by Naomi Miller
“Jah.” was all Freida said.
They remained silent for several minutes. The only sound was Katie's wire whisk brushing against the edge of the metal mixing bowl.
“All I can think is to pray that Gott will help my parents understand how I feel. And that they will allow me to continue living with them.”
Freida moved down from her stool and walked around the table to give her freind a hug. “I will pray this, too. I feel partly responsible, since I kept at you to date Travis.”
“Nee, this is not because of Travis.” Katie insisted.
“Are you sure, Katie. . . really sure?”
“Jah, I am. I enjoy spending time with Travis and I hope to keep on spending time with him, but if I were not involved with him, I would still not be ready to be baptized and join the church.” She watched her freind carefully as she said the next words.
“Why do you think I was so quick to take this job, Freida? This is not a job I can easily quit. Mrs. O'Neal is counting on me to do the baking. I work six days most weeks. I knew that when I accepted her offer. Most maedels would not take such a permanent job just as they are coming to the end of their rumschpringe. I did, because I knew I was not ready and I hoped it would give me time to figure some things out.”
“What do you mean?” Freida looked puzzled.
“I mean. . . just what happened with you and your Thomas. You knew what you wanted when you took the job.”
“Jah, I only took it to save money.”
“Right.” Katie insisted. “You knew you wanted to be married, and you wanted to save some money. Mamm and Dat thought the same for me, and I did save the money, but I always sort of thought I might need it to take care of myself when the time came if they decided it would be time for me to move away from home.”
“Jah, but Katie, surely they will not make you move away just because you have not yet made up your mind.”
“That is my prayer.”
Again, they both remained quiet for what felt like a long time before Freida spoke again. “Please just do not take your vows and then leave. I can handle it if you decide not to join the church, but I could not take it if the church were to shun you.” She took hold of Katie's hands, pulling the whisk out of her grip when she did. “I need my best freind.”
Katie hugged Freida then. “I do, too. I don't want to think what I would do without your friendship. . . without you to talk to.”
“Well, as long as you don't take your vows, no one should have a reason to shun you, or treat you any differently.”
“We both know it still happens.” Katie could not help it—she had to voice the fear, to get it out in the open where she could face it.
“Jah, it does. But not in our community, at least so far.” Freida looked up as the back door opened. “I think I'll see if there's anything to do out front.”
Watching her as she grabbed her bowl of peach cobbler before moving on past the swinging doors, Katie smiled for the first time in awhile.
“She sure loves your cobbler.”
Katie gasped at the deep, masculine voice she knew so well by now.
Without giving Katie time to say anything, Travis turned her around. Leaning down, he touched his lips to hers, setting off a spark.
Katie's eyes closed as she relished the sensation of his lips on hers while she eagerly kissed him back. Her arms tightened around his neck as she felt his hands caressing her back.
They jerked apart at the sound of a knock at the door. A moment later, Gwen walked in. “I saw the truck out back, so I thought I'd better knock before entering, just in case.” She giggled. “Yep, you both look like you've been kissing.”
“Go away, little sister. Go help Freida.” As he moved closer to Katie again, they both heard laughter coming from out front. Katie cringed a little. Travis and Gwen might not know Freida well enough by now, but she could tell that the laughter was forced.
Freida is still worrying.
“Come help me, Gwen. Give those two lovebirds a few minutes alone.” Her voice held a note of tension too, but Katie was certain the brother and sister would never notice.
Laughing, Gwen ran past her brother. “Fine. But only for a few minutes, big brother, then I'm coming back. Katie and Freida need to eat their lunches.”
Travis gathered Katie to him in a gentle hug, resting her head against his shoulder. She leaned close, enjoying the feeling of being so close to him, but also the feeling that she was safe. . . protected. . . loved.
“Now where were we?” Finding her lips again, he proceeded to kiss her until she forgot everything around her, which was a blessed relief.
All too soon though, the sound of the bell over the front door rang and he ended the kiss, pulling her against him once more in a quick hug before letting go and stepping back.
Katie turned back to the bowl of dough just as Freida walked through the swinging doors, a knowing smile on her face.
“The mayor's wife is here to pick up that special cake she ordered. It's in the walk-in, jah?” Freida asked. Thankfully, she was looking at Katie, so she saw Katie nod.
A hard knot had formed in Katie's throat along with the tears that had sprang to her eyes, and she was more grateful than ever that Freida knew her so well.
“All right, sweetheart. You sit down a minute. . . and enjoy your lunch.” With another quick kiss, Travis gathered the boxes stacked at the back door and left to make his deliveries.
— NINE —
After work on Thursday, Travis took Katie to visit his family. At least once a week, Katie enjoyed getting together with the Davis family, usually on Thursdays.
Travis would come by the bakery a little after closing time, giving the girls time to clean up and prep for the next day. Then he would drive Katie, and more often than not his sister, home to spend the rest of the evening with his mother and little brothers.
Seven-year-old Bobby had claimed a special place in Katie's heart when she'd first met him almost two years ago.
After the bakery had been robbed, the last thing she had expected was to see a small child sitting on the front steps of a rundown house, eating a blueberry cupcake that had been stolen from the bakery. A cupcake she recognized because of the unique wrapper that her boss ordered for a special customer.
The Davis family had suffered a great loss with the death of the children's dad six months before. Then their mom had been sick for several months.
Fortunately, when Travis had returned home to care for his family, things had gotten better. It had also helped that the community had followed Amelia and Andrew O'Neal's example and taken the family under their collective wings.
First, Mrs. O'Neal had given him a part-time job at the bakery as their delivery person. Of course, she had been Mrs. Simpkins then. Katie could still remember the odd looks Travis had given Andrew O'Neal when he had come by with sandwiches and other food on his many visits to the family.
Travis was likely not the only Davis who had been thrilled to discover that the cafe owner had been much more interested in the bakery owner than in Mrs. Davis.
Travis had stayed busy doing odd jobs around the community between deliveries and it had not taken long at all for him to get to know quite a few people in the town. He had worked several times for the Yoders. Mr. O'Neal had also hired him part time making deliveries for his cafe, Irish Blessings.
When Mr. O'Neal followed Mrs. Simpkins to New York, his nephew Sean had been forced to take over running the cafe. . . and he had called on Travis for help. Upon his return, Andrew had been impressed with him and had asked him to take on more responsibility at the cafe, so Travis was working full time there now.
His sister Gwen had started working at the bakery part-time just before Thanksgiving and she was doing a great job. The customers liked her and she loved to learn about baking the breads, cookies, cakes, and other treats that the bakery sold.
Katie had thought that everyone was as fond of the Davis family as she was, at least until Anna
's comments on Sunday.
Katie was always glad to see the improvements in Cissy Davis. It had taken her such a long time to recover from the loss of her husband, and then her serious bout with pneumonia, but she was doing fine now.
She was waiting at the door when Gwen, Travis and Katie arrived. “Welcome, Katie. It is so good to see you.” She folded Katie into a hug, and the strength in her slim arms surprised Katie. “Bobby has been helping me with supper.”
“That sounds wunderbaar!” Katie gushed. “Where is my little buddy?”
“Here I am, Katie!” shouted Bobby, running down the hall to the door. Once he reached her, he threw his arms around Katie and hugged her like he hadn't seen her in months.
“Bobby, you are getting so big! I think you must have grown another inch since last week.” Katie teased him. “My goodness, you'll be taller than me soon.”
“Yeah, I will. I'm growing a lot.” He made a show of walking on his tip-toes, trying to tower over her and Katie even slouched a little to play along. It was a surprise to see they were nearly the same height that way. Goodness. He will be as tall as me soon.
“Well, let's go in and eat supper before it gets cold.” Cissy ushered the four of them toward the dining room as she added, “You need to eat good, nourishing food if you plan to grow as tall as your big brothers some day.” Gwen gave Bobby a push, laughing when he wouldn't let go of Katie.
“Come on, Katie. You can sit by me.” Bobby tugged at her arm, pulling her to the table.
“Bobby, stop yanking on Katie's arm. You know she always sits by you.” Travis said with a sigh.
Katie leaned in toward Travis, speaking softly. “It's allrecht. Bobby and I have a special relationship.” Leaning even closer, she whispered, “I think he might be a bit jealous of you, since we are dating.”
She smiled when he winked at her. Quickly she sat down next to Bobby. Travis sat down and leaned towards Katie, putting his arm around her to pat his brother on the back.
“We have her just where we want her now, pard.” As Travis leaned back, Katie felt a kiss as light as an angel's wings brush the top of her head.
Cissy had prepared a delicious supper of meatloaf, sliced tomatoes, green peas, and mashed potatoes with cheese and just a touch of garlic. And, since Katie rarely got macaroni and cheese at home, Cissy always added it to the menu when she came for supper.
Katie always insisted on bringing bread and a dessert to add to the meal. Gwen had asked today if they could bring yeast rolls to go with the meatloaf. Along with a couple dozen rolls, Katie and Gwen had chosen chocolate cupcakes for the children and lemon-filled danishes for the adults. Knowing it was Bobby's favorite treat, Katie had also brought along a bag of sugar cookies, which she had hidden in her bag.
“Travis, will you please ask the blessing for the food?” Cissy spoke softly, looking to her eldest son as the man of the family.
Travis bowed his head and begun praying immediately. The first few times he had brought her home for dinner, it had been somewhat of a shock to hear him praying aloud, but Katie was beginning to really enjoy hearing him speak out loud to Gott like a flesh-and-blood father. . . as if He was there in the room with them.
“Lord, we thank you for this food and ask you to bless it. Thank you for supplying our needs and for the many friendships we have here in Abbott Creek. Most of all, I thank you for my family and my Katie-girl. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.” As he spoke, he squeezed Katie's hand and she felt a little thrill rush through her at their shared connection.
After supper, Katie followed Cissy into the kitchen to help with dishes, but Gwen shooed her back into the dining room, where everyone else had gathered around the table to work on a puzzle.
There was lots of chatter, and though the actual piecing went slowly, the puzzle was finally completed, to the delight of the kids. Katie took the opportunity when everyone scattered, to slip Bobby his small bag of cookies.
He jumped up and Katie worried he might attract the attention of the others, so she put a finger to her lips and reminded him the cookies were their secret.
Fortunately, he took her cue and quieted right down. Though he did throw his arms around Katie and give her a tight hug before carrying the bag off to his room with a grin.
Travis walked back into the room just as Bobby went out. “And just what was that all about?”
Katie smiled and looked down at her feet, while putting the most innocent expression she could muster on her face. “I'm certain I don't know what you are referring to.”
“Oh, you are. . . I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, Katie-girl.” He moved forward and slipped his arms around her, nipping playfully at her nose.
The moment his lips touched hers, there was the sound of feet pounding hard on the floor above them, and just before three boys came running into the dining room, Travis let her go and stepped back.
Bobby ran through the room a moment later, his brothers only inches behind him. There were shouts and more pounding feet as Travis grabbed Sam and Trevor, bringing the stampede to a halt. “That is enough of that inside. Take this outside, would you please.” And the pounding feet started again, only this time at least, they were heading for the back door.
Once the boys cleared the room, Katie expected Travis to pull her close again, but instead, he stepped away from her, disappearing into the kitchen. Less than a minute passed before he returned, taking Katie by the hand and heading for the front door.
* * *
Knowing that Friday would be a busy day at the bakery, Travis had decided when the boys had barreled into the dining room, to take Katie home a bit early.
However, he also knew that, as soon as they were alone together in the car, he would want to kiss her again, and there was almost nowhere in Abbott Creek that they could do so without someone they knew seeing them, so he took his time walking to the car.
Katie seemed perfectly content to walk hand in hand with him down the walk and around to the small driveway where he had parked. He held the door for her, and waited until she was settled before walking around to his side and sliding in.
There was a comfortable silence in the car as he backed out of the driveway and headed towards town. Travis enjoyed the quiet drive, looking over at Katie in the moonlight whenever he came to a stop sign or traffic light. This was one of the times he was glad that Katie wasn't one to always fill the silence with endless chatter.
The Chupp farm was only about fifteen minutes from his house, but he drove slowly, never racing the red lights or rushing through a stop. In fact, they were nearly to her house when inspiration struck and he drove past the driveway, heading out to the lake that was only a mile or so past her house.
Katie said nothing, but he thought he heard a gasp when they pulled in and saw that there were several buggies parked around the lake. Knowing she would want to keep a low profile, he was careful to pull far enough away that no one would recognize them, but not so far that anyone would get the wrong idea.
Once he had parked and set the brake, he turned to her. “I won't keep you long, Katie. I know you'll have a busy day tomorrow. . . your Fridays are always busy. I just wanted to have a few minutes alone with you.”
Taking her hand in his, Travis leaned over to kiss one cheek and then the other in between words. “Every date. . . every moment I spend with you. . . is special.”
When she looked up at him with her sweet smile, he added, “And I really love seeing how much my family enjoys being with you.”
Putting his arms around her, he lowered his mouth to hers, his lips warm against her lips. She kissed him back, winding one of her hands through his hair.
They stayed like that for a long time, kissing and clinging to each other under the moonlight and Travis knew it was the right time to tell Katie what he had been waiting to say for some time now, something he had known, but been hesitant to say. Easing back, he looked into her eyes, his voice a bit husky when he spoke. “Katie, I love you.”
She didn't even make him wait a second before she said, “I love you, too, Travis.”
And then he was kissing her again. . . with a sudden passion that took his breath away. There was something about the kiss this time that was different. He couldn't identify it, but there was definitely something. It made it very difficult to stop kissing her and ease back.
“Katie, we have to stop. I don't want to take advantage of you.”
“What if I don't want to stop?” And then she took the lead, kissing him with a fervor that belied her innocence. Initially, Travis was surprised, but he managed to hold onto his control. . . even when Katie wound her arms around his neck, holding him to her tightly. But when he felt her tongue brush against his lips, he jumped back, surprising her as much as himself. Quickly he opened his door and stepped out of the car.
“Travis, where are you going?” Katie leaned across his seat and called out. When he walked away from the car a bit, she opened her door and climbed out.
Travis let out a sigh and walked around the car to meet her. If she kept this behavior up, his plans to keep her neighbors from knowing what she had been doing this evening would go up in smoke.
Just like my self control if I'm not careful.
They met at the back of his car. “What's wrong, Travis? Don't you want to kiss me?” Katie sounded unsure of herself. . . and maybe even a little hurt.
He took both her hands in his, waiting until she looked up at him before he spoke. “Of course I want to kiss you. But I won't take advantage of you.” He was struggling to keep his voice low, but their closeness made it a bit easier.
“You keep saying that, but you're not taking advantage of me. I want to be with you. I want to kiss you.”
He took a deep breath and tried another tactic. “Katie, we agreed when we began dating that we would leave the past in the past, but you know I had a girlfriend before I met you.” When she nodded, he went on. “I have enough experience to know that just now we were headed to a place we don't want to go. . . at least not yet.”