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Katie's Conundrum
Katie's Conundrum
Katie's Conundrum
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Katie's Conundrum

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Katie, Warren’s widow, learns the hard way that one must learn to discern saints and sinners as she tries to cope alone. Katie prayed for knowledge, but her daughter prayed for a distraction. Cal was more than a distraction, and his abusiveness destroys Katie. She wallows in the dark shadows of depression and despair until Pastor Jimmy redeems her. Will the pastor be sorry? Will his faith endure?

LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 15, 2019
ISBN9781946920546
Katie's Conundrum

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    Katie's Conundrum - Alice Eby Hall

    17

    Preface

    Matthew 24:11—And many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many.

    John 6:70—Jesus answered them, Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a demon.

    John 13:15-17—(Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and said), "For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily I say to you the servant is not greater than his Lord; neither he that is sent is greater than he that sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.

    I John 2:19—They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

    Although this book is dedicated to two battered women I have known,

    the story is fiction, and any resemblance between its characters, and anyone living or dead, is coincidental.

    Acknowledgments

    First I thank my Creator who infused me with curiosity and memory so that when I was young I could notice things I didn’t comprehend and when I became old and had some experience and knowledge, I could pull up memories and attach understanding to them—and for imagination to fill in the blanks. Thank you, Father! Your creation is truly marvelous.

    Secondly I thank Jesus for His sacrifice that, when accepted as the gift it is, saves us from condemnation to a dark eternity without our Creator. And I thank Him for the time He spent on Earth revealing our Father and his Love and Truth to us.

    Third I thank the Holy Spirit who is so accessible and is willing to reside in those who love Jesus. I thank Him for His guidance and instruction and His ability to mold us into the form of our Savior as we obey his prodding.

    Fourth I thank Steve and Pegge Hofman, Linda Ruddell Harris, and Becky Hade for their unflagging enthusiasm for my writing and the stories I have to tell. Their input is invaluable. More than I can say, I appreciate the guidance and the leadership of all the teachers and helpers who are keeping the Community Church of Devore a viable entity in my life.

    I praise God for His goodness and the blessings he bestows upon us all daily.

    Thank you, Lord!

    Alice Eby Hall

    Chapter 1

    TRANSITIONS

    K

    atie rubbed her gritty eyes and stretched her neck. She grabbed a wad of used tissues off her desk and dropped them into the waste basket. She wasn’t able to finish the last Free Cell game she played on the computer, so she knew her thinking and writing skills probably weren’t up to par either. She had been at her desk writing and either laughing or crying over what she wrote since she came home from her dear husband Warren’s funeral yesterday afternoon. When words quit coming, she took a Free Cell break, but she had written almost 10,000 words anyway—words she had promised Warren she would write—his story, Warren’s Women.

    She had read portions of the section on Heather to him as he fought death by pancreatic cancer, and his response gratified her. She had sketched the Dolores section, but would have to go back and flesh it out after she spoke with Rita, Warren’s stepdaughter and her good friend. But most of last night had been spent on the Katie section—hence the tears, smiles, and laughter.

    Around 2:00, while it was still very dark, Katie heard a disturbance outside her window. A cat yowled and screamed after a scuffle. Oh, Dear God, she murmured as fresh tears came. It’s a small loss, but I can’t stand more loss now. Something, probably a bobcat, had just taken the barn cat that had a litter of kittens under the bush right outside her office window a week ago. She put her head on her desk and wept—apparently for quite a while.

    Katie glanced at the red dawn illuminating her office window. She felt exhausted, but the catharsis was nearing completion. She wheeled the desk chair backward and pushed herself into a standing position. She stretched her aching back and hobbled toward the bathroom where she washed her hands and splashed cold water onto her face, especially into her eyes. She blinked at her image in the mirror to clear the blur from her vision. She saw a pale, middle-aged face haloed by fading blond hair staring back at her with tired, washed-out blue eyes.

    Well, God, what do I do now? She and Warren had always turned to their Savior in joy and thankfulness or in turmoil and stress. She knew no better way to solve life’s problems. She continued her new conversation with God as she walked to the front door.

    God, I’ve known almost no other adult life except as Warren’s employee or wife. Now I’m the age he was when I married him twenty-eight years ago. Is fifty-three too old to start over? It wasn’t for Warren because I was the only new thing in his life, but how am I to start over? Please guide me, Lord! The only thing I know besides loving Warren is my writing. Thank you, God, for that, and for directing me into fiction writing. I never told anyone about the fiction books I’ve sold—except Warren when I read parts of Heather to him—but he didn’t really comprehend that I’d sold anything. The use of the pseudonym Rebecca Rainbow was a brilliant inspiration. Thank you. It’s the kind of name everyone knows is made-up, but no one knows by whom! When I feel better, I’ll chuckle about it again. Thank you, Lord for everything behind me that prepares me for what lies ahead.

    She looked under the bush outside her window. Six tiny black kittens shivered in a tight ball. She scooped them up in her hands and carried them into the mobile home. She laid them on the carpet by her desk, went into the bathroom for a towel, and made a nest for them under the goose-necked desk lamp, which she set on the floor.

    Katie sat at her desk again and reread the last paragraph she had written. Yeah, she told herself, I was getting tired. I’ll probably have to do a lot of rewriting, but it’s good to get the thoughts and feelings down while they’re still fresh. She sighed and pushed away from the desk again.

    She bumped into Vida in the hallway of the mobile home.

    Hi, Mom, Vida sounded forlorn. What are you doing up so early?

    I never went to bed, Katie grimaced. How’d your night go?

    I’ve had better. It’s hard to believe I won’t have my dad around anymore. I’m sure going to miss him! She reached out to hug her little mother, and Katie returned the affection gladly.

    That makes two of us, Katie commiserated as the two wandered into the kitchen where Katie started a pot of coffee. Better make it strong this time, she muttered to herself.

    What do you want for breakfast? she asked her daughter.

    Nothing this morning, Mom. I have to check the cows early and get to Barstow for a staff meeting by nine. They’ll have a light breakfast buffet there. She kissed her mother lightly on the cheek. Are you going to be okay, Mom?

    Katie nodded. You go on, Vida. I’ll probably sleep today to make up for last night. But before you go, I wonder if you could lay your hands on one or two of those nipples you used to use for your goat kids. You know, the ones with the thin nozzle on the tip that would work for kittens.

    Vida looked at her strangely. Yeah, I have quite a few of those around. Why do you need them?

    Katie told her about the kittens. They walked into the office where Vida knelt by the bundle and looked. It’s hard to raise kittens, Mom. They have to be fed every few hours. Are you sure you want to do this?

    No, Katie smiled wanly, but I have to—the poor little things. I wish we still had goats. Goat milk would be perfect for them.

    I have some kitty milk replacer in the truck. That will work. You’re sure you’re going to do this? Vida asked again.

    Katie nodded, so Vida strode to her veterinary truck and returned with a container of milk replacer and two nipples that would fit on a soda bottle.

    Thanks, Vida! The women hugged tightly before Vida dashed out the front door thanking God all the way to her truck for sending her mother kitties to occupy her time and mind.

    Katie was reaching for a milk replacer measuring cup and a mug for coffee when Rita tapped at the kitchen door and let herself in. She walked slowly toward Katie taking visual measure of her much younger step mother.

    How are you, Katie? she asked. You look as if you didn’t sleep a wink last night.

    The right side of Katie’s mouth tilted upward. I didn’t even try to sleep, she answered. I wrote all night.

    Good grief, Woman, you must be exhausted! Rita squeezed her friend’s shoulders and reached for another cup. Okay if I join you? Katie nodded. What’re you writing? Rita asked.

    Warren’s story, Katie said briefly. "I told him I would. I call it Warren’s Women, and I’ll have to pick your brains about your mother before I finish the Dolores section."

    Rita sat open-mouthed. Katie, writing about all Warren’s women is a book-sized project. Are you up for that?

    Katie smiled secretively. I think so, she nodded and took another sip of hot coffee. I wrote over 10,000 words since the funeral yesterday. That’s more than a good day’s work!

    Rita brightened. I’m one of Warren’s Women. Does the book include me?

    Katie giggled shortly. Of course it does, Rita. Except for his wives and daughter, you were the closest one to him. You, more than anyone except your mother, understood his love for his cows and why it was so important to him to keep this dairy going. She stopped talking and looked at Rita seriously. I’m not really an integral part of the dairy anymore. Should I be looking for a new place to live so an employee can use my mobile home?

    Startled, Rita rose and walked to Katie. She put her arms around the younger woman. My goodness, no, Katie. This is your home. We’re your family. You belong here with us. Besides, you wouldn’t want to uproot Vida. It’s hard enough on her to lose her dad. She shouldn’t have to lose her home, too.

    Vida’s an adult, Rita. She patted the older woman’s arm. As the dairy’s veterinarian, it’s convenient for her to live here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she moved to Barstow sometime to be nearer the rest of her practice and her handsome sheriff friend, Gregg. She’s easily out of the picture if you all need this mobile for someone else.

    Rita shook her head. Don’t be stubborn, Katie. I don’t know what I’d do for fun around here if you moved away.

    Katie chuckled. You don’t have time for fun, and you won’t until you and Joseph both retire completely from your dairy duties. Rita laughed with her. They both knew that was true. Any kind of livestock farming, but especially dairying, involved full-time commitment which made vacations an almost unknown quantity. By now they’d both be retired from a regular job, but producing and processing milk wasn’t like any regular job.

    What will you do today? Catch up on last night’s sleep?

    Katie shook her head. Maybe later. I’m still too keyed up to sleep even though I’m so exhausted I can hardly think. I have some errands to run, so I’ll drive into Barstow this morning. Besides, I have some kittens to feed. She told Rita about the bobcat taking the mama kitty, and the two carried their coffee into the office. Katie also carried two bottles of warm milk replacer, and she and Rita sat for a while feeding kittens.

    Some of them feel awfully cold, Rita observed.

    Yeah, they were without their mother for about two hours, but I didn’t want to go out into the dark with a known predator around—even a small one.

    I don’t blame you, Rita said as Katie bundled the kittens under the lamp.

    Well, I’d better hustle. I can’t be away from my babies too long.

    Do you want me to come along? Rita offered.

    No, that’s okay. I need the quiet reflective time offered by driving that long stretch of freeway, but I’ll take you up on that offer another time if that’s all right with you.

    Rita nodded and left for the farm office where she helped her daughter learn the dairy’s record-keeping system.

    Chapter 2

    CHURCH

    A

    s Katie drove, her thoughts drifted to her conversation with Rita—Warren’s step-daughter, Dolores’s daughter, and such a good friend. Katie had offered to give up her home for the sake of the dairy. I’m sure glad she didn’t take me up on that, Katie mused. I don’t know what I’d do without the family ties I have with everyone at Triple-D Dairy.

    Her thoughts drifted back over the years to all the support she and Warren had from family. Special occasions were more special because of their backing. Problems were put into perspective by the different viewpoints of family members.

    Father, she flowed into prayer as she often did, thank you for family. I grew up essentially without one, and I do so appreciate the one you gave me as an adult. Warren’s family became mine, and together we produced Vida. And together we expanded our family to the church. Thank you, Father, for our Christian family, too, especially the Wilsons. All that love from you is so precious!

    Her thoughts continued to drift—now to church. She had been attending church with the family ever since she joined the dairy staff at the age of twenty-one. Katie always took it for granted, but she’d heard Rita and Warren discussing earlier days, and she knew church attendance wasn’t always something they could count on.

    Heather, Warren’s fiancée and Dolores’s daughter, was the only Christian in the family. She led Warren, a backslider, back to the Lord, and the two of them took Heather’s two younger sisters, June and Rita, to church

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