“I’ll get approved.”
He liked her self-assurance. “You’re sure?”
She took a deep breath and released it. “One minute, I’m confident they will approve. Or why else would Gott have sent me away for so long to become a doctor if not for this?” Her self-assurance held a hint of doubt.
“But?”
Her shoulders drooped slightly. “The next minute, I feel all is hopeless. That I wasted the last fourteen years of my life. Years I could have spent here, with my family.”
Her conflict was a valid one. The elders might not give her approval, then the fourteen years would have been for naught. What would she do then? Leave? That thought rankled him. “If Gott did send you away for all that time to become a doctor, then pray for Him to make it happen.”
“And if it doesn’t? What do I do then?”
“Don’t make plans for what may not happen. That invites trouble.”
“You’re right. I should focus on what I have control of. And that’s the building for my clinic.”
She had less control over that than she imagined.
“Will you help me get my walls straightened out?”
He wasn’t sure there was much point but gladly helped her.
* * *
After lunch, Kathleen stood at the table rolling out piecrust, her thoughts on Noah and how he’d helped her stake out her clinic. She sensed he believed it might be a waste of time in the end, but that made his lending a hand all that much more sweet. He’d shaved off his beard and looked even more handsome. And available.
Nonsense. She had to stop thinking that way.
The crunch of buggy wheels alerted her that someone had entered the yard. “Mum, you have company.”
Mum peered out the kitchen window. “Ne, you have company.”
“Me?” Who would be visiting her? Noah again? Her heart danced at the thought, but it wasn’t likely the visitor was him. So who could it be? No one else knew she was back. She covered the partially rolled crust with a damp towel, then tucked the other half of the dough under the corner of the cloth as well to keep them from drying out.
She followed Mum through the kitchen doorway outside with Ruby and Jessica tagging along. Her breath caught at the sight of her older sister, Gloria, pulling to a stop.
Mum approached the side where a smiling girl, about ten, sat with a one-year-old on her lap. The baby stretched out his arms, and Mum scooped him up. Between the girl and Gloria sat a boy of about four. The girl scooted out and helped the boy down.
Gloria sprang from the buggy and wrapped Kathleen in her arms. “You’re home. At long last, you’re home.” She pulled back to look at her. “You’ve grown up. I still pictured you as the girl who left. But you’ve come back a woman.” She hugged Kathleen again. “How are you?”
Her older sister was a welcome sight. Even though her family hadn’t been allowed to write to her, they all seemed happy to have her home. Kathleen smiled. “I’m gut. And you?”
“Wonderful.” Gloria turned to her children and pointed to the baby. “This is Luke. He’s one. Mark is four. Andrew’s with his vater. He’s six.” She paused at the girl. “My oldest is ten. I named her after our sister... Nancy.”
Kathleen stared at the girl who looked a lot like their sister. Nancy would have been twenty-six, but she’d had an allergic reaction to a bee sting when she was eight. By the time Dat had raced into town at ten miles an hour, she’d succumbed to anaphylactic shock.
That was the day Kathleen became determined to be a doctor. Nancy had died needlessly because there was no medical care close at hand.
Kathleen turned to little Nancy. “You look so much like her. I’m pleased to meet you.”
The girl stared up at Kathleen. “Danki. Mutter and Grossmutter say that too.”
Mum waved her hand at Nancy and Mark. “There are cookies in the kitchen.”
The pair ran into the house with Ruby and Jessica following.
Kathleen turned to Gloria. “Is your Nancy allergic?”
Gloria hooked her arm through Kathleen’s. “Fortunately, she’s never been stung, but Andrew and Mark have. I’ve feared for her. But now that you’re back, I won’t worry so much.”
Her sister and the children stayed for a few hours, then left midafternoon to get home in time to prepare supper. She would see them all in two days for the whole community church services.
After Gloria left, Mum brushed her hands down her apron and sighed. “Time to get started on our supper.”
Kathleen stood from where she’d been sitting on the porch, sewing buttons onto the men’s shirts for her mum. “What can I do to help?”
“You stay put,” Mum said. “We have it all in hand.” The three went inside, leaving her alone.
She eased back into the rocking chair. She wasn’t needed. She’d been gone too long. She didn’t fit into the daily routine of the household. Should she go inside and insist on helping? Ne. For today, she would enjoy this little bit of solitude. And once she had her clinic up and running, she wouldn’t be available as much to help. So it might be best if they didn’t get used to her helping in the kitchen.
Movement by the barn caught her attention.
A tricolor Australian shepherd sniffed around an old stump. It wasn’t just any dog, but Kaleidoscope. She looked around for Noah but didn’t see him. A smidge of disappointment pinched at her. “Kaleidoscope! Here, girl!” The dog charged toward her. “You’re supposed to be at home.”
The Australian shepherd rolled onto her back, curving head to tail, this way then that. Her tail thumping, kicking up dust.
Kathleen crouched and scratched the dog’s belly. She stood and ordered the dog to do the same.
Kaleidoscope flipped to her feet and wagged her tail, causing her whole body to wiggle.
“Come on.” Kathleen patted her thigh as she walked around the house to the kitchen door and spoke through the storm door. “Noah Lambright’s dog is here again. Do you have a rope so I can walk her back home?”
Mum stood on the other side of the screen. Shaking her head, she reached beside the door and produced a rope. “This is what we usually use to return her. Kaleidoscope, one of these days, we’re going to keep you.” She opened the storm door and handed Kathleen the rope. “Wait a minute.”
Mum disappeared from view, and Kathleen tied the rope around the collar. When Mum opened the door, the Aussie raised up on her haunches to receive the tidbit and licked Mum’s hand clean.
No wonder the dog kept coming back. She knew where to get treats.
Kathleen started to tell her mutter to stop feeding the dog, but a little Amish voice inside her said that was the way they did things here. “I’ll be back soon.”
Mum called after her. “Invite Noah for supper. With no one to cook for him, I fear he doesn’t eat well.”
Noah coming for supper? That sent her insides dancing. “He won’t be there, hence the reason for his dog being here.”
“There’s a key under the rock to the left of the back porch. Write a note and leave it on his table.”
Enter someone else’s home when they weren’t there? The English certainly wouldn’t do that. She had much to get used to and relearn.
“All right.” Kathleen walked up the driveway with Kaleidoscope happily trotting beside her. She’d seen which way Noah’d left the night before and