The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,34
the way he made the comment left Katie Ann unsure what to say, so she waited.
“Hannah had breast cancer last year.” Then he smiled. “But mei girl is a fighter, and she beat it. She’s doing very gut now.”
Eli’s love for his children shone in everything he said.
“I will pray for Hannah,” Katie Ann said. “I’ll include her in my daily devotions and pray for continued gut health.”
Thinking about illness made her think about Martha, and she wondered if her friend would be coming over this evening. Katie Ann hoped so. She didn’t believe Martha had been entirely truthful with her about her doctor appointment.
“Danki, Katie Ann.” Eli stood up, and so did Katie Ann. “I haven’t had a lot of time over the years to have any really close friends. I mean, I’ve always had mei kinner, but now that I have some time, I’d like to have some adult relationships.” He stepped closer to her but kept a safe distance. “Please don’t let one kiss keep us from being friends. I haven’t kissed another woman since my wife. I don’t know what got into me . . .” He lowered his gaze and took a deep breath.
Katie Ann was equally as concerned about what had gotten into her. She’d not only allowed it—she’d kissed him back. She started toward the door, and Eli followed. “I think you’re going to regret taking on this project. Samuel tried twice, and it still leaks.”
Eli stroked his beard. “You’re probably right.”
Katie Ann’s eyes rounded. She hadn’t expected him to agree so easily.
“You should probably cook me supper, no?”
She crossed her arms across her chest. “Hmm . . . I might be able to do that.” She grinned. “Martha might be here. She’s here most nights.”
“Gut. A chaperone.” He winked, then headed out the door.
Katie Ann watched him walk into a light flurry of snow, glad it wasn’t a far walk to Vera and Elam’s house. She closed the door, leaned her back against it, and couldn’t help but smile. She was mourning her husband, and Eli had big plans for the second half of his life. But her new friend was a big distraction from everything else on her plate. And she was looking forward to cooking for him tomorrow night.
ELI FOUGHT THE chill in the air on the way back to his cousins’ house. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his long black coat and gazed to the east at the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, then to the west at the San Juan Mountains. He knew from his research about the area that Sangre de Cristo meant “blood of Christ,” and as the sun eased below the horizon, he could see how the mountain range got its name, as an orange glow could be seen on the opposite horizon. The phenomenon was known as an alpenglow, he had read, and it was an amazing sight.
He replayed the kiss with Katie Ann over in his mind, leaving him feeling both elated and like a heel. A woman like Katie Ann needed a husband and father for Jonas, and Eli knew he was not that man. Kissing her was wrong on several levels, and he would make sure it never happened again. But there was no mistaking the fact that she had kissed him back . . . and that thought was going to keep him up at night.
“Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.”
The scripture had come into Eli’s mind many times over the past seventeen years, and he often wondered if he was failing God by not remarrying. But it seemed like betrayal—to Sarah. Perhaps it was God he was betraying.
Once again he questioned the path he’d chosen for himself— one filled with travel and less responsibility.
As he rounded the corner to Elam’s house, he knew he was going to face a lot of questions from his cousins about his outing. He could see Vera sweeping snow from the front porch as he grew closer.
“How was your day, Eli?” She sent him an all-knowing grin as she pushed the fluffy powder from the porch with her broom.
“It was a gut day. The sand dunes were a sight to see.” He walked up the freshly swept steps.
Vera stopped sweeping and put her hand on her hip. “And Katie Ann? Did you enjoy her company?”