back when, that I could perhaps help Ben by taking the trip to Europe and bringing home interesting stories about our faith’s fathers. But what Ben really needed was to meet Da Hah for himself. Which he did in the strangest of situations—through the times he served in the Englisha jail.”
Ruth nodded. “Yah, each of us are reached in our own way. Da Hah knows I needed a gut bounce on my backside to knock some sense into me. So I don’t belittle anyone’s way back to the right path. Tell me, how’s school going?”
“As gut as can be expected, I suppose. I’ve never been through the winter blues before, this still being my first year. But with a hint of spring in the air, the children are hard to keep inside. The playground is still a little muddy, so they make do the best they can with board games.”
“How well I know.” Ruth groaned, moving her hips to a more comfortable position. “They’ll be outside before you know it though, and everything will be back to normal. All things come to an end, as they say.”
“May I get you another pillow?” Katie asked, as Ruth groaned again.
“Maybe that would help.” Ruth adjusted herself. “You can get mine in the bedroom—the one on the left.”
Katie hurried in and returned with the pillow. Ruth lifted herself up high enough to slide the pillow in, flopping back down again. A wry expression crept across her face. “At least I’ve lost some weight through this accident—weight that I plan to keep off. Over Albert’s objections, I must say. The man says he likes me just the way I am.”
Katie smiled, thinking she should be leaving soon.
Ruth seemed not to notice, chattering on. “So will young Ben be joining the baptismal class this spring? It’s coming up in April, isn’t it?”
“Yah, he’s planning on it,” Katie said.
“And soon wedding bells will be ringing, if I don’t miss my guess.” With that, Ruth laughed with glee.
Now Katie was sure she was turning red, which made Ruth laugh harder, knowing she had hit home on that one. The truth was that Ben hadn’t officially asked her to be his frau, but surely he would soon. Maybe after he began the baptismal class. Ben probably thought he should make his decision plain before he asked her for such a serious commitment. The truth was, she would have said yah if he had asked her weeks ago.
Ruth still wasn’t through chuckling. “Well, it’s gut to see the two of you coming along so well. Bishop Miller had nothing but nice things to say when he stopped by last week with Laura. Seems like Ben was on his mind, which isn’t surprising with how much trouble Ben caused the community. It must have been a relief to get that one off the bishop’s mind.”
“I’m sure it was,” Katie agreed, getting to her feet. “Well, I really have to be going, Ruth. And I hope you get completely well—and very soon. I’ll be looking for you at church services then.”
“It can’t come too soon, believe me.”
“Goodbye for now,” Katie said, as she made her way to the door.
How strange things were turning out, Katie thought. The ground underfoot was becoming more solid each day. Even Mahlon Bontrager had gotten the message now that Ben was coming to church and taking her home in the evenings. Mahlon had asked Millie Schrock—who was twenty-nine or so—home on Sunday evening for the first time. And from the reports the schoolchildren had whispered between themselves later that week, Millie had been spotted at the sewing still blushing.
At her age, Millie might have wondered if she’d remain an old maid. Having the attentions of a decent man like Mahlon would make a woman blush. It was all for the best, really. Katie had done the right thing sticking it out with Ben. Katie climbed into the buggy and turned Sparky toward home.
Chapter Forty-One
It was a Sunday night in early April. Katie met Ben at the front door with a smile. As they stood at the door, the soft light from the kerosene lamp inside played on Ben’s face. Mamm and the rest of the family were already in bed. Katie reached over to take Ben’s hand. “What’s it going to be tonight?” she asked. “Strawberry pie or cherry? With ice cream, of course.”
“Why not both?” Ben said with a gleam in his eyes.
Katie faked a glare. “I do declare! That’s all you come here for on Sunday nights…to eat.”
“Yah.” Ben walked inside and plopped down on the couch. “Why else would I be here?”
Because of me, Katie almost said, but she rushed into the kitchen before Ben saw her blushing face. Why did she still get red-faced around him after all this time? Perhaps because tonight had been so special driving home. The spring weather was bringing everything alive, so they’d driven home with the buggy doors open. The peepers had been croaking in the pond along the road, and the crickets shrieking in the trees. Ben had been in a playful mood, and she’d enjoyed his chatter to the fullest, snuggling up against his shoulder with the buggy blanket at their feet. Yah, tonight was extra special. Things were finally going well, and enough time had passed that it seemed things might stay that way.
Katie paused in the kitchen to slide two pieces of pie—strawberry and cherry—onto a plate. She then scooped the ice cream on top and returned to the living room.
Ben took the plate eagerly and began eating. “Where’s yours?” he finally asked.
“I don’t really want any tonight,” she said.
“That means more for me!” Ben said with a laugh.
Katie smiled and then turned serious. “Ben, do you ever think back to what it used to be like not so long ago for us? About the experiences we’ve had? And what may lie ahead?”
He sobered as he paused between bites. “Sometimes. But tonight I’m thinking about you, Katie.”
“Oh, Ben!”
“I do that more than I should sometimes.” He lowered his head. “Katie…”
She waited as he seemed to search for what to say. Would tonight be the night? Was he going to ask her to be his frau? She tried to keep breathing. She mustn’t jump to conclusions. Still, it seemed like maybe it could happen. After all, Ben was taking life far more seriously now. He’d been attending the baptismal class for several Sundays already. But tonight…could it really happen?
His fork trembled and his voice was low. �
��Katie, I’ve been wanting to ask you…about something…important.”
She met his gaze. “Yah, Ben?”
He looked away. “I know I’m unworthy of you, Katie. But I want to…to marry you if…if you’ll consent, of course. Would you be my frau come the wedding season this fall?”
The words gushed out as quickly as her tears of joy. “Ben, of course! I accept. I’d be glad to marry you this fall.”
A smile crept across his face. He moved closer, the pie plate still in one hand, and reached up to touch her face.
She took the plate from his hand and set it on the floor. Then she wrapped both hands around his neck and kissed him.
“You really will be my frau?” Ben asked, long moments later.
“Of course, you silly.” She kissed him again.
Ben turned serious. “I want to thank you for standing by me like you did. I never told you, but I thought my heart would burst with joy when I caught sight of your face that day in the courtroom.”
“So you did see me then?” Katie snuggled tightly against him.
“How could I not see you? Your presence filled the entire place.”
Katie laughed. “You’ll really have to tone down all this talk. I’m just plain old Emma Raber’s daughter, Ben, just in case you’ve forgotten.”
“The girl everyone overlooked…except me.” He stroked the stray hairs hanging on her forehead.
“Now don’t get so full of yourself, Ben.”
“Isn’t that what you liked about me?”
She touched his face with her fingers. “I liked what I saw in you. I saw a man who charmed my heart. But I never thought it could really happen—that you would notice me.”
Ben laughed. “So tell me, what was with all the plainness, the drab dresses you used to wear, the hiding behind people at the youth gatherings, the sober face? What was that all about? Were you pretending? Testing me? Seeing if I’d notice?”
Katie rested her head on his shoulder. “Nee, I’m afraid not. It was all quite real. And I’m still plain, Ben. I’ll always be. I was brought up that way.”
Ben grinned. “And with a heart of gold. Maybe that’s what shines on your face, making the beauty outside even more beautiful.”
“Careful now, Ben,” Katie teased. “I’ll be getting old before too long.”
He regarded her steadily. “Maybe it’s best you don’t know how beautiful you are, Katie.”
“Hush,” she said, kissing him again.
Ben stroked her cheek. “Don’t believe me? Just look how Mahlon Bontrager was mooning over you when I came back.”
Katie laughed. “How do you know about Mahlon?”
“Because I was watching you, and so was he. I’m not blind, Katie.”
“You never had anything to worry about.” She glanced up at his face.
He smiled. “Katie, one more thing. Can you tell what they’re thinking of me in the community? Have you heard any…any more complaints?”
Katie sat up straight. “Of course not! You’ve suffered enough for what you did wrong. And you chose jail time to uphold the community’s beliefs.”
Ben shrugged. “I think they’re accepting me because of you more than anything.”
Katie laughed. “Because of me? Ben, you’re wrong.”
“I don’t think so. The love of a gut woman helps, Katie.” Ben kissed her on the cheek.
They both sat quietly, perfectly content.
Ben reached down, picked up his plate, and finished off the pie. He looked at her, smiling. “So tell me how the program for the last day of school is coming along?” he finally asked.
Katie sat bolt upright. “Oh, Ben! I’ve plumb forgotten there was to be one. Just like I forgot the Christmas program. What’s the matter with me?”
Ben laughed. “Nothing is the matter with you. Do you need my help planning it?”
“You? But you don’t have time. Carolyn helped me for the Christmas program. I’m sure she’ll have gut ideas again.”
“I have a very gut idea. Shall I tell you?”
“Yah, please do.”
“Have the children reenact your trip to Switzerland—some of the highlights perhaps. Things that stood out to you. The adults would love it, and the children would learn a lot about our faith.”
“But I’ve already told my story to the women at the sewing.”
“You haven’t told it to the men or to me. Not in that way, at least.”
Katie thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know, Ben. You really think they’d like it?”
“They’d be charmed. And it would wash away the last doubts anyone might have on whether they should have hired you back.”
Katie tried to collect her thoughts. “Well, maybe.”
Ben continued. “I could stop by after school some days, and give you suggestions the brilliant Carolyn might miss.”
“Yah, let’s do it! We can begin this week already. You can stop by whenever it suits you. And I’ll tell Carolyn about it tomorrow evening so she can start planning.”
“They’ll be plenty of time, I’m sure. And here’s the bonus—I’ll get to see you more often!”
Katie leaned against him. “Ben, this is so beautiful. All of this. You being here with me, loving me enough to ask if I’d be your frau this fall.”
Ben appeared embarrassed. “Now you’ll have me turning red. Shouldn’t we begin planning for the wedding soon? It’ll be here before you know it.”
“We have all summer for that, Ben. Right now I just want to enjoy you. I don’t want this night to end.”
“Me neither.”
“Where are we going to live, Ben?”
Ben didn’t hesitate. “There’s a little place not far from Mamm and Daett’s place. It’s for rent right now. I’d have to take it before the wedding, perhaps begin to live there by myself…”
Katie’s face glowed. “So you’ve already been thinking about it—before you even asked me?”
Ben laughed. “Yah, I couldn’t help myself, Katie. But I wouldn’t make the plans, not without your consent.”
“That’s a very smart decision, Ben Stoll.” She glanced at his empty plate he’d put back on the floor. “Would you like more pieces of pie?”
“Nee, I have to go. It’s close to midnight already.”
Katie followed him to the door. “I can’t believe this is really happening. It hardly seems real. It’s like I’m dreaming.”
“Then don’t wake up, dear,” he whispered.
Katie pulled him close and lingered in his arms.
Ben soon pushed away and slipped out into the night. Katie watched as his buggy lights came on, and Ben guided Longstreet down the lane. Not until they had vanished from sight, did she close the door. After putting the pie plate in the kitchen, she went to her room and looked out the window. There was nothing in sight except the twinkling of the stars overhead.
“Thank You, dear Hah,” she whispered toward the heavens. “Thank You for everything. And for everything which is still to come.”
Epilogue
Five Months Later
Fall arrived in full force, and after a final rush of wedding preparations, Katie was married. And to Ben Stoll! She pinched herself to see if it was a dream, even though people were still standing around talking with them. The wedding had just been that morning, and now the hymn singing was over. A long line of well-wishers were coming past the corner table to shake hands. Katie stood beside Ben, glancing up at his face every chance she had. The moment when she’d promised to be his frau was now hours past, but the glory wasn’t fading away.
They’d been married here at Bishop Miller’s place, where Mamm had said her vows with Jesse and where Mabel had begun her married life. In every way now, she was one of them. And so was Ben now that his baptismal vows had been said last month. The wunderbah “last day of school” program Ben had helped direct had been months ago. Life couldn’t be happier.
Outside, the moon had risen, its full globe visibl
e through the open pole barn door. Soon the couple would be riding in the buggy behind Longstreet to their new rented home where Ben had been living since late May.
Ben was busy talking with his mamm and daett right now. On the other side of Katie, Carolyn slipped away, following Marlin Stoll outside. Carolyn had been such a beautiful bridesmaid today, but now she probably wanted a few moments alone with Marlin. He was one of Ben’s relatives from Lancaster. Carolyn had never met him before today, but she was smitten from all indications. She’d been stealing sideway glances at the young man for most of the day. Katie smiled. How neat would that be if Carolyn met her future husband at her wedding?
Brenda, Ben’s eldest sister, had been the bridesmaid chosen from his side of the family, and now she slipped over to shake Katie’s hand. “It’s been a great day, Katie. And I wish the absolute best to the both of you. You deserve each other.”
“Yah, we probably do,” Katie said with a laugh.
“Nee,” Brenda hastened to correct, “I meant that in the best way.”
Katie nodded. “I know. Thank you. You’ve been so sweet today.”
“Take care of Ben, then.”
“You know I will.”
Ben’s daett was moving closer to Katie now, offering to shake her hand. She took it with a big smile. “Thanks for raising such a great son, Leon.”
A tear formed in his eye, and he didn’t wipe it away. “I think you had a lot to do with that, Katie. You’ll make Ben a wunderbah frau. I appreciate you so much.”
“Thank you. I’m very happy to be a Stoll now.”
Leon turned to Lavina, who had just given Ben one last hug. “It’s all true, isn’t it, Mamm!”
Lavina gave them both a big smile. “I didn’t hear a word you said, but I’m sure it’s all true. At least if you’re saying gut things about Katie.”
Katie gave Lavina a tight hug. “Thank you both for bringing up such a nice son.”
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