The Wonder of Your Love (A Land of Canaan Novel) (16 page)

He took a deep breath and lied. “No, I’m all set.”

What he needed was a quick cure for fear of heights.

Thankfully, his oldest son didn’t suffer from the same affliction, and from the time Jake was ten years old, Eli had given him all the chores that required climbing, especially on the roof. Jake loved being the one to clean the gutters. It practically made Eli break out in hives.

But here he was. And up the ladder he would go. For Katie Ann.

“See you shortly.”

Eli propped the ladder against the house and thanked the Lord that it was only a one-story home. He eased up the steps and prayed that he could make any repairs from the ladder, without actually crawling onto the roof. Two rungs from the top, and he could already feel his legs shaking. He scanned the area and saw the loose shingles. Shaking his head, he took one more step up and realized that he was going to have to climb up on top of the roof to be able to get to the problem area. Most of the snow had melted from the afternoon sun. He slung Elam’s box full of tools onto the roof, along with a few shingles he had tucked under his arm.

As luck would have it, the shingles slid right off the roof. He started his descent back down the ladder, sighing.
This had better be the best stew I ever had
.

KATIE ANN TOOK
a bite of stew, closed her eyes, and savored the taste of the seasoned beef, carrots, and potatoes. “I wish you were old enough to try this, Jonas.” She took another sampling before putting the lid back on the pot.

She pulled a loaf of bread from the oven and began to set the table with chow-chow, butter, and several jars of jam. She couldn’t stop thinking about Martha and wished her friend would join them for supper.

Sunshine poured through her window in the kitchen and bounced off her shiny wood floors that she’d cleaned earlier in the day. She could still smell a hint of ammonia, but mostly she smelled stew and burning cedar in the fireplace. Everything was ready, so she picked up Jonas and laid him in the playpen in the living room so she could keep an eye on him while she and Eli ate. She expected him to fall asleep soon since she’d just nursed him.

She could see the ladder propped up against the house from her window in the living room, and while she’d been cooking, she’d heard activity on the roof. As she walked closer to the window, she looked up and saw Eli working, so she went back to the kitchen. She’d just set the table with her best china and laid out napkins when she heard a thud. Followed by a groan. Gasping, she feared the worst as she ran through the living room and bolted out the door.

Sure enough, Eli was sprawled out on his back in the snow, and he wasn’t moving. Katie Ann got to him as fast as she could and leaned down over him as her heart beat out of her chest.

He crinkled his forehead and slowly opened his eyes.

“
Ach
, thank goodness you’re not dead.” Katie Ann cringed as she realized what she’d said.

“
Ya
. Thank goodness.” Eli laughed but quickly moaned, closing his eyes again.

“Should I go call for help?” She touched his shoulder but pulled back when he clamped his eyes closed and groaned again. “How badly are you hurt?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m afraid to move. I guess I lost my footing.”

“I’m going to go get Samuel.” Katie Ann started to stand up, but Eli opened his eyes and grabbed her arm. He eased her back down.

“Please don’t. I’m embarrassed enough.” He slowly sat up, and Katie Ann was horrified to see blood in the snow where his head had been.

“You’re hurt.” She reached up and gently twisted his head so she could try to inspect his wound. “I think we’d better get you to a hospital.”

“Really? Because I’d rather not.” He bent his legs, propped one arm against the ground, and tried to stand up, but lost his balance.

Katie Ann put an arm around him. “Here, let me help you.”

“I should fall off the roof more often.” Eli leaned into her and smiled.

“You will not be getting back on my roof.”

“Don’t need to. It’s fixed.” He glanced upward. “Although Elam’s toolbox is still up there.”

“We’ll get it later. Let’s get you into the
haus
so I can have a look at your head.”

Katie Ann knew that she shouldn’t be thinking about the way Eli’s arm was draped around her shoulder, or the way that her arm was around his waist. She got him situated on the couch, checked on Jonas in his playpen, and hurried to the kitchen for a wet rag. When she got back, Eli was standing in the middle of the room.

“I was dripping blood on your couch.” He lost his footing, and Katie Ann was afraid he was going to fall over.

“I don’t care about that. Sit down.” She helped him back to the couch and began dabbing at the back of his head. “You must have hit a small rock or something. There’s a jagged little cut, and I really think you need some stitches.”

“Can’t you just put a butterfly bandage on it?”

Katie Ann smiled at his sad, puppy-dog eyes. “Eli Detweiler, are you afraid of a few stitches?”

“No. I’m
hungry
.” He drew in a long deep breath. “I’ve been dreaming about that stew the whole time I was working.”

“Well, all right. I’ll be right back with my first aid kit, and I’ll bandage you up as best I can.”

“Maybe some aspirin too?”

Katie Ann nodded as she headed down the hall to the bathroom. She quickly found some bandages, antibiotic ointment, and aspirin in the medicine cabinet. After getting a glass of water, she gave him the aspirin and got to work doctoring his head. It seemed much too intimate to be running her hands in his hair to clear the area for the bandage.

“I still think you need to have a doctor look at it.” Katie Ann stood up.

“
Danki
, Nurse Katie Ann. But I feel
gut
as new.” He rose from the couch. Slowly. He grabbed his back as he straightened. “Okay, maybe not exactly
gut
as new.” He grinned. “But still hungry.”

“Come, come.” She motioned with her hand for him to follow her to the kitchen.

After they both prayed silently, they ate with little conversation. Eli helped himself to some butter bread and finished three bowls of stew, commenting several times about how much he liked it. Katie Ann was pleased that he enjoyed her cooking. Ivan had rarely said anything about her meals, especially the last few years. It was nice to have a man enjoying her efforts.

Katie Ann brought coffee into the living room while Eli stoked the fire. As darkness set in, she lit the two lanterns in her living room and one by the front door. Jonas started to fuss in his playpen, but before she could go to him, Eli had picked up the baby and settled back on the couch with Jonas in his lap. Katie Ann sat down beside him.

Eli looked up at her. “How’s his tummy been?”

“Much better. If he doesn’t have a hearty burp after his feeding, I rub his tummy, and that seems to solve the problem.

He’s sleeping much better during the night.” She smiled. “And so am I.”

Eli let out a quiet moan.

“I bet
you
won’t sleep well tonight, though. I’m so sorry that happened, Eli.”

“Me too.” He chuckled. “I’m feeling a little stiff. But . . . all worth it to have that stew. Katie Ann, that was mighty
gut
. Some of the best I’ve had.”

Katie Ann tucked her chin, feeling her face heat up. “
Danki
. I was happy to cook it for you.” She looked back up to see him gazing into her eyes, and a faint alarm went off, but she knew she wasn’t going to ask him to leave. As much as she loved Martha’s company in the evenings, it was nice to have a man in her home, sharing a meal and conversation.

For the next four hours Katie Ann sat on one end of the couch, facing Eli who was at the other end. Jonas was in between them, sleeping soundly on a blanket. As the fire crackled and lit the room, Katie Ann watched the shadows dance across Eli’s face as he talked about his childhood, his teenage years, and how he met Sarah.

“I was with her when she took her last breath, and the last thing she said to me before she died was that I should find a new
mudder
for the
kinner
right away.” Eli blinked several times and avoided Katie Ann’s eyes. “I failed her.” After a few moments, he looked back up at her. “I know it’s our way to remarry as soon as a spouse passes, but I just couldn’t. Sarah was my everything, and replacing her just seemed so . . . so wrong.” He leaned back against the couch. “I didn’t even really try. I mean, everyone in the community was trying to fix me up with someone, but I just wasn’t interested. And not only that, I didn’t have time for dating. I had six
kinner
.”

“It must have been so hard for you.” Katie Ann couldn’t remember having such a deep conversation with Ivan. Ever.

This was nice.

“Looking back, I should have tried harder. I’m sure Sarah was right. It would have been better for the
kinner
to have had a
mudder
, and it was selfish of me not to have tried harder to find them one.” He took a sip of his coffee. “There were babysitters and family members who helped, but I was young, and I thought I could do everything myself. Prove to Sarah that I didn’t need anyone else.” He put his coffee on the coffee table, then reached over and touched her hand. “I’m sorry.

I’ve mostly been talking about me. Tell me about you.”

Katie Ann told Eli about her childhood . . . and even told him about Annie. “
Mei
sister was only four months old when she just went to sleep and didn’t wake up.”

Eli’s eyes never left hers as she spoke, and even though he didn’t seem to have any words for her loss, his eyes blinked with sadness and compassion. She also told him how she and Ivan tried for years to have a baby, but she skimmed quickly over the part about Lucy and how Ivan eventually left her.

“That must have been so hard for you.”

She wasn’t sure if Eli meant when Ivan left or when he died. In some ways, it was as if he died the day he walked out the door.

It had been a surprisingly good evening. They’d taken turns getting coffee refills and even shared a piece of shoofly pie. But it was getting late. She glanced at the clock as she stifled a yawn.

“I saw that.” Eli grinned. “I remember how it is to have a little one. You’re probably already thinking about how many times you will be getting up with him during the night. I’m going to go. It’s almost nine o’clock.”

Katie Ann stood up, tired, but not anxious for him to leave. “I’ve enjoyed tonight.”

“Me too.”

She followed him to the door and waited as he got bundled up. “I’m sure Elam and Vera have a heavy blanket in the buggy. You’ll need it.” She handed him his hat. “How is your head? And your back?”

He grimaced a bit as he put his hat on. “I might be a little sore, but I’ll think of you fondly.” He laughed before he leaned down and hugged her. Then he kissed her on the cheek. “
Danki
. For everything.”

“You’re welcome. See you at church on Sunday?”

“If not sooner.” He winked as he headed out the door.

Katie Ann picked up Jonas and carried him to his bedroom. As she dressed for bed, she realized that this had been the best night she’d had in years. And for the first time since she’d met Eli Detweiler, she regretted that all they would ever be is friends.

AS ELI DROVE
home, he thought about the way Katie Ann always seemed to have one eye on Jonas, especially when the baby was in Eli’s arms. But hearing her story about Annie explained why she might be unusually jumpy and protective about the child. He was glad that she’d shared some intimate details about her life and wondered when he would see her again. Then he remembered that he had left Elam’s toolbox up on her roof and smiled to himself.

If only he’d met Katie Ann sixteen or seventeen years ago, right after Sarah had died. But no sooner had he had the thought than he wondered if he would have felt the same way about her.

His grief for Sarah probably would have kept him from seeing Katie Ann. Not only that, but Eli knew that he was not the same person he was seventeen years ago. He tried to speculate what Katie Ann must have been like as a younger woman.

Why, Lord, is she in my path now?
Eli was not going to veer from the plans he’d made, but he found himself caring about Katie Ann in a way he never anticipated. But he would be leaving on Tuesday, and once he was back in his surroundings, he’d work for a few weeks, then schedule one of the many short trips he’d planned to take. Maybe he would send her a postcard from his travels, check on her and Jonas occasionally.