KL04 - Katy's Decision

by Kim Vogel Sawyer

  They reached Dad’s truck, and he opened the door for them. Jonathan took Shelby’s crutches, so she slid in first. He placed the crutches in the back while Katy got in. Even then, he didn’t leave. Instead, he stood in the door’s opening, with one elbow propped on the windowsill and his other hand resting on the top of the truck.

  He smiled at Katy, his blue eyes seeming even darker in the shade of his hat’s brim. “So … what time do you think you’ll be heading in to your aunt’s house this evening?”

  Katy shrugged. “Dad said after supper, but supper might be late tonight. It’ll depend on when Rosemary gets home. With a half dozen ladies doing the cleanup, she might be home in an hour. Or it might take longer.” She gathered her courage and added, “Why?”

  A crooked grin crept up his cheek. “Well, since we don’t work on Sunday, it’s really my only free day. I was hoping we might get to talk a little more—you know, about school … and stuff.”

  Shelby snickered. Katy gave her a light nudge with her elbow. “Maybe you could come to my place for supper,” Katy said. She quickly amended, “If it’s okay with my dad, I mean. I can ask him when he comes out.”

  Jonathan’s smile grew. “That’d be great. But if it’d be too much today — I know you ladies have put in a lot of work for your aunt’s luncheon—it’s all right. I’ll be here ‘til the middle of July, at least. We’ll have other times to talk.”

  Katy really wanted to have more time with Jonathan today. Please let Dad say yes! The prayer had barely left her heart when Dad emerged from the church building and strode to the pickup. Katy said, “Dad, would it be all right if Jonathan Richter came to our place for supper tonight?” She held her breath.

  A funny look came over Dad’s face. “Tonight?” He scratched his chin and chuckled. “Probably won’t be much of a supper—just leftovers from today’s lunch …”

  Katy spun to face Jonathan. “Are leftovers okay with you, Jonathan?”

  He shrugged, dropping his hand from the top of the truck to slip it into his pocket. “Leftovers are fine, if you folks don’t mind sharing them with me.”

  Katy quickly turned to give Dad a hopeful look.

  Dad shrugged. “All right then. Come by around six.”

  “Yes, sir!” Jonathan closed the door and shuffled backward, seeming to keep his gaze locked on Katy until Dad pulled the truck out of the parking area.

  Dad leaned forward a bit to peek past Shelby at Katy. “Anything you want to tell me, Katy-girl?”

  Katy jerked her head to stare out the side window, her ears blazing. “A-about what?”

  Dad chuckled. “Never mind.”

  Shelby giggled. Katy nudged her. Shelby nudged Katy back.

  Dad chuckled again, but he stayed quiet until they reached the house. When he pulled into the drive, however, he let out a low whistle. “Well, well, well, what’s this?”

  Katy zinged her gaze forward, and she released a startled gasp. A cherry-red Nova was parked next to the barn. And Bryce sat on its back fender.

  For the remainder of the afternoon, Katy’s nerves were so on edge she couldn’t decide if she would dissolve into hysterical laughter or wild tears. When Dad found out Bryce had been sitting in the hot sun for half an hour, awaiting their return, he insisted Bryce come in for a glass of tea and then invited him to stay for supper. Katy nearly groaned when Bryce accepted.

  Two weeks ago if Bryce had shown up unexpectedly at her house, she would have been elated. And a part of her was happy to see him. But why had he come today? She couldn’t sit at the supper table with both boys and act normal! But how could she gracefully send Bryce away when he’d driven out from Salina?

  After issuing the invitation, Dad changed into his work clothes and disappeared into the barn, leaving Katy, Shelby, and Bryce sitting around the kitchen table sipping iced tea. Katy mostly listened to Shelby and Bryce chat. For some reason, she didn’t feel like talking.

  A little before five, the crunch of gravel alerted them to someone’s arrival. Jonathan?! Katy jumped up and dashed to the back door. Her heart sank, and then she mentally scolded herself. Stop it! She sent a glance in Shelby’s and Bryce’s direction. “Rosemary’s home … and Caleb’s here too.”

  Caleb parked by the barn, like always, but Rosemary pulled up beside the back door. Katy gave a little shudder when Caleb hopped out of his car. I hope Dad doesn’t ask Caleb to stay for supper too! Caleb jogged to the barn, and Rosemary headed for the house. She juggled two casserole dishes and three stacked pie plates. Katy held the door wide for her.

  Rosemary looked surprised when she bustled into the kitchen and found Bryce at the table, but she replaced her startled look with a smile. “Well, hello, Bryce. It’s nice to see you again.” She deposited her armload of containers onto the counter and then crossed to the table for a few minutes, talking with Bryce as easily as if he visited every Sunday afternoon.

  Listening, Katy inwardly kicked herself for her mixed feelings. Hadn’t she wanted her parents to accept Bryce as her friend so she could possibly spend more time with him? Hadn’t she wanted him to feel at ease in her Mennonite community? But now that the things she wanted were happening, she only felt confused.

  Because of Jonathan.

  Shelby said, “Mr. Lambright asked Bryce to eat with us tonight.”

  Rosemary beamed. “How nice! We’re glad to share a meal with you, Bryce.” She turned to Katy. “Since there will be five of us for supper —”

  “Six,” Shelby said, holding up her fingers to indicate the number. She flashed Katy a grin.

  Katy cleared her throat. “Um, Jonathan Richter’s coming too.”

  Rosemary’s eyebrows shot up, and so did Bryce’s.

  “Dad said it was okay,” Katy said.

  An amused smile creased Rosemary’s face. “All right then.” She released a soft chuckle. “Since there will be six of us for supper, I suggest we eat at the dining room table instead of trying to crowd around the little kitchen table. Katy, would you like to set the table?”

  Katy bounced up, grateful for the excuse to leave Bryce’s presence for a few minutes yet completely confused by the desire to escape. “Sure.” While she put plates, glasses, and silverware on woven placemats, she listened to Shelby, Bryce, and Rosemary visit. The happy sound of their voices, peppered with bursts of laughter, made her heart ache to be a part of the group, but she still prolonged the task to avoid returning to the kitchen. What is wrong with me?

  When she’d finished setting the table, she chopped vegetables for a tossed salad to go with the leftover potato-and-ham and beef-and-noodle casseroles Rosemary had brought home. The casseroles warmed in the low-heated oven, filling the kitchen with enticing aromas. After everything they’d eaten for lunch, Katy couldn’t believe she was hungry, but the good smells made her stomach twist in eagerness to eat again.

  Rosemary poured a bag of frozen corn into a saucepan, chuckling. “Potluck for lunch and potluck for supper, but we won’t starve.” Then she straightened and clapped a hand to her cheek. “Uh-oh!”

  “What is it?” Katy asked.

  Rosemary waved both hands. “Oh, hardly a calamity, but you know how much your dad likes bread with every meal. I just realized I don’t have any. I took every loaf I baked to the luncheon, and there wasn’t a single slice left over.” She stuck her head in the pantry and then emerged, frowning. “No rolls, either. I guess your dad will have to do without bread for supper.”

  Bryce said, “I’d be glad to run into town and buy a loaf real quick.”

  Rosemary laughed. “Well, I suppose that’s an option in Salina, but our little grocery in Schellberg is never open on Sundays — it’s the Lord’s day, you know.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” Bryce slunk low in his chair.

  Rosemary sent a crinkling smile in Bryce’s direction. “Now, don’t wilt on me. If it were Saturday or Monday, I’d give Katy my car keys and send her straight to town. But …” She held her hands outward. “Not today.”

>   “I could mix up some baking soda biscuits,” Katy said. She glanced at the wall clock — twenty ‘til six. “There’s time yet if I hurry.” Mixing, rolling, and cutting biscuit dough would keep her busy too, so she wouldn’t have to think.

  “But is there room in the oven for a baking sheet with those casserole dishes in there?” Rosemary cracked the door and peeked inside. She straightened, shaking her head. “I’d have to take one of the dishes out, and then we’d have a cold casserole.” She wrinkled her nose. “No, he’ll just have to do without bread tonight. I’m sure we’ll have enough to eat between the casseroles, salad, corn, and leftover pies. But just in case …” She began rummaging in the refrigerator, removing jars of home-pickled cucumbers and beets and store-bought olives.

  Katy opened a cabinet door to get out small serving bowls for the various condiments, and someone knocked on the front door. She sent Rosemary a startled look. “I wonder who that is.” No one from Schellberg ever came to the front door—everyone used the back door, since the driveway was behind the house.

  Rosemary peeked over the top of the refrigerator door and frowned. “I hope it isn’t some sort of salesman. Not on Sunday.” Quite often salesmen peddling wares related to dairy farming showed up uninvited to try and tempt Dad with newer machinery and conveniences.

  “I’ll find out.” Katy clacked the bowls onto the counter and hurried to the front door. She had to twist the sticky, seldom-used lock before she could open the door, and when she swung it wide, she found Jonathan Richter on the porch, still dressed in his Sunday trousers, white shirt, and suit jacket. He held one hand behind his back, and the other pressed his black hat against his stomach. The pose made him look very formal and grown up.

  “Hi, Katy. I hope I’m not too early.” He tipped his head and smiled. “Your dad said six, so …”

  “It’s just fine. Come on in.” She felt out of breath. Probably from her mad dash to the front door. Uh-huh, right … Stepping backward, she gave him room to enter the house.

  He crossed the threshold and then stood just inside the door, smiling at her. He brought his hand from behind his back and dangled a plastic sack stuffed with crusty rolls. “I hope you can use these.”

  Katy gawked at the sack. “How did you know …?” But of course he didn’t know — it was just a coincidence. Even so, having him provide the one thing their meal lacked made Katy’s pulse zip into overdrive.

  “Sandra sent them,” he said, referring to his cousin’s wife. “She forgot to take them to the church this morning, and she baked way too many for just Dan, Sandra, and me.”

  Katy took the bag and hugged it against her front. “Thank you.” She flapped her hand at the standing coat-rack beside the door. “You can put your coat and hat on the rack there.” She waited until he followed her instructions, noting how he smoothed the fabric of his coat after hanging it rather than just slopping it onto a hook. She appreciated the care he took with his belongings.

  Realizing she was staring, she gave herself a little shake. “Come on back to the kitchen and have a seat.” She led him through the dining room toward the kitchen. She gestured to the neatly set table as they passed it. “We don’t have dinner on the table yet because Dad is still out in the barn with the cows. We’ll have to wait until he’s finished, but it shouldn’t be much longer. As Dad said, it’ll just be leftovers, but —” She was rambling. She closed her mouth with a snap.

  They entered the kitchen, and Bryce jumped to his feet. Jonathan came to a halt right inside the kitchen and his gaze seemed to collide with Bryce’s. The two boys faced each other, neither smiling.

  Shelby looked back and forth between Bryce and Jonathan several times before shifting to look at Katy. Amusement glinted in her eyes. She cleared her throat. “Hi, Jonathan. You remember Bryce from Annika’s party? He’s eating here tonight too.”

  “Hi, Bryce.” Jonathan spoke politely, but he didn’t smile. “Good to see you again.”

  Bryce gave a brusque nod. “Hi.”

  Katy scurried to Rosemary’s side, ready to whisper a request for her to play hostess and quick! But before she could say a word, the back door flew open and Dad stepped through.

  Dad paused, sent a glance across everyone, then his face broke into a wide smile. He rubbed his hands together. “Good! Everyone’s here. Let me wash up, and we can eat.” He headed for the sink, giving Katy a surreptitious wink on the way.

  Katy balled her hands into fists and inwardly growled. Dad was having way too much fun!

  Chapter Ten

  Katy tucked the cover under Trent’s chin. “Now you take a nice long nap, and when you wake up, I’ll have a special treat ready for you.”

  The little boy yawned. “‘Kay, Katy.” He pulled his ratty stuffed dog to his cheek, poked his thumb into his mouth, and closed his eyes.

  Katy crept out of the room, relieved that her youngest cousin gave in so easily. The morning had been hectic with the boys — ages three, seven, and nine — running wild and the fourteen-year-old twins, Lori and Lola, constantly scolding them or arguing with each other. Katy understood that her cousins were upset and worried about their mom so she tried to be patient. But she was ready for a break.

  She entered the living room and found Lori and Lola slumped side by side on the sofa. Shelby sat nearby in Uncle Albert’s overstuffed chair. It was quiet. Way too quiet. Katy looked around in confusion. “Where are Benji and Mark?”

  Lori waved her hand in the direction of the front door. “Mrs. Krehbiel came by and offered to take them to her house to play with her boys this afternoon.” She heaved a huge sigh. “So we get some peace and quiet.”

  “Thank goodness,” Lola added, snuggling a little lower on the sofa. “I might do like Trent and take a nap. I didn’t sleep very good last night.”

  Sleep very well. Katy considered correcting Lola’s grammar but thought better of it. She didn’t want to incite another argument. “That’s understandable,” she said, using her most soothing tone. “I tell you what.” She plucked her purse from the floor beside the sofa and withdrew her billfold. “Why don’t you and Lori walk to the café and have a milkshake … on me?”

  Lola sat straight up. “Really?”

  Lori licked her lips. “That sounds great.”

  Katy said, “I promised Trent a treat if he’d take an extra-long nap, so maybe you could bring home a brownie for him.” She removed a ten-dollar bill from her billfold. “Get one for Benji and Mark too.”

  Lori bounced up and took the bill from Katy’s hand. “Thanks!” The pair dashed out the door, their cap ribbons flitting over their shoulders.

  The moment they left, Katy plopped into the middle of the sofa and blew out a mighty breath. “Ahh, now we’ve got peace and quiet.”

  Shelby grinned. “It has been pandemonium, hasn’t it?”

  Katy nodded in agreement, her eyebrows high. “But,” she admitted on a sigh, “it’s been kind of a relief too.”

  “Oh, yeah? How so?”

  Katy almost wished she’d kept her thought to herself. Shelby might start teasing her again, but she’d opened the door to the conversation — she might as well walk through it. “When I’m busy, I don’t think. And thinking about Bryce and Jonathan wears me out.”

  To Shelby’s credit, she didn’t giggle. But she did smirk. A little. “Ah. Gotcha.”

  Katy sat up and propped her elbows on her knees. “It was so weird yesterday evening, having them both at the table, both looking at me, both wanting my attention … Can you say, ‘awkward’?”

  Shelby still didn’t laugh. “I know. I felt kind of sorry for you.” She lifted one shoulder in a lopsided shrug. “But, honestly, Katy, what a problem to have. Most girls would kill to be the target of affection from two awesome guys.”

  Katy blinked. “You really think they’re both awesome?”

  Shelby snorted. “Duh!”

  The girls sat in silence for a few seconds, and then Katy asked, “Shelby, have you ever liked two b
oys at the same time?”

  “Well, sure,” Shelby said quickly. She draped her cast-covered foot over the armrest of the chair. “I mean, it’s not that unusual to crush on several guys.” She released a soft laugh. “Of course, I’ve never had the pleasure of multiple guys crushing on me at the same time …”

  Katy made a face. “You make it sound like it’s some sort of privilege, but really, it’s just uncomfortable. Especially since …” She bit down on her lower lip.

  Shelby sat up, fixing Katy with an interested look. “Especially since … what?”

  Katy hung her head. “Since neither of them are really a good choice for me.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Shelby’s voice burst out two decibels higher than usual. “Katy, how could either of them not be perfect? They’re both really nice, they’re both really good-looking, and they’re both crazy about you. Any girl would be nuts not to dive into a relationship with either of them!”

  Katy met Shelby’s gaze. “But I’m not any girl. I’m a Mennonite who lives in Schellberg, Kansas.”

  “So?”

  A little huff of frustration left Katy’s throat. “Shelby, think about it. Would Bryce join my faith to be with me? Would Jonathan leave his family in Lancaster County to be with me? For me to have a relationship with either of them, I have to face the possibility of leaving my home — something I don’t want to do! How can that make them right for me?”

  Shelby crinkled her nose. “Katy …”

  Katy hurried on. “It would break my dad’s heart if I left the Mennonite faith to be with Bryce.” My mom leaving nearly killed him. “And what about being with Jonathan? I’ve heard Rosemary talk about how much she misses her daughter who married a man from Ohio.” I’m the only kid Dad has. Her nose stung as tears threatened. “No matter who I’d choose, it would be wrong. So I need to stop liking them.”

  Shelby shook her head. The short layers of hair around her face wisped across her cheeks with the motion. “Back up a minute. I think you’re being too serious. You just turned seventeen at the beginning of the summer! It’s way too soon to be thinking about being with someone permanently.” She flipped her hands outward. “Why can’t you just go out with one of them — or even both of them — and have some fun?”