was, he knew the real Katy, the little girl he’d teased who loved a good adventure and thrilled at life. She’d always pretended she didn’t, but he knew the truth about her. And he intended to bring that inner woman to the surface—the wonderful, vivacious one—then claim her as his own. He wanted to nurture that part of her, not stifle it.
His cell phone jangled in his pocket, and he propped the sledgehammer and yanked down his dust mask. “Hello.”
“Hey, it’s Lil.”
“So she still mad at me?”
“Yep. But we knew she’d be ticked. That only goes to show how much she still cares about you.”
“That love-hate thing?”
“Right.”
He sat on the rung of a ladder and stared down at the feminine footprints remaining in the drywall and plaster dust. Tracks that led away from him. “Look, you know how important she is to me. I don’t want to drive her away. And I don’t think she appreciated the setup. She’s not stupid. About our next plan, she’s not going to trust us.”
“She already doesn’t trust you. Just don’t go chicken on me. We’ve got a great plan. You have to show her a little at a time that you’ve changed. You can’t do that if you don’t see each other, and she’s going to avoid you, so we have to set up some planned meetings like this. And once we move into the doddy house, I’ll be able to put in lots of good words for you. She’ll come around. I’m sure of it. She loves you, Cuz. Even if you are a chump.”
“She tell you that?”
“Yep.”
“Lately?”
“No but—”
“You just saw it in her wild eyes? Or maybe you caught that from her sweet talk?”
Lil chuckled. “She’s intense, all right.”
After their call ended, Jake stuffed his phone in his pocket, stood up, and pulled up his mask. Lil was right. He had to allow Katy the right to voice her anger. He’d just cling to the hope that her anger was evidence that she wasn’t dead to him, that their love could be revived. Picking up the sledgehammer, he looked at the demolition he’d accomplished, feeling satisfaction that he was making good time.
He lifted the hammer, and another chunk of plaster met its demise.
CHAPTER 8
S aturday morning, Katy submerged chapped hands in soapy dishwater and looked through a frost-webbed window. Between snowballs and horseplay, her little brothers hand-shoveled the sidewalk, while nearby her dad steered the snowplow through fresh snow.
Was the doddy house blanketed in snow, too? Or had Ivan cleared the drive so that Jake could work? Maybe he didn’t work Saturdays. She tried to pull her thoughts away from Jake Byler, but once again they stubbornly fixed upon their unexpected meeting. Every time she went over it, she felt coerced, boxed in, and smothered, clawing to strike out at him and Lil. Katy smiled wryly, remembering how she’d vetoed the patterned dinnerware for plain white plates, just for the sake of defiance. And for once, Lil had backed down. Would they survive as roommates without Megan living with them to keep the peace?
In spite of Jake’s return and Lil’s manipulations, Katy felt a sense of accomplishment and personal freedom over her anticipated move into the doddy house. She might be trapped in a nanny job she didn’t want and forced to accept Jake’s return to the community, but she was moving into a new season of life where she could find her own niche in the community. She’d be washing her own dishes from now on, not her folks'. She’d be living out her faith, not theirs.
She dried her hands on her apron and startled. Then pressing her face to the window for a closer look, she watched a familiar automobile turn into the newly cleared lane. The shiny black car that braked next to the snowplow could only belong to one person. At that instant, she was glad she prayed over the little paper she kept in her Bible—the one where
forbidden
marred Jake’s name. The husband qualities below it reminded her of David. His smiling face was
His cell phone jangled in his pocket, and he propped the sledgehammer and yanked down his dust mask. “Hello.”
“Hey, it’s Lil.”
“So she still mad at me?”
“Yep. But we knew she’d be ticked. That only goes to show how much she still cares about you.”
“That love-hate thing?”
“Right.”
He sat on the rung of a ladder and stared down at the feminine footprints remaining in the drywall and plaster dust. Tracks that led away from him. “Look, you know how important she is to me. I don’t want to drive her away. And I don’t think she appreciated the setup. She’s not stupid. About our next plan, she’s not going to trust us.”
“She already doesn’t trust you. Just don’t go chicken on me. We’ve got a great plan. You have to show her a little at a time that you’ve changed. You can’t do that if you don’t see each other, and she’s going to avoid you, so we have to set up some planned meetings like this. And once we move into the doddy house, I’ll be able to put in lots of good words for you. She’ll come around. I’m sure of it. She loves you, Cuz. Even if you are a chump.”
“She tell you that?”
“Yep.”
“Lately?”
“No but—”
“You just saw it in her wild eyes? Or maybe you caught that from her sweet talk?”
Lil chuckled. “She’s intense, all right.”
After their call ended, Jake stuffed his phone in his pocket, stood up, and pulled up his mask. Lil was right. He had to allow Katy the right to voice her anger. He’d just cling to the hope that her anger was evidence that she wasn’t dead to him, that their love could be revived. Picking up the sledgehammer, he looked at the demolition he’d accomplished, feeling satisfaction that he was making good time.
He lifted the hammer, and another chunk of plaster met its demise.
CHAPTER 8
S aturday morning, Katy submerged chapped hands in soapy dishwater and looked through a frost-webbed window. Between snowballs and horseplay, her little brothers hand-shoveled the sidewalk, while nearby her dad steered the snowplow through fresh snow.
Was the doddy house blanketed in snow, too? Or had Ivan cleared the drive so that Jake could work? Maybe he didn’t work Saturdays. She tried to pull her thoughts away from Jake Byler, but once again they stubbornly fixed upon their unexpected meeting. Every time she went over it, she felt coerced, boxed in, and smothered, clawing to strike out at him and Lil. Katy smiled wryly, remembering how she’d vetoed the patterned dinnerware for plain white plates, just for the sake of defiance. And for once, Lil had backed down. Would they survive as roommates without Megan living with them to keep the peace?
In spite of Jake’s return and Lil’s manipulations, Katy felt a sense of accomplishment and personal freedom over her anticipated move into the doddy house. She might be trapped in a nanny job she didn’t want and forced to accept Jake’s return to the community, but she was moving into a new season of life where she could find her own niche in the community. She’d be washing her own dishes from now on, not her folks'. She’d be living out her faith, not theirs.
She dried her hands on her apron and startled. Then pressing her face to the window for a closer look, she watched a familiar automobile turn into the newly cleared lane. The shiny black car that braked next to the snowplow could only belong to one person. At that instant, she was glad she prayed over the little paper she kept in her Bible—the one where
forbidden
marred Jake’s name. The husband qualities below it reminded her of David. His smiling face was
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