Katie leaned back in her rocking chair, happy for a few additional minutes of solitude as the morning settled in around her. If only she could capture this feeling and bottle it! How wonderful it would be to take it back to the city.
The rhythmic creaking of the rockers against the aging wooden slats of the front porch lulled her into a dreamlike state. After a few carefree moments, however, the time came to say good-bye, not just to the morning but to the farm. And her family. And that precious new baby. She had to return home. Her work could wait no longer.
Less than an hour later, Katie loaded her suitcase into the back of her car. She paused to look up as she heard Emily’s voice ring out. “Katie, before you leave, you have to come to the barn to see the puppies.”
She closed the back door of the car and turned to her sister with a forced stern look. “Okay, but promise me you won’t try to pawn one off on me. I don’t have any room in my condo for a golden retriever, trust me.” She couldn’t even imagine such a thing, no matter how hard she tried.
“I promise.” Emily grinned. “But they’re the most precious little things. You’ve really got to see for yourself.” She shifted into a lengthy discussion about the breed, focusing on their loyalty to owners and uncanny ability to adapt to life in a variety of settings. Katie tried not to respond, biting her tongue till it nearly bled. She would not be swept in, no matter how hard Emily tried.
Katie plodded along across the yard behind her sister until they drew near to the barn. Her heart ached as she stepped inside, remembering back to the day when friends from the community had come to help Datt raise the spacious white building. What fun they’d had helping Mamm and the other ladies prepare food and serve it to all the menfolk. The day had been joyous, from beginning to end.
Katie especially remembered Karl—the look of contentment on his face as she handed him a glass of lemonade. How his blue eyes had sparkled.
Why could she see so clearly now what she’d managed to overlook all those years ago?
Katie looked around the inside of the barn, noticing it seemed bigger than ever. . .and emptier than ever without Datt here to fill it with his love and laughter. He’d always managed to make work enjoyable. His fun-loving personality, larger than that of most men in their small community, had been his strength. And his weakness. Many had whispered in private that Elam Walken tried to draw attention to himself by making others laugh. Katie had always tightened her fists at such a suggestion.
Strange. She found her fists tightened now, too. Thankfully, the sound of whimpering pups off to her right offered a nice distraction from the bittersweet memories. Katie followed the sound until she stood directly in front of the mama dog and her puppies. The little darlings tussled about, pawing each other and yipping. The mama dog, God bless her, looked exhausted. Katie reached down to scratch her behind the ears. “You’re a brave girl,” she whispered.
Emily knelt down in the hay and bade Katie to do the same. She did so reluctantly, having already dressed for her trip back to Doylestown. It certainly wouldn’t look very good to show up at the office with hay, and who knew what else, all over her knees.
Still, the puppies were awfully cute, and one in particular seemed to call out to her. She reached down to pick it up, cradling it close to her heart. Suddenly Katie’s nice clothes didn’t matter. The puppy nuzzled its cold black nose against her neck, and she giggled, breathing in that soft puppy scent she remembered from childhood.
“We call that one Miracle,” Emily said. “She’s the runt. We almost lost her at birth. I doubt anyone’s going to want to buy her.”
“Are you serious?” Katie pulled the pup back for a scrutinizing look. “Why not? She’s gorgeous.”
“Still, she’s small. And very attached to her mama. She’s just the kind to think she was born for indoor life, not outdoor.”
Katie held the pup a second longer—until she realized what her sister was trying to do. “Oh no you don’t,” she said, putting the puppy back down. “You’re not getting to me that easily.”
“What?” Emily gave her an innocent look. “What did I do?”
“You know very well.” Katie stood and brushed the hay from her knees. She looked down at her brown silk blouse and sighed as she saw the blond dog hair Miracle had left behind.
“Golden retrievers don’t shed,” Emily interjected.
“Sure they don’t.” Katie did her best to remove the hairs with her fingertips, but they clung stubbornly to the silk.
Emily rose to her feet and gave Katie the saddest look. “You’re really leaving, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Did you think. . .?”
Emily shrugged. “I’ve been hoping you would change your mind and stay here, with us.” She gave a little pout.
Katie took her sister by the hand. “When I’m not here, I miss you so much. All of you. I hope you know that. And, in case you doubt it, I love you as much now as ever. I do wish I could see you more. I’m just so—”
“Busy.”
“Yeah. But I promise I’ll come back more often. I won’t wait so long next time.” She wanted to add, And if you just had Internet access or a cell phone, I could stay in touch. I would write you every day. Send you funny e-mail forwards to make you laugh. Talk to you over Instant Messenger or text.
Instead, she said nothing.
Katie gave the puppy another glance then looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go soon, but there’s another baby I need to see first.” In fact, she could hardly wait to hold Sara’s little daughter in her arms one last time before making the drive back home.
Home. Hmm.
She quickly made her way out of the barn and across the property to the main house, where she found Sara helping Mamm with the canning in the spotless kitchen.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Katie scolded as she washed her hands at the kitchen sink.
“I’m fine. Fit as a fiddle,” her sister responded. “No point in pampering me just because I’ve had a baby.”
“Still.” Katie shook her head and decided not to argue, though she would certainly hope for a bit of pampering if she’d been the one to have the baby. Instead, she walked over to the cradle and reached down to scoop up her niece in her arms and rock her back and forth.
“I just got her to sleep!” Sara pretended to look irritated.
“I’ll put her right back down. I promise.” Katie gave Rachel a half dozen little kisses all over her wisps of hair and pink little cheeks. “Don’t you miss your auntie too much, little girl,” she whispered. “And you do everything your mamm tells you.”
A twinge took hold of her heart as she said the word “Mamm.” No matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, Katie longed to be a mother, too, to have a darling baby girl to call her own. She’d known it from the day Hannah’s first child was born, though she’d pushed the feelings aside. But now, as she stared into this precious newborn’s face, she could deny it no longer.
Katie placed the infant back down with a sigh, making sure she was wrapped snugly in the little blanket. Plain white, of course. No frills for this child. No ruffled bonnets or darling pink outfits. Nothing to draw attention to—or exaggerate— the baby’s beauty. No, this little one would be raised with far simpler attire than most newborns these days.
“I don’t think I could do it,” Katie whispered. “I’d want to dress you up like the baby doll that you are!” She looked over at her mother and sister as they worked alongside one another. They’d never known the thrill of dressing in fancy clothes, either, and had probably never missed it. No, they seemed more than content to keep things as they were. And to stay busy. Always busy.
Just watching her mother made Katie tired. Mamm had a quiet inner strength, born out of trusting God, even in the hardest of times. A strength that gave her the tenacity to keep going, keep working. This Katie knew from years of careful observation. Mamm would work her way through the pain and the grief and would do it out of love for her children and
her God.
As Katie watched her family members working together, her heart ached. What would it be like to work side by side with those you loved, sharing nearly every moment together? Would you giggle over the sweet things and cry over the sad ones?
She thought at once of Hannah and the work they did together at the office. As much as she loved her cousin, it just didn’t feel the same. Perhaps with a little effort it could. She would work on it, and things would improve.
For now, the inevitable was upon her. Katie moved in her mother’s direction, arms extended. “I. . .I have to go, Mamm.” Her mother turned, brushing tears from her lashes. Katie could almost read the message in those weary eyes. They cried out, “We miss you, Katydid. Come back to us.” For a moment, she almost resisted. Then she remembered the workload awaiting her back at Bucks County Realty and knew she could hesitate no longer.
After a tearful good-bye, Katie climbed into her car and headed out on her way. She thought about that tiny humming-bird lighting down upon its feeder only to lift off and fly away once again, and a niggling feeling of guilt crept over her. How she wanted to dip her beak in that sweet water once more before taking flight.
Katie tried not to look back as she pulled away from the farm but couldn’t resist. As her gaze fell on the barn, she thought once again of her datt, and the tears flowed freely. For the first several miles out of Paradise, she grieved the loss of her father. She’d never felt pain so deep.
Then, as her thoughts shifted, Katie cried because of that sweet little puppy, Miracle. Silly, she knew. But she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing every time she remembered the feel of that little angel’s fur against her neck and the scent of puppy breath against her cheek.
Katie finally managed to get things under control about the time she hit the turnpike. She tried to convince herself that her life, though chaotic and somewhat disconnected, fulfilled her on nearly every level.
And she did everything in her power to force that crazy image of the hummingbird out of her mind—once and for all.
❧
Karl hung up the phone after talking to his pastor and sighed. Sometimes he wished he’d chosen another profession, some- thing simple like ditch-digging. Or brain surgery. Anything would be better than real estate law, at least today.
What was it with friends and relatives? Why did they feel that asking for free legal advice was okay? He’d dished out far too much of it over the years. And on a day like this, with so much already going on, he hardly had time for other people’s problems. Right?
With a heavy heart, Karl quickly repented for his frustrations. He didn’t really mind offering advice where his pastor was concerned. No, he would gladly share his expertise with Jay. Only one problem this time—his good friend appeared to be dealing with something complex, something that might not end well for the church unless Karl got involved personally. And, if he had to be completely honest about it, Karl didn’t want to get involved personally.
For a moment he thought about Katie, how she’d climbed out of her bedroom window and run away from a seemingly unavoidable situation. Karl’s gaze shifted across the room to the large window, and he had to laugh. As much as he’d like to avoid getting involved in the church’s situation, climbing out of this window would be impossible. He was on the third floor, after all. Still the temptation did present an issue.
Karl yawned and stretched in an attempt to stay awake. Nothing seemed to help. Maybe a ten-minute power nap would help. He closed his eyes and reflected back on his time at Pequea Creek. He couldn’t stop thinking about Katie—how she’d tossed that bass back into the water. Crazy. Still, there had been a look in her eyes, something he couldn’t quite determine. Almost as if she’d understood the fish’s plight. Didn’t make a bit of sense to him, regardless.
He drifted off to sleep, and the dreams came in dizzying array. He fancied himself a fish, swimming upstream in Pequea Creek, trying to avoid being caught. Off in the distance he saw what appeared to be a slender, iridescent worm, slithering through the water. He opened his mouth to snag it, quickly discovering he’d been caught on a cleverly disguised hook.
He felt his body being pulled, pulled, pulled—out of the water and into the air. Gasping for breath, he stared directly into the wide green eyes of Katie Walken.
Even in his dreamlike state, Karl knew enough not to resist. However, he found himself devastated when she pulled him from the hook. . .
. . .and tossed him back into the water.
TWELVE
Katie arrived back in Doylestown late in the afternoon. She rushed to meet all of her appointments and return all of her phone calls, stunned at how much work had piled up. Thankfully, one of those calls was from a woman named Debbie Morrison, a California transplant wanting to look at the property Katie had just listed. The big one.
Katie whispered a prayer that tomorrow’s showing would go well and that the Morrison family would fall in love with the place. And make an offer, of course. She quickly did the math. If they bought the house at the asking price—a million two—her commission would be seventy-two thousand dollars, more or less. Yes, she could certainly make do with that.
A thousand ideas swept through her mind at once. With that kind of money, she could make a hefty donation to her church and give a good deal of money to missions besides. She could send a check to Mamm monthly to help with expenses. Katie’s mind reeled as she considered all of the possibilities. How she would love to bless her mother, especially now. Seventy-two thousand dollars would spread a long way.
Her thoughts shifted to the condo. For years, she’d wanted to renovate, to add wood floors throughout. That might be possible now. If she went with wood floors, she might be able to consider a small dog as a companion. Right?
With such grandiose plans in mind, Katie allowed her thought to soar further. Maybe she could eventually update the appliances in the kitchen, something she’d wanted to do for years. The seal on the refrigerator had been giving her fits, and one of the knobs on the stove was broken. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to replace them both with brand-new things?
Yes, there were a great many things she could do with funds of that magnitude. Again, Katie whispered a prayer for God’s will to be done. She didn’t want to get ahead of Him, by any stretch.
She finally made it home from the office about the time the sun fell past the horizon. Though she longed to look up in the sky and see the same beautiful colors she’d noticed back in Paradise, the high-rise across the street blocked her view. She stood in the parking lot a moment and closed her eyes, trying to remember last night’s sunset.
Had it really only been twenty-four hours? Strange. It seemed she’d been back for ages. Perhaps this had something to do with the uncanny amount of work she’d accomplished in such a short time.
Katie opened her eyes and sighed, trying to make the best of things. She picked up her pace as she made her way into the condo. Once inside, she placed her laptop, cell phone, and purse on the kitchen counter and headed off to the bedroom to change into her most comfortable Pj’s.
Once settled, she looked in the fridge for something to eat. Nothing much grabbed her attention; likely eating at her mother’s table once again had convinced her tastebuds they deserved more than the usual after-work fare. Regardless, she ended up reaching for a frozen dinner, something rather bland looking with pasta and chicken. She popped it in the microwave and leaned against the countertop to wait for the beep.
In the meantime, Katie opened her laptop, waiting a moment for it to boot up. By the time her food came out of the microwave, her high-speed wireless Internet access had kicked in and she scrolled through her e-mails and Facebook messages to see if Karl had written. She knew he was busy—he’d said as much—but she still hoped he would write. Or call.
When Katie realized her e-mail box held nothing from him, she reached for her cell phone to check for missed calls. One from Hannah. Another from Aimee. Nothing else.
For whateve
r reason, her heart twisted at the idea that Karl hadn’t tried to contact her yet. Why it mattered so much, she could not be sure. Until a week ago, she hadn’t given him another thought. Why do I feel like this? Why do I even care? Surely if he wanted to stay in touch, he would. Right? Then again, maybe she had imagined the look in his eyes yesterday at the creek. Maybe the security of his hand in hers had been something she’d made too much of in her girlish daydreams.
Or maybe the busyness of his schedule prevented it for now. In the hours since she had arrived back in Doylestown, Katie had barely had time to catch up. Chaos reigned. Nothing new there. Perhaps Karl was dealing with the same thing on his end.
The microwave beeped, and Katie reached to grab the instant meal. After pulling back the half-melted cover, the steam from the food inside burned her fingers. She almost dropped the scalding plastic container but managed to get it under control. Then, she carried it to the table with the laptop carefully balanced in her other hand. Surely she could catch up on some work while she ate. Nothing wrong with that, right? After all, idle hands were the devil’s tools.
Katie’s thoughts wandered to her life as a teen, when her greatest exposure to the world had been the store where she waited on curious tourists. Things had changed considerably over the years. If she still lived in Paradise, she certainly wouldn’t be using the Internet tonight.
On the other hand, if she still lived in Paradise, she’d probably be happily married to Karl Borg and have half a dozen kids by now. And a dog. They’d be eating fish for dinner—fish that she’d caught in Pequea Creek. And shoofly pie for dessert.
As she nibbled on the somewhat mushy pasta and flavorless chicken, an instant message came through. Katie smiled as she saw Karl’s words:
“Are you there?”
“I’m here,” she typed in response. “I’m still at work.”
“No way.”
She took another bite of her food, nearly burning her tongue. Katie wished she’d grabbed a diet soda out of the fridge before sitting down but didn’t dare budge now. She didn’t want to miss anything. “What are you working on?” she typed.
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