Katie Opens Her Heart

by Jerry S. Eicher

  Jesse raised his hand to silence Leroy.

  Mabel’s face was fiery red. “I want to tell you something, Leroy Mast. It’s that Emma Raber who is causing all this trouble. Ruth told me all about her last night—how she was in love with somebody while they were all growing up. Emma followed the poor boy right up to his wedding day, trying to lure him away from his girlfriend. And then she shamed herself by making a scene at the wedding and driving out right in front of the bride and groom when they left the service.”

  Leroy blinked and looked away. “I’d not heard that,” he said.

  Mabel continued. “Then Emma lured a new boyfriend into her clutches only weeks after the boy she loved married. She’s like a spider, Leroy. A sneaky spider who is trying to catch Daett in her web. How else can you explain why Daett is so taken with Emma when Ruth loves all of us and would be our mamm tomorrow if Daett would only ask her?”

  “Wow!” Leroy shook his head. “Thank Da Hah neither of them are after me.”

  Jesse stood up. There would be no talking with Mabel after breakfast as he had planned. She wouldn’t be persuaded very easily, he could see that clearly now. Ruth had done her work thoroughly. It was high time he brought this conversation to an end. He motioned for silence. “I want to make something clear to all of you. I’ve asked Emma Raber to marry me and be my frau. And once she says the wedding vows with me, she will be your new mamm. And that’s the end of the conversation and the end of the story. And I don’t care what Ruth has to say about it or about Emma.”

  “What a story!” Willis added. “Can we at least eat the pecan pies this morning? A little sliver, perhaps?”

  “I don’t care.” Jesse kept the smile off his face as he looked around at all of them. “Let me say this once again. I want to hear nothing more about Ruth Troyer or anything negative about Emma Raber. Got it?”

  They fell silent as Jesse sat down and finished his breakfast. He was being a little rough, he figured, but he was tired of this. Ruth was getting under his skin, and a man could only take so much. The sooner the wedding vows were said with Emma, the better.

  Mabel, he noticed, was making an attempt at hiding the pecan pies. He stopped her with a lift of his hand. “Cut those pies up, Mabel. And into big pieces.”

  “But it’s breakfast time,” she protested. “Pies should wait for supper.”

  “I want all that pie eaten now.” He allowed his irritation to show.

  Mabel glanced at his face and then rushed over to the counter for a knife.

  Leroy was grinning from ear to ear.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Here we are!” Esther’s cheerful voice announced as they bounced to a stop beside a dilapidated barn. “Widow Grace Harmen’s place, and it looks like everyone is here already.”

  Katie craned her neck to look at a long line of cars parked beside them. There were quite a few.

  Katie clasped her hands in front of her, surprisingly feeling a bit overcome with a sudden case of shyness now that the planned Saturday youth gathering had actually arrived.

  “Come on!” Esther’s voice cut through her thoughts.

  Katie climbed out of the car as Esther smiled her encouragement and asked, “Are you okay? You seem a bit…absent.”

  “I’ll be okay,” Katie said, straightening a wrinkle in her dress with a brush of her hand.

  Esther’s smile widened. “You look just fine, Katie. Better than any of the rest of us do.”

  Katie didn’t say anything as she followed Esther across the yard.

  A car door slammed beside them, and Katie jumped. It was Emery Yoder, the Amish boy from the community who had been at the last gathering. Tonight he had on a quite Englisha-looking pair of jeans adorned with a new belt and a nice T-shirt. Obviously Emery was on rumspringa. If Mamm could see him it would do nothing to alleviate her fear about Katie being here. Emery greeted her with the briefest of nods and was quickly chatting with Esther like they were old friends, which Katie was sure they weren’t. Esther, though, could speak with any boy for hours, even one she barely knew.

  Emery snapped open his car’s trunk and hauled out a shiny new chainsaw. Esther gave an appreciative gasp. Emery shrugged as if this were nothing. “Borrowed Dad’s chainsaw. He purchased a new one last week.”

  “Then maybe you’ll let me take a turn?” Esther asked as she eyed the chainsaw.

  Emery laughed. “Why? Do you think because it’s new it’ll be easier to handle?”

  Esther made a face. “Of course not. I grew up handling chainsaws.”

  “I hear you’re treating us to a feast over at your place after the woodcutting,” Emery said. “Byler’s premium sausage links and cheese-filled hot dogs. To say nothing of marshmallows by the pound.”

  Esther’s laugh filled the evening air. “That’s only for men who cut at least a cord of wood tonight and who personally haul loads of wood up to widow Harmen’s woodshed without breaking a sweat.”

  Emery laughed. “And how do you propose to grade these heroic efforts?”

  “I’ll be keeping tabs on everyone!” Esther shot back.

  Katie’s thoughts drifted away from their banter. How like Emery to ignore her, making no attempt to include her in the conversation. But then she shouldn’t be surprised. Emery was Amish, and this was only the second time he’d seen her in these new surroundings. And she was acting like she always did at the Amish youth gatherings—withdrawn and quiet. Emery couldn’t be faulted.

  They were approaching the edge of the woods now. A wave of sound assaulted their ears muffled only by the dense, surrounding trees. A few of the young people were standing along the edge of a fencerow. The boys mostly were carrying chainsaws and listening to an older woman speak.

  The woman turned to greet Esther and Katie with a cheerful, “Good evening! I’m so glad you could all come out tonight. You don’t know how much this means to me, having my firewood cut each year. It would cost me a fortune to hire someone. And I wouldn’t be able to save a penny over the expense oil or gas would cost me. Thank you. Thank you so much!”

  “That’s perfectly okay,” Esther said. “We’re glad to help again this year, Grace. And don’t you worry yourself for a minute.” Esther studied the older woman for a moment. “Are you sure you should be out here tonight? The air could get chilly by the time we’re finished…and with your arthritis and all…”

  Grace dismissed Esther’s objections with a quick wave of her hand. “It’s good for me to get out of the house.”

  Esther nodded. “Grace, I don’t think you’ve met Emery and Katie.”

  The older woman nodded to Katie and Emery. “Thanks so much for coming.”

  Esther asked, “Are you coming over to our place for the hotdog roast afterward, Grace?”

  Before the woman could answer, Emery excused himself and headed deeper into the woods toward the roar of chainsaws.

  “I’m afraid I’d better not tackle that much tonight,” Grace said, her gaze lingering on Emery’s retreating back. “What a nice young man—just like all of these young people. Is he your beau, Esther?”

  Esther’s laughter filled the woods. “I hardly know him, Grace. But from what I know, Emery’s a nice man. He’s Amish, like Katie here.”

  “Oh, Amish!” Grace turned her gaze on Katie. “Such nice people. Thanks for coming, Katie.”

  “You’re welcome,” Katie said with a bright smile.

  “Well, I need to get to work helping,” Esther said, patting Grace on the arm. “Now, if you get cold, you’d better go on back to the house. Do you want one of us to stay with you?”

  Grace hesitated. “I’m sure all of you are needed to help carry out the wood.”

  From her voice, Katie could tell she wanted someone to stay with her. “You go on,” Katie said to Esther. “I’ll walk back to the house with Grace.”

  “Would you?” Esther’s face lit up.

  “Well, it would be nice to have someone help me back to the porch, at least,” Grace a
dmitted. “Once I’m settled in…”

  “I’ll stay with you as long as you need me,” Katie assured her, taking Grace’s arm.

  Esther gave Katie another grateful smile and disappeared into the woods.

  Katie turned to lead the way back to the house, still holding Grace’s arm. When Katie noticed the elderly woman was breathing hard, she slowed the pace.

  “Thank you,” Grace said. “I’m not young anymore. I guess that’s difficult to admit once one gets old.”

  “You’re doing fine,” Katie said, giving her a warm smile.

  As they neared the house, another car arrived. Katie waited while Grace greeted the two arriving boys with their chainsaws. It was Bryan and John, the ones who had played beside her at the volleyball game. They gave Katie a quick smile before moving on toward the woods. They had remembered her! Warm circles ran around Katie’s heart. Their looks had carried the type of expression friends gave each other. They considered her, Katie Raber, a friend!

  “Thanks for coming up with me,” Grace told Katie when they reached the porch. “I think I’ll sit right here and watch the proceedings for awhile.”

  “Can I get you something?” Katie asked. “A warm blanket?”

  “No, you go on back now.” Grace waved her hand in the direction of the woods. “I take care of myself all day long, and now that I’m here on my porch, I’ll be fine. Young people need to be around young people, not around old fogies like me.”

  Katie smiled. “I’ll stay if you wish.”

  “I won’t hear of it.” Grace dismissed Katie with another wave of her hand.

  Katie retraced her steps and, with a final glance over her shoulder toward Grace, entered the woods, following the sound to where the chainsaws were roaring their loudest.

  She finally found Esther.

  “Is Grace okay?” Esther asked.

  Shouting over the noise, Katie said, “She wants to sit on her front porch. She said she was fine and sent me back to work.”

  “Good. You can help over here,” Esther said, leading Katie to where several of the girls were helping to fill low-slung trailers pulled by tractors. One was already filled and ready to head back to widow Harmen’s woodshed. Several of the girls climbed on, but Katie stayed behind, moving over to work on the half-empty trailer. She caught sight of Margaret and waved. Margaret waved back and mouthed, “Good to see you.”

  Katie felt warm feelings flood over her again. And it wasn’t just Margaret’s greeting. It was also the warm acceptance she felt from everyone here.

  For the next hour, the trailers kept making trips back and forth. As darkness began to fall, Roy Coblenz shouted, “That’s enough for tonight. Let’s get everything loaded that we’ve cut and head out.”

  There were a few grunts of agreement as the last of the wood was hauled out. Katie rode on the last trailer, hanging on for dear life as it bounced across the field. Grace was waiting for them beside her front porch, offering her thanks as they went past. At the woodshed, Katie helped unload until the job was done and everyone headed for their cars. Katie and Esther made their way to Esther’s Corvette and climbed in. With a roar, they took off, falling into line with the stream of vehicles moving out the driveway. Grace was at the end of the short driveway now, waving and smiling.

  Katie rolled down her window. “Good night! Take care of yourself, Grace!”

  Grace called back, “And thank you, Katie.”

  “She’s very appreciative of the help,” Esther said. “It’s nice to do things for people when they’re so thankful.”

  Katie wondered if maybe she should thank Esther again for all she was doing for her…like bringing her to these gatherings and being her friend. But before she could put words to her thoughts, they were pulling into Esther’s yard. The sight before her took Katie’s breath away. A huge pile of coals glowed in the darkness, with occasional bursts of flame shooting skyward.

  “Mom and dad got it just right!” Esther said as she parked her car. “And timed it just right too.”

  “It’s beautiful!” Katie gushed, stepping out of the car. Margaret came bursting out of the darkness before she could say any more, giving Katie a hug and taking her by the arm.

  “You’re mine now and for the rest of the evening,” Margaret said, leading her off in the direction of the coals. “I’ve been wanting to speak with you all evening.”

  “Why?” Katie knew she sounded startled.

  Margaret laughed. “Nothing special. Come, let’s get in line. This supper won’t last long. It’s pretty late already. The wood hauling went longer than we expected.”

  “Do you do this every year?” Katie asked. “Cutting wood for Grace?”

  “We have for as long as I can remember. Don’t your young folks do things like this?”

  “Oh, yah,” Katie answered at once. She didn’t add the rest of her thoughts though—about her lack of friends among her community. There was no sense in spoiling this wunderbah evening.

  “I could eat a dozen hot dogs,” Margaret said as they approached the table where the food was laid out. Margaret took up one of the roasting forks and slipped two hot dogs on it. Katie did the same, holding up her hand to shield her face after they walked over and held the hot dogs over the open coals. The warmth of the fire spread over Katie’s skin, matching the warmth that had been warming her heart all evening.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  On Monday morning, Emma filled the old Maytag washing machine with water before tugging on the starter rope. On the first try, the pulley jerked back so hard Emma gasped. She straightened her back before grasping the rope again. With one hand steadied on the rim of the washer, she pulled hard with the other. The motor roared to life. She dumped the load of dirty clothes in and added soap. The roar of the motor rang in her ears. She closed the lid and wiped her hands before going up the basement stairs into the kitchen. There she collapsed into a chair and buried her head in her hands as a groan escaped her lips.

  Jesse had at least tried to speak with Katie the other evening when he was here, and hope had stirred in Emma’s heart that perhaps her daughter would see the mistake of her ways. Surely Katie’s eyes would open now that Da Hah was having mercy on all of them again. But things looked so different this morning after her talk with Katie. Katie was having none of putting a halt to her social life. She’d gone to the Saturday-night Mennonite youth gathering and was looking forward to the next gathering. What a mess! People didn’t become attached to the Mennonites and then return to the Amish faith. Emma’s heart sank thinking about what this might mean.

  For one thing, she had to trust Da Hah more and not grow desperate like she was apt to do. And she was doing the right thing. There was this stirring in her that any decent man would cause in a woman’s heart when he pursued her. It wasn’t love yet…and might never be. But she’d felt this same lack of emotion when Ezra first took her home. There had been no promise then that love would follow, nor were there any now. But she’d been honest with Jesse about the matter, and it would just have to be gut since he didn’t seem to think it was a big issue. Da Hah would surely not hold her to account for something she couldn’t help.

  Emma sighed. Life without Katie felt empty. What had she done wrong, anyway? Emma pondered the question and soon came up with plenty of answers. None of them made her look like a very decent mother. She’d given Katie plenty of reason to doubt her in the past. All those lectures she’d given about love and marriage had been a mistake. She could see that now.

  What had been wrong with her back then? Those old fears felt like wild imaginations now. Thankfully Da Hah was moving her away from all that, even if Katie wasn’t fully with her any longer.

  Emma stood and walked over to the kitchen window. The barn sat flooded in bright sunlight. Their two cows stood in the barnyard chewing their cud. Emma groaned and wrung her hands. If only Jesse were here this morning to speak with Katie. Emma caught herself up short. Jesse hadn’t done that well convincing Katie the o
ther evening. But she couldn’t be blamed for wishing he had, she supposed. Besides, they weren’t yet wed, and he had his own children to care for. Perhaps things would go better when they had Jesse’s full attention. Emma’s thoughts lingered on Jesse’s conversation with Katie. He’d wished her well with her plans to attend the Mennonite youth gathering. Didn’t Jesse know the girl needed to be handled with a firm hand and not encouragement to continue in her wrong ways? That’s enough thinking about this, Emma told herself. She hadn’t done that well with Katie either. But the negative thoughts continued to rush in.

  Emma gave up with a sigh. What if Jesse didn’t know how to help Katie straighten out her life? Emma felt herself turn cold at the thought. Look at all the trouble they were running into already. For one, Jesse’s children didn’t want anything to do with her, and Katie didn’t want anything to do with Jesse’s children, and Ruth was surely wagging her tongue all over the community by now, telling everyone what a great mistake Jesse was making in courting her.

  Emma tried to calm her sagging emotions. She knew once what love was. What if Da Hah was allowing it again? Was there not hope rising in her heart? Impossible as both love and helping Katie seemed, she must not turn back. Even in the face of great difficulty…even with Ruth Troyer around. Anger stirred. What nerve that woman had, coming right into Jesse’s home and baking pecan pies for him. Why, if that was all it took to win a man’s heart, she should’ve been baking pecan pies years ago instead of sitting here raising Katie on her own.

  A smile played on Emma’s face. The truth be told, even Ruth Troyer knew that baking pies wasn’t the whole story. That was why she weaseled herself into the hearts of Jesse’s children first. So why didn’t she, Emma Raber, go over and charm Jesse’s children too? Emma laughed out loud at that thought. She had no more hope of winning the hearts of Jesse’s children than Ruth had of capturing Jesse using pecan pies. Emma was a strange woman to Jesse’s children. She was a heartbroken woman, a woman who had lived alone for years, a woman who had her own daughter to raise. What chance did she have with Jesse’s children?