The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,52
and bonnets. They each kissed him on the cheek and rattled off what they were bringing for the Thanksgiving meal the next day. As the others scurried across the porch toward their buggies, Ida Mae hung back. She wrapped her arms around her father. “We just want you to be happy, Daed. That’s all.”
Eli eased away and cupped Ida Mae’s chin. “I know you do, mei maedel. And hard work mixed with travel will make me happy.”
She nodded, and Eli watched his very independent, strongwilled daughters hitch up their buggies to head home. Pride was something to be avoided, but Eli was proud of each one of them just the same.
He waved at the departing buggies, then walked back inside. Again his mind replayed his kiss with Katie Ann, the way it had been since the moment his lips left hers. She was as wrong for him as any woman could be. And it wasn’t just Jonas and the new family she was beginning. Eli could tell from their conversations that Katie Ann was struggling to trust again.
Maybe she had forgiven her husband and his mistress, but he sensed that trust was still a far cry away.
He didn’t ever want to do anything to cause her to distrust him. What about the kiss? Shouldn’t she have been able to trust him not to be so forward? Eli supposed he should feel guilty for both times that they had kissed . . . but he didn’t.
Nothing had ever felt so right.
KATIE ANN BUTTONED her coat, tied her bonnet, and gathered up the extra-large batch of creamed celery she’d made to take for the Thanksgiving feast. She’d taken Jonas over earlier and was sure that Anna and Elizabeth were entertaining him. As she closed the door behind her, she stumbled, then grimaced when she saw what almost caused her to trip. A dead mouse. As she eased around the poor critter, she noticed he wasn’t frozen, but freshly dead. Then something darted from underneath the house and raced toward the barn.
Mrs. Dash turned around once to look at Katie Ann before scurrying through a barn window and out of sight. Katie Ann looked again at the dead animal, then eased down her porch steps. She’d been feeding the cat leftovers most every morning and night. Katie Ann still couldn’t get close to her, but perhaps this was Mrs. Dash’s way of returning the favor—ridding the barn of mice.
She was almost to Lillian’s front door when she heard a car. Spinning around, she saw that it was Martha. It was too cold to wait for her, so she headed into Lillian’s large kitchen through a second door on the porch.
“It’s toasty warm in here,” she said as she put the creamed celery on the table. She scanned the room and saw everyone but the newlyweds. “Where’re Emily and David?”
“They’re here.” Lillian pointed to the living room. “With Elizabeth, Anna, and Jonas.”
Katie Ann peeked her head into the room and watched Emily and David fussing over Jonas. She smiled, sure that the couple was probably planning to start their own family soon. “Hello, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving.”
After she’d hugged those in the room, she walked back into the kitchen just as Martha came through the door from the porch into the kitchen. Lillian disliked the fact that everyone used that door, but it was just so convenient. Martha elbowed her way through the crowd in the kitchen.
“I made a cheese ball.” She handed it to Lillian. “Because that’s just all the energy I could muster up this year.”
Lillian took the ball wrapped in plastic wrap. “Martha, you didn’t have to bring anything. I told you that.” She tenderly rubbed Martha’s arm. “How are you feeling?”
Martha shrugged. “As good as anyone who has a big tumor in their stomach could feel, I guess.”
Katie Ann rubbed her forehead. Despite Martha’s nonchalance, she knew her friend was scared.
“I want to know every little detail of your visit with Eli yesterday,” Martha whispered in her ear. “You and I are going to your house directly this afternoon, and don’t hold back any details.”
“Martha, there isn’t much to tell. We went to Alamosa, and—”
“Whatever. I want to hear it all anyway.”
Katie Ann could feel her cheeks reddening just thinking about last night.
An hour later, a meal that took many hours to prepare was consumed in less than fifteen minutes, and the men retired to the barn while the women cleaned up.