“Jah, she loved that,” Naomi remembered. “Then he’d leave to go wash up and she’d tell us that he must have been working on the back porch, if the smell of the chicken roasting is what brought him in from work.”
Marianna nodded, “Daed would come back in and ask us why we were giggling.”
They both laughed, and then fell into silence.
Naomi sighed. “I like being able to talk about those memories and it’s good to talk about her.”
“I know. It’s starting to get easier.” Marianna looked at Naomi, her eyes a little shiny.
“It takes time,” Naomi replied, feeling tears start to form in her own eyes. She turned back to the table to finish placing silverware at each plate.
It had been a little over a year since their mother had passed. Naomi had spent much of the time since she left school caring for their mother and taking care of the house. When Marianna had finished school, Naomi had started the job at the bakery working a few days a week to help out with the house finances.
“Working at the bakery makes me feel useful.” Naomi shrugged. “I like being able to do something that helps other people.”
“Jah,” Marianna agreed. “I like that part too.”
Her sister had turned back to the stove, but she could see that Marianna wasn’t exactly happy. Naomi suspected that it was much more than just missing their mother, not that Marianna would ever complain. Since their mother had passed, the bulk of the housework had fallen to Marianna. Their father was a farmer, but the heavy rains over the previous summer had damaged two of the fields. When it was time to harvest in the fall, the crops had yielded a fraction of the previous year’s bounty. Naomi had taken on more hours at the bakery in an effort to help.
“Should I put the food on the table?” Naomi asked. “Is Daed on his way in?”
“I don’t know. I went out to check earlier but that wasn’t much help. He was working in the field behind the barn so I couldn’t see him or the buggy.”
The door opened soon after and their father came in, a crinkly smile on his face. “It smells great in here, is that roast chicken?”
Marianna looked at Naomi, “Jah, it is.”
“Gut! I’ll go get cleaned up, and we can eat.” He turned down the hallway.
“We’ll get everything on the table,” Naomi called after him.
“That’s so funny, that he commented on the smell after we were just talking about it.” Marianna said with shaky smile.
“I’m sure he thinks about it too. He and Mamm surely talked about it,” Naomi said.
Naomi tried not to worry about what would happen if the bakery closed. She knew she could get another job somewhere in town, but it wouldn’t be the same as working in the bakery. She really enjoyed baking—she didn’t know if it was because of how she helped her mother over the years or something else entirely. Whatever the reason, she found comfort in baking and she knew others found comfort in the results of her baking, as well.
She had decided not to tell Marianna or their father anything about what was going on at the bakery until she’d have some real information to share. No need to worry about something before it happened. Just the same, she took a moment to say a silent prayer. Dear Gott, I know You are gut. I trust in You and know You will help us and guide us.
* * *
Chapter 3
By the time Daniel pulled into town he was cold, wet and exhausted and he was only halfway through his day. He pulled behind the buggy shop to unhook the horse and led it into the small corral. The rain had stopped for a moment and he took off his raincoat. He opened the back door to the harness shop to hang the coat on a hook. He was thankful that the area was covered and he took a moment to shake out his wool coat and wipe his feet.
He stepped through the back door and found Isaac in the workroom.
“Daniel, come on in.” Isaac motioned him to go towards the front of the store. “I just added more wood to the fire.”
“Danke.” Daniel walked through the store. He nodded at James Raber, who was talking to a customer at the front counter.
Isaac joined him and they paused to stand near the wood burning stove.
“My horse is in the corral. I just came from the Kaufman’s farm so they’ll need to rest for a little while.”
“Hopefully they’ll stay under the shelter so they can dry off,” Isaac said, setting some leather leads on the counter. “At least it’s a little warmer today.”
“Jah.” Daniel was very thankful that the cloud cover had led to slightly higher temperatures today. He was still cold, but he knew it could have been much worse. “Danke, Isaac. I’m going to head over to the bakery. Elizabeth is cooking a big pot of chicken and corn soup.”
“Ach, chicken and corn soup.” Isaac groaned. “That sounds so good, especially on a day like today.”
“You should come too. There will be more than enough.”
“Are you sure?” Isaac asked, already reaching for his coat.
“Jah, of course. Come on.”
Isaac looked back at James and signaled that he’d be back. James waved at them both and they stepped out the front door. The town square was fairly empty, as the rain had driven most shoppers away.
When Daniel walked through the door of the bakery he was hit by the warmth and the smell of baked bread. If Isaac hadn’t been right behind him he’d have stood there in the doorway taking a moment to simply breathe in the wonderful aroma.
Daniel and Isaac had just walked through the door when Elizabeth motioned for them to go into the break room.
“Hello, Daniel, Isaac.” Naomi peeked into the break room. I’ll join you in a moment.
They both nodded at her.
Kathryn came through the door and set a basket of rolls on the table.
“Mamm, I brought Isaac with me.”
“Hello, Isaac,” Kathryn said. “Would you like some soup?”
“Jah, I’d love some soup, if there’s enough. I don’t want to take someone else’s lunch.”
“Ach, Elizabeth always makes more than enough for everyone. I’m sure there will even be leftovers. We’ll bring the bowls of soup out in a few minutes.”
She turned to Daniel. “How was your morning? Did you stay warm enough?”
“Warm enough, Mamm.” Daniel smiled. His father would have asked how the deliveries went; it was nice that his mother thought to ask about how he was doing. He thought again about how wonderful it would be to have a job working inside. The possibility of buying the bakery crossed his mind again.
A moment later Elizabeth carried in a tray with four bowls of soup, and set them down on the table.
“Thank you, Elizabeth. This looks so good,” David said.
“Jah, does it ever!” Isaac agreed.
Elizabeth smiled and sat down across from Daniel. She said something else to Isaac but Daniel didn’t hear it. He’d been watching Naomi. She was talking to someone he couldn’t see, and she suddenly smiled. Daniel smiled too, hoping Isaac and Elizabeth wouldn’t notice him sitting there smiling for no apparent reason. He really cared for her, and couldn’t help at that moment to daydream about her being his wife.
Naomi turned and noticed him looking at her. She ducked her head but her smile didn’t falter and she followed Kathryn out of the kitchen.
“Naomi, sit down and eat.” Elizabeth pointed to the empty chair at the table.
Everyone had been quiet as they ate, and without hardly thinking, Daniel asked, “Why doesn’t the bakery sell soup?”
They all just looked at him. Naomi was the first to speak. “I don’t know. But it sure is a great idea, especially this time of year.”
Daniel nodded. “I’m sure that if the bakery sold soup and rolls together or even sandwiches, they could get more business.”
His mother looked at him for a long moment. “Those are great ideas. Maybe the new owner will think to add to the menu.”
Daniel looked at her over his bowl of soup. “Jah, maybe he will.�
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* * *
A few hours later, Daniel found himself back in town—this time, however, not to deliver hay.
“I’ll let you know,” Daniel said and stood up.
“Great. I’m so glad that you came in. If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to contact me,” Robert Callahan told him and held out his hand.
Daniel nodded and shook Robert’s hand. “Danke.” He left the bank feeling a little more confident. After lunch, he had noticed a FOR SALE sign in the bakery window with information to contact Robert at the bank.
He made a note of it at the time but hadn’t really planned on following up with it that day. As more rain fell during his last deliveries, he pondered the idea more and made the decision to at least find out the details of buying the bakery.
Now that he had an idea of what was involved, he was more confident that it was something that he could do. He’d need a little help though, both before he could buy the bakery and after the purchase.
He’d just stepped off the sidewalk when he saw Naomi walking across the town square. She must have been coming from the bakery. He crossed the open space to catch up with her.
“Naomi, are you all done for today?”
“Jah, I’m hoping to get home before the rain starts again.”
“I’d be happy to take you home,” Daniel suggested. “I’m done with my deliveries for the day.” She looked as though she wasn’t sure to take him up on his offer.
“Danke. I shouldn’t though. I don’t want you to go out of your way.”
“It would be my pleasure, and I was going to stop by the Yoder’s anyway.” The Yoder’s farm was on the same road as Naomi’s.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s no trouble at all.” His visit to the Yoder’s could have waited until the next day, but he didn’t like the idea of her walking in the rain and was happy to be able to spend more time with her.
Daniel thought about how sweet and kind Naomi was. A few years ago, he’d wanted to court her, but when her mother was ill he knew that she was focused on helping at home. Even though he wanted to be there for her, he felt that the little time the family had left should be spent together. He knew she’d been close to Paul for a time, but that seemed to end just before her mother’s death. Since then she’d kept to herself, and stayed busy taking care of her sister and her father. Now Paul was back and Naomi deserved someone better than a delivery boy.
He looked over at her and chuckled to himself. Her cheeks were pink and several locks of blonde hair poked out from under her black bonnet. She would most likely have been mortified to know that her hair was escaping her tight fitting kapp underneath, but it only made her look more endearing. Her soft gray eyes and beautiful face filled his mind and he sighed as he steered the horse onto the main road.
* * *
Naomi stole a glance over at Daniel as they walked towards the buggy.
She’d known Daniel for as long as she could remember but he seemed different these last few days. He’d even made a couple of funny remarks at lunch, which she’d enjoyed. He’d always been more quiet and a bit introspective, although she wondered if that had been more of a product of growing up in between Matthew and Elizabeth. His brother, Matthew, was several years older than Daniel and had worked with their dad for years before he got married. She’d had the feeling that their father had a hard time dealing with Matthew moving away. Even with him gone, Daniel still seemed to be stuck in Matthew’s shadow.
She was still thinking about this new side of Daniel as he helped her up into the seat. “Danke, Daniel.”
He pulled himself up next to her and with a flick of the reins the horse moved forward. Daniel looked at the sky. “Hopefully, we’ll beat the rain.”
“Was is hard being out in the rain earlier today?” She’d seen how hard it had rained this morning. She couldn’t imagine being out in the rain for so many hours.
He shook his head. “Nee, I’ve been out in worse.”
“You work so hard. I can’t believe how long you’ve been delivering hay for your daed. It’s been a long time.” She’d envisioned him in worse weather and wondered if anyone had ever told him he was a good worker. “You’ve been a responsible for an important part of selling the hay.”
“I try to do my best to help.” He hesitated and then continued, “although lately, I’ve been thinking about doing something else.”
“You have?” She thought for a moment and then added, “that’s great! What are you going to do?”
“Well, I know I want to be indoors.” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to mention the idea of purchasing the bakery quite yet. “And I’d like to do something that would be helpful.”
“I don’t blame you for wanting to be indoors.” She pulled her cloak tighter around her. “I know that changing jobs won’t exactly be easy, though.”
“That’s true.”
“I’ve been looking at other ideas myself, just in case the bakery closes.” She sighed. “I know I could find another job, but the thought of doing something else is a little upsetting.”
“I had forgotten how much you like to bake. I remember you bringing your fresh baked cookies to school so often.” He slowed the horse as they turned down the road that would lead to the Graber farm. “It’s a shame how many people will be affected if the bakery closes.”
“Jah,” Naomi agreed. “At least with your change, you’ll be the only one affected.”
“Nee…” He was watching the road, but she could tell he wanted to say more. “I’m pretty sure that my daed won’t be very happy with my decision.”
“I think it says a lot about you though. That you are willing to put in the hard work and sacrifice that will be involved with changing your job.” Until just then, Naomi hadn’t really thought about how it must be for Daniel. He’d stepped up to help his father and then when his brother left, he was simply expected to continue on. She was seeing him in a whole new light. He had a quiet strength about him and a deep sense of honor and responsibility.
“Jah. Hard work has never really been a problem for me. My daed has always been clear with his instructions and his expectations.”
Naomi wondered if he really meant his father’s expectations about Daniel as compared to Matthew. “Well, no matter what job you move into, I’m absolutely certain that you will be very successful.”
He looked over at her and smiled. “I appreciate your encouragement, Naomi.”
* * *
Chapter 4
The sun had set by the time Daniel pulled in behind the house. He put the wagon in the barn, stabled and fed the horse, then went to the house to change into dry clothes. There were probably more chores to do, but his pants had been wet from knee to ankle since this morning and he was tired of being cold.
Admittedly, Daniel was also using the time to get himself ready for the conversation that he needed to have with his father. Driving back from the Graber’s farm, he’d made the decision that he would pursue buying the bakery. He knew it would be a tough transition, but as he told Naomi, hard work hadn’t ever been a problem for him. His mother had already offered to help the new owner with how to run the bakery, if necessary. He would need help though, and that would have to come from the one person who would be the most opposed to his new venture—his father.
He went into the kitchen to find his mother alone at the stove. “Where’s Elizabeth?” he wondered out loud.
“She’s rounding up the geese.” Kathryn looked up from the soup she was stirring. “I let them out this morning. You know how much they like marching around on rainy days.”
“Jah.” Daniel had to smile at that. It didn’t last long though, as the subject at hand came back to his mind. “Has Daed come in yet?”
“Nee, although I think he is in the workshop now.”
Daniel turned toward the door.
“So, you are going to do it, aren’t you?”
He stopped and turned around, “I don’t…you…what?�
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She smiled at him. “I know you better than anyone. You’ve decided to look into buying the bakery, haven’t you?”
“Jah.” He set his hands on the back of a kitchen chair. “I don’t know how you knew. I didn’t even know until a little while ago.”
Kathryn chuckled. “I know how you overthink everything. You probably decided to buy the bakery last night, and anything that happened after that was just you working out the details.”
He knew she was right. When they talked last night and his mother had said she could train anyone to run the bakery, in his heart he’d decided to pursue it. All of the thinking he’d done today had been in preparation for the purchase and making sure everyone else would be covered.
“What’s next?” she asked him.
He hoped he looked calmer than he felt. “I need to talk to Daed.”
She nodded. “Go talk to him now. Then we’ll eat dinner.”
Daniel sighed and walked out the back door. The rain had begun again and he picked up his speed. He’d been rained on enough for one day. He crossed the yard and ducked back into the barn through the side door. The workshop was attached to the back of the barn and when Daniel went through the door he found his father standing at the worktable.
“Daed, do you have a minute so that I can talk to you?”
“Did you—”
“Jah. The wagon is in the barn,” Daniel interrupted. He held out his hands, a little annoyed. “This isn’t about the wagon though.”
Simon looked up from the table. “What is it about?”
Daniel had planned to start slow and explain a little first, but he realized he needed to get straight to the point. “I have decided to buy the bakery.”
Simon turned back to the table and shook his head. “Nonsense. Why would you do something as stupid as that?”
Daniel just stared at him. He knew this would be a difficult conversation, but this was worse than he’d imagined. He blew out a breath. “I’m buying the bakery because I’d like to do something different. I want to help the people in our community.”
AMISH ROMANCE: The Amish Bakery Boxed Set: 4-Book Clean Inspirational Box Set - Includes Bonus Book Page 2