The Wonder of Your Love (A Land of Canaan Novel) Page 23

  Katie Ann tethered her horse amid the other buggies and cars. They’d invited over a hundred people. She took Jonas from his car seat and gazed across the field dotted with the occasional burst of color from the earliest of the wildflowers, an orange glow lingering behind the mountains. Not far into the field, white chairs were lined up on either side of a white runner that led up to an archway that David had built for the occasion. Martha had asked David to walk her down the aisle, and Bishop Esh had agreed to Martha’s request.

  Katie Ann moved toward the house, and the smell of roascht filled her nostrils. That was another tradition Martha wanted for her special day. The chicken and stuffing were always served at Amish weddings. People were scurrying about, and Katie Ann spoke to those she passed as she made her way into the kitchen.

  It was nearing eight o’clock when everyone gathered outside for the wedding. Emily took Jonas, and Katie Ann stayed behind, as did David. Martha didn’t want Arnold to see her before the wedding, so she’d been hiding upstairs in Emily and David’s bedroom. Katie Ann walked upstairs to get her.

  “It’s time, Martha.” Katie Ann walked toward her, surprised to see Martha’s hands trembling. Katie Ann picked up the bouquet of flowers on the bed and handed them to her friend. “Here you go.”

  Martha took the flowers, bit her bottom lip, and blinked a few times. “Katie Ann . . .” She let out a deep breath. “I don’t know why the good Lord saw fit to bless me with Arnold this late in life, but I feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Do you think I deserve all this?”

  Katie Ann swallowed hard, thinking Martha had never looked more beautiful, or more vulnerable. She touched her on the arm. “You deserve all this and more, Martha. And you look beautiful.”

  Martha reached up and touched the butterfly clip. “Danielle said this doesn’t match, but I don’t go anywhere without it.

  What do you think?”

  “I think it’s lovely.”

  Martha held the flowers with one hand and reached for Katie Ann’s hand with the other. “The wonder of the Lord’s love is an amazing thing, isn’t it?”

  “Ya. It is.” Katie Ann blinked back tears.

  Martha cleared her lungs of the breath she’d been holding.

  “Well then . . . let’s get this show on the road.”

  Once they were downstairs, Katie Ann gave Martha a final hug and told David to watch for their cue from their spot on the front porch. Then she went and found her place on the front row. As was customary for Amish weddings, the men were on one side, the women on the other, even though here folks were facing forward instead of toward each other. It was the strangest setup for a wedding that Katie Ann had ever seen. She smiled, knowing she wouldn’t have expected anything less from Martha.

  Katie Ann’s own marriage to Ivan flashed in her mind and, refusing to let anything put a damper on this day, she was able to recall her wedding day with fondness. She’d been so in love. It was a shame that over the years so many bad memories had stamped out many of the good ones.

  Then she thought of Eli. They’d continued to talk every night until the past two. Katie Ann had called from the barn phone, but there hadn’t been an answer either night. When they talked in the evenings, the conversations ranged from lighthearted to intense, especially when things like Hannah’s cancer came up. But they steered clear of any talk about their relationship. Eli ended each call with, “Sleep with the angels,” and Katie Ann said the same to him.

  Someone Katie Ann didn’t know, a woman about her age, was in charge of the music, and Katie Ann watched her get up from her place on the back row and walk a few steps to a CD player. She pushed a button, and as Martha had instructed a hundred times, Katie Ann rose and went to stand beside Bishop Esh, then motioned for David to walk Martha across the field to the white runner.

  Bishop Esh had agreed to recite some prayers at the wedding, but he’d drawn the line when it came to officiating the ceremony. Katie Ann was shocked that he’d agreed to as much as he had already. She turned her eyes to Martha as she and David stood ready to walk down the makeshift aisle, then she scanned the crowd for Jonas, expecting him to be in Emily’s lap. When she didn’t see Jonas, her heart pounded and her eyes started going row to row until she spotted him. In Eli’s lap near the back. Eli’s lap?

  When their eyes locked, he smiled and lifted Jonas’s arm like he was waving to Katie Ann. As if the sight of Eli didn’t warm her heart enough, the vision of him holding her son filled her with so much joy she went weak in the knees. Why hadn’t anyone told her Eli was coming? She bit her lip to keep from grinning, and she forced her eyes back to Martha, who glided down the aisle with the dignity of someone entitled, her chin raised slightly, bowing her head to the attendees on either side. Any other behavior simply wouldn’t have been Martha, Katie Ann surmised as she struggled to keep her grin from growing to a large smile.

  What a wonderful day this is.

  Most of the ceremony seemed to Katie Ann to be Catholic, but then occasionally Bishop Esh would interject prayers. The ceremony seemed to fit both Martha and Arnold perfectly. It was shorter than an Amish wedding. Arnold and Martha took their vows after the Catholic folks took Communion, about forty-five minutes into the ceremony. As Martha had instructed, Katie Ann stood up and joined Martha at the front. As Arnold and Martha vowed to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their lives, Katie Ann’s eyes involuntarily drifted to Eli. He was still holding Jonas on his lap, and his gaze met hers. Then his mouth silently formed words, but Katie Ann could make them out quite clearly. I love you. She held her breath for a moment, then forced herself to release it for fear she might pass out.

  She pulled her eyes away and focused on Martha, who was now crying buckets. She kept her attention on the new couple. Next thing she knew, Martha and Arnold were walking back down the aisle and everyone was clapping. She looked at Eli, and this time he just smiled, his eyes bright, and he was standing with Jonas on his hip. She didn’t know an Amish man alive who would tend to a youngster during a wedding, or any other time for that matter. She watched as everyone made their way across the grass toward the tents set up in the front yard. A dozen women were already setting out food. She watched Eli hand Jonas to Emily as she walked by. Katie Ann’s feet were rooted to the ground beneath her. A few minutes later, everyone was in the front yard, and Eli and Katie Ann stood alone. She knew he wouldn’t kiss her with so many eyes nearby, but she’d never wanted anything more in her life. He hugged her, though, then just eased away and stared at her.

  As the sun warmed her cheeks and the smells of spring swirled around them, Eli took her hand in his and squeezed, smiling tenderly. “I love you, Katie Ann.” He shook his head and looked down for a moment, then back up at her. “I’ve wanted to tell you that a hundred times. I love you.” He gazed into her eyes, and she could feel the sincerity behind his words. Letting him go this time would surely leave her with little room to ever recover, but she knew that she had to tell him what was in her heart.

  “I love you too, Eli.”

  “I know.” Then he chuckled, and Katie Ann smiled, filled with love, but so many questions. “We have a predicament.” He kept hold of one of her hands tightly, as if he feared she might flee. He stroked his beard. “I can’t leave my family.”

  Tiny cracks in her heart spread like vines, but she knew this was coming. “I know,” she said softly, knowing he was going to ask her to leave Canaan, a place that had become home. And her family was here. She lowered her head and waited.

  MARTHA MOVED THROUGH the crowd, making sure that every person here had an opportunity to hug her, but if anyone thought she wasn’t watching the events around her—they were wrong. Everyone had gathered outside after the meal, and she’d already spotted Danielle and Levi underneath the big oak tree on the west side of the house. The two young people were deep in conversation, and Martha was thrilled. But when she saw Vera standing a few feet away from what Martha hoped was a blossoming new friendship, Vera
stood with her mouth turned down and her arms folded across her chest, pretending to listen to Lillian but staring at Danielle and her son.

  Hmm . . . Martha had wanted nothing more than for Danielle to find some nice Amish friends, mostly because the kids were just good folk, with a strong faith in the Lord. And none of them had their body parts pierced. But she felt a little protective of Danielle. Was Vera thinking that Danielle wasn’t good enough to be friends with her son? True, Danielle was a work in progress, but the girl had gone through a tough time.

  Martha didn’t care if it was her wedding reception, she was going to find out if maybe she was wrong. She waited until Lillian walked away before she approached Vera.

  “Glad to see Danielle is making some friends.” Martha nodded toward Danielle and Levi.

  Vera smiled. “Ya, ya.” She paused and raised a brow, her voice unusually hopeful. “Has she made any friends with her own kind?”

  Never before had Martha felt the invisible lines that divided them as strongly as she did in this moment. A taut reminder that, no matter the love and friendships—Martha and her people were not Amish. And for a group so dedicated to not passing judgment, Vera’s eyes were expressively judging Danielle for the Amish person she was not.

  “She’s made a few friends,” Martha said casually. “But I was hoping she’d make friends with some of the Amish folks. You people raise good kids.” She grinned, hoping the compliment would make Vera lighten up a bit.

  “We believe in hard work and discipline.” Vera pressed her lips together as she glanced over at Danielle and Levi.

  “Danielle got a job at the Mountain View Restaurant.” Martha felt defensive, a place she didn’t like to be. “She’ll work hard, I’m sure.”

  Vera smiled. “I’m sure.”

  Martha wanted to give Vera a little shove and tell her to quit being so judgmental, that Danielle was just as good as Levi. But today was her wedding day, so she wasn’t going to let Vera spoil it.

  “Where’re Eli and Katie Ann?” Martha scanned the crowd around her and didn’t see them. She looked back at Vera, who was now grinning from ear to ear.

  “It was a wonderful idea for you to invite Eli. And with Hannah doing so well, he was thrilled to come.” She pointed toward the field where Katie Ann and Eli were still standing. “There they are.”

  It warmed Martha’s heart to see them together. It was a picturesque setting as an orange glow rose into a deep blue sky, mountains in every direction. She took another look. Is Katie Ann crying?

  KATIE ANN SEARCHED her heart, and she knew that she would travel to Ohio to be with Eli if he asked her to do so. It would break her heart to leave Canaan, to leave Lillian, Samuel, and the children. They were her family. And what about Martha?

  “I can’t keep doing this, Eli.” She lowered her head as a tear trailed down her cheek. Eli lifted her chin and brushed away the tear with his thumb, keeping his hand on her cheek.

  “I don’t want to be without you either, Katie Ann.” She was surprised when he leaned in and kissed her, but time stopped for a moment as she allowed herself a few moments in his arms. He kissed her again, then kissed her on the cheek, cupping her face in his hands.

  “I love you, Katie Ann. I don’t want to be without you, but I’m not going to ask you to leave your family here. I wouldn’t do that.”

  The tiny webs in her heart thickened and spread wider, enough so that she was sure she would never survive what was coming. She stared out into the open field toward the majestic mountains and silently prayed for strength. Eli smoothed back a strand of hair that had fallen forward and kissed her again.

  “Marry me, Katie Ann. Spend the rest of your life with me.” Eli smiled. “Let me be a gut husband to you and a father to Jonas.”

  She was confused. “But how can that be, Eli? What about your plans—”

  Eli gently put a finger to her lips. “Mei lieb, God had other plans for me. I have spent my entire life taking care of others. And it’s not a burden, but a blessing. I want to take care of you and Jonas. God’s plan was for me to fall in love with you, Katie Ann. And nothing would make me happier than living out my life with you and the two of us raising Jonas together.”

  She looked deep into his eyes, silently begging for the Holy Spirit to guide her. Then she knew. “I will go anywhere to be with you, Eli. I love you.”

  He smiled. “You don’t have to go anywhere, Katie Ann. I’m staying here.”

  “But . . . I don’t understand. You said you could never leave your family.”

  “It would hurt me deeply to have to leave all of them.”

  She shook her head. “I would never ask you to do that, Eli, but I don’t understand.”

  “Do you know how much an acre of land costs here compared to Middlefield?” He stroked his chin. “Much cheaper here.” He paused again. “And have you ever noticed how there isn’t a camera in your face everywhere you go here? Not nearly as many tourists. And there is plenty of room.”

  Katie Ann’s eyes widened.

  “You’ll be meeting most of your extended family this fall when they move to Canaan, a decision they made on their own. They want the freedom to spread out and grow here in Canaan—with us.”

  Katie Ann threw her arms around him. “Eli! I love you so much. This is wonderful news! I can’t wait to meet everyone— Jake, Hannah, Ida Mae, Karen, Frieda, Maureen, and all their families and—”

  Eli eased her away for a moment. He pushed back a strand of loose hair that had fallen across her face, then cupped her cheek. “They aren’t all coming.”

  Katie Ann didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”

  “Maureen . . .” Eli lowered his eyes for a moment. “Maureen won’t be coming. Her husband has taken over his father’s blacksmith business, and he said they will be staying in Middlefield.”

  She knew that Eli held a special place in his heart for his youngest daughter. “Ach, Eli, I—I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say that you love me.” He pulled her close.

  “I do. And we will visit Maureen often.” She pulled out of his embrace slowly. “Are you sure this is what you want, Eli?”

  Then Eli did the unthinkable. He picked her up around the waist and swung her around until all the wildflowers molded into a blurred rainbow of sheer beauty. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”

  Katie Ann saw Martha stomping across the meadow, lifting her white heels high as she walked. She wiggled free of Eli’s hold but could hardly contain herself as tears of joy poured down her cheeks.

  “What in the world is going on out here?” Martha put her hands on her hips. “First I saw you crying, and now . . .” She grinned. “Are those happy tears?”

  “Eli and I are getting married!” Katie Ann bounced on her toes.

  Martha threw back her head and laughed. “Just had to go and steal my glory today, didn’tcha, honey?” Then she pulled Katie Ann into a tight hug. “I don’t know how I’m going to live without you here, though.”

  Katie Ann had to pry herself from Martha’s embrace. “You don’t have to. Eli is staying here, and . . .” She smiled at Eli. “His family—all but his youngest daughter—are moving here.”

  Martha looked at Eli, her eyes wide. Then she laughed. “That’s the best wedding present I could have asked for. This makes me very happy!” She kissed Katie Ann on the cheek and hugged Eli. “Now I have to go find my new husband before he starts missing me.” She turned to leave but then turned back around. “Just think of all the fun we’re going to have here in Canaan with such a big family.”

  Katie Ann closed her eyes and thanked God for the wonder of His love. Then she kissed Eli on the mouth—right in front of Martha.

  Martha shook her head, mumbling as she turned to head back toward the house. “Good grief. My wedding day, and I can’t even hold on to the spotlight.” She twisted her head around and winked at Katie Ann. “But you go, girl!”

  Acknowledgments

  THERE
IS ALWAYS A MILD LEVEL OF ANXIETY WHEN I write my acknowledgments, for fear of forgetting someone. With each book, more and more people are involved in the process, and getting the book on the shelves is a huge combined effort.

  I’ll start by thanking God, who continues to bless me with stories to tell. Without Him, there would be no books. Thank you, Lord, for guiding my hand in my effort to deliver stories that both entertain and bring folks closer to you.

  To my husband Patrick—you are the constant in my life that keeps me on an even keel despite the chaos sometimes. Thank you for making me laugh, for loving me, and for reading every single book I write, like you promised . . . ha ha. J I love you with all my heart.

  Sherry Gregg, it is an honor to dedicate the book to someone whom I admire in so many ways. I’ve always said that sometimes God drops people in our paths for a reason. He sure knew what He was doing when he introduced us. Okay, I better mention your husband, too, since I’ve known him since I was a kid . . . ha ha. Tim, you’re the best! Thank you both for your hospitality and your friendship. Despite the many places Patrick and I have traveled, we often recall our trip to Colorado as one of our very best vacations. Love you both!

  To my very best friend and kindred spirit, Renee’ Bissmeyer. You are a walking journal of my life, the one who knows the me I sometimes don’t even know. All these books later, your encouragement and love still keeps me going even when I doubt myself. You continue to be the wind beneath my wings. PEACE and love always.

  Janet Murphy, you rock! We make a great team. Thank you for walking one step ahead of me and keeping me on track. You’re an awesome assistant, publicity coordinator, listener, encourager, and friend. Cheers to an ongoing journey!

  To my editor, Natalie Hanemann, and my Thomas Nelson family—I am incredibly blessed to be traveling this road with you all on my team. Thank you for everything, both professionally and personally. You guys and gals are the best!