Made with Love

by Tricia Goyer

  Noah could tell that her mind was already moving ten steps ahead. Maybe she was already thinking about photos she could post on Facebook.

  He looked to Lovina, and she seemed interested in the answer too. “See this concrete?” He tapped his foot on the floor. “It’s going to be cleaned, sealed, and stained.”

  “Stained?” Lovina’s brow furrowed and he knew she was thinking back to the white and light gray-checkered pattern he’d drawn in the sketch for her.

  “Ja. I’ve done stained concrete before, and I’ve seen it done a lot in newer homes or remodels. When it’s done it’ll look like tile, but it’ll be cheaper and more durable.”

  Grace looked to Noah and then to Lovina. She pointed her thumb at him. “Sister, where did you find this guy?”

  “God sent him to me,” Lovina said simply, and her eyelashes fluttered with her words.

  Grace nodded in agreement. “I have no doubt about that. No doubt at all.”

  The two younger sisters picked up chairs and moved toward the front door. But they only got a few feet before Gerald and Atlee came to the rescue, taking them from the young women and insisting the chairs were too heavy.

  Lovina laughed. “I was wondering how long it was going to take before those guys exerted some muscles in order to get my sisters’ attention.”

  “Ja, me too. And it took longer than I thought.” Then Noah took a step closer to her, realizing that it was the first time all day when they’d been alone—well, alone if one counted the building filled with over a half a dozen people in various stages of work. He tilted his head, studying her face. “How are you doing? I’m sure this is a lot to take in.”

  “I’m doing well, but I could hardly sleep last night. Part of me was so excited to get started, but another part of me worries, even when God reminds me again and again that this is all part of His plan.”

  “I understand. Investing all your money from two years of work is a big risk, but I’m going to do my best to make sure you succeed.”

  Noah extended his hand to her—palm up, wanting her to place her hand in it. Lovina looked at his hand, and for a second he wished he hadn’t been so bold. His hand was the large, rough hand of a laborer. It wasn’t pretty to look at, but he wanted her to know they were in this together.

  She showed tenderness in her eyes, and her cheeks grew pink. His heartbeat sped up, and he guessed that hers did too.

  Still, he waited. Finally she placed her hand in his. It was warm. Soft. Noah blew out a heavy breath. “You have all the right instincts about this place. You shouldn’t be afraid, Lovina. I’ll do my best…and I’ll make sure the guys do too. I believe in your dream. I believe that God placed it inside you.”

  She bit her lower lip and nodded, and from the look in her eyes he knew she needed to hear those words. He had a feeling she’d need to hear them over and over again as the days went on.

  He squeezed her hand, holding it a moment longer, and then something over his shoulder caught Lovina’s attention. Lovina’s face blanched white, and she quickly pulled her hand away.

  Startled, Noah turned slowly, and that’s when he saw her. Lovina’s mem stood in the doorway, and her eyes were on them. He couldn’t see her expression from this far away, but he could tell by her arm-crossed stance that she wasn’t happy.

  Lovina stepped back. “My mem is here. I—I didn’t know she was coming. I’d better go.” She took another step back and then looked around at the warehouse, as if suddenly overwhelmed by the poor state of the place.

  Noah wondered for a moment if he should follow. If he tried to explain that he was only attempting to encourage Lovina it would probably do no good. To be fully convincing he’d need to tell Anna Miller that his only concerns for her daughter were for this place—to help her remodel the warehouse into a pie shop—but deep down he knew it wasn’t true.

  Taking a deep breath and sending up a quick prayer for favor from Lovina’s parents, Noah turned back to the new windows, knowing he had a lot of work to do to get them into place. It was already a great first step with the old ones out. Everything was brighter now that the light was able to come through.

  He was thankful that Lovina couldn’t look into his heart as easily. Or her mem. Because with each day that passed Noah knew he was falling in love.

  Eighteen

  Before we speak we should think twice or perhaps keep on thinking.

  AMISH PROVERB

  Anna Miller slowly made her bed and smoothed the covers, scouring her brain to think of what she could do to get herself out of the house today. John was already up, either drinking a cup of coffee at the kitchen table or poking at Hope’s potted plants in the backyard. Maybe he was outside talking with Noah Yoder about the progress on the pie shop. The young man had a habit of stopping by every morning before he headed to the warehouse, taking time to chat with John over the white picket fence up front. Most mornings Lovina would join them, her cheeks as pink as the roses blooming in front of the house.

  Anna shook her head. She didn’t know what she was going to do with her husband and daughter. When they set their minds on something they set after it with diligence. Then again, it was a trait she saw in all of her daughters. Just as determined as Lovina was about turning that old building into a pie shop, Hope was determined on learning how to make something grow in this southern climate. When in the world did the people in her family get so stubborn?

  She could also hear Lovina humming away in the kitchen, and she wondered if her eldest daughter was going to be spending a lot of time home today. That could be a problem. It was easy to excuse herself from helping at the warehouse when Lovina was working there, but how was Anna going to face her daughter in her own kitchen?

  Anna finished making the bed, and then she moved toward the small mirror above her dresser to check her kapp. Try as she might, Anna couldn’t make herself comfortable with what Lovina was doing. In the weeks she’d been working on the warehouse, Lovina had all but ignored the interest of Thomas Chupp, and instead she took on the doe-eyed look of a young woman falling in love. With Noah Yoder, of all people! How hard it had been for Anna to keep her mouth shut about the whole matter.

  If Anna’s mother had taught her anything it had been not to say an unkind word. And Anna hadn’t. She’d held her tongue, and the only way she’d been able to do that was to keep herself far from Lovina’s work at the warehouse.

  In the last few weeks she’d visited every sick person she could think of—even those she’d heard were just coming down with a cold. She’d taken part in a sewing frolic with the excuse of getting items ready for the Haiti auction in January. But now…what would she do if Lovina was going to spend the day at home?

  Lord, give me patience and help me hold my tongue.

  She shuffled out of the bedroom and the aroma of baking pie shells greeted her. Usually it was a welcome aroma, but today it simply caused a knot in the pit of her stomach.

  Lovina was humming as she entered. Outside John was indeed chatting with Noah Yoder at the front fence, and Anna forced a smile.

  “It’s a good day for pie,” Anna chirped with a cheerfulness she didn’t feel.

  Lovina turned to her with a twinkle in her eyes. “Every day is a good day for pie. I hope you don’t mind raisin cream pie for breakfast!”

  Anna poured herself a cup of coffee. She took a spoon from the drawer, adding in a bit of sugar from the dish on the counter. “Sounds good.”

  Lovina chuckled. “You don’t sound too enthusiastic. I thought raisin cream was your favorite.” Then she turned back to her mother, biting her lower lip. “Do you think enough people like raisin cream? Up north it’s popular but…” Lovina wiped her hands on her apron and worry flickered on her face. Anna wanted to step forward and comfort her daughter, but something inside held her back. Instead of encouraging her, she needed to be there for Lovina if things didn’t work out as her daughter hoped.

  Anna smiled to herself. Yes, she liked the idea of being a sof
t landing after a hard fall.

  Lovina let out a sigh, the joy on her face from a moment before replaced with uncertainty. “Well, I suppose I’ll put raisin cream pie on the maybe list for now.” She turned back to her mixing with less enthusiasm than before.

  Then Lovina paused and turned back to a pile of mail on the counter, pointing. “Oh, and there’s a letter for you from Regina. It was put in a neighbor’s mailbox by mistake. Amish Henry brought it by this morning.”

  Anna sat at the table with her coffee, stirred it a few times, and then pushed the mug to the side and opened the letter. She released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. If she ever needed encouragement she only needed to look as far as a letter from Regina to find it.

  Dear Anna,

  Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a beautiful day to be alive and to see the wonder of all God’s creation around us.

  It’s getting mighty cold here in Walnut Creek already. Fall’s come early, and I can feel it in my bones. I haven’t heard if we’ll be able to make it down for the season. You know how my husband likes to take his time and think things through. It’s a good thing, I suppose. It’s saved us in so many ways.

  Things are the same in Walnut Creek. There has been a larger number of tourists than ever. It seems as if everything in the stores now has a label that says, “Amish Made.” Ten years ago there was nothing special about that, but not true today. I think all those Amish romance novels are getting people’s attention and bringing folks up to these parts. I thought about picking one up, but I wouldn’t want to become discontent with my Amish life. I imagine those ladies in the books never spend too much time doing laundry by hand or canning boxes of fruit! Just wouldn’t be that exciting in the pages of a book.

  Our favorite time of the year is coming up with the Coblentz Chocolates Christmas Open House. I’ve never understood why they start promoting Christmas at the beginning of October, but I don’t mind all the taste testing. I’ll just miss doing it with you. You’re the only one willing to trade your chocolates with nuts for my chocolates with crèmes.

  Of course you might not be thinking of chocolates when you no doubt have been up to your eyes in pies. It seems that everywhere I go people stop me and ask what I’ve heard about the new pie shop going up in Pinecraft. I’d already known about it from your note, of course, but it was exciting to read in The Budget. There are many here who remember how wonderful Lovina’s pies were. Remember the cute little signs she used to place in front of her pies when she was a child? “Made by Love.” Does she still go by that nickname, Anna?

  I love getting your letters, and I’m sorry it took me a few weeks to write you back. We had an abundance of produce this year that needed to be canned. It was a blessing indeed but I find myself taking longer than I used to. My hands get all knotted up. I suppose it comes with our age. (You must be chuckling at this because I’m starting to sound like my mother.)

  I’ll understand if I don’t hear from you for a while. I know things will be quite busy in the next month, trying to get things ready for the opening of the pie shop. I can’t imagine all the work. I’m sure Lovina is thankful to have you. I’ve never met someone so good about writing a list of tasks and marking them off one by one in a timely manner.

  Marcus and Betty Yoder were visiting family in Walnut Creek yesterday, and they came to church. I had a chance to talk to them at lunch, and they told me some interesting news that I heard from a few others in Pinecraft too. I can’t remember the name they told me, there was so much going on that day. Was it Nathan or Nicholas Yoder who is working on the construction of the shop? They say he is an Amish bachelor from Illinois, but I didn’t get more out of them than that because we were interrupted.

  I became curious, and I wondered why I hadn’t heard of this. Anna, there must be a good reason why you didn’t tell me such news. This young bachelor must be spending plenty of time with Lovina since they are working on such a large-scale project together. I’ve never known you to keep secrets from me. The only thing I can think of is that you do not approve of him. It makes me wonder why.

  I would love to have an update when you have time. Until then give Lovina a big hug from her Aunt Regina. It takes a lot of bravery to follow one’s dreams. And to follow one’s heart.

  Love, Regina

  Anna folded the letter and put it into the envelope. She let out a sigh. What in the world was she going to tell Regina now? What could she say about Noah Yoder that wouldn’t be seen as unkind? He was handsome enough, to be sure, but there still was something inside Anna that made her uncomfortable about him. His past, in part. No one would offer such help without an ulterior motive. And from what she’d seen he wasn’t only interested in Lovina’s pie shop, but also Lovina. Yet had he told Lovina the truth of what he’d done?

  She glanced up from her letter. Lovina was once again humming as she mixed the ingredients for her pie. Anna’s stomach rumbled, and she had to admit that raisin cream pie didn’t sound bad for breakfast at all. It would fill her belly, but as long as Lovina was set on working on this pie shop with Noah Yoder, Anna doubted anything could ease her heart.

  Raisin Cream Pie

  2 cups raisins

  4 cups water

  1 cup brown sugar

  1 cup sugar

  2 tablespoons flour

  2 tablespoons cornstarch

  4 egg yolks

  1 teaspoon salt

  2 cups milk

  1 teaspoon vanilla

  1 baked pie shell

  nondairy whipped topping

  Combine raisins, water, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; turn off heat and let soak for a few hours or overnight. Bring back to a boil and add sugar. In a large bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, egg yolks, salt, and milk. Slowly add to raisins to thicken. Add vanilla last. Pour into baked pie shell and top with nondairy whipped topping. Makes 1 10-inch, deep-dish pie.

  Nineteen

  The foundation of understanding is the willingness to listen.

  AMISH PROVERB

  As the third week of construction dawned, Lovina stepped into the warehouse with a renewed determination. She was certain they’d be able to be open by the time the first Pioneer Trails bus rolled into town at the beginning of November. A lot of the larger furniture pieces had been sold. The wall had gone up between the two sides of the warehouse, and all the smaller items had been moved into that part of the building. There was even a door on that side that made it easy for Noah to remove the items as needed.

  More than once people from the community had come to look at the things Noah had back there. Word was getting out that he’d come upon some special pieces. Noah tried not to let that get in the way of his construction work, but Lovina could tell it was what he loved to do best. He loved talking to others about the age of items, their use, and their worth. Grace had started to call Noah their resident historian, but in Lovina’s heart she considered him a treasure seeker. He had a knack for finding the worth in broken things. She saw that daily not only in his salvage work, but his work with Mose, Gerald, and Atlee.

  In addition to putting up the walls, they’d also given the whole interior a fresh coat of paint. The buttercream was the perfect color, in her opinion.

  Then, last Saturday, the guys had come in and stained the concrete. As she walked on it now, Lovina felt as if she was walking on marble tiles. Gone was the grungy look of the concrete. Gone was the smell. She stepped in the middle of the room, lifted her arms like a dancer, and made a slow circle, feeling renewed excitement.

  She turned back around, and it was only then that she noticed Noah leaning against the doorframe, watching her. She froze, and then dropped her arms and patted her skirts into place.

  “I didn’t know you were watching,” she said, her eyes lowered.

  “I couldn’t help myself. It’s wonderful to see you appreciating our hard work.”

  She smiled. “It looks beautiful in here. Everything…” />
  Noah removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “Why, thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  He bent down to pick up a bucket that had tipped over. She could see his shoulder muscles through his homemade Amish shirt and heat rose up her neck.

  “I think you could do this for a living. Those teens are learning great skills.”

  Noah chuckled. “They’re learning, but…” He let out a heavy sigh.

  “But what?” she asked.

  “But boys will be boys.” He shrugged. “One of them—I still haven’t figured out who—managed to rig the concrete sander so the low setting was actually high. You should have seen me when I turned it on. I had a tight hold on it, thankfully, but it dragged me across the room.” Noah chuckled. “I bounced off the wall over near the windows, and I only left a small dent.” Noah rubbed his shoulder. “Thankfully my body sustained most of the damage.”

  Lovina stepped toward the window, and sure enough she saw a dent in the wall about two feet from the frame.

  “Don’t worry.” Noah stepped up next to her. “The guys promised to fix that dent today. And touch up the paint.”

  She could see in his gaze that he didn’t take it lightly.

  “It’s very close to the window.” Her fingers touched her neck. “I…I’m so thankful you hit the wall instead of…” She shuddered, unwilling to finish that sentence.

  Noah’s face grew serious. “I know.” He stroked his chin. “Don’t worry. I had a serious talk with the guys. They like to do this—play pranks on each other—but I told them this isn’t the place to do it. They told me they wouldn’t.”

  Lovina’s fingers touched the wood. “No one’s been injured by their pranks, have they?”

  She thought about sitting in Jason’s office, about the bank, and about the liability papers that they’d signed. Lovina swallowed hard. The last thing she needed was for something to happen and her Dat to be responsible for the medical bills…or worse.