A Perfect Square

Chapter 3




SAMUEL WATCHED the Englischers from his hiding spot in the woods. He’d known the moment the taller woman started around the south side of the pond that she’d find Katie’s body. If he were honest with himself, he’d prayed for it. The thought of her spending one more hour in the water would have split his heart right in two — if there was anything left of his heart to split.

He clutched his hat so tightly he could feel the brim breaking under his fingers.

Didn’t matter.

Nothing mattered now.

Crawling forward on his belly, he inched toward the top of the slope he was lying against so he could peer more closely at the group of people gathering around the pond. There were the two women who had arrived an hour before, their kinner, Reuben, and the Englischers. One of the Englischers was the local police officer — Samuel knew that because of the automobile he’d arrived in as well as the uniform the man was wearing. Another seemed to be from the local newspaper. The large magnet on the door of his truck read “Shipshewana Gazette.” The truck itself looked as though it had seen better days, even to Samuel, who wasn’t so familiar with Englisch automobiles.

This man held something up and pointed it toward Katie, but it wasn’t until the sunshine of the fall day reflected off the lens that Samuel realized it was a camera, understood that the man was taking pictures of her, photographing her body.

Samuel backed quickly down the hill and tried to stand, but he tripped over his pack of things and fell on top of Katie’s duffle. Crawling on his hands and knees in the opposite direction — any direction away from the scene at the pond — he forgot to quiet his movements. Sweat slicked his palms, causing leaves to stick to them as he lunged onward like a child. And he might have continued that way, crawling clear out of LaGrange County and leaving their small bundle of things behind, if his stomach hadn’t stopped him near the creek.

After no more than five — maybe six — feet of crawling, Samuel gasped, clutched one arm across his middle, and began retching. He hadn’t eaten, but the little bit of water he’d had a few hours earlier found its way up. Mostly it was dry heaving — his body looking for something to expunge and finding very little.

His heart looking for a way to reject the final travesty of what he’d seen.

After two minutes he was done, though sweat now beaded along his forehead, and he’d lost his hat somewhere along the way.

Wiping the back of his arm across his mouth, he collapsed into a sitting position while searching for and finding his hat. Tears again coursed down his cheeks, through the beard that was less than a week old.

He scratched at the stubble, and then he was lost, drifting back to three weeks ago, when Katie had reached up and touched his cheek that was still smooth, teased him about how quickly his beard would come in …

“Within a month of our wedding, you’ll need a comb to keep it proper. “ Her palm lingered on his cheek, her brown eyes sparkling with laughter. When she did pull her hand away, it was to twine her fingers with his and tug him toward the barns. “You promised you would help me name the pups today. “

“Pups don’t need naming, Katie. They’re only hounds.”

“You sound like my dat. I want to name them even if we are selling them soon. Seems the kind thing to do — assigning a name to something that you have to feed and care for.”

“Next you’ll be naming the cattle.” Now he was teasing her, though he didn’t mind following her into the barn. He’d worked all day in her father’s fields, and passing a half hour in the barn, looking at her pretty face, seemed a fair price to pay for naming a few hound dogs.

Though she wore one of her old dark gray work dresses, she’d starched the white apron that covered it. Her light brown hair was pulled back properly and covered with a white prayer kapp, but nothing could hide the prettiness of her face. Katie was one of the most beautiful girls Samuel had ever seen, though that wasn’t why he’d lost his heart to her. It was her kindness, the way she had of caring for every little thing — even hounds that would soon be gone.

“‘Course I wouldn’t name cattle. Cows don’t crawl up in your lap or lick your hand. “

“Gut thing,” Samuel muttered.

Katie stepped closer as they moved into the shelter of the barn. “When we have our own place, I’d like to have a pup. They’re gut for warning of snakes and also in case someone approaches who shouldn’t be about.”

“And what stranger would be approaching here? Your family lives so far out, visitors are rarer than snow in September.” Samuel tried to hold the criticism from his voice, but wasn’t quite successful. He didn’t realize he might have sounded a bit harsh until she turned to gaze at him with an expression that was now solemn. “I didn’t mean to judge, Katie.”

Glancing to the right then to the left as they walked down the length of the barn, Katie pulled Samuel into the last stall. The dog and her pups lay in a shaft of light in a corner on top of a pile of hay, but Katie ignored them, her attention focused completely on him.

“Does it bother you so much, Samuel? Be honest with me. Do you regret working for my father?”

“How could I regret it, when I wouldn’t have grown so close to you otherwise?”

“It was Gotte’s wille, ya?”

“Ya, I believe it was. “

“But now — “

“Now, I wonder if perhaps we should stay here after we marry, or — “

“Or move off on our own. Move north to Shipshewana, where you can work in the RV factories.” She crossed over to the pups, selected the smallest, and picked it up, cuddling it closely.

“It’s what I’ve said before. Here the work is endless, and I’m not sure we’ll ever make enough to get ahead. Look at how your father struggles. There hasn’t even been time to begin building our own house, though he promised.”

“I know he did. And he meant to, but the summer crops — “

“I understand his reasons, Katie. I understand.” Samuel was running his hand up and down his jawline, trying to puzzle out all the emotions and conflicting thoughts running through his mind, when Katie stepped close to him, cupping her hand over his.

“It’ll grow in nice and thick, Samuel. I can tell. Might not even take a month. Then you’ll be needing a comb.”