“Katie has offered to help.” He eased the harness into place.

  “Daed says the teetshah don’t know her rightful place. He won’t like that she’s here.”

  “He’ll kumm around to the idea.” Seth fed the leather strap through the buckle.

  “Is she going to make us do schulwork?”

  “We’ll see.” Seth secured the girth strap. The boys, most likely, would volunteer to do more chores just to stay clear of the house—of the teetshah. He could relate. He wasn’t fond of his teacher at his nephews’ ages either. His teacher embarrassed him in front of the other students when he made simple spelling errors. He struggled through all eight grades, mocked by other classmates, to get his letters and numbers in the correct order. Something he still struggled with to this day.

  He fed the reins through the terret and handed them to Thomas.

  “Pull the buggy around. I’m going to get your daed.” He plodded to the house, whispering a prayer that Amos wouldn’t put up a fuss.

  At the top of the porch steps, he kicked the mud from the bottom of his boots. Entering the house, he headed to the kitchen. He wanted to check on Katie before he approached Amos about going into town.

  Annie sat quietly on the kitchen chair as Katie stood behind her, brushing the knots from her hair. He leaned against the counter and quietly watched. Katie set the brush on the table, then twisted the long, stringy hair into a tight bun. She glanced at him but, with her mouth loaded with pins to fasten the prayer kapp in place, couldn’t say anything. Within a few seconds, she had effortlessly managed to make Annie presentable, something he hadn’t been able to do.

  “All done,” Katie said.

  Annie looked up at her and smiled. “Denki. Can I color some more?”

  Katie nodded.

  “It looks like you have everything under control,” he said.

  “I need to plan when to start the meals, but I haven’t seen a clock. Do you have the time?”

  Until she lifted her brows, he hadn’t realized he was staring. He dug his hand into his pocket and fished out the bronze pocket watch. He studied the placement of the hands.

  She leaned closer. “Ach, did it stop working?”

  He handed her the watch, nervous he might get his numbers mixed up and say the wrong time.

  She took a quick look. “I have plenty of time.” She extended her hand toward him. “Denki.”

  “You can use it.” He glanced around the room. “If I have a chance when I’m in town, I’ll get a battery wall clock.”

  “That isn’t necessary.”

  It was to him. He didn’t want to chance being asked the time again. He glanced out the window as Thomas stopped the buggy next to the porch.

  “I’ll take the boys into town with me and Amos. I’m nett sure how long we will be gone.”

  “Should I make some sandwiches for you to take along?” She moved to the cabinet and reached for the loaf of bread.

  Thoughtful and kind, she was easy to like. Too easy. And the longer he stayed in the same room with her, the greater the likelihood that he’d compile a list of all her fine qualities. His heart couldn’t risk that.

  “Nay. I mean, don’t bother making sandwiches. We can eat something later.” He took a few steps away, then paused. “Denki again, Katie.”

  Katie stood at the window and marveled at the amount of gentleness Seth used helping Amos down the porch steps. He must have coaxed him out of the house with some of the same skills. After Amos refused earlier, she figured the stubborn man would create some sort of commotion, but he went quietly. Seth helped Amos into the buggy, then climbed onto the bench.

  Katie looked away from the window and peered down at Seth’s pocket watch in her hand. She glided her fingers over the soft metal casing. She’d seen some pocket watches that were shiny and had fancy carvings etched on the front, but this one was plain with a lackluster finish and worn clasp. Functional, just what she would expect him to carry. She lifted it to her ear and listened to the rhythmic ticking. Steady. She recalled how long Seth stared at the watch as though trying to calculate the time.

  “See what I colored?” Annie picked up the picture for Katie to see.

  “That’s really schee.” She set the watch on the counter, then pulled out a chair from under the table and sat beside Annie.

  “Denki.” She lowered the paper to the table and resumed scribbling.

  Katie reached for the blue crayon. “Bloh. Blue.”

  Annie looked up from her paper and repeated both the Pennsylvania Deitsch and English words back. Excited by the child’s enthusiasm to learn, Katie spent the next few hours coloring with Annie and teaching her more colors.

  Most children didn’t learn English until they started school, but Katie found no harm in teaching Annie a few words while she watched her. Besides, the child seemed receptive to any form of attention—unlike the boys, who avoided her. She suspected since they were removed from school, they hadn’t done any formal arithmetic.

  She was curious if Thomas still mixed up his numbers and if simple additions still frustrated him. She wished Amos had given her a chance to work with the boy after she discovered his real problem. Erma had agreed, but Amos refused. Even after the librarian in Hope Falls had found Katie several books on dyslexia, Amos didn’t see any point in even trying the suggestions in them. Katie had no doubt that Thomas’s reading would improve if he applied some of the tools to decode the words. She smiled. Perhaps God had sent her here to do more than cook, clean, and look after Annie. She was a teacher after all.

  Razzen pushed off the wall and sidled up beside Katie to murmur in her ear. “You’re the only one who believes in your teaching ability. Your family and friends don’t. Otherwise they would have rebuilt the school, wouldn’t they?”

  Katie slumped in the chair as memories flooded her mind of how useless her life was before teaching. She thought she would never get over James dying. But through God’s mercy, the teaching position had opened, giving her a reason to celebrate each new day.

  Lord, I feel useless. I thought I accepted that I would never get married or have children. I thought I was content as a teacher . . . Wasn’t I grateful for all you had given me? What am I supposed to do with my life now? She sighed. “I will trust you,” she whispered.

  As she made her declaration, she caught sight of the Budget paper sticking out of the supply bag she’d brought. She’d hoped once Annie was taking a nap, she would have a chance to read the news. She grabbed the paper and unfolded it, and while Annie continued to color, Katie scanned the pages. She skipped to the Michigan section of the paper. Many of the districts mentioned their sadness over the news of the tornado. Some listed the number of men who were coming to help rebuild. Katie roamed the other district’s articles. Oscoda’s school had closed early after the teacher of forty-five years passed away.

  “How do you like mei picture?” Annie picked up her paper. “It’s a garden.”

  Katie pushed the newspaper aside and studied the child’s artwork. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Do you want to color with me?”

  Katie smiled. It would be easy to spend the remainder of the day coloring with Annie, but she needed to check the time. She glanced at the pocket watch. Where had the time gone? She should be preparing supper and Annie hadn’t eaten lunch yet. “We can color tomorrow,” she said. She didn’t want Seth and Amos returning without something in the oven for them to eat.

  “He has a closed head injury,” the doctor explained.

  Seth shook his head. “What does that mean?”

  “The MRI doesn’t show signs of an intracranial bleed. However, there is some swelling. That’s probably what’s putting pressure on the optic nerve.”

  “So will he regain his sight?” Seth moved aside as a hospital worker pushed a patient on a stretcher down the hall.

  “I don’t have that answer. I’ve made arrangements for him to see an ophthalmologist. We need to rule out a detached retina.”

  “Okay,” Seth said, although none of it made much sense. “Did you explain this to Amos?”

  “He refused to be admitted for observation, but he has agreed to see the ophthalmologist.”

  Seth breathed easier.

  The doctor tore a sheet from his clipboard. “These are the specific instructions. He shouldn’t lift anything. He needs to rest as much as possible. His blood pressure is within normal limits, but he should avoid any stress.”

  Seth grimaced. That meant Katie.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Katie pulled into Amos’s driveway the following morning and spotted Seth near the pasture gate. Leaning against the fence with one foot hiked up on the lower board, he gazed in the direction of the rising sun. He looked like he had a lot on his mind.

  By the time they returned from seeing the doctor yesterday, the sun was setting. She stayed long enough to put the meat loaf back in the oven to reheat it and to explain how long he should wait before taking it out. Amos had grumbled something about not being hungry, and Seth helped him into the rocking chair in the sitting room. Seth hadn’t offered any news about Amos’s condition, probably because Amos was in earshot. Katie didn’t ask.

  She halted Peaches next to the hitching post and set the brake. Seth was walking her way as she climbed out of the buggy.

  “Guder mariye.” He reached for the reins. Without a hat, his ruffled hair looked as if he’d used his fingers to comb it.

  “Mariye.” She pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Even for this being the last week in May, the early hours were still chilly. She glanced at the house. A small flicker of lamplight illuminated the kitchen. “Is everyone up?” She was more interested in Amos’s mood, but she didn’t want to be so blunt as to ask.

  “Everyone except Annie. I let her sleep in.” He grinned. “I didn’t want to mess with trying to put her hair up again.”

  “That’s probably smart,” she replied, remembering the struggle to get the knots out of Annie’s hair.

  He motioned to the house. “Should I go inside with you?”

  “To protect me from Amos?” she joked, hoping it disguised some of her worry. Yesterday went well because Amos was gone the entire day. Today she wasn’t sure what to expect.

  “I won’t let him give you a hard time.”

  “I’ll be fine.” She couldn’t deny liking the idea of his support, but he had work to do and couldn’t protect her all day. Either she and Amos would work out their differences—or she would learn to stay out of the man’s way.

  “I suppose I’m worrying for nothing.” Seth eyed her with a smile. “You’ll hold your own.”

  Heat spiraled along her nerves and generated a trail of goose bumps in its wake. At a loss for a quick response, she rubbed her dress sleeve over her arm, but that didn’t prevent the tingling sensation from spreading. “I should go inside before Annie wakes up.” Walking away, she was surprised to find him at her side.

  He shrugged at her lifted brows. “I want to get a glass of water.”

  She held her smile until they were inside the house. Amos sat rigid in the rocking chair in the sitting room. If he had heard them enter the room, he made no indication.

  “Katie’s here,” Seth said.

  Amos mumbled something inaudible, which Katie assumed went along with his unwelcoming expression.

  Seth elbowed her arm and motioned with a head nod toward the kitchen.

  “Let me know if you need anything, Amos,” she said, then without waiting for a response, followed Seth into the kitchen.

  “I should help the boys with the barn chores,” he said, turning.

  Katie cleared her throat. When he glanced over his shoulder, she pointed at the sink. “You didn’t get your glass of water.”

  By noontime, Katie had swept and mopped the kitchen floor, had a noodle casserole in the oven, and she and Annie were headed outside to pick some peas in the garden. She snapped the pods from the vine and tossed them into a bowl. Meandering along the row, she reached for more to pluck. She stole a glance at Seth as he inspected the damaged barn. He’d walked around the perimeter at least a dozen times, taken multiple measurements, but didn’t seem anxious to get started on the repairs.

  Annie plopped some pea pods, most still attached to their tendrils, into the bowl Katie was holding.

  “Denki, I think we have enough nau,” she told the child. “Let’s go inside and wash them.”

  Annie skipped up the porch steps and waited for Katie at the door.

  Once inside, Katie poked her head into the sitting room. “I’ll have lunch ready in a few minutes,” she told Amos.

  “I don’t want anything.”

  She wasn’t about to argue with the man in front of his daughter. Besides, after she brought him a plate of food, he might change his mind.

  “We picked peas,” Annie said, oblivious that her excitement hadn’t softened Amos’s expression. “Show him, Katie.”

  She grasped Annie’s hand and steered her away from the sitting room. “We need to wash them first. Kumm, let’s take them into the kitchen.” Her distraction worked. Annie skipped ahead into the kitchen.

  A chair scraped against the wooden floor as Annie pushed it in front of the sink. Together they washed the peas and placed them in a pan of water. Then Katie sprinkled a dash of salt over them. She removed the noodle casserole from the oven and set it on the cooling rack. After counting the correct number of spoons and forks, she handed them to Annie to place on the table. Meanwhile, she scooped a serving of casserole for Amos. She wanted to make sure his food had enough time to cool.

  Seth entered the kitchen, his nose tipped upward. “Smells gut.” He grabbed the Budget from the counter and sat at the table.

  She glanced over her shoulder and caught him holding the paper up but looking over the pages at her. “Lots going on, ain’t so?”

  “Uh . . . jah.” He raised the paper, shielding his eyes.

  Thomas burst through the door, Paul behind him. They both pulled their chairs out from the table.

  Seth folded the paper and tossed it on the chair beside him.

  Katie cleared her throat. “Wash your hands, boys.”

  Annie climbed up on her chair and showed Katie her clean hands.

  She glanced at Seth, who was looking at his hands. “If you have to look, then they’re nett washed.” Katie flipped her thumb over her shoulder at the sink.

  Seth rolled his eyes but stood. He pushed one shirtsleeve to his elbow, then did the other one as he waited for the boys to finish washing.

  The moment Thomas dried his hands, Katie handed him Amos’s plate. “Take this to your daed, please.”

  Seth held up his wet hands. “Do they pass?”

  Katie smiled. “Jah, you may take your seat.”

  “Denki.”

  “Katie and I picked peas,” Annie said.

  “I know. I saw you in the garden.” He looked at Katie but darted his eyes away.

  Thomas returned to the kitchen. “He didn’t want it,” he said, placing the plate on the counter.

  Katie opened her mouth, but Seth spoke first.

  “Let’s pray.” He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

  Katie thanked God for the food in her silent grace.

  Seth opened his eyes and reached for the pepper shaker. “I didn’t know you wrote for the paper,” he said.

  “Nearly eight years. Well, nett the entire eight years; I stopped for a while.”

  “Why?” He peppered his noodles, then set the shaker on the table.

  “It’s a long story.” And not one she could easily explain. She sipped her coffee and, looking over the brim of her cup, noticed he’d stopped twirling the noodles onto his fork.

  “I’d like to hear about it,” he said.

  She glanced at the boys and Annie sitting next to her. The children hadn’t paid much attention to anything except eating, but this wasn’t the time to talk about her writing, especially why she stopped. James’s drowning was too painful to discuss; besides, if she told him about the accident, it would lead to having to explain the angel’s visitation at the river—a topic best left unmentioned in front of the children.

  Seth resumed curling his noodles around his fork. “I noticed you’ve made a mark next to the Oscoda section.”

  She nodded. “They lost their teetshah.” It probably sounded silly, but she was considering writing to the Oscoda bishop and asking about the position. She had to do something, even short term, until the school here was rebuilt. She smiled at the boys. “I brought some math assignments for you boys to work on.”

  In unison, their eyes widened.

  “We, uh—that is . . .” Thomas tried doing the talking for the two of them, but his words stammered and he pivoted on his seat to cast pleading eyes at his onkel.

  Seth cleared his throat. “They were going to work with me on the calving barn.”

  “Maybe the studies can start tomorrow.” She didn’t want to say it, but they had spent all morning on the barn and hadn’t done a thing. The boys merely stood by and watched Seth measure and remeasure it.

  The boys shoveled the food into their mouths, their forks scraping against the plates.

  Seth scowled at them. “If you two are finished eating, go out to the barn.”

  “Me too?” Annie asked.

  “You need to take a short nap,” Katie said.

  The boys pushed their chairs back, stood, and practically raced to the door. Annie slid off the chair, and with her shoulders slumped and head turned down, she walked toward the bedroom.

  He looked around at the empty table. “That was easy to shoo them out.”

  “Mentioning schulwork has a strong effect.”

  “Ach, jah!” His eyes widened, and he turned to cough into his hand.

  “I’m used to it.” She stood and gathered an armload of dirty dishes.

  Seth followed her to the sink. “Let’s take a walk.”

  Surprised by his request, she nearly dropped the dishes. He reached out and stabilized the plates, but that only jolted her heart to race faster. Lowering the dishes into the sink, she drew in a long, calming breath. She’d never been asked to take a walk in the middle of the day.