Katie Opens Her Heart Read Free Page A

to a minimum.
    Arlene rolled her eyes. “He’s an Englisha farmer’s son who lives a little ways toward town. He’s a looker, as I’m sure you saw. I wish he’d stop by and chat with me like that.”
    “He wasn’t chatting with me,” Katie protested.
    “You could have fooled me,” Arlene shot back. “And your face—it’s fiery red.”
    “I’m…just warm, that’s all,” Katie reasoned.
    Arlene didn’t look convinced. “I do declare. Who would have thought it? Where have you been, Katie? And you’re not even in your rumspringa ! What will your mamm say?”
    “She will say nothing,” Katie said, “because there’s nothing to say. That boy went through my register line like a lot of people have today. That’s all there is to it.”
    Arlene shook her head. “You’re not fooling me, Katie. I heard what he said. ‘And maybe you can listen to me chatter sometime.’ And you said, ‘I’d love to.’ I’ve never heard that from you before.”
    “You’re overreacting,” Katie retorted.
    A customer walked up to her register with his purchases. Arlene glanced back at her own register, and when she saw no one in line, she stayed to bag the man’s items.
    When the man left, Arlene began again. “Did Mark say anything more that I didn’t hear?”
    “ Nee , of course not! You ought to know by now I don’t know how to talk to boys. Especially Englisha boys. I was so astounded he was speaking with me. Really…it didn’t mean a thing.”
    “I’m not so sure. I know lots of girls—Amish ones included, who would love to get even a ‘hi’ from Mark Bishop. You’ve been changing, and I guess I haven’t been paying attention. You go, girl!”
    Nothing has changed in the least. Ben Stoll wouldn’t even give me a wave this morning , Katie almost said. Instead she pressed her lips together. There was no sense adding fuel to Arlene’s overactive mind. Arlene might think she’d received some attention from Ben before and was looking for more. That wasn’t possible. Katie was still Emma Raber’s daughter. That wasn’t changing anytime soon. Or if it did, it certainly wouldn’t happen in a moment of time while tending a cash register at Byler’s.
    “You have a customer,” Katie whispered.
    Arlene hurried away. She was soon back, though, to help bag groceries for the customer Katie was waiting on. Arlene obviously was waiting to continue their conversation.
    “He didn’t even know my name,” Katie said, anticipating Arlene’s curiosity. “And he had to ask whether I work here regularly. He doesn’t know me.”
    “Well, you’ve never lied to me, so I guess I have to believe you,” Arlene allowed. She returned to her register. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you though.”
    And she would, Katie knew. And now she was going to turn red every time an Englisha boy her age came through her register line. What if another one paid her attention today? Arlene would never let her live it down! Katie forced herself to think about something else. She had worse things to worry about than an Englisha boy paying her attention. That had been a once-in-a-blue-moon happening.
    “Hi.” A man’s voice broke into her thoughts and Katie jumped.
    “Nice day outside,” he continued.
    Katie’s eyes flew up, taking in his face. He was young and smiling, and his hand was pushing a sandwich and drink forward.
    “Oh! I’m sorry.” Katie drew in a quick breath. “Is this all you have?” Of course it was all he had, Katie thought, her mind racing. What a dunce she was. She was still nervous from the encounter with the other Englisha boy. Surely this one would soon move on.
    “Yep!” the boy said. “Just had to grab something quick for lunch. I was told the sandwiches here are really good.”
    Katie scanned his items. The world was indeed coming to an end. Two Englisha boys paying her attention on the same day? What had she done to garner this?
    “Thank you,” Katie said quietly as she took the boy’s money,