A Kauffman Amish Christmas Collection

by Amy Clipston

  Chattering and laughing, the women and girls lined up around the table.

  Susie looked up at Naomi. “Can I help you get cookies?”

  Naomi’s heart warmed. “I would love it,” she said.

  Susie beamed and held up the bucket. “I’ll get us the best cookies.”

  Touching Susie’s shoulder, Naomi smiled. “That sounds wunderbaar gut.”

  As they moved around the table grabbing cookies, Naomi wondered why Susie had latched onto her when there were a host of other women and Susie’s cousins in the room. And would Susie’s father approve if he saw Susie with her? Her thoughts turned to Susie’s father, and she wondered what he was doing while they filled buckets with cookies.

  “This is nice,” Caleb said. He glanced around the showroom of the Kauffman & Yoder Amish Furniture Store and marveled at the dining room sets, bedroom suites, entertainment centers, hutches, end tables, desks, and coffee tables. All were examples of the finely crafted pieces that Timothy and the other carpenters created.

  Timothy’s father, Eli, had built the original store with his best friend, Elmer Yoder, before Timothy was born.

  “Danki.” Timothy looped an arm around Caleb’s shoulder. “Let’s go in the shop and you can see everyone.”

  Timothy led Caleb behind the counter and through the doorway to the center of the work area. Caleb scanned the sea of carpenters and waved at Timothy’s brother, Daniel. The large, open warehouse was divided into nearly a dozen work areas separated by workbenches cluttered with an array of tools.

  The sweet scent of wood and stain filled his nostrils. The men working around him were building beautifully designed pieces that would be favorites among Lancaster County tourists and residents alike. Hammers banged and saw blades whirled beneath the hum of diesel-powered air compressors.

  Eli approached and shook Caleb’s hand. “Wie geht’s?”

  “I’m doing well,” Caleb said. “This is a wunderbaar shop you have. It’s bigger, and the furniture is still schee.”

  “Danki.” Eli folded his arms and glanced around. “We’re pleased with it. Business has been very gut this year. The Lord is gut to us.”

  Daniel approached with another man at his side. “Caleb! This is Luke Troyer, my sister Sarah’s husband. Luke, this is a dear old friend, Caleb Schmucker. He abandoned us and moved to Ohio several years ago.”

  Caleb chuckled as he shook Luke’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, and I didn’t abandon anyone.”

  Luke laughed. “Nice to meet you too.”

  “Caleb builds buggies,” Timothy said. “He’s known in Middlefield as one of the best.”

  Caleb waved off the comment. “You’re exaggerating.”

  “We could use your talent around here,” Timothy said.

  “You should have your own shop.” Daniel patted Caleb’s shoulder. “You need to move back here.”

  “That’s funny,” Caleb nodded. “I keep hearing that.”

  “I’m serious,” Daniel continued. “Did you see that shop just down the road?” He pointed in the direction of the showroom. “It’s not far from here. An Englisher owns it.” He glanced at Eli. “What’s his name?”

  “Parker,” Eli said, rubbing his beard. “Riley Parker.”

  Daniel snapped his fingers. “Right! He’s been trying to sell it for quite a while. I bet you could get a great deal on it.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Luke chimed in. “We could help you fix the place up.”

  “Ya, we could,” Timothy said with a grin.

  “Hold on a minute!” Caleb held his hands up. “Slow down. I have a life in Ohio.”

  Timothy raised his eyebrows in question, and Caleb glanced away.

  “Let’s introduce you to the rest of the carpenters,” Eli said. “Elmer would enjoy seeing you. It’s been a long time.”

  After meeting all of the carpenters, Caleb sat in the break room with Timothy and Daniel. “Your dat has done well for himself.”

  Timothy passed a bottle of water across the table to Caleb. “Ya, he has. It’s hard work, but it’s paid off.”

  “Is Susie at the cookie party today?” Daniel asked while opening a bottle of water.

  Caleb took a sip and nodded. “She was excited about it this morning. She loves being with her cousins.”

  Timothy raised his eyebrows.

  Caleb shook his head. “Timothy, please don’t start nagging me about moving here.”

  Timothy feigned insult. “I didn’t say a word.”

  “Don’t you think it would be good for Susie to be around her cousins and her family?” Daniel asked.

  Caleb nodded. “I know it would be. I’m just not certain it will be good for me.” He tore at the label on the bottle. “I’m not certain I’m ready to leave the memories.”

  “Ach,” Timothy said. “Look at the time. The cookie exchange will be over soon.” He stood. “I told Miriam I’d pick her up.” He glanced at his brother. “Are you going to get Rebecca and the girls?” Daniel nodded. “I am.”

  “Do you want me to get them?” Timothy offered.

  “Will you have room for everyone?” Daniel asked. “Rebecca has Lindsay and Daniel Jr.”

  Timothy shrugged. “I think we’ll have plenty of room.”

  “That would be fine,” Daniel said. “I can finish this project I started. Danki.”

  Caleb stood and shook Daniel’s hand. “It was gut seeing you again.”

  “Ya,” Daniel said. “Think about what I said about the property nearby. You’d have plenty of business here. I think a new start would be gut for your soul.”

  “I’ll consider it,” Caleb said.

  He followed Timothy through the shop, where he said goodbye to the carpenters. Daniel’s words were still fresh in his mind as he climbed into Timothy’s buggy. Would moving be good for his soul? Would it be good for Susie, or would uprooting her from all she’d ever known cause her more emotional pain after losing her mother only two years ago? He thought back to the conversation he’d had with Timothy after the church service. While Caleb felt guilty about moving on, he was beginning to wonder if it was time to take the plunge and do it. Perhaps he should consider breaking free of the holding pattern he’d been stuck in since he’d lost Barbara. The questions rolled through his mind as they headed toward the bakery.

  Susie sat across from Naomi at a small table and bit into another cookie. “I love chocolate chip cookies. They’re my favorite. What’s your favorite, Naomi?”

  Naomi glanced beside her at Lilly, who grinned in response. “I think peanut butter is my favorite,” Naomi said.

  “Oh,” Susie said. “I love peanut butter too. I guess I have two favorites.” She turned to Janie beside her. “You like peanut butter, right?”

  Janie nodded. “Ya, I love peanut butter. My mamm makes the best peanut butter cookies.”

  Susie glanced back at Naomi. “I like to bake. Do you like to bake?”

  Naomi nodded. “I do.”

  “Do you bake a lot?” Susie asked between bites of cookie.

  “Ya, I do. I have a big family, and I do a good bit of cooking.” Naomi sipped her cup of water.

  “How many brothers and sisters do you have?” Susie asked.

  “I have five brothers and three sisters,” Naomi said.

  Susie’s eyes widened. “Oh my. That is a big family. You’re so lucky. I’m an only child.” She frowned. “My mamm was going to have another boppli when she died.”

  Naomi dropped her cookie, and Lilly gasped.

  Susie nodded. “Ya, my dat was so sad when my mamm died. I was sad too. I cried for my mamm and also for the boppli.”

  Naomi was stunned into silence for a moment. “I’m so sorry,” Lilly said softly.

  “I am too.” Naomi reached over and touched Susie’s hand.

  “Danki. I’m still sad sometimes, but mostly I try to be froh. I like to think of the fun my mamm and I had. We used to bake cookies and she would read me stories at bedtime.” Susie picke
d up another cookie. “My dat said that Jesus needed my mamm and the boppli, and I’ll see them again someday.”

  “That’s right,” Naomi said, forcing a smile. “You’ll see them, and you can hug them again in heaven.”

  “Right.” Susie’s smile widened. “And I can tell them how much I love them.” She sipped her water. “I loved watching my mamm when she quilted. I used to sit on a stool next to her and she’d teach me how to make the stitches. I loved all of the colors she used. My favorite quilts were the ones that had blues and maroons in them.”

  Naomi nodded. “I love those colors too. They look very schee together.”

  “I saw those at the farmers market,” Susie said. “That’s why I ran over to meet you. It reminded me of my mamm.”

  Overwhelmed by emotion, Naomi smiled. The quilts and memories of her mamm are what drew her to me. It makes sense now. “That’s very nice, Susie. I’m so glad that you like my quilts.”

  “Will you teach me how to make a quilt?” Susie’s eyes were filled with hope. “I really want to learn how.”

  “Ya,” Naomi said. “If we have time during your visit, I would—”

  “Susie!” Sadie yelled from across the room. “Susie, will you come here, please?”

  Susie stood. “My aenti is calling me. I’ll be back.” She and Janie ran off to where Sadie stood with Irene Wagler, Miriam, and Sarah Rose.

  Naomi turned to Lilly, whose eyes were wide with shock.

  “That poor kind,” Lilly whispered. “She’s been through so much.” She wiped her tearing eyes. “And her mamm was pregnant. I wonder what happened. How did she die?”

  “I don’t know,” Naomi said. “I was wondering too.”

  She looked across the room. Sadie gave her a nasty look that seemed to say she should stay away, which sent a cold chill up Naomi’s spine. Sadie then said something to Irene who glanced down at Susie and gave her a forced smile. She wondered what Sadie was saying, and for a split second she felt a pang of jealousy. She wanted to spend more time with Susie, but she pushed the thought away. Why should she feel any connection to a child who would soon return to her home in another state?

  “What’s on your mind, Naomi?” Lilly asked.

  “Nothing.” Naomi turned her attention back to the plate of cookies in front of her, but her appetite had evaporated after hearing the story of Susie’s mother.

  “You like her, don’t you?” Lilly asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Susie,” Lilly said. “You care about her.”

  “Of course I do,” Naomi said simply. “She’s a sweet little girl who lost her mamm. It’s difficult not to care about her. I feel sorry for her.”

  “But you feel something deep for her,” Lilly pressed on. “I can see it in your eyes. And she’s attached to you as well.”

  Naomi avoided Lilly’s stare by examining the crumbs on her plate. “Maybe Susie will want to write letters to me. Hopefully she will come to visit again soon.”

  “Naomi.” Lilly touched her arm. “It’s okay to say that you care about the kind and want to get to know her better. Perhaps you should talk to her dat.”

  “What are you trying to get at?” Naomi asked with suspicion.

  “You and the girl get along.” Lilly shrugged. “Maybe the dat needs some company too after losing his fraa.”

  Naomi sighed. “We’ve discussed this. I’m not looking for love, and it’s wrong to prey on a widower.”

  “Prey on him?” Lilly laughed. “How is it preying on him if you go and talk to him and tell him that you enjoy spending time with his dochder?”

  Naomi glowered at her. “I know what you’re thinking. You want me to try to court him, and I won’t do it. I refuse to be called the maedel who runs after every eligible bachelor. My mamm called me that, and it didn’t feel nice at all. Besides that, he’s connected to the Kauffmans. I think it’s time I give up on the Kauffman men. If I ever do court again, it will be a man who is in no way related to the Kauffmans. Maybe he won’t even know the Kauffmans.” She turned back to Susie, who was smiling up at Irene. “Please just drop it.”

  “Fine,” Lilly said with a sigh. “But I have a feeling about this, Naomi. I can’t shake the idea that you and Susie’s dat —”

  “Lilly,” Naomi seethed. “Stop.”

  “Fine, fine.” Lilly waved off the thought.

  Naomi shook her head and wondered if Lilly could somehow be right about the connection Naomi felt toward Susie.

  Caleb climbed the steps to the bakery. “It feels like I was just here yesterday,” he said, glancing around the wraparound porch. “It looks the same as it did when we were kids.”

  “Ya, my mamm loves it and keeps it running with several of her daughters. We fix it up and repaint every spring.” Timothy yanked the door open and they stepped into the bakery, which was bustling with women and girls who were laughing while straightening, sweeping, and cleaning.

  “I guess we missed the party,” Timothy said.

  Caleb chuckled. “Ya, it sure looks like—”

  “Dat!” Susie ran over, interrupting his words. “Dat!”

  He bent down, and she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. Holding onto her, he closed his eyes and smiled. Oh, how he cherished his sweet little girl. “Did you have fun?” he asked.

  “Ya!” She beamed. “I ate so many cookies! And I sat and talked to Naomi, my new freind.” She pointed across the room to where Naomi stood with another young woman. “She’s the one who makes the quilts at the farmers market.” Taking his hand, Susie yanked him. “Come meet her.”

  “Okay,” Caleb said. “Slow down.”

  Holding her hand, he followed her across the room. Naomi’s gaze met his, and he was almost certain he glimpsed a flash of panic in her eyes before she glanced away. He wondered what that brief expression meant. Did his presence bother her?

  “You’ll like my new freind,” Susie said, pulling Caleb toward Naomi.

  “Caleb!” Sadie’s voice called as she approached.

  Caleb stepped toward Naomi, who looked up at him. As he opened his mouth to speak to Naomi, Sadie stepped in front of him and grabbed his arm.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Sadie said, turning him toward her. “Irene is here too. I know she would love to talk to you.” She pushed him toward Irene, who stood with Sarah Rose Troyer and Rebecca Kauffman.

  Susie grabbed his hand and tried to pull him backward. “Dat,” she began with a huff, “I wanted you to meet mei freind.”

  “Susie,” Caleb said, looking into her disappointed eyes. “I’ll be just a moment.”

  “Irene was just telling me that her dat does have an opening for a new buggy mechanic,” Sadie continued. “Right, Irene?”

  Irene’s smile was almost coy. “Ya, that’s true, Caleb. I would be froh to introduce you.”

  “She’s leaving!” Susie said. She stamped her foot and marched back toward Naomi.

  Caleb opened his mouth to correct Susie’s disrespectful display, but he didn’t get a chance to speak. Instead, Irene continued chatting on about her father’s shop, and Caleb wanted to interject. He waited for her to take a breath, but her words were strung together like a buggy wheel: no beginning, no end. He nodded, feigning interest, but his mind was set on a polite escape. He turned in the direction of Susie, and he spotted his daughter waving to Naomi as she headed out the front door with a woman about her age and three younger girls. He gave a sigh of defeat as he looked at Irene, who was still talking.

  “I wanted you to meet mei freind,” Susie said to Caleb while snuggling down in the bed next to her cousin later that evening.

  “I know, but you were very disrespectful when you yelled and stamped your foot like a boppli.” Caleb brushed a lock of brown hair back from Susie’s forehead. “I’m certain I will talk to her before we leave.”

  “I’m sorry I acted like a boppli, but I was just disappointed. Naomi is really nice.” Susie nodded with emphasis. “She sai
d she’s going to teach me to quilt.”

  Caleb smiled. “Is that so?”

  “Ya.” Susie glanced at Janie, who also nodded. “She’s very pretty.”

  Ya, she is. He pushed that thought away.

  “Tomorrow is the school program,” Susie said. “I hope Naomi is there. Maybe you can meet her then.” He nodded. “Maybe so.”

  “Naomi will be there. Her sisters, Levina and Sylvia, go to the school. The Christmas program will be fun,” Janie chimed in. “Susie is going to help us with the singing.”

  “That’s gut.” Caleb smiled at his niece. “It’s time to get some sleep.” Leaning over, he kissed Susie’s cheek. “I’m glad you had fun today.” He said good night to his nieces and then headed for the door.

  As he descended the stairs, he contemplated Naomi. Susie was correct: Naomi was pretty. And he hoped his next encounter with the mysterious woman wasn’t hijacked by his elder sister. In fact, he decided at that moment that he would make it a point to speak to the young woman who had his daughter so captivated.

  CHAPTER 6

  The following afternoon, Naomi shivered and pulled her cloak closer to her body while she trudged through the blowing snow from her family’s buggy toward the one-room schoolhouse. Levina stumbled beside her, and Naomi grabbed her arm, steadying her younger sister on her feet as they moved through the swirling snow.

  Irma, Naomi’s mother, fell in step beside her. “I didn’t think this snow was predicted for today. I thought the paper said the snow would start tomorrow.”

  Shaking her head, Naomi tightened her grip on her bag filled with treats and candies for the children who would perform the Christmas program. Each year, the teacher wrote the program, and the students practiced to get it just right. “No, I didn’t think the snow was supposed to start before this evening.”

  Her brothers ran ahead, laughing and slipping through the snow.

  “Slow down, boys,” Titus, her father, bellowed. He shook his head. “They have such energy.”

  “Ya,” Irma said, taking his hand. “They do. They get it from you.” She gave Titus a sweet smile.

  Naomi swallowed a sigh at the sweet sign of affection. She’d always admired the relationship her parents shared. She hoped that someday she’d find that kind of love and affection in a husband. She pushed the thought away since she believed in her heart that love wasn’t in God’s plan for her. Thinking about it too much would put her in a blue mood, and she needed to stay upbeat so she could enjoy the program.