by Beth Wiseman
Katie folded the plastic wrap over one side of the loaf, then looked at the woman, trying not to frown since she wore a full smile. “But you look so pretty and festive.”
“Oh, aren’t you sweet.” The lady waved a dismissive hand as she chuckled. “I always wore this outfit when my husband was alive—only on Christmas Eve when we went to church.” She paused as her eyes drifted somewhere over Katie’s head. “And I guess I just keep up the tradition and think about the beautiful memories we made. We didn’t have any children, but we had each other for fifty-two years.”
Katie had stopped wrapping the bread altogether. “That’s so wonderful,” she said softly, wondering who the bread was for.
As the woman began to look at the handmade items Katie’s mother kept stocked during the holidays, Katie finished wrapping the bread. When she had everything carefully packed in a bag big enough to hold all the bread, she told the woman she could check her out whenever she was ready.
“I’m sorry some of these loaves are a little lopsided. I’ve been working with a new oven, and I shouldn’t have made the change during the holidays.” Katie handed the woman her ticket with the total of her purchase.
“I’m not worried at all how the bread looks.” She smiled before she began digging in her wallet. “I’m sure it will taste wonderful, although I’ll never know.”
Katie tipped her head to one side. “May I ask why? Who will all this bread go to?”
“I don’t know yet.” The small woman smiled again. “Did you know that the number twelve represents faith, the church, and divine rule? There are many examples of the number twelve in the Bible. Twelve apostles, for example.” She handed Katie two twenty-dollar bills. “There are many more biblical mentions of the number twelve. So, each year my husband and I would get twelve loaves of bread. We’d purchase them from different bakeries each year, sometimes as far away as Bloomington or Indianapolis. Then we would ask God to point us in the direction of those He wanted us to offer up extra blessings for, and we gave them a loaf of bread. ‘Loaves of love,’ we’d call them.”
“That’s so nice.” Katie thought about how stressful she’d allowed her life to become lately. She hadn’t made time to soak up the spirit of the holiday.
The woman took out one of the loaves of bread. “And the Good Lord just told me that you are the first person I should give a loaf to.” She pushed it toward Katie.
“Nee, I mean no. I baked it. I-I shouldn’t accept it.”
“Then there’s double meaning in it. I will pray for extra blessings for you.”
Katie feared she would hurt the woman’s feelings if she didn’t accept the bread, so she thanked her, then ran to hold the door open for her.
“Merry Christmas, child,” the woman said, smiling as she carried her loaves of love to her car.
Katie quickly turned off the oven and cleaned up so she could get home, feed her family, then ride back to the bakery later this evening with Jonas. Every time she thought about Henry setting up this meeting, her stomach went wild, and she wondered if it would be something good or bad. Either way, she was going to do her best to remember the spirit of the season.
Katie’s mother came downstairs for supper, her first meal with the family since she’d been prescribed bed rest. It was a special treat to have the entire family together for Christmas Eve supper, but Katie struggled not to yawn throughout the meal.
By the time she arrived back at the bakery with Jonas hours later, Katie could barely keep her eyes open. The shop was lit up with lanterns.
“I gave Henry a key in case he beat us here. I knew you’d have one.” Jonas yawned along with Katie as they shuffled to the door.
He held the door open, and Katie covered her mouth as another yawn overtook her. Henry was standing behind the counter, grinning.
Katie’s jaw dropped. Her wood ovens were back in place, the vent repaired, and everything looked exactly as it did before she’d installed the propane oven. “How did you do all this?” She finally got her feet to move, and she rushed to him.
“Merry Christmas,” he said, smiling as she stopped on the other side of the counter. Her heart was alive and glowing with the Christmas spirit. Thank you, Gott.
“I’d heard rumors that you disliked that propane oven.” Henry rolled his eyes, still grinning. “I’ve been putting in extra hours at the hardware store, or I would have gotten this done sooner.”
“Danki. This means so much.” She walked around the counter to hug him but changed her mind. It would be inappropriate in front of her brother, and the last time she hugged Henry, it hadn’t gone well.
Henry cupped her cheek with his hand, which caught her completely by surprise. It felt wrong. Clara was her friend.
“I know how hard you’ve been working, and I wanted you to have a gut Christmas.” Henry gazed into her eyes in a way that caused Katie’s heart to flip. She wanted to ask where Clara was on this Christmas Eve, but she longed to savor the moment for a while longer.
“I thought I heard someone come in.” Clara rushed out from the back, smiling from ear to ear and almost knocking Henry over to get to Katie. She threw her arms around her. “Are you surprised? Henry did most of the heavy lifting, but I wanted to be here to see your face when you saw everything back to normal!”
Katie nodded, speechless. Of course Clara would be here with Henry. How silly she felt. “It’s all wonderful.” She took a step backward and wound around the corner, leaving Henry and Clara side by side.
“Ya, okay. I’m glad everyone is happy.” Jonas yawned. “Can we go now?”
Katie turned to leave, but Jonas held up a palm. “Not you.” He chuckled.
Then Clara scurried over and stopped right in front of him. They shared a gentle hug, which was unexpected. “Two days is too long to go without seeing you.” Clara’s dreamy voice caused Katie’s jaw to drop. Again. What is happening?
Clara eased out of Jonas’s arms. “Ach, wait. I almost forgot.” She hurried to the counter, reached around Henry, and pulled a sprig of mistletoe out of the cabinet. “I don’t think you’ll need this, but just in case.”
Then Clara ran back to Jonas, latched on to his hand, and they were out the door before Katie had time to process what had just occurred.
“But I-I thought you and Clara were . . .” She searched Henry’s eyes. “I thought you were a couple.”
“Nee. She’s had her eye on Jonas since the first day he walked in here. They’ve been seeing each other ever since she told me she didn’t see us being more than friends. She knew I had my eye on someone else.” He stepped closer to Katie, and her heart raced as he cupped her cheek again. “I wanted to give you time to see if David was who you wanted.”
“It’s always been you I wanted to be with, Henry. But I’d given up on you asking me out.”
Henry brushed a stray hair from her face. “You take my breath away, Katie. You always have. I’ve always loved you, but as we got older, you blossomed into someone more beautiful than I could have imagined, inside and out. By the time we were teenagers, you seemed out of reach. I felt like you could choose anyone in our district, someone more handsome, smarter—”
She put a finger to his lips, shushing him. “I chose you a long time ago.”
Finally, after years of waiting, Henry’s lips met hers, and the feelings Katie had stored for so long were finally set free.
“Does this mean we’re finally going to date?” Katie gazed into his eyes.
Henry took off his hat and held it to his chest. “Katie Swartzentruber, would you like to go to supper with me next Saturday night?”
Katie tapped a finger to her chin, grinning. “Hmm . . . I believe I’m free that night, so ya, I would love to.”
Henry slipped his hat back on, pushed back the rim, and kissed her again. Katie was sure she was floating. When she finally returned to earth, she noticed a loaf of bread on the counter. “Why is that there?” She pointed to the bread, wondering if she’d shorted the woman.
She had put her loaf on the opposite counter by her purse before she left earlier. She was sure of it.
“A lady came into the hardware store just as I was closing up. She said she wanted to give me a ‘loaf of love’ and that she would be saying extra prayers for me.”
Katie smiled. “Did she mention anything about the number twelve in the Bible?”
Henry’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Ya, she did. How did you know that?”
Katie went to grab her own loaf of bread the woman had left with her, and she placed it next to his. “Maybe we need to find out if there’s any biblical meaning to the number twenty-four since it sounds like we’re going to have double the blessings.”
Henry kissed her again, and Katie was sure God had an abundance of blessings stored up for them. She looked forward to a bright future with the man she’d always loved.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.Katie and Henry have always liked each other more than they let on. Do you think things would have worked out for them if they had gotten together when they were younger? Or, sometimes, do people grow and change into the person they were destined to be? Is this an example of God’s perfect timing for Katie and Henry?
2.What did you think about David? He’s a bit too affectionate for Katie’s taste, but he also reveals some kind attributes. There were also some warning signs for Katie (and readers). What are some of the ways that David showed his true colors?
3.What were your thoughts about Clara? Was this also an example of God’s perfect timing? Henry and Clara had bumped into each other at the auction, but they weren’t able to find each other again. What if they had? Would they have gotten together then?
4.I suspect that cooking with a wood oven is tricky. This story is loosely based on a bakery I visited in Indiana. I was impressed by the quality and amount of baked goods that came out of the ovens. Have you ever cooked in a wood oven, and if so, what did you think?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THANK YOU TO MY PUBLISHING TEAM AT HARPERCOLLINS Christian Publishing. Special thanks to editors Kimberly Carlton and Jodi Hughes. You all rock, and I appreciate everything you do to make my books the best they can be.
To my agent, Natasha Kern, you’re the greatest! Thank you for everything.
I am grateful for my family and friends. I appreciate your continued love and support. Special thanks to Janet Murphy for always having my back and staying one step ahead of me.
Daddy, I love and miss you every day, but especially at Christmas. You left us before this “writing chapter” in my life began. I’m blessed beyond my wildest expectations and living my dream. I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.
God, all of the glory goes to You for gifting me with stories to tell. What an amazing journey You planned for me. Thank you with everything I am, in Your name Lord Jesus Christ. I am blessed.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BETH WISEMAN
Photo by Emilie Hendryx
Bestselling and award-winning author Beth Wiseman has sold over two million books. She is the recipient of the coveted Holt Medallion, a two-time Carol Award winner, and has won the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award three times. Her books have been on various bestseller lists, including CBD, CBA, ECPA, and Publishers Weekly. Beth and her husband are empty nesters enjoying country life in south central Texas.
Visit her online at BethWiseman.com
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