Katy's Homecoming Read Online Free PDF Page A

of the open cabinet door, memorizing the pile of familiar, dented, well-used items.
They’re just pots. It’s not a big deal.
She wasn’t completely convinced, but she closed the door and placed the pot and skillet on the stove.
    She dug in the refrigerator for the pork chops she’d asked Dad to bring up from the deep freeze the night before, then selected several potatoes from the bin right inside the cellar door. Dad wanted potatoes with every meal, but Katy hated going into the mildew-scented, spiderweb-filled cellar. So he’d put the bin at the top of the stairs for her. Katy appreciated his thoughtfulness.
    She hummed while she peeled the potatoes, her eyes peeking out the window when a flock of birds swoopedthrough the yard or her horse, Shadow, galloped along the fence. She smiled as Shadow tapped the ground with one hoof, shaking her flowing black mane. Katy hoped Shadow’s baby looked just like its mama. Dad had mated Shadow last summer, and the mare’s stomach bulged with the foal that would arrive sometime in late spring. As soon as the colt was old enough, Katy intended to buggy-break it and sell it. Since Shadow was her horse, Dad had promised she could have the money from the sale.
    Although Katy hadn’t shared her intentions yet with Dad, she wanted to put the money into a fund for college just in case the deacons approved her going on beyond high school. Now that Dad would have Mrs. Graber, Katy didn’t need to worry about him being lonely when she went away for good.
    A car rolled into the yard, and Katy recognized Caleb Penner’s sedan. He was late today—Dad had been milking for close to an hour already. When Caleb hopped out of his car, she instinctively leaned away from the window so he wouldn’t see her and wave. Why he thought she wanted him waving to her, she couldn’t guess, but if he saw her, he always waved. She didn’t want to greet him, and she avoided the milking barn when he was there working with Dad. She’d never met anyone who irritated her as much as Caleb.
    She finished peeling the potatoes, put them on to boil, then began mixing flour and seasonings to dredge the pork chops. Just as she was dunking the first thick chop in the flour mixture, someone tapped on the door. Her hands sticky, she called,“It’s open!”
    The screen door squeaked, and Annika Gehring peeked around the corner. Since only a mile’s distance separatedtheir farms, Katy and Annika often walked to see one another. But with Katy attending high school in Salina, she and Annika hadn’t had as much time together the past months. They had argued more than once about Katy’s desire to go to school — Annika thought it was weird to continue school when Katy didn’t have to — but even so, Katy missed seeing Annika every day. They’d been close friends since they were little girls.
    She smiled. “Hi, Annika! Come on in.”
    “Let me take my shoes off first.” Annika disappeared from view, and Katy heard scuffling noises. Annika’s voice carried from around the corner. “It’s still muddy in places from last week’s melting snow, so my shoes are icky. I don’t want to track mud across your floor.”
    Annika entered the kitchen, sliding a little bit as her socks met the smooth linoleum. She plopped a tinfoil-covered aluminum pan on the counter before crossing to the stove and peeking at what Katy was doing. “Mmm, pork chops.” Annika smacked her lips. “Mom never fixes pork chops — Dad doesn’t like them. The only pork we ever have is sausage.”
    Katy knew a hint when she heard one. Should she ask Annika to stay for supper? But her days with only her and Dad at the table would end soon. She decided to be selfish and not share her time with him. “The next time I fix them, I’ll make sure I have extra.” She hoped Annika wouldn’t count the pork chops in the pan and wonder why two people needed four big chops. “Then you can join us.”
    Annika sighed. “Sounds good.” She pointed to