A Cousin's Prayer Read online

  Mama’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you planning to ask if he’s the father of Katie’s boppli?”

  Eunice sucked in her breath. “Do you think I should?”

  Mama shook her head. “I wouldn’t if I were you. You don’t know for sure if Katie’s in a family way, and if you wrongly accuse Freeman of fathering Katie’s boppli, it could ruin your relationship with him.”

  “Hmm ... Maybe you’re right.” Eunice tapped her chin a couple of times. “I don’t want to lose Freeman to Katie, the way I lost Sam to my so-called friend Amanda.”

  “Just be nice to Freeman, and I’m sure you won’t lose him.” Mama gave Eunice’s arm a squeeze. “I’m going inside to see if your daed wants a sandwich. If you get tired of waiting for Freeman, come join us.”

  “I’m already tired of waiting, so I think I’ll join you now.” Eunice left the swing and followed her mother inside.

  ***

  For the last hour, Katie and Freeman had been sitting on the back porch enjoying the cool breeze as the sun went down. The silence between them was as comfortable as an old pair of shoes, and Katie felt more relaxed than she had in months.

  She leaned her head back and sighed. Being with Freeman lifted her spirits and gave her a sense of hope. Maybe if she learned what to do, she could overcome her panic attacks and feel normal again. Truth was, she hadn’t felt normal since Timothy died.

  “Sure is a peaceful evening.” A single dimple showed in Freeman’s left cheek as he reached over and laid his hand on Katie’s arm.

  His unexpected touch gave Katie goose bumps, and she shivered.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, pulling his hand aside. “Should we go back inside?”

  “No, I’m fine.” There was no way Katie could tell Freeman how she’d felt when he’d touched her arm. He might misread what she said and think she was interested in him.

  Am I? She mentally shook her head. Of course not. I’m still in love with Timothy. I’ll never love anyone else. Besides, Freeman could never love someone like me.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked, needing to get her mind on something else. “I can fix us a sandwich or heat up some leftover soup.”

  “That sounds good.” Freeman stood. “I’ll come inside and make the sandwiches while you heat the soup.”

  Katie smiled. Even Timothy hadn’t been that kind and helpful.

  ***

  By the time Freeman left Katie’s, it was dark outside. He hadn’t meant to stay so long, but the time seemed to fly by as he got to know Katie a little better. He knew she had some serious issues she needed to deal with, which were probably the root cause of her anxiety attacks. Maybe he could do something to help Katie deal with the attacks. She had a sweet, gentle spirit; he’d seen that when he’d watched her care for the baby. She deserved to be free of the anxiety attacks and free to live a happy, peaceful life again.

  Freeman gave his horse the freedom to trot. As he looked up at the star-speckled sky, he thanked God for the beautiful world He’d created. Sometimes when Freeman thought about God’s majesty and power, he felt overcome with emotion. The thought that God could love the people He’d created so much that He’d sent His only Son to die for them was too much to comprehend. Freeman was thankful that he’d accepted Christ as his Savior not long ago. He wondered if Katie had done the same.

  As Freeman drew closer to home, he suddenly remembered his promise to stop by Eunice’s for a piece of the pie she’d baked.

  It’s too late for that now. She’s probably gone to bed already. Guess that’s what I get for staying at Katie’s so long. He groaned and thumped the side of his head. “Sure hope I’m not falling for two women at once.”

  CHAPTER 24

  For the next few days, Freeman went over to check on Katie regularly. He decided not to let Grandma or Fern know where he was going so he wouldn’t arouse any suspicion. He’d gone to the store for Katie again and picked up a few more things she needed for the baby. But he’d made sure he went to stores where none of their Amish friends shopped.

  The previous night when Freeman had gone to check on Katie, he’d given her a book about anxiety attacks. She hadn’t seemed that interested, though. Her focus had been on the baby. He guessed he couldn’t blame her for that. She’d grown attached to little Susan. Maybe after Katie turned the baby over to the sheriff, she’d be more receptive to reading the book.

  Freeman grabbed the handlebars of the bike that had been brought in for repairs earlier that morning and rolled it across the room, knowing he needed to quit thinking about Katie and get back to work.

  As he set the bike into position to begin working on it, Fern’s puppy zipped across the room and leaped on his foot. Woof! Woof!

  “Not now, Penny. I’ve got work to do, and I don’t have time to be playin’ with you.”

  Penny grabbed his shoelace in her mouth and gave it a shake.

  “Knock it off!” Freeman pushed the puppy aside. “Go lay down, or I’ll put you back in your dog run!”

  Freeman had started working with Penny a few days earlier, but he hadn’t made much progress. He figured he had his work cut out for him if he was going to get the pup fully trained, but he didn’t have time to bother with her now.

  Penny slunk away with her tail between her legs, and Freeman got busy on the bike. He’d just taken the tires off when the shop door opened and Eunice stepped in. Her pinched lips and deep frown let him know she was unhappy about something.

  “I came by on Monday morning, but there was a Closed sign on your door!” She stomped up to him with her hands on her hips. He’d never seen her look so disgruntled before.

  “I was away from the shop for a while.”

  “Where’d you go?”

  “Had some errands to run.”

  “What kind of errands?”

  “Just errands.” Freeman squeezed the rim of the tire. He didn’t like being quizzed like this. The look on Eunice’s face reminded him of Fern whenever she found something to scold him about.

  “I need to talk to you about something,” Eunice said.

  “Go ahead, but I’ll have to keep working.” Freeman gestured to the bike. “I need to have this done by two o’clock.”

  “That’s fine.” Eunice knelt on the floor beside Freeman.

  Woof! Woof! Penny jumped up, zipped across the room, and leaped into Eunice’s lap.

  Eunice frowned and pushed the dog away. “Get away from me! You’re getting dog hair on my dress!”

  Penny crept back to the place where she’d been sleeping.

  “I’m surprised by your reaction to the pup,” Freeman said. “The last time you were here, you acted like Penny was your best friend.”

  Eunice’s cheeks turned pink. “I like the dog well enough; I just don’t want to be bothered with her now. I came here to ask you a question, not to play with your hundli.”

  “What do you want to know?” Freeman asked.

  “The reason I came by on Monday was to ask why you didn’t stop by my place on Sunday like you promised,” Eunice said in a little softer tone.

  A surge of heat cascaded up Freeman’s neck. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “Katie and I started talking, and I lost track of time. I meant to swing by your place yesterday and apologize for not showing up on Sunday, but I got busy here and forgot.”

  “Are you interested in Katie?”

  “I’m interested in helping her.”

  “I think it’s more than that. I think you’re falling for her.”

  “Huh?”

  “If you didn’t have more than a passing interest in Katie, you wouldn’t be going over there so much or staying so long.” Eunice pursed her lips. “That tells me you must have an interest.”

  Freeman shook his head. “Katie and I are just friends.”

  “Is it because she’s pregnant? Is that why you’ve been going over there so often?”

  “What?” The heat on Freeman’s neck spread quickly to his face. “Where’d you get the notion that Kat
ie’s expecting a boppli?”

  Eunice folded her arms and glared at him. “It’s not hard to figure out. She’s been sick to her stomach, and she even fainted during church a few weeks ago.”

  “That’s because she’s been having—” Freeman clamped his mouth shut. If he told Eunice about Katie’s anxiety attacks, she might blab that around. But if he didn’t tell her, she might think Katie really was pregnant and start a rumor about that. It was a no-win situation.

  “Katie’s having what?” Eunice asked.

  “Nothing.”

  Eunice’s eyes flashed angrily. “I wasn’t going to ask you this question, but I’ve changed my mind.”

  “Ask me what?”

  “Are you the father of Katie’s boppli?”

  Another jolt of heat shot up Freeman’s neck, and sweat broke out on his forehead. “You think I got Katie pregnant?”

  “I don’t know; I’m just asking is all.”

  “As I said before, Katie and I are friends, but I’ve never touched her in an inappropriate way, and I’m sure she’s not pregnant!”

  Eunice leaned away from him. “You don’t have to yell.”

  “I can’t believe you’d accuse me of such a thing. I thought we were beginning to build a relationship.” He slowly shook his head. “If you really believe Katie’s pregnant and that I’m the father, then there’s no chance of you and me ever having a relationship!”

  Eunice’s face softened, and she touched his arm. “I’m sorry. If you say you’re not the father, then I believe you, Freeman.”

  “Do you still believe Katie’s in a family way?”

  Eunice shrugged. “I don’t know. The symptoms she has sure makes me believe she is, and today I heard someone at the health food store talking about a young woman who’s pregnant, so I’m thinking it’s Katie.”

  “I don’t see how she could be. I mean, her boyfriend died eight months ago, and Katie’s skinny as a twig. If she did get pregnant before Timothy died, then she’d be eight months along. Don’t you think she’d be way out to here by now?” Freeman clasped his fingers together and held his hands about a foot from his stomach.

  Eunice nodded. “She’s obviously not that far along. I suppose she could have gotten pregnant when she was living in Florida.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because Katie’s—” Freeman blew out his breath. “Can we just drop this subject? It’s lecherich.”

  “I don’t think it’s ridiculous at all!” Eunice scrambled to her feet. “I can see that you’re busy, so I’ll leave you alone to do your work!” She hesitated a minute, then started across the room, her shoulders drooping.

  Freeman knew she was upset and probably still thought he had an interest in Katie. He needed to convince her that she was wrong about that so she wouldn’t spread any rumors about Katie.

  “I hope you’re not gonna say anything to anyone else about your suspicions that Katie’s pregnant,” he called after her.

  She shrugged her shoulders and kept moving toward the door.

  “Would you like to go out to supper with me on Friday night,” he called, feeling a sense of desperation.

  She halted and turned back around. “You mean it?”

  “Wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”

  “Which restaurant?”

  “Which one’s your favorite?”

  “I like eating at the Blue Gate, but then Das Dutchman’s really good, too.”

  Freeman shrugged. “Either one is fine with me, so you can choose if you like.”

  “Let’s go to the Blue Gate.”

  “Okay. I’ll come by your place around five and pick you up.”

  “I’ll see you on Friday then.” Eunice flashed him a smile and went out the door.

  Penny left her spot on the rug and ambled over to Freeman. He reached out and stroked the pup’s silky ears. “Sure hope Eunice is wrong about Katie. It’d be a real shock to everyone, especially me, if she really is pregnant.”

  ***

  Like all the other days since Mom and Dad had been gone to Ohio, Katie kept the stamp shop closed and stayed in the house with the baby. Twice that morning someone had stopped at the stamp shop and then come to the house and knocked on the door. Katie hadn’t answered, even though the baby was asleep. It was too risky to answer the door to anyone but Freeman.

  Katie took a seat in the rocking chair and placed the sleeping baby in her lap. She nuzzled the top of the infant’s head, wishing she could keep her, but knowing it was an impossible dream. There was no way Mom and Dad would let her keep the baby; they’d notify the sheriff for sure.

  Tears welled in Katie’s eyes as she was overcome with a sense of guilt. The precious little girl in her arms wasn’t hers to keep. She’d been wrong to keep Susan this long.

  I won’t wait until Wednesday to notify the sheriff, she decided . The next time Freeman comes by, I’ll ask him to take me there.

  ***

  Eunice knocked on Sara Bontrager’s door. When no one came, she peered in through the screen. “Is anybody here?”

  No response.

  Maybe they’re upstairs or somewhere out back.

  Eunice turned and was about to step off the porch when the screen door swung open and Sara stepped out. “Fern’s not in the house. She’s working out back,” she said.

  “Oh, okay. I’ll go there now.”

  Eunice found Fern bent over a row of peas in the garden. “Guder mariye,” she said, stepping carefully between the rows.

  Fern looked up and smiled. “Good morning, Eunice.”

  “Are you weeding or picking?”

  “A little of both.” Fern motioned to the plastic pail nearby. “I should have a nice mess of peas we can have with our supper this evening.”

  “The peas in our garden have all shriveled up from the hot weather we’ve been having,” Eunice said with a shake of her head. “Keeping the garden watered is nearly a full-time job.”

  “I know what you mean. I usually water every other day, and sometimes that doesn’t seem to be enough.” Fern stopped picking and wiped her forehead with the corner of her choring apron. “Should we go up to the house and have something cold to drink? I’m more than ready for a little break.”

  “A cold drink sounds good to me.”

  Fern picked up the bucket of peas, and she and Eunice headed for the house.

  “If you’d like to have a seat on the porch swing, I’ll go inside and get us some iced meadow tea. Or would you rather have a glass of lemonade?”

  “Meadow tea’s fine for me. I like the minty taste.” Eunice lowered herself to the swing.

  Fern disappeared into the house and returned a few minutes later with two glasses of iced tea and a plate of oatmeal cookies. She set the cookies on the small table nearby, handed one of the glasses to Eunice, and took a seat beside her. “What brings you by this morning? Have you been out to the bike shop to see Freeman?”

  Eunice nodded. “I went there to ask why he didn’t come by to see me on Sunday like he promised.”

  Fern’s brows lifted slightly. “I thought he went to see Katie. At least that’s where he said he’d gone.”

  “Freeman passed my buggy Sunday afternoon, and we stopped and talked for a few minutes. He said he was going over to check on Katie but that he’d stop by my place for a piece of pie on his way home.” Eunice frowned. “Of course, he never showed up.” She took a sip of tea and held the cool glass against her forehead. “Freeman’s sudden interest in Katie has me worried. One minute he acts as if he likes me, and the next minute he’s running off to check on her.”

  Fern patted Eunice’s arm in a motherly fashion. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. My bruder has always liked to fix broken things, and I believe he thinks Katie needs fixing.”

  “Why would he think Katie needs fixing?”

  “She’s been carrying around a lot of emotional baggage since the accident that took her
boyfriend’s life. I’m sure Freeman sees Katie as someone who needs his help, but certainly not as his aldi.”

  “I hope you’re right, but with her being pregnant—” Eunice covered her mouth. “Oops! Guess I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

  Fern’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

  Eunice nodded.

  “Where’d you ever get an idea like that?”

  Eunice told Fern about the conversation she’d heard at the health food store awhile back and then mentioned the symptoms Katie had been having.

  Fern’s lips compressed into a thin, straight line. “Have you said anything to Freeman about this?”

  Eunice nodded. “I mentioned it to him when I was in the bike shop awhile ago. We almost ended up in an argument when I asked if he was the father of Katie’s boppli.”

  Fern blinked a couple of times and jerked her head. “You accused my bruder of that?”

  “I did, but Freeman denied it.”

  Fern’s head moved slowly from side to side. “If Katie’s pregnant, which I’m not convinced that she is, there’s no way that Freeman could be the father.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Think about it, Eunice. The only time Freeman’s been alone with Katie is the few times he’s stopped to check on her since her folks left for Ohio.”

  Eunice tapped her chin as she thought things through. “Maybe the father is someone Katie met while she was living in Florida. It’s the only logical conclusion.”

  ***

  Shortly after noon, Katie glanced out the kitchen window and spotted Freeman getting out of his buggy. She wiped her wet hands on a dish towel and hurried to the door.

  “How are you doing?” Freeman asked when he entered the house a short time later. “Do you need anything else for the boppli?”

  “I’ve still got plenty of everything.” She motioned to the counter where she’d begun making a sandwich. “I was about to fix myself some lunch. If you haven’t eaten yet, maybe you’d like to join me.”

  Freeman smiled. “I haven’t eaten, so I’d be glad to join you.”