by Beth Wiseman
Martha rocked Jonas as she spoke. “Well, I’m not coming for supper tomorrow night, so the two of you can have some time alone together.”
Images of the kiss flashed through Katie Ann’s mind. “No, Martha. You must come.”
“No.”
“But . . . I need you here. You’re here most nights for supper, and especially tomorrow night—”
“No. I’m not coming. I’m sick, Katie Ann. I can’t come over here every single night.”
Katie Ann frowned. “Are you sure you’re not just saying that so that I’ll be forced to be alone with Eli?”
Martha handed Jonas to Katie Ann and shook her head.
“It’s not all about you right now, Katie Ann. It’s about me. I’m sick.”
“Of course, I know that.” Katie Ann elbowed her gently. “But how do you know you’ll feel bad tomorrow night?”
“Because I feel bad now.” Martha let out a heavy sigh. “Meatloaf is not my favorite. Gives me gas.” She turned to Katie Ann. “You know that, and I don’t know why you still make it.”
Katie Ann cradled Jonas as she followed Martha to the door. She waited until she pulled her coat on to give her a sideways hug so she didn’t squash Jonas. “I love you, Martha. And I know everything is going to be fine.”
“I love you too. I guess all we can do is pray.”
Katie Ann watched Martha leave, knowing that praying wasn’t all she would do. First thing in the morning, there was something else she was going to do. Whether Martha liked it or not.
Eight
KATIE ANN VISITED LILLIAN WEDNESDAY MORNING and told her the news about Martha.
“Can you watch Jonas for a few minutes while I go to the barn and make a phone call?” she asked. She felt inside her apron pocket to make sure she’d brought the number.
“Of course. And you’re doing the right thing.”
“I’ll be right back.” She buttoned her long black coat and stepped outside, expecting a burst of cool air, but just in the hour since she’d been at Lillian’s, the sun had peeked over the mountains and tricked their part of the world into thinking it was warmer than it really was.
She traipsed across the snow to the barn, knowing Martha would be furious with her.
“Hello, Dash,” she said quietly, pleased to see the cat curled atop the quilt. He opened his green eyes and squinted in her direction. She moved slowly, picking up the empty container she’d left on her prior visit. “You must like scrapple after all, no?” She stood up, surprised Dash hadn’t held to his name and sprinted around the corner. She squatted down and eased a bit closer. The cat’s ears went back, and his tail took the shape of a bottle brush. “It’s all right, boy.”
She leaned closer, earning a small hiss from her new friend, and noticed Dash’s protruding belly. “Oh my. I guess I will have to call you Mrs. Dash.” Katie Ann reached out her hand. “When are you due, little mama?”
Mrs. Dash made her escape faster than in the past, disappearing around the corner. Katie Ann suddenly wondered if there was a Mr. Dash anywhere.
It’s hard to raise kinner on your own, girl.
She made her way to the phone on Samuel’s workbench and dialed Arnold’s number. He answered on the second ring.
“Hello, Arnold. This is Katie Ann Stoltzfus calling.”
“Is Martha all right?” he asked at once.
Katie Ann could hear the concern in his voice. “Ya, she’s fine, Arnold.” She paused. “But . . . she’s . . . well, she’s going to be having some surgery soon, and I thought you would want to know.”
“I’ll come right now. Thank you, Katie Ann.”
“Wait . . . I mean, maybe you should wait until the week after Thanksgiving.”
Katie Ann smiled at Arnold’s reaction. She’d prayed hard about whether or not to tell him, despite Martha’s wishes, but she felt called to let him know. She knew he still loved Martha.
“She’s having the surgery the week after Thanksgiving. I can call you when I know the details.”
“What’s wrong with my Martha, Katie Ann? How serious is it?”
Katie Ann took a deep breath and blinked back tears. “I think it’s serious. She has a tumor in her stomach that has to be removed.”
“Oh no. Oh no.”
Katie Ann could hear the elderly man’s voice breaking up.
“But let’s don’t worry too much just yet. You know Martha. She’s as tough as they come, and I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“Please call me the minute the surgery is scheduled. Are you sure I shouldn’t come now to be with her?”
“No.” Katie Ann brought a hand to her chest. “Actually, Martha doesn’t even know I’m calling you. She would be very angry with me. I don’t think she wants to worry you.”
“I’ve begged her to let me come visit her, or for her to come here. Surely that woman knows how much I love her.”
Katie Ann wasn’t sure if it was her place to comment, but she’d been as curious as Martha about why Arnold hadn’t moved back here. “I think, Arnold, that since you made a decision to stay in Georgia . . . well . . .”
“I had to stay. At least for a while. It’s a long story. But I will be there as soon as you tell me to be.”
Katie Ann smiled. “I know you will. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving next week, Arnold. And I will call you back as soon as I have the details.”
After she hung up the phone, she peeked around the corner. No Mrs. Dash. She reached into her pocket and left some scraps of bacon in the container, then went back to Lillian’s. She’d never wanted to tell anyone anything as badly as she wanted to tell Lillian about Eli’s kiss, but she knew she couldn’t. It was inappropriate, and she was much too embarrassed. But she did tell her that Eli was coming to repair her roof and that she was making supper for him.
Lillian stomped a foot before she went to the sink to wash her hands. “I told Samuel that he needed to go back and fix that roof correctly!” She joined Katie Ann at the kitchen table and grinned. “But I guess it’s a gut thing he never got around to it.”
“No matchmaking, Lillian.”
Lillian pouted. “Why not? He’s perfect for you.”
“No. He’s not. And I’m even less perfect for him. Eli has big plans to travel and do all the things he couldn’t do while he was raising six kinner on his own.” She picked up Jonas’s carrier. “I’m heading home. I have much cleaning to do. Danki for watching Jonas.”
“I love watching the boppli.” Lillian snapped her finger.
“Ach, I’ve been meaning to ask you—have you seen a big black cat in the barn lately? That thing scared the daylights out of me the other day when I went to collect eggs.”
“You mean Mrs. Dash.” Katie Ann grinned.
“Mrs. Dash?” Lillian frowned. “You’ve named that poor animal after a spice?”
Katie Ann shifted Jonas’s carrier from one hand to the other.
“A spice? What do you mean?”
Lillian walked to the kitchen cabinet, pulled out a yellow container, and pointed to the name. “Mrs. Dash is a combination of different spices.”
Laughing, Katie Ann said, “Why do you buy those storebought spices when you can get fresh herbs at the market in Alamosa?”
“This is easier.”
“No matter. Next year I think we should have our own herb garden.”
Ignoring the comment, Lillian cocked her head to one side. “That cat is solid black. Bad luck.” She crinkled her nose as she shook her head. “Don’t let it run across your path.” She pointed to Jonas. “And don’t let it near Jonas. I already told the girls not to go near it. It hisses and balls itself up like a porcupine! And he—or she—is big!”
Katie Ann knew most of her people were superstitious, a part of their upbringing that had clearly rubbed off on Lillian. “That’s rubbish,” she said. “Mrs. Dash isn’t bad luck. And she’s big because she’s pregnant.”
“Oh.” Lillian twisted her mouth from one side to the other. �
��Hmm . . . maybe that’s why she’s so skittish.”
“Maybe.” Katie Ann walked toward the door as Lillian followed.
“What did Arnold say? How did he take the news about Martha?”
Katie Ann smiled. “He was ready to leave right this very minute to come and be with her. I told him to wait until the week of the surgery, after Thanksgiving.” She cringed. “Martha is going to be so mad at me.”
Lillian put her hand on Katie Ann’s shoulder. “Martha gets mad about a lot of things, but you were right to call Arnold. I’m glad he’s coming.”
IT WAS TWO o’clock in the afternoon when Eli loaded up his cousin’s buggy with tools and headed to Katie Ann’s. When he pulled up the driveway, she was carrying firewood from the barn to the house.
Eli hurried from the buggy and tethered the horse. “Wait! Let me help you with that.” He ran toward her and pulled three small logs from her arms. “You should have waited for me to get here.”
“Eli Detweiler, I am perfectly capable of carrying a few logs.” She turned his way and smiled. “But danki.”
Once inside, Eli placed the logs in the carrier by the fireplace. Katie Ann already had a small fire going. “It smells gut in here,” he said.
“I’m slow-cooking a stew.”
“Well, I’d better get to work then. Elam sent along just about every tool he had, along with some extra shingles he had left over from when they reroofed their house last year, so I’m sure I can get your leak fixed. I just need a ladder.”
“In the barn. Do you need anything else?”
He took a deep breath and lied. “No, I’m all set.”
What he needed was a quick cure for fear of heights.
Thankfully, his oldest son didn’t suffer from the same affliction, and from the time Jake was ten years old, Eli had given him all the chores that required climbing, especially on the roof. Jake loved being the one to clean the gutters. It practically made Eli break out in hives.
But here he was. And up the ladder he would go. For Katie Ann.
“See you shortly.”
Eli propped the ladder against the house and thanked the Lord that it was only a one-story home. He eased up the steps and prayed that he could make any repairs from the ladder, without actually crawling onto the roof. Two rungs from the top, and he could already feel his legs shaking. He scanned the area and saw the loose shingles. Shaking his head, he took one more step up and realized that he was going to have to climb up on top of the roof to be able to get to the problem area. Most of the snow had melted from the afternoon sun. He slung Elam’s box full of tools onto the roof, along with a few shingles he had tucked under his arm.
As luck would have it, the shingles slid right off the roof. He started his descent back down the ladder, sighing. This had better be the best stew I ever had.
KATIE ANN TOOK a bite of stew, closed her eyes, and savored the taste of the seasoned beef, carrots, and potatoes. “I wish you were old enough to try this, Jonas.” She took another sampling before putting the lid back on the pot.
She pulled a loaf of bread from the oven and began to set the table with chow-chow, butter, and several jars of jam. She couldn’t stop thinking about Martha and wished her friend would join them for supper.
Sunshine poured through her window in the kitchen and bounced off her shiny wood floors that she’d cleaned earlier in the day. She could still smell a hint of ammonia, but mostly she smelled stew and burning cedar in the fireplace. Everything was ready, so she picked up Jonas and laid him in the playpen in the living room so she could keep an eye on him while she and Eli ate. She expected him to fall asleep soon since she’d just nursed him.
She could see the ladder propped up against the house from her window in the living room, and while she’d been cooking, she’d heard activity on the roof. As she walked closer to the window, she looked up and saw Eli working, so she went back to the kitchen. She’d just set the table with her best china and laid out napkins when she heard a thud. Followed by a groan. Gasping, she feared the worst as she ran through the living room and bolted out the door.
Sure enough, Eli was sprawled out on his back in the snow, and he wasn’t moving. Katie Ann got to him as fast as she could and leaned down over him as her heart beat out of her chest.
He crinkled his forehead and slowly opened his eyes.
“Ach, thank goodness you’re not dead.” Katie Ann cringed as she realized what she’d said.
“Ya. Thank goodness.” Eli laughed but quickly moaned, closing his eyes again.
“Should I go call for help?” She touched his shoulder but pulled back when he clamped his eyes closed and groaned again. “How badly are you hurt?”
“I don’t know yet. I’m afraid to move. I guess I lost my footing.”
“I’m going to go get Samuel.” Katie Ann started to stand up, but Eli opened his eyes and grabbed her arm. He eased her back down.
“Please don’t. I’m embarrassed enough.” He slowly sat up, and Katie Ann was horrified to see blood in the snow where his head had been.
“You’re hurt.” She reached up and gently twisted his head so she could try to inspect his wound. “I think we’d better get you to a hospital.”
“Really? Because I’d rather not.” He bent his legs, propped one arm against the ground, and tried to stand up, but lost his balance.
Katie Ann put an arm around him. “Here, let me help you.”
“I should fall off the roof more often.” Eli leaned into her and smiled.
“You will not be getting back on my roof.”
“Don’t need to. It’s fixed.” He glanced upward. “Although Elam’s toolbox is still up there.”
“We’ll get it later. Let’s get you into the haus so I can have a look at your head.”
Katie Ann knew that she shouldn’t be thinking about the way Eli’s arm was draped around her shoulder, or the way that her arm was around his waist. She got him situated on the couch, checked on Jonas in his playpen, and hurried to the kitchen for a wet rag. When she got back, Eli was standing in the middle of the room.
“I was dripping blood on your couch.” He lost his footing, and Katie Ann was afraid he was going to fall over.
“I don’t care about that. Sit down.” She helped him back to the couch and began dabbing at the back of his head. “You must have hit a small rock or something. There’s a jagged little cut, and I really think you need some stitches.”
“Can’t you just put a butterfly bandage on it?”
Katie Ann smiled at his sad, puppy-dog eyes. “Eli Detweiler, are you afraid of a few stitches?”
“No. I’m hungry.” He drew in a long deep breath. “I’ve been dreaming about that stew the whole time I was working.”
“Well, all right. I’ll be right back with my first aid kit, and I’ll bandage you up as best I can.”
“Maybe some aspirin too?”
Katie Ann nodded as she headed down the hall to the bathroom. She quickly found some bandages, antibiotic ointment, and aspirin in the medicine cabinet. After getting a glass of water, she gave him the aspirin and got to work doctoring his head. It seemed much too intimate to be running her hands in his hair to clear the area for the bandage.
“I still think you need to have a doctor look at it.” Katie Ann stood up.
“Danki, Nurse Katie Ann. But I feel gut as new.” He rose from the couch. Slowly. He grabbed his back as he straightened. “Okay, maybe not exactly gut as new.” He grinned. “But still hungry.”
“Come, come.” She motioned with her hand for him to follow her to the kitchen.
After they both prayed silently, they ate with little conversation. Eli helped himself to some butter bread and finished three bowls of stew, commenting several times about how much he liked it. Katie Ann was pleased that he enjoyed her cooking. Ivan had rarely said anything about her meals, especially the last few years. It was nice to have a man enjoying her efforts.
Katie Ann brought coffee into the living room
while Eli stoked the fire. As darkness set in, she lit the two lanterns in her living room and one by the front door. Jonas started to fuss in his playpen, but before she could go to him, Eli had picked up the baby and settled back on the couch with Jonas in his lap. Katie Ann sat down beside him.
Eli looked up at her. “How’s his tummy been?”
“Much better. If he doesn’t have a hearty burp after his feeding, I rub his tummy, and that seems to solve the problem.
He’s sleeping much better during the night.” She smiled. “And so am I.”
Eli let out a quiet moan.
“I bet you won’t sleep well tonight, though. I’m so sorry that happened, Eli.”
“Me too.” He chuckled. “I’m feeling a little stiff. But . . . all worth it to have that stew. Katie Ann, that was mighty gut. Some of the best I’ve had.”
Katie Ann tucked her chin, feeling her face heat up. “Danki. I was happy to cook it for you.” She looked back up to see him gazing into her eyes, and a faint alarm went off, but she knew she wasn’t going to ask him to leave. As much as she loved Martha’s company in the evenings, it was nice to have a man in her home, sharing a meal and conversation.
For the next four hours Katie Ann sat on one end of the couch, facing Eli who was at the other end. Jonas was in between them, sleeping soundly on a blanket. As the fire crackled and lit the room, Katie Ann watched the shadows dance across Eli’s face as he talked about his childhood, his teenage years, and how he met Sarah.
“I was with her when she took her last breath, and the last thing she said to me before she died was that I should find a new mudder for the kinner right away.” Eli blinked several times and avoided Katie Ann’s eyes. “I failed her.” After a few moments, he looked back up at her. “I know it’s our way to remarry as soon as a spouse passes, but I just couldn’t. Sarah was my everything, and replacing her just seemed so . . . so wrong.” He leaned back against the couch. “I didn’t even really try. I mean, everyone in the community was trying to fix me up with someone, but I just wasn’t interested. And not only that, I didn’t have time for dating. I had six kinner.”
