A Flood of Love

by Tracie Peterson

  The rain came a little heavier, and Gretchen watched as the drops hit the parched earth and disappeared. It was like tears from heaven. Tears from the depth of her soul. It wasn’t until she reached up to push back a loose strand of hair that she realized she was crying. It wasn’t just the rain that fell.

  “And then what happened?” Nellie Campbell asked as she nursed her infant son.

  Unable to think of what else to do, Gretchen had shown up on her friend’s doorstep, rain-drenched and confused. Fortunately, Nellie had been home this time, and after a long, tearful hug of reunion, they were settled in Nellie’s kitchen. “He walked away, and I didn’t do anything to stop him.”

  “What a terrible and sad story.”

  “But you can’t say anything to anyone. I’m sorry now that I even told you, because it’s critical that Katiann not find out. At least not until Dirk is ready to tell her the truth.”

  “Gretchen, you know you can trust me to remain silent. After all, I knew where you’d gone all those years ago, and I said nothing to anyone, just like you asked. Not even to Dirk.” The petite brunette reached over and squeezed Gretchen’s hand. “I won’t betray your trust.”

  “I know that. I’m just so overwhelmed. I don’t know what to think, much less do.”

  Nellie raised the baby to her shoulder and began to gently burp him. “Do you still love him?”

  “Yes.” There was no sense in pretending otherwise. “Ever since I learned he was here, he’s been all I can think about.”

  “Then maybe that’s your answer.”

  “My answer? I don’t even know for sure what the question is,” Gretchen countered. She got to her feet and paced in Nellie’s large kitchen. “I feel completely confused by all of this.”

  “Then maybe you need to spend some time in prayer. Do you remember when your grandmother would tell you that confusion and chaos were the Devil’s tools? She always made me smile when she told us to pray about something, because she believed fervently that prayer was the most powerful of all tools given to Christians.”

  Gretchen nodded. “I remember.”

  “It’s seen me through many dark nights when my children were sick or when I was uncertain about something.”

  The baby boy fell asleep to the rhythm of his mother’s gentle pats, and Gretchen envied the look of complete peace on his face. “I wish I had Baby Gene’s ability to sleep through it all.” She paused by Nellie’s chair and ran her finger down the infant’s cheek. “So soft and sweet.”

  “You’ll have one of your own one day. I believe that.” Nellie smiled up at her. “Maybe sooner than you think.”

  Chapter Five

  Katiann came into the Harvey House as she often did, but this time she plopped down at the lunch counter and gave a heavy sigh. “I’m in a snit.”

  Gretchen raised a brow. “A snit?” She forced back a smile. “Why are you in a snit?”

  “Mrs. Escalante quit.” The child planted her elbows on the counter. “And for no good reason.”

  Knowing Katiann’s rambunctiousness and ability to try the patience of everyone around her, Gretchen could imagine many good reasons for the old woman to give her notice.

  “Why don’t I get you a piece of pie, and you can tell me about it?” Gretchen went to the pie case and chose Katiann’s favorite custard pie. She put the huge Harvey House-sized slice in front of the child, then grabbed two forks. Since no one else was in the dining room, she decided to break the rules and eat with Katiann before the next train filled the house with hungry passengers.

  Katiann picked up the fork. “It’s just not fair. Daddy is going to be so mad. He made me promise not to aggravate this one.” She took a bite of the pie and shook her head.

  “Well, sometimes the things we think are acceptable . . . aren’t. You know that Mrs. Escalante likes to know where you are at all times, and still you run off. Like right now, I bet she doesn’t know you’re here.”

  “She doesn’t care ’cause she quit,” Katiann said around a mouthful of pie.

  Gretchen ate a bite and tried to figure out how to soften the consequences for the child. She hated to think of Dirk punishing her.

  “The worst of it is that Daddy is going to come home from work, and there’ll be no supper. He hates that. He likes to clean up and then have supper right away. I think it’s ’cause he doesn’t always stop for lunch. But now Mrs. Escalante is gone, and there’s no supper. Just chicken sitting in the icebox.”

  “Well, how about this? I complete my work in about an hour. Then I can come over to your house and fix supper.”

  Katiann’s entire face lit up. “Do you know how to cook chicken?”

  “I do. In fact, I can make quite a few dishes using chicken. So, finish what you want of this pie.” Gretchen grabbed another quick bite for herself. “The train is due any minute, so it would be best if you took it to the kitchen and ate there.”

  Katiann nodded, picking up the plate. “Thanks, Gretchen. You saved my bacon.”

  Gretchen felt her lips twitch. “‘Saved your bacon’? Where’d you learn to talk like that?”

  Katiann shrugged. “The Horney Toad men, of course.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t get your hopes up completely. Your father will still have something to say about all of this. After all, who’s going to fix supper tomorrow?”

  “Why can’t you? I mean, if you can really cook.”

  Gretchen rolled her eyes. “I can really cook, but I have a job here, and your father will need someone to care for you.”

  “I’m old enough to take care of myself. I can do just about anything if I have to.”

  “I have no doubt, Katiann. No doubt at all.”

  Dirk wrote out Mrs. Escalante’s last paycheck. “I do wish you’d stay. It’s going to be almost impossible for me to find someone to take care of Katiann, especially on short notice.”

  “Especially if they know her reputation,” the older woman muttered.

  Realizing he wasn’t going to convince her to change her mind, Dirk signed the check and handed it over. “Well, thank you for coming to tell me in person. The last three just left me a letter with their forwarding address.”

  Mrs. Escalante took the check and hurried to his office door. “I must go. The train leaves in ten minutes.”

  He stared after her a moment, then put his checkbook away. What in the world was he supposed to do now? He knew Katiann could fend for herself well enough, and it wasn’t like he was that far away. She often stopped by the office, and he supposed he could just make it a rule that she had to come by at certain times each day to check in. They could take all their meals at the Harvey House for a time.

  “Lose another nanny?” his clerk asked, bringing Dirk a stack of papers for his signature.

  “I’m afraid so. I didn’t even hear why. She was so bent on catching the train that she didn’t want to discuss it.” Dirk shook his head. “It’s going to be a long August. Maybe I could talk them into starting school early.”

  The younger man chuckled. “Doubtful.”

  “Especially knowing Katiann will be there.”

  Dirk’s clerk smiled.

  The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. It was raining again, and from the sounds of it, there were concerns about flooding. This area was notorious for flooding. Deluges of water often came crashing downstream to drive the river out of its banks. Given that the railroad tracks ran right along the Rio Grande, this often spelled trouble for the Santa Fe.

  The government had seen the problem and had even begun to rectify it by building dams. Elephant Butte Dam had been completed in 1921, but even as it was finished, a horrible flood had inundated the San Marcial area, destroying homes and railroad facilities alike. Some folks said it was the river’s last showdown, but everyone knew that probably wasn’t the case. Even the state officials were leery and sent workers to bolster the levees along the river. This new fortification appeared to be working, but there were always concerns.

&nbs
p; Despite needing to get home to see what sort of trouble Katiann had gotten into, Dirk stopped at the railroad shops to hear the gossip from the men who had been up Socorro way. If anyone knew what the real threat was, it would be the old-timers.

  “It’s raining to beat all,” one of the old engineers said. “Gonna flood for sure.”

  “Even though they have the new levees in place?” Dirk asked.

  The old man nodded. “That’s the only reason it ain’t flooded yet. That and the dam. But the dam is full, as I hear tell.”

  “I heard it too,” one of the other men replied. “They told me when I was up there yesterday to be ready to get as much equipment as possible loaded up and shipped north to wait out the situation.”

  If Santa Fe was already quietly telling the workers to do that, Dirk knew they figured a flood was coming. He made his way home, wondering what he should do about Katiann. He didn’t want her in danger, but without a nanny, he could hardly send her away.

  As he approached their small house, Dirk heard laughter coming from within. It wasn’t just Katiann’s either. He recognized Gretchen’s lyrical laugh as well. He paused under the kitchen window. Apparently they were making supper. The aroma of grilled peppers and onions wafted on the air.

  “Okay, it’s your turn. Ask me a really hard question,” Katiann declared.

  “Very well. Earlier, when we were cutting the chicken, you said you thought I was God’s answer to your prayer. What did you pray for?”

  “That’s not hard. That’s the easiest question in the world.” Exasperation lined Katiann’s reply, but Dirk had to admit he wanted to hear the answer. “I prayed for a mama, and God sent you.”

  “Wait a minute, Katiann, you don’t know that,” Gretchen protested.

  “Sure I do. I prayed for a mama, and God answered me. You like me and I like you, right?”

  “Yes, that’s true.”

  “Don’t you like my daddy?”

  Dirk held his breath as he waited for the answer.

  “Of course I like your daddy. He’s a very nice man.”

  “I know you knew him a long time ago. Last week Daddy told me all about how you were together and that he planned to marry you.”

  Dirk wondered what Gretchen would think of his openness with Katiann. He hadn’t intended to use his child in wooing Gretchen back, but now that she was in the thick of things, very few people could resist Katiann’s charms.

  “I figure since you two were going to get married anyway, you could get married now. Wouldn’t that be great?”

  “It’s not a matter of whether or not it’s great, Katiann. Marriage is a very important thing. Two people should never just jump into it without thinking it through.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Daddy did when he married my mama.”

  Dirk frowned. Where had that come from? He didn’t have long to wait for an answer.

  “My grandma told me that he and Mama weren’t supposed to get married. That they both were in love with someone else.”

  Why had his mother told Katiann that? His mother had died just after Katiann’s seventh birthday. What would have prompted such a conversation?

  “Grandma said they got married because they were so sad about my uncle David dying that they needed each other.”

  “I’m sure they did, Katiann. Losing someone you love hurts a lot. You must have felt really sad when your grandma died. I know when mine died, I cried for days.”

  Dirk hated to think of Gretchen mourning her loss without him at her side. He knew how much she had cherished her grandmother.

  “I do miss her sometimes. Grandma was always fun to be with, and she smelled like vanilla.”

  Gretchen chuckled. “Mine smelled like cinnamon. Oh, speaking of which, would you please get the cinnamon for me?”

  Dirk heard movement in the house and figured the conversation would turn toward food. He started to leave, but Katiann’s next comment made him pause again.

  “That wasn’t a hard question at all, but now it’s my turn to ask you one.”

  “All right. What’s your question, Katiann?”

  “Do you think you might still like to marry my daddy?”

  Chapter Six

  Dirk didn’t wait to hear Gretchen’s reply. “Katiann!” he called as he came through the back door.

  “Oh great,” he heard his daughter mutter. “Now I have to explain about Mrs. Escalante.”

  He came into the kitchen and found Gretchen wearing a colorful pinafore apron over a peasant blouse and cotton skirt. “I didn’t know you’d be here,” he said, hoping to put her at ease.

  “Katiann was concerned that you wouldn’t have a hot meal for supper. Wasn’t that thoughtful of her?”

  Katiann beamed up at him as if she’d just saved trapped puppies from a fire. “I know you like to have supper when you get home from work.”

  “Yes, but why couldn’t Mrs. Escalante fix my supper?” He looked down at the child with a knowing glance.

  Katiann held her hands in the air. “It wasn’t my fault. Well, it was, but Mrs. Escalante just worries too much. You know how she is.”

  Dirk sat on one of the kitchen chairs. “What did you do, Katiann?”

  She pursed her lips and cocked her head, then gave a little shrug. “I climbed out of my window onto the roof.”

  “I see. And why would you do that in the rain?”

  This time she gave a more exaggerated shrug. “Because I’d never done that before.” She made it sound as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

  “Weren’t you afraid of being up so high on the slick roof?” Gretchen asked.

  “No. It wasn’t that high, and it wasn’t slick. I thought it was really nice. I’d like to sleep out there some night.”

  “You might roll right off, and then you’d get hurt. You might even break your arm or leg,” Gretchen countered before turning back to the stove.

  “Katiann, Mrs. Escalante quit, and now you have no one. What am I supposed to do?” Dirk asked.

  “Daddy, don’t worry.” Katiann crawled up onto his lap and put her arms around his neck. She knew how to worm her way into his good graces. “Gretchen and I have been talking about it. She’ll come over and cook supper every night so you don’t have to be hungry.”

  “That’s not the part I’m worried about. We can eat at the Harvey House or even at Mama Rosita’s café. I’m worried about you, Katiann. The rain is causing flooding, and you know how bad that can be. I can’t have you here by yourself. If the river floods, you could get trapped.”

  “I’d just crawl out on the roof. See, it’s a good thing I already know how!”

  An exasperated sigh escaped Dirk’s lips. He glanced at Gretchen, who seemed to be gauging his response. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Katiann. “You don’t understand how much you mean to me. If something happened to you, it would break my heart.”

  Katiann put her hand against his cheek. “I’m sorry, Daddy. What can I do? I got Gretchen to cook so that you wouldn’t miss supper. I promise I’ll be good. I love you, Daddy.”

  “I need your obedience. That’s how you can show me love. In the Bible, Jesus tells His disciples that if they love Him, they should keep His commandments.”

  The child’s expression grew sorrowful, and tears came to her eyes. “I know. And Ephesians says, ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.’ I’m sorry, Daddy. I try to obey. But you never said I couldn’t climb out on the roof.”

  “No, I didn’t, but I did say that you weren’t to do anything that would cause Mrs. Escalante extra worry.” He gave her a smile. “Look, it seems supper is nearly ready. Why don’t you go wash up and dry your tears? We can talk about this later after Gretchen goes home.”

  Katiann kissed his cheek, then jumped off his lap. “I promise I’ll do better.” She scurried away, leaving Dirk to shake his head.

  “She’s got a good heart,” Gretchen said.

  “I know. She’s a
good kid but way too curious for her own good.” He looked up at Gretchen and smiled. “It was good to come home and find you here.”

  She flushed and turned back to the stove. “Supper is ready. If you want to wash up, now would be the time.”

  Dirk got to his feet. “What I’d really like to know is how you answered Katiann’s question.”

  Gretchen whirled around. “What question?”

  “I overheard her ask if you had any interest in marrying me.” The kitchen seemed to grow smaller around them. “But maybe more important is to know whether or not you can forgive me for what I did to you—to us—all those years ago.”

  “Of course I can forgive what happened. What you did . . . well, that was quite honorable. I know how much your brother meant to you.”

  “Still, I shouldn’t have married Katiann’s mother. I didn’t love her. I loved you. I’ve only ever loved you.”

  Gretchen bowed her head. “I never loved anyone but you.”

  “I’m back!” Katiann declared. “I’ll set the table now, Gretchen.”

  Dirk fixed his gaze on Gretchen’s face and smiled. “I’m still interested in your answer.”

  Gretchen felt like she was all thumbs as they shared supper. It was almost as if they were a real family. Dirk told them about his day at work and concerns about the river flooding, while Katiann and Gretchen threw out the details of their day.

  “This is the best meal I’ve had in years,” Dirk told Gretchen. “Who knew chicken, rice, and black beans could taste so good together?”

  “It’s my oma’s recipe. Nobody cooked like she could.” Gretchen smiled. “And she taught me everything I know about cooking.”

  “Can you make flan pie?” Katiann asked.

  “I can. Have you ever had pumpkin flan pie? Oma used to make it and pile lots of whipped cream on top.”

  Katiann’s eyes grew wide. “Can you make that for us?”

  Gretchen chuckled. “Of course. I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I couldn’t.” She got to her feet. “I should get back to the house. The girls may need me or have questions about tomorrow. And . . . the house mother is due back in another day or two. I need to make sure everything is ready for her.”