by Amy Clipston
Turning her back to the counter, Naomi hummed to herself while mentally listing all she had to do before Christmas. She still needed to shop for her parents and her eight siblings. And then there was the baking for the cookie exchange. And she had to —
“Excuse me,” a little voice asked, interrupting her mental tirade.
Naomi spun to find a little girl leaning over the counter and pointing toward the king-size Lone Star quilt Naomi was draping over a wooden dowel. “May I help you?”
The girl adjusted the black bonnet on her head. “Did you make that?”
Naomi nodded. “Ya, I did.”
“It’s schee.” The girl studied the quilt, her eyebrows knitting together in concentration. “My mamm made a quilt like this once, only she used blues and creams instead of maroons.”
Naomi smiled. “I bet that was schee.”
“Can I touch it?”
“Of course.” Naomi held the quilt out, and the girl ran her hand over it.
The girl studied the quilt, her eyes trained on the intricate star pattern. “My mamm promised she would teach me how to quilt someday.”
“I bet she will. I think I was about your age when my mamm started teaching me.”
The girl looked up, and Naomi was struck by her deep green eyes. They reminded Naomi of the deep green the pasture turned every spring.
“My mamm is gone,” the girl said, her expression serious.
“Gone?” Naomi set the dowel in the rack and leaned over the counter. “What do you mean?”
“She’s in heaven with Jesus.” The girl ran her fingers over the counter.
Naomi gasped, cupping a hand to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. You must miss her.”
“I do. I was only—” she began.
“Susan!” A man rushed over, his expression full of fear. He placed his hands on the girl’s shoulders and angled her to face him. He crouched down and met her at eye level. “I turned my head for a moment and you took off. Do you know how much you scared me? I thought I’d lost you. What were you thinking?”
“I’m sorry, Dat.” The girl shook her head, tears filling her striking eyes. “I saw the quilt stand, and I wanted to come see the quilts.”
The man sighed and closed his eyes for a split second. Standing, he took her hand in his. “Don’t do that ever again.” His voice pleaded with her. “Promise me?”
“Ya.” A tear trickled down her rosy cheek, and she sniffed.
His expression became tender, and Naomi’s heart swelled.
“Don’t cry, Susie,” he said, brushing her tears away with his fingertip. “It’s okay, mei liewe. You’re all right, and that’s all that matters.” He glanced toward the clock on the wall. “We need to get going. Your aenti is expecting us.” He turned to Naomi. “I’m sorry for creating such a scene. My dochder took off and scared me so.”
Naomi opened her mouth to speak, but her voice was stuck in her throat for a moment. Her eyes were lost in his, which were the same deep shade of emerald as the girl’s.
“It was no bother,” Naomi finally said. “We were having a nice discussion about quilts. I’m sorry she scared you.”
“Danki.” He glanced at his daughter. “We must be going.” He turned back to Naomi. “Frehlicher Grischtdaag.” He smiled, and his handsome face was kind. Yet, there was something sad in his gorgeous eyes. Naomi surmised it was the loss of his wife. Her heart ached for him.
Before she could respond to his Christmas greetings, the man and the girl were gone. He held the girl’s hand as they turned the corner. The girl waved at Naomi, and Naomi waved back, her heart touched by the sweet gesture.
The customer who had been chatting with Lilly walked away from the stand.
“What happened?” Lilly asked, leaning over to Naomi.
“What?” Naomi asked, searching the crowd for the man and girl.
“What was all the commotion with the man and the girl?” Lilly closed the order book.
“The girl wandered off from her father, and he was worried about her.” Naomi leaned against the counter. “She told me that her mother made quilts.”
“Oh, that’s sweet.”
“Ya, it is.” Naomi lifted a twin-size quilt from the bag below the counter and began to fold it. “But she also said her mother had died.”
Lilly frowned and shook her head. “How bedauerlich.”
“Ya, I know.” Naomi glanced toward the door, wishing she could see the girl just one more time. “There was such sadness in her eyes. I saw it in her father’s eyes too.”
“I can imagine that the sadness was from losing her.” Lilly straightened the pens by the register. “I know how hard it was to lose my mamm, and I’m much older than she is.”
Naomi touched Lilly’s arm. “I know. There was just something …” She let her voice trail off and pushed the thought away. She’d been burned more than once by misreading her own thoughts and feelings. It was silly to even consider she’d felt something for the man and the girl, but the feeling was strong, deep in her gut. She’d wanted to hug the girl and ask her how long her mother had been gone, to take away some of the pain in her eyes.
But that wasn’t Naomi’s business. She didn’t even know the girl or her father. She’d never seen them before. She wondered which district they belonged to. Were they from Lancaster County or were they visiting for the holidays? Now she would never know. The moment was gone and so were the girl and her father.
“What is it?” Lilly asked, a grin splitting her pretty face. She jammed a hand on the hip of her purple frock. “You’re scheming something, Naomi King.”
“Don’t be gegisch.” Naomi draped the quilt over a dowel. “I was just thinking about that poor little girl without a mother. My heart goes out to her.”
“Is that it? Or were you thinking about her father who misses his wife?”
Naomi frowned. “Please, Lilly. I don’t know his name or even what district he’s a member of. There’s no such thing as love at first sight. Love is a feeling that grows over time. It can’t just appear out of thin air.”
Lilly’s expression was pensive. “You’re different than you were when you were seeing Timothy Kauffman.”
Naomi shrugged. “No, I’m not different. I just matured. My mamm told me I was boy crazy and made a fool of myself the way I ran after Luke Troyer and then Timothy.”
Lilly touched Naomi’s shoulder. “That’s not true. You were never a fool.”
“Ya, I was.” Naomi cleared her throat to prevent a lump from swelling in her throat as the humiliation rained down on her. She could still feel the sting of her mother’s harsh words after she and Timothy broke up. “My mamm told me that I need to concentrate on my family and stop worrying about finding a husband. So, my focus now is my siblings. If I’m meant to find love, God will bring it into my life. But honestly, I think God wants me to help my mamm raise my eight siblings.”
Lilly shook her head. “You don’t honestly believe that, Naomi. God wants us to get married and have kinner.”
Naomi busied herself with hanging the quilt onto the rack in order to avoid Lilly’s probing stare. “Ya, I do believe it. I tried love twice and failed. That was the sign that I wasn’t meant to find true love, if there even is a true love for me.”
“Naomi.” Lilly took Naomi’s hand and gave her a gentle smile. “Listen to me. I didn’t think there was a true love for me, but I was wrong.”
Naomi raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You found love?”
Lilly’s cheeks flushed a bright pink.
“Why haven’t you told me?” Naomi asked. “I thought I was your best friend.”
“You are.” Lilly sighed and sat on a stool. “We were going to keep it a secret until we get published next year.”
Naomi gasped. “You’re getting married?”
Lilly smiled, and Naomi shrieked and hugged her.
“Is it Zach Fisher?” Naomi asked.
Lilly nodded. “I wanted to tell you, but we’re trying to kee
p it a secret.”
Naomi smiled. “That’s wunderbaar. You deserve to be froh.”
Lilly touched Naomi’s arm. “You do too. God will lead you to the path He wants, and I believe He wants you to find true love. You’ve been hurt in the past, but that doesn’t mean you’re meant to be alone.” She gave a gentle smile. “Just remember this verse from Corinthians: ‘And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.’”
Naomi nodded in agreement, but she struggled to believe she was meant to be with someone.
“Excuse me,” an English customer said, approaching the counter. “I would like to pick up a couple of quilts for my kids for Christmas. Do you have any queen-size quilts available that are Christmassy?”
“Yes, ma’am, we do,” Lilly said, moving to the rack. “Let me show you what I have here.”
As Lilly pulled out two quilts, Naomi glanced toward the market exit and wondered where the handsome widower and his daughter were headed when they left.
CHAPTER 2
The van bumped and rattled down the long rock driveway to his sister’s large white farmhouse. The dairy farm had been passed down through the Schmucker family for four generations, and Caleb’s parents had lived in the apartment at the back of the house until they passed away.
The white clapboard home still looked the same as he remembered from his childhood. The vast three stories sprawled across the front of the property, while one large white barn and three smaller barns sat behind it, housing their livestock and farming supplies. The white split-rail fence outlined the large pasture, and Sadie’s gardens — her pride and joy that she replanted every spring — ran the length of the enormous house.
Happy childhood memories swirled through Caleb’s mind. He’d spent many hours on the porch with his parents and extended family during the warm months. The back pasture was where he and his cousins would play baseball.
During his teenage years, the pasture became the site for impromptu volleyball courts during youth socials. And it was at one of those socials where he’d met Barbara, who’d been visiting her cousin for the summer. Caleb had taken one look at Barbara’s beautiful smile, and he knew he’d met his future bride.
“Dat?” Susie’s little voice brought him back to the present. “We’re here, ya?”
Caleb leaned over and touched her chin. “Ya, we are.” He glanced toward the porch and found his seven nieces and nephews filing out from the front door. “You go ahead and greet your cousins. I’ll grab our bags and pay the driver.”
“I can’t wait to meet them!” Gripping the pumpkin pie in her hands, Susie trotted up the front steps to the circle of cousins.
After grabbing their two bags, Caleb paid the driver and then made his way up the front steps, where he was engulfed in hugs from his nieces and nephews.
“Caleb!” Sadie’s voice rang through the crowd. “It’s so gut to see you!” She pulled him into a tight hug. “How was your trip?”
“Gut,” he said.
“We were beginning to worry about you,” Sadie said.
“We made a stop on the way,” Caleb said, glancing at his daughter, who bit her bottom lip. “Susie wanted to bring you a pie.”
“This is for you, Aenti Sadie.” Susie handed her the pie. “We stopped at the farmers market for it.”
“Oh, it smells appeditlich.” After hugging Susie, Sadie motioned for them to come into the house. “Kumm! Let’s eat!”
Caleb sat between his nephews, Samuel and Raymond, at his sister’s long kitchen table. Across from him, Susie was engrossed in an animated conversation with her cousins about school.
Robert cleared his throat and Caleb bowed his head in silent prayer. The aroma of baked chicken and freshly baked bread filled his senses and he smiled. Being surrounded by family warmed his soul, and he thanked God for the opportunity to spend Christmas with them.
When Robert’s fork scraped the plate, Caleb glanced up at the gaggle of arms resembling an octopus reaching for the dishes and bowls of food in the center of the table. Voices rang out around him as the children discussed the upcoming Christmas plans.
“Caleb,” Sadie said, raising her voice above the discussions swirling around them. “It’s so gut to have you here with us. How does it feel to be home again?”
“Gut.” Caleb glanced at his daughter, who was laughing while her cousin Janie shared a story. “Real gut.” He loved seeing Susie so happy. He wished they had close relatives back home, but Barbara’s cousins lived in a neighboring district and rarely visited.
“How are things in Middlefield?” Robert asked.
“Going well.” Caleb grabbed the serving fork for the chicken.
“Is the carriage shop keeping you busy?” Robert asked while cutting up his chicken.
“Ya,” Caleb said. “The buggy orders have been steady.” He filled his plate with chicken and then grabbed a roll. “The Lord is blessing us with plenty of business. How is the dairy business?”
Robert shrugged. “The same. Every time we get ahead, something happens to set us back, like the rising cost of diesel to run the milkers. There’s always something holding us back.”
Sadie beamed at her husband. “However, the Lord always provides.”
Caleb asked Samuel about the youth gatherings, and soon their plates were clean and the serving dishes were empty.
While Sadie and the girls cleaned up the kitchen, Caleb joined Robert and the boys in the family room. The conversations spanned the hours as Caleb caught up with the latest community news. Susie rushed by, laughing and talking with her cousins as they stomped up the stairs to the bedrooms. Sadie brought in large hunks of pumpkin pie covered in whipped cream, and Caleb ate until his stomach was sore.
“We better get these kinner to bed,” Sadie said when the clock struck eight. “Service is early in the morning tomorrow.”
“Ya.” Caleb stood and stretched. “I’ll tuck Susie in over in the apartment, ya?”
Sadie shook her head. “The girls want Susie to stay with them, but you’re welcome to stay in the apartment if you’d like.”
“That sounds gut.” Caleb carried Susie’s bag up the steep stairs to the hallway lined with doors. He felt as if he’d been transported back in time since he’d climbed these stairs thousands of times during his childhood.
He found Susie giggling on a double bed with Janie and Linda. When she spotted Caleb in the doorway, they sat up.
“Girls!” Sadie bellowed, joining him in the doorway. “There’s no need for all of this noise. You know that your dat likes some quiet in the evenings. You don’t want him yelling, do you?”
Sadie’s daughters silently shook their heads in response.
“Gut,” Sadie continued. “Have you gotten your baths?”
They shook their heads no.
“It’s time.” Sadie stepped into the room and yanked nightgowns from the bureau.
The girls moaned their disappointment.
“Church comes early in the morning.” Sadie pointed toward the hallway. “Go get your baths and then come to bed.” She glanced at Caleb and smiled. “Let me go check on the boys. I’ll be back.”
Caleb turned to Susie. “Let’s find your gown. You can take a bath too.” He placed her bag on the bed and rummaged through it.
Susie sighed. “But I took a bath Thursday night.”
He tried to suppress his smile. “Ya, but you were also cooped up on a smelly train overnight, and we have services tomorrow. Do you want the other kinner in the district to call you the stinky girl from Ohio?”
“No!” She laughed.
“Here.” He pulled her bed clothes from the bag. “Now remember to keep your voice down. Your onkel doesn’t like a lot of noise. We don’t want to wear out our welcome on the first night. Go wash up.”
Susie removed her prayer covering and unwound her long, light brown hair from its tight bun. She started for the door and then faced him, her pretty face
pensive. “Dat, I’m sorry for scaring you at the market.”
Caleb lowered himself on the bed and sighed. “I forgive you, mei liewe. I may be a bit overprotective, but it’s my job to make sure you’re safe.” Like I failed to do with your mother …
He pushed the thought away. He needed to suppress that regret and concentrate on enjoying Christmas with his sister’s family.
“I know.” She bit her lower lip and then smiled. “Did you see that pretty lady at the quilt stand?”
“What pretty lady?” Sadie rounded the corner with her eyes wide with excitement.
Caleb swallowed a groan. While he loved his sister dearly, he’d learned a long time ago that she was a hopeless gossip, who enjoyed sharing the latest community news at her weekly quilting bees. Rumors of his courting Barbara spread like wildfire after Sadie caught Caleb and Barbara chatting on the porch late one night during the summer they met.
“At the farmers market, where we got the pie,” Susie said, hugging her nightgown to her chest. “She was at a quilt stand, and she said that her mamm taught her how to make quilts when she was about my age.”
“Quilt stand?” Sadie tilted her head in question. “That must have been Naomi King or maybe Lilly Lapp. They both work there. Naomi’s mamm owns the stand. She’s had it for years, and it does a good bit of business. I quilt for her sometimes.”
“Really?” Susie’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Would you teach me how to quilt, Aenti Sadie?”
“Ya.” Sadie touched Susie’s nose. “Now you run along and get your bath. We must rise early in the morning.”
“Okay.” Susie trotted down the long hallway.
“She needs a mamm,” Sadie said, shooting Caleb a stern look. “It’s been two years.”
Caleb frowned. He’d expected a lecture with Sadie’s unsolicited advice, but he’d hoped she’d wait a day or two before starting in on him. “She has plenty of female role models in our community. She loves her teacher, and we have many friends at church.”
“That’s not the same as a mamm.” Sadie’s expression softened, and she stepped toward him. “She needs someone to be there when she has questions that only a woman can discuss.”