Katie's Journey to Love

7/28/2019 Katie's Journey to Love

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Katies

LovetoJourney

JERRY S. EICHER


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Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible, and the Holy Bible,New International Version, NIV. Copyright , , , , by Biblica, Inc.Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Cover by Garborg Design Works, Savage, MinnesotaCover photos Chris Garborg / Bigstock / HappyAlex

is is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of theauthors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living ordead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.

KATIES JOURNEY TO LOVECopyright by Jerry S. EicherPublished by Harvest House PublishersEugene, Oregon www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Eicher, Jerry S.Katies journey to love / Jerry S. Eicher.

p. cm. (Emma Rabers daughter ; bk. )ISBN ---- (pbk.)ISBN ---- (eBook). Young womenFiction. . MennonitesFiction. . Domestic fiction. I. Title.PS.IK '.dc

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, pho-tocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, withoutthe prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

/ LB-CD /


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5

Chapter One

Katie Rabe awke well bee awn in the stillness the lAmish armhouse. Something seemed wrongunamiliar. Wherewas she? Te question raced through her mind. Te amiliar shape he upstais bem was gne. Whee the esse shul havebeen there was a window, and where the dark outline o the dresser

was thee use t be a clset . She sat up in be, listening asa bange wnstais. Te sun was sn llwe by the

mu e vices peple stiing belw. Tee was als a st clat-te ishes being mve anMamms vice being velai withthe eepe tnes a man.

Katie lay back in be an smile. O cuse!Mamm ha ma-ie Jesse Mast last week. Te weing ha been hel at Bishp

Jnas Milles place, with all the elatives an iens gathee

the geat ay. In the evening, the cmmunity yuth ha sung lhymns until ate nine clck.oday was the Friday ater Tanksgiving, and the whole amily

was tgethe the st time since the weing. Tey ha givenMamm an Jesse sme time alne, incluing Tanksgiving Day.


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Te newlyweds hadnt gone of on some honeymoon like an En-

glishacouple would, so they were entitled to extra considerationwhat with children rom both sides o the amilies joining the newunion and with a arm to take care o. Katie had also taken the

week of rom work at Bylers Store and had spent TanksgivingDay with her Mennonite riend Margaret.

Mabel, Jesses oldest daughter, had thrown a royal t aboutbeing bossed around byMamm last night when theyd all arrived

ater supper. And allMamm had said was Its time or bed, chil-dren. But thankully Mabel had eventually calmed down. Shedbeen a wild card ever sinceMamm had accepted Jesses ofer omarriage. At rst Mabel had reused to even considerMamm asher newmamm. It wasnt untilMamm was well into her engage-ment with Jesse beore the eelings betweenMamm and Mabelthawed out even a little. And even then Mabel gave in only aterher daettbrought great pressure to bear on her.

Katie took several deep breaths. Te eelings o hope and joythat had been rushing over her at the memory oMamm and

Jesse saying their vows were ast disappearing. She really hadto stop letting thoughts o Mabels bad attitude afect her this

way. Ater all, this should be awunderbah new beginning or

all o them. For one thing, she would no longer be known asodd widow Emma Rabers daughter, the strange girl with a yetstranger mamm. Te wedding would surely change all o that.

Certainly Jesse and Mamm were persuaded things wouldturn out well or all o them. Te past was behind them. EvenMamms past that had caused her to be thought strange by theAmish communityall because o that crush shed once had on

Daniel Kaufman, the most popular boy around when shed beena teenager.Mamm had held on to her oolish hope that Daniel

would return her afections right up to the moment he said hisvows with Miriam Esh.Mamm had dashed out o the services


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Katie's Journey to Love m 7

an ve he buggy ight past the cuple an the astnishe eyes

the bishp himsel. She neve live wn that actin gt-ten ve the bitteness the memy Daniel.Mamm ha zen he heat. In act, she maie Eza with-

ut expecting she wul eve again eel lve a man. When heheat ha pene t Eza ate thei aughtes bith, it was maeall the wse when he ie suenly. His ealy eath ha iven

Mamm back int he shell. Tat Jesse Mast ha been able t beak

thugh was a miacle inee.Now the joy was coming back. Katie belonged in this am-

ilyJesses ve chilen an he. Yah, it was still a little unamil-ia, just like the m she hant ecgnize this mning. But she

was hee, an she was pat this amily nw. ue, it int seemquite ight that she shul have this m that ha been Mabels.But Jesse had insisted. Katie was the eldest, so she deserved herwn m. Katie ae nt lk at Mabel when he mae thatannuncement.

At the wedding, everything had seemed to all into place. Terehad been great love fowing rom everybody.Mamms brothersm Lancaste ha all taken time t speak with thei niece, anthey wishe he well in he new lie. Yue a Mast nw, they

teased, even though she really wasnt. She was still a Raber.Mammmarrying Jesse wouldnt change that. Only her own marriage

wul change he name.Tat thught tune he min t the ashing Ben Stll, the

by she ha he heat set n. He hant pai he any attentin atthe weing. He taken ina Hchstetle t the table at the eve-ning hymn singing. Katie ha been let with n chice but t sit

with he yung cusin James, wh live in Lancaste. At sixteen,he was t scae t take a stange gil t the table. She mustntthink abut Ben nw, Katie tl hesel. Tee wee the bys inthe world besides him, even though her heart would never be quite


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cnvince that. Maybe she cul get ve he cush n him

i she tie ha enugh.Mamm ha un lve beyn DanielKauman, ha she nt?Right nw what she cul be thankul was that all Jes-

ses childrenexcept Mabelhad acceptedMamm and her withopen arms. Te change had been slow at times. Mabel hadntbeen the nly ne Jesses chilen unwilling at st t acceptthe iea a newmamm keeping huse them. But they ha

eventually come around. And Mabel had alsosort oatershe been tl by he daettt staighten ut he attitue anaccept Emma as he mamm.

Well, even i Mabel made trouble or her, Katie was still muchbette than she ha been bee. She nw knew what it eltlike t be inclue in the Amish cmmunity an spken t as ishe wee a nmal human being. O cuse, it hant been justthe wedding that had accomplished that. It had really started

when she accepted an invitation to a Mennonite youth gathering.Tee she becme iens with gils like Magaet Kagel anShan Watsn. Bth gils ha cme tMamms weing at hespecial invitatin. Tey wee the nly Mennnites thee besiesEsthe Kuntz, wh wke at Byles Ste with Katie.

Neithe Jesse nMamm ha any Mennnites in thei imme-diate amily. All the brothers and sisters on both sides o theiramilies were Amish. Tat had made Katies relationship withthe Mennnite gils a tublesme matte Mamm.Jesse tseeme a bit cncene abut it, thugh nt as geat asMamm.

She wul cntinue t leave that matte in Da Hahs hans,Katie ecie. Muchgutha cme ut he ienships with

Magaet an Shan. An Da Hah ha blesse them in spite Mamms eas. Hw that all mae sense, Katie still int knw.An she might neve knw. It was enugh that bthMamm an


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she wee ning thei way ut a lie live alne with clse-

heats.Back in the l ays,Mamm ha bien Katie m pa-ticipating in the usual rumspringathe est the Amish yung pe-ple in the cmmunity tk pat in. But tMamm, rumspringawasa mild oense compared to attending Mennonite youth gather-ings. But Katie had continued to go to them. She sighed and threw the becves. She knew Jesse anMammwante he t stp

attending, but she would have to see. Da Hah had been with her soa, an she wul keep believing He wul be in the utue. It wastue that living with Jesse an his amily was ging t be a geat jyin its own right. Jesse had told her beoreMamms wedding, I loveyu, Katie. Just as much as I lve Mabel an Calyn any mybys. Yull be living at my huse as my wn aughte.

She was so thankul or that, and she appreciated the manrom the bottom o her heart. Tat wasnt something a personjust walke away m. She nw ha the chance t gw up a ew yeas with adaettwh cae abut he. Tee might nwbe less easn he t atten the Mennnite yuth gatheings,thugh she wul always keep up he ienships with Magaetan Shan.

Katie walked over to the unamiliar dresser. She opened the topawe an an he hans aun the nt ege. She un thematches an lit the kesene lamp. Te ickeing ame ha justcaught when Jesse hllee up the stais, ime t get up, bys!

Katie smiled at the sound.Mamm sometimes yelled up thestais at hme, but she neve hea a man yell the mning wake-up call. It sunegut. She pulle n he wk ess as tsteps

rushed past her bedroom door. She nished putting in the last pinan tk the lamp with he as she steppe int the hallway. Telight playe n the walls as she un he way wnstais. N ne


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was in the living m, s Katie peeke int the kitchen.Mamm

ha he back tune twa he as she wke ve the stve.Yu shul have calle me, Katie tl he.Mamm tune aun with a smile n he ace. Gutmn-

ing, Katie.Gutmorning to you. Katie set the lamp on the kitchen table.

May I help with beakast?A lk uncetainty eplaceMamms smile. Pehaps we

bette wait until Mabel cmes wn bee we get t a alng.I nt want t take ve he kitchen n the st mning sheshee. Nt withut talking with he abut it st.

Katie sat n a kitchen chai. Tis was an unexpecte tun events, althugh she eally shulnt be supise nw that shethought about it.Mamm had always been in charge at home, butnow she was in another persons kitchenMabels kitchen. Butyue Jesses wie, Katie pteste. Eveything has change, shewante t a, but she int.Mamm lke tuble enughwithout adding undue pressure, and obviously everything hadntchange yet. Tee still wul be bumps in the a. She culhanle it.

Mamm was tying t smile. Yah, I knw. It takes sme get-

ting use t.You should call Mabel, Katie said. She shouldnt sleep in on

the st mning wee all tgethe.Mamm lite he hea m the stve, seeming t pne the

suggestin a mment. Ten she went t the bttm thestais.

Yell luly! Katie wante t say. Wake the gil up!

Mabel!Mamm calle up the stais, he vice gentle.Long moments passed, andMamm looked ready to call again

when the sun a pening came m upstais.What yu want? Mabels vice sune iitate.


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I nee yu help in the kitchen,Mamm sai.

Te clse upstais withut an answe.Katie watcheMamms ace as she tune back an went tthe stve.

Mamm glanced at Katie. Perhaps you shouldnt be in herewhen Mabel cmes wn.

Katie looked away. Had she heard correctly? Mamm didntwant her in the kitchen?Mamm must have seen the look on Katies

ace because she came ve an gave Katie a quick hug. Its ntwhat yu think, Katie. Im nt ejecting yu. Its just that we mustthink abut the lage pictue ight nw. Mabel is use t unningthe husehl, an we nee t give he an pptunity t ajust.It might be ifcult enugh he with just me in hee. An shemight think ill us i she ns yu hee t, bth us wkingin he kitchen. Especially because we int take the time t callhe bee we state beakast.

Katie kept her eyes on the foor. What in the world was she sup-pse t nw? Te pain was thbbing smething awul in heheat. She neve been tl t leave the kitchen at hme.

Come on, Katie,Mamm whispered. We need to think abouthow Mabel will see things. I were both here, it will look like weve

taken ve.Where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do?

Katie gt t he eet.Mamm lke aun but int e a suggestin.Ill slip utsie a bit, Katie nally sai, pening the wash-

room door. Already she could hear Mabels quick ootsteps comingwn the stais. Katie walke past the aint utline the wash-

basin and towel in the darkness, and then she stepped outside.She st n the pch with he ams le an lke up at thesplash stas still visible in the heavens. wa the east, awn

was breaking, the light still hidden in part by the corner o the


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house. In the other direction, the barn windows were lit with the

glw gas lantens as Jesse an his bys wke n thei ches.Katie lke at the st light speaing acss the ak lawn alng time as teas stung he eyes.

Nt that lng ag she wul have been ut in the ban withMamm ing the ew ches they ha at thei place. Tei twcows, Molly and Bossy, had been brought over and would bemilked along with Jesses herd. She wouldnt be going to the barn

again or chores anytime soon. Jesse and his boys would take care the am jbs. S much ha change, Katie thught. An squickly. She hugge hesel tightly as she hea aint suns laughte cming m insie the huse. Tat wasMamms vicelaughing with Mabel. Tey were hitting it o big, apparently.Katie elt shut out. How could this be happening with all thehpe that ha lle he heat nly mments ag? SuelyMammhadnt planned on sending her out o the kitchen on the rstay they wee all hee ate the weing. Katie tl hesel sheneee t think the best pssible thughts ight nw she wasging t bust int teas an ttally embaass hesel when shei g back insie.

Was all this pat Da Hahs way? N ubt He was cntinu-

ing to lead her on paths she was unamiliar with. Instead o beingbitte, she shul be thankul thatMamm was ajusting s wellin he new le as Jesses wie an as mamm t his ve chilenespecially Mabel. Wasnt Mabel the ha case? Any pgess inthat area was all the more reason to give thanks. In the end, Katiedecided, she would t in somewhere.Mamm wouldnt orget herwn aughte.

One thing was or sure. Mamm and she would never slipback into what they used to be. Tat was in the pastand wouldemain s. N me eelings being passe ve by eveyne going unnoticed in Amish youth gatherings. Some o that would


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still happen, but she nw ha he wneul memies the eve-

nings spent with the Mennnite yuth t cunte the alneness.Magaet an Shan ha accepte he s quickly, an she metmany others who were riendly too. Even the Mennonite boys

wh playe besie he at the vlleyball gamesyung men sheneve met beeha taken the time t say a ew ws geet-ing an inquie hw she was ing. Tey wee all nice peple whha welcme he int thei hmes an heats.

She ha them t g back t in aitin t whateve new bless-ings Da Hah ha waiting he with he new, expane amily.Mabel was the thorn with the rose, but Katie didnt wish to destroythe fower because o the pain that stung her hand. Nee, she wouldnt. She tk eep beaths the cl mning ai an gatheehe cuage t etun insie.


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Chapter Two

Tity minutes late, Katie was n the way wn m upstais,taking m steps, making sue each ne ceake i pssible. Shesneake up thugh the living m nce she came in m ut-side through the ront door.Mammand Mabel had been talking inthe kitchen, laughing as she tipte past the way. Sneakingup ha seeme like the ecent thing t . She culnt pssiblyhave gne ut t the ban with Jesse an his bys ut thee. Tat

wul have aise eyebws. An baging back int the kitchenwul have aise questins with Mabel she int wish t answe.Yah, Im eeling hurt, Katie admitted. But Im trying hard to do mypat in this amily, which inclue nt pvking Mabel.

Only moments ago shed heard Jesse and his boys come in romtheir chores and bang around in the washroom as they cleaned

up. N ne ha calle he, but hw cul they since evenMammint knw whee she gne. Katie was cntent t let it appeat Mabel an the thes that she veslept.

Mamms ace showed relie when Katie walked into the kitchen.Gutmning, Mabel sai, all smiles.


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Gutmning, Katie eplie.

Mabel was caying a plate eggs t the table, an she bvi-ously been rying bacon. Mabel looked quite pleased, soMammsecisin abut the mning utine must have ha the esieeect. Is thee anything I can t help? Katie aske.

I think were almost done, Mabel said, managing a smile.Maybe yu can set the last the table. Daettan the bys aealmst insie.

I know that, Katie wanted to say. Teir loud chatter in thewashroom was obvious. Mabel was treating her like a small child,eing he the lwest tasks, ne wthy he yungest sis-ter, Carolynnot a soon-to-be-twenty young woman. But Katiekept smiling as she tk the ishes t the table, thinking hwmuch worse things could be this morning. Mabels red-aced out-busts bee the weing ha been cmmn ccuences. Even a sixteen-yea-l she hant been aai t make a spectacle hesel nce he daettha chsenMamm ve the chilenschice teache Ruth ye.

Te washroom door burst open, and Mabels two oldestbthes, Ley an Willis, spille in. Tey wee sn llweby Jesse. Ley an Willis stppe sht at the sight Katie an

Mamm, as i they hant been expecting them. Yah, this wulenitely take sme getting use t by eveyby.

Gutmning t eveyne! Jesse exclaime ve the silence his sns. What a sight se eyes yu wmen ae. Isnt this

wneul? I cant say hw blesse we ae that Emma an Katiehave cme t live with us. Have a seat bys, an stp staing likeyuve neve seen wmen bee.

Leroy and Willis grunted and took their seats on the backbench. Te two boys hadnt been staring at Mamm, Katiethught. Tey been staing at he. It was the shck, n ubt, seeing stange Emma Rabes aughte in thei huse.


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Katie smiled as she stood by the table, her hands clasped in

nt he. She wasnt quite sue whee she was suppse t sit.When n ne sai anything, she tk a chai besie the ne sheassume he mamm wul sit in.

Where are Carolyn and Joel? Jesse asked, taking his seat at thent the table.

Ill call them! Mabel jumpe up t ush t the bttm thestais. She hllee up, Calyn, Jel!

When thee was nly silence, Mabel tk up the stais.Hws Mabel ing? Jesse askeMamm when his aughtes

tsteps ha ae.Okay,Mamm sai, taking the seat besie Jesse. She eache

ve an tuche his am.Acss the table, Ley quickly stae up at the ceiling. A smile

cept acss Williss ace.Mamm ntice an tune bight e as she pulle he han

away m Jesses am.Jesse, taking it all in, laughe an tk Emmas han in his.Nw, bys, this is yu newmamm, Jesse sai, his eyes twin-

kling. Get use t it.Tere was no doubt that Jesse was working to makeMamm eel

cmtable. Katie allwe a smile t ceep ve he ace.SnMamm jine in the shae laughte. She leane twa

Jesse as tsteps came wn the stais. Mabel appeae, leaingsix-year-old Joel by the hand with Carolyn ollowing close behind.

Katie held her breath. Would Mabel object to this open display aectin betweenMamm an Jesse? Wul all Mamms cae-ul work this morning be lost in seconds? Perhaps Mabel would see

smething in he daetts actins t emin he he lst mamm.Might this pen wuns that hant yet heale?

Mabel pause a mment as she tk inMamm an Jessespstues. She gimace but then glance away. Withut uthe


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ado, she helped Joel into his chair, where he sat and rubbed his

eyes. Carolyn took her place, smiling atMamm

and Jesse.Jesse beamed back at Carolyn but he addressed all o them.Do you think we should pray beore the ood gets cold?

Yah, lets do, Mabel spoke up. She had olded her hands inher lap like she didnt quite know what to do with them. Jessegave Mabel only the brieest o glances beore they all bowedtheir heads.

Dear Gott im himmel, Jesse prayed, You who made theheavens and the earth and all that is within them, look downagain upon us this morning in mercy. We give You thanks or

Your many and great blessings You have given to us all. Youhave brought joy and laughter back into our home. You haveagain allowed love to grow in my heart or Emma. You have notallowed either o us to stay in our ormer state o sorrow. Rather,

You have given us new lie again. For this we cannot give You su-fcient thanks. Have mercy again today on our trespasses, andorgive us as we orgive those who sin against us.

Katie stole a look at Mamms ace. It carried a touch o red,which made sense. She too would be sending o fames o redi such words o thanksgiving and praise were being oered on

her behal. Te years o living alone hadnt been kind toMamm.Tey had been long and lonely, ull o suering. Now the tidehad turned and this was her time of miracles.Mamm hadnt been

sure that she was in love with Jesse beore the wedding, but thathad also been the case with Ezra, Katies daett, too. And just like

with Ezra, Katie had no doubt that hermamms eelings or Jessewould match the love she had or Daett. With a man like Jesse,

Mamm wouldnt be able to help hersel. Katie bowed her headagain.

now be with us today, O great and holy Father, Jesse said.


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Cntinue t bless us an t bestw Yu gace upn u lives. In

the name Yu ea Sn, Jesus. Amen.Tey all aise thei heas, an Ley mae a ive the plate eggs. Mabel slappe his han, an he ppe the plate with aclatte, causing seveal eggs t slie the platte nt the table.

Enugh this, Jesse cecte stenly. Yue behaving likesavages ate such agutstat this mning.

Hes nly being his usual sel, Mabel state.

Pick up the eggs rom the table, Jesse ordered Leroy. Andthse will be yus. Next time be me caeul. Ive ha enugh this.

Leroy groaned but gathered up the eggs one by one and slippedthem nt his plate.

Jesse turned to Emma with an apologetic grin. Im sorry aboutmy chilens behavi. I guess yu see why they nee amammaun.

I unestan,Mamm sai quickly. Its kay.Jesse patte he n the am. Nw, nt be t easy n them.

Teyre also in your charge now, and they are to listen to you. Jessetune twa his chilen. Di yu hea that? he aske.

Tey all ne, incluing Mabel. She appeae subue

a mment, an then she passe the bacn aun. Beakast set-tled down into a amily routine.Mamm joined in where she could,but Mabel clealy was unning things.

Katie watched to see whatMamm would do. Out o the corner he eye she ntice Jesse was ing the same. When the plate eggs came aun t little Jel, Mabel eache ut t help him.

Mamm sai, Ill help him.

Mabel blinked a ew times and glanced at her daett. When Jessenodded, Mabel backed down. She attempted a smile and said, Ocuse. Im s use t ing eveything.


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Yah, I understand.Mamm smiled at Mabel. How many

eggs es Jel usually eat?w! Jel annunce.Ate Mabel ne,Mamm pulle tw eggs the seving

plate an put them nt Jels.Mabel looked so pleasedMamm had consulted her that Katie

thught she wul bust. But this is agutthing, she eminehersel. She must not become bitter overMamm and Mabel

evelping a g elatinship.When they were nished eating, Jesse bowed his head in silent

paye bee staning t lea the way int the living m mning evtins.

Mamm seeme t ntice Katie the st time since beak-ast ha begun. A tuble lk csse he ace. As they bthstood, Mamm reached over to squeeze Katies elbow as they

walke tgethe int the living m.Katie whispee, Its kay,Mamm. I unestan.

Mamms ace elaxe, an by the time she sat wn n thehicky cke besie Jesse, she was smiling again. Katie listenet Jesse ea the mning sciptue, a sectin ut Psalm 147:

Paise ye the Lord: it is g t sing paises unt u G

Tat was s tue, Katie thught. She was gla Da Hah habught them s much jy.

he gathereth together the outcasts o Israel. He healeth thebken in heat.

Kate thught again hw gla she was t nally have adaett.She was happyDa Hahwas healing their hearts, and she waspleased He had given her a small part in it. Hopeully they would

becme a stng, lving amily. N matte what, she wul tustin Da Hah t lea the way.

Documents

Katie's Journey to Love