by Amy Clipston
After a silent prayer and starting their meal, they discussed the garden’s progress, the way the weather was cooperating, and their plans to make the roadside stand a success. While Katie Ann enjoyed her supper, she silently marveled at how well Chris fit in with her family. He talked to her father about woodworking and laughed at his silly jokes. When Chris laughed his contagious laugh, her family seemed to laugh even more. He seemed to enjoy being there, and Katie Ann relished having him beside her.
Did this mean God wanted them to be together? Did the ease of the friendship indicate God would bless their relationship if they dated? Her heart soared at what their future might hold.
Katie Ann looked across the table at Mandy as she and Mamm discussed a recipe for strawberry pie. As she studied her best friend’s pretty face, disappointment swirled through her chest. She recalled the old times when she and Mandy would talk for hours. Would Katie Ann ever regain that kind of friendship with Mandy? How she longed to share her deepest feelings with her best friend. Would she ever have the opportunity to tell Mandy about Chris? And would Mandy care if she did tell her?
And why hadn’t Mandy shared her feelings about Ephraim? Katie Ann found herself stuck on that last thought. They were best friends, but Mandy never discussed how she felt about Katie Ann’s brother. Yet it might be awkward to hear Mandy talk about her brother in a romantic way. Was that part of the reason Mandy had pulled away from her and put so little effort into saving their friendship?
Still, Katie Ann couldn’t deny how much her heart ached for the closeness she used to share with her best friend. She pressed her lips into a tight line.
“Hey.” Chris’s voice was soft in her ear, sending a chill dancing up her spine. “Are you okay?”
“Ya.” Katie Ann smiled at him. “I’m fine.”
Chris lifted an eyebrow.
“Who would like brownies?” Mamm asked as she stood and began to gather the dinner plates.
“Oh, I don’t know if I could eat anything else.” Chris leaned back in the chair and touched his flat abdomen. “Dinner was so appeditlich. Danki for inviting me.”
“You should make room for mei mamm’s brownies,” Ephraim said. “They’re the best.”
“Okay. You convinced me,” Chris said, and everyone chuckled.
Katie Ann and Mandy helped Mamm carry the dinner dishes to the counter, and then Katie Ann took the pan of brownies to the table while Mamm filled the percolator for coffee. Over dessert they discovered mutual friends in the community.
When the brownies were gone, Katie Ann helped clean up the kitchen while the men sat outside on the porch.
“Supper was wunderbaar, Leona,” Mandy said as she dried the dishes. “Danki for inviting me to stay.”
“You know you’re welcome anytime, Mandy.” Mamm glanced at Katie Ann as she scrubbed a pot. “I think Chris is enjoying himself.”
“Ya.” Katie Ann nodded while wiping off the long kitchen table. “I think so too.”
Mandy smiled at her. “You’ll have to tell me about Chris sometime.” She turned back to the counter and lifted a dish from the drying rack.
Katie Ann shook her head as disappointment rolled through her. If only Mandy had given her a chance earlier, she’d already know all about Chris.
“I had a wunderbaar time tonight,” Chris said as he and Katie Ann stood beside his buggy.
“I did too.” Katie Ann looked up at the sky, where the sun began to set, painting the horizon with vivid splashes of gold and orange. She hugged her arms over her sweater. “It’s a schee night.”
“Ya,” he agreed. “Spring is in the air.”
“It sure is.” She looked at him. “I’m glad you stayed for supper.”
“Your parents are great.” Chris leaned back against the buggy wheel. “I especially enjoyed getting to know your dat.”
“I think he liked you too.”
He touched her shoulder. “You seemed a little tense at supper. Is there anything you want to talk about?”
She swallowed a sigh. She couldn’t deny that Mandy had hurt her. It was healthier for her to share her feelings than to let them eat her up inside. “I told you about how Mandy hurt my feelings.”
He stood up straight. “I remember.”
“I was just thinking about it during supper. I really miss her. I miss our close friendship.”
“Don’t give up on her. I’m sure she didn’t mean to hurt you. Maybe if you’re honest with her and tell her how you feel, she’ll make more of an effort to be a better freind.”
“That’s gut advice. Danki.” Katie Ann prayed he was right.
“Gern gschehne. I want to ask you something.” He took her hand in his.
When their skin touched, a spark sizzled up her arm, and she bit back a startled gasp.
“Okay.” Her voice trembled.
“I talked to your dat earlier, and I asked his permission to date you.” His brown eyes seemed to search hers. “So would you be my girlfriend?”
“Ya, I’d love to.” Her pulse pounded as he grinned.
“Danki.” He leaned down, and when he brushed his lips across her cheek, she sucked in a breath.
“Gut nacht,” he whispered in her ear, sending chills shimmying up her spine. “I hope to see you soon.”
“Gut nacht,” she responded before he climbed into his buggy.
Katie Ann waved as Chris guided his horse down the driveway toward the road. As his buggy disappeared from sight, she bit her lower lip. Happiness, warm and comforting, fluttered through her as she hugged her arms to her chest.
For the first time, Katie Ann felt as if she’d met a man who truly cared for her. Maybe, just maybe, she had found someone who would love her and want to build a future with her. She looked up at the sky and smiled as she opened her heart to God.
“Danki, God, for bringing Chris into my life. Please guide him safely home and bless him. I’m so grateful for his friendship. Please let our relationship grow like the vegetables and fruit thriving in Henry’s garden. Amen.”
Katie Anne couldn’t wait to see what God had in store for her and Chris.
CHAPTER 5
Katie Ann bent at her waist and hummed to herself as she pulled another thick, pesky bundle of ryegrass and dropped it into her bucket. The afternoon sun warmed her neck.
“Katie Ann!”
She tented her hand over her eyes as she turned toward the house. Clara was rushing over to her. “Ya?”
“It’s your turn to run the stand.” Clara pointed in the direction of the road. “I’ll do your weeding.”
“Ya, sure. That’s fine.” Katie Ann wiped her palms down her apron. “Has it been busy?”
“Ya.” Clara nodded, and the ties for her prayer covering bounced off her slight shoulders. “I can’t believe how much money we’ve raised since we opened the stand. It’s only been a month.”
“I know. It’s been a blessing. Did Mandy get more baking supplies like she promised?”
“No. Mandy said she forgot.” Clara’s smile flattened. “I had to pick them up.”
“But it was Mandy’s turn to get them.” Katie Ann’s shoulders tensed with a mixture of anger and disappointment.
“It’s okay. I think she was busy with Ephraim.” Clara waved it off. “Anyway, I went ahead and got more donated, and then I purchased the rest of the supplies with some of the money we had set aside for the stand. It’s all in Emma’s pantry.”
“Danki for taking care of that.” Katie Ann did her best to set aside her frustration with Mandy, but it seemed to keep festering at the edge of her thoughts. She gestured toward the house. “I’ll wash my hands and then go out to the stand.”
“Great!” Clara bent and began weeding.
Katie Ann waved at friends who were weeding and watering the vegetable beds as she made her way to the house. Inside, she said hello to Emma and a few others who were busy baking cookies in the kitchen. After washing her hands in the bathroom, she walked down the rock driveway to
the stand, where Rosalyn and Ellen Beiler stood behind the counter.
“Hi,” Katie Ann said as she approached them. “I’m here to relieve you.”
“Oh, danki,” Rosalyn said. “We wanted to take our turn weeding.”
“Don’t worry.” Katie Ann pointed in the direction of the garden. “Plenty of weeds need to be pulled.”
“Gut.” Ellen followed her sister out from behind the stand.
“The money box is on the second shelf.” Rosalyn pointed to the coolers. “More pies are there in case you sell some.”
“It’s been busy.” Ellen tilted her head. “I thought Mandy was going to help too.”
Katie Ann shrugged. “I haven’t seen her.”
“She’s probably too busy with Ephraim.” Rosalyn rolled her eyes. “They never seem to have time for anyone else lately.”
Katie Ann tried to hide her surprise at the statement. So she wasn’t the only one who had noticed how Mandy and Ephraim were behaving.
“We’d better start weeding.” Ellen pointed behind Katie Ann. “I think you have your first customer. There’s a car now.”
“Oh. I’d better get ready.” Katie Ann scooted behind the stand and waved good-bye to Rosalyn and Ellen as they started up the driveway.
The gray sedan stopped in front of the stand, and three women dressed in jeans and T-shirts climbed out.
“Look, Charlotte,” one of the women said. “I told you this was an Amish bake stand.”
“You were right, Lois,” Charlotte said.
“How are you?” Katie Ann sat down on a stool behind the counter.
“We’re fine, sweetie,” the third woman said. “What are you selling?”
Katie Ann gestured toward the shelves of baked goods. “We have cookies—chocolate chip, peanut butter, macadamia nut, oatmeal raisin, butter, and sugar. We also have shoo-fly, apple, lemon meringue, pecan, and sweet potato pies. All the proceeds from this stand are for the Bird-in-Hand Shelter for the homeless.”
“Really?” Lois said. “That’s really neat.” She looked at the other women. “Let’s get some goodies to take home.”
Ten minutes later, each of the women had left with three trays of cookies and two pies, and Katie Ann unloaded the coolers to refill the shelves.
Chris approached the stand as she set the last shoo-fly pie on a shelf.
“How’s business?” He rocked back on his heels, lifting his straw hat and raking his hand through his thick, dark hair.
“Business is gut. Three tourists just cleaned off the shelves.” Katie Ann pointed to the storage shelf behind her. “I had to unload the coolers. It’s a gut thing Clara picked up more baking supplies.”
“That’s fantastic.” Chris tapped the counter. “I’m glad the stand is working out.”
“It’s perfect.” Katie Ann perched on the stool. “We’ve already raised nearly two hundred dollars for the Bird-in-Hand Shelter, all in a few weeks.”
“Wow. What a blessing.”
He smiled at her, and her heart fluttered. The past month had been a whirlwind since they’d started dating. She’d had supper with his parents, and she’d also met his brother and sister-in-law. She’d enjoyed spending time with Chris at Emma’s house as well as at her house and at his. But something was still missing—her best friend.
Katie Ann still hadn’t had the opportunity to share her excitement about Chris with Mandy. Every time she’d tried to talk to her, Mandy had been distracted or Ephraim had interrupted them. Just as Clara said, Mandy was busy with Ephraim. Sorrow coursed through her, squeezing her heart and tightening her throat.
But Katie Ann pushed it away as she looked up at Chris’s warm brown eyes. She couldn’t allow her sadness over her best friend to ruin her time with her boyfriend.
He cocked his head to the side and seemed to assess her. “Is everything all right?”
“Everything is fine.” Katie Ann brightened. “How is your day going?”
“Gut.” He nodded. “I’m working with the guys on a few projects for Emma. Are we still going to ride home together this afternoon?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” Happiness zipped through her as he smiled, and his dimple made yet another grand appearance.
“Gut.” Chris picked up a stack of chocolate chip cookies wrapped in plastic wrap. “How much for these?”
“Two dollars.” She leaned forward on the counter.
“That’s a fair price.” He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. “I’d like to purchase these, please.”
“Danki, sir.” She gave a little laugh as she took the money from him. Their fingers brushed, sending heat to the places their skin touched.
She put the cash in the money box. Chris opened the plastic wrap and held up a cookie, offering it to her.
“No, danki.” She shook her head. “They’re for you.”
“All right.” He shrugged, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed with a sigh of appreciation. “So good. Well, I need to get back to the barn. Wayne and I are repairing the horse’s stall, and then we’re going to fix the fence at the back of her pasture.” He winked at her and started up the driveway. “See you later. Sell lots of baked goods.”
“I’ll try.” As Katie Ann watched him walk away, she was so grateful for her boyfriend.
“Hi, Emma!” Katie Ann stepped into Emma’s kitchen the following Sunday and held up a Pyrex portable dish and three frozen loaves of bread. “I made lasagna for supper tonight. I also picked up some garlic bread. I hope everyone brings their appetites.”
Emma clapped her hands. “Oh, that’s wunderbaar. I think everyone will love it.” She looked up at the clock on the wall. “You’re early.”
“Ya, I asked mei dat to bring me over now. I want to finish preparing the food and spend some time with you before everyone else gets here.” Katie Ann set the dish on the counter. “Would it be all right if I preheated the oven?”
“Of course.” Emma laughed. “You know you don’t have to ask permission to use my oven.”
“Danki.” Katie Ann flipped the dial to the appropriate temperature and then turned to Emma. “I’ll put the lasagna in as soon as the oven timer buzzes.” She felt something brush her leg, and she looked down as Hank circled around and rubbed her legs. “Hi, Hank. How are you?”
The cat sat back on his haunches and blinked up at her.
“It’s nice to see you too.” Katie Ann laughed. “He looks like he’s in a gut mood.”
“He’s always in a gut mood. Aren’t you, Hank?” Emma leaned down and rubbed his ear. The cat responded by tilting his head and closing his eyes as he purred. “He’s such a lovable guy.”
Katie Ann smiled. She was thankful Hank had chosen Emma as his companion on Christmas Eve.
“How’s Chris doing?” Emma asked as she turned her attention back to Katie Ann.
“Oh, he’s fine.” Katie Ann’s cheeks heated. She was taken by surprise at the direct question. “He should be here in a little bit.”
“You two seem froh.” Emma leaned back on the counter. “I’ve noticed how you both smile as you talk together. You remind me of Henry and me when we first dated.”
“You think so?” Katie Ann couldn’t stop a smile now.
“Ya, you do. Henry always knew how to make me smile, even on the worst of days. I remember the day we found out mei dat had had a heart attack. He had collapsed, and we got him to the hospital as quickly as we could.” Emma got a faraway look in her eyes as she gazed across the room. “I was certain I would lose mei dat, and I was distraught. Henry came to the hospital with me, and he held my hand and kept talking to me. He told me gegisch jokes and rubbed my back while we waited for news from the doctor.”
Katie Ann gasped. “Was your dat okay?”
“Ya.” Emma nodded. “He had to take it easy, and he had to change his diet, but he made a full recovery. It was a miracle.”
“Oh, gut.” Katie Ann breathed a sigh of relief.
“Henry was a tremendous hel
p to my family and me. He took care of mei dat’s chores, and he made sure mei mamm and I had what we needed. He was such a gut man.” Emma leaned forward. “You know, Chris reminds me of him.”
“Really?” Katie Ann heard the thread of hopefulness in her voice.
“Ya. Chris is so kind and thoughtful.” Emma pointed toward the windows. “He and Wayne repaired my horse’s stall last week, and now they’re working on the pasture fence. They said they’ll paint it after they have all the broken pickets and rails replaced. That’s something Henry would have done for an older neighbor when we were younger.”
Pride filled Katie Ann’s chest. “Ya, Chris is a gut man.”
“I’m so froh you found him.” Emma touched Katie Ann’s cheek. “I think he’ll make you very happy.” She tilted her head as her expression filled with concern. “How are things with Mandy and Ephraim?”
Katie Ann shrugged. “Ephraim and I are okay. I guess. We haven’t really talked.”
“Why not?”
“I suppose I don’t know what to say.” Katie Ann’s throat felt as though it were thickening. “We used to talk about nearly everything, but these days I don’t know what to say to him. It’s as if he’s changed.”
“Has he changed? Or have you both changed?”
Katie Ann contemplated Emma’s question, but the answer escaped her. “I don’t know.”
“Have you truly tried to talk to him?”
Katie Ann shook her head as shame nipped at her. “I guess not.”
“What about Mandy?”
“I’m going to try to talk to her today, to ask her if she wants to come over to bake or sew one day this week.”
“That’s a great idea.” Emma turned toward the cabinets. “Let’s find pans for your bread so we’ll be ready to put it in the oven when it’s time.”
As Katie Ann turned her attention to the food, she had a new thought. If she could fix her relationship with Mandy, maybe she could also improve her relationship with her brother.
