Letters to Katie (37 page)
When Sawyer and Laura entered the living room, they were surprised to see not only
Cora sitting on the couch but a man seated next to her. Anna was nowhere in sight.
“Ah, Sawyer.” Cora looked at him . . . and smiled.
Sawyer froze, and Laura understood why. Cora was smiling? She never smiled.
“You remember my attorney, Kenneth Jones?” Cora said.
Kenneth stood, smoothing his bright purple tie as he extended his hand to Sawyer.
“Nice to see you again.” He switched his gaze. “This must be Laura.”
Sawyer nodded and moved closer to Laura. “My fiancée.”
“I told him all about her,” Cora said. “Your timing is perfect. Please, sit down.”
“Where’s Anna?”
“In the kitchen, working on supper. Smells delicious, don’t you think?” She turned
to her lawyer. “Now, Kenneth, where were we?”
“I should see if she needs help,” Laura said.
“No, you should be here. This involves both you and Sawyer.” She motioned to the two
chairs near the couch. “Sit.”
Sawyer and Laura exchanged a bewildered look and sat down.
“Kenneth and I were just discussing restructuring.”
“Restructuring?” Sawyer asked.
“Yes.” She looked at Laura, then at Sawyer. “I’ve realized something in my time here.
I know you’re resolute in your decision to stay. To become Amish. Nothing I can do
or say can change your mind.”
“Finally.” Sawyer blew out a breath. “I’m glad you understand.”
“I didn’t say I understood. Just that I’ve accepted it.” She paused, averting her
gaze for a brief second. “I know your family is here.”
“And you also have to know that you are part of that family now.”
“Peripherally. And I . . . appreciate the inclusion. It’s very unexpected.”
“I’ll say,” Kenneth added. “I certainly didn’t expect it.”
“So what does this mean for your company?” Sawyer asked.
“Before I came to visit, I put Kenneth to work liquidating my assets.”
Sawyer frowned. “Everything?”
Laura had no idea what liquidating assets meant, but Sawyer seemed to understand.
“Once my shares of the company were sold,” Cora continued, “along with my other investments,
I had them put in a trust. For you,” she said, looking at Sawyer.
“I can’t take all that money,” Sawyer said.
“I know. Even if you did, you’d probably give it all away. So I phoned Kenneth and
changed my request. He will not only be managing my estate, he will also be the executor
of my will.” She looked at Kenneth. “He’s the next best thing I have to family.”
Kenneth cleared his throat. “Thank you, Cora. I’ll do my best to manage your trust
with integrity.”
“I know you will.” She turned back to Sawyer. “There’s also a provision in the trust
that if you change your mind, you will have access to the money.”
“But what about you?” He leaned forward, casting a quick glance at Kenneth. “You have
your own . . . expenses.”
“Kenneth knows about the Parkinson’s.” She smiled again. Laura was surprised at how
lovely it was. “But I appreciate your attempt at respecting my privacy. I will retain
the penthouse and have an adequate monthly allowance that will cover all my expenses.”
“Including travel,” Kenneth added.
“Travel?”
“I will be visiting Middlefield from time to time.” She looked at Sawyer. “I need
to be with my family. And if my family won’t come to me, I’ll have to go to them.”
“We’ve already talked about it,” Anna said, walking into the living room. She handed
Kenneth a glass of iced tea. “I told her she is welcome to stay here as long as she
wants to.”
“But I’m not living here,” Cora quickly added. “I need my comforts. Electricity, to
start with.”
Sawyer looked at Laura. They both smiled. “There are apartments here.”
“An apartment?” She scoffed. “I’d rather build. I noticed during your little tour,
Sawyer, that there were several parcels of land available.”
“Like Johnny’s?” he asked.
“Among others. I’m still in the process of finalizing decisions. Kenneth will be assisting
me.”
Sawyer grinned. “So you’ll be here for the wedding?”
Cora sighed, but it didn’t hold its usual disdain. “Yes. I’ll be here for the wedding.”
Laura jumped up from her chair and hugged Cora’s thin shoulders. “Thank you,” she
whispered in her ear. “You’ve made Sawyer very happy.” When she pulled away, she could
see tears forming in Cora’s eyes.
“It’s time I made someone else happy for a change,” Cora said. “It won’t make up for
Kerry—”
Sawyer nodded. “But it’s a start.”
Two days later Kenneth loaded Cora’s bags into a taxi. She was finally leaving Middlefield.
But instead of being thrilled at putting this backwater town behind her, she had mixed
emotions. She was eager to be going back home. And she’d made an appointment to see
Dr. Clemens again. If she would be traveling between New York and Middlefield, she’d
have to keep up her health.
Her pity party was over.
Lukas had already gone to work. Laura and Leona had stopped over last night and said
their good-byes. Only Anna and Sawyer were left.
“I’ll wait in the car,” Kenneth said.
Cora nodded, keeping her gaze on her grandson. Next time she saw him, he would be
Amish. She still found that hard to comprehend, yet she now respected his choice.
Anna approached carrying a small plastic bag with a zipper seal. Inside were several
half sheets of plain paper, a pen, envelopes, and stamps. “We’d like to hear from
you often,” she said, handing the homemade stationery to Cora.
Cora hadn’t written a letter in years, not when she had secretaries to do it. Now
there was e-mail and texting. Letter writing seemed so old-fashioned. But it was necessary.
And strangely, she looked forward to it.
“Thank you. I’ll write to you as soon as I get back.”
Anna smiled and stepped away. Sawyer came forward.
“Can’t wait to see you again,” he said.
“I think you really mean that.”
“Of course I do.” He looked at her. Then to her surprise, he put his arms around her.
“I love you.”
With shaking arms that had nothing to do with Parkinson’s, she hugged him back. Tears
stung her eyes. “I . . . I love you too.”
As she and Kenneth were on the way to the airport, Cora leaned forward and passed
a slip of paper to the taxi driver. “I’d like to stop here first.”
“Sure thing, ma’am.”
Cora settled back in her seat. She turned to see Kenneth looking at her. “I thought
you were in a hurry to get home,” he said.
“I have some business to attend to.”
A short while later they pulled into the driveway of a modest Amish home. “I’ll be
right back,” Cora said, opening the passenger door.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Kenneth asked.
“No. I need to do this myself.”
With careful steps she started toward the front porch, but stopped when she saw someone
come out of the barn. Sawyer’s friend, Johnny Mullet. Just the man she wanted to talk
to.
Katherine sat in the church service, trying to concentrate on the minister’s sermon.
She’d been blessed by the past couple of services, yet today her attention strayed.
The coolness of Gabriel Miller’s barn offset the heat of summer. Bright sunbeams crept
through the wooden slats. Above the voice of one of the ministers she could hear the
twittering of barn swallows in the rafters.
Summer reflecting the warmth of God’s love. She used to sit in services searching
for Johnny, thinking about him, praying for things to be different. Now her heart
was free to be filled with something else.
The service ended, and she walked outside into the enveloping sunlight. She spoke
to a few of her friends as she walked by, and then she saw Laura Stutzman approach.
When Laura was injured in the fire, Katherine had sewn a prayer quilt for her. Since
then the two had formed a friendship. But she hadn’t seen Laura in quite a while.
“Katherine.” Laura smiled and touched her friend’s hand. “I’m glad to see you.”
“Me too.” She leaned forward. “I hear you’ve been busy planning a wedding.”
“No secrets around here.” Her blue eyes danced.
Katherine grinned. At one time she would have been envious despite her happiness for
Laura and Sawyer. Now she was simply happy. “All secrets come out eventually. When
is the wedding date?”
“We moved it up to the beginning of October.
Mei
parents are able to come then, as will Sawyer’s
Englisch
grandmother. You knew she was building a
haus
in Middlefield,
ya
?”
“
Nee
. Where?”
“She bought some property nearby.” Laura took both Katherine’s hands. “How are you
doing? I heard about your memory loss during your illness. If you don’t mind me asking,
have your memories returned?”
Katherine shook her head. “The doctor says if they haven’t by now, they probably won’t.
But I’m fine with that.”
“You’re content, then?”
She thought about everything that had happened the past few months. How she’d decided
to put God first and let her desire for Johnny go. And she’d done just that. She couldn’t
say she didn’t miss him, but she didn’t ache for him like she did before. And he had
respected her request for distance—they hadn’t talked since that day at his farm.
Even Mary Beth didn’t bring the subject up anymore. Neither did her mother.
“I am, Laura. I can honestly say I’m truly at peace.”
Laura grinned, took Katherine’s hand, and squeezed it. “You deserve it. That and so
much more.”
“Katherine?”
A sudden lightness appeared in her chest at the sound of Johnny’s voice. She turned
slightly to see him standing behind her.
“Could I talk to you for a minute?”
Laura looked at him, then at Katherine. “I was just about to go look for Emma.” She
let go of Katherine’s hand and glanced at him. “Hello, Johnny.”
“Hi, Laura.”
She faced Katherine again. “I’ll see you later.”
Katherine waved good-bye, then slowly turned toward him. It was the first time she’d
been close to him in weeks. He was as handsome as ever. She had always especially
liked him in his Sunday clothes, the cut of his black vest and crisp white shirt complementing
his lean frame.
Today, however, there was something different about him. She met his gaze, seeing
the familiar fringe of dark hair above his chocolate-brown eyes. But instead of the
strain, worry, and at times even fear she’d seen there over the years, there was something
else she saw.
Peace.
He pulled a folded piece of paper out of the pocket of his black pants. “I know I
said I wouldn’t bother you. This will only take a minute.” He handed her the note.
“For you.”
He’d never written to her before. “What is this?”
“Read it and you’ll understand.” He held it out to her, his eyes pleading with her
to accept the letter.
Reluctantly she took it from his hand. Then, without another word, he turned around
and walked toward his buggy.