The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,15
smile and pushed back her chair.
Our girl? Eli wondered again if this was a mistake. But the lasagna was excellent. He piled another helping on his plate but stopped cold when Martha bellowed from the next room.
“I don’t care why you need to talk to Katie Ann. You have no business coming here!”
Four
“STOP IT, MARTHA.” KATIE ANN CLENCHED HER hands into fists at her sides and wished Martha hadn’t overheard her call her visitor by name. Even though Martha had never met the woman, she’d certainly heard a lot about her. Katie Ann wasn’t sure what was worse—Lucy Turner on the doorstep, Martha yelling, or the fact that Eli Detweiler could hear everything from the kitchen.
“You got a lot of nerve showing up here unannounced.” Martha leaned around Katie Ann, her face twisted, her voice loud.
Katie Ann, holding a lantern, could barely see Lucy’s face by the dim light. But even in the darkness, she recognized the deceitful blue eyes of the woman who’d stolen her husband. “Now is not a gut time, Lucy.”
Lucy pulled her black jacket snug. “Didn’t you get my letter telling you I was coming?”
“What letter?” Martha glared at Katie Ann. “Did you get a letter from this tramp?”
“Martha! Stop it.” Katie Ann heard footsteps and briefly wondered if this situation could get any worse.
“Everything all right in here?” Eli eased up to the door and peered through the screen.
“This woman was just leaving,” Martha said with force as her hands landed on her hips.
Katie Ann gently pushed Martha back. “Ya, Lucy. I received your letter. Please come back Monday morning. As I said, now is not a gut time, and tomorrow is the Sabbath. Please come back on Monday.”
Lucy nodded. “I’m sorry, Katie Ann. I wouldn’t have come if—”
“You’re sorry?” Martha huffed. “Little late for that, don’tcha think?”
Katie Ann took a deep breath as she recalled the way Martha often talked about Lucy. “No excuse for infidelity,” she always said. Katie Ann had reminded Martha several times that Ivan was not an innocent bystander.
“Again, I’m sorry.” Lucy took a step backward. “Katie Ann, I’ll see you on Monday morning.”
Martha slammed the heavy wooden door before anyone could say another word. Katie Ann wished the floor would open up and swallow her. Her cheeks burned, and she wondered if Eli knew about her past—about Lucy.
“You’re not really going to meet with her, are you?” Martha demanded. “And what’s this about a letter?”
“Martha, let’s finish our supper. We’ll talk about this later.” She finally looked at Eli. He was stroking his beard with one hand and glancing back and forth between Katie Ann and Martha.
“I’m not hungry anymore.” Martha pulled a brown overcoat from the rack by the door. “I’m going home.”
Again Katie Ann wondered which was worse—that Martha was mad at her for not telling her about the letter, or that she was about to be left alone with Eli.
“No, Martha. Don’t go.” She reached out to touch her arm, but her friend pulled away and put her coat on.
“I ate too much anyway.” Martha buttoned her coat as she held her chin high. “You kids have fun.”
“But—”
As the wooden door slammed for the second time, Katie Ann briefly wondered if Martha would go hunt Lucy down, and the thought touched her as much as it frightened her. She took a deep breath but couldn’t look Eli in the eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
Eli slowly walked closer and put a hand on her arm, which was unsettling. “Don’t be.”
Katie Ann pulled away and stepped back. “I’m—I’m just very embarrassed.” She could feel Eli’s eyes on her, and when she finally looked up at him, she could see the pity in his expression.
Don’t you dare feel sorry for me.
She stood taller, folding her hands in front of her. “Should we finish eating?”
“Sure.” He nodded, and Katie Ann didn’t think this night could end soon enough.
Eli followed her back to the kitchen, and they both finished eating without conversation, except for an occasional comment from Eli about how much he was enjoying the meal. Katie Ann felt obliged to offer him coffee and some peanut blossoms.
“Kaffi would be gut.” Eli stood from the table. “I saw you shivering. Should we have kaffi in the living room, in front of the fire? I can add a log.”
For a moment Katie Ann reflected fondly about how nice it would be to have a man to take care of such things, no matter how small. “Ya. Danki.”