God's Gift of Love Read Free Page B

almost mischievously, and she tilted her head. “You know Gabe, jah ?”
    Just the mention of him had her beaming. She tried to hide it. “ Jah . We’re old friends and he’s helping fix May’s porch.”
    “You must come, then!” Rosella said. “And at the service next week, you’ll meet Samuel and Zachary.”
    “ Jah ...” Katie trailed off. “ Jah , I’ll be there.”
    “Perfect!” Rosella beamed. “We will see you at seven, then.”
    “Seven, denke .”
     
    * * *
     
    Seven o’clock came slowly. All day, Katie agonized over seeing Gabe in a different situation with his family, and for a longer period of time.
    It finally came though, and at nearly seven o'clock she drove May’s buggy to Rosella and Abel’s house. May decided to have dinner with her daughter Jane, but Katie wished she could come with her. Everything was easier with May at her side.
    But no, she could do this. It was only dinner.
    Rosella and Abel’s home was on the opposite side of the farm from where Gabe lived. Two buggies were lined up at the front, and Rosella steered her horses to be beside them. She’d made bread to bring for dinner, so she took her basket up to the door. She fidgeted with her skirt while waiting for them to answer the door. She tucked some stray curls of her auburn hair beneath her kapp . It always seemed to be coming loose now, maybe it was the hormones of her pregnancy making her hair rebel. Her kapp was black now because she was no longer married. She’d worn white for two years and somehow the black made her feel free if only she could forget what had happened.
    The door opened, and Gabe stood there. Katie sucked in a breath. She hadn’t expected to see him yet. She inclined her head. “ Gut evening.”
    He smiled at her. “ Gut evening, Katie. Come in.”
    " Denke ." She slipped past him and he closed the door. The house smelled of fresh grass.
    Isobel ran up to greet her. “Katie!”
    “Hello, Miss Isobel,” Katie said, smiling. Gabe motioned for her to follow him, and she did, Isobel trailing behind her playing with her doll, as they went into the kitchen.
    Rosella was preparing dinner, and she beamed when she saw Katie. “Welcome!”
    “ Denke ,” Katie said. “I brought a loaf of Friendship bread.”
    “ Denke .”
    The back door opened and a man walked in. He had a short beard, indicating he hadn’t been married for long. “Katie, hello! It’s been a long time.”
    It took her a moment to recognize that it was Abel, Gabe’s younger brother. Ah yes, of course. He looked so different now with his beard. He held himself differently, too. Katie wondered what Gabe would look like with a beard when he married.
    “Hello, I hardly recognized you!” Katie said.
    Abel chuckled. “Well, I might not have recognized you either if I didn’t know you were coming.”
    They all laughed, and Katie asked how she could help with dinner.
    Soon, they were all seated at the table, Katie next to Gabe. He had been quiet so far tonight, but he kept smiling at her. He was nervous, she could tell. He fidgeted with his napkin and the toggles on his shirt and was constantly shifted in his seat during grace. She held back a smile of amusement. Not that she found it funny in a cruel way. It was charming, the fact that he felt nervous around her. He shouldn’t. It was just her, just Katie.
    Though she felt nervous around him, too, but it was just Gabe. They were old friends, it shouldn’t be this way, she knew. But something in the air between them was charged, thick, and she could tell he wanted to say more than what he did, wanted to look at her longer. When she passed him the bread, his fingers brushed against hers as he took the basket, and he let them linger there, his soft touch just a whisper.
    “Katie,” Rosella asked, “Are you looking forward to having children?”
    “ Jah .” Katie nodded. Even though it was obvious she was pregnant it was not the done thing to talk about it directly. Rosella had