The Amish Baker

by Marie E. Bast

  Hannah laughed. “I’ll give those cats a big dish of milk if they can get a rise out of that lazy dog. The walk over here seems to have tuckered him out.”

  Tiger and her kittens jumped and chased each other around the yard as if they’d never seen grass before. Mint-Candy lay in a ball, his eyelids closed. Some of the kittens nipped at his tail and others chewed on his feet. One kitty went nose to nose with Mint-Candy, but the lazy pup didn’t seem to care.

  “That’s a funny name for a dog.” Jacob patted the terrier.

  “Jah—” Hannah scratched the dog’s ears “—there is a story behind it. When the dog was young, Daed had bought a box of mint candy. This little ball of fur climbed onto his chair and got the box of candy off the end table and ate all of them and chewed up the container. He smelled like mint for days.”

  Jacob laughed until he fell on the ground beside Mint-Candy.

  Hannah bent down beside Jacob. “We kept calling him that and the name stuck. He likes to take naps. Don’t think even a summer’s storm could chase him from his spot.” Hannah turned to head back into Sarah’s house. “I’ll bring out a pitcher of lemonade and some cookies.”

  Jacob laughed and played with the kittens.

  Caleb motioned to Sarah. “Shall we have a seat?”

  Sarah pulled out a chair by the table Hannah’s daed had made for her porch. “What brings you two to town on a beautiful September day?”

  “Errands, and I promised Mary I was going to mention to you that she plans on canning tomatoes again on Monday.”

  “I’ll be by to help. I’m still hoping to repair the damage with Mary. At least she likes me to help her can tomatoes, so that gets me in her kitchen. Maybe I can earn her forgiveness someday.”

  Caleb reached over and squeezed her small hand, lying on the table. Her soft skin teased the tips of his fingers and sent a streak of warmth straight to his heart. The breeze had caught a few strands of Sarah’s dark brown hair and danced them around her cinnamon-brown eyes. The soft flutter like a bow on a violin plucked at his heartstrings. If anyone could replace Martha in his heart, it was Sarah.

  The thought of a commitment sent a jolt bolting through him. Nein. Not yet.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sarah woke at dawn on Saturday determined to get an early start on baking. She stood at the sink, the sun’s bright yellow beams streaming through the window while she washed a stack of pans. On the weekend, it would be nice to have Jacob’s help. Maybe she’d mention it to Caleb. She missed that little bu and the joy he brought her.

  She stirred up a batch of peanut butter cookies and glanced at Hannah, whose nose was stuck in a recipe book as she hummed a hymn from the Ausbund. Her friend never went this long without talking; she always had some tidbit of news to share.

  Hannah zipped around the kitchen in her new dress that looked two sizes smaller than her old one. She never mentioned her additional weight loss. But Sarah suspected that Ezra stopping by every Saturday and flirting with Hannah had something to do with her good mood.

  Sarah rolled the dough into walnut-sized balls, dropped them onto the baking sheets, pressed them down, popped them in the oven and set the timer. The heat from the oven made the small kitchen hot. She picked up a pot holder and fanned it past her face, but it had little effect. She poured herself a glass of lemonade and strolled out onto the porch to enjoy the warm fall day.

  The breeze rustled the hem of her dress as she walked to the railing. The air blew across her skin, cooling and refreshing her. She propped one hip against the railing and looked up to heaven. Your scripture revealed that You have a plan for us, but where’s mine, Gott? I have no family and no future. Where do I go from here, Lord?

  Silence. Not even a bird was singing.

  The timer rang. She sent a final glance heavenward, then hurried back in, pulled the cookies out of the oven and set them on a rack to cool.

  At noon, Hannah’s folks walked in, letting a draft from the outside follow them in. Sarah tossed the happy wanderers a smile. “Welkum back, Edna and John. How was the trip to Missouri, and your visit with your sohn and his family?”

  “Oh, Sarah, what fun we had!” Edna gushed.

  Hannah hugged her mamm and daed.

  “Oh, you wouldn’t believe what a wunderbaar time we had. It brought tears to my eyes to see them, and we hated to leave.” Edna sat and filled them in on the trip.

  “I’d like some tea and cookies,” John chimed in when his wife paused. “Carrying all those suitcases upstairs was hard work.”

  Sarah made tea and set a plate of cookies on the table. Edna chattered, spilling the news on everyone and everything going on in Seymour, Missouri.

  John wiped his brow with a hanky, took a cookie and smiled. “I longed the whole trip home for one of Hannah’s cookies. No one makes a tasty makrone, macaroon, like her.” He licked his lips.

  “Hannah, dear, your father and I would like a few words with you,” Edna said after she took a bite of cookie and a sip of tea.

  Sarah stood. Edna’s tone let her know they had a family matter to discuss. “I’ll let you visit.” She busied herself in another area of the haus until she heard Hannah’s parents leave.

  When Sarah entered the kitchen, Hannah’s face was red and her eyes were puffy. “What’s wrong?” She rushed to Hannah’s side and enveloped her in a hug.

  “Jah, everything is wrong.” When a customer opened the door, Hannah stepped back from her friend. “Tell you later,” she whispered.

  When the last customer left, Sarah poured two glasses of lemonade and carried them to the table. “Come and have a seat.” Hannah’s face looked tense, and her hand shook hard enough that the lemonade sloshed over the top.

  “What is it, Hannah? You look worried. Is something wrong? Is your mamm or daed sick, or your bruder?”

  “No one is sick. My folks are getting older, Daed’s arthritic hands hurt and it makes it difficult for him to farm by himself. They are both tired of the cold and snowy Iowa winters. They want to move south to Missouri.” Her voice wavered with concern. She took a sip of lemonade.

  Sarah’s stomach clenched as she waited for Hannah to regain control.

  Hannah drew a deep breath and blew it out. “My bruder wants them to sell the farm, move to Seymour and live in the dawdi-haus on his farm.”

  “Ach.” The gravity of Hannah’s words settled over Sarah. “Are they going to move?”

  Her friend twisted her glass on the table’s surface, stopped, and slid her fingers up and down the condensation clinging to the outside. Hannah’s brown eyes peered up and met Sarah’s gaze.

  “I have to move to Missouri with them, Sarah.”

  Hannah’s words covered Sarah like a cold blanket of snow. She let the words float on the air to make sure she heard them correctly. “I see.”

  “I’m so sorry, Sarah. I won’t be here to help you with the bakery anymore.”

  “Nein. That’s okay. When do you go?”

  She told Sarah all the details. “We move at the end of the year. They already have a buyer and Daed agreed to let him have the farm in December.”

  Sarah settled back in her chair to let the shock sink in. She hadn’t expected it to be quite so soon. “I will have to find someone to replace you.”

  An unchecked tear rolled down Hannah’s cheek. She snatched a tissue from her pocket and blotted the moisture. “I’m so sorry, Sarah.”

  “I know you are. Don’t look so glum. It’s not the apocalypse.”

  Hannah’s laugh shook with tension. “I’m going to miss you, Sarah. I didn’t want to go, but Daed said it was unacceptable for a single woman to live by herself.”

  “You could stay with me.”

  “Nein, it’s not the same. You’re a widow, but since I’ve never been married, Daed forbids it.”

  “Jah, he’s right. I’m
going to miss you.”

  Hannah nodded. She took her glass to the sink and started washing dishes.

  After Hannah went home, Sarah drank the rest of her lemonade and sat in silence. What was she going to do without Hannah?

  Gott, You have taken everything from me. What do I do now?

  Morning came too soon after her restless sleep. Sarah pushed herself out of bed, hurried to get dressed, hitched King and trotted him all the way to the Millers’ farm for the preaching service. Preaching was at the Millers’ farm this month. Hannah usually rode with her but when she stopped at her house, Hannah claimed she had a headache and stayed home.

  Sarah sat on a bench and prayed, hoping it’d ease the pain of losing Hannah and her folks. She closed her eyes and swallowed the glumness in her throat.

  Her life had changed directions again. Move on. Don’t cling to the past. Look forward to the future. She took a deep breath and blew it out.

  But she knew she needed to trust Him.

  Bishop Yoder’s preaching about losing a kindred soul, as well as his testimony, touched her heart and filled it with peace. She was still reeling from the inspiration when they read the banns and announced Ezra Smith and Hannah Ropp’s names. They were getting married...in two weeks!

  I can’t believe Hannah didn’t confide in me. Courting was usually a secret, but she was Hannah’s best friend.

  After church, Sarah ate her meal in a hurry and hitched her buggy. She urged King into a fast trot, jingling the harness rings and sending his hooves pounding on the roadway. Her heart thumped her ribs the whole way to Hannah’s haus.

  John Ropp was standing in the barnyard when she arrived. Preparation had already begun for the wedding in two weeks. “You must have heard the good news.” He smiled as he held King’s reins so Sarah could step down from the buggy. “I’ll put King in the barn to cool off. He looks hot.” John patted the animal to calm him.

  She ran into the Ropp haus and knocked on Hannah’s door.

  She heard Hannah giggle. “Come in.”

  “Headache, huh?” She ran over and smothered her friend with a hug. “Congratulations. You kept the secret from me, of all people.”

  “I wanted it to be a surprise. You should have guessed by the big garden Daed put in.” A tear ran down Hannah’s cheek. She snatched a hankerchief from the bureau drawer and blotted both eyes.

  “I’m so happy for you, Hannah. Are you moving to Missouri?”

  “Nein. Ezra and I are staying here. Mamm and Daed won’t move until after the wedding.”

  “That’s an answer to my prayer. I can hardly believe it.”

  “I’m not going to Missouri, but Ezra’s farm is at least thirty minutes away, so we probably won’t get to visit often. Since you’re staying in Kalona, I can stop by when I’m in town. But I’m really going to miss Mamm.” She sighed.

  Sarah put a hand on Hannah’s back. “You can call her from the phone shed and write letters. Besides, you’ll be so busy with his kinner, you won’t have time to get lonely or bored.”

  “Jah, you’re right.” Hannah sucked in a breath. “I’m so excited. Let’s go downstairs on the table and start planning the wedding with Mamm.”

  They tore down the stairs and ran to the kitchen like they did when they were yung. “Mamm, sit and help us plan the wedding.”

  The three of them worked out the details and made a list of things to do: need postcards for invitations, scrub floors, get benches and tables, polish silverware, borrow dishes, make up dinner and supper menus. And clean the haus from top to bottom.

  This listing went on and on until the afternoon melted into evening. “I need to get home and get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  On the way home, a giddy notion slipped into Sarah’s head. She smiled and pretended for a moment that it was her and Caleb’s wedding. When she finally got to bed, sleep did not come easy.

  The next day, Sarah returned to Hannah’s haus to help with preparations. “What’s next on your to-do list?”

  Edna frowned. “Are you sure you want to do it?”

  Sarah looked at the list. “It looks like I’ve just volunteered to wash the borrowed dishes and polish the silverware.” She drew in a deep breath. “I better get started.”

  Edna patted her on the back. “It will be a big help. I have so many things to do, and John is frantic. Hannah is in her bedroom, working on her wedding dress. That leaves me to do everything else. My cousins won’t be by until this afternoon to help.” Edna sighed and went off into the other room.

  A knock on the door startled Sarah. She glanced around. “Edna?”

  No answer. She dried her hands on a towel and hurried to the front door.

  It was Caleb and Mary. “Hullo! What are you doing here?”

  Caleb smiled. “We came to offer our assistance.”

  “Mary, why don’t you go upstairs? Hannah would liebe to see you. She’s in her room, first door on the right. Caleb, John is frantic with work. He’ll welkum your assistance.”

  “Jacob is already helping him. He’s picking up sticks in the yard.”

  “Gut.”

  “It was the least I could do after the incident at the fair when I thought Ezra and...well, you know.”

  She nodded. “Do you remember what you told me once?”

  He shook his head.

  “In order for a relationship to work, trust has to come first.”

  Caleb blushed as he smiled at Sarah. “Jah, now I remember.”

  As he walked beside her back into the house, Sarah’s cheeks flushed, as well. All these wedding preparations had a way of turning one’s mind to thoughts of marriage and weddings.

  She wondered if she and Caleb would ever stand before the bishop together, but Caleb had never mentioned the idea of marriage. A prudent woman would walk away from this relationship and chalk it under nothing more than friendship. But what more romantic place was there than a wedding to give Caleb a nudge?

  * * *

  As Ezra and Hannah said their vows in Pennsylvania Dutch, butterflies fluttered in Sarah’s stomach. When the bishop said a blessing and pronounced them ehemann and frau, Sarah’s throat clogged. Hannah, her childhood friend, getting married was like another chapter in her life folded and tucked away. She would miss her friend.

  The meal after the wedding consisted of roast duck, turkey and chicken with all the trimmings. When the chairs at the tables scattered all around the house were full, the bishop gave the signal for silent prayer. Then everyone waited for the first clink of silverware against a plate before beginning.

  Sarah glanced at the cakes she and Mary had made and placed on the Eck, the bridal table. Mary had done a wunderbaar job; lemon cake was Hannah’s favorite.

  Sarah laughed as she sat next to Hannah at the table and squeezed her hand. “Frau Smith, you are radiant.”

  Hannah laughed. “I can hardly believe I’m married. I’m too excited to eat.”

  When it was time for the bride and groom to visit with their guests, Sarah wove her way through the crowd, looking for Caleb. Many of their customers from Amish Sweet Delights and The Cookie Box had come.

  With all the people milling around, spotting him was hard. A couple of times, she caught a glimpse of Bishop Yoder, but headed quickly in a different direction. Except for one time when he called from a distance and told her he wanted to introduce her to Elmer Plank. Nein. She was through allowing the bishop to matchmake for her. She wouldn’t hurt Caleb again.

  Hannah’s wedding gave Sarah a chance to talk to so many people in the community she hadn’t seen in a while. Later she caught sight of Mary carrying dishes into the haus, and hurried to catch up with her. “Mary, have you seen your daed?”

  “He was talking to Kathryn Miller under a tree in the backyard.” Mary shrugged.

  Sarah wandered through the yard, t
alking to people as she went. When she rounded the corner of the haus, she spotted Caleb standing under the chestnut tree with Kathryn. Widow Miller laughed loudly at something Caleb said and touched his arm. He smiled back at her.

  She waited a moment in the shadows. A sliver of distrust swept over her... Guilt prickled up her back. Trust was the very thing Caleb said that two people had to have. Relationships were built on trust.

  Turning around, she headed back to the kitchen to help with the dishes. Mary stood at the sink, stacks of dishes on both sides. Sarah stepped between Mary and one of Hannah’s relatives. “I’ll help out so you won’t be here all night.”

  The relative looked delighted at Sarah’s offer.

  Mary picked up a plate to dry. “I’m glad Hannah’s staying in our community. She will probably miss her mamm. I still miss mine, but I like to talk to Hannah.” Her voice choked with emotion. “It was a beautiful wedding. Hannah looked so in liebe.”

  Sarah wrapped an arm around Mary’s shoulders and hugged her. Surprisingly, she put her arm around Sarah’s waist and hugged back. She knew Mary didn’t have many female relatives, and she could tell it would have been another loss for her if Hannah had moved.

  After grabbing a dish towel, Sarah dried the next plate in the drain rack.

  A short while later the door opened and Caleb, with Jacob in tow, sauntered over. “Mary, it’s getting late. Are you ready to go home?”

  She turned toward Sarah. “Anything else I need to do?”

  “Nein. Danki for your help and baking the cake.”

  “Sarah, I’ll pick you up Sunday so you can attend Sunday school with us.” Caleb’s eyes twinkled, and he gave a smile that made her knees turn to mush.

  “Jah. Who could refuse a smile like that?” She threw the dish towel over her shoulder, perched her hands on her hips and raised a brow. She was falling for him, all right. Remorse pricked the back of her neck for having a hesitant heart when she saw him with Kathryn.

  He hadn’t said he loved her. Yet. But wasn’t that what she was reading on his face? Was he only looking for companionship?