by Naomi King
Was that a catch she heard in Abby’s voice? Rosemary went back to making sandwiches, determined to come out of this low mood. It surprised her that Abby was blinking back tears, too.
“Sam and Zanna and I lost our dat more than a year ago,” Abby explained. “We miss having him here for today’s wedding, but this big event and Zanna’s baby boy have given Mamm and the rest of us reasons to rejoice again. You’ll get to that point, too, Rosemary. In your own gut time—and in God’s plan for your life—you’ll open your heart to a whole new world of possibilities.”
Rosemary smiled gratefully. Abby’s story made her feel better, more confident about her future. “Denki,” she murmured. “I’ll do my best to remember that. I’ll tell Beth Ann what you’ve said, too.”
Again Abby glanced over to where Ruthie and Beth Ann were placing the last of the silverware into a very full basket. “You’re gut at making pies, but what does Beth Ann enjoy doing?”
Maybe Abby was changing to a more pleasant subject so they’d both quit sniffling, yet Rosemary had a feeling that Abby rarely made idle chitchat. “Oh, she’s a fine seamstress. She sews the family’s clothes now, and always has a quilt in the works. Alma wasn’t much for getting seams to lie flat or for adjusting patterns to fit different sizes, but Beth Ann naturally took to that sort of thing.”
A smile lit Abby’s face, as though she knew a secret she couldn’t wait to tell. “Well, then, I know the perfect place to take her. We should have time to go before supper, while the others are visiting and singing.”
What could Abby be hinting at? Wherever that perfect place was, Rosemary wanted to go, too—except Beth Ann deserved her own chance to feel special doing whatever this new friend had in mind. Abby seemed awfully good at making people feel better about themselves, and as she thought about it, Rosemary smiled brightly.
She did feel better. And as she and Abby made ham sandwiches to add to the supper platters, Rosemary promised herself that for the rest of the day she would keep her spirits light.
She looked across the busy kitchen and caught Beth Ann’s eye. As Rosemary flashed her sister-in-law a silly grin and batted her lashes, the same ridiculous expression overtook Beth Ann’s face. When they both burst out giggling, Abby’s laughter joined theirs.
“Happiness is contagious, you know,” Abby said as she covered the platter of sandwiches with a linen towel. “I predict that by the time supper’s over, you’ll be mighty glad you came to Zanna and Jonny’s wedding.”
Rosemary wanted to believe that. And maybe, if she gave this tiny seed of happiness a chance, it would take root and grow into a whole new outlook on her life.
Chapter 3
As Matt swung open the pasture gate and allowed Titus Yutzy to step through it ahead of him, he couldn’t help but notice the old fellow’s deep sigh, stooped shoulders, and black suit that hung loosely on his long-limbed body. While he resembled his brother, Ezra, Titus looked about a hundred years old as he took in the panorama of rolling green hills; the curving line of cedars, dogwoods, and redbud trees along the creek; and the scattered groups of ewes and their lambs.
“Pretty place you’ve got,” Titus murmured. “Always liked it here as a kid, but when Alma’s folks needed help running their farm, we moved there. Hadn’t been married but a year or so.”
“We do what we have to,” Matt replied. “I’m real sorry to hear you lost your son and your wife, Titus.”
“I’m sorry, too. Every single day I’m sorry.” Titus let out a forlorn sigh.
Matt sensed that Titus’s burden might weigh down their conversation unless he kept it centered on other subjects. How in the world did his daughter-in-law make it from one day to the next, shrouded in such oppressive sorrow? When Matt had talked to Ezra Yutzy earlier, he’d learned that Katie’s mamm was named Rosemary and that she was the widow of Titus’s son, Joe. No wonder she had acted so oddly when she’d come running after her adventurous toddler…But this wasn’t the time to speculate about how to put a smile on Rosemary’s pretty face.
“Ezra mentioned that you might want to trade some breeding stock to diversify your flock’s bloodlines,” Matt began in a more hopeful tone. “It could be as simple as trading rams—and I’ve got a couple of gut yearlings that’ll be ready for breeding in the fall. Just a matter of hauling them to your place and bringing a couple of your rams back here, if that sounds reasonable.”
“High time I paid more attention to my sheep,” Titus agreed absently. “If I don’t take care of my flock, it won’t take care of me for much longer. My grass looks mighty thin this spring, on account of how Joe used to do the reseeding.” He studied the cluster of lambs closest to them. “What breeds’ve you got here, Matt? Rambouillet and Montadale, judging from their wool.”
“Jah, I’ve got a ram and some ewes of each of those breeds,” Matt replied, “along with several crossbred ewes. I’ve had real gut luck with their lambing and with selling their meat and wool. They’re devoted mothers, too.”
“Mine are Montadales and Corriedales. The traits of the three breeds would cross well, most likely.” A tiny spark lit Titus’s eyes. “This is the best idea I’ve heard in a gut long while. I lost track of a lot of things this past winter, and it’s time to come out of hibernation, if you know what I mean.”
“A fella always feels better when the snow’s gone and he can get out of the house, into his fields.” Matt signaled for his dogs to come across the pasture. “You might like to meet my assistants, Panda and Pearl,” he said. “Between the two of them, it’s like having a hired hand when it comes to moving the sheep. They made friends with your granddaughter Katie before dinner.”
As the two black-and-white collies loped toward them, a slow smile spread across Titus’s face. “Katie’s at an age when she thinks everything with four legs could be her pet. Hope she didn’t make a nuisance of herself.”
“She just wanted to meet them. Not one bit afraid of them, either.” Now that Titus was talking about his granddaughter, he seemed brighter, so maybe it was a good time to wander onto another subject Matt was eager to know more about. “It must’ve been hard on Rosemary, losing her man when she’s got such a young child.”
“She’s tougher than she looks. Has to be, to put up with an old coot like me.” Titus let out a short laugh and stooped to rumple the dogs’ ears. “Truth be told, Rosemary’s the only thing that got me through this past winter. Don’t know what I’d do without her.”
Matt bit back his next question. Clearly, this lonely old man wasn’t in the right frame of mind to suggest what a fellow might do to attract Rosemary’s attention. “Jah, there’s a lot to be said for having a cook in your kitchen—and a little one in your lap,” he added. “We Lambrights are already wrapped up in Harley, and he’s only three weeks old.”
Titus continued stroking the dogs. “Ezra filled me in on some of the tribulations you folks have been through,” he said softly. “But it all worked out, ain’t so? Treva and even Sam—not a man to tolerate any nonsense—looked mighty excited today.”
Titus glanced up at Matt then. “Rudy Ropp’s come a long way, too,” he remarked, mentioning Jonny’s father. “Always was as prickly as a porcupine, but he and Adah have pulled their family together again…got their boys back into the fold after that house fire and Rudy’s heart attack last Christmas. Hearing their story makes me dare to think I might make something of my life again, if I put my mind to it.”
“No doubt you will, Titus.” Matt was glad he’d called his dogs over, for Titus couldn’t seem to stop running his hands over their soft coats. “It took my grandmother a while to get past losing our granddad Leroy, but now she’s thinking to expand her greenhouse business—maybe add another glass building soon. She says she’s gotten her energy back and feels like taking on new projects now.”
Titus’s smile made the lines around his eyes crinkle. He glanced behind them, gazing at the building made of glass squares, which sat alongside the two-story mercantile. “L
eroy and Treva made a fine pair. They got married the same November Alma and I did,” he reminisced. “Your granddad turned the Cedar Creek Mercantile into the best general store in this part of the state. He treated folks fair—Plain and English alike. He listened to what they wanted and made sure he carried it for them.”
“My dat’s mighty busy these days,” Matt agreed. “Folks from all the towns hereabouts say they’d rather do business with him than go to a big discount store. That’s a fine compliment, when you consider how those places can price a lot of their merchandise lower because they handle so much more volume.”
Titus straightened to his full height, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I know your dat has closed his store today on account of the wedding, but I bet Rosemary would be tickled to stock up on baking supplies. She makes pies for the cafés in Bloomingdale and Queen City, you see.”
“I’m sure Dat would be happy to sell her what she needs,” Matt replied. “Or Aunt Abby could help. It wouldn’t surprise me if she goes over there anyway, to fetch whatever else they might need for tonight’s supper.”
Was it Matt’s imagination, or did Titus have more color in his cheeks now? Once again the old farmer was looking out over the pastures, letting his gaze wander across the road to the Graber place, as though he had some ideas he wasn’t ready to talk about yet. “Merle Graber’s not looking too steady,” he remarked quietly. “I suppose James supports that family with his carriage making nowadays.”
“Jah. They raise enough hay to feed their horses, but Carl Byler does their farming for them—same as he works Paul Bontrager’s place next to it.” Matt waited to see where this thread of conversation might lead.
“Jah, but by golly, Paul’s still making cabinets and he preached a gut wedding sermon this morning. Must be nearly ninety, don’t you think?”
“Getting close,” Matt agreed. “His boy Perry works at James Graber’s carriage shop. He and Salome live in the main house now, so Paul’s got somebody looking after him.”
“All the more reason I need to give myself a gut swift kick when I think my troubles are worse than anybody else’s.” Titus hooked his thumbs around his suspender buckles. “My older kids are married, and Beth Ann helps Rosemary when she gets home from school. And Rosemary—now, there’s a gal who can put a meal on the table even after she’s been helping me with the sheep all day, or tending the laundry and the garden. I’ve got no call to complain when I see how the fellas I used to run around with are slipping a notch or two.”
“That’s a gut way to look at it.” Matt smiled at Titus as they turned toward the gate again. “And for the rest of today, why—you can catch up with your old friends and stay for supper and still make the drive home before it gets dark.”
“Jah, I think I will. Rosemary wanted to head back right after the wedding, but I’m real glad we stayed.” He extended his hand. “I’ll get back with you in a day or so about exchanging rams, all right? If we do this soon, they’ll be accustomed to their new homes come time to turn them in with the ewes in the fall.”
Matt grasped Titus’s sturdy hand, pleased with the turn the conversation had taken. After all, a trip to Queen City with a couple of rams would give him another chance to see Rosemary. “Both of us can upgrade our flocks and it won’t cost us anything but some travel time. Can’t beat a deal like that.”
Matt latched the gate behind them, signaling for the dogs to return to the pasture. He scanned the clusters of folks who stood chatting in the yard between the greenhouse and his home, but he didn’t find a particular young woman dressed in black. “I’ll see that Rosemary gets to shop in the mercantile, if she wants to. There’s Dat, right over there, so I’ll go ask him.”
Titus focused in the direction Matt was pointing. “I’ll go with you and congratulate the brother of the bride. Haven’t talked to Sam in a long while.”
As they strolled across the yard toward where Matt’s father was chatting with James and Merle Graber, who were seated in lawn chairs, Matt felt a hopeful thrum all over his body. He knew almost nothing about Rosemary Yutzy. Yet even in her stark black clothing, the way she’d laughed and played with Katie had made him want to know her. The sooner he could talk with Rosemary alone, the better.
As Matt was planning how to arrange a chat, the kitchen door opened and Aunt Abby stepped out with a young girl close behind her. Rosemary followed them, holding Katie against her hip—and wearing a wide smile that made her face glow like a springtime day. Abby’s expression told him she was on a mission, and when she waved at him, Matt couldn’t help grinning. Was she helping his cause without even knowing it?
“Matt, have you met these girls from Queen City?” Abby called to him. “We’re on our way over to the store, to see the spring fabrics and baking utensils Sam just got in.” As the four of them stopped in the lane, Abby placed her hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Titus, I’ve had the nicest time getting to know your family. They’ve been such gut help to us. Matt, this is Titus’s daughter, Beth Ann—”
“Nice to meet you, Beth Ann,” Matt said. She looked to be all legs and arms, like a young foal, yet anyone could see she was excited about going to the mercantile.
“—and this is Rosemary Yutzy and her daughter, Katie,” Abby finished.
Matt’s heart was pounding, and he reminded himself not to say anything stupid. “Katie came over to play with Panda and Pearl earlier,” he said, tweaking the toe of her tiny shoe. “We’re glad you came today, Rosemary. Titus was saying you’d probably like to see the mercantile, and it’s just like Aunt Abby to make all the right things happen.”
Matt held Rosemary’s gaze until she lowered her eyes. Was that a blush on her cheeks, or was that wishful thinking on his part?
“Abby’s been mighty nice to us,” Rosemary murmured. “Beth Ann loves to sew, and she wants to see the nook where Abby runs her Stitch in Time business.”
Titus, who had been following this conversation with great interest, fished his money clip from his pocket. “You girls get yourselves something you’ll enjoy,” he said as he handed Rosemary some folded bills. “And if you see things you might want later—for making us some clothes or stocking the kitchen—we’ll have Matt bring them. He’ll be hauling a couple of rams to our place as soon as I pick out two of my yearlings for him.”
Matt’s pulse surged. “If you need help loading your packages into the carriage, Rosemary, let me know,” he said. All of a sudden, it seemed that everyone around him was making his fondest wish come true. Who could have known Zanna and Jonny’s wedding day would turn out so well for him, too?
Chapter 4
Abby opened the back door to the Cedar Creek Mercantile. “The sign out front says we’re closed for the wedding, so if we come in this way, folks on the road won’t expect us to let them in,” she explained as they stepped inside. “This is our workroom, where we fill resealable plastic bags with spices and cookie sprinkles and whatnot. We store our bulk nonperishables in the warehouse to our left. That door leads to the main store.”
Beth Ann walked ahead of her and stopped in the doorway with a delighted gasp. “Oh, Rosemary, look!” she said. “Two levels of shopping! And it’s so much homier than the big discount store in Kirksville, ain’t so?”
Abby chuckled. She had known in an instant that Beth Ann would buzz like a honeybee when she saw the new spring fabrics and all the craft supplies Sam kept in stock. “Take your time,” she encouraged the girl. “The fabrics are to your right.”
“Jah! And look at those colors—like spring flowers!” Beth Ann exclaimed as she hurried into the main room. “Oh, Rosemary, you would look so pretty in that shade of lavender over there. It reminds me of wild thistles.”
Rosemary glanced apologetically at Abby. “You’re probably right, Beth Ann,” she called after the girl, who was rushing down the aisle. “But that’s hardly a proper color for me to wear. Pick out fabric for your own new dress, and we’ll get a length of Triblend to make your dat some new wor
k pants, too. Every pair he has is worn thin.”
Abby smiled to herself. It was just like an Old Order woman to put the rest of her family’s needs before her own. But Beth Ann was right: the new poly-cotton crepe in the color of a thistle would lift Rosemary’s spirits while it complemented her rosy complexion. “What can I show you?” she asked. “We just got a shipment of glass pie plates and paring knives, as well as fifty-pound bags of flour and buckets of lard. And we carry scented soaps my friend Marian Byler makes and other things every woman needs around her home.”
Balancing Katie on her hip, Rosemary discreetly counted the money in her hand. “Truth be told, the metal pie pans in Alma’s kitchen are stained and beat-up, and I threw away three rubber spatulas last week because the tops came off.”
“We’ve got what you need right here in aisle five.” While Abby wasn’t surprised by Rosemary’s thrift, it touched her that this young woman still referred to the kitchen as Alma’s. “Did you move to Titus’s place from the house you and Joe lived in, then?”
Rosemary smiled ruefully. “Joe and Katie and I were living with my mamm and my sister—which worked out fine because my dat’s been gone for several years. Joe was farming his land,” she explained. “We’d bought the acreage between my folks’ farm and the Yutzy place. Had it all paid off. A local carpenter was drawing up plans for a house, but…”
Abby squeezed Rosemary’s shoulder. “It has to be hard, having all your hopes and dreams go by the wayside. And it’s not the same, moving into another woman’s home.”
“Jah, and Titus refuses to change anything. He wants the place left the way it was when Alma was alive.” Rosemary shifted her toddler on her hip, as though deciding how much to reveal. “Alma was about four inches taller than I am, so I needed a stepstool to reach the ingredients for my pies and even the dishes we eat from every day.”