“Jah,” he replied.
Lucinda crossed the store and pointed to the back. “Maybe a cabinet with a hutch could be in each corner. I could display some pottery and maybe some other crafts.”
John was nodding. He was starting to see what she wanted it to look like. “That is a great idea. It will look homey and it would be functional as well, since you could keep extra napkins and tablecloths in the cabinets.”
She looked back at him and nodded. “Great idea!”
He made another note then walked over to the cabinets. “What do you think of these cabinets? I could build hutches for them and stain it all to match the wood around the doors and windows.”
“Jah. That would be nice. I would like that.”
John was surprised at how happy he was that Lucinda liked his idea. “Great. That will save some time since the cabinets are already done. The hutches will be quick and easy to make.”
“Gut. She looked around. “It seems like a lot of work, though. I don’t want to cause you to get behind with your other projects.”
“Once I get everything measured I can map out what needs to be done and how soon we can start working on each task.” He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. “I might see if there are any apprentices in the area that want to get some experience.”
“That sounds great.”
John watched her for a moment. She was looking at the walls and the windows and he could tell she was thinking about the paint and curtains, and everything else that would make it look nice. He was beginning to feel glad he would get to spend time with Lucinda again. She was sweet and smart, and he was enjoying how happy she was about opening the café.
“I have one more question.”
“Jah?” Lucinda asked, turning to face him.
“What are you planning to serve in the café?”
“I’ve got some ideas written down.”
Lucinda set her papers on the table before grabbing one of the chairs from the corner. Much of her time working in the bakery that morning was spent thinking about what she would add to the café menu. Every time a new idea popped into her head she would write it down.
“What do you plan on serving for breakfast?” John called from the window he was measuring.
“I wanted to make sure that the café will have everything that the bakery offers. We will offer muffins, croissants, turnovers and Kathryn’s cinnamon rolls.”
“Well, that’s a definite. You have to serve Kathryn’s cinnamon rolls.” John agreed.
She laughed. “I also want to have some cooked meals too. It wouldn’t be breakfast without a breakfast casserole. I think I’ll make two different kinds each day. There are several casserole recipes that I make at home. Joshua loves my cheesy sausage casserole, and my favorite is a hash brown and bacon casserole. I also want to add pancakes and chicken biscuits with gravy to the menu.”
“Ach! That sounds so good. My mamm makes great biscuits and gravy.”
“Great! Maybe I’ll ask her for her recipe.” Lucinda started writing a note to ask Anna for her recipe and it struck her how natural that seemed, and reminded her of their courting days.
“For lunch, we will serve soup, salad and sandwiches,” she said.
John had walked to one of the cabinets to measure.
“What kind of soup?”
“Do you really want to hear all of this?”
He looked up with a confused look on his face. “Jah. Why not?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I didn’t want you to think that you had to make small talk.”
“Nee. I like hearing about what you are planning. I grew up hearing my mamm talk about the different things she was planning to cook, or a new recipe she had found.”
Lucinda thought it was sweet that he remembered and enjoyed those conversations with his mother. It made her want to share her ideas with him and her nervousness had vanished.
“In the bakery we offer two different soups a day, and we switch between the same three or four. Corn chowder and chicken noodle are the main two, with split pea soup and potato soup added in every now and then.” Lucinda thought for a moment. “I would like to add more though.”
John walked over. “Do you mind if I sit at the table with you?”
Lucinda quickly moved her papers to the side. “Of course not. Please sit down.”
He brought the other chair over and sat down across from her. “You were talking about soup…”
“Jah. When the weather cools in the fall, maybe we will offer three different soups a day.”
“Can I offer a suggestion?”
“Of course.”
“Can you add beef soup with dumplings to the menu?”
Lucinda thought for a moment. “Jah. I could do that.”
“Danke. My grohs-mammi made that when I was young and it’s always been a favorite.”
“Of course, it’s nice hearing what folks like, especially family favorites.” Lucinda smiled as she made another note to ask Anna for the recipe.
Lucinda looked across the table and watched as John sketched out a drawing of the bakery.
John stopped sketching for a moment to check his notes. “I’m thinking about driving into East Hawthorne in the next few days to pick up lumber.”
“I’ve never been to East Hawthorne. What is it like?”
“Hmm...” John thought for a moment still leaning over the sketch. “It’s different, but nice. They have a good selection of stores for shopping.”
She turned to look at the windows. “Do they have a fabric store?”
“I’m sure that they do.” John looked up. “Do you need to go to a fabric store?”
“Jah, I would like to make some curtains for the windows. Maybe for the bakery too, so everything matches.”
“Why don’t you come with me to East Hawthorne?” John asked.
Lucinda was surprised and her first thought was to say no, but then she realized that the cafe would need dishes, tablecloths, napkins, silverware and so many other things. She didn’t even know where to begin; maybe a trip into East Hawthorne would be a good start.
“Jah. I would like that. I don’t work in the bakery on Monday. Will that work for you?” Lucinda asked.
“Perfect.” John nodded. “I can get the measurements figured and put a list of supplies together.”
“Gut. I’ll work on my own list.” Lucinda stood up.
“I’ll see you on Monday then,” he said, and walked out the door.
* * *
Chapter 4
“I think that was a very successful trip,” John said, as they pulled onto the road.
Lucinda glanced into the empty wagon. “Are you sure?”
John laughed. “Jah. We aren’t coming back with anything today, but we ordered all the lumber we need, and you were able to buy the fabric that you wanted.”
“Jah. That’s true,” she agreed. “I hope this doesn’t cause a delay for you and the work on the café.”
John shook his head. “Nee. It shouldn’t. I’ll have to paint first anyway.”
Lucinda pulled her coat around her as it started to rain lightly. “I was glad to see East Hawthorne. It was bigger than I expected, and very pretty.”
“East Hawthorne is nice. Not too big, and I have found a few things that bring me back, like the lumber yard.” He was pleased that she had enjoyed their time in the town.
They had started off their visit at the lumber yard. John had brought the wagon in anticipation of bringing what they needed home with them. Due to some storms in the area the lumber yard had closed early and only the office was still open. John had been able to order what they needed and would come back in a few days.
They had just left the lumber office when Lucinda had spotted the fabric store down the street. It hadn’t taken long for her to find fabric that she thought would look nice in the café. On their way back to the wagon, Lucinda saw another shop and asked if they could stop to look. John was more than happy to agre
e and they spent another half an hour or so looking through the country store.
“I really liked the country store. It gave me so many ideas for the café.”
“I’m really glad you had a gut time.” John looked up at the sky. “Hmm…it’s starting to rain a little harder. I thought we had missed most of it.
“It’s okay. It’s just rain.”
He looked over at her and smiled. Then something over Lucinda’s shoulder caught his attention. The sky had turned a dull green color and the clouds had started moving quickly. The storm seemed to be moving towards them.
“I don’t like the look of that.” John tried to remember what time they had left town. He slowed the horse, preparing to turn around. How close are we? Should we press on or turn back? he wondered.
“What’s wrong?” Lucinda asked.
John decided to continue on. The closer they got to home, the better he knew the area if they needed to find shelter. He nodded past her at the thick clouds. “I don’t want to scare you, but I’m a little concerned about that storm.”
* * *
Across the fields, Lucinda saw the large cloud that hung low and thick, the mass starting to rotate as she watched. A few moments later a fingertip of a cloud lengthened as it reached toward the earth. Even from a long distance she could see the cloud beginning to swirl.
“What do we do?” Lucinda asked? She knew that tornadoes had been spotted in the area before, but she had never seen one.
“We’ll keep an eye on it.” John looked across to the clouds. “The funnel hasn’t even touched the ground. It might not even form into a full tornado.”
Lucinda remembered hearing the same thing before. He shifted closer so that he could hear her over the rain. “Jah. I have never seen one before, but I’ll tell you if I see anything change.”
“They can be very unpredictable in how they travel across the ground. So even if it does hit the ground there’s no telling where it might go. We might not have anything to worry about.” John told her, trying to reassure her. “Meanwhile we’ll keep going towards home. If it does touch down, then we’ll find shelter or get into the ditch along the road. Or Gott willing, it will turn the other way.”
“Jah.” She looked over at the cloud. The funnel was hanging in the air, still not reaching the ground.
John focused on the road as the rain fell even harder. She checked over her shoulder often but sitting there just waiting for the funnel to disappear or touch ground was making her anxious.
In her nervousness, she blurted out, “I always wanted to say that I was sorry.”
“For what?” he asked glancing over at her quickly.
“I know this seems like a bad time, but I want to make sure that I say it.”
He gave her a tight smile. “Lucinda, it’s going to be okay. No matter what, we will get through it.”
Lucinda nodded, but she kept talking anyway. “When we broke our courtship, I never did apologize for some of things I said or did. I don’t want you to think that I blamed you for the break up. Even though we both agreed to break it off to seek Gott’s will, I just want to make sure you knew that I did care for you. And also, when you and Samantha ended your courtship, I wanted to say I was sorry about that. I guess I was just uncomfortable seeing you. That was the only reason.” She didn’t quite understand what was taking place in her heart, but she knew she had to let him know somehow that she cared for him.
He nodded slowly. “I understand. It’s okay.
“Everything seemed to happen all at once.” She glanced back. The funnel had disappeared, but just as quickly began to form again. “You and Samantha had ended your courtship and then Ezra and I had as well.”
“Then before we knew it, Ezra and Samantha were courting.”
“Jah,” Lucinda agreed. “It was very strange.”
John kept his eyes on the road, hesitating to ask the question on his heart. “Do you miss him?”
“Nee. I was the one to break off the courtship.” Lucinda looked back at the sky. The clouds were still swirling and the bottom of the funnel cloud hovered over the ground.
She turned back quickly, not wanting to see it touch. “Do you miss Samantha?”
Nee. Everyone thought I was upset.” John sighed. “And then they all acted like both you and I were devastated.
She looked back without answering. The funnel had touched the ground. The swirling cloud of dust was expanding. It was farther away, but it was definitely a tornado now.
“John!” she cried. “The funnel cloud!
He turned. “I see it. We’re getting closer to town. I think we’ll make it to a shelter.”
“I hope so.” Lucinda sounded calmer than she felt. She tried not to panic. Fields stretched out in all directions, and any houses or barns were too far away.
Gott, please help us. Keep us safe and help me to stay strong for John.
The rain had stopped and was replaced by heavy winds that buffeted the wagon as they continued down the road. The tornado had darkened as it pulled dust, plants and everything else it crossed up into the swirling air. It was cutting a straight path towards the road behind them.
John yelled above the wind. “Tell me if it changes course or gets close to the road.”
“Okay.” Lucinda had turned on the wagon seat, horrified by how quickly the tornado was growing and the ground it was covering. John was so calm and she wanted to be strong for him.
John nudged her with his elbow. “Okay, so you told me something that you regretted. Now tell me something happy.”
Confused, Lucinda turned back. “What?
He leaned close to her, so that she could hear. “Tell me a happy or a funny memory. How about one of your childhood?”
“Ach! Okay.” She knew John was trying to distract her. It took her a moment to think of something. “When I was little I loved to go out and talk with the horses. One time my daed had bought a new horse, her owner had named her Lucy. So after that I made everyone call me Lucy, too.”
John laughed and Lucinda realized that she hadn’t thought about that in years. “What about you?” she asked him. “What’s your happy moment?”
He thought a little and then smiled. “Do you remember when we went caroling? The year my uncle took us around in his big wagon?”
“Jah.” She frowned, a vague memory of that night coming into focus.
“And you fell off the back of the wagon?” he started laughing
“John Heiser!” Lucinda exclaimed. “I can’t believe that’s your happy moment.”
“I remembered it this morning when we were turning the corner at the Graber’s farm.”
The wind picked up again and she looked back. “John, I think it’s changed course.”
They both looked back. The tornado was weaving a diagonal path through the fields toward the road and straight for them.
* * *
“We have to stop,” John yelled above the wind.
“What are we going to do?”
John could tell she was trying to be calm, turning to him for strength.
“We can’t out run it. I need to unhook the horse. She can run faster and get farther away.” John looked around. He was struggling to stay calm but he was determined to keep Lucinda calm and safe. “Hopefully she’ll be safe. I need to find us some shelter.”
He stopped next to an alfalfa field and hopped down from the wagon. Lucinda had already climbed down from her side. Crouching down to avoid the wind he set to work on releasing the horse. The horse twitched her ears as he removed the bridle and the reins. John stood up and petted her neck. “Okay, Wildflower, go get somewhere safe.”
The horse lifted her head and her nostrils flared, She neighed softly, not sure of what to do. The wind blasted again causing the horse to skitter. Her ears went back and she trotted off away from the road.
John wound up the reins and stuck them in his bag. Lucinda had come to stand next to him, holding the bag from the fabric store in her hand. “Don’
t worry about the fabric. Leave it in the wagon, we can come back for it or I’ll buy you some more.”
“We might need it. I’ll put it in my bag.” She paused to shove it into her shoulder bag.
John looked across the road. “That’s fine. We need to move quickly.” The ditch along the side of the road wouldn’t be deep enough for shelter. He began to hurry her across the field to what appeared as a ditch.
The sound of the storm was even louder, the winds gusting harder than he had ever seen. John knew that they needed to find a safe place very soon or they were going to be in a lot of trouble.
“John!” Lucinda yelled and pointed. The tornado had changed its course again and looked like it would cross near where they had stopped.
“Come on!” John took Lucinda’s hand and they continued to run across the field. The wind was filled with dust. Off to the left, there was a break in the alfalfa and he turned in that direction. Lucinda still holding his hand, was keeping up with him, her face serious and white. “
His instincts bore out the break in the alfalfa was a deeper ditch. “Over there!”
John slowed down as they got close. He was afraid Lucinda might fall and hurt herself. He took her other hand and helped her into the ditch. Water and mud from the rain had filled the bottom six inches of the ditch. There was no way they could lie down flat. John reminded himself that he would also have to keep an eye out for any chance of flash flooding from the driving rain.
There was an indent in the side of the ditch and he moved down to it. John set their bags at the bottom. “Crouch down and face the side of the ditch,” he said, pointing at the bags. Lucinda crawled onto the bags and then reached for his hand.
John took one last look at the clouds. The tornado was barreling towards them. He prayed that it would turn again and then he crouched next to her.
Lucinda huddled against him. “John, I’m so scared!”
“I know, Lucy.” John hoped he sounded calm. “I know, I am too.”
The first wave of horrendous wind gusted over the top of the ditch. Lucinda whimpered and he shifted to cover her. “We’re going to get through this Lucy. I promise.”
AMISH ROMANCE: The Amish Bakery Boxed Set: 4-Book Clean Inspirational Box Set - Includes Bonus Book Page 10