Katie Opens Her Heart (22 page)

“Travis,” the young mother said. “He’ll be two tomorrow, and he’s doing really well with our early morning shopping trips. I’ve found that’s the best time for him. I guess he’ll be a morning person like I am.”

“Of course he’s doing well.” Katie put her face close to Travis and smiled at him. “What a sweet little darling.”

Travis responded by sticking his thumb back in his mouth and staring at her for the rest of the time it took to complete the checkout. He was still staring at her as his mother rolled him out of the store. Katie waved to them until they vanished in the parking lot.

All morning the line of customers never stopped, just as Mrs. Cole had predicted. By 11:30, Katie’s fingers were numb. Thankfully lunchtime wasn’t far away. There was only one more customer in her line, and after that she planned to shut down.

“Hi!” Katie snapped out the greeting without looking up.

“Hello,” a boy’s voice said.

At the sound, Katie jerked up her head. “Roy!” she exclaimed.

Roy laughed. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just picking up my lunch from Esther back at the deli. I’m trying out one of the glorious sandwiches she keeps talking about.”

“Sorry I didn’t notice you before,” Katie admitted as she collected herself. “I guess I’m a little tired. It’s been busy all morning.”

“That’s okay,” Roy said. “Esther told me you might come to the gathering Saturday night. We’re going to cut wood for widow Grace Harmen’s winter stockpile and then go to Esther’s to relax and eat. We’d all love to have you come.”

“
Yah
, I’m planning to,” Katie said as she rang up his purchase.

“I’ll look forward to seeing you then.” Roy paid Katie, picked up his sandwich, and left.

Everything was pointing in the right direction, Katie decided as she shut down her register.
Da Hah
was on her side, sending her encouragement along the way. How else did she explain Roy stopping by to give her a special invitation to Esther’s gathering? And Ben Stoll had waved to her this morning. How
wunderbah
was that? “Thank you, dear
Hah
,” Katie whispered, a smile playing on her face. Someday
Mamm
would understand what she was doing by attending the Mennonite youth gatherings. She would have to.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The Friday afternoon sun beat down on Jesse as he moved bales of straw from the barn to spread in the horse pens. Leroy and Willis had already left for the house and were likely waiting impatiently even now for supper to begin. Well, they could wait a few moments longer. They were young and needed to learn that patience is a virtue, he decided. Jesse closed the stall door just as one of the workhorses snorted.

“Wanting some oats for your evening dessert?” Jesse asked out loud. “Well, I think you’ve earned a little, though if I give you some I’ll have to give everyone oats. But then I guess you’ve all earned a little extra by working in the fields so hard today, haven’t you?” He dished out a small amount of oats into all the feeder boxes. The workhorses plunged their noses in, chewing with vigor. Jesse watched them a moment before returning to his musings.

The children should have been told by now that Emma was coming over tonight. In fact, he should have mentioned it this morning right after breakfast. But he couldn’t bring himself to speak the words. Not that he was having any doubts about marrying Emma, but waiting until the last moment to tell the children couldn’t do any harm. It might lessen the time tempers had to gather into storms.

The truth was that the family had to move on. Millie was gone, and Emma was the right
frau
for him, even though the children would object and say she wasn’t the right
mamm
for them. It would be his job to persuade them otherwise. He admired Emma’s strength and courage. Plus her honesty on why she’d agreed to the marriage hadn’t been necessary, but it was
gut
. She could just as easily have agreed to his proposal and left him in the dark as to the real reason. But Emma had told him everything.

The love in his heart was growing by leaps and bounds for this shy and mysterious widow. Ezra had obviously won her heart, and surely he also could. She would be as much of a treasure as Millie had been. That
Da Hah
was willing to allow him a second chance at love was almost too much to believe. How so much grace could be given to one man was beyond him. But
Da Hah
was known for His plenteous supply, was He not?

Jesse closed the barn door behind him and hurried across the front yard to the washroom door. He’d taken up enough time. He stepped inside and heard low voices rising and falling in the kitchen. He listened while he washed, but he couldn’t make out the words. Jesse dried his hands and face before he pushed open the washroom door. Silence fell in the kitchen.

“Supper ready?” he asked.

“
Yah
.” Mabel was now all smiles. “I have mashed potatoes tonight—and gravy. For meat we have some steaks I fried. I know they should probably be done differently, but I don’t know how.”

“I’m sure the food will be excellent,” Jesse said, pulling out his chair.

Jesse sat down and was bowing his head when he paused. Why were they all looking at him when they should be getting ready for prayer?

“What is it, Mabel?” he asked since she seemed the focal point of this mysterious staring. Leroy and Willis had slight smiles on their faces, but Mabel and Carolyn were beaming from ear to ear.

“Teacher Ruth is coming over after supper tonight,” Carolyn announced, taking up the role as spokesperson. “Friday nights work best for her, she told me. She’s coming to teach Mabel how to bake her
wunderbah
pecan pies.”

Jesse swallowed hard. “Ruth Troyer is coming here…tonight? Who invited her?”

Jesse had visions of Ruth working in his kitchen as Emma drove her buggy down the lane. There would be words spoken between the two women he didn’t wish to hear. There might even be feelings stirred up that
Da Hah
Himself would have difficulty making right again.

“
Daett
,” Mabel was saying, the word dangling in the air, “no one invited her. Today at school she said something to Carolyn about coming, and Carolyn knew how badly I want to learn how to bake pecan pies, so she mentioned that. Then Ruth said she’d come over after supper. She would have come this afternoon, but she had piles of papers to grade and couldn’t get away.”

Jesse groaned. The schoolteacher was going to be the ruin of him yet. If he didn’t get her stopped there would be disaster ahead—and that was putting it mildly.

“Surely you don’t mind,” Mabel continued. “You can sit in the living room and read
The Budget
like usual. If things go late, you can go to bed. We won’t bother you at all. Ruth said she doesn’t mind what time we get done, and I don’t either. I’m more than willing to lose some sleep to learn how to make those pies for you.”

“Won’t that just be great?” Carolyn piped up.

“Can we pray now?” Leroy asked. “Pecan pies are all fine and dandy for the future, but I’m starving right now.”

“
Yah
!” Willis added his agreement. “There won’t be any pecan pies to eat tonight anyway. Not if I know women. They’ll have to cool before they let us close, and I’m not staying up that late.”

“You certainly won’t!” Mabel snapped. “You’ll wait for supper tomorrow night, and you’ll also wait until
Daett
has sampled one. I want him to have the first bite.”

Jesse cleared his throat. “Ah, children, I don’t think this is going to work out. I don’t want Ruth coming over tonight. I had something else planned.”

“
Daett
!” Mabel protested. “You know I want to learn how to bake pecan pies.”

“There will be other times to learn how to bake pies,” Jesse told her. “Tonight is not the night.”

Mabel didn’t say anything more.

Jesse took a deep breath and said, “Can we pray now?” He bowed his head again, but Carolyn spoke up before he could begin.

“Teacher Ruth will be here any minute.”

Jesse sighed. “I suppose so.” He got to his feet and checked out the kitchen window, but he couldn’t see a buggy coming. He turned back to face them. “Someone will have to drive up to the schoolhouse right now and tell Ruth that it doesn’t suit us tonight to have company. She can come some afternoon, but not tonight.”

There was silence in the kitchen as they all looked at him.

“And it needs doing right now,” Jesse said. “Carolyn is right that Ruth may already be on her way.”

Jesse glanced at Leroy first and then at Willis. There was no way he could go himself. What a sight that would make—him riding to the schoolhouse after hours when anyone who saw him would know Ruth was there alone.

“You’re surely not going to send one of us?” Leroy said. “I’ll die if I don’t get some of Mabel’s steaks pretty soon. I’ve been starving since four o’clock.”

“I guess neither of you will be going then.” Jesse sat down again. His doom was sealed. And Emma hadn’t even arrived yet.

Willis shuffled to his feet. “I’ll go,
Daett
. It’s not that far.”

“What a saint,” Leroy muttered, also rising. “Let me at least help you get the horse ready.”

They were young and would survive. Jesse watched their broad backs disappear through the washroom door.

As Jesse readied for the third time to pray, the washroom door opened and Leroy walked in, followed by Willis.

“We’re too late. Ruth is already here,” Leroy announced. “Her buggy is rolling in now.”

“Are you sure?” Jesse leaped to his feet. “It could be…someone else.”

“It’s her buggy, I’m certain,” Leroy said.

Jesse didn’t move, his hands grasping the edge of the kitchen table. Now what was he supposed to do?

“Can we eat?” Leroy asked. “My stomach has about given up and is now eating its own flesh.”

“
Yah, Daett
. I agree with Leroy,” Mabel said. “Supper is getting cold. Perhaps Ruth can even join us.”

“She will not join us,” Jesse said before bowing his head. He began his prayer. “Our great and merciful Father, creator of the world and all that lies in it. Look tonight upon our poor, weak hearts and give us Your grace for another evening. Give us Your blessing on this food, and bless the hearts and hands that have prepared it. I thank You for Mabel and Carolyn and the boys and all the work they do around the place. Forgive us where we have failed You. Watch over us this evening and during the hours we sleep, that we may awaken to another morning to serve You again. Amen.”

Leroy dove for the potato bowl almost before Jesse was through speaking. The boy heaped a great pile on his plate. He passed the bowl to Willis and reached for the gravy Mabel had waiting for him.

“
Daett
, please eat your supper,” Mabel said. “I’m sure Ruth will sit in the living room quietly until we’re finished. That is, if you still won’t invite her to join us.”

“All right then,” Jesse said. “I’ll invite her to supper, but then I’m leaving. I have things I have to do.”

He left the table and the astonished looks on the faces of his children. There wasn’t a minute to spare, he figured. Emma might already be on her way to his place, and there was obviously no way Ruth was going to be talked into leaving. Her tongue would wrap around any objection he came up with.

Jesse left through the washroom and headed across the lawn. He met Ruth crossing over to the house.

“Well,
gut
evening,” she cooed.

“
Gut
evening,” Jesse replied, his eyes looking cold, he was sure. “I just learned from the children you were coming.”

“I hope I’m not causing any inconvenience.” Ruth’s hands fluttered about. “Mabel does so want to learn how to bake pecan pies. You know, the ones
you
love.”

“I know,” Jesse said. “The children are still eating supper. Why don’t you go in and join them? Mabel will be available afterward for her lesson.”

“And you?” Ruth’s eyes were bright. “Have you eaten?”

“
Nee
,” Jesse said. “I have someplace I have to be. If I’d known you were coming…”

“Oh…” Her hands fluttered again. “Maybe next time. Perhaps we could arrange things better.”

“Perhaps, but why don’t you go on inside now? Mabel is expecting you.”

Jesse turned and walked into the barn. He closed the door behind him. He took Lucy out of her stall and strapped the harness on her, all the while muttering, “That woman will be the death of me.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Emma drove her buggy slowly toward the Mast place, allowing her horse to take his time. Tears formed in her eyes, and she brushed them away. Jesse and the children didn’t need to see her all tear-stained when she arrived. Jesse would think she was troubled over her agreement to marry him, and the children would wonder what was wrong. In reality, Emma was upset at Katie’s announcement when she arrived home from work earlier this week.

“I’m going with Esther to a shindig at her house on Saturday night—after the youth group does some charity work,” Katie had said as soon as she walked through the door.