by Marta Perry
Susanna clasped her hand. “Of course we’re all right. You must know how dear you are to me. After all we’ve done together, nothing can separate us.”
Dora smiled, obviously relieved. “They were gut years we had with the shop, ja?”
She was talking about the shop in the past, and Susanna’s heart ached a little more. “Aren’t you sorry to see it go?”
“Ja, in a way.” Dora spoke slowly, as if still sorting out her feelings. “I have regrets, but the flood has made me realize I need to take things a little easier.”
“Then that’s what you should do.” Susanna certainly didn’t want Dora thinking she had to do anything she didn’t want to for her sake.
“I don’t mind helping out in Nate’s store,” Dora said, glancing around at the well-ordered shelves. “And in your shop, too.” She paused, and Susanna thought she seemed a little embarrassed. “I mean, assuming you open the shop somewhere else.”
Susanna nodded, uncomfortable. She hadn’t yet made up her mind what to do. The legacy, as Chloe called it, would allow her to do so, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to stay in Oyersburg.
Of course, now that Chloe was so happy, Susanna didn’t have to stay for her sake. She could open a little shop somewhere else, maybe even in Pleasant Valley, as Chloe had suggested, close to Lydia.
“I’m glad we’re still friends,” Dora said. “I wonder, now. Would you mind doing a little something for me since you’re here? It wouldn’t take you more than a couple of minutes.”
“I’d be glad to.” As long as she could be well away before Nate returned. “What is it?”
“You know my little black change purse, the one I always carry?”
Susanna nodded. Dora had had the same little snap bag since Susanna had known her.
“I left it next door this morning. Mrs. Walker wanted to show me the work they were doing over there, and I must have walked out and left it on the counter.”
“I’ll gladly fetch it, but won’t the door be locked?”
“That’s why I’m afraid someone will take it,” Dora said. “The workers are in and out at all hours, and they keep leaving the door unlocked. Anyone could walk in.”
Susanna nodded. “I’ll try the door at least. If I can’t get in, surely Mrs. Walker will see it and know it’s yours.”
“Denke.” Dora seemed more relieved than was justified by a small change purse. “You’ll go right now, ain’t so?”
Smiling, Susanna went toward the door. Thomas jumped to open it for her, and she gave him a friendly nod as she walked out.
It was only a few steps to the storefront next door. The plate-glass windows had been covered over with brown paper, so she couldn’t see if anyone was there.
She tried the door. As Dora had feared, it was unlocked. She opened it and went inside. “Is anyone here?”
No answer, but plenty of light came through the paper on the windows. She glanced around, curious.
The store was much larger than it had looked when filled with all the paraphernalia of a hardware store. Now the shelves and cabinets stood empty, and the bare wooden floor echoed to her footsteps as she went to the counter in search of the change purse.
“I already have it.” Nate stepped out from the back room, dropping the little bag on the counter. “Susanna—”
She turned away, shaking her head, feeling her cheeks go red with shock and embarrassment. How could Dora, her dear friend, trick her this way?
“Don’t blame Mamm,” he said, and moved as quickly as his cast would allow between her and the door. “I told her there was no other way you’d talk to me.”
“There still isn’t,” she said, determined on that point, at least.
“Please, Susanna, just listen, then. Only for a few minutes. Then I promise I won’t bother you again.”
All of her anger had been spent. Now she just felt cold. Empty. Common civility demanded that she listen to him. Forgiveness would take a little longer. She gave a curt nod and clasped her hands together.
Now that he had his chance, Nate didn’t seem to know where to begin. He gestured to the space around them. “What do you think of it?”
“Very nice,” she said, her tone colorless. “Why does it matter?”
“I’m considering buying it, but I wouldn’t do that without asking you first.”
She stared at him blankly. “What are you talking about?”
“Your shop.” His face was serious, his gaze intent. “This is for you, if you’ll take it. I tried to get out of the deal with the town, but they wouldn’t agree, so I thought maybe this was the next best thing. It’s right on the busiest part of Main Street, and you can see it has plenty more space than the old shop.”
She was shaking her head. “Stop, please. This doesn’t make sense.”
“Susanna, listen. I know it sounds as if I’m trying to buy forgiveness, but I’m not. Forgiveness can only be freely given, and I don’t deserve yours.”
“I forgive you.” Her head was pounding so that she couldn’t think. She just wanted him to stop. “Does that satisfy you?”
His eyes filled with something she realized was pain. “I was so determined to prove that I wasn’t like my father that I let my business take me over. I turned into someone who couldn’t think of anyone except in terms of business. That’s far worse than anything my father ever did.”
The genuine feeling in his face seemed to melt the ice around her heart.
“Don’t say that about yourself. Think about what you did in the flood, giving away without ever counting the cost. You’re a hardworking, generous man, Nate. You are.” She could hardly believe she was defending him, but it was true.
“It doesn’t look that way to me.” His lips twisted. “I lost what I valued most because I was so intent on business.”
Her heart thudded. He couldn’t be talking about her, could he?
“I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way I did.” She rubbed her temple, trying to understand. “I was just as bad, so preoccupied with my shop, so desperate to have it back the way it was that I couldn’t see anything else.”
Somehow he was holding both her hands in a warm grip. “It’s not the same, Susanna. You gave your heart to your shop. I was at risk of giving my soul.” His voice had roughened with pain. “Ach, Susanna, don’t you see? You woke me up, made me start thinking about life again. Made me want to be a better man for you. I know I made a mess of it the first time, but can’t you forgive me and give me another chance?”
Fear ricocheted through her. To risk her heart that he loved her, wanted her—
Somehow she managed to push the fear away. That was her hangover from the past, that conviction that nobody could want her. This was the future.
Nate loved her. How could she turn away from him again?
He was still waiting, patient, anxious. She reached out to press her palm against his cheek, searching for the words.
He found them for her. “I’ll ask you for the second time, Susanna. Will you marry me?”
She smiled, feeling suddenly free of the past. “For the second and last time, yes, I will.”
Nate drew her into his arms, and she went willingly, sliding her arms around him and feeling him warm and alive under her hands. He loved her. This was her future. Nate loved her, and they would make a new life together.
EPILOGUE
Susanna
smiled as she looked around the crowded shop. She was having an open house to celebrate the new location of Plain Gifts, and folks had been streaming in all day long.
The Oyersburg Amish had turned out in force, as if today’s event was a continuation of hers and Nate’s wedding party the previous Thursday. And so many Amish from Pleasant Valley came that they’d had to hire a bus.
Their Englisch friends were there, as well, so many of the people with whom they�
��d worked during the trying time of the flood. Maybe everyone felt the need for a celebration of something. It would be a long while before the town was completely normal again, but it was good to celebrate the small accomplishments along the way.
Chloe appeared at her elbow, holding a serving tray of snacks and sweets. “I still say you should have delayed the opening so that the two of you could have gotten away for a honeymoon,” she said. “You’re newlyweds, and you’re working harder than ever.”
Susanna smiled fondly at her sister. “You’re a fine one to talk. You and Seth are going to be married in just a month, and I haven’t seen you go anywhere except to Philadelphia to bring your grandmother back for today.”
She nodded toward the corner where Margaret Wentworth sat, very erect, seeming to supervise the proceedings. Daniel approached her with a plate of cookies, and she shed the grande dame manner to smile at him.
“What are you two plotting with your heads together?” Lydia came over to lean heavily against the counter.
“You should sit down,” Susanna said, but before she could move to get a chair, Nate had brought one. He smiled at her over Lydia’s head, one eye twitching in the slightest suggestion of a wink.
Her heart fluttered. Here she was an old married woman already, but melting the instant her husband looked at her.
“Well?” Lydia demanded, her arm curved protectively around her belly.
“No plots,” Chloe said, leaning close to speak above the chatter in the room. “Susanna was chiding me for not getting away for some private time with Seth—”
“You started it,” Susanna said. “You and your talk about honeymoons.”
Chloe grinned. “I was about to explain that Seth has gotten so busy already that he doesn’t want to take any time off yet. And I’m content to be here. Where else would I want to be?”
Seth had begun a new business right here in Oyersburg. The town would come back, he’d said, and there was no reason why he couldn’t do for small local businesses what he’d done for big corporations in his last job. He seemed very content, happy to give up traveling all over the place for a quieter life and a slower pace.
Chloe was blooming, her happiness contagious. Between helping Seth get started, looking for a house for them once they were married, and helping Susanna get the shop completed, she still managed to find time to work on her research.
Chloe had echoed her thoughts, Susanna realized. Where else would she want to be?
Just two months ago she’d been in the old shop, contented enough but alone. Now . . . now she had family, friends, two dear sisters, a loving husband, and the shop. The quilt that her mother had made and her dear mother-in-law had saved now graced the double bed she shared with Nate. God had been so good to her.
“What do you suppose they’d think if they could see us now?” Lydia said, echoing the words Susanna had once spoken.
She didn’t have to explain, not to them, that she was talking about their birth parents. Despite the fact that none of them could remember their faces, they seemed very close and very dear at times. They had done their best for their three little girls. No one could do more.
“They’d be happy,” Chloe said, as she had before. “They’d be happy that we’ve found each other at last.”
RECIPES
Three Bean Salad
This is my standard dish for times when the power is off, as in an emergency. No cooking required, and although it’s better chilled, it can be served at room temperature.
FOR THE SALAD:
2 cups cut green beans, canned
2 cups cut yellow beans, canned
2 cups kidney beans, canned
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
FOR THE DRESSING:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup salad oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Drain the beans and place in a large glass bowl. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery. Mix the dressing ingredients together, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture. Cover and refrigerate. The recipe can be doubled or tripled as needed.
Church Beans
These beans seem to go by different names in different parts of the country. I’ve heard them called “funeral beans” and “church lady beans,” and every cook seems to have her own variations in ingredients. I make this whenever I need to serve a hearty dish to a crowd.
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1/2 pound ground beef
1 large onion, diced
1 can (14-ounce) pork and beans
1 can (7- or 12-ounce) kidney beans, drained
1 can (8-ounce) butter beans or any white beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon mustard
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large frying pan, cook the bacon until lightly browned. Add ground beef and onion, cooking while stirring until browned. Stir in the beans and add the rest of the ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Pour into a 2-quart-deep casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 1 hour. The recipe can be doubled for a larger crowd, and it can also be cooked in a slow cooker on low for 4 to 5 hours instead of baked.
Aunt Erna’s Banana Fudge Bars
This recipe is a good way to use up ripe bananas. It’s delicious and the ingredients are ones I always have in my pantry.
1/3 cup melted shortening
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon milk
2 well-beaten eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1 cup mashed bananas
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine the shortening, cocoa powder, and sugar by hand or at a low speed with a mixer. Add the rest of the ingredients except the bananas and walnuts and beat well. Stir in the bananas and walnuts. Pour batter into a greased 8-inch-square pan. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. This recipe can be doubled for a larger batch.
Dear Reader,
Susanna’s Dream continues the story of the three lost sisters and their efforts to create a bond after so many years apart. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the lives of Lydia, Susanna, and Chloe, and the family they’ve forged together.
The flood in this story is based on Tropical Storm Lee, which caused devastating flooding in my family’s small town and in others along the Susquehanna River basin. Although the names have been changed, the selfless actions taken by so many people to help others are genuine. We’ve seen again and again how generous and giving people are when they band together to face an emergency.
I would love to hear your thoughts about my book. If you’d care to write to me, I’d be happy to reply with a signed bookmark or bookplate and my brochure of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. You can find me on the Web at martaperry.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/MartaPerryBooks, e-mail me at [email protected], or write to me in care of Berkley Publicity Department, Penguin Group (USA) LLC, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.
Blessings,
Marta Perry
An Excerpt from
THE FORGIVEN
First in Marta Perry’s fascinating new series
Keepers of the Promise
Coming in print and e-book from Berkley Books in October 2014
Rhoda!
Joshua! Come to supper.” Rebecca Fisher stayed on the back porch until she saw her two kinder running toward the house. Rhoda came from the big barn, wher
e she’d been “helping” Rebecca’s father and brother with the evening chores. Rhoda adored her grossdaadi and Onkel Simon, and Rebecca was grateful every day that Rhoda had them to turn to now that her own daadi was gone.
Joshua had clearly been up in the old apple tree that was his favorite perch. Paul had talked about building a tree house there for Joshua’s sixth birthday. That birthday would come soon, but Paul wasn’t here to see it. Rebecca’s throat tightened, and she forced the thought away.
“Mammi, Mammi.” Joshua flung himself at her, grabbing her apron with grubby hands. “Guess who I saw?”
“I don’t know, Josh. Who?” She hugged him with one arm and gathered Rhoda against her with the other. Rhoda let herself be hugged for a moment and then wiggled free.
“I helped put the horses in,” she reported. “Onkel Simon said I’m a gut helper.”
“Mammi, I’m talking.” Joshua glared at his sister. “Guess who I saw?”
“Hush, now,” Rebecca said, hating it when they quarreled, even though she remembered only too well how she and her brothers and sisters had plagued each other. “Rhoda, I’m wonderful glad you’re helping. Joshua, who did you see?”
Probably an owl or a chipmunk—at five, Joshua considered every creature he encountered a real person.
“Daadi!” Joshua grinned, unaware of the hole that had just opened up in his mother’s stomach.
“Joshua—” She struggled to find the words.
“That’s stupid,” Rhoda declared from the superiority of her seven years. Her small face tightened with anger. “Daadi’s in heaven. He can’t come back, so you can’t see him, so don’t be stupid.”
“Rhoda, don’t call your brother stupid.” Rebecca managed the easier part of the correction first. She knelt in front of her son, praying for the right words. “Joshua, you must understand that Daadi loves you always, but he can’t come back.”
“But I saw him, Mammi. I saw him in the new stable and—”