God's Gift of Love by Sarah Miller Page B

districts, but it was known to happen.
    Of course, it had to happen to Katie, of all people.
    Sometimes Gabe wondered why he had so much in his life against him. His parents, gone. The one girl he considered marrying, lost to another.
    Now she was back, but only after something as tragic as her husband’s death. It meant her child had no father and she had been uprooted to live with her aunt. She looked so sad tonight. Was there still room for their love? Their love had been so small years ago, really more of a seed, and it had never had time to grow into something fully bloomed. What about now?
    Gabe didn’t know, but he had some kind of hope again. When he slept that night, he dreamed of her again.
     
    * * *
     
    Gabe didn’t need to tell his brothers that Katie was back in their district; they already knew. Katie had only arrived hours before Gabe delivered the milk. By the next day, everyone knew.
    Only Samuel knew how taken Gabe had been with Katie. Abel and Zach were too young at that point, and had been too absorbed in their own lives to notice. News traveled fast and his new sisters, his brothers’ wives, heard there was a new young woman in the village of their age, and went to visit her.
    Gabe wished he could go with them. He wanted to see her again.
    Later, Abel and Gabe traveled across the village to do more deliveries. May didn’t need more milk yet, but they passed her house. Gabe watched, wondering if he’d see Katie.
    No sight of her, though.
    “Looks like Old May need a new porch, jah ?” Abel asked. His breath crystallized in the cold air, forming clouds of steam.
    Gabe looked at the porch as it fell behind them. It was a little slanted on one side, a broken plank keeping up the steps. “Maybe.”
    The stray comment planted in Gabe’s thoughts all day and that night. He even dreamed about fixing the porch for her. His dreams were too vivid. When he woke up, he was surprised to find himself still in his bed. Maybe he should do something about it, he thought, pulling the quilt around his ears. The house was cold, maybe he should bank up the fire before bed.
    The next day, when most of the work had been done on the farm, he went to May’s with a plan to build her a new porch.
    The fact that Katie would be there spurred him on. He needed to see her again, hear her voice, and see how she was doing in their district, and maybe what she thought of it.
    He stopped his buggy alongside the road and leaped off. It was a touch warmer today, the sun even peeking through the wispy clouds. Before getting his tools to help, he went to the door and knocked.
    Katie didn’t answer this time. It was May. “Gabe! I don’t need more milk yet, I--”
    “No, I know. I’m here to help fix your porch.”
    “Oh?” May looked past him, down at his feet. “Is it broken?”
    “There’s a broken plank at the bottom of the steps,” Gabe said. “It’s not safe, and it’s slanting to the left, see?”
    May came out a step, pulling her shawl tighter around her. “Ah, I suppose so... but you needn’t--”
    “I’ll start working on it right now. I brought some tools, but do you have any more in your barn, maybe?”
    May shrugged. “Probably. But Gabe--”
    “I want to help you with this, please.”
    May let out a sigh. “My son Klaus may have taken some of the tools.”
    “I’ll go look.”
    “I’ll tell Katie to make you some kaffe .” May winked. “To keep you warm.”
    Gabe smiled as he left the porch. He didn’t remember when he’d last smiled so much.
    When he came back to the porch with tools and fresh planks of wood, he bent down to examine the broken plank on the steps. As he examined the entire porch, he realized this was probably a job for more than one man. But he hadn’t thought of asking anyone to help him, he’d only thought of the chance to talk with Katie alone.
    He would at least start. If he needed help, he was sure Klaus would lend it.
    The door opened as Gabe was hammering at the