Summer of Secrets

by Charlotte Hubbard

  Miriam’s heart leaped and she grinned before she could stop herself. Silently she thanked Bob with a gaze that felt prickly with tears.

  “That’s an outrage!” Hiram protested. “You should have called me, or—”

  “You should have instructed me to do that if other offers came in,” Derek countered quietly. “Just a couple hours after you made your offer, one of your neighbors offered me twenty thousand more, sir. Had you wanted to conduct an auction, we would’ve opened the bidding in a public—”

  “That was not my intent, and you know it!”

  This time it was Derek Shotwell who went silent, standing with his hands clasped around the papers ... a stance that reminded Miriam of Bishop Knepp on a Sunday morning.

  “Please understand that it was not my intent to interfere with religion or the dealings of the Amish, either,” Bob Oliveri offered. “But when Tiffany came home a few weeks ago, afraid Miriam—her mother—was about to lose a business she’d invested her heart and soul in—”

  “That’s the problem!” the bishop interjected.

  “—I suddenly knew the perfect use for my deceased wife’s retirement funds.” Bob sounded every bit as convinced as Derek that he’d made the right decision: he’d followed his business sense as well as his heart. “Jan’s money had rolled over into accounts and CD’s that weren’t earning a pittance of the interest she’d originally received, and I have my own pension income. Seems more worthwhile to invest that money with a wonderful, loving woman like Miriam—the mother of the daughter I raised quite by accident. And when I saw how excited Tiffany was about the idea, that cinched it.”

  Miriam’s pulse thrummed, yet she kept her eyes lowered: Hiram Knepp was more peeved than she’d ever seen him. It had never been her intent to prevail over the bishop quite so triumphantly ... but hadn’t the Lord just answered her prayers? Was it prideful—presumptuous—to assume her pleas to the Almighty had been heard?

  “And all things considered,” Bob went on in that low, steady voice, “we’ve accomplished your original mission, Bishop Knepp. As I understand it, ownership of this building was the stumbling block for Miriam, and now? She and the quilting ladies will be paying me a monthly rent while their businesses thrive, and I’ll earn a better income than I would have from Jan’s investments. So all things have worked out to the good, for all of us here who love the Lord.”

  Hiram shoved his hands into his pockets. “That’s open to interpretation. And this situation is by no means settled, Miriam.” Two bright pink spots in the bishop’s cheeks announced his effort to restrain his temper, which didn’t fit the behavior expected of their spiritual leader. He nodded curtly and stalked off to where his buggy was parked.

  For a moment Miriam could only gaze at Derek and Bob, speechless. Then a laugh bubbled up from deep inside her and she extended her hands to them. “Now this takes the cake, ain’t so? Can’t tell ya how mighty gut I feel now, after these weeks of wonderin’ about—”

  “Oh, nobody was happier than I when Mr. Hostetler called,” the banker said with a chuckle. “And then when Bob offered a more perfect solution than any of us could’ve devised—that day I returned your ledger—well, I can’t think of a transaction that’s ever satisfied me more. Congratulations to both of you! Just a few things to sign and our business is complete.”

  Chapter 29

  Rachel felt Mamma’s return to the crowd without seeing her face: a hush hovered over everyone as conversations got suspended midsentence. But then, when had they ever seen Miriam Lantz grinning like a schoolgirl—looking all the prettier because her new orchid dress and fresh kapp brought out the glow of her complexion?

  Rhoda, too, turned to see what was happening, and immediately set aside her lemonade. “Well, it’s for sure and for certain we’re gonna hear gut news now. Somethin’ way more excitin’ than the three of us turnin’ twenty-one, ain’t so?”

  “Jah! It’s so!” Rebecca answered happily. “I thought Daddy and Mr. Shotwell were never going to get this show on the road.”

  The three of them stepped aside as Mamma came to the cake table, but before she said a word she just grabbed them. Squeezed them, laughing and then crying until she had to wipe her face on her sleeve. “Ya won’t believe it, girls!” She blew her nose loudly into the napkin Naomi handed her. “Rebecca’s dat bought the Sweet Seasons buildin’, so now the bakery and the quilt shop can go right on doin’ what we do best!”

  “Oh, Mamma! That’s so wonderful-gut!”

  “Best possible news, that!” Naomi slung her arm around Mamma’s shoulders for a sideways hug. She grabbed a napkin, too, to blot her huge brown eyes.

  “And we’ve got our Rebecca to thank for it!” Mamma continued in her excited whisper. Then she picked up a spoon and loudly tapped the tea pitcher to get everyone’s attention. The expectant gazes from all around the dining room had her laughing and crying all over again.

  “Can’t tell ya how happy I am that all of ya came to share this special birthday, now that my three girls are together again,” she began in a voice choked with emotion. Then she inhaled loudly, to settle herself. “But I can tell ya, for sure and for certain, that I’m mighty happy about Rebecca’s dat, Bob Oliveri, buyin’ the buildin’ and keepin’ us here, along with the Schrocks’ quiltin’ shop!”

  The applause and whistles were deafening. Mary Schrock clapped her hands while Eva and Priss reached for each other. Bob Oliveri looked ready to pass through a crack between the floorboards, but it was a happy sort of embarrassment—and it earned him an immediate place as a good friend among these Plain folk, who had long supported the two local shops.

  From across the room, Rachel found Micah’s easy grin ... as though he’d guessed this might happen and had never believed Mamma would be out of business. The way his gaze lingered on Rachel ... the smile that eased over his handsome face ... foretold at least one more secret to be revealed before this eventful summer passed into fall. Every time she’d seen him today he was escorting someone to the loft, and she’d overheard several folks saying they had places in their homes or shops where a sliding wall system would be just the thing.

  Never had she felt so proud of him! Even in this uncertain economy where large construction projects were harder to come by, Micah Brenneman had found a way to turn his smarts and his building skills into a fine, steady income for him and his brothers. All because he’d gone out on a limb to find out more about Tiffany Oliveri, the girl in black and tattoos. And then he’d faced the consequences, made his confession before God and all of them, and set himself right with the world again. No complaints. No finger-pointing or accusations.

  Something about his expression made Rachel’s heart thump in her chest. She held his gaze for another teasing moment and then she cut a large square of the strawberry cream cake, surrounding it with scoops of all four ice creams. Micah’s eyes followed her every movement—he met her gaze then—and as she headed for the kitchen’s back door, she’d never felt more triumphant. She hadn’t conquered Micah’s wandering thoughts so much as she’d taken control of her own. It was a wonder the handsome blond had tolerated her pity-fits and tantrums. She could see now that Tiffany—their Rebecca, returned—had no romantic interest in her man. And she never had.

  Rachel set the loaded plate on the kitchen counter and returned to the cake table. She hesitated, but when Rebecca turned, Rachel wrapped her sister in her arms and just held her ... felt the heart that had beat time with hers since before they were born. “Denki, Rebecca,” she whispered. “Thank you so much for—for all you’ve done for us.”

  “Jah, denki!” Rhoda whispered as she, too, joined the embrace. “We wouldn’t be celebratin’ this way if ya hadn’t persuaded your dat—”

  “You wanna hear the real story?” Rebecca’s blue eyes sparkled. She glanced over to be sure Mamma and the others were chattering. “Not my business, telling our mamma who to love or what to do—not my place to butt into your religion, either. But I could not let t
hat bishop take over her life, ya know?”

  Rhoda giggled first, and Rachel couldn’t help joining in. “Jah, we know—”

  “Ya did real gut, Rebecca!”

  “—but can’t none of us ever let on about that! Gotta be our sister secret, ain’t so?”

  Delight sparkled in a gaze that met theirs straight on, filled with a love light Rachel would never have believed had she not seen it herself. “Ya didn’t hear about it from me!” Rebecca teased. “All for one and one for all?”

  “Fer gut and forever!”

  “Jah, sisters! Fer gut and forever!” Rachel squeezed their shoulders, not surprised that all of them heaved a satisfied sigh at the same time. “And now I’m gonna snatch myself a minute with Micah, before his ice cream melts. He’s been givin’ me a look all day and it’s time I heard what’s on his mind.”

  Rachel met Micah’s gaze again. He’d stopped to talk with Tom Hostetler, but he was waiting her out ... observing her as she embraced Rebecca. She took his plate out the back door of the kitchen, listening for his familiar tread behind her. Good thing no one was fetching their buggies, because she wasn’t in the mood to be interrupted. She leaned against the sweet-gum tree that shaded the parking lot, extending the plate as bait.

  Micah stopped a few feet away, his blond hair like corn tassles riffled by the summer breeze. As he stood with his feet spread the width of his broad shoulders, he looked as strong and sturdy as the oaks he fashioned furniture from; not a man to be moved by the winds of conflict or change or gossiping tongues. Micah looked ready to say something profound, but all that came out was, “Happy birthday, Rache.”

  She spooned up some of the melting ice cream and smiled around the creamy sweetness of it. “Jah, it is. Mostly Rebecca’s doin’, that her dat bought the buildin’. And mostly your doin’ that she came around again, to really know us,” Rachel murmured. “Means a lot to us, Micah. I thank ya for doin’ what ya felt was right ... and for puttin’ up with me when I thought all the wrong things about your seein’ her.”

  He shrugged, stretching his suspenders. “I was gawkin’ like a clueless schoolkid. Just real glad it all turned out so gut for all of us. Who knew?”

  “Jah, who knew?” Rachel cut a bite of the pink cake and held it out to him. “Seems I scooped up more than I could handle—and you’re the man to help me with it.”

  Micah stepped toward her then, his smile still speaking of secrets. “You’re tryin’ to coax me into givin’ out your present, ain’t so? I know your kitty-cat ways, Rache.” He closed his eyes over the bite of cake, taking her hand to steady the spoon. “Sweet as this is, you’re even better, ya know. I love ya, honey.”

  Her pulse pounded. “Sometimes I wonder why—”

  “Oh, never doubt it, Rache. From the time I sat gawkin’ at ya in the schoolroom, you were the only girl I could see. Hope ya won’t be disappointed at what I got for your present.”

  Micah guided the spoon into the soft ball of chocolate ice cream and then to her mouth before taking a big bite of the strawberry for himself. He grinned. “Now, see, when I kiss ya we’ll taste like both our favorites, all mixed together till ya can’t tell one from the other ... because it’s a new flavor entirely,” he murmured. “And that’s how it’ll be when we’re married, ain’t so? Blended. So there’s no separatin’ us.”

  Rachel closed her eyes and reveled in his kiss, cool and sweet and, yes, a perfect blending of flavors. “Jah,” she whispered. “I’m likin’ the sound of this, Micah. And the taste, too!”

  “Come here. Looky what I got for ya.” He led her over to where Rosie stood amongst the other horses, hitched to his wagon rather than to the buggy he was so proud of. He lifted off the blue tarp.

  Rachel set the cake plate on the wagon’s seat and then placed a foot on the metal step. She clasped the strong, broad hands that lifted her from the waist. “Lumber,” she murmured, inhaling the fresh-cut tang of it. “And long sections of metal, and bags from the hardware store.”

  “Not the most romantic whatnot,” Micah agreed, “but now that I’ve used the upstairs of the smithy as a trial run, I can whip together the same sorts of rollin’ walls at the house—for you, Rache. So be thinkin’ about how you’d wanna convert the attic into livin’ space, or expand your pantry—”

  “The bathroom, for sure and for certain!” she added. Her heart pounded faster as she considered all the possibilities. With a load of materials like this, why, Micah could redesign their whole house ... create a whole new world for the two of them.

  “And seein’s how ya mentioned maybe openin’ a B and B—”

  Had this man recalled every one of her dreams? Listened to her plans and taken them seriously enough to invest in them himself? While Dat had dearly loved Mamma, he’d never been one for fixing up the house. Like most men, he’d invested money in his business—having the best farrier equipment and materials to work with—but he’d never provided conveniences for his woman. Yet here was Micah Brenneman, already indulging her whims without questioning their practicality or imposing judgment on their worth.

  “Micah, I’m thinkin’ now that I just wanna share that house with you,” she insisted softly. Her heart quivered at the thought of it ... having this man all to herself because he’d already made a cozy nest for her mother and sister. “And hopefully, now that the Sweet Seasons is still Mamma’s, and you’ve got so many new projects ... we won’t need the income from a B and B. So we can figure out other ways to use those bedrooms. Ain’t so?”

  “I like the way you’re thinkin’, Rachel.” He nuzzled her neck. “And come fall, I’m gonna make gut on all your ideas. And mine!”

  When she turned in his sturdy arms, her heart soared. “It’s been quite a summer,” she whispered against his soft hair, “but there’s a lot to be said for snuggle-up weather, too. Ain’t so?”

  WHAT’S COOKIN’ AT THE SWEET SEASONS CAFÉ?

  Because I love to cook as much as Miriam and Naomi do, here are recipes for some of the dishes they’ve served up in Summer of Secrets! Some are my own favorite concoctions, while others come from Plain cookbooks and newspaper columns—where I discovered that Amish cooks do indeed use convenience foods like cake mixes, frozen hash browns, canned pie filling, Cheez Whiz, and Cool Whip. Amish cooks usually “doctor” these mixes, but they like to save time in the kitchen, same as anybody else!

  I’ll also post these on my Web site, www.CharlotteHubbardAuthor.com, and if you don’t see the recipe you want, please e-mail me via my Web site to request it, plus bookmarks, etc. You can also learn more about me and follow my blog on this site. Hope you enjoy these dishes as much as I do! Yum!

  ~Charlotte

  Stuffed Peppers

  Feeds a hungry bunch and looks especially festive in red pepper shells—or alternate red and green peppers in the pan.

  6–8 large bell peppers

  2 lbs. lean ground beef

  Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

  1 small onion, diced

  1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes

  1 10-oz. can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles

  1 pouch precooked, seasoned rice; or 2 C. cooked rice

  1 can or jar spaghetti sauce, any variety

  About 4 C. shredded Cheddar cheese

  Cut the peppers in half lengthwise; seed and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the beef and onions, seasoned to taste, and drain. Return beef mixture to the skillet and add the tomatoes; simmer 5 minutes. Mix in the rice. Stir in about half the spaghetti sauce.

  Preheat oven to 350°. Fill the pepper halves with the meat mixture, spoon some spaghetti sauce over each, and bake in a foil-covered pan about 45 minutes. Remove the foil, top each portion with cheese, and return to the oven until cheese is melted.

  Kitchen Hint: 6 peppers/12 halves fit nicely into a 9x13-inch pan, but I usually have meat mixture left, so I fill another pepper or two and bake these separately to freeze for later. You can fill the peppers a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, too.


  Cucumber-Onion Salad

  Tangy-sweet, crunchy-fresh—and it keeps for several days in the fridge!

  2–3 firm cucumbers, peeled

  1 or 2 medium onions, peeled

  1 C. white vinegar

  ½ C. vegetable or canola oil

  ½ C. water

  ½ C. sugar*

  1 tsp. each: salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, dill

  Slice the cukes and onions into a large bowl, alternating layers (a half-gallon plastic ice cream container works well, too). In a large jar with a lid, pour the vinegar, oil, water, sugar, and the seasonings and shake vigorously. Pour over the veggies, stir a bit to distribute the liquid, and cover. Chill thoroughly.

  *Kitchen Hint: You can use Splenda or ¼ C. Splenda Baking Mix instead of sugar.

  You can also use this dressing (even what’s left over from the cukes/onions) to make Marinated Veggie Salad: slice carrots, celery, radishes, onions, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower—whatever you love!—into a bowl, pour in the liquid, and chill for several hours. Looks pretty layered in a glass bowl.

  Frog-Eye Fruit Salad

  Acini de pepe pasta gives this sweet, creamy salad its unusual “frog eye” texture. It’s so yummy you can serve it as a salad, or spoon it into dessert cups!

  1¼ C. acini de pepe pasta

  1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple

  1-20 oz. can pineapple tidbits

  1 T. flour