The Wonder of Your Love (A Land of Canaan Novel) (13 page)

She knew she should be embarrassed, but something about the warmth in his tone coaxed her to just accept the compliment. “
Danki
for saying that.”

They were quiet for a few moments, then Katie Ann said, “The woman you saw at my house, Lucy, she is the one who . . .” She lowered her chin, surprised at how easily she revealed the information, but caught off guard by it too.

Eli folded his arms across the black coat he was still wearing. “Does she live here in Colorado?”

“No. She traveled from Paradise, Pennsylvania, to see me.”

Eli’s brows lifted, and Katie Ann surprised herself even more by telling Eli about most of her conversation with Lucy, except for the part about giving Lucy money.

“I see.” Eli nodded. “And she’s pregnant?”

“With Ivan’s child.”

“I think the woman had a lot of nerve to seek you out to ask about a
haus
.” Eli accepted the bill when the waitress returned, and he quickly pulled cash from his pocket and placed it on the table. “Today it is my goal to make sure that your mind is not on anything to do with Ivan or Lucy. We are going to enjoy this day . . .” He strained to see out a nearby window. “Snow or no snow.”

Katie Ann leaned to her left to see outside too. “Look, the sun is shining.”

Eli nodded. “
Ya
. It will be a
gut
day.”

E
LI WATCHED
K
ATIE
Ann take Jonas with her to the ladies’ room for a quick diaper change before they got back on the road. He couldn’t believe how easy she was to talk to, or had he just gone so long without female companionship that he’d forgotten? She seemed like a good Amish woman, too, who deserved a husband and someone to take care of her and the
boppli
. Eli knew he’d need to tread carefully, always making it known that he only had friendship to offer her. It was dangerous territory for him because he was the type to nurture, no matter how uncharacteristic it was for an Amish man. He’d spent much of his life tending to the needs of others, and even at this point in his life it came naturally to him.

He sat a little taller, resolved that he had his life planned out and there was certainly no room for romance with a new mother, no matter how beautiful she was.

When Katie Ann returned, they glanced out the window and saw Wayne waiting in the car outside. The hour-long ride seemed to fly by as the three of them talked. Wayne shared the history of the Great Sand Dunes, and Eli was glad to see Katie Ann involved in the conversation, laughing and appearing to have a good time. He might not be able to take care of her the way she needed, but it gave him satisfaction to bring some joy into her life.

Before they reached the National Park and Preserve, they could see the majestic dunes nestled against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and as Eli peeked over his shoulder, he saw the twinkle in Katie Ann’s eyes as she peered through the window.

Wayne pulled into the entrance of the park. “Amazing, isn’t it? These dunes are a landmark for travelers. Did you know they are the tallest dunes in North America? They cover nearly twenty thousand acres.” He chuckled. “Just a little history for you.”

Eli glanced at the massive dunes for as far as he could see, but his eyes kept veering back to Katie Ann. As her smile widened, her eyes glistened like the tiny specks of snow-covered sand that stretched before them, and Eli smiled along with her. She seemed so different from the first couple of times he was around her. She seemed happy, and her fulfillment sparked something inside of Eli that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

He forced himself to look away from her and focus on the beauty of the mountains.

Then she leaned forward and touched his shoulder. “Look, Eli!” She pointed to her left, but Eli’s eyes were on her hand on his shoulder. “There are two elk.”

Eli glanced to where she was pointing. “
Big
elk,” he said as his eyes drifted back to her hand. Her touch sent a thrill up his spine, and he was again reminded how long it had been since he’d been in the company of a beautiful woman. As his eyes trailed up to her lips, Eli pictured his mouth pressed tightly against hers, a vision that he suspected he would replay in his mind long after this day ended.

After about thirty minutes, they got back on the road. Wayne explained more about the dunes. “You folks really should see them when the weather is better and they aren’t covered in snow. Each time you climb over one of the dunes, there is another one waiting on the other side. They go on forever.”

“They’re beautiful, even covered in snow,” Katie Ann said, keeping her eyes on the mountains as they pulled out of the park.

She was chatty all the way back to her house, talking about the garden she planned to have in the spring, the black bear she’d seen a couple of weeks ago out her window, and the repairs she needed to do on her house, most importantly a leak in her roof that Samuel had tried to repair twice without success. She mentioned several times how fortunate she was to have her brother-in-law and his wife living next door.

It was almost three o’clock when they pulled into her driveway, and little Jonas was beginning to fuss. Couldn’t blame the poor fellow. He’d been cooped up for hours in the car, but he’d fared well, not even a whimper until now.

Eli opened the door, unhooked the car seat, and lifted Jonas out. He met Katie Ann on her front porch and waited for her to open her front door. Once she was inside, he handed the carrier to her, wanting more than anything to step inside. He waited, but she merely thanked him for a wonderful time.

“Why don’t I have a look at that leak in your roof? I’m a pretty good carpenter.”

Katie Ann peered over Eli’s shoulder. “Wayne is waiting for you. Besides, I can’t let you do that. I’m sure Samuel will have another look at it.”

“Do you have any tools?”

She nodded. “
Ya
, a few, but . . .”

“If I send Wayne home, I can walk to Vera and Elam’s
haus
from here.” He pushed back the rim of his hat. “And I’m willing to have a look at your roof in exchange for a hot cup of
kaffi
.”

She tapped her finger to her chin, grinning. “Hmm . . . I do need to get it repaired before the next storm.” She nodded. “All right.”

Eli shuffled down the porch steps to the car. He quickly paid Wayne, thanked the man, then started back to the house. He stopped and looked up at the roof, causing a burst of adrenaline to shoot through him. In truth, he preferred to keep his feet on solid ground.

Katie Ann had left the door cracked, so he walked in. She wasn’t anywhere in sight, so he busied himself by starting a fire. She walked in a few minutes later.

“Jonas went back to sleep. Hasn’t he been a
gut boppli
today?” She folded her hands in front of her, eyes glowing.

“
Ya
. He’s like Maureen.” He added another log to the fireplace. “Maureen was happiest when I had to hire a driver to take us somewhere.”

As he built the fire and finally got it lit, he thought about Katie Ann having to do this by herself every day. “Why don’t you invest in some solar panels for heat?”

“I’ve thought about it.” She shrugged. “I guess I just haven’t gotten around to it.”

Eli blew underneath the logs until a small flame caught onto the wood. “What about in Jonas’s room? Is he warm enough in there?”

“I have a small battery-operated heater that I keep in there, plus once the fire is going, it heats this small
haus
nicely.”

After Eli got the fire going strong, he shed his coat and hat, and Katie Ann quickly took them from him and hung them on the rack by the door. He glanced at the clock and realized he’d better have a look at her leak and see if he could get it repaired before dark, or he’d be walking to his cousins’ house in freezing temperatures.

“Where’s your leak?”

Katie Ann motioned for him to follow, talking as she walked. “You really don’t need to bother with this. I should have declined the offer . . .”

Eli pretended to be listening by giving her an occasional nod, but his eyes roamed around her bedroom. A queen-sized oak bed topped with a yellow and blue quilt took up most of the space in the small room, and there was a fragrance in the air teasing his senses, lavender perhaps. On the nightstand, several books were piled next to a lantern, along with a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses and a box of tissues. It felt intimate, being in her bedroom.

He crossed the room to where she was standing, her arm stretched and pointing to the ceiling. Maybe it was the dim natural light coming through the window, the floral scent wafting through the room, or the way her mouth moved when she spoke, but Eli closed the space between them until he was standing a few inches from her. He touched her cheek with the back of his fingers, fully expecting her to step back. But she didn’t. And as their eyes locked and held, Eli knew what was coming, and he was helpless to stop himself.

Seven

K
ATIE
A
NN WAS PARALYZED BY THE FEEL OF
E
LI’S
touch, and any rational thoughts she had about how inappropriate this was left her when he leaned in and kissed her. As he cupped her cheek, his mouth lingered on hers with more intimacy than she could recall ever having with Ivan, but even as her body reacted to his touch, it was still Ivan’s face that flashed before her, and she reminded herself that this man was not her husband. She eased away.

“I know I’m supposed to say I’m sorry, Katie Ann.” Eli put his hands on his hips and stared at the floor for a moment, then looked back up at her. “But I’m not.”

“I think you’d best leave.” Katie Ann walked out of her bedroom, and Eli followed. She pulled his coat and hat from the rack and handed them to him. “
Danki
for a lovely time sightseeing, but I think I’ll have Samuel look at the leak on another day.”

Eli didn’t take the items. “No, Katie Ann. Don’t do this. I like you, and I want us to be friends, so let’s talk about what just happened.”

She could feel her cheeks reddening, embarrassed about her own desires and wondering if he noticed how she trembled when his lips were pressed against hers. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She pushed the coat and hat forward until they hit his chest and he was forced to take them.

He locked eyes with her. “I guess I
am
sorry. If this is going to keep us from being friends, then I regret my actions.”

Katie Ann put a hand to her forehead, not wanting to look at him, but not wanting him to leave either. He gently cupped her chin and raised her face.

“I’m sorry. I really would like to fix your leaky roof.” He smiled. “But maybe you’d better stay in the living room.”

The way he said it caused Katie Ann to smile.

“Okay,
gut
. A smile. All is not lost.” He hung his hat and coat back on the rack, then pointed a finger at her. “Now you stay here. Don’t even think about coming into the kissing room . . .” He let out an exaggerated gasp. “I mean bedroom.”

He gave his head a quick shake as he walked across the living room and toward her bedroom, and she put a hand over her mouth to stifle a grin. He wasn’t just handsome, caring, and nurturing . . . he was funny too. Strangely enough, she began to feel a bit more at ease.

“I’ll make us some
kaffi
,” she said as she walked toward the kitchen. She filled the percolator, the kiss playing over and over in her mind. But with each recollection, the image seemed to transform itself from Eli to Ivan, then back again. She should never have let it happen.

Eli walked into the kitchen. “I can see where Samuel repaired the area, but I’m going to need to get up on the roof to figure out why it’s still leaking. When is a
gut
time for me to come back tomorrow?”