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with her cane.
    Katie stood in the kitchen, debating whether she should “pretty up” or run for the hills. Evidently her family had been busy this week.
    Sighing, she dried her hands on her apron before untying it and laying it across the back of a chair. She couldn’t get too mad at Grandma since she had agreed to let her find a match. But it would have been nice if she’d had some warning that a prospective husband would be arriving tonight.
    She stepped into the front room amongst the commotion of two guests arriving at once.
    “Katie, dear,” Grandma said, ushering a handsome young man in her direction. “This here is Randy Kopp. He’s Eunice’s grandson, and he’s just moved back from Williamson.”
    Thick, dark hair brushed over the man’s forehead, drawing attention to bright blue eyes. One of which, winked at her as he reached his hand out in greeting.
    “Pleased to meet you, Katie.”
    She shook his hand and smiled, finding it impossible not to respond to the sparkling, white teeth flashing at her, complete with a rather attractive set of dimples.
    “Yes, I—”
    Grandpa grabbed her shoulders and spun her around where she almost collided with Harold Crowley.
    “You remember Harold, don’t you Katie?”
    Harold cleared his throat. She shook his hand, wondering why Grandpa had invited Harold out on the same night she was to meet her prospective husband.
    “Good to see you again, Katie.” Harold turned and glared at Grandpa. “I thought you said Katie and me were getting hitched.” He jerked his head toward Randy. “Who’s this pup?”
    Married? To Harold?
    “Wait just a minute!” Pa said, wading into the middle of the pack. “I done found Katie a beau, and he’ll be here any minute now. You other fellers can go on home.”
    A knock on the door gave Katie a second to catch her breath. Pa hurried to let in yet another intended suitor.
    “Katie,” Pa said, hurrying his choice to stand before her. “You remember Freddie Powell, don’t you?”
    She remembered Freddie, but she didn’t think she’d ever had a conversation with him. Mostly because he always looked like he was about to swoon. “Hello, Freddie,” she said, and his face turned scarlet.
    “Good evening, Katie.” A cracking voice and bobbing Adam’s apple added the final touch to Freddie’s expression of total terror.
    Freddie’s hair was slicked with enough pomade to slide him through a gopher hole. And like the others, he was dressed either for courtin’ or for a funeral. In Freddie’s case, the funeral could be his own. She couldn’t recall ever seeing a young man look so scared.
    “Now, this is the feller you need to marry,” Pa said, grabbing Freddie’s shoulders and giving a good-natured shake. “He’s hardworkin’ and respectful—”
    “He ain’t no more respectful than Harold!” Grandpa interrupted. “This young generation don’t know nothing about respect.”
    By the time Grandma jumped into the fray, Katie thought her head was going to explode. They were all talking at once, each touting the good qualities of their suitors, though they seemed more intent on convincing each other than Katie. Their dedication was so focused, in fact, they failed to notice when she left the cabin for the relative quiet of the front porch.
    The huge autumn moon loomed just above the horizon, and the brisk night air cooled her heated skin, if not her temper. They could have warned her. Three beaus, each as different as night was to day, each with good qualities, she was sure. But how was she supposedto make a decision when she didn’t really know any of them?
    Maybe marrying wasn’t such a good idea after all.
    “Katie?” Pa stepped out onto the porch. “What you doing out here?”
    “Hidin’.”
    “Now, Katie, there’s no reason for you to sound so forlorn. You’re wantin’ to get hitched, aren’t you?”
    “I thought so, but I figured I’d have some say in who I was going to marry.”
    “You do get a say in