The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,53
details for my surgery next week.” Martha handed Vera a plate to be washed.
“They’re cutting me open on Wednesday. I have to be there early in the morning, and . . .” She paused with a huff. “Can you believe I can’t eat breakfast that morning? Not that I would have been thrilled to have cereal and a muffin as my last meal, but . . .”
Vera was running soapy water in Lillian’s sink, and Emily handed her another plate as she turned to Martha. “Martha, first of all, it’s not your last meal. Don’t say things like that.”
Emily’s eyes were starting to tear up. Katie Ann knew how much the girl—and David—loved Martha. They all did. But Martha needed to be careful how she spoke about her upcoming surgery, especially around the younger folks.
Katie Ann patted Emily on the shoulder and whispered, “Everything will be fine. You know how Martha gets.”
Emily nodded, but Katie Ann was as worried as the rest of them.
“Katie Ann?” David poked his head into the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear. “You have a phone call.”
“A call? Who could be calling me?”
Everyone in the room turned to David, and Lillian spoke up. “David, who is it?”
His smile broadened. “It’s Eli.”
Katie Ann couldn’t even look at the women around her, and the heat in her face was evidence of how red her cheeks must be. She tucked her chin as she moved toward the door.
“You go, girl!” Martha’s voice boomed above the whispers in the kitchen, and Katie Ann kept her eyes down.
As she walked into the barn, the men began to scatter. Elam, Samuel, David, Jacob, and Levi all moved toward the door.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to leave.”
“Sure we do,” Levi said as he winked at her.
Katie Ann took a deep breath and watched as Samuel closed the barn door behind them. She wished she had thought to bundle up before she ran out the door. With chattering teeth, she said, “Hello.”
“Happy Thanksgiving.”
Her heart came alive at the sound of his voice. “And happy Thanksgiving to you.” She put a hand to her chest, hoping to calm her rapid pulse, but it was no use. It hadn’t even been forty-eight hours since he left her house, since the kiss, but her lips still tingled at the memory of his touch.
“I had to get away from the crowd for a few minutes. My girls have taken over my kitchen, which is fine. My son and sons-in-law have taken over my living room, which is fine. And my grandchildren are in my bedroom playing board games. That, too . . . is fine. But . . .” He chuckled. “I needed a few minutes of quiet. And I thought about you. Are you having a good day with everyone?”
“Ya, ya. We all ate too much, as expected.” She held her breath for a moment, wondering if their conversation would be filled with small talk, in light of all the deep conversations they’d had over the past couple of weeks.
“I’m not going to keep you from family, but I didn’t want the day to go by without wishing you a happy Thanksgiving.
And you hug Jonas from me.”
Katie Ann was glowing from the inside out, and she didn’t even notice the cold anymore. “I will. And you give my blessings to your family as well.”
It was quiet for a moment.
“Katie Ann, I’m feeling a little bad about . . .”
She heard him take a deep breath.
“. . . about the way I kissed you Tuesday night.”
“It wasn’t like it was the first time.” Katie Ann slapped a hand across her mouth, not believing what she’d said. She squeezed her eyes closed in horror and waited for Eli’s response.
He laughed. “Uh, true. I was just thinking that maybe I somehow took advantage, and—”
“Eli, I’m a grown woman. You didn’t take advantage of me.”
“Well then, if it’s okay with you, I’m not going to feel bad anymore. I’m highly attracted to my new best friend, and I had a weak moment.”
“You had two weak moments.” She squeezed her eyes shut again, but she couldn’t stop smiling at how playful they were being with each other and how natural it felt.
Eli’s familiar laughter warmed her heart. “Ya, I did. And trust me, I think about both. Often.”
Katie Ann wanted to tell Eli that she thought about him too, but there was no way she was going to put her heart out there to a man she couldn’t have. She thought