“Daughter, what’s wrong?” Mom asked when she saw Karen.
“Our nixnutzich haahne is responsible for my wet dress and bleeding leg.”
“Which naughty rooster?”
“Herman. As soon as I reached for the water dish, he charged across the chicken coop and pecked my ankle.”
“Dad ought to take that rooster’s head off.” Cindy spoke up from where she was setting the breakfast table. “That ornery critter’s always causing some kind of trouble.”
Karen limped over to the sink to wash her hands. “Herman was fine once I put food out for the chickens.”
Cindy let out an undignified grunt. “He pecked your ankle and made you limp; I don’t call that fine.”
Karen turned to face her sister. “I’m not limping because Herman pecked my ankle.”
“Why are you limping?”
“When I was coming to the house, I tripped on a loose board on the back porch and fell.”
“I’ll speak to your daed about getting that board fixed as soon as possible, and if Herman keeps up with his antics, he might end up in my stew pot.” Mom went to the cupboard where she kept medicinal supplies. “You’d better have a seat and let me clean up those bloody spots on your ankle. Then I’ll look at your knees.”
“If you’ll give me some antiseptic and a couple of bandages, I can tend to my own injuries,” Karen said as she dried her hands on a towel.
Mom handed Karen a bottle of peroxide and some cotton balls. “If you’d like to take these over to the table, I’ll bring the antibiotic ointment and bandages.”
Karen started across the room but had only made it halfway to the table when the bottle slipped out of her hands. The lid popped off, and all the peroxide spilled out. “Now I know I should have stayed in bed this morning,” she said with a groan.
“Cindy, please clean the floor while I help Karen with her knees, and then she’ll need to go upstairs and change out of her wet dress.”
“I’m not a boppli, and I don’t need help with my knees!”
Mom blinked a couple of times. “I’m sorry, Karen. I didn’t mean to imply that you were a baby.”
The heat of shame burned Karen’s cheeks, and tears pricked the back of her eyes. “It’s me who should apologize. I seem to be a ball of nerves this morning.” She dropped the cotton balls on the table and sank into a chair.
Mom rushed to her side. “Karen, what’s wrong? Is what happened in the chicken coop making you act so naerfich?”
Karen lifted her head. “I’m not really nervous, more anxious than anything. I’m concerned about Will.”
“Has something happened to Will?”
Cindy spoke up. “Will was here yesterday, and he was in a sour mood.”
Mom looked at Karen. “How come?”
Karen swallowed around the lump in her throat. “He’d seen a newspaper article about a little girl who’d been abandoned, but he didn’t tell me that until he came back the second time.”
“He was here twice?”
“Jah, that’s right,” Cindy said. “He was acting kind of strange when he first showed up, too. But then Leroy came in, and Will got even weirder.” She looked over at Karen. “Sister, are you sure you want to marry him?”
“Of course I do.”
“What about the second time Will came over?” Mom asked.
“He came back to apologize, but we had a misunderstanding.”
Cindy wrinkled her nose. “I’ll bet you argued because he was acting weird again.”
Mom shot Cindy a disapproving look. “You’d best keep your opinions about Will to yourself and finish getting that floor cleaned up.”
“I’m almost done.”
“Good. Then you can start scrambling those eggs I never got started.” Mom turned back to Karen. “What was the problem between you and Will?”
Karen told Mom about the surprise party and explained that Will had wanted to take her to supper. “Will was really upset when I said I had other plans on Tuesday evening.” She massaged her forehead. “If I’d been thinking, I would have told Will that even though I wasn’t free to go out with him on Tuesday night, I could go later in the week.”
Mom patted Karen’s shoulder. “I’m sure everything will be fine once Will finds out about the party.”
“I doubt things will ever be fine as long as Will keeps acting so jealous,” Cindy said. “He acts jealous every time he sees Leroy in the same room with Karen.”
“A bit of jealousy isn’t always a bad thing,” Mom said. “When a man acts jealous, it means he cares for you.”
“I’m sure I can make Will see that I have no interest in Leroy,” Karen said. “Right now I’m more worried about what I should do about him thinking I don’t want to have supper with him on his birthday.”
“Since Will’s mamm is helping you plan the surprise party, it might be a good idea to talk to her about this,” Mom suggested. She handed Karen some antibiotic cream and a box of bandages. “I’m sure everything will work out.”
“I thought maybe the two of us could call on a few of our friends after we leave church in Cousin Emma’s district today,” Regina said to Mark as they finished eating breakfast.
“I’ll go to church with you, but I don’t think I’ll feel up to any visiting afterwards,” he said.
“How come? Are you feeling grank?”
“I’m not sick, but my back’s really sore, and I think I’d better spend the afternoon resting so I’ll be able to get the milking done this evening.”
“I’m sorry about your back. Have you rubbed arnica lotion on it?”
“Not yet, but I will after breakfast. Thought I’d put an ice pack on my back, too.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Mark glanced toward the door leading upstairs. “Did Will tell you he’s got a koppweh?”
She nodded. “He said he was going back to bed as soon as the milking was done. Hopefully his headache will get better with some rest.”
“Guess he won’t be going to church with us this morning.”
“That’s what he said.” Regina lowered her voice. “I think I’ll stop by the Yoders’ place this afternoon and talk to Karen. Will mentioned that he asked her to go out to supper on his birthday, and when she said she had other plans for that night, he left her house in a huff.”
“He got huffy over a little thing like that?”
“He thinks she doesn’t want to be with him.”
“That’s lecherich. If Karen’s willing to marry Will, then he ought to realize she wants to be with him.”
“It may seem ridiculous to you and me, but Will thinks his feelings are justified.”
“Will’s been irritable ever since he read that article about the little girl who was abandoned.” Mark reached for his coffee cup and took a drink. “You’d think by now he could have let go of the past.”
“Some things from Will’s past are hard to get over. He was hurt bad when his daed left him, and I doubt he’ll ever get over it completely.” She leaned against the sink and sighed. “I wish Frank Henderson had left a note for me to read to Will like he said he was going to do. I’m sure it would have made a difference if Will had understood why Frank left.”
“But we tried to explain things to him.”
“That’s true, but it wasn’t the same as hearing it from Frank. I’ve never been sure that Will believed us. I think he believes we only told him that in order to make him feel better about his daed taking off like he did.”
“He ought to know we wouldn’t have lied.”
“He was only a boy, Mark—a sad little boy who felt abandoned by his daed.”
“But he’s a grown man now and should see the truth for what it is.”
“Be that as it may, Will has an ache in his heart that won’t go away until he turns it over to God and forgives his father for leaving the way he did.”
“Shouldn’t he have done that when he got baptized and joined the church?”
Regi
na nodded. “During the baptism service, Will agreed to follow Christ and commit himself fully to the church, but that doesn’t make him the perfect Christian. It doesn’t even mean Will has completely surrendered himself to the Lord or sought forgiveness for the anger he’s felt toward his daed.”
“I see what you mean. Would you like me to speak to Will about this?” Mark asked.
She shook her head. “He might think you’re trying to pressure him. Sometimes too much pressure can push a person in the wrong direction. For now, I think it would be better if we just keep Will in our prayers and don’t say too much more.”
“You’re right.” Mark rose from his chair. “Guess we should quit yakking so we can get on the road. I’ll go out and get the horse and buggy ready while you finish up in here.”
CHAPTER 6
Karen walked briskly across the yard, enjoying the cool late-afternoon breeze. If not for her concern over the way things were between her and Will, she might have felt at peace with the world.
She was almost to the barn when a horse and buggy rumbled up the driveway. Regina Stoltzfus stepped down.
“I’m glad to see you,” Karen said. “I was just heading to the barn to get my bike so I could go over to your place and talk to you about Will’s surprise party.”
Regina smiled. “Now isn’t that something? I came over here to talk to you about that very thing.”
Karen stroked Regina’s horse behind its ear. “A little problem has come up regarding the party.”
“I think I know. Will told me that he asked you to go to supper with him on Tuesday and he was upset because you weren’t free that evening. I’m sorry about that, but I may know how we can fix things.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I’d like you to tell Will that you’re free to go to supper with him on Tuesday evening.”
“What about the surprise party?”
Regina’s lips curved into a sly smile. “You can tell Will you’re free to go but that you’d like Mark and me to join you. Soon after we pick you up, I’ll say I forgot something at home and need to get it. When we arrive at the house, I’ll send Will inside to get whatever it is that I’ve forgotten. When he enters the house, he’ll discover his friends, who’ll be waiting to holler, ‘Surprise!’ ”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll go over to see Will right now and tell him what you said.”
Regina gave Karen’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Will woke up with a koppweh this morning, and he went back to bed. But I’m sure he’s feeling better by now.” She motioned to the house. “And while you’re gone, I’ll go inside and invite your folks to the party.”
“Where’s Mama Regina?” Will asked when he found Papa Mark sitting on the back porch with a cup of coffee in his hand. “I didn’t see her anywhere in the house.”
“She went calling on a few of our friends.”
Will frowned. “How come you didn’t go with her?”
“My back’s still hurting a little. I figured I’d better rest it so I’ll be able to get the milking done this evening.”
“I can probably manage on my own if you’re hurting too bad.”
“I’ll be fine. My back’s feeling better than it was this morning.” Papa Mark looked over at Will. “How’s that koppweh you had?”
“I took some white willow bark capsules, and after resting awhile, I feel much better.”
“That’s good to hear.” Papa Mark motioned to the seat beside him. “Why don’t you get yourself a cup of coffee and sit with me?”
“Jah, maybe I will.” Will was almost to the door when he heard the sound of crunching gravel. He turned. Karen was riding in on her bike.
“Looks like you’ve got company,” Papa Mark said, rising from his chair. “I think I’ll take my coffee and go into the house so you and Karen can have some time alone.”
Will didn’t argue. Maybe he could find out why she’d been unwilling to tell him the reason she couldn’t go out with him on his birthday. Maybe she’d come to apologize for hurting his feelings.
Karen parked her bike near the house, and Will stepped off the porch to greet her. “This is a surprise. Since it’s an off-Sunday, I didn’t expect to see you today,” he said.
Karen smiled up at him. “I wanted to apologize for the way things ended between us yesterday and let you know that I’ll be free to have supper with you after all.”
“That’s good news.” Will motioned to the porch. “Should we sit and talk about where we’d like to eat?”
“I thought you wanted to go to Das Dutchman.”
“I do, but if you’d rather go someplace else, that’s fine with me.”
“It’s your birthday, so you should be the one to choose.” Karen sat in one of the wicker chairs.
“Okay, Das Dutchman it is. How about I come over to pick you up around six?”
“That’s fine, but I’d like to make a suggestion.”
“What’s that?” he asked, sitting in the chair beside her.
“I think we should invite your folks to join us. After all, they’re the ones who’ve raised you, and I think they might be hurt if they were left out of our plans.”
Will nodded. “You’re right; I should have thought to invite them. I don’t know what I was thinking.” He leaned close to her ear. “Guess I was thinking how nice it would be to spend time alone with my future wife.”
She smiled. “We’ll have plenty of time to be alone after we’re married.”
“Jah, that’s true. You know, I’m thinking we should invite your folks to join us for supper, too. I wouldn’t want my future in-laws to be mad at me for leaving them out of my birthday celebration.”
Karen’s cheeks turned pink as she shook her head. “That’s a nice idea, but my folks have other plans for Tuesday evening.”
“Oh. Guess they won’t be upset because they weren’t invited, then.”
“No, I’m sure they won’t.”
As a soft wind whispered and the trees in the yard swayed lazily in the breeze, Will began to relax. The setting sun cast a golden hue against the porch, and he noticed that the little flecks in Karen’s pale blue eyes were quite visible against the dark of her pupils. She looked so beautiful sitting there that he was tempted to kiss her, but he knew it would embarrass Karen if Papa Mark came back to the porch.
“I’m sorry about how I reacted when you said you had other plans for Tuesday.” Will reached for Karen’s hand and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “I’ve been feeling a little insecure lately and probably overreacted.”
“I understand. You’ve been upset ever since you read that article about the little girl who was abandoned.”
Will nodded. “That’s true, but I also got upset when I saw Leroy with you. To tell you the truth, when you first said you had plans for Tuesday night, I worried those plans might include Leroy.”
Karen groaned and shook her head. “Will Henderson, what part of ‘I love you’ don’t you understand?”
“I know you love me, but I still struggle with jealousy whenever I see Leroy talking to you.”
She made little circles with her thumb across his knuckles. “Leroy’s a friend, but you’re my best friend.”
Will swallowed around the lump in his throat. “You’re my best friend, too.”
CHAPTER 7
A lump formed in Frank Henderson’s throat as he stared at the calendar on his bedroom wall. Today was his son’s twenty-second birthday, only Frank wouldn’t be celebrating the occasion with him. Frank didn’t know where his son was, how he was doing, or what kind of a man he’d become. He hadn’t seen Will in nearly sixteen years.
As a deep moan escaped Frank’s lips, he sank to the edge of his bed. A flood of memories cascaded over him, dragging him back in time…back to the night he decided to leave Will….
“Did you get Will tucked into bed?” Mark asked when Frank entered the Stoltzfuses’ kitchen. Mark and his wife, Regina, sat at the table drinking coffee and eating cook
ies.
Frank nodded. “He’s out like a light. I think he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.”
Regina motioned to the coffeepot sitting on the gas-operated stove. “Would you like some coffee?”
“That sounds good.”
She started to get up, but Frank shook his head. “Don’t trouble yourself; I can get it.” He filled a mug with coffee and took a seat at the table. “I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate your letting us stay with you during the holidays. It would have been a cold, lonely Christmas for Will if we’d spent it on the road.”
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