by Tricia Goyer
Noah nodded. “All right.”
“I love you, Noah Yoder. More than I ever thought I could love a man. I’ve been holding you at bay, and that’s been foolish. And once the pie shop is open, I don’t want that to be the end of spending my days with you. Instead, I want that to be the beginning. Of us.”
“Lovina,” Noah started, but Lovina put a finger on his lips. She could see all the emotion in his gaze. She knew how he felt. She didn’t need to hear his response. He’d told her everything already.
“Shhh, not now. Tomorrow we’ll talk about it. After the first day.”
Noah smiled, and it was only then that Lovina noticed three guys standing in the doorway behind them. They were smiling, all of them. Even Mose.
Noah took her hand and they began to walk, away from listening ears.
“I’m sorry. Maybe I should have waited, but I had to talk to you now. I needed you to know how I really feel.”
“Lovina, I thought I knew what I was here for.” He glanced back at the pie shop. “To give you your dream. And I’m so glad I was able to give you what you want most…”
“What I used to want most.” She grinned.
“Used to?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Is it something different now?”
“I knew about making pies. I knew about the joy that a community could bring, when they gathered together, sitting face-to-face. But Noah.” She paused looking up at him. She bit her lower lip and her eyelashes fluttered softly as she considered her words. “But Noah, that’s because I hadn’t met you yet. How could I have known what I’d wanted most if I’d never known it before?”
She squeezed his hand, and she saw that he was smiling.
“I still want a pie shop, yes, but it’s not my biggest dream now.”
“Does your biggest dream have to do with me, Lovina? With the rest of our lives?” He leaned above her, kissing her hair. Lovina released a small gasp and her eyes drifted closed.
“Ja.”
“I like to hear that. I want nothing more. But I need you to do something for me.”
She opened her eyes and looked to him again. “What is that?”
“Enjoy the opening tomorrow. Soak in every moment.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure I do. You have a way of bringing my dreams to life. I’m ready for that walkthrough now. I can’t wait to see the finished product.”
“Finished?” Noah’s eyebrow lifted. And then he reached down with both hands and entwined his fingers in hers. “Don’t think of this as a finish, Love, but just the beginning.”
Noah moved forward to kiss her lips. The touch was light at first, but then she lifted onto her toes, leaning in. Her movement surprised him, and he released her hands and grasped her shoulders, pulling her forward. Her hand rested on his chest, keeping space between them, but the kiss lingered, and Lovina wondered what it would be like to be married to this man and kiss every day like this.
Finally she pulled back and glanced over her shoulder, remembering where she was—in the middle of Roy Yoder’s yard.
She breathed out a sigh. “Can you come over for lunch—if you haven’t eaten yet? I promised Mem I’d be there, but I want you to be there to celebrate with us.”
“Ja, but can you give me twenty minutes? I was teaching the guys how to make turkey biscuit skillet. Then they need to finish up some work in the office area before the walkthrough. Only then can we officially say we’ve marked everything off our to-do list.”
Lovina placed a hand on her hip. “Turkey biscuit skillet. I’m impressed.”
“We got tired of eating cereal, so I wrote home and asked Mem for some recipes. That was one of the easiest to make.”
“I’ll hurry home and tell them to expect you. I know Dat will be excited to see you.”
“And your mem?” Noah asked.
Lovina shrugged. “She’ll warm up. I know she will. God’s doing a gut work in her, I feel it.”
Turkey Biscuit Skillet
¾ cup butter
1½ cups chopped celery
1½ cups chopped carrots
1 chopped onion
1-2 cups chopped potato
1 cup all-purpose flour
4½ cups chicken broth
1-2 teaspoons salt (based on taste)
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
2 bay leaves
3 cups heavy cream
5-6 cups leftover turkey pieces cut into chunks
2 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 cup fresh or frozen yellow corn kernels
Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large saucepan, melt the butter and then add celery, carrots, onion, and potato pieces. Sauté for 5-8 minutes and then sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir until the mixture starts to bubble in the pan. Using a large whisk, add chicken broth, stirring until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and spices. Heat to a simmer on stovetop. Add the cream, turkey, peas, and corn and cook on a slow simmer until the sauce is thickened. Always taste and adjust your seasonings to your preferences. Place the filling in an extra-large cast iron skillet (this filling recipe makes enough for 2 large skillets.) Top with fresh-made biscuit dough and bake in oven until biscuits are browned and the filling is bubbling.
You may also use the same filling recipe to make pot pie in a pie pan or casserole dish using your favorite pie dough recipe. If you make a pie, wrap the outside of your pie pan with foil to keep the crust from burning. Bake until center is almost brown and then remove the foil to continue to cook the outer edges.
Thirty
It’s better to suffer wrong than to commit wrong.
AMISH PROVERB
Lovina hurried home, and her heart felt light, full. Mem was at the stove, cooking up her famous quiche.
Lovina took a big whiff when she walked through the door. “Mem, that smells delicious!”
Mem’s smile was large—something Lovina hadn’t seen in a while.
“Ja. You aren’t the only one who knows how to make pie.”
Lovina placed an arm around Mem’s shoulders. “Is there enough for company?”
“Company?” Mem glanced up at her. “It wouldn’t be a handsome bachelor, would it?”
“I invited Noah.”
Lovina waited for the disappointing look, but instead her mem smiled. “Ja, there will be enough. Serving him lunch is the least I can do for all the work he’s done.” Mem placed the knife on the counter and reached for the plates in the cupboard. “I made a few extra quiches for tomorrow. I thought Regina would enjoy not having to cook on her first day.”
“I nearly forgot. How exciting to have your best friend here tomorrow.”
“Just in time for the opening of the shop. We’re both so excited to be there.”
Lovina paused, taking in the moment. It had taken Mem time to come around, and she had no doubt Regina had helped with that. Regina always was a positive influence on Mem. Something Lovina was thankful for.
A knock sounded at the door, and Lovina’s heart skipped a beat. “That should be Noah.”
“Perfect timing.” Mem placed the quiche on the kitchen table. “I’ll just go out back and get your dat.”
Lovina hurried to the front door and swung it open. “If you like pie—” Her words stopped short when she saw that it wasn’t Noah who stood there. It was a police officer. His car was parked out front.
“Are you Miss Miller?” The police officer looked down at his notepad.
“One of them.” Dread spread through her chest. Had one of her sisters gotten hurt?
“Miss Lovina Miller?” he asked.
“Yes.” She stood there frozen.
“I’m sorry to say there’s been a fire at your pie shop.”
“A fire?” Her knees trembled and her mind raced. “I don’t understand. I was just there twenty minutes ago.”
“The fire department is still there. If you’d like to come with me …�
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She followed him, not knowing what to do or what to think.
“Lovina!”
Dat was at the door behind her. When she turned to look at him the worry on his face overwhelmed her. “Dat…there’s been a fire. At the shop.” With her words the tears came. Had the whole thing gone up? How bad was the damage? She was afraid to ask. Instead, she just opened her arms and allowed Mem and Dat to come to her, grabbing her up in an embrace.
“We’ll go with you,” Mem said. “We’ll help in any way we can.”
But as Lovina looked to her father’s ashen face she knew two things for certain. First, that there was no insurance. Everything lost was lost for good. And second, she knew deep down what had caused the fire. She’d witnessed enough of Mose’s pranks not to have any doubt about that.
I should have put an end to it. I shouldn’t have let them into the shop, she thought as she climbed into the front seat of the cop car.
With her heart pounding she turned to the police officer, almost afraid to confirm her fears.
“Can you t-tell me”—her voice trembled—“tell me where the fire started?”
“From what we can tell it started in the office. The fire was caught early, but I’m afraid there’s fire damage throughout.”
Lovina nodded but didn’t say a word as the officer drove her to the pie shop. And only when she saw the smoke rising did she realize what the visitors coming off the Pioneer Trails bus would see. They wouldn’t see a place to gather, but a scorched building.
Why, Lord, why?
She’d given it her all. She’d dared to dream, and what good did it do? Not only had her dream gone up in smoke, but her father’s investment too. She was too trusting…and where did that leave her now?
The police car parked in front of the pie shop, and Lovina hurried to the door. Smoke filled the air, stinging her eyes. It poured from the back of the shop and from the front window she’d left open this morning. She tried to rush in—to see the damage—but a fireman stopped her. “I’m sorry, miss. You can’t go in there. It’s not safe. We’re still checking for hot spots. We have to make sure the structure is safe before we let anyone in.”
The tears came then, and she couldn’t hold them back. “Lovina.” It was Dat’s voice. “Let’s get you back to the car. You need to sit. This is too much for you to take.”
She followed him, and Mem stood by the open door. Her eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Love, I’m so, so sorry.” Mem rarely used her pet name, and hearing it made it even more real.
“Lovina…” Another voice broke through the fog of her emotions. Noah.
She covered her face with her hands. Gone was the joy she’d felt just half an hour earlier. Hot anger replaced it. She looked up, narrowing her eyes. Noah’s face was red. Soot smudged his face. Had he gone into the fire? Had he tried to fight it? She didn’t see the teens, and that was a good thing.
“You.” She pointed a finger at his chest. “You were supposed to control them. You told me no more pranks. I knew—deep down I knew something like this was going to happen.”
She lowered her head, suddenly ashamed of her words. The Amish way was to forgive. To extend grace. But at this moment there was no grace in her. Lovina pinched her lips together and turned away.
“I don’t think…” Noah started and then stopped. She felt his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll find out what happened, Lovina. I promise I will.”
Lovina nodded, and suddenly she knew she couldn’t stay here. She couldn’t listen to the shouts of the firemen. She couldn’t see her beautiful shop destroyed. She needed to leave. She needed to get away. She had to put space between herself and her shop before her heart broke into a million pieces.
She moved away from the police car and headed for home.
“I’ll go with you.” Noah was at her side.
“No.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not now. Don’t.” The word came out as a hiss. She continued on, thankful he didn’t follow. Instead her company was the words that replayed in her mind.
It’s gone. The shop’s gone. Dat’s money is gone. And it’s all my fault for being too trusting.
Whatever would her family do now? How would they survive?
As she strode away she realized there was something worse than never chasing one’s dream. It was coming so close only to see it destroyed. And her hopes of happiness—of a future—with it.
Thirty-One
A man is happier to be sometimes cheated than to never trust.
AMISH PROVERB
It was dark before Noah made it back to Roy’s house. He staggered inside covered in soot and dirt and smelling of smoke. He’d stayed at the scene of the fire all afternoon. The volunteer fire department had put it out and checked for hot spots. And all day long it had seemed like a bad dream. If only he could wake up. If only he could open his eyes and the pie shop could return to the way it had been this morning.
Noah’s eyes were burning, partly from the sting of the smoke and partly from the tears threatening to break through. Guilt burdened him down like a physical weight. He hadn’t started the fire, but he might as well have. He thought he’d made himself clear—no more pranks. And now not only was the pie shop damaged, but when the cause of the fire was discovered Mose, Gerald, and Atlee would end up where he’d found them: in prison. And then all of this—every last bit of his effort—would come to nothing.
Emotion caught in his throat and he tried to swallow it away. Another pang of guilt shot through his heart.
The image of Lovina’s face, distorted in pain and horror, filled his mind. He’d worked so hard to make her dream happen. He’d given his everything, but it wasn’t enough. Not only was the pie shop destroyed by water and smoke, but it was his fault. He was the one who’d trusted Mose one more time. He’d seen the panicked look on Mose’s face when he ran to tell Noah about the fire. He, Gerald, and Atlee had come upon it—or so they said. They’d tried to put it out, but they claimed it had already spread from the office to the pie shop storage room before they got there.
Fear had filled Mose’s gaze. Not fear of the fire, but fear of Noah’s response. Then, once the crowd had gathered and started speculating about the cause of the fire, the young men had disappeared. Of course they would run from responsibility. Maybe they hoped no one would figure out they’d been the cause.
Noah coughed out a smoky breath and then opened his eyes. No one was in the kitchen, and an empty pizza box sat on the table. Seeing that box, new anger bubbled up in him. They couldn’t step out this door to help—to face responsibility—but they could step out to buy a pizza?
More coughs erupted from Noah’s chest. They tasted like the thick smoke. He quickly moved to the kitchen to get a drink of water. His hand trembled as he lifted the glass to his lips, and it took everything within him not to let the tears come.
In addition to worrying that the teens would end up behind bars, he worried about himself too. He remembered the stench of the cell, the humiliation of being told when to eat, when to sleep, when to use the toilet—and being watched. Always watched. Would they point a finger at him for negligence?
Even as Noah had helped to clear out some of the least damaged items—carrying them to the lawn to prevent more smoke damage—he’d heard the comments shared by the observers. They’d come up with every conceivable idea for the fire, from messing up the wiring to leaving combustible liquids unattended. But instead of placing the blame on the teens, they all looked at him with suspicion.
Noah took another long drink, and then he sat at the kitchen table and slowly removed his boots. The fire examiner would be there early in the morning. And then everyone would know the truth. But how would that help Lovina? And what would it mean for them?
Finally, after weeks of waiting for a confession of her love, he’d heard it. And the emotional high of the moment made the pain of her tears, her accusations, even more painful. She was right. He should have done more. He should have protected her.
Noah pushed the door open without knocking. Mose and Gerald sat on their beds, and Atlee sat on the one chair in the room. All of them looked up in surprise as he entered. He scanned their faces, and each set of eyes fixed on him, waiting for his words.
“So, tell me how the fire started.” Noah spoke the words through clenched teeth.
“What do you mean?” It was Mose who answered for the group. He tried to give Noah an innocent look, but Noah wasn’t buying it.
“I mean, which prank was it? More firecrackers? The welder? You can tell me now or I can wait to hear it from the fire examiner. If I were you, I’d tell me now. Things might be easier on you if you confess to the authorities.”
Mose stood, straightening his shoulders. His brow wrinkled in confusion, and then anger flashed in his gaze. “Wait, you—you think we did this?”
“I don’t think you did it. I know you did. I told you to finish up cleaning the office and hang the clock—the surprise for Lovina. You were the last ones in the office, and I want to know what you were doing.”
“Noah, we hung the clock and then we left.” Gerald raised his hands in defense. “I swear that’s all that happened.”
“We weren’t even there. We—” Atlee started, but Mose cut off his words.
“Don’t try to explain, Atlee. Noah’s not gonna listen.” Mose crossed his arms and cocked his chin. “Noah says he wants to help us, but now we know different. I’m glad I was already planning to get out of here. The truth is, he just wanted to make himself look good…isn’t that right, Noah? Show off some good deeds to win yourself a wife. Seems to me Lovina bought it…or at least that’s what she said earlier.” Mose clicked his tongue. “I’d hate to see how she feels about that now. I bet she blames you. That’s why you’re so angry, right?”