Courting Katarina

by Carol Steward

  Alex rested his hand on Katarina’s shoulder. “I plan to move out of the house until after the wedding.”

  Katarina’s eyebrows arched up and her mouth fell open. “What?”

  He’d meant to tell her that last night, but with all the commotion at the restaurant after he’d proposed, Alex had barely seen his fiancée. The women firefighters had taken it upon themselves to drag Katarina away after dinner.

  “It’s totally different now, Katarina.”

  She lowered her voice. “Yesterday it was okay that we shared a house, and today it’s suddenly different?”

  “When I left,” he countered, “we weren’t dating. It wasn’t easy then, and I don’t expect it’ll be any easier to resist temptation now.”

  Emily smiled. “I’m so happy for you two. When I saw Alex pulling you out from under the table at the wedding, I knew this day would come. Have you set a date?”

  Alex and Katarina glanced toward each other. “How about February?” Alex offered. “We should be done with the lodge by then. I might be able to talk the boss into a few days off for a honeymoon.”

  Kevin cleared his throat.

  “I hate to throw a kink into your plans, but February might be cutting it close. We’re expecting…”

  Before he could say another word, Katarina let out a squeal, flew to her sister’s side and gave her a hug. “Oh, Emmy. A baby! This is so exciting.”

  The room burst into a round of applause. “Well, it should be around the entire medical community by the end of the day,” Emily muttered with a smile.

  Alex shook his brother’s hand. “Congratulations, Kevin. You’ve waited a long time for a family. I couldn’t be happier for you.”

  Kevin slapped his brother’s shoulder. “Likewise. I hate to say I told you so, but…”

  Katarina slid back into the booth next to Alex and gave him a puzzled look. “What’s this all about?”

  Alex wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her forehead. “After I caught the garter, Kevin suggested I just give in right away. Seems to have become a family tradition.”

  Emily laughed. “So I guess Adam and Lisa had better watch out, huh?”

  There was a pause around the table. “Lisa and Adam.” Katarina smiled. “Now, that’s an idea.”

  Kevin and Alex shared a glance and laughed aloud. “You’re talking about Adam. The eternal bachelor. No way are you going to set those two up.”

  Kevin nodded in agreement with his brother’s comment. “Lisa’s always on the road. And Adam doesn’t travel. Besides that, two Berthoff-MacIntyre marriages in the family should be sufficient, don’t you think? I mean, if there’s any sort of disagreement…”

  Emily had a mischievous grin. “You afraid the sisters might take sides?”

  “Or stage some sort of boycott?” Katarina continued.

  Alex laughed. “This is a no-win argument, Kevin. If you’re not careful, you and I are going to be finding an apartment together. If Kat and Emmy think they can mix oil and water, they have my blessing.” He leaned close to Katarina, then paused, as if waiting for permission to kiss her.

  Katarina studied him freely. She rather liked looking at Alex without feeling guilty or as if she was being “caught” doing so. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve never been more content in my life. Why wouldn’t I want Adam to find the same happiness? Just don’t set your hopes too high. I don’t want you to be disappointed.” He looked at his watch. “I hate to leave so soon, but I should get to work.” He leaned over and kissed Katarina. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  Katarina spent the afternoon catching up on her inventory and designs, then began preparations for the huge show next weekend. Maybe Alex would like to come with her, she thought. There were so many things to talk about with him when he came home from work. She smiled. When he came home from work. That sounded so nice. Disappointment that Alex would be moving out threatened to cast a shadow over the day, yet she reminded herself that it wouldn’t be for long. Then they’d have forever together.

  While Alex doubted there were many things they hadn’t covered at some point in their conversations this summer, he wanted to know everything about the woman with whom he planned to spend the rest of his life.

  They hadn’t even had a chance to discuss her decision about Unique Designs, or his desire to become a full partner with Kevin. Would she want him to sign some prenuptial agreement, as she had planned with Ron? Did she want children? If so, how many? Suddenly he felt as if he was walking into some business meeting for negotiations.

  He realized the mountain he’d asked God to help him move had been totally blown out of the way all in one overwhelming blast. Had he been too eager? Too quick to propose? Katarina had been skittish about marriage from the day he’d met her. Why in the world hadn’t he waited a month or two before popping the question? If they were so right for each other, the answer would be the same now or later.

  He saw no sign of Katarina when he pulled into the driveway. Alex took a deep breath and let it out. “Father, You’ve brought me this far, please don’t let me blow it now.” He walked up the steps, discouraged to find an envelope with his name on it taped to the storm door.

  A heart-shaped note inside read, “Meet me in the gazebo.” Katarina signed it with a heart. “Your blissfully happy fiancée.”

  The evening sun bathed the room with a warm glow. Alex passed through the house and walked out to the gazebo. His mouth fell open. She’d strung white twinkle lights along the top of the lattice and set a table inside.

  “I thought this was the perfect place to start our relationship together—” she walked up the steps and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind “—since this is where you found me that first night after you moved in.”

  “You mean the night you were trying to hide from me?” Alex loosened her hands and turned within her embrace.

  She laughed. “It used to work with Mom.”

  He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Nice try. I wanted to take you out to dinner tonight, but it looks like you already have plans.”

  “I do. I’m meeting my fiancé here.” He felt her smile grow. “I love the way that sounds, by the way.” Soft music filled the air.

  He brushed his lips along hers. “I like hearing you say it. I worried that I rushed into the proposal.”

  She didn’t respond.

  Alex backed away. “If you want more time to decide, I’ll understand.”

  “Do you want more time?” A spark of fear flashed in her eyes.

  “No.” He hesitated. “I realize there are a lot of things we should discuss….”

  Katarina nodded. “And a lot of time to talk about them. The rest of the meal is ready. Why don’t we grill the salmon while we start?”

  “How did you know I love salmon?”

  “I didn’t. I just hoped you would, since I do. I wanted to fix something nice for our first official date.”

  Salmon was just one of the many similarities they discovered in the course of their evening. They both felt it important to take their time moving on to marriage, since they hadn’t really dated yet. While they were sympathetic to Emily’s pregnancy, they hesitated to cut their engagement too much shorter, and definitely didn’t want to wait until after the baby came.

  Four children fit their image of the “dream family,” but both agreed that was up for discussion.

  Alex supported Katarina’s decision to continue running her business independently, and was happy when she admitted the prenuptial idea belonged to Ron.

  The next Sunday morning they went to church together for the first time as a couple and wasted no time making an appointment to start premarriage meetings with the pastor. Alex found a small attic apartment to stay in until they found a house to buy.

  The following weekend, Alex joined Katarina at her doll show, which ended up bringing in two more monthly orders, and her first order for children’s dolls.

/>   After the show, Alex took her to a jewelry store.

  She looked at the three rings on the velvet display. “I just can’t decide. I’d like something similar to these. You choose.” She snuggled close.

  When they finished shopping, Alex pulled into a nice restaurant. After they ordered, he pulled a box from his pocket and opened it before her. Her crystal-blue eyes opened wide. As he spoke, her gaze locked with his. “Katarina, I want you to wear this ring as a token of my vow to love and cherish you for the rest of my life.”

  “Oh, Alex.” She bit her lip to stifle the outcry of delight. “I didn’t see this ring. It’s beautiful.” She touched the pale green and pink tone gold leaves surrounding the diamond.

  He took the delicate gold solitaire from the box, kissed the ring, then placed it on her finger and kissed it again.

  “I still can’t quite believe this. It’s all happened so quickly. All these years I thought this day would never happen. Now I know why love always seemed to pass me by. I was waiting for you.” The tenderness in her voice touched him deeply. It was something he couldn’t begin to understand, let alone explain. Falling in love with Katarina caught him off guard, yet left his heart at peace. Life together would be one joyful adventure after another.

  “And I for you, love.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Katarina and Alex started planning an early January wedding, but by the end of September they’d moved it up to December to accommodate family schedules.

  For most of the week prior to the wedding, Katarina, her mother and sisters finalized plans arranging flowers and made final adjustments to their gowns. Katarina sewed pearls to the lace on her wedding dress. Emily’s emerald-green rayon crinkle dress had grown increasingly tight since she’d tried it on just a week ago.

  Katarina patted her sister’s expanding tummy. “Emily, I love this baby with all my heart, but could you please tell it to stop growing for two more days? I’m nearly out of fabric here.”

  “Sure, no problem.” Emily smiled. “I can’t believe you, Kat. Choosing a style and fabric with my pregnancy in mind. Not to mention waiting to sew it together until the week of the wedding.”

  “I think you did a beautiful job, sis. As usual.” Lisa twirled around, and the tea-length skirt swirled around her long legs. “What do you think?”

  “Show-off,” Emily muttered. “I don’t think I’ll ever be thin again.”

  “You look radiant, Emily. Trust me, it’s worth every ounce, even if you never lose it,” their mother said.

  Katarina could see that the confession shocked all three sisters. Naomi Berthoff had had a difficult time as a single mother and rarely ever talked positively about their childhood.

  “I was afraid you were making the same mistake I did with your father, Katarina,” Naomi said solemnly.

  Katarina was silent. Did she really have to wait until the day before her wedding? After five months, including their Thanksgiving visit, Katarina would have thought her mother could have chosen a better time to criticize her choice of husband. “Mother…”

  “I never told any of you girls. We were married two weeks after we met. Karl was charming, and handsome, and swept me off my feet.” Naomi seemed to drift into her own world. Emily and Lisa looked at each other, then at Kat. “Alex—” Naomi paused to wipe her teary eyes “—is everything I could have ever hoped for in a husband for you, Katarina. He adores you, and it’s obvious that you feel the same. I’ve never seen you so at peace.”

  Relief washed over Katarina, and she embraced her mother. “Thank you, Mom. Alex and I are very happy.” Kat hesitated. No one had broached this subject for at least fifteen years. Each birthday, graduation and family wedding, Katarina had hoped her father would magically reappear and everything would return to normal. Each time, she dreamed of welcoming him home with open arms. Of pushing the anger and hurt aside. “Mamma, why did Daddy leave without even saying goodbye?”

  Her mother touched Katarina’s cheek and looked her in the eyes. “Are you sure you want to talk about this now, right before your wedding?”

  Kat nodded. “I need to know.”

  Naomi wrapped her arm around Katarina and took Lisa’s hand. “Your father and I simply didn’t know each other well enough before we married, honey. In our own way, we tried to find that magical feeling that had brought us together, but I realize now, there was never any love.” Her mother let out a deep breath. “I woke up one morning and accepted the truth. I couldn’t live with it any longer.”

  Her mother took a lengthy pause. “When he left that night, I told him not to bother coming back.” Not a tear dropped from her mother’s eyes. “Of course, we’d been through the same argument so many times, I didn’t really mean it at the time. He took me seriously.”

  Despite her mother’s mistakes, Katarina admired her. Naomi Berthoff had become a strong, determined woman because of what her father had done.

  Her mother hugged each daughter, and Katarina wept for only a few minutes after finally learning the truth. That in itself made moving on easier. Alex was right—no matter what Karl Berthoff had done, she would always have her heavenly Father.

  Fresh holly, pink and white poinsettias, and cranberry candles with white satin bows decorated the candelabras at the altar. Hurricane lamps adorned each pew, lighting the sanctuary with a soft glow. Katarina watched Emily, then Lisa disappear through the double doors. They closed again so she could take her place.

  “You look ravishing, sweetie. That’s one fine man you’re marrying.”

  Katarina’s heart swelled with pride. “Thanks, Grandpa. I’m so glad you felt up to coming.”

  “I was so disappointed I couldn’t come to Emily’s wedding. I wasn’t about to miss another. Are we ready?”

  She nodded. As if on cue, the wedding march began. Her grandfather’s roughened hand patted hers and the doors opened. The congregation blocked her view of her husband-to-be. Halfway down the aisle, their eyes met. Alex’s entire face lit up when he first saw her. Katarina, chilly from a bad case of the jitters and the howling blizzard outside, felt the chill melt away inch by inch under her groom’s admiring gaze.

  The tails of Alex’s tux emphasized his broad shoulders, slim hips and long legs, making him even more attractive than ever. He accepted her hand from her grandfather, then helped her up the step to the pastor.

  Katarina glanced at the cross above the altar and felt as if she’d been anointed with His love and assurance. Thank you, Father. As if Alex was reading her mind, he squeezed her hand. Kat looked at him with dreamy eyes, melting away the years of loneliness and longing. Never had any decision felt so right.

  “‘Delight thyself in the Lord and He shall give you desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust in Him and He shall bring it to pass.’ During our visits, Alex and Katarina shared this verse with me as a testament of their relationship.” The pastor continued to speak about the beauty of the bond of marriage created by Him for His glory.

  Katarina had taken a leap of faith opening her soul to Him, leaving the security of the familiar for the unknown realm of seeking God’s will.

  Alex felt his voice choke with emotion as he recited his vows to love, honor and cherish Katarina. Adam handed him the ring, and he slid it onto his bride’s long, delicate finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

  He recalled her proclamation that she would be waiting for him when the fire was out. He had news for his bride. That fire would never go out. Her blond hair shimmered in the candlelight. Joy flickered in her blue eyes. Her icy hands were now warm within his own gentle grasp.

  As Katarina finished her vows, kissed his ring and placed the gold band on his finger, Alex anticipated showing her just how much he cherished the love she entrusted to him.

  “You may kiss your bride.” Alex lifted the veil covering her porcelain face and wrapped his arms securely around her. “I love you, Katarina.” The intimacy of their kiss reached a new level as God joined their hearts in
peaceful harmony.

  Merely an hour later, the severity of the storm forced them to bring the festivities to an abrupt end. Katarina changed quickly and looked down the wide stairs to the exit. Katarina and Alex descended the stairs and stopped halfway. She spotted the youngest MacIntyre brother near the doorway and tried to figure out how to get Lisa to catch the bouquet and Adam to catch the garter as Kevin and Emily, and she and Alex, had done.

  Thus far, they’d had no luck whatsoever in setting the two of them up together. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Okay, Father. Lisa and Adam are in Your hands.

  Katarina turned, closed her eyes and tossed the bouquet. She spun around to watch it catch on the crystal chandelier in front of the door. Her heart deflated. “Alex, we have to get it.”

  Laughter bubbled throughout the entryway.

  “This isn’t a tree, Kat. That chandelier is a good twenty feet from the ground. There’s no way to retrieve it without risking bodily harm, for man or crystal. Afraid the bouquet won this time.”

  Tiny champagne-colored bubbles floated up the stairs as someone opened the door for Alex and Katarina to exit. “Everyone’s waiting on us to leave so they can get home.”

  She looked up again, then to Adam and Lisa before finally parading down the stairs. The guests followed them out the door as the freshly fallen snow swirled as if in a winter wonderland.

  “Are you going to tell me where we’re staying?”

  He looked up into the blizzard, hugging her close by his side. “Luckily, you have an impatient husband. I didn’t want to spend our wedding night on the road, so I reserved the honeymoon suite at a hotel across town. But at this rate, our flight to Hawaii may have to wait another day or two.”

  “Hawaii? Alex!” He opened the door and helped her climb into the truck. “How did you manage that on such short notice?”