Katie's Redemption

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Authors: Patricia Davids
Tags: Fiction, General, Romance, Religious
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beautiful face. “I just have tobelieve that God has more blessings in store for us when we reach Malachi’s new home.”
    Reaching that home would require money they didn’t have. Besides her clothes and shoes, she didn’t own anything of value. As much as she dreaded it, she would simply have to tell Elam why she hadn’t yet written to Malachi.
    Perhaps Elam and Nettie knew of some work she could do to earn her bus fare. No doubt Nettie would offer to pay Katie’s way home, but she couldn’t take advantage of the woman’s kind heart any more than she already had.
    After feeding her daughter, Katie laid the baby in her bassinet. “At least you own a fine place to sleep. Never take it for granted.”
    Lifting the handles, Katie started to carry the baby’s bed into the living room, but stopped in the doorway and looked down. She did own something of value. The bed Elam had made for Rachel was beautifully crafted, but was it worth more than a bus ticket out of town?
    Could she bring herself to sell it?
    No, Elam had made it clear that it was a gift to Rachel. He’d even made it to travel, so Katie could take it with her.
    She bit her lip. Selling it would solve her immediate problem. Should she?
    The memory of Elam gently holding her baby in the moonlight came rushing to mind.
    His kindness to her daughter had touched something deep inside Katie. Thoughts of him stirred vague longings, but she refused to examine those feelings. She had no right to be thinking about her own happiness. Rachel was her first priority.
    Malachi would give them a home where Rachel would be safe. She’d have a roof over her head and food to eat. What did it matter that her mother had coldhearted relatives? Rachel would be taken care of and one day soon they would both leave again. For good.
    Katie sat in the chair before the fireplace and considered her options. The weather was decently warm today. She would make sure Rachel was snugly dressed and wrapped in one of Nettie’s old but warm quilts. As soon as she could, Katie would send the quilt back with a letter of thanks for its use.
    It was only a three-mile walk into town. She could easily get there before the bus left that evening. Unless things had changed drastically in Hope Springs, there were several stores in town that catered to the tourist trade by selling Amish furniture, gifts and quilts. The thought of parting with Elam’s beautiful gift gave Katie pause, but she didn’t see any other choice.
    No. This was the only way.

Chapter Six
    I t was nearly four o’clock in the afternoon when Elam and his mother returned home. Leaving Judy tied up near the gate, he helped his mother unload her empty baskets and carried them up the steps for her. Inside the front door, he stopped. The house had an odd, empty feel to it.
    He glanced around the kitchen. The folding screen had been pushed back against the wall. Katie’s bed was stripped and empty. The quilts and sheets sat neatly folded at one end. Rachel’s cradle was gone along with Katie’s suitcase. It was clear they had left.
    His heart sank. He’d tried not to become attached to them, but it seemed that he had failed.
    Nettie came in behind him. “Just set those baskets on the table, son. I’ll get them washed in a few minutes. Are you still planning to go to the lumberyard?”
    He didn’t move, couldn’t take his eyes off the empty corner. “Yes. I need to pick up some more cedar to finish the chest I’m working on.”
    Where had she gone? Had she found someone to take her to her family or was she going back to the city and Rachel’s father?
    “What’s wrong?” Nettie asked as she stepped around him.
    “I think our little birds have flown.” He couldn’t believe how disappointed he was. In only a few days he’d become deeply attached to little Rachel…and to her mother, although he hated to admit that, even to himself.
    Walking to the table, he set the baskets on it and slipped one hand into his pants pocket.

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