Katie Opens Her Heart (24 page)

Da Hah
would help her figure out what she needed to do. She couldn’t afford to lose Jesse. She and Homer had never been able to have children—even though she’d often desired to gather a young one born in her own home into her arms. She’d wanted to see him grow up and sit at their table. How she’d longed with all her heart for that day while Homer was still alive. But the answer from
Da Hah
had always been
nee
.

Now the desire was stirring in her heart again. She wanted her own children, born as gifts from
Da Hah
’s hand. She should never have allowed her work at the schoolhouse to take her eyes off what she really wanted. Ruth took a deep breath and pronounced, “Amen.”

Leroy and Willis’s heads came up at once. They leaped to their feet and disappeared upstairs. Joel smiled at Ruth for a brief moment before following his brothers. Ruth rose and tried to shoo the two girls out of the kitchen again, but they stood their ground.

“We want to learn how to make pecan pies,” Mabel said again.

Ruth gathered both girls into a big hug, squeezing so hard Carolyn giggled. Ruth turned her face away as tears sprang up in her eyes. She’d always wanted girls to call her own. Now here they were, no longer babies but still young enough for her to mother. Perhaps this would be just as
gut
as having her own children.

She could begin to win Jesse by wrapping her arms of love around his children. They still needed things from her—even if it was only instructions on how to make pies. Later there would be many other things she could teach them. And before long they would be young ladies, and the boys in the community would be making eyes at them. She could guide them through the maze of the feelings growing up created in a young girl’s heart. Each day she would see that they got what daughters deserved. And only the best boys would be
gut
enough for her girls. Thank
Da Hah
she’d arrived in time. Whatever Jesse was up to tonight—including visiting Emma Raber—it would have to be stopped. It shouldn’t be that hard to accomplish. Didn’t she already have her foot in the door, so to speak?

Carolyn wiggled loose from Ruth’s arms and began to take the dishes to the counter. Mabel went to the sink, filled the pan with water, and put it on the stove to heat. Well, she would join them, Ruth decided. Sometime soon Jesse would come home, and she would tackle the subject with him alone—whatever time of night that was. There was no way she was going to leave these girls alone tonight.

“I wish you could come more often,” Mabel said, looking up at Ruth. “It feels so like home again with you here.”

“Oh…” Ruth said, tears forming in her eyes, “I would so love that, Mabel. You have no idea how much I would. Both of you are such lovely girls.”

“I don’t know about that,” Mabel said.

“Mabel smiled to Mose Yutzy the other Sunday,” Carolyn announced.

“She did?” Ruth cooed as Mabel turned red. “Well, that’s
wunderbah
. But aren’t you a little young yet, Mabel?”

“It’s not like he’s asking me home,” Mabel protested.

“But someday he might,” Ruth said. “And that would be such a
gut
catch.”

Mabel turned a deeper shade of red, and Carolyn laughed.

“Stop it!” Mabel snapped at Carolyn. “Or I’ll rub it in once you smile to a boy.”

“I’ll hide my feelings better than you do,” Carolyn said.

“Now, now, girls,” Ruth said. “We’re all different and show our affections in different ways. There’s no right and wrong in how we love those who are close to our hearts.”

Both girls smiled at her and soon at each other.
It feels so
gut, Ruth thought,
to mother these children
. Already it was happening. They would flourish under her care, she was certain, as would the three boys. And perhaps
Da Hah
would still see fit, in His great mercy, to give her and Jesse a little
bobli
of their own. But she had to stop thinking about such things right now. Her face was getting a little red, and this would be hard to explain if Carolyn or Mabel noticed. First things first. Right now she had to take care of these girls, and then she’d wait until Jesse came home. Surely he would be home long before the pecan pie lesson was over. Jesse couldn’t be gone for hours—not without supper in his stomach. No man was capable of such a thing.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Emma climbed down from her buggy. She tossed the reins out the storm front with a quick flick of her hand. She glanced back to see Jesse climbing down from his buggy and walking toward her, leaving Lucy standing in the middle of the lane.

Jesse approached Emma as she was unhitching. He kept his voice low. “Would you please let me explain?”

Emma took a moment before she looked up. “Could you explain better in the house, perhaps?”

Surprise must have shown on his face, Jesse thought, because Emma smiled. She tilted her head before saying, “Or on the swing, if you wish.”

Jesse cleared his throat. This was quite confusing. Somewhere along the ride, the woman had changed. He recovered with effort. “I would love that.”

“Are you going to tie up then?” Emma glanced toward Lucy, who was standing in the middle the lane bobbing her head up and down.

Jesse nodded. He returned to the buggy to retrieve the tie rope from under the seat. While Emma continued unhitching, Jesse led Lucy to the hitching post and tied her up. He returned to Emma just in time to hold the shafts as she led her horse forward. He followed her to the barn and waited at the door. He almost offered his help with pulling off the harness, but decided not to. Emma was capable and might think he was taking liberties where they had not yet been given. He had been taking plenty of liberties, he acknowledged, but tonight was not the night to push things. He watched while she put her horse into a stall. Emma glanced at him as she walked to the barn door. What she was thinking was hard to tell. But what could he expect from a woman who had just discovered she had a rival camped out in her intended husband’s home?

They walked to the house, and Emma motioned for Jesse to sit on the swing. She sat down beside him. Jesse heard his stomach growl and looked away. That was something he’d forgotten, but the awareness of his hunger was coming back now that he was no longer racing after Emma.

“That’s right, you mentioned you didn’t have any supper,” Emma acknowledged.

Jesse grimaced. “True, but supper can wait.”

“So…” Emma said, “you said you have an explanation for why Ruth Troyer is at your house tonight…”

Jesse coughed into his hand. “
Yah
, of course I have an explanation.” He paused.

She waited quietly while he gathered his thoughts.

“I began to think about asking you to marry me many months ago, Emma. At that time I wasn’t thinking about Ruth in the least. In fact, I didn’t think of her at all other than as my children’s schoolteacher.” Jesse glanced in Emma’s direction.

“I’m listening.”

Jesse nodded. “What I’m trying to say is that I never had—nor do I have—a romantic thought about Ruth. All I know is that recently she’s been stopping by after school, making friends with Mabel and my two youngest children, and in general making a pest of herself. Now tonight when I have the evening planned with you, it was announced at the supper table by one of the children that ‘teacher Ruth is coming over’ to teach Mabel how to make pecan pies.”

“No woman comes into a man’s house without encouragement, Jesse. Not even Ruth Troyer.”

He sighed. “I did eat her pecan pie the other day. But it’s the children, really, who may have encouraged her. They really like her. I’m planning to deal with the problem—if that confounded woman gives me a chance.”

Emma laughed a little. “Ruth doesn’t give chances. You should know that by now.”

“I know.” He reached for her hand. “Really, I’m sorry about all this. I suppose it’s my fault. I’m not used to dealing with these… um…tactics, shall we say?”

She met his gaze. “I believe you, Jesse. I know Ruth Troyer well enough.”

His hand tightened on hers. “Thank you.”

“I realized on the way back home that you wouldn’t be making such a fool out of yourself by chasing after me if you didn’t care a lot. I overreacted earlier. A woman thing, I guess.”

He stared at her. “Emma, I’m coming to think you do care for me…at least a little.”

She smiled. “
Yah
, a little. But even so, I’m still tender around my heart. I guess that’s why I flew off the handle like I did. And you’ll have to deal with Ruth. She can’t go on acting like she is.”

“I know.” He glanced about.

“And what about the children?” Her fingers held on to his arm. “Their feelings worry me. I can’t force your children to love me. Especially if they’ve taken a shine to their teacher.”

Jesse hung his head. “Perhaps I wasn’t seeing things clearly, but you can win them over, Emma. Don’t underestimate yourself.”

Emma sighed. “This is new to me too, Jesse. You’ll have to give me time. So will they.”

He touched her face. “
Yah
, time is on our side. You’ll see.”

She dropped her eyes.

“
Da Hah
is with us, Emma. Don’t forget that.” He drew her close. “Now, I suppose I’d better go home and take care of my problem with Ruth. And you and I will schedule another night with the children.”

She smiled. “
Yah
, you might be right. First, come inside. The least I can do is give you supper.”

“There’s supper waiting at home,” he protested. “I know you weren’t expecting company.”

“You think I can’t cook?”

He laughed. “Now you’re sounding like Mabel—always worried you don’t measure up. Of course I’m sure you can cook. But you don’t have to tonight. It doesn’t take me that long to drive home. Not any longer than it does for you to fix supper, I’m sure.”

“Come in,” she repeated. “I don’t want Ruth Troyer feeding you supper.”

He smiled. “Ruth will be long gone by the time I get there.”

Emma gave a snort. “That’s what you think. But let’s not speak of her anymore.” She rose and Jesse followed her example.

As they entered the house, Katie came out of the kitchen and made a dash for the upstairs.

“Please, Katie!” Jesse held up his hand. “Please join us while your
mamm
prepares some supper for me. I’d like to speak with you.”

Katie stared at him before joining him on the couch. “So, is this your first lecture on me not running with the Mennonite youth group?”

“Katie!” Emma exclaimed after she gasped from the kitchen doorway.

“Well,” Katie said, before Jesse could speak, “I’m not going to change my mind about going to Esther’s gathering tomorrow night. I might as well get it out in the open.”

“Katie, mind your manners now,” Emma warned.

Katie lower her gaze. “I’m sorry, but the two of you did come racing in here like two teenagers.”

Jesse chuckled. “That’s okay. I suppose we do look a little old to be acting so young. But even adults have things to work out.”

Katie looked at him. “So why is
Mamm
back so early? And why were you tearing after her in your buggy? Did the meeting with your children not go very well?”

“I don’t think you should be asking any of these questions,” Emma interrupted. “Please go upstairs, Katie, while I fix Jesse supper.”

Katie leaped to her feet, but Jesse stopped her. “I don’t want to go against your
mamm
’s word here, Katie, but I do want to speak for myself.”

There was a moment’s silence…until Emma nodded for Jesse to continue.

“It’s like this. I have some things at my house that need taking care of. Things have gotten a little out of control, shall we say, and tonight your
mamm
didn’t get to meet my children. Your
mamm
was very decent about understanding my problem, and I think we can work it out.”

He waited as Katie seemed to think on what he’d told her.

“Okay, I see. But about Saturday night. I’m not going to change my mind. And I feel uneasy about how the two of you were acting tonight. It must have something to do with your children not liking
Mamm
.”

“I think I would feel very uneasy myself if I were in your shoes,” Jesse said. “And I hope you enjoy your Saturday night out with your friends. What did you say their names were?”

“I didn’t,” Katie said, a look of surprise crossing her face. “But it’s Esther, Margaret, and Sharon.”

Jesse smiled. “I’m sure they’re very nice girls.”

“
Yah
, they are. I think you’d like them.” Katie rose. “
Gut
night then—to the both of you.”

“
Gut
night.” Jesse turned toward the kitchen as the stair door closed. Emma was staring at him.

“Is that all you have to tell Katie? You hope she has a
gut
night at the Mennonite youth gathering?”

He shrugged. “
Yah
. I thought that was the best thing to tell her. I don’t want to argue with her tonight.”