by Amy Clipston
“It’s all set.” Mamm folded her arms over her chest. “Have you been keeping secrets from me?”
“No.” Katie Ann shook her head.
“Is he your boyfriend?” Concern colored her father’s question. “He needs to ask permission before he can date you.”
“No, no.” Katie Ann held up her hands. “He’s just a freind. He’s Wayne King’s cousin, and he’s helping us with the garden. He offered me a ride home, and I accepted so Dat wouldn’t have to spend money on a driver. That’s all. We’re not dating.”
“I think he does like you, though,” Ephraim said.
Katie Ann gaped as his words filtered through her mind. Could Ephraim be right?
Mamm lifted her eyebrows as if to indicate she wanted more information later when they were alone.
“Let’s eat,” Ephraim said.
After helping her mother bring the rest of the food to the table, Katie Ann slipped into her usual chair across from Ephraim and bowed her head for a silent prayer. As she began to fill her plate with baked chicken and macaroni and cheese, she wondered if Ephraim was right about Chris liking her. And if he did, would he eventually ask her to be his girlfriend? The question sent the heat of anticipation crawling up her neck to her cheeks.
CHAPTER 4
Happiness bubbled up inside Katie Ann as she stepped into Emma’s barn, her shoes crunching the hay on the floor. For the past two weeks, she had relished seeing Chris on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays as they worked to make their community garden a reality.
She had enjoyed getting to know Chris as they took time to chat each time they were at Emma’s house. He had given her a few more rides home, and they’d talked while sitting on the porch or watering the budding lettuce, broccoli, carrot, tomato, and spinach crops. She hoped someday soon he would ask her to be his girlfriend. Adrenaline kicked up her steps at the thought, and the sweet aroma of stain filled her senses as she continued through the barn.
She gasped as the stand came into view. Just like Chris’s drawing, it had a counter and then eight shelves for items to sell. He stood in front of it as he brushed a coat of stain on the wood, his face covered with a mask. He turned toward her, and his eyes widened.
Removing the mask, he grinned, revealing his adorable dimple. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She pointed to the stand as she approached. “It’s so schee.”
“You think so?” He placed the brush and mask on top of a can of stain and rubbed his clean-shaven jaw. “I’m a little disappointed in it.”
“Why?” She tilted her head.
“I see the imperfections.” He pointed to the shelves. “They’re not exactly straight.”
She shook her head. “You’re your own worst critic.”
“Aren’t we all?” He pushed his hand through his thick, dark hair.
“Ya, I suppose so, but I think the stand is wunderbaar.”
“Danki.” He picked up two bottles of water and handed her one. “I’m glad you like it.”
“When will we be able to use it?” She walked around it, silently marveling at his expert skill. She couldn’t find any flaws despite his criticism of his work.
“It needs to sit a few days.”
“So we might be able to use it Saturday?”
“Ya.” He nodded. “I think it should be ready on Saturday. I’ll ask Wayne and a few of the other guys to help me haul it down to the road.”
“Great! I’ll tell the other maed we should start baking. Clara got some supplies donated, so we can start selling baked goods now. That will kick-start our fund for the Bird-in-Hand Shelter.” She launched a mental list of what she would bake—a few varieties of cookies and maybe a pie. She couldn’t wait to tell Emma, Clara, and Mandy that the stand was almost ready.
“Fantastic.” He pointed to two large, upside-down buckets. “Would you sit with me?”
“Ya.” She sank down on a bucket beside him and opened her bottle of water.
“How have you been since Sunday?”
“Gut.” She took a sip. “How about you?”
“Fine.” He fingered the top of his water bottle. “How are things with Ephraim and Mandy?”
“Okay.” She shrugged. “I actually had a nice talk with Mandy on our way home from Emma’s Sunday night. She was attentive, and it almost felt like old times.”
“That’s great.” He nudged her shoulder with his. “I told you everything would be okay. Didn’t I?”
She swallowed a gasp at the familiar gesture and their easy discussion. Did he like her as much as she liked him? Her heart seemed to flip-flop.
“Didn’t I?” he asked again.
“Ya, you did.” She enjoyed his gorgeous grin.
“Have you seen the crops?” He gestured toward the barn door. “They’re starting to grow.” He took a drink from his bottle.
She nodded. “I know, and the weeds are already out of control. I’m going to help pull some.”
“Ya, those weeds sure are hardy.” He pointed toward the stand. “I’m going to finish staining it and then clean up the mess.”
“Okay.” She stood. “Danki for the bottle of water.”
“Gern gschehne.” He winked at her, and she marveled at the depths of his brown eyes. Then he capped his bottle and pulled on his mask.
“I’ll see you later.” She started for the barn doors.
“Hey, Katie Ann.”
She spun toward him, and he pushed the mask up onto his hair as he pointed his brush at her.
“I’ll be by later to check your weeding skills.” He wagged the brush. “You’d better get all those weeds. I’d better not find any cheatgrass or bull thistle mixed in with our crops.”
“I’ll do my best.” She laughed.
Chris echoed the laugh, sending his loud, booming mirth into the air. The contagious sound caused her to laugh even more.
When he put the mask over his nose and turned back to the stand, Katie Ann headed outside. She couldn’t stop her smile as she made her way to the back porch and picked up a bucket. She waved at friends who were already working as she walked over to the garden, chose a row, and then began to weed. She enjoyed the feel of the moist earth on her fingers as she yanked up the pesky weeds and dropped them into the bucket.
She glanced down the row and spotted Hank trotting toward her, his orange tail standing straight up like a sail on a boat.
“Hey, Hank,” she sang as he approached her. “How are you?”
He gave a short meow and then flopped down by her feet, rolling around in the dirt.
“You’re so gegisch.” She rubbed his belly, and he rolled onto his side before closing his eyes. “The sun feels gut, huh?”
She turned her attention back to the weeds, and the sun heated her neck as she bent down. Humming to herself, she recalled her conversation with Chris. She’d never felt such a close friendship with a man. Was she imagining their connection? Or did he feel it too? If he did feel it, did that mean they were meant to be together? Her hands trembled at the idea of having met a man she might spend the rest of her life with.
“Katie Ann. Wie geht’s?”
Katie Ann tented her hand above her eyes as she peeked up at Mandy, who was smiling down at her. “Mandy. Hi.” She stood and wiped her hands down her black apron.
Mandy pointed to the bucket. “You’ve pulled some big weeds.”
“Ya. And I just worked on this row last Saturday.”
“They sure do grow fast.” Mandy pointed to where other young folks were weeding. “It looks like we have someone in every row.”
“I know.” Katie Ann pointed at the ground. “I saw that we still needed someone over here, so I chose this one.” Suddenly, she thought of a way to keep Mandy talking to her. “Do you want to help me?”
Mandy glanced around the garden and then looked back at Katie Ann. “Sure.”
“Great.” Katie Ann bent and began pulling more weeds. “I talked to Chris earlier, and he’s almost done staining the stand.”
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br /> “I didn’t realize that.” Mandy stooped to work beside her.
“Have you seen it?” Katie Ann dropped a large, green weed into the bucket.
“No, not since last week. How does it look?”
“It’s wunderbaar,” Katie Ann said as she flicked dirt off her hands. “It has eight shelves on the display and then storage in the back. We can keep pies in coolers until we’re ready to sell them.”
“Really?” Mandy pushed back behind her ear a thick tendril of golden-blond hair that had escaped her prayer covering. She pulled another weed and dropped it into the bucket. “That’s fantastic.”
“I know. We could start selling baked goods at the stand now. Why wait until the harvest?”
Mandy stood up and nodded. “That’s a fantastic idea.”
“You think so?” Katie Ann hated the hopefulness in her voice. Why was she so determined to win Mandy’s approval?
“Ya, I do.” Mandy wiped her hands on her apron. “We can talk to Clara and Emma about what we want to sell at the stand.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Katie Ann grinned as she stood. She and Mandy were on the same page for the first time in months. Did she have her best friend back?
She looked toward the barn and, when she spotted Chris talking to Wayne, the urge to tell Mandy how she felt about Chris overwhelmed her. She wanted to share the details of their conversation in the barn and tell Mandy how Chris seemed to really like her. She longed for Mandy’s opinion on what Chris’s attention meant, as well as for her advice on how to proceed without scaring Chris away.
“You look like you’re dying to share something with me.” Mandy lifted her eyebrows. “What is it?”
“I want to tell you about what happened in the barn earlier,” Katie Ann began. “I went in to check on Chris and the stand, and he—”
“Mandy!”
Mandy spun toward the house. “Ephraim is calling me.” She turned toward Katie Ann. “We’ll talk later, okay?”
Before Katie Ann could respond, Mandy was gone, nearly jogging toward the porch. Anger, hurt, and irritation itched inside Katie Ann’s skin as she watched her best friend climb the back steps to meet Ephraim.
When Mandy laughed at something Ephraim said, a wave of betrayal washed over Katie Ann, twisting her insides as the reality hit her—Ephraim had replaced Katie Ann in Mandy’s life. Mandy didn’t need her anymore, and Katie Ann would never be the same without her best friend in her life.
Chris wiped his hands on a red shop towel as he stepped out of the barn and into the bright afternoon sunlight. He glanced around the half-acre garden and took in the dozen young folks who worked there, weeding and talking in the rows.
When his gaze landed on Katie Ann, he stilled. He watched as she bent down, pulling weeds and dropping them into the bucket. She was working alone, and he tried to analyze her stiff posture. Was she concentrating on the weeds? Or was she upset about something? He couldn’t tell since she was too far away for him to see her expression.
He considered their conversation earlier in the barn. She had seemed to enjoy talking to him as much as he enjoyed talking with her. He wanted to ask her if he could give her a ride home today, but he lost his courage before she left the barn. He didn’t want to come on too strong, but he had enjoyed getting to know her during the past couple of weeks.
He longed to continue to get to know her, and he wanted to ask her father if he could date her. The thought of approaching her father filled him with both excitement and anxiety. Would he allow him to date her even if her parents didn’t know him or his family? He’d considered asking his cousin for his opinion, but he hadn’t had the opportunity to discuss it with Wayne.
Movement in his peripheral vision drew his attention to his left. Ephraim was walking toward him.
Chris swallowed a groan as worry crept into his mind. Had Ephraim caught him staring at his sister? If so, would he tell Chris to wipe away all thoughts of Katie Ann?
Clearing his throat, Chris stood up straighter and hid his worry behind a smile. “Hi, Ephraim.” He shook his hand.
“Hi, Chris,” Ephraim said. “I heard you’re almost done with the stand.”
Chris shoved the rag into his pocket. “I just finished staining it.”
“That’s fantastic.” Ephraim’s smile was wide. “Mandy mentioned that the maed want to start baking and selling items this weekend so we can begin raising money for the Bird-in-Hand Shelter. She, Emma, and Clara were just in the kitchen making a list of what they want to bake.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Chris looked over at Katie Ann again. Why were Mandy, Clara, and Emma making a list without Katie Ann? He hoped they hadn’t forgotten about her. Katie Ann was so excited about using the stand.
“You like mei schweschder.” It was a statement instead of a question.
Chris swallowed a lump in his throat as he turned toward Ephraim. To his surprise, Ephraim smiled at him. He didn’t find a trace of disapproval or animosity.
“It’s okay.” Ephraim patted his arm. “I’m not angry.”
“Okay.” Chris gave a nervous laugh. “Ya, I do like her.”
“That’s great.” Ephraim crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m sure she likes you too.”
“Wunderbaar.” Chris stood a little taller. “I was going to ask her if I could give her a ride home this afternoon.”
“I’m sure she’d like that.”
Chris’s thoughts turned to their father, and he forced himself to ask his burning question. “Do you think your dat would let me date her?”
“Ya, I do.” Ephraim nodded. “I think he’ll approve of you. Katie Ann and I have told our parents about how much you’re doing for the garden. I’m sure Dat will agree you’re a gut freind to both of us.”
“Great.” Relief loosened the knots in his shoulders. “You and Mandy have been dating for a while now?”
Ephraim looked toward the house. “Ya. I asked her out right after Christmas. We’ve known each other nearly all our lives, but things changed between us about six months ago. She’s one of the greatest blessings in my life. I’m so glad God brought us together.”
Chris nodded. He understood what Ephraim meant.
“I’m so glad you asked me to ride home with you.” Katie Ann smiled at Chris as he guided the horse toward her street.
“I enjoy every minute we get to spend together.” He gave her a quick smile before guiding the horse through an intersection. “It looked like you got a lot of weeding done.”
“I did. I believe I got most of that cheatgrass and bull thistle.” She sighed as she settled back in the seat.
“Was iss letz? Are the weeds bringing you down?”
“No, it’s not that.” She ran her fingers over the velvety seat cover. “I was just disappointed when Clara told me she, Mandy, and Emma had started a list of baked goods to make for the stand. I wanted to help make the list. Instead, Clara told me what to bake.”
“I’m sorry.” His eyes seemed to fill with concern. “I’m sure they didn’t mean it.”
“I know.” But she shook her head as she recalled how Mandy had made no effort to speak to her alone after their brief conversation in the garden. Why didn’t Mandy miss their friendship as much as Katie Ann did?
“Penny for your thoughts.”
She turned toward him and laughed when he gave her a puppy dog expression. “What’s that look for?”
“I just hope you’ll tell me what’s on your mind.”
“It’s not that important.” She continued to fiddle with the seat.
“If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me.” His words made her heart seem to swell.
“I’m just disappointed. Mandy and I had started talking in the garden while we were weeding together, but we never got to finish our conversation.”
“What were you discussing?”
“Nothing, really.” Katie Ann’s cheeks felt as if they had burst into flames.
Chr
is halted the horse at a red light and turned toward her. “From the look on your face, I get the feeling you were discussing something interesting.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but her embarrassed words lodged in her throat.
When a car horn tooted behind them, Chris turned his attention back to the road again, and Katie Ann breathed a sigh of relief.
“What are you going to make for the bake stand?” Chris asked.
“Oh.” Katie Ann sat up straight, surprised by the subject change. “Clara asked me to make some of my favorite kichlin.”
“If you make those cinnamon roll kichlin, please save a few for me.”
She grinned. “How about I make you your own batch?”
He touched his chest. “Oh, be still my heart.”
She laughed, and they talked about all their favorite cookies the rest of the way.
When Chris halted the horse in front of her back porch, Katie Ann turned toward him. “Would you like to stay for supper? Mamm always welcomes company.”
He nodded. “Ya, I would. Danki.”
“Great.” She pushed open the buggy door. “Come inside.”
They walked up the back-porch steps together and entered the house. Ephraim and Dat were already seated in the kitchen, and Mamm and Mandy were bringing food to the table. The aroma of chicken and dumplings filled her senses, causing her stomach to gurgle.
“Katie Ann,” Mamm said. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“May Chris stay for supper?”
“Of course.” Mamm gestured toward the table. “Have a seat, Chris, and we’ll set a place for you.”
“Danki.” Chris moved to the right of her father, shaking his hand as he sank into the chair.
“How are you, Chris?” Dat asked.
“Fine. How are you?”
“I’m well.” Dat pointed to Ephraim. “Ephraim was just telling me about the stand you built for the garden project. I hear your dat runs a cabinetry business.”
“That’s right. Our shop isn’t far from here in Ronks.”
While Dat and Chris fell into a conversation about Chris’s family’s business, Katie Ann set Chris’s place at the table and then helped her mother and Mandy serve the rest of the food. Then Katie Ann sat down beside Chris. Mandy sat across from her, beside Ephraim.
