Red, White and Blue Weddings: Red Like Crimson, White as Snow, Out of the Blue

by Janice Thompson

  As she pondered work-related things, Katie happened to pass the same farm she’d noticed a week before, the one with the For Sale sign out front. Funny no one had purchased it, the land being so pretty and all. She thought of the Morrisons at once, of their desire to plant their family in a big house with sprawling acres. She could almost see herself in a similar frame of mind, running hand in hand with her children across the backyard of such a house. Someday.

  Winding down the curvy road, she drank in the beauty of the land. How much prettier it looked now that Karl had kissed her. How much taller the trees had grown, and how much bluer the skies overhead appeared.

  Bluer.

  Katie giggled like a schoolgirl as she glanced in the rearview mirror, this time looking at something other than the car behind her. The blue dress hung from a hook in the back seat, causing her heart to sing. Oh, the joy of it!

  I own a blue dress. She could hardly believe it. And it had only taken twelve years to work up the courage.

  She would wear blue every day if Karl would look at her with love pouring from his eyes. Blue shirts. Blue slacks. Blue dresses. Blue everything. If he would only kiss her every morning, noon, and evening as he had kissed her today.

  Yes, she would surely wear blue.

  She pulled her car into the driveway at the farm just as the late afternoon sun lit the fields with an amber light. At once Buddy rushed the car, his tail wagging. Funny to see the Amish dog so excited about a car in his driveway. He jumped up and down, offering his usual greeting. Just the sight of him made Katie want to visit the puppies once more, to see if Miracle had found a home.

  As she parked, Katie glanced back to catch a glimpse of Karl pulling in behind her. She couldn’t help but wonder what Mamm would think if she saw them together. Would she put two and two together and come up with four?

  Karl met Katie at the door of her car, opening it for her.

  She offered up a “Thank you” with warmed cheeks. How long had it been since a gentleman opened her car door for her? She couldn’t remember the last time. In truth, the few men she’d dated over the years had been far more into themselves than she would’ve preferred, spending little time on time-honored traditions such as opening a woman’s door.

  Now, as she gazed into Karl’s eyes, Katie thanked God that none of her prior relationships had worked out. She also thanked Him that somehow, in the grand scheme of things, Karl had managed to stay unattached.

  ’Til now.

  Together they made their way to the front door of the house, where Mamm greeted them with a smile and a hug. “You’re right on time. Emily is in the kitchen fixing supper, and the men are due in from the fields anytime now. Come in, come in!” She ushered them into the house, where they were greeted with great joy.

  “Where is the baby?” Katie asked, anxious to see the little darling.

  “Sara’s in the bedroom with her,” Mamm explained. She lowered her voice to whisper, “Nursing her.”

  “Do you think she would mind if I snuck in for a peek at Rachel?”

  “Surely not,” Mamm said. “You go on in there, and I’ll put Karl to work peeling potatoes.”

  Katie turned back to look at Karl, to get his take on the matter. He followed along on her mother’s heels, a contented look on his face—as if peeling potatoes was something akin to slaying dragons. She knocked on the bedroom door, not wanting to disturb her sister, but hoping for a moment with the family’s new addition.

  “Come in,” Sara’s voice rang out. As Katie entered the room, her sister’s face lit in a smile. “I thought I heard your voice out there.”

  “You did.” Katie drew near and reached out to touch the wisps of Rachel’s hair. “I had to sneak in here to see my baby girl.”

  After a few more seconds of oohing and aahing over the baby, Sara looked up at Katie with a suspicious gleam in her eye. “Was that Karl Borg’s voice I heard out there?”

  “It was.” Katie tried to hide the smile but couldn’t.

  “Tell me everything.” Sara gestured for her to sit on the bed.

  They spent the next several minutes giggling like schoolgirls with childhood crushes. Katie told her sister everything that had happened at the store then confessed her feelings for Karl. All the while, Sara’s face remained aglow with excitement.

  “I knew it when you were here a few days ago,” she said.

  “You did? How? I didn’t even know.”

  “Oh, Katie.” Sara laughed. “You can’t keep love hidden. You’re like an open book, every time you look at him. And when he looks at you, well. . .”

  “What?”

  “Let’s just say he has trouble finishing his sentences. Or walking straight. All he can see is you.”

  Katie contemplated her sister’s words as she made her way back into the kitchen to join the others. She kept a watchful eye on Karl all through supper, noting the many times he glanced her way with a glimmer in his eye. She longed for a few moments of privacy with him but knew better. They would have plenty of time for that tomorrow if he stayed in Paradise through the night.

  After the meal, Mamm shooed them off to the living room. A summer storm lit the skies, and Katie looked out the front window, a bit anxious.

  “Mamm, is there anything I can help you with?” she called out.

  “I’m nearly done in here. You just make yourselves at home.”

  Minutes later, her mother joined them in the living room. As she settled into the rocker, she looked at Katie with tears in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here, Katydid. I do hope you can stay awhile.”

  “I’d planned to stay at a bed and breakfast in town,” Katie explained, giving the sky another glance, “but it looks as if I’ll have to stay here instead.”

  “Well, of course you’ll stay here,” her mother admonished. “Why, I would never have you waste your money on a room in town when there’s a perfectly good one here.” She dove into a lengthy discourse about finances and one’s ability to be thrifty, and Katie smiled. Some things never changed.

  “Your datt would never let me hear the end of it if I let you spend money on a bed in town. Can you imagine the look on his face at such a suggestion?”

  Everyone in the room broke into a lovely discussion about Datt, one that ended with tears in every eye. Katie tried to picture the look on her father’s face at the news she’d finally kissed Karl Borg after all these years. Surely he would be grinning ear to ear.

  After a few minutes of chatter about the new baby, Katie glanced across the room at Karl, who observed them both with a crooked smile. Oh, how she wished she could read his thoughts right now. After their kiss earlier this afternoon, he’d never left her side. With hands tightly clasped, they’d made their way through several more stores, finally landing in the baby store, where she’d gushed over a precious little pink dress, one she wanted to buy for Rachel. Common sense had prevailed, of course. Katie knew that some things would never change—like her family’s desire for the plain life. However, she also knew that several things had changed already. Her heart, for instance. Yes, her heart had surely undergone a transformation over the past couple of weeks. In spite of her childish struggles, she’d finally come to grips with the fact: I love Karl Borg. And I’m going to make up the lost time.

  And now, as she stared at the man she loved from across the room, her heart felt as if it could burst into song. She wanted to run through the field behind the house, this time with his hand in hers—not in mourning, but to celebrate the wonder of what she now knew to be true. God has given us a second chance. And I’m not going to blow it.

  Her mother drew near and looked out of the window into the darkened skies above. Turning to Karl, Mamm said, “Looks like you’re not going anywhere tonight either, Karl. We’ll find a room for you, as well.”

  “Oh, no,” he argued. “I couldn’t put you out like that. Besides. . .”

  Katie knew his thoughts before he spoke them. It would be inappropriate for him to stay in
the house now that they’d expressed their feelings for one another. Not that anyone knew, but still. . .

  “I can stay in the barn,” Karl said. “If that would be okay.”

  Katie looked at him, stunned. “The barn?”

  “Sure, why not?” He laughed. “Do you know how many times my older brothers and I slept in our barn as children? We never minded. In fact, the hay was softer than our mattresses. It won’t be a problem, I promise.”

  Katie had to wonder at his willingness to do such a thing but didn’t argue. If he wanted to sleep in the barn, so be it. In the meantime, she would enjoy their last few minutes together before everyone turned in for the night. With a happy heart, she glanced across the room at the people she loved. I could be very happy right here. Forever. She looked over at Karl and added one final thought on the matter. Right here. . .with him.

  ❧

  Karl sprinted across the yard with an umbrella in one hand and a lantern in the other. Under his arm he’d managed to hang on to a folded blanket. Avoiding the pouring rain proved to be a problem, but not nearly as tricky as guessing the location of each mud puddle.

  Had he really offered to sleep in the barn? Karl chuckled as he thought about it. After years of city life, curling up on a bed of hay would be interesting, to say the least.

  As he opened the door to the barn, he heard a low growl in the distance. He’d already been warned that a particular mama dog and her pups would likely welcome him in their own special way. “Be a good girl, Honey,” he said in his most soothing voice. “I’m not here to hurt you. I’m just here to. . .” He glanced around, looking for a place to sleep. Finally his gaze shifted upward, to the loft. With a groan he approached the ladder and added, “I’m just here to catch a few winks.”

  With the blanket still tucked under his arm, he began the climb. Thankfully, up this high the dogs wouldn’t be a problem. He prayed nothing else would either. Like bats, for instance. They had a tendency to make an appearance at this altitude, especially in the summertime.

  Locating a spot off in the corner that looked doable, Karl eased his way over on his knees. No point in trying to stand; the loft area didn’t appear to be more than four or five feet high, at best.

  After a bit of wrestling with the blanket and the straw, he finally settled in. From down below he could hear the sound of the pups nursing, and from up above, the patter of raindrops on the roof. He closed his eyes and leaned back, taking it all in. Something about being here, so close to the land he’d always loved, did something to him. Instead of resenting the fact that he had to sleep away from the house, he celebrated it. Surely God had ordained this.

  And, as he lay there, cozy in the softly piled straw, a plan began to take shape in Karl’s imagination, one that surely had to have come from above. He glanced up at the ceiling and allowed his thoughts to wander back to what had happened in the dress shop. Had he really kissed Katie—right there in front of an audience, even? And had she lingered in his arms, looking up at him with love?

  Certainly he had not imagined it. No imagination could produce such wonderful memories. She had really been his—if only for a few minutes. If only he could turn those few minutes into a lifetime, then everything would be perfect.

  Karl closed his eyes and offered up a prayer of thanks to God for orchestrating the events of the day, right down to his night in the barn. Surely it was meant to be a sanctuary, of sorts.

  Unfortunately, as his eyelids grew heavy, other, more troubling, thoughts surfaced. He reflected on the church’s situation and the role Katie had played. Her sacrifice had been huge.

  Of course, the sacrifice on his end might turn out to be huge, as well. After all, the church could hardly afford to pay him for his representation. Working gratis didn’t bother him; Karl knew the Lord would provide for his needs. But making sure he gave this case his all did. With such a heavy caseload already, he would have to keep everything in balance.

  Which brought him once again to the question of why he happened to be sleeping in a barn in Paradise when an ordinary night like this would find him propped up in his own bed, plugging away on his laptop.

  From outside, the sound of the rain against the rooftop lulled, wooing him to sleep. Turning over on his side, Karl decided to concern himself with work matters another day. Right now, he simply needed to sleep.

  ❧

  Katie crawled into her bed—the same bed she’d slept in as a child—and gazed out of the window into the dark, troublesome sky. A flash of lightning streaked across the darkness, and she shivered, thinking of Karl in the barn. Of course, his willingness to sleep there had certainly shown his kindness and concern toward her family.

  Funny. It seemed she’d learned a lot about Karl today. She rolled over and shaped the pillow to her liking, smiling as she thought back to the moment when he’d kissed her. Oh how perfect, how truly wonderful she’d felt in his arms. How right.

  Katie looked again at the window, giggling. Had she really slipped through that same narrow corridor twelve years ago to escape Karl? No, she had to admit. She’d been running from far more than that. And how ironic that the Lord had led her back to the very spot where everything started.

  Or maybe it wasn’t so ironic after all.

  EIGHTEEN

  Karl awoke even before the sun rose. His back ached from the position he’d kept through the night, but that’s not what prompted him to rise extra early. No, he had something else on his mind, something altogether different.

  He rose from the bed of hay and made his way across the barn, bumping into all sorts of things along the way. If he could just make it to the door, perhaps there would be enough early morning sun to give him a clear shot of the car.

  At some point in the night he’d come up with a plan that just might work, one that would set the wheels in motion for an exciting future. Oh, it involved a compromise, of sorts. And there were a few details to iron out, to be sure. Hopefully it wouldn’t take long to get things squared away.

  He reached the door and eased it open, then took a peek outside. As he’d hoped, no one had yet risen. Unfortunately, that also included the sun. With the skies above lingering between black and blue, he tiptoed his way across the yard, aiming for what he prayed was the driveway.

  As he made his way along, the fresh scent of the dew on the grass threw him back in time to the many mornings he’d risen at this hour to tend to the animals with his datt at his side. How he missed those days, and how he ached for his father, especially now.

  This morning, a variety of early morning sounds greeted him. Off in the distance a rooster crowed, and Karl instinctively whispered, “Not now!” He didn’t want anything to wake the others. If they rose too soon, he’d be caught in the act. He squinted, and his car came into view. Thankfully, he’d parked behind Katie. That made his getaway a bit easier. Still, he would have to pray for God’s favor once he turned the key in the ignition. Likely the sound of the car starting would awaken everyone in the house, including her. Without thinking about the noise it would make, Karl pressed the door unlock button on his remote. The beeping nearly sent him out of his skin. He looked around to see if the sound had caused anyone in the house to stir. No, thankfully everything remained peaceful and still.

  He slowly opened the car door and slipped inside. So far, so good. He turned the key in the ignition, thankful the engine didn’t roar to a loud start. Instead, it seemed to purr. Another God-thing.

  Just as he began the process of backing out of the long driveway, however, something unexpected happened. Buddy, the golden retriever, appeared, barking like a maniac. Karl tried to calm him down, but from inside the car there was really little he could do. Instead, he kept easing his way backward, down the driveway.

  As he neared the road, Karl noticed a light come on in one of the downstairs bedroom windows. Then another upstairs. By the time he shifted into drive and hightailed it down the road, nearly every light in the house had popped on.

  So much
for making a clean getaway.

  ❧

  Katie watched through the downstairs window with a heavy heart. Karl must have wanted to slip away unannounced; other-wise, why would he have gone to so much trouble to leave before dawn?

  The heaviness in her heart matched the weight of her eyelids. She’d hardly slept a wink, thinking of the possibilities, of the life she and Karl could one day share together. The children they would have. The merging of their two businesses.

  And now this.

  I had it coming. I did this to him—got his hopes up then dashed them. Maybe it’s payback time.

  She thought back to their kiss in the dress shop. Was it all just an act, part of his plan to crush her hopes as she’d done to his all those years ago? How convincing it had been. The twinkle in his eye had drawn her in, like a spider spinning a web. And she’d apparently stepped right into it.

  A rap on the bedroom door caught her attention. She quickly dabbed away tears and called out, “Come in.”

  “Katydid?”

  “Yes, Mamm?”

  Her mother drew near and lit the lantern on the bedside table. Katie could read the concern in her eyes. Mamm wrapped her in her arms and whispered, “I’m sure it’s not what you’re thinking.”

  After a reflective sigh, Katie asked, “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

  “Oh, honey.” Her mother laughed. “I know you so well. We’re more alike than you know.”

  “We are?”

  “Oh yes.” A hint of a smile graced her mother’s lips. “We’re from the same stock, after all. We are both hard workers.”

  “True.”

  “Both extremely passionate and driven.”

  Katie gave Mamm an inquisitive look. She’d never really thought of her mother as being passionate before. However, as the thought took root, she couldn’t deny it. Her mother’s passions were for family, faith, and community.