AMISH ROMANCE: The Amish Bakery Boxed Set: 4-Book Clean Inspirational Box Set - Includes Bonus Book

by Rebekah Fisher

  “Thank you for reminding me.” Diane turned around and grabbed a piece of paper. She added a few things to the list and handed it to Marianna. “Here you go. Do you need more paper?”

  “No, I still have some from last time.” Marianna picked up her bag. “I should probably get over to the bakery now.”

  “I’m so glad that the bakery is doing well. Daniel is doing a great job,” Diane said, walking Marianna to the door. “I hope you have a nice day in town. Oh, and say hello to Naomi for me.”

  “Jah, I will. Have a gut day!”

  Marianna walked out and looked up into the sky. The sun was shining and she couldn’t help but smile as she walked across the town square towards the bakery. Springtime was her favorite time of year; she loved watching the starkness of winter give way to the many colors of spring. It was beautiful to see everything bloom and grow.

  Marianna stepped into the bakery. “Goodness,” she exclaimed. There were people everywhere. The tables were filled with people eating lunch, and there was a line wrapped around the seating area.

  “Marianna! Help!” Elizabeth called from behind the counter, looking frazzled.

  Marianna hurried to the end of the counter. “What can I do to help?”

  Elizabeth handed her a pad of paper. “Can you write down orders?”

  “I think so.”

  “Write the order down then pull off the paper and slide it over here. I’ll ring them up and give the slip to Lucinda and she’ll bring out their food.”

  “I can do that.” Marianna had lettered the menu so she already knew what the bakery served for lunch. A little nervous, she went to the other end of the counter and looked at her first customer. She was relieved it was Laura from the quilt shop. “Hi Laura, what can I get for you?”

  “Hello, Marianna, I didn’t know you worked here.”

  “It was a surprise to me too.” Marianna laughed. “I’m just trying to help with the lunch crowd.”

  “The bakery has become quite popular.” Laura shook her head. “Um…let’s see…I would like a bowl of the Chicken Corn Chowder and a roll.”

  “Alright.” Marianna wrote down the order. She looked at the long line of people, many of whom she didn’t know. She wrote the number 1 at the top and folded over a corner at the bottom. Then she wrote another number 1 on the corner and then tore it off, handing it to Laura. “Here is your number. Elizabeth will ring you up.”

  “Thank you, Marianna.”

  The next person stepped up and she repeated the process. A few minutes later, Elizabeth came over pointing to the number 7 at the corner of an order. “What is the number for?”

  “So the customers would know when their food was ready.”

  Elizabeth looked at her for a moment and then said, “hmm.”

  “Ach, was that wrong? Should I stop doing that?”

  “Nee, it’s the best thing I have seen all day. I have to tell Lucinda.” She hurried into the kitchen.

  Marianna shrugged and continued to take orders. She and Elizabeth worked the front counter, and after what seemed like hours the crowd dwindled.

  “Goodness. Is it like that every day?” Marianna asked when it was just the two of them at the counter.

  Elizabeth nodded and laughed. “Almost every day. Mondays are a little slow, but it gets busier as the week progresses. Fridays and Saturdays are twice as busy.”

  Marianna shook her head, her eyes wide. “I had no idea.”

  “Danke for stepping in when I asked for help.” Elizabeth smiled at her. “I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “You are very welcome. I’m glad that I was able to help.” Marianna picked up her bag. “I wasn’t even planning on being in town today.”

  Daniel walked up to join them at the counter.

  “Hello, Daniel, how are you today?” Daniel and her sister, Naomi had been courting for a few months and she liked Daniel. She had already started thinking of him like an older brother. It was always nice to see him when he stopped by the house.

  “Great! I heard you were a big help today.

  “Elizabeth asked if I could help and I just did what I could.” Marianna shrugged. “I’m glad that it worked out well.”

  “Lucinda said your number idea was great. We’ve had some confusion in the past with the orders, but the numbers cleared it all up today.”

  “They do it at the coffee shop and it just seemed to make sense.”

  “It’s a great idea.” Daniel paused. “I have an idea, and you can say no if you want. I was wondering if you would want to work a few days a week here at the bakery?”

  Marianna shook her head. “Nee, I don’t really think I’d have time, I have so much to do at home.”

  Daniel held up a hand. “Before you decide, my thought is that you would only work a couple of hours a day, a few days a week, just enough to cover the counter during lunch on our busy days.”

  Marianna started to say no, but she had enjoyed working the counter. It had been hectic, but she had enjoyed helping, as well as talking and laughing with Elizabeth. “Maybe. Could I try it for a couple of days and then give you an answer?”

  “Of course,” Daniel replied. “You could ride in with Naomi in the morning and maybe get a ride back with Kathryn or even Martha Yoder; she leaves the candle shop in the afternoon.”

  “I don’t mind walking, especially when the weather is so nice.” Marianna said.

  Daniel nodded. “Can you come in tomorrow?”

  “Jah, I’ll be here.” Marianna glanced out the window. “Ach, I’m supposed to meet my daed at the coffee shop. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Marianna pushed out the door and began to rush to the coffee shop. She looked over to the buggy repair shop to make sure her father wasn’t looking for her.

  Suddenly she had run into something solid. “Oof!” she could feel herself beginning to fall backwards.

  “Ach! Marianna, I’m so sorry.” Joshua Yoder reached out to steady her before she fell.

  “It’s ok. It was my fault, Joshua.” She put her bag back on her shoulder. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  “Where were you going so fast?” Joshua hadn’t even seen her. He had parked his buggy behind the candle shop and then came around the corner. Not even two steps later and Marianna had literally run into him.

  “The coffee shop.”

  “Great, that’s my next stop too. Do you want to share a table?”

  “Jah, if you are okay sitting at one of the tables outside. I’m waiting for my daed.”

  “Of course,” he led her over to a table. “Why don’t you sit down and save this table, while I go in and get us both a cup of coffee?”

  Joshua hoped Marianna would agree, she still seemed a little shaky.

  “That would be nice. Danke.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Joshua left Marianna at the table and went into the coffee shop. There was no one else waiting at the counter so he returned to Marianna quickly.

  “Here you go,” he said, sitting down across from her. Joshua suddenly realized how long it had been since he’d seen Marianna. Her family had been through a lot in the last couple years and he didn’t want to ask about the wrong thing. “What brings you to town today?”

  “My daed had an errand to run and I decided to come with him. I dropped off something at the gift shop and then I stopped by the bakery.”

  “They’re doing a great job over there.” He smiled. “Daniel owes me a cinnamon roll. I should stop by tomorrow.” A few months ago Joshua had fixed one of Daniel’s ovens. Daniel had been so appreciative, he had been giving Joshua free cinnamon rolls. Joshua only took him up on it every few weeks. He’d been happy to help, and he loved Kathryn’s cinnamon rolls. He had tried to pay several times but Daniel always overruled him.

  Marianna smiled . “I don’t know. I stopped by today and they put me to work.”

  “They did?”

  She nodded. “I stopped in to see Naomi and I ended up helping out
at the bakery counter.” Marianna looked over at the bakery. “Now that they serve lunch it gets really crowded.”

  “Really?”

  “Jah. I was there for a couple hours.” She laughed. “I’m surprised to see you in town so late in the day. I thought your milk deliveries were earlier in the day.”

  “Normally, I’m done with my deliveries when the shops start opening in town. Today though, I was helping my mamm move some shelves around in her shop. That’s where I was coming from when we ran into each other.” He smacked his hands together reenacting their earlier meeting.

  She laughed and he couldn’t help but smile too. Daniel walked up to them carrying a box. “Hello, you two.”

  “Hi, Daniel,” Joshua said. “What are you doing out of the bakery?”

  “Just making our delivery to the coffee shop. I was supposed to get it here earlier, but we’ve had people at the counter since before lunch.”

  “Marianna was telling me how busy it’s been over there.” Joshua had a sudden thought. “You know, I get done with my milk deliveries pretty early. I could handle your delivery to the coffee shop, if that would help.”

  “That would definitely help.” Daniel agreed. “Danke.”

  “You’re welcome,” Joshua replied. “I’ll be there in the morning then.”

  “Great, let me know what you charge for delivery so I can add you to the budget.” Daniel nodded to them both and then continued into the coffee shop.

  “I’ll. See you tomorrow.” Joshua hadn’t even thought about charging Daniel, but it gave him an idea.

  * * *

  Chapter 2

  The next morning, Marianna and Naomi rode to town together in the buggy. It felt strange to Marianna to not be at home, but it was nice that she was doing something new too.

  “Let me show you around,” Naomi said, once they arrived.

  “I would like that,” Marianna said and followed her sister around taking note of the different areas.

  Daniel, Elizabeth and Kathryn were already working in the kitchen. Kathryn was standing in front of the large ovens.

  “Gut morning, Marianna,” Kathryn said. “I was so glad to hear that you were joining us here at the bakery.”

  “Danke, Kathryn. It should be fun.”

  Daniel smiled at her from the work table he was at in the kitchen. “Good morning, Marianna. I’m glad you decided to give us another try.”

  Marianna smiled. “It was a little crazy yesterday, but I had fun.”

  “It’s a good thing for all of us.” Daniel turned to the other side of the kitchen. “Elizabeth, I need another dozen of the cinnamon rolls.”

  “I have them right here, boxing them up as we speak,” Elizabeth called.

  “Great. Joshua said he would be back in ten minutes and that was about fifteen minutes ago.” Daniel set a large basket on the front counter. Elizabeth passed him a rectangular box and he added it to the basket.

  Marianna felt like she was in the way just standing there in the kitchen. She decided to go sit at one of the tables until Naomi or Daniel could give her something to do.

  She turned around and the strap on her bag caught on one of the cabinet knobs. She gave the strap a quick yank and the cabinet door sprang open smacking her in the leg. It startled her and she took a stumbling step forward. She put her hands out to break her fall but caught the front edge of the counter. Marianna watched in horror as the basket went sliding off the other side.

  “Ach!” And then suddenly she watched in surprise as the basket slid back onto the counter. She hadn’t even seen the front door open; of course, she’d been preoccupied with the bag strap and then trying to right herself.

  Joshua peered over the counter. “Are you okay?”

  Marianna was embarrassed; not only because Joshua had seen her fall, but that she had nearly ruined the order for the coffee shop. “Nee. I mean, jah, I’m fine. I need to find Naomi.”

  She found Naomi in the office. “Is there anything you need me to help with?”

  Naomi made a face. “Nee, not really at the moment. It doesn’t get busy until lunchtime.”

  “Okay, I think I’ll go over to the gift shop. I can work on something for Diane and then I’ll come back for the lunch rush,” Marianna said, hoping she would be fine with it. Most days, Marianna was busy doing things around the house. It would be hard for her to sit and watch other people work.

  “That’s perfect.” Naomi smiled at her. “I can call over to the gift shop if we need you sooner.

  Marianna was relieved. “Great, I’ll be back later.”

  “Say hello to Diane for me,” Naomi said as they walked to the front. Then she turned to Joshua who had just finished talking to Daniel. “Joshua, I have a question for you.”

  Joshua turned to them. “Sure, what can I help you with?”

  “Do you think you will still be in town after lunch?” Naomi asked.

  Joshua nodded. “Probably. I’m still helping my mamm in her store.”

  Naomi smiled. “Are you able to give Marianna a ride home after lunch?”

  “Jah, of course.”

  Listening to their conversation, Marianna said, “Nee, that’s not necessary. I can walk.”

  Joshua shook his head. “It’s okay. I have to drive by your house on my way home anyway.”

  “Well, as long as it’s no trouble.” She gave her sister a sideways glance as she didn’t appreciate Naomi asking Joshua.

  “It really isn’t. I’ll come look for you here after lunch.” He took the basket and left.

  Marianna followed him out and cut across the square to the gift shop.

  “Gut morning!” she said as she stepped into the gift shop.

  “Good morning, Marianna. What brings you in today?” Diane said.

  “I rode in with Naomi, so I could help with the lunch crowd at the bakery. There’s nothing for me to do right now so I thought I would come over and see if I could do something here.”

  Diane smiled and looked around the shop. “Actually, there isn’t much going on right now.”

  Marianna spied the worktable at the back. “I could work on the lettering for your display labels. I still have the list in my bag.”

  “That would be great,” Diane replied. “If you’d like, you could come in and do your lettering or even your painting on the mornings that you work at the bakery. I would actually welcome it. It would be nice to have someone else in the shop in the mornings and customers always enjoy watching someone working on a project at the worktable.”

  “Jah, that would be nice. I’ll bring a couple of my projects and some paint in tomorrow.”

  Marianna sat down at the table and pulled the list from her bag.

  “Oh, let me get the paper. You can keep it in one of the drawers,” Diane said as she rushed off to the storage room.

  Marianna looked at the list Diane had given her yesterday. It made her think of what she would normally be doing at home. There wasn’t a lot to do with just the three of them at home, but she was used to taking care of the house. Hopefully her father wouldn’t need her while she was in town. Ever since her mother had died, Marianna had felt like she needed to keep an eye on everyone all of the time.

  “Are you alright?” Diane asked, when she came back from the storage room. “You look a little upset.”

  “I’m okay. It’s a little strange to not be at home taking care of the house. I’m used to being there. I hope my daed doesn’t need me.”

  “I’m sure your father will be fine.” Diane paused for a moment and then added, “he’s a healthy, strong and smart man; I’m sure if he needs your help he’ll let you know this evening when you get home.”

  Marianna sighed. She knew Diane was right. “Jah, that’s true. Danke.”

  “You’re welcome. Trying new things can be a little strange, but it can be fun too. How did you like helping in the bakery yesterday?”

  “It was really hectic. I couldn’t believe how many people were in that small seatin
g area of the bakery. I really enjoyed laughing and talking with Elizabeth, though.”

  That’s wonderful. Oh, that reminds me. Do you mind watching the store for a little while?” Diane didn’t wait for an answer. “I’m completely out of candles and I wanted to run over to Martha’s shop to pick up a few. I also have to make a quick run to the post office. I haven’t been able to stop by there the last couple days because I had no one to watch the store.”

  “Sure.”

  “If anyone comes in just tell them to take a look around and that I’ll be back in the next few minutes. Would that be alright?”

  “Jah, I can do that.”

  “Great. I’ll do that now. I’ll be back shortly.” Diane said as she dashed out the door.

  * * *

  Joshua sat down at a table at the coffee shop. He needed a few minutes to think. As long as he could remember, he had always went out early with his father to help take care of the cows. He started out filling the feeders with hay and making sure all of the water troughs were full. As he grew older he helped bring the cows into the milk barn. Then when he had finished school he started going with his father to make deliveries. After the deliveries, he would return home to help with the rest of the chores.

  About a month ago his father had hired a farm hand to help out in the barn. Now when Joshua would arrive back home there was nothing for him to do. His father still needed him to deliver milk in the mornings and he wanted to continue. It was the rest of the day he needed to figure out.

  He had finished his coffee and walked over to the bakery. The crowd he had seen earlier had disappeared. The seating area was mostly empty now, only one table had people sitting at it.

  He spotted Marianna in the back talking to Naomi. She turned and saw him and waved.

  Waving back to her, Joshua called, “are you ready?”

  “Jah. Let me grab my bag from the office.”

  “Okay, I’m not in any hurry.”

  “How was the lunch crowd today?” Joshua asked as they walked to his buggy.

  “It was busy but we have a system that keeps everything moving.”

  Joshua stopped at the side to help Marianna step up into the buggy.