Katie's Forever Promise (42 page)

“Thanks for the advice.” Katie smiled as Ben's aunt and uncle turned to leave.

“You'll make it, so don't worry,” Rosemary assured her. “I can see you're quite in love with each other.”

“That we are,” Ben said.

Katie turned to face the next people in line.

“Margaret and Sharon!” she gushed, “Thank you for coming!” Katie hugged both of them. Ben looked nervous for once as he shook their hands.

“We wouldn't have missed your wedding for the world,” Margaret offered for both of the women.

“It was such a solemn ceremony this morning,” Sharon said. “It almost brought tears to my eyes.”

“And you're obviously so in love,” Margaret cooed. “I can see it in your eyes. And he's handsome too. How did you catch him, Katie?”

“She chased me down with her buggy,” Ben offered.

Both Margaret and Susan laughed.

“He's witty too,” Katie said. “He'll keep me entertained through the easy times and the hard times.”

“I'm sure he will, so be sure to take good care of him,” Margaret said. Then the two girls moved on, giving a quick wave over their shoulders before blending into the crowd.

“You pick such decent friends,” Ben said.

“You're just trying to build up your own stock because I married you,” Katie shot back. “But they are
wunderbah
.”

Ben turned to shake hands with Jesse and
Mamm
. “You have a great daughter, Jesse. Thank you for allowing me to marry her.”

“It's an honor, Ben,” Jesse said, giving Ben a firm handshake. “And the best to you and yours. Take care of Katie now.”

Mamm
hugged Katie close and tears began to fall. “Oh, Katie, I'm going to miss you so very, very much. The house will seem empty and cold.”

“Now,
Mamm
,” Katie comforted her. “Time moves on, and it won't be that bad. You still have four children at home. We'll visit often…”

“You do that!”
Mamm
wiped away her tears and shook hands with Ben. “I wish both of you the best. And you're getting a very
gut frau
.”

“I know,” Ben said. “The absolute best. And don't worry. I'll see to it that she makes it home often.”

Jesse and
Mamm
moved on. Behind them Mabel appeared with Norman following her. Behind the two of them were Enos and his
frau
. Katie really had no desire to see Norman or Enos, but one had to be charitable, especially on one's wedding day. And Enos was now decent to her whenever she had dealings with him as the head of the school board.

Mabel shook hands with Ben, and turned to give Katie a hug. “You looked so gorgeous today. You're a
wunderbah
sister, and I love you so much!”

“And I love you, Mabel,” Katie said, their hug lingering. “Thanks for all the help you were with the wedding.
Mamm
and I couldn't have done it without you.”

Mabel patted her rounded stomach. “You exaggerate as usual, Katie—at least when it comes to me. But I'm glad I could help before I got too big.”

“Is the baby doing okay?” Katie whispered.

Mabel glowed and nodded.

Katie turned her attention to Norman, who was chatting with Ben. He looked quite nervous, but he managed to smile as he shook her hand. “Katie, I think I need to apologize about something.”

Katie waited. She couldn't remember Norman doing anything against her lately, but apologizing would be a
gut
exercise for him—whether it was needed or not.

Norman hung his head. “About our wedding…or at our wedding, I should say. I shouldn't have objected to you being Mabel's bridesmaid. It was mean of me. And I hope you can forgive me.”

“Oh!” Katie searched for the best words to say. “That was a long time ago, but
yah
, of course I forgive you.”

“Thank you.” Norman looked appropriately humble as he moved on. Mabel took his hand as they disappeared into the crowd.

Katie looked back to face the equally nervous Enos Kuntz. He extended his hand, and Katie shook it. Enos seemed to search for what to say. “It's a
gut
day for you, Katie. And I'm glad things turned out okay. And,
yah
, we appreciate your teaching. Abram's doing quite well.”

“He's improving every week,” Katie said. “And I suppose everything turned out for the best.”

Enos muttered something and moved on. His
frau
shook hands with Katie, not saying anything. She was a quiet woman and always had been, Katie thought. She must be or she'd have given Enos Kuntz a piece of her mind a long time ago.

“They're nice people,” Ben whispered in her ear.

Katie pinched his leg. “Stop it. This is a serious moment.”

He looked away to keep from laughing.

Katie felt she would soon do the same herself if Ben didn't stop teasing. So much happiness was rising up inside her she thought she might burst.

The line finally came to an end, and people left for home.
Bishop Miller came to push the pole barn doors shut as the couple walked outside. Willis had Longstreet hitched to Ben's buggy waiting in the front yard.

“You didn't have to stay around so late,” Katie protested even as she smiled.

“It's with my pleasure and best wishes,” Willis said, slapping Longstreet's neck in delight.

Ben gave Katie a hand to help her into the buggy, and they took off. He drove slowly out of the lane, holding the lines gently. Once on the road, he bent his head sideways to kiss Katie, and his hat fell to the floor. Katie giggled, picked it up, and threw it behind the seat.

“I have to see to drive,” he muttered, as she kept pulling his head toward her.

She let go, but snuggled up to him as Ben drove faster. The moon now hung high in the sky, the hour close to midnight. Katie didn't care—even if they had to get up early tomorrow morning to help clean the pole barn at Bishop Miller's. This was a day she wanted to remember for the rest of her life. There would never be another man in her life other than Ben. How could there be?

Ben pulled into their driveway, and Katie helped him unhitch. She waited by the buggy until he returned from putting Longstreet in the barn. Together they walked toward the house, hand in hand. Someone had been here and left a kerosene lamp burning on the living room desk. The warm light crept through the window, welcoming them home as Ben opened the front door.

Discussion Questions

1. Should Katie have been more cautious in her acceptance of the offer from the chairman of the school board—Enos Kuntz—to become the new schoolteacher?

2. How well do you think Katie handled Ruth Troyer's unexpected visit to the schoolhouse?

3. Should Katie have accepted Norman Kuntz's attentions when he asked to drive her home from the hymn singing?

4. Should Ben have testified against his former comrades-in-crime? Why or why not?

5. Was Katie wise when she agreed to accompany Willis to the hospital for a visit with Ben?

6. Do you think Mabel was in love with Norman when she interfered with his relationship with Katie? What other motives might she have had?

7. When Norman came to the schoolhouse, should Katie have promised never to see Ben again?

8. When does Katie really understand that she still loves Ben, and that
Da Hah
will restore their love?

9. Would Katie have forgiven Norman for his explosion of anger, if he'd asked? Would it have made a difference in their relationship?

10. How well does Katie do with her struggle to accept Norman as family once it becomes apparent that Mabel intends to marry him?

11. Should Ben have agreed to testify against the shooter? What do you think of the community's request that he refrain?

12. What do you think of the ministry's request that Ben separate from the community?

13. What did you discover about restoring broken relationships and healing wounds?

14. What do you think the main theme of
Katie's Forever Promise
is? Why?

About Jerry Eicher

Jerry Eicher's
bestselling Amish fiction (more than 500,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, Hannah's Heart series, The Fields of Home series, Little Valley series, and stand-alone novels. His nonfiction includes
My Amish Childhood
and
The Amish Family Cookbook
(with his wife, Tina). After a traditional Amish childhood that included living in Honduras, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he's been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies.

If you enjoyed the Emma Raber's Daughter series
,

watch for Jerry's new series:

The Beiler Sisters

Book 1:
Holding a Tender Heart

coming January 2014.

About the Publisher

To read sample chapters of Jerry's other books, log on to our website:

www.HarvestHousePublishers.com

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

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