The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,73
me stay?”
“Why did you come here in the first place?” Martha had suddenly realized what was missing out of her wallet. An ID card that she carried, which listed her address.
Danielle shrugged, eyes to the floor. “I dunno.”
“Sure you do. Something sent you my way.”
She kicked at the corner of the doorway with her scuffed-up white tennis shoe. “I heard you say no one lived up here.”
Martha fought the urge to make a smart remark. Instead she took a deep breath. “I’m going to bed. It’s late. I suggest you do the same.” She pointed to the pile of dishes on the floor. “This is not how we do things around here. First thing in the morning, I expect to see this room cleaned up.” She glared at her lotion on the dresser. “And my lotion back downstairs on the table by my recliner, where I’ve kept it for years.”
She stood up, walked past Danielle, and was almost to the stairs when Danielle called her name. She turned around. “What?”
“Are you going downstairs to call the police?”
Martha pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen forward and sighed. “No, Danielle. I’m not. Now get some rest.”
Good grief. Lord, what have You got in store for me now?
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THE air was a bit chilly, but the sun was shining. Katie Ann bundled up Jonas and took him out to the barn with her, thinking he could use some fresh air. She had some leftover ham for Mrs. Dash, who’d left two more mice on the porch.
She eased into the barn and saw the cat curled up in a big ball in the corner on the quilt. She squatted down with Jonas.
“She’s going to have a boppli, Jonas. Probably several.”
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a baggie halffilled with pieces of ham she’d torn into bite-sized pieces. Expecting the cat to bolt, she was surprised when Mrs. Dash just stared at her. And this time her ears weren’t flattened to her head.
“Here you go, girl.” She tossed some of the ham closer, then waited. “Mrs. Dash is learning to trust us, Jonas.”
She nuzzled Jonas’s nose with hers, and he made a strange cooing noise. Katie Ann waited for the cat to sprint around the corner. But instead, Mrs. Dash rose from her spot, arched her back in a stretch, and moved closer to the ham. Katie Ann didn’t move. After a few moments, Mrs. Dash was within a foot of her, the closest the cat had ever come.
Katie Ann thought about all the prayers she’d said, asking God to help her trust His plan for her, whatever that might be. Figuring cats don’t pray, she silently prayed that God would take care of this big black cat and that she would deliver healthy little kittens.
And maybe you could send a Mr. Dash to help her.
It was a strange ending, and probably even odder to be praying for the cat, but her father had always said there was a place in heaven for animals.
She rose slowly, so as not to spook the cat. Once she was standing, Mrs. Dash looked up, but quickly lowered her face and finished off the ham. She hadn’t even finished chewing her last bite when she went around the corner, but it was progress.
When she got back inside, Katie Ann put Jonas in his swing, which he enjoyed more all the time. She cranked the handle, then went to the kitchen to make sure she had everything she needed to cook supper for Eli that evening, and she tried to keep worry from her heart. She wanted to enjoy her time with him, and she was going to do everything she could to keep things in perspective and to see their relationship for what it was.
Her excitement about his coming overrode everything else. Even Martha’s situation with her new houseguest. Martha still came by daily, and twice she’d brought Danielle. The teenager didn’t say two words either time, and mostly sat on the couch fidgeting.
Katie Ann had asked Martha privately if she should be housing a child without the parents’ permission, but Martha said they weren’t very good parents if they had let something like this happen to their daughter. Katie Ann didn’t know what to think. Arnold was due back tomorrow, and Katie Ann knew he’d keep an eye on the situation.
She heard a knock and looked at the clock, knowing it was much too early for Eli to arrive. When she opened