A Season of Love Read online

  “That’s what Timothy told me,” Daniel said, before wiping his beard with his napkin. “I believe she met with the bishop during the week at different times to make up the discussions she’d missed, and she was baptized in the fall of that year with the rest of the group. Her father wasn’t well, and she wanted to be baptized as soon as she could in order to have him there with her.”

  Lindsay scooped some egg into her mouth and chewed while considering his words. She knew joining the church was what she wanted to do with her life, and she certainly could make time to see the bishop in order to complete the discussions she’d missed while she was in Virginia. “I can do that,” she said finally.

  “I think you can too,” Daniel said.

  “Brot!” Emma exclaimed, reaching for another piece of bread.

  “You want more brot?” Lindsay asked, and Emma clapped her hands in response. “I’ll get it for you.”

  While she buttered another piece of bread, Lindsay thought back to her GED. Although she’d doubted herself at first, she’d studied and passed the test on her first try while she was staying with her aunt and uncle in Virginia Beach. She understood the baptism classes were more like lectures where the ministers spoke, and she wouldn’t have to study and take a test like she had for the GED. However, she knew the emotional impact of the baptism instruction would be just as taxing as the GED exam had been.

  After handing the bread to Emma, Lindsay looked back at her uncle.

  He lifted his coffee mug and nodded toward Lindsay. “You can do anything you set your mind to, Lindsay. You’re a very smart maedel.”

  “Danki,” Lindsay said.

  A horn tooted outside, and Daniel hopped up from the table. “I have to run off to work.” After kissing the children’s heads, he fetched his lunch pail and hat before rushing toward the door. “See you tonight.”

  “Have a gut day.” Lindsay watched him disappear out the door, and she wondered if her uncle was right. Could Lindsay explain to the bishop why she wanted to be baptized with her friends, and would the bishop give her permission to make up the classes she’d missed?

  The following evening, Lindsay wiped down the counter and filled the sink with water after supper while Emma sat in her high chair and munched on a cookie. The clip-clop of hooves drew her eyes to the window above the sink where she spotted a horse drawing a buggy toward the barn.

  “I wonder who’s here to visit,” she said to Emma, who giggled in response. “We weren’t expecting anyone.”

  Lindsay scrubbed the dishes and placed them in the drain board before moving her eyes back to the window, where she spotted her uncle and Daniel Junior standing with Matthew by the buggy. She smiled, and her stomach flip-flopped. Had Matthew come to visit her, or her uncle? Or perhaps he wanted to see them both.

  “Matthew is here to see us, Emmy,” Lindsay said as she wiped her hands on a dishrag. “Do I look okay?” She touched her prayer covering, and Emma laughed. “I hope that means ya,” Lindsay muttered.

  She straightened the canisters on the counter and wiped a stray crumb into the sink before opening the refrigerator. She was searching for any leftover whoopie pies that Katie had mentioned bringing from the bakery after her mother stopped by last week. Lindsay knew whoopie pies were Matthew’s favorite treat, and she wanted to offer them to him if he came in to visit her.

  Finding no whoopie pies, she set the percolator on the stove for coffee and pulled a container full of peanut butter cookies from the cabinet. She was glad she’d decided to bake for the children earlier in the day and glad she had something to offer Matthew, even if it wasn’t whoopie pies. After placing mugs and the cookies on the table, she pulled two glasses from the cabinet.

  The back door opened, revealing Matthew clad in a brown shirt that seemed to make his brown eyes more golden than usual.

  “Wie geht’s,” he said as he stepped into the kitchen. He removed his straw hat, revealing a messy pile of dark brown curls. When Emma squealed, he laughed. “How are you, Emma?”

  “Matthew,” Lindsay said, smoothing her hands over her black apron. “What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing out this way?”

  “I needed to talk to Daniel about a work project and also needed to borrow some tools,” he said.

  “Why would you need to talk to him and borrow tools when you’ll see him tomorrow at the furniture store?” Lindsay eyed him with suspicion.

  Matthew grinned. “That was my excuse to come and see you.” He gestured toward the table. “May I visit with you for a few minutes?”

  “Ya.” Lindsay smiled.

  Matthew sat in front of her and talked to her cousin. “Is that a gut kichli, Emma?” He touched her arm. “Did you save one for me?” He glanced at the plate of cookies in the center of the table.

  “Please help yourself,” Lindsay said, gesturing toward the cookies. “They’re peanut butter. I made them earlier today.” She lowered herself in the seat across from him and Emma. “I would’ve made you some whoopie pies if I’d known you were coming.”

  “Ach.” Matthew looked disappointed as he took a cookie. “I should’ve told Daniel I was coming by. I’ve been craving whoopie pies.” He brightened as he bit into the cookie. “Maybe next time we get together we can have some whoopie pies.”

  “I’ll see if I have the ingredients. If so, I’ll make some tomorrow.” Once the percolator was finished, Lindsay hopped up and grabbed it from the stove. She poured coffee in each of the two mugs on the table and then placed the percolator back on the stove.

  “Danki. How’s Rebecca?”

  Lindsay nodded. “She looks better today. Her color has come back some. How are you doing?”

  “Fine.” He glanced at Emma. “These kichlin are gut. You were right, Emma.”

  Emma poked Matthew’s arm. “Gut kichli,” she said.

  Lindsay laughed, enjoying the interaction between her cousin and Matthew. “What was the project you asked Daniel about?”

  “I’m working on an entertainment center that’s giving me trouble. Your onkel is very gut at building them.” He grabbed another cookie off the plate. “But I also came here for the desserts. I told you you’re a better baker than mei schweschder.”

  “Oh?” Lindsay couldn’t hide her grin. “What would happen if I told your schweschder you despise her cooking?”

  “I didn’t say I despised it,” he said as he bit into his cookie. “I said you’re better at it.”

  “Is that so?” Lindsay shook her head and broke a cookie in half while enjoying the easy banter with Matthew. “You might regret that statement if I repeat it to your schweschder. You’ll find yourself very hungry.”

  “I could always come over here and grab a meal,” he said with a nonchalant shrug.

  Lindsay paused. Was he inviting himself to supper one night?

  “I’m only joking,” Matthew said. “How was your day?”

  “Gut,” Lindsay said. “I had fun with the kinner and also did some cleaning. It’s really gut to be heemet.”

  “Will you be at the youth gathering Sunday night?”

  Lindsay wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I believe so. I haven’t discussed it with Onkel Daniel, but I’m fairly certain he’ll let me go.”

  “I hope so.” Matthew handed Emma a cookie, and she shook it over her head. “Look how she’s holding that above her head. I think she may want to join us for volleyball soon.”

  Lindsay shook her head. “You’re gegisch.” She bit into the cookie. “How’s the furniture store?”

  “Busy. But busy is gut. Some Englishers are already ordering furniture for Christmas gifts. It’s difficult to believe the summer is almost over. We’ll be inundated with orders soon as fall approaches.”

  “I imagine you will stay busy.” While sipping her coffee, Lindsay thought of Jake Miller, the Mennonite grandson of one of the store owners, Elmer Yoder. Jake and Lindsay’s sister, Jessica, had been close friends until a disagreement earlier in the summer. “How’s Jake doi
ng?”

  “He’s been really quiet,” Matthew said. “He keeps to himself.” He looked curious. “Are you wondering if he’s mentioned Jessica?”

  Lindsay nodded while biting into a cookie. “The last I heard from Jessica she hadn’t spoken to him. It’s a shame they aren’t talking.”

  Matthew shook his head. “He hasn’t mentioned her.”

  Lindsay felt a twinge of disappointment for her sister and then pushed the thought away. Jessica’s relationships were her own business. She remembered her conversation with Daniel at yesterday’s breakfast and took a deep breath. “Matthew, do you think it would be possible for me to talk to the bishop and ask to be baptized with Katie and Lizzie Anne?”

  Matthew’s eyes brightened. “You want to be baptized this fall? I didn’t realize you wanted to join the current baptism class.”

  “Ya, I do,” she said. “Even though I wasn’t born into this community, I feel as if I belong here. My heart is here with my family and my cousins.”

  “Gut,” Matthew said. “I’m very glad to hear you say that.”

  “Danki,” Lindsay said. “I talked to Onkel Daniel about it this morning, and he told me mei aenti Miriam was able to join a class that was already in session by making up the lessons. Maybe I could explain I’ve been away in Virginia caring for my aunt Trisha, and I just got back. Do you think that might work?”

  “Ya,” Matthew said. “I think it’s a possibility. When do you want to talk to him?”

  Lindsay shrugged. “I don’t know. I was hoping maybe mei onkel Daniel would take me to see him this weekend.”

  The back door opened with a bang, revealing Daniel Junior, who was standing in the doorway. He was frowning and covered from head to toe in mud. The mud soaked his clothes, shoes, and hair.

  Emma burst into giggles while calling, “Gegisch bruder!”

  “Junior!” With a gasp, Lindsay stood. “What happened to you?”

  “I fell in a horse stall.” Daniel Junior grimaced. “Dat told me to ask you to please give me a bath right away.”

  Lindsay swallowed the urge to laugh as she turned to Matthew. “I guess I better say gut nacht.”

  With a grin, Matthew stood, his chair scraping the linoleum floor. “I guess so.” He swiped a few cookies from the plate and stuffed them in his pockets. “I’ll enjoy these during the ride heemet.”

  “Okay.” Lindsay turned to Daniel Junior and pointed toward the mudroom by the door. “Go take off your boots, pants, and shirt, and then go straight on to the bathroom. I’ll be right there.” She glanced at Matthew. “It was nice seeing you.”

  “You too. Danki for the appeditlich kichlin.” Matthew started for the back door.

  Daniel Junior hurried by Lindsay, stopping in the doorway to the mudroom. “Is Matthew your boyfriend?”

  At a loss for words, Lindsay felt her cheeks heat as she stared at her cousin. Could his timing possibly get any more embarrassing?

  “Not yet, Junior, but I’m working on it,” Matthew said with a smile. “Gut nacht.”

  Her cheeks aflame and her mouth gaping, Lindsay turned toward the back door just as Matthew slipped out, closing the door behind him.

  Chocolate Oatmeal Cake

  Mix and let cool:

  1 cup oatmeal

  1½ cups hot water

  Blend together:

  ¼ cup oil

  1¼ cups sugar

  2 eggs

  Combine both mixtures with the following:

  1 cup flour

  1 teaspoon baking soda

  ½ teaspoon salt

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  ½ cup cocoa

  Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

  3

  Friday evening, Katie descended the bakery steps toward the parking lot. Her cousins and aunts hurried toward the van waiting in its usual spot by the sidewalk. When she spotted Samuel sitting in a horse-drawn wagon, she eyed him with confusion.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, approaching the wagon. “I thought I was riding with Aenti Kathryn like I do every day.”

  “I have to stop by the furniture store for Dat, so he told me to pick you up.” He gestured toward the passenger side. “Hop in.”

  After waving to her cousins and aunts, Katie climbed onto the wagon. “What does Dat need from Daadi?” she asked as the wagon approached the intersection to Highway 340.

  “Daadi has some supplies we need to fix the fence,” Samuel said. “He offered to help Dat out so he can save some money.”

  “Oh,” Katie said.

  They drove in silence and soon Katie spotted the familiar business her grandfather, Eli Kauffman, had built with his friend Elmer Yoder before she was born. Samuel guided the horse into the parking lot, and Katie spotted the Kauffman & Yoder Amish Furniture sign displayed at the front of the single-story white building.

  She followed Samuel up the stone path that ran to the steps leading up to the store. Samuel wrenched open the front door, causing a bell to ring, announcing their arrival. Large windows lined the front of the shop, and the walls were covered in crisp, fresh, white paint. She silently marveled at how clean her grandfather and the rest of the carpenters kept the store. It almost appeared to be brand new, rather than a couple of years old. The building had been rebuilt after a fire four years ago.

  Katie glanced around the open area, taking in the sample pieces, including mirrored dressers, hope chests, entertainment centers, dining room sets, bed frames, end tables, and coffee tables. The familiar aroma of wood and stain permeated her nostrils.

  A long counter covered with piles of papers and catalogs sat at the far end of the room, blocking a doorway beyond which hammers, saws, and nail guns blasted while voices boomed in Pennsylvania Dutch.

  “I’m going to find Daadi,” Samuel said as he headed toward the work area.

  “I’ll be here.” Katie ran her fingers over the top of a mirrored dresser, silently marveling at the beautiful craftsmanship. She studied the brass hardware on the drawers and wondered what it would be like to have a bedroom set this pretty in her and Nancy’s room. But she knew this furniture was expensive and would be too extravagant for her.

  Glancing up at the mirror, she spotted Jake Miller standing behind her. “Jake,” she said with surprise. “How long have you been standing there watching me?”

  “I just walked out front and spotted you,” he said. “I can’t ignore a customer.”

  Katie laughed as she faced him. “I’m a customer?”

  “You’re looking at our samples, aren’t you? Would you like to order a dresser?” Jake asked, grinning. “We’re running a special end-of-the-summer sale right now, and I could get you a great deal. It could be yours before Christmas if you order today.”

  “That sounds like a gut deal. I think I’d like to order a whole bedroom set,” she said, playing along. “How much would that cost me?”

  “Let me think.” He touched his clean-shaven chin. “Since you’re family, I’ll sell it to you for only fifteen hundred.”

  “Fifteen hundred dollars?” Katie guffawed. “That’s the family price?”

  “Oh yes,” Jake said. “Everyone else pays three thousand.”

  “Wow.” Katie touched the dresser. “Did you make this?”

  “This piece?” Jake moved past her and examined the dresser. “I would guess your grandfather made this one.” He pointed toward another dresser without a mirror. “I think my grandfather made that one.”

  “They make beautiful furniture.” Katie studied Jake, taking in his dark hair and bright blue eyes. He stood several inches taller than she did, probably close to six feet. “Your daadi and mei daadi have been friends a long time, ya?”

  “That’s right.” He lowered himself onto a hope chest beside the dresser. “I’d say more than fifty years. They went to school together.”

  Katie nodded. “That’s a long time.”

  “What brings you out here this fine day?” Jake asked, crossing hi
s arms over his chest.

  “Samuel said he needed to get some supplies from mei daadi.” She jammed her thumb in the direction of the workroom. “He picked me up from the bakery before continuing on his way here. I came along for the ride.”

  “Oh.” Jake gestured toward a dining room chair across from him. “Why don’t you have a seat while you wait?”

  “That sounds nice.” Katie sat and smoothed her hands over her apron and dress. “How have you been?”

  “Fine,” Jake said. “Busy.” He pointed toward the desk. “The phone has been ringing nearly nonstop. I’m splitting my time between manning the desk and working on small projects. I’d like to become a full-time carpenter. I’ve been spending a lot of time at my grandfather’s house on Saturdays working in his shop.”

  “Oh.” Katie fiddled with the ties to her prayer covering while she studied him. “You’re very close to your daadi, ya?”

  “Yes, I am.” Jake glanced down at his dark T-shirt and jeans. “I guess I don’t look like an Amish carpenter, but I’d like to be one.”

  Katie chuckled. “I think you’d make a wunderbaar gut Amish carpenter.”

  “Danki.” He grinned. “I’ve heard the bakery is very busy too.”

  “Ya, it usually stays that way until the cold weather comes in,” Katie said. “Then the tourist groups disappear until spring.”

  “Eli told me Elizabeth wants new display cabinets installed at the bakery,” Jake said. “She’s pushing him to do the renovations this fall and winter when the bakery isn’t very busy.”

  “Really?” Katie asked in surprise. “I had no idea.” She considered the shopping area in the front of the bakery. “I guess the bakery still has the original cabinets from when it was built nearly thirty years ago, ya?”

  He shrugged. “That’s what Eli said.”

  “That will be a nice change,” Katie said.

  “What’s your favorite dessert to bake?” he asked.

  Katie considered the question and thought about the many desserts she prepared every day. “I guess it would have to be chocolate chip cookies.”