Chapter Twenty-Seven
The next few days passed in a whirlwind of activity. “There is so much to do!” Greta turned to Ruth and shook her head. “And the wedding day is almost here!”
Ruth shrugged. “Everything will get done. Do not fret. The menfolk are nearly finished with the addition to Jacob’s cabin. And we have already mended the linens and made more lye soap. There is just the laundry to do and the packing.” She pushed a basket of dough into Greta’s hands. “Here. Go do the baking. Get out and get some fresh air and relax.”
“But it is not my baking day.”
“No matter. We need to work ahead this week.” Ruth raised an eyebrow. “Everything has been thrown off schedule, or have you not noticed?”
Greta laughed. “All right. I will try and relax. It is just that everything is about to change and I am so excited!”
Ruth patted her shoulder and smiled. “I know, dear. These are happy days.”
Greta started for the door, then paused and turned around. “There is just one thing that is still bothering me. And I do not know what to do about it.”
Ruth frowned. “What is it? I thought everything had fallen into place perfectly.”
“It is Catrina. I have not seen her since Jacob and I announced our engagement. I worry what will become of her. Will she stay here, feeling unloved? What if she gives up and goes back to Philadelphia?”
Ruth thought for a moment. “Catrina needs to discover why she is really here and what is truly of value. She needs to learn what it is to be Plain in her heart.” She shrugged. “It is hard, but sometimes we have to suffer disappointment to find the right path.”
Greta nodded, but her brow remained furrowed. “I do not want to be the cause of her pain.”
Ruth shook her head. “You and Jacob were meant to be from the very beginning. The entire settlement saw it coming, did we not? And besides, I feel certain there is a man for Catrina, even though she has not met him yet. Why, with our settlement growing so fast, he could arrive any day!”
* * *
Greta swung her basket and hummed as she walked to the community bake-oven. Frost crunched beneath her feet and the sun glinted off fields of ice like a shimmering crystal wonderland. The cold air stung her cheeks, but the coming winter no longer felt barren and empty. Instead, her heart sang with expectation.
Greta’s happy mood deflated as soon as she reached the oven and saw Catrina checking on a loaf of bread. Greta stopped and started to turn around, but Catrina glanced up and saw her. Too late. Greta adjusted her prayer kappe and continued walking. Mayhap we can manage a civil conversation. Why, we even managed a good laugh, last we spoke! She offered an awkward, but hopeful hello.
“Oh. Hello.” Catrina looked uncomfortable. “I did not think that today was your baking day. I did not expect to see you here.”
“Ja. I do not usually bake today but the wedding—” Greta stopped in midsentence and cleared her throat. She had not meant to speak of it.
“Ja.” Catrina nodded grimly. “Of course. The wedding has thrown your schedule.” She turned back to the oven, slid the long wooden paddle inside, and pulled out a golden brown loaf of bread.
“Perfect as always,” Greta remarked.
Catrina’s face remained hard. “A lot of good that has done me.” She tucked the bread in her basket and turned away.
“Catrina, wait.”
The young woman paused. She took a long, deep breath and turned around. “Ja?”
Greta stumbled over her thoughts. “I, uh . . . I . . .”
“Ja?”
Greta frowned. “I . . . I guess I just wanted to ask if you are well.”
Catrina bit her lip and looked away. “I am not sure what I will do now.” She shook her head. “How can I stay here? I do not fit in. I never fit in.”
Greta reached out and put a hand on her arm. “That is not true, Catrina.”
“Do you think that I could ever truly be one of you?”
“Ja.” Greta nodded and looked Catrina in the eye. “I do. But it is up to you whether or not you choose to live as our people do.”
Catrina hesitated. She cleared her throat and looked away. “Mayhap I should start by saying that I am sorry. I should not have competed against you for Jacob.”
“Nor I. And I am sorry that I was not honest with you. How could you have known that I longed for Jacob when I told you that I did not!”
Catrina flashed a teasing grin. “’Tis true. You did create the misunderstanding.” She squeezed Greta’s arm. “But I did not want to believe otherwise, even when I saw the signs.”
“That is all behind us now, ja?”
“Ja.”
“But, will it trouble you to see me with Jacob?”
Catrina paused and shook her head. “I think not. Truth be told, I was never in love with him. I was afraid—afraid of being alone and afraid of being unloved.”
Greta’s expression shifted to surprise. “You were afraid of being unloved?”
“Ja. Of course.”
“But you are so very beautiful.”
“Oh, Greta, you know better than most that there is far more to a woman than her looks.”
“You have caught me by my own words.”
Catrina winked. “That I have.”
Greta laughed.
Catrina smiled, then dropped back to a serious expression. “You know, at first I did not know that you sought Jacob’s affection. And then, when I did realize, it saddened me to see how he looked at you. He never looked at me like that. I thought if I could be charming enough and beautiful enough he might look at me like that—with adoration in his eyes.”
“Someone will look at you like that, Catrina! And, when he does, he will adore you for more than your beauty.”
“You believe that I will find him here, in the wilderness?” Catrina laughed and shook her head.
“You never know what der Herr can send your way!”
Catrina’s eyes danced for a moment, then she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I think I will stay, Greta. I want to finish the adventure that I have started.”
“I am glad to hear you say that.” Greta reached for Catrina’s hand and squeezed it. “And I know you will be glad as well.”
* * *
Snow blanketed the countryside in a clean white quilt as Jacob and Greta walked hand in hand to the Riehl cabin. When the worship service ended she would be a married woman, tied to the man she loved for the rest of her life. Greta breathed in the crisp, clear air and smiled. “The forest and fields are transformed beneath a layer of unbroken snow. And the sun could not shine any brighter. As far as the eye can see, all the world is pure and white and gleaming.” Jacob grinned and looked down at her, his eyes full of love and joy. “My heart has been transformed as surely as the landscape. This is a time for renewal, Greta. Der Herr has restored my life to me.”
Greta nodded and slid her small hand into his as they passed through the doorway of the Riehl cabin. A roomful of familiar faces waited, eager to celebrate with them. Ruth beamed as the twins fidgeted. Abraham and Amos exchanged happy I-told-you-so looks. Even Catrina was there, smiling shyly. She stepped forward and whispered quickly into Greta’s ear. “I am happy for you both. I truly am.” Then she slid back to her seat.
Silence fell across the room as all eyes moved onto the couple.
“Well, Greta, are you ready?” Jacob asked in a low voice.
“Oh, Jacob, I have never been more ready for anything. I want us to spend the rest of our lives together.”
Jacob gazed into her eyes. “We will, my darling. We will.”