A Beau for Katie (14 page)

Katie chuckled.

“Now, if you wouldn't mind, there's another bucket of scraps for the chickens in the corner. I don't want fruit flies; you know what eager houseguests they can be.” Viola, a thin bird of a woman with a snub nose and metal-rim glasses, pointed at a bucket on the floor. “Go out through the side door. It's quicker.”

Katie picked up the bucket of garbage and went in the direction Viola sent her, down a hallway, through a utility room and side porch. She completed her task and was just hooking the door on the chicken house when Freeman came up the path, moving easily on his crutches.

“Katie. I was looking for you.”

“So you found me.” She realized her tone of voice was less than kind. She looked up at him, balanced on his crutches. He was getting stronger fast; soon he'd be able to put weight on the casted leg and would only need one crutch. She took a deep breath. “Freeman. Before you say anything, let me apologize.” She set the bucket down. “I should never have said anything sarcastic about Susan. And you were right—I
was
too forward. I should have done what Viola asked, and I told her so. I'm sorry.” She didn't want to argue with Freeman. She loved him. What was wrong with her that she spoke before thinking?

He shook his head. “I came to say that
I'm
sorry. I'm a dunce.” He grimaced. “I should have kept my mouth shut and let you pass out drinks anyway you please. It was just that I wanted to make a good impression on my church family. And you did... I mean you have. There was no reason for me to worry; I should have known that. Viola likes you. She told me so. And several people came to me, just to say how happy they were with our betrothal announcement.” He shrugged. “I suppose this is what comes of me not marrying younger. The older a man gets, the more convinced he is that he knows more than he does.”

“A woman, too.” She smiled up and him and he smiled back. She looked up to see his uncle approaching. “Uncle Jehu.”

The older man came down the path at a steady pace, keeping to the center of the walkway with confidence. How did he do it? Katie wondered. Ivy had explained that Jehu could see light and dark shadows, but he certainly couldn't see the objects around him. “You never cease to amaze me,” she said. “Are you part bat, that you can find your way without seeing?”

Jehu laughed merrily. “
Ne
, not that I've noticed. I just have a good memory.”

“Uncle Jehu built this chicken house and the shed beside it,” Freeman explained. “This used to be his farm.”

“Ach,”
Katie said. “I didn't know.”

“And how would you?” Jehu asked her. He looked to his nephew. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about, if you have a minute. I was going to wait until tonight, but this seems as good a time as any.”

Katie reached for the bucket. “I'll leave you two alone.”

The older man shook his head. “No need. You've a sensible head on your shoulders, and I trust your judgment. I'd like your opinion, too, Katie.” He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “What would you say, Freeman, if I told you that I'd want your permission to walk out with Ivy?” He leaned in. “Am I a fool to think of marrying at my age?”

“Well, it's about time,” Freeman replied enthusiastically. “Katie and I have been trying—”

Katie gave Freeman a hard tug on his arm, so hard, she was afraid she'd knocked him off balance and he was going to take a tumble. But it was enough to silence him. “Jehu! I think it's a wonderful idea,” she said with enthusiasm. Freeman opened his mouth to speak again and she brought a finger to her lips, in an exaggerated motion. “I know how highly Ivy thinks of you.”

“I hope so,” Jehu said. “We've known one another for more than forty years, and I've always admired her. She knows my faults, and I've suffered her filling oat porridge for breakfast whether I wanted it or not.” He looked up at Freeman. “I felt it right to ask for your blessing before I asked her if she'd be willing to court. Do I have it?”

Freeman grinned and nodded. “With all my heart, Uncle. You two are both dear to me, and I believe that marriage is something that would make you both happy.”

“I think so, too,” Uncle Jehu said. “I had a good marriage to a good woman, and I miss that companionship. It's not good for a man to be alone. Or a woman.” He turned his head and smiled at Katie. “It seems you've come to the same conclusion.”

“I knew it all along. It just took me a while to find the right girl,” Freeman told him.

Uncle Jehu ran his fingers through his beard and tugged at the strands thoughtfully. “Well, the way I see it, there's no time like the present.” He gave a wave. “No need to worry about us riding home with you in the buggy, following afternoon service. Ivy likes to walk home on Sundays when she can, and it's not far. It might do me a world of good to walk with her.”

“Whatever you think best,” Freeman agreed.

“I don't know about that.” Uncle Jehu shook his head. “What I think best at the moment is for me to go back to the table and have a second piece of peach pie.” He rubbed his midsection and chuckled. “But, common sense tells me I've eaten enough for one meal and need to leave enough for someone else.” He gave a nod. “It heartens me that you two approve. I'd not want to cause trouble under our roof or any other. But one thing I promise you, if your grandmother will have me, I'll do my best to care for her the way she deserves.”

“I know you will,” Freeman assured him as he walked away.

When they were alone again, she poked him in the side. “You weren't supposed to tell him it was our idea to see them together,” she chided.

He pulled away from her, apparently ticklish. “I figured pretty quick that I said something wrong. You almost knocked me over.”

She laughed with him. “Oh, I did not. A big strong man like you?” She dropped her hands to her hips. “It's best if he believes it was his idea to court your grandmother. Not that we'd come up with it and were trying to—”

“Manage their lives?” Freeman asked. He chuckled. “But we are, aren't we?”

“Maybe a little,” she said, stepping in front of him to face him. “But with the best intentions.”

“Thank goodness you stopped me,” he told her. “I wouldn't want Uncle Jehu to think that I was trying to force him out of my house.”

“He doesn't. He wouldn't. He knows what a good person you are.”

Freeman leaned on his crutches and drew the tip of his index finger down her chin. “You think I am, Katie?”

Emotion constricted her throat. “I know you are,” she murmured, looking into his warm eyes. “The best.”

“Goot.”
He grinned at her. “Remember that when you're tempted to crack my knuckles with a spoon.”

Chapter Thirteen

F
rom the mill's loading dock, Freeman waved as Preacher Dan drove out of the parking lot with six bags of chicken feed and two of hog chow in the back of his wagon just as the truck from R & W Stables was pulling into the lot. Freeman glanced at Shad. “Can you manage this order?”

Shad nodded. He removed his straw hat and used a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
“Ya.”
A wide smile split his narrow face
.
“Bagged and waiting for'm. Same as last month and the one before.”

“I'll leave you to it, then,” Freeman pronounced. Loading the horse feed and mineral blocks was routine, but a task he wasn't quite ready for yet. He was off his crutches now. His doctor wanted him to put weight on the leg, but he needed the assistance of a cane, which wasn't exactly conducive to loading hundred-pound bags of feed.

Freeman eyed Shad. The young man might be a bit undersized for a miller, but he was strong for his size and he could move fast when he put his mind to it. Maybe he would prove his worth, as Katie and Uncle Jehu seemed to think. Shad's effort had improved by leaps and bounds in the last few weeks. Back at the start of summer, Freeman wouldn't have given him much of a chance of lasting until autumn, let alone keeping his job long enough to serve his apprenticeship. If it hadn't been for the accident, Freeman knew he probably would have sent Shad home to his mother and looked for a steadier employee. Katie's stubborn insistence that what Shad needed was more encouragement and more responsibility, rather than less, might have been what made the difference.

Freeman hated to admit it, but as an employer, he had a lot to learn. Maybe more than that, there was a great deal of wisdom he had to gain. Truth was, he had Katie to thank for saving his relationship with Shad. He would have lost a valuable asset because he hadn't been willing to try patience and trust. Katie was quite the woman, wise beyond her years. Hard to believe that he'd only really known her for a little more than eight weeks. Having her in his life had changed it so much for the better.

Using his cane, Freeman made his way down the ramp and toward the house. A fat mallard hen trailed after him, and following her, beak to bobbing tails were nine fluffy ducklings. “Go on back to the pond,
Mommi
,” he said, waving his arm. “You're going to get your babies flattened in this parking lot.” The duck paid no attention, so he dug in his pants pocket and came up with a handful of shelled corn. Using the food as bait, he led the ducks out of the lot, across the drive and down to the water's edge. He scattered the rest of the corn and then, while they were picking at the bright yellow kernels, he made his getaway.

Mingled peals of laughter from the yard drew his attention and he looked up to see his grandmother and uncle sitting side by side in a swing under the maple trees. Balls of multi-colored wool were scattered all around their feet, and Grossmama was waving a length of knitting and giggling like a girl.

“What's so funny?” Freeman called.

“She's taunting a blind man,” his uncle replied. “Just because my knitting is a little uneven.”

“Uneven?” Grossmama doubled over with glee. “Freeman's tame crow could knit better with his beak tied behind him than this man. I wouldn't put this poor excuse for a baby blanket in a dog's bed.”

“You see how she mistreats me,” Uncle Jehu protested, pulling the little terrier into his lap and scratching behind the dog's ears.

His grandmother stood up and started picking up the stray balls of wool. “Pay no attention to him,” she said. “There's none so blind as he who will not see.”

Freeman looked from one to the other; they were obviously enjoying themselves. More importantly, each other. The two had been inseparable lately, so he supposed their courtship was going smoothly. Probably Katie could take credit for that blessing, as well. He couldn't remember when he'd seen Uncle Jehu smile more, and his grandmother now sang in the mornings when she worked in her flower garden. Maybe Uncle Jehu and Grossmama would have decided to court if Katie hadn't joined them, but there was no telling. They'd always been a family, but he had no doubts that Katie Byler had brought joy into this house and drawn them all closer.

Now that his leg had almost mended, Katie no longer came daily to help with the housework. Due to their ages and circumstances, Uncle Jehu and Grossmama might get around the rules. But it wasn't seemly that he and Katie, about to call their banns, should spend every day in each other's company. Nor did it seem right that she should be his housekeeper. It was the right decision but that didn't keep Freeman from missing her presence or from feeling that without her some of the light had gone out of his home.

Katie did come to visit his grandmother several times a week, and she was quick to lend him a hand where it was needed. Sometimes, she could be persuaded to walk down by the millpond with him, and several times he'd taken her out in the rowboat. They'd made the excuse that they were fishing, when really, it was a way to be alone together without crossing any unwritten rules of behavior for courting couples. They were in full view of anyone passing by, yet no one could approach them, and no one could overhear their conversation.

Once she stopped working for them, Katie hadn't returned to her brother's home, but had remained at Sara's. With the wedding so close, Katie had decided it would be better to leave his brother and new wife to themselves. Katie and Freeman continued to worship together on church Sundays and visit her family on the alternate Sabbaths. Twice, they had driven out in the evening to spend time with other young couples, but as much as he enjoyed the company of his friends, he found that he liked being alone with Katie best.

Freeman had never thought that he would talk to anyone the way he talked to her. She was a good listener, and she never held back when she had an opinion, but she was sensible. If he could defend his position and it was better than hers, she would come around without the least bit of resentment. Standing there seeing how Uncle Jehu and Grossmama were having such a good time together reminded him how much he and Katie found to laugh about. He'd often wondered if he'd ever find a woman that would fill the empty part in his life, and now, thanks be to the Lord God, he had. Katie Byler was the answer to his prayers.

They'd set a wedding date for the second Thursday in November, and they'd already picked their couples to attend them. The wedding couldn't come soon enough to suit him. Despite his earlier concerns about her strong personality and his determination that he be the master of his own house, Katie was his choice for a wife. He felt at odds without her beside him, and he expected his life to go smoother once the formalities were over and they could settle into married life.

As Freeman walked toward his grandmother and uncle, he realized she must have been talking to him and he hadn't heard a word she said.

“Told you. You may as well talk to your knitting needles,” Uncle Jehu said. “The boy's not heard a word you've said.”

“Ya,”
Freeman said. “Sorry. I was...”

His uncle laughed. “Woolgathering. Mind's on Katie, you can count on it.”

“I'm sorry, Grossmama,” Freeman said. “I'm listening now. What was it you said?”

“I said,” she repeated merrily, “that Jehu and I were considering a day in October.”

He blinked. “For?”

“We're doing no such thing,” Uncle Jehu told her. Playfully, he flung a ball of wool in Ivy's direction. “We'll marry—
if
we marry—in December. We'll not be stealing the thunder from all you young rascals.” He looked back at Freeman. “First we get you and Katie settled and then we'll see.”

Freeman stared at her. “Married? The two of you have decided—”

“Sweet huckleberry buckle,” his grandmother exclaimed, coming to her feet. “You can't think that we mean to waste the remainder of our days courting. Of course we're considering setting a wedding date.”

Freeman caught her to him and hugged her. “Congratulations. I think that's wonderful. Katie will be thrilled.”

“Well, you're not to tell her yet, because we'll want to do that ourselves, once we speak to the bishop,” Grossmama said. She kissed his cheek. “But you're a good boy. If I had a dozen grandsons, you'd still be my favorite.”

“You know I'd do anything for you,” Freeman said, releasing her and stepping back. “I'd be lost without you.”

“The best thing you can do for her now,” Uncle Jehu said, “is to marry that pretty girl of yours come November and give us a bevy of grandbabies to bounce on our knees.”

“I'll marry Katie,” Freeman promised. “As to the grandchildren, that's up to the Lord. You know we'll welcome as many as he chooses to send us.”

“Amen to that,” his grandmother whispered. “It's been far too long since we've had a new babe in this house.” She beamed at Freeman. “But you cost me many a night's sleep. You were so set in your ways that I thought you'd end up an old bachelor with a house full of cats.”

“Are you calling me hard to please?” Freeman asked.

“Truer words never spoken,” Uncle Jehu chimed in. “Until sweet Katie came to us, we were both afraid that we'd be in our graves long before you ever found a woman you'd want to take to wife.”

* * *

“I think that's it for this batch,” Katie said as she turned off the heat under the pressure cooker. “We'll let it cool down and then put the last six quarts in.” She and Ivy were in Freeman's kitchen, where they'd been canning tomatoes all morning. Two dozen pints and an equal number of quart jars stood on the windowsill. So far, every jar had been sealed. They looked wonderful and would taste even better when the temperature dropped and the cold winds of winter whipped around the farmhouse. Katie had always loved canning. It was hard work, usually in a sweltering kitchen in the first days of September, but the rewards were so great. It wasn't like sweeping the floor, where the results lasted only a few hours. There was nothing like pantry shelves filled with jars of fruit and vegetables to make a woman pleased with her efforts.

Ivy carefully ladled hot skinned tomatoes into waiting Mason jars. “It's so good of you to come and help me with this,” she said. “And good of Sara to spare you.”

“I'm glad to do it,” Katie replied. “Canning is one job I never minded. And you've had such a bumper crop of tomatoes this year. It would be a shame to let any go to waste.” She wiped down the jar rims with a clean dishtowel, added lids and screwed the rims into place. Then, using hot mitts, she lifted the filled jars and moved them to the counter beside the gas range.

Ivy finished filling the last jar and went to the sink to wash her hands. “Iced tea?” she asked.

Katie nodded.
“Danki.”
Ivy made good tea, flavoring it with fresh mint leaves from her garden and using raw sugar instead of the white refined sugar that most people used. “I had a nice letter from Uriah yesterday,” she said. “He said more in it than he ever has before. He seems like a good man. I hope he finds someone who will make him happy.”

Ivy filled two glasses with ice and poured cold tea over top. “I know he must be sorry that you've chosen to wed someone else.”

“He sounds as if he is.” Katie glanced at her and smiled. “He says that if things don't work out, if I decide that I don't want to marry Freeman, he's still willing.” She shrugged, amused that she'd gone years hoping for a husband and now she had more than one man willing to wed her.

Ivy chuckled. “Maybe you should think again. This Uriah might have more sense than my grandson. Look at him.” She pointed out the window. “Practically running across the yard, barely using his cane. I keep telling him not to get ahead of himself. Not to push himself too hard. Nobody can tell him anything. He always knows best.” She shook her head. “He won't always be easy to live with, Katie. I warn you. I love him, but I know him all too well. God never made a more hardheaded man.”

They heard the slam of the porch screen door. Ivy glanced up. “Don't bring that crow in here, Freeman. We're canning. We can't have feathers flying around while we're putting up food.” She turned back to Katie. “You tell him, Katie. He won't listen to me. I don't want that crow in the house. Nasty bird.”

Katie went to the kitchen door. Freeman did have the crow. It was riding on his shoulder. There was no cord on its leg. Apparently the crow sat there of its own volition. “Your grandmother wants you to leave the crow—” she began.

“I heard her,” Freeman answered. “This crow's a lot cleaner than that dog of Uncle Jehu's, but she doesn't have to worry. I'm not bringing him in.” He walked over to a hanging wooden bar that he'd suspended from the rafters in one corner of the porch and gently transferred the bird from his shoulder to the perch.

The bird settled, Freeman followed Katie into the kitchen. “That all you've got done?” he asked looking at the rows of cooling jars. “I know there's another half bushel basket of tomatoes outside. You think you'll get them all done today?”

Katie looked at Ivy and rolled her eyes. “Maybe we will and maybe we won't,” she said. “Mind your own beeswax. If we don't finish today, I'll come back tomorrow.”

Freeman wandered over to the stove, paying her no mind. “These finished?” he asked, indicating the pressure canner.

“Ya,”
his grandmother replied. “Just waiting for the steam to die down.”

Freeman set his cane against the counter and reached up to remove the weight from the top of the canner. “You've got to remove this to release the pressure,” he explained, as if he thought neither of them had ever canned tomatoes before.