The Wonder of Your Love - By Beth Wiseman Page 0,87

pocket of her apron. “No. I would like the house deeded to Lucy.”

Robert stood up and walked around his desk. “Katie Ann, are you sure?” He paused, brows narrowed.

“Lucy has a baby now. Ivan’s child. And Ivan probably would have left her and the child the same way he left me.”

“You’re being very generous.”

Katie Ann didn’t feel generous. In addition to wanting to do the right thing on Ivan’s behalf—since Ivan had earned all the money for the house while with Lucy—she was hoping to never hear from the woman again, to finally have closure on all this.

But then she recalled the way Lucy was at Ivan’s funeral months ago and the way she was when she came to Katie Ann’s house, still stricken with grief.

“He built the house with money he made while he was with Lucy. It only seems fair that she should have it.”

“It doesn’t seem fair—to you.” Robert folded his arms across his chest. “There’s a considerable amount of money owed on that mortgage. I’m not sure why you would do this, but all right.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll let Lucy know what you’ve done, and—”

“No. Please don’t.”

Robert locked eyes with her. “Don’t you think it’s odd that Ivan would build a house without any electrical outlets or fixtures?” He rubbed his chin. “Everything is fueled with gas or propane too.” Robert paused again, the hint of a smile in his expression. “Certainly resembles a lot of Amish homes I’ve seen. And Ivan wasn’t Amish anymore.”

Katie Ann pulled her eyes from his and shrugged. “Do you think you can make arrangements to have the electricity hooked up before you make mention of this to Lucy? I don’t want her to have any doubt in her mind that Ivan built the house for her.”

There was no reason for Lucy ever to know the betrayal that Ivan had planned for her. And as for Katie Ann, she just wanted to go home. To Colorado. Her life here was behind her. Now she just wondered what God had in store for her future. But one thing was for certain. There was no room in her heart for more heartbreak.

As she walked out of Robert’s building toward the driver’s car, she wadded up Ivan’s letter and tossed it into a nearby trash can.

Good-bye, Ivan.

Now she just needed to say good-bye to Eli.

Eighteen

ELI SAT DOWN AT THE KITCHEN TABLE WITH THE package that had arrived in the mail. He stared at it, knowing what it was, but not wanting to admit that his friendship with Katie Ann was over.

Finally he forced himself to open the box and unwrap the cell phone. She hadn’t been back in Colorado for twenty-four hours when she called to tell him that she was sending the phone back. Eli wasn’t sure what happened in Lancaster County. Maybe she was still grieving for her husband, and being back there made her feel like she was betraying Ivan by being friends with Eli.

But who were they fooling? Katie Ann knew that they were much more than friends, just as Eli did. He had tried to talk her out of sending the phone back, but she was insistent that it was a luxury she shouldn’t have. When he asked to visit her, she declined.

Over the next few weeks, he left several messages on the barn phone. She never called him back. He stayed busy planting the fields, but as the seasons began to change, Eli’s feelings began to change too. His hurt turned to resentment. Before Katie Ann, he’d been a happy fellow with his entire life planned out. Now he was lonely and bitter. He didn’t even want to travel anymore. He missed her so much he could hardly stand it.

It was the first of April when all his daughters once again came to see him. He was out on the plow when he saw their buggies pulling in. He was tempted to stay right where he was, but his strong-willed daughters would only wait him out.

As he walked across the fields, he pulled off his hat and wiped sweat from his brow. Four of his six grandchildren scurried about in the yard among their mothers, and Eli smiled, feeling angry at himself for his bitterness about Katie Ann. He knew that he was blessed more than most men. He’d loved two women with all his heart, and he had a wonderful family and these beautiful grandchildren. He told himself that he would enjoy the Lord’s blessings, and he would joyfully