The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,85
and Lucy to spend the rest of their lives in. Were there rooms for children? Did it have an extra-large fireplace, the kind Ivan had always wanted? Was there room for a garden? How big was the kitchen?
One thing she knew for sure. She was not going to make mortgage payments on a house that Lucy would live in. “All right,” she finally said.
Robert gave her the address after offering to drive her to the house, but Katie Ann declined. She’d rather be alone when she saw it. If she sold the house, she would give the profits to Lucy. It might not be much, but Lucy deserved whatever money Ivan had earned while they were together.
It was a forty-minute drive from Lancaster to Bird-in-Hand. As they drove down Lincoln Highway through Paradise, Katie Ann glanced at the bakery on her left, the location of her first coffee date with Ivan. To her right was the street that led to Noah’s clinic. They passed Black Horse Road, the street she and Ivan had lived on. So many memories. And most of them good. She wondered if moving back to Paradise would be a good move for her. As much as she loved Colorado, the rolling hills of Lancaster County beckoned to her.
She’d been guilty of picturing a life with Eli in Colorado, a fantasy that often made her regret ever meeting him. And he’d seemed distant since his last visit. It was hard having to keep saying good-bye to him. But could she really say good-bye to Martha, Lillian, Samuel, David, Emily, and all her friends in Colorado?
A few minutes later they passed the sign that read Bird-in-Hand.
When the driver pulled to a stop in the driveway, she recognized the white clapboard house with black shutters surrounded by a white picket fence, and instantly bitterness stabbed at her heart. She’d always wanted a house like this, high on a hill overlooking the valley.
She asked the driver to wait, and she slowly walked up the cobblestone path, then unlocked the door with the key Robert had given her. As she eased into the living room, the smell of fresh white paint hit her, and shiny new wooden floors met with the sun’s rays as she slowly walked to the middle of the room.
There wasn’t any furniture in the room except for a small desk and wooden chair next to a very large fireplace. Ivan’s desk. He’d had the piece of furniture since Katie Ann had known him, a gift from his father when he was just a boy.
She could see a large and welcoming kitchen through a doorway to the right, and again she fought the bitterness in her soul. She’d always wanted a kitchen like this. She ran her hand gingerly along the white countertop. Peering out the window, she saw a nice spot for a garden, then forced herself to see how many bedrooms were in the one-story house.
The master bedroom was roomy and filled with windows. Farther down the hall were three more bedrooms. She grabbed her chest when she walked into the last bedroom on the right and struggled to stay on her feet. There, in that room, was everything she’d ever envisioned for a nursery. A beautiful crib up against the wall, filled with blankets and two stuffed bunnies. And a changing table, dresser, and baby carrier were also in the room. She couldn’t stop the tears from coming. Ivan died before he knew that Lucy was pregnant, but they were clearly planning on a family.
She thought about how Jonas would never know his father. Lucy’s baby would never know Ivan either. Her heart ached as she eyed the room, feeling a level of pain for Lucy she didn’t expect. Lucy didn’t even know about the house. It was a surprise for her, and as much as it hurt Katie Ann to witness Ivan’s plans for his future with Lucy, she wondered if Lucy’s loss was as great as hers had been. Maybe greater.
Swiping at her eyes, she walked into all the rooms several more times, knowing that she would have to tell Lucy about the house, about the nursery. Or maybe she’d ask Robert to do it. Lucy could make arrangements to pick up the baby furniture for Benjamin. And Ivan’s desk.
She walked to the wooden chair and sat down, leaning on her elbows and supporting her head with her hands. After a few moments she lifted her head. And that’s when she saw the