The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,64
and was staring at the ceiling.
Martha looked at her long and hard and chose her words carefully. “Danielle, I wish you well.”
Danielle turned to face Martha and blinked her one eye several times. “You too.”
Martha turned to leave before the girl could see the tears welling in her eyes.
Please, Lord . . . help her to see the wonder of Your love.
Arnold closed the door behind them.
ARNOLD LEFT ON Thursday afternoon after having lunch with Katie Ann and Martha at Katie Ann’s house, and by Friday afternoon, Katie Ann could tell that Martha was ready to go back to her own home. She said she was feeling better and had gotten what she called her “Jonas fix.” And while Katie Ann loved having Martha stay with them, she was exhausted from tending to both her friend and her baby. She wasn’t sure which one was more demanding.
Arnold had driven Martha’s car to Katie Ann’s, then taken a cab to the airport, promising that he would be back soon and for good.
“Are you sure you can drive?” Katie Ann helped Martha get into her coat, hat, and gloves. It was snowing and cold outside. “I think it might be too soon, and the weather—”
“Katie Ann, you know how I feel about that extra bed of yours. I can only take it for so long. Besides, I’m only going around the corner.” She kissed Katie Ann on the cheek. “Tell my baby I will see him on Sunday. I’m going to stay home out of this weather and rest tomorrow.”
“I think that’s a gut idea.” Katie Ann waited until Martha’s car rounded the corner before she closed the door.
Lillian came over later that afternoon with Anna and Elizabeth, and Emily stopped by also, thinking that Martha was still there. After all her company left, Katie Ann settled in front of the fireplace with Jonas in her lap and reread Eli’s letter. She missed his smile, his laughter. As the fire crackled in the fireplace and the wind gently howled outside, Katie Ann wondered what he was doing. If he missed her at all.
The next morning, she heard a truck coming up the driveway. She finished feeding Jonas, laid him in the playpen near the fireplace, and went to the window. A Federal Express man was making his way through the snow and up to her porch.
“Danki,” she said as she accepted the small box.
“You’re welcome.” The young man with a black stocking cap and heavy coat chuckled. “It’s a cell phone, in case you didn’t know.” He paused, rubbing his gloved hands together.
“It’s been ringing in the truck on and off for the past two hours.”
Katie Ann didn’t know what to say, and the nice young fellow didn’t wait for a response before heading back to his truck.
Katie Ann hadn’t even closed the door when she heard the faint ring from inside the box. Smiling, she walked to the couch and hurriedly worked to open the package. Only one person she knew would send her a cell phone.
SATURDAY MORNING MARTHA eased into her recliner with a cup of coffee, her thoughts on Katie Ann. She was starting to lose hope for Eli Detweiler. Hard to have a romance when the fellow was in another state. But at least the two were writing to each other, so just maybe . . .
She noticed a pile of bills on her end table. There wasn’t a task she hated more than paying bills. She had plenty of money, more than the average person by far, but it was just a tedious chore. The piles seemed to be screaming at her as she sipped her coffee, so she eventually pulled her purse into her lap and took out her wallet, which also held her checkbook. She thought about Danielle. She’d been praying for the girl every night. That she’d be safe from whoever did harm to her, and that she’d put her trust in the Lord.
Martha hoped Danielle wouldn’t steal from anyone else. Some folks might not be as understanding about it as she’d been. She opened her wallet, pulled her pen from its spot, and wrote out a check to the gas company. Then she curiously unzipped the money compartment, wondering if Danielle had taken all sixty dollars.
Martha pulled three twenties from inside and sat holding them for a moment. Why didn’t she take it? She began to inspect the contents of her wallet, confused. Something had to be missing. What was it?