Letters to Katie (19 page)

“Ah.” A muscle jerked in Johnny’s jaw.

“How about lunch? We can be there in an hour.”

Johnny looked at the clock on the wall. He’d have to put off seeing Katherine until
tonight. But hopefully by then he’d have good news—an investor in his horse farm and
a secure future to offer her. He relaxed and smiled. “I’ll see you in an hour.”

“Great. You’re gonna be excited about what we have planned, John.”

Johnny grinned wider. “I already am.”

Laura sat on the small back deck of her parents’ house in Ethridge, Tennessee. It
was after eight, and a waning quarter moon bathed the scene in blue-white light. She’d
arrived less than an hour ago, and she had barely set down her suitcase before her
mother had put a cup of
strong coffee in one hand and a donut stick in the other.

She sipped the coffee and breathed in the fragrance of blooming flowers. Azaleas,
gardenias, even a whiff of night-blooming jasmine.

Everything here was the same as it had been when she left. Familiar. Comforting. Why
had she waited so long to return?

But she knew the answer. Sawyer. She hadn’t wanted to leave him. Even though she was
sure of his love, a small part of her feared that her relationship with him was too
good to be true. She had trusted Mark King too. Had thought she loved him. And that
had brought her nothing but pain.

She gripped the coffee cup. Sawyer wasn’t Mark, she reminded herself. And her love
for him didn’t compare to the infatuation she’d felt for Mark. Sawyer would be there
for her when she returned. She was sure of it.

“I can’t tell you how happy your
daed
and I are that you’re home.” Her mother bustled onto the deck and sat down next to
her, also holding a cup of coffee and a plate of donut sticks. Her plump cheeks filled
out further when she smiled. “We thought we might have to come after you.”

“I didn’t mean to worry you.” She smiled, feeling at peace. “I’m glad Sawyer convinced
me to come home.”

“Sawyer. He’s the
yung mann
you wrote to me about?” Laura’s mother deposited the plate on the small table between
them and cradled her cup in her hands.

Laura nodded. “He is.”

“From your letters he sounds like a special
bu
.”

“Very special.” She grew serious. “He’s nothing like Mark. I promise.”

“
Lieb
, I’m sure he isn’t. And you weren’t the only one taken in by him.” Her mother sighed.

“What?”

“I just wish you’d come home sooner. We missed you so much.” Her mother blinked back
tears. “I can’t tell you how many times your
daed
and I thought about making the trip to Ohio. But after what happened with Mark, we
didn’t want to force you back. We knew you needed time. And your letters did give
us some comfort. At least we knew you were all right.”

Remorse filled her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you both so much pain. Again.”
Laura stared at her lap. “I made so many bad choices.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself. We never blamed you for what happened.”

“But it was all my fault.”

“Not just yours. We trusted Mark too, remember? He worked for us in the bakery. We
thought he was who he said he was.” She touched Laura’s arm. “He had us all fooled.”

“He took your money because of me.”

“He stole our money for himself. Although I appreciate you repaying it, we never expected
you to.” She looked at Laura. “How did you make so much money so fast? You mentioned
an office job with a carpenter. I didn’t realize they paid so much in Middlefield.”

This was the moment Laura had dreaded. In her letters, her mother had never asked
how she came up with the money. But it was only fair that she knew the truth.
“Sawyer’s grandmother gave me a check.”

Her mother frowned. “She paid off your debt? To people she doesn’t even know?”

“It’s more complicated than that.” She faced her mother and swallowed. “She paid me
to leave Sawyer. I took the money and used it to find Mark.” Shame filled her. “Then
I gave the rest to you and
Daed
.”

“Laura.” Her mother shook her head.

“Mark would never have returned the money he stole.”

“We would have managed without it. God always provides. Often in ways we don’t expect.”

Like Sawyer. God had provided a man who healed her heart, even when she thought she’d
never love again.

“I wish you hadn’t left us,” her mother continued. “I wish you’d stayed here and let
it all be. Then maybe . . .” She looked away.

“I wouldn’t have the scars?”

Her mother nodded. With her fingertip she wiped underneath her eyes. “I wish you hadn’t
gone through it alone.”

“I didn’t. I had the Lord. He was always with me. And I had Sawyer.” She angled her
body toward her mother. “If I hadn’t gone to Middlefield, I wouldn’t have let
geh
of my resentment toward Mark. It would have grown inside of me until it would have
taken me over completely. I realize that now. I would have never learned to trust
God. To let Him deliver justice, not me. Mark’s in prison for what he’s done, but
he’ll also have to face the Lord.”

“Very true.” Strain showed on her mother’s face. “But how can you love a man whose
familye
would pay to be rid of you?” Laura let out an involuntary gasp. “I don’t mean to
hurt you,
kinn
,” her mother continued, “but you told me as much just now.”

Laura gripped her coffee cup. “That was Sawyer’s
grossmudder
. She doesn’t understand.”

“Maybe she understands more than you think. Don’t you think you’re rushing into things
with Sawyer? Much as you rushed into a bad relationship with Mark?”

“I’m in love,
Mamm
. Truly in love.”

Even in the moonlight, Laura could see the hard look her mother gave her. “You thought
you were in love with Mark.”

“This is different.” She set her cup down on the deck. The peace she felt a moment
ago vanished. “I should have stayed in Middlefield.”

Her mother stood. “
Nee
. You did the right thing. You came back. And you need to stay here, and not just
for a couple of weeks. Put some separation between you and Sawyer. Pray about what
you’re doing—”

“How can you judge someone you haven’t met?”

“I’m not judging.”

“Sounds like it to me. And you sound just like his
grossmudder
, dismissing him before you get to know him.”

“Has he joined the church yet?”

She shook her head. “He plans to in a few weeks. He’s meeting with the bishop. And
he’s lived with his adoptive
familye
since he was fourteen. They let him make his own decision to join the church. Like
you let me.”

“And is he joining the church for the right reasons?”

Laura didn’t hesitate with her answer. “Absolutely.”

Her mother sat down. She didn’t say anything for a long time. Dread filled Laura.
She had wanted her parents, especially her mother, to be happy for her. Instead,
Mamm
seemed anything but. “We plan to marry in November,” she said.

“So soon?”

“That’s nearly six months away.”

“When is he coming to Ethridge?”

“We’re getting married in Middlefield.”

A heavy sigh escaped her mother. “Why would you do that?”

She looked at her mother, her gaze intent. “Middlefield is home to me now. I love
you and
Daed
, but I have to be where
mei
husband is. His business is in Middlefield. His
familye
.” She didn’t mention Cora.

“But what about your friends here? Your
familye
?” Her mother bit her lip. “Does this mean you’ll never come back home?”

“Of course I’ll visit as often as I can,” Laura said. “And I hope you will come and
see us.”

Her mother looked away. “You’re determined, then.”

“
Ya
. I am.”

Suddenly her mother jumped up from her chair. “I can’t believe this, Laura. First
you want me to accept that you’re marrying someone who’s not Amish—”

“He will be—”

“Who we don’t know, whose
familye
tried to get rid of you—”

“I already explained that.”

“It doesn’t make sense. And now you want to get married
not only in another district but another state. All this after we haven’t seen you
for months?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re being selfish, Laura. Flat-out
selfish.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “
Mamm
, please—”

But her mother spun around and went inside the house.

Laura flinched as the door slammed shut.

Johnny showed up at Mary Yoder’s right before noon. He’d called in his order half
an hour earlier and had a taxi bring him so the food wouldn’t get cold on the way
home. He went inside to the counter and gave the girl behind the register his name.

“Your order will be right up.” The Yankee girl smiled and gestured for him to move
to the side. Another couple behind him was ready to cash out.

Before he stepped away, he asked, “Is Katherine Yoder working today?”

The girl paused. “I don’t think so. I haven’t seen her.”

“Okay, thanks.”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at a few of the items in the gift shop—Amish
novels and cookbooks on the rack, Amish-themed gifts, candles, and baked goods. He
knew this stuff appealed to tourists and that the tourist trade was important to lots
of Amish families in the area. He wouldn’t begrudge them making an honest living.
But he had no desire to cater to the Yankees in that way.

The hypocrisy of his thought struck him. He was willing to have Yankee partners, but
not have a tourist business?

But the two things were completely different. He would be running a farm, not a visitor
center.

Johnny rocked back on the heels of his boots, waiting for his order to arrive. He
felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw the girl who had waited on him
behind the counter.

“Do you want me to check and see if Katherine’s in the kitchen?” she asked.

“
Ya
. That would be great, thanks.”

The young woman nodded and left him in the gift shop area. Plenty of people surrounded
him, murmuring about this or that item. Within a few moments she was back, shaking
her head as she walked toward him.

“She was scheduled to work, but she called off sick.”

Johnny frowned. Katie was sick? She’d seemed fine the other day. “Do you know what’s
wrong?”

“She didn’t say. Katherine rarely calls off, so I’m sure whatever it is, she isn’t
feeling well. The cook also told me to let you know someone will bring your food right
up.”

He nodded as she walked away. Now he was worried and wanted to see her more than ever.
But it would have to wait until after his meeting with the Wagners. He started to
pace. Where was that food?

Finally an Amish girl brought out two bags. Johnny took them from her, quickly paid,
and went to the taxi waiting outside. He tried to mentally prepare for his meeting
with the Wagners, but that took a backseat to his concern for Katherine. As soon as
they left, he would go and check on her. Right now all he could do was say a silent
prayer that she would be better soon.