The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,32
they pulled into her driveway, and little Jonas was beginning to fuss. Couldn’t blame the poor fellow. He’d been cooped up for hours in the car, but he’d fared well, not even a whimper until now.
Eli opened the door, unhooked the car seat, and lifted Jonas out. He met Katie Ann on her front porch and waited for her to open her front door. Once she was inside, he handed the carrier to her, wanting more than anything to step inside. He waited, but she merely thanked him for a wonderful time.
“Why don’t I have a look at that leak in your roof? I’m a pretty good carpenter.”
Katie Ann peered over Eli’s shoulder. “Wayne is waiting for you. Besides, I can’t let you do that. I’m sure Samuel will have another look at it.”
“Do you have any tools?”
She nodded. “Ya, a few, but . . .”
“If I send Wayne home, I can walk to Vera and Elam’s haus from here.” He pushed back the rim of his hat. “And I’m willing to have a look at your roof in exchange for a hot cup of kaffi.”
She tapped her finger to her chin, grinning. “Hmm . . . I do need to get it repaired before the next storm.” She nodded. “All right.”
Eli shuffled down the porch steps to the car. He quickly paid Wayne, thanked the man, then started back to the house. He stopped and looked up at the roof, causing a burst of adrenaline to shoot through him. In truth, he preferred to keep his feet on solid ground.
Katie Ann had left the door cracked, so he walked in. She wasn’t anywhere in sight, so he busied himself by starting a fire. She walked in a few minutes later.
“Jonas went back to sleep. Hasn’t he been a gut boppli today?” She folded her hands in front of her, eyes glowing.
“Ya. He’s like Maureen.” He added another log to the fireplace. “Maureen was happiest when I had to hire a driver to take us somewhere.”
As he built the fire and finally got it lit, he thought about Katie Ann having to do this by herself every day. “Why don’t you invest in some solar panels for heat?”
“I’ve thought about it.” She shrugged. “I guess I just haven’t gotten around to it.”
Eli blew underneath the logs until a small flame caught onto the wood. “What about in Jonas’s room? Is he warm enough in there?”
“I have a small battery-operated heater that I keep in there, plus once the fire is going, it heats this small haus nicely.”
After Eli got the fire going strong, he shed his coat and hat, and Katie Ann quickly took them from him and hung them on the rack by the door. He glanced at the clock and realized he’d better have a look at her leak and see if he could get it repaired before dark, or he’d be walking to his cousins’ house in freezing temperatures.
“Where’s your leak?”
Katie Ann motioned for him to follow, talking as she walked. “You really don’t need to bother with this. I should have declined the offer . . .”
Eli pretended to be listening by giving her an occasional nod, but his eyes roamed around her bedroom. A queen-sized oak bed topped with a yellow and blue quilt took up most of the space in the small room, and there was a fragrance in the air teasing his senses, lavender perhaps. On the nightstand, several books were piled next to a lantern, along with a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses and a box of tissues. It felt intimate, being in her bedroom.
He crossed the room to where she was standing, her arm stretched and pointing to the ceiling. Maybe it was the dim natural light coming through the window, the floral scent wafting through the room, or the way her mouth moved when she spoke, but Eli closed the space between them until he was standing a few inches from her. He touched her cheek with the back of his fingers, fully expecting her to step back. But she didn’t. And as their eyes locked and held, Eli knew what was coming, and he was helpless to stop himself.
Seven
KATIE ANN WAS PARALYZED BY THE FEEL OF ELI’S touch, and any rational thoughts she had about how inappropriate this was left her when he leaned in and kissed her. As he cupped her cheek, his mouth lingered on hers with more intimacy than she could recall ever having with Ivan,