Katie's Way (36 page)

Becky looked as if she would burst with needing to ask why, but she nodded and darted toward the back door like a pebble from a slingshot.

Now, if only he knew what to say, once he finally had a chance to speak to Katie. He rubbed his palms on his pant legs.
I was wrong.
That was a good place to start.

It might be too late. She could have already decided to give up the shop and go home, and maybe nothing he said could make a difference.

He had to try. She deserved to hear the truth from him, at the least.

He heard the quick, light step he'd been listening for and went at once to meet her. “Caleb.” She looked startled to see him. “You are at work early.”

“Not so early as all that. I wanted to talk to you.”

It seemed to him that a shield went up in her face at those words. “I must open the front door.” She took a step toward the front of the shop.

He stopped her with his hand on her wrist. He could feel her pulse beating against his palm. Was it his imagination, or did it speed up suddenly when he looked at her?

“Wait,” he said quietly. “Please wait, Katie.”

She didn't answer, but she didn't move, either. She just looked at him, eyes questioning, guarded.

“I wanted to say . . .” He seemed to stumble over the words. Was this how William felt when he tried to communicate?
Just say it,
he ordered himself. “I was wrong.”

There. It was out. That had to be the hardest part.

“Wrong?” The question seemed to deepen the blue of her eyes. “What were you wrong about?”

He gave a wry smile. “Quite a few things, I think. Like thinking that your shop wasn't a gut fit next to mine, for example.”

“Ach, I knew you'd get over that quick enough.” She managed a slight curve of the lips for that. “Don't give it a thought.”

“And I was wrong about problems coming because of Pennsylvania Dutch Days, too. The problems were already here, ja?”

“I'm sorry,” she said quickly. “Sorry that you suffered because of Mike's anger toward me. That was so unfair, so—”

“Hush.” Caleb wanted to touch her lips to silence her blaming herself, but if he did, he suspected he'd never get the rest of this said, because he'd be kissing her. He contented himself with pressing her hand, holding it captive in both of his. “I want to tell you what I thought when I saw what he'd done that night.”

Pain crossed her face. “You thought your work was ruined because of me, and you were right.”

“No.” He couldn't say it fast enough. “I didn't think that at all. Even before I knew who had done it and why, I didn't. I thought . . .” Holding her hand between his, he gave in to the impulse to lift it to his lips. “All I could see was that you had been hurt. That's all. I barely looked at my place, because I was so busy looking at yours. And that's when I knew I'd been wrong about the most important thing.”

“What is that?” She whispered the words, the color coming up in her fine, smooth skin.

“When I told you that I had no love left to give anyone else because of Mattie. Because if I didn't, then how could I feel my heart break at the hurt to you?” He brushed her fingertips with his lips, seeming to feel that light touch through his body like a lightning strike. “I have known you only a month, Katie Miller, but I have never known anyone better than I know you. I love you. Don't go away.”

Tears sparkled in her eyes, and her lips trembled. “I had already decided that I would not run away. I'm not going anywhere,” she whispered.

He couldn't possibly resist. He put his arms around her, lowering his head to kiss her, holding her close, knowing in every fiber of his body that she was his and he was hers.

When he finally drew back a little, he still held her in the circle of his arms. She looked up at him, and he realized tears were slipping down her cheeks. The sight was like a blow to the heart.

“What is it? What's wrong?”

“Nothing.” She smiled, not wiping the tears away. “I'm happy. God has given me a new life.”

“God has given
us
a new life,” he corrected gently. “Together.”

 

T
he
Lancaster Rose quilt was stretched across the quilting frame, the colors of the flowers glowing against the white background. The quilters were gathered around the frame, their hands swooping like birds above the surface as they put in the final delicate stitching, their dear voices talking and sharing.

Katie looked at them all, her heart seeming to swell with love. Emma and Naomi, the most experienced quilters, sat across from each other, so that no one less quick would be embarrassed by trying to keep up. Then came Rachel, Myra, Lisa, and Donna. Cousin Molly sat across from Katie. The two girls, Rhoda and Becky, were at the foot of the frame, obviously nervous at being included in quilting something so important.

Katie's wedding quilt. She looked at it with a rushing sense of joy. Hers and Caleb's. It would adorn their bed in the house they'd bought across the street from their combined shops.

That had taken some negotiating, the decision to combine the shops. Some folks might expect her to give up the quilt shop when she married, but not Caleb. He understood how important it was to her.

She glanced at Rhoda, face intent as she minded her stitches. Rhoda didn't know it yet, but one day she would be equal partners with Katie in the shop. If she and Caleb were blessed with children, Rhoda would be there to help them manage. To say nothing of Naomi and Becky and all the other family and friends she'd found here in Pleasant Valley.

“Why so silent, Katie?” Naomi glanced at her prospective daughter-in-law with a twinkle in her eyes. “Dreaming of Caleb?”

The others laughed gently when Katie blushed, and Caleb's voice sounded from the doorway behind her.

“What is all this noise?” he asked with mock severity. “It sounds as if half the sisters of the church are here.”

“We were saying that Katie is daydreaming of you, Onkel Caleb,” Becky piped up with newfound confidence.

“She does not need to dream of me,” Caleb said, and his loving gaze met Katie's. “I am here, and I will always be.”

ach.
oh; used as an exclamation

agasinish.
stubborn; self-willed

ain't so.
A phrase commonly used at the end of a sentence to invite agreement.

alter.
old man

anymore.
Used as a substitute for “nowadays.”

Ausbund.
Amish hymnal. Used in the worship services, it contains traditional hymns, words only, to be sung without accompaniment. Many of the hymns date from the sixteenth century.

befuddled.
mixed up

blabbermaul.
talkative one

blaid.
bashful

boppli.
baby

bruder.
brother

bu.
boy

buwe.
boys

daadi.
daddy

Da Herr sei mit du.
The Lord be with you.

denke.
thanks (or
danki
)

Englischer.
one who is not Plain

ferhoodled.
upset; distracted

ferleicht.
perhaps

frau.
wife

fress.
eat

gross.
big

grossdaadi.
grandfather

grossdaadi haus.
An addition to the farmhouse, built for the grandparents to live in once they've “retired” from actively running the farm.

grossmutter.
grandmother

gut.
good

hatt.
hard; difficult

haus.
house

hinnersich.
backward

ich.
I

ja.
yes

kapp.
Prayer covering, worn in obedience to the Biblical injunction that women should pray with their heads covered. Kapps are made of Swiss organdy and are white. (In some Amish communities, unmarried girls thirteen and older wear black kapps during worship service.)

kinder.
kids (or
kinner
)

komm.
come

komm schnell.
come quick

Leit.
the people; the Amish

lippy.
sassy

maidal.
old maid; spinster

mamm.
mother

middaagesse.
lunch

mind.
remember

onkel.
uncle

Ordnung.
The agreed-upon rules by which the Amish community lives. When new practices become an issue, they are discussed at length among the leadership. The decision for or against innovation is generally made on the basis of maintaining the home and family as separate from the world. For instance, a telephone might be necessary in a shop in order to conduct business but would be banned from the home because it would intrude on family time.

Pennsylvania Dutch.
The language is actually German in origin and is primarily a spoken language. Most Amish write in English, which results in many variations in spelling when the dialect is put into writing! The language probably originated in the south of Germany but is common also among the Swiss Mennonite and French Huguenot immigrants to Pennsylvania. The language was brought to America prior to the Revolution and is still in use today. High German is used for Scripture and church documents, while English is the language of commerce.

rumspringa.
Running-around time. The late teen years when Amish youth taste some aspects of the outside world before deciding to be baptized into the church.

schnickelfritz.
mischievous child

ser gut.
very good

tastes like more.
delicious

Was ist letz?
What's the matter?

Wie bist du heit.
how are you; said in greeting

wilkom.
welcome

Wo bist du?
Where are you?

Cut the shortening into the flour to the fine crumb stage. Sprinkle with water, stirring the mixture with a fork until dough begins to form. Mold into a ball. With a floured rolling pin, roll out on a floured surface until thin, adding flour to the rolling pin as necessary and handling the dough as little as possible. Lift carefully into a 9-inch pie plate and trim edges.

Peel, core, and slice apples. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Arrange one layer of apples in the pie shell and sprinkle half the cinnamon-sugar mixture over it. Repeat with the remaining apple slices and cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Mix the flour and sugar together. Cut in the butter to the fine crumb stage, being careful not to overmix. Sprinkle the crumbs over the apples in the pie shell. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Separate the eggs and set the whites aside. Whip the yolks lightly and stir into the corn. Add the melted butter, milk, and seasonings to the corn mixture. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the corn mixture. Transfer carefully to a greased 1-quart casserole dish. Set the baking dish into a pan of hot water and bake for 30 minutes.

Melt the butter and shortening in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. While cooking, continue to stir and turn. Once the ground beef is no longer red, cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

 

Katie is inspired by the verse Isaiah 43:19, which never fails to inspire me as well: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness,
and
rivers in the desert.” I hope it may be a good word for you.