Amish Winter Wonderland: Book Two Read online

  “Denki, Daed. I’ll get started on it right away.”

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  CHAPTER 17

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  “Ach, I’m so excited for you. Do Mamm and Daed know you plan on publishing your wedding at the next Sunday service?”

  Lillian admired the dreamy look in Hannah’s eyes as she spoke of her plans. “It’s supposed to be a surprise, so don’t tell either of them. Although I think they suspect since I planted a few extra rows of celery in the kitchen garden over the summer. Mamm makes mention of the celery smell in the root cellar every time she goes in there. I laugh it off and say I spilled the seeds over the ground when I was planting.”

  They both giggled mischievously.

  “And that satisfies her question? She must suspect something.”

  “I’m sure she does, but she wouldn’t spoil it for me.”

  Lillian hugged Hannah, but she couldn’t help but feel a little twinge of jealousy mixed with happiness. Just because Seth had begun to talk to her didn’t mean he was interested in keeping her from becoming a spinster. She wished he’d come into the bakery this morning when he picked up Abby, but he seemed to be in a hurry. Maybe Abby would tell her why in the morning, but for now, she helped Hannah make the beds with clean linens so they could go to sleep. Lillian was tired from a long day at the bakery, but she wondered if she would be able to keep her mind off Seth long enough to get any rest.

  ****

  Seth waited at the lumber yard for his order, while he thought about the items he would start making. He knew from visiting the flea market that no one else was selling pie cupboards or rocking chairs, and those were his specialties. He mentally calculated how long it would take him to earn the kind of money he needed in order to purchase the land from Ezra so he could marry Lillian. He quickly became discouraged when he realized it would take him until he was forty years old to make a serious dent against the worth of the land.

  Seth was so deep in thought that he didn’t see his bruder, David approach him. David patted him on the back, causing Seth to jump nearly a foot to the left.

  “Is something wrong little bruder?”

  Seth cleared his throat. “I guess you’re going to find out anyway, so I might as well tell you. I’m making furniture to earn money so I can start to date Lillian Stoltzfus.”

  David chuckled. “It’s about time you decide to date her. She’s perfect for you.”

  Seth kicked at the snow. “I’m not sure it’s going to make a difference. I can’t rely on winter sales since I’ll have to rent space indoors to sell my furniture, and that will seriously cut into my profits.”

  David clapped a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “You’re thinking on too small of a scale. Have you tried the furniture consignment stores and the Country Store downtown? They sell homemade items. We could also put an advertisement in the newspaper directing people to the flea market so you’ll raise more interest. With Christmas coming soon, you might get a lot more sales if you try those things.”

  Seth’s heart lightened at the thought of having more orders than he could fill. “Denki for the gut ideas. Is there any chance I could get you to help me with the first set of furniture. I’m sure I could get Jacob to help too since we just finished his last buggy repair, as long as he doesn’t have any more repairs come in.”

  “Of course you can count on me for help. I have to get some nails, but I’ll see you at first light tomorrow.”

  “Denki.”

  David started to walk away, but Seth stopped him.

  “Can I ask you a question about Daed?”

  David put up a hand to stop him. “Yes, I’ve noticed he’s not looking well. He seems tired—and—old.”

  “I was going to say the same thing. When I mentioned to him that he should see the doc, he refused. It’s making me a little naerfich.”

  David creased his brow. “He and Doc have been friends for a lot of years. I’ll stop by his farm on the way home and see if he’ll pay Daed a friendly visit. If anyone can get him to open up about his health, it’s Dr. Davis.”

  “What if it’s something serious?”

  David clapped a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “Let’s not borrow trouble by putting the cart before the horse.”

  Seth couldn’t help but worry. It’s all he’d done since his mamm died. He stood there for a minute, realizing that for the first time, he was able to admit he’d stayed by his daed’s side all these years out of fear. When his mamm died, David was already grown and had a fraa and a boppli on the way. Lizzie was too young to be keeping haus, but she and Seth had grown up very quickly with the added responsibilities suddenly expected of them.

  It was all Seth could do to keep from getting choked up. His face felt hot, despite the snowflakes melting on his red cheeks. At a time when the community was busy preparing for a fresh new start with the abundance of weddings and Christmas just around the corner, Seth felt suddenly alone—like an orphan.

  Dear Gott, am I to spend the rest of my life alone? I’m not ready for You to take my daed to be with You. I wasn’t ready when You took my mamm.

  Seth tipped his head toward the heavens and closed his eyes against the snowfall. The world around him was blanketed in a cocoon of white, muffling the sounds of life that threatened his moment of silence with Der Herr.

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  CHAPTER 18

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  Lillian clucked at her mare, who seemed to be pulling the buggy at a snail’s pace. She could tell the roads were getting slick with the snowfall, and was grateful she took the smaller buggy. It would be lighter and easier for Nutmeg to pull if the snow got any thicker on the roads.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Seth standing very statuesque in the snow. As the buggy rolled by the lumber yard, she admired the peaceful expression that swathed his face in a wintery glimmer that made her think he’d never looked more handsome.

  Steering Nutmeg to the parking lot of Fork’s General Store, she sat for just a minute, unsure if she should approach Seth and interrupt what seemed to be a moment of solace he richly savored.

  ****

  The scent of lavender fingered its way into Seth’s thoughts. The snow continued to fall, but the overwhelming floral aroma pricked his senses like none other. That heavenly scent could only mean one thing.

  Lillian.

  He didn’t dare open his eyes, deciding the possibility of her standing near enough for him to inhale her lavender soap was more enticing than the reality that he was more than likely standing alone in the snow.

  Then he felt her.

  She laid a gentle hand across his arm. “Seth, are you alright?”

  Her voice was angelic, and her touch, even through his jacket, was enough to bring heat to his cold cheeks. He slowly opened his eyes and met hers as she smiled sweetly at him.

  He cleared his throat and straightened his spine.

  “I hope I didn’t alert you. I was just enjoying the snow and having a little talk with Gott.”

  Lillian smiled brightly, noting her reflection in the hazel-blue of his eyes. “I was on my way into Fork’s and noticed how peaceful you looked. I wasn’t sure if you realized how long you were standing here. By the look of the layer of snow on your coat, I’d say a long while. I didn’t want you to catch a cold.”

  Seth couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her worrying about his well-being. He hadn’t realized how much he craved such a thing until this moment. He knew Lizzie worried about him, but having Lillian worrying over him seemed somehow different. Pleasantly different.

  “I hear from Abby you’ll be chaperoning the ice-skating party tomorrow.”

  “Jah. I’m tagging along with Hannah and her new beau.”

  Seth wished she hadn’t said that before he’d had a chance to ask if he could escort her, but it was too late to ask now. If he pressed the issue, he might appear desperate, and he didn’t want to seem weak. Women folk liked stron
g, decisive men—men who were leaders in every way.

  “I hope you’ll save me a turn around the pond.”

  Lillian smiled. “Jah, I will do that”

  Seth could feel heat rushing to his cheeks “I better check to see what’s taking my order so long.”

  “Are you doing a big building project in the winter?”

  “Nee. I’m starting my own business. I’m building pie cabinets and rocking chairs to sell at the auction and The Country Store downtown in Goshen.”

  “Miriam Hochstetler sells homemade soap to that store. That would be a good place to sell. They get a lot of business from the Englisch. Did you make the pie cupboard in Lizzie’s kitchen?”

  “Jah. I made the rocking chairs on the front porch too.”

  Lillian’s eyes grew wide. “They’re all so lovely.”

  Seth smiled happily that she’d noticed his workmanship. “Denki.”

  Lillian had an idea pop into her head so fast she wouldn’t miss the opportunity that had fallen into her lap.

  “Will you be making other types of furniture as well? Because I could use two small tables and a few chairs for the lobby of my bakery so my customers can sit with a cup of kaffi and a pastry while they wait for their order. Such a thing could help increase my profits.”

  A light went on in Seth’s head. If he helped her by making furniture for her, it could still afford him the opportunity to spend time with her. “I’d be more than happy to do that for you. It can be my first official order.”

  Lillian beamed with delight. “That would be wunderbaar. How long will it take for you to make them?”

  “I can have designs drawn up early next week. If you stop by in the afternoon on Wednesday I can show them to you. I’ve set up a workshop inside the barn.”

  “I can do that. I’ll also see you tomorrow night at the skating party. Don’t forget to bring your lantern.”

  Seth raised an eyebrow. “A lantern?”

  “Jah. Haven’t you ever attended a skating party? Everyone brings a lantern and sets it around the edge of the pond so you can see where you’re skating.”

  Seth shook his head as if he knew. He’d never been to a skating party even though he was quite an accomplished skater. He didn’t want to remind her of what she probably already knew. He was not a socialite, having never attended a youth singing or any of the other outings he should have taken advantage of in his younger days during the rumschpringa he never had.

  Lillian was relieved when Seth nodded without saying a word about her obvious lack of knowledge of how parties are conducted among the youth. Who was she trying to fool anyway? By choice she’d never had the desire to attend any of the youth outings, and had never had the desire to experience the days of rumschpringa. She was truly naïve in every way that dealt with social functions, but she hoped Seth had not recalled having never seen her among the hopefuls waiting for a proper courtship. He didn’t need to know that Hannah had told her about the lanterns. She hoped when he saw how well she could skate, he would think she was a regular social butterfly.

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  CHAPTER 19

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  Lillian closed the bakery earlier than usual, as she had no other orders, and closing early was normal during winter hours. She was excited to go to the skating party even though she hadn’t ever attended a youth outing. But she was going as a chaperone, and so was Seth. It almost made her feel old to think of herself as a chaperone to the youth. With her twenty-fifth birthday being Monday, she was feeling older than ever. Her mamm had laughed the day before when she’d voiced her concerns, and told her she was too young to be thinking she was old. But to be her age and unmarried—well, she was old in that sense.

  Pushing the negative thoughts from her mind, she determined she would have a gut time at the party. She imagined having Seth’s strong arms about her waist as they skated around the pond in the moonlight. Surely it would be a romantic night for the two of them, and might initiate a courtship between them. With that thought in mind, Lillian hustled through the dishes and wiped down the counters, not wanting to leave anything that would attract mice looking for a meal and a warm place to set up haus.

  By the time she arrived home for the evening meal, her toes were already feeling rather cold. While Hannah set the table, Lillian took a minute to warm her feet near the wood stove that heated their haus. She listened to her mamm and schweschder converse happily, while Hannah avoided questions of the seriousness of her relationship with Jonathon. She wished she could have the same closeness that Hannah had with their mamm, but she knew she had arrived too close to the death of their older bruder for her mamm’s pain to have gone away when she was born.

  Pushing even more negative ideas from her thoughts, she whispered a silent prayer to keep her mind on the things that bring happiness, rather than the pain of the past. She also said a quick prayer for the safety of all who would attend the skating party. Remembering the chatter over last year’s party when some of the youth had engaged in horse-play that had resulted in one of them breaking an arm, she determined that nothing of that sort would happen while she was chaperoning.

  ****

  Lillian lifted the deep purple dress that Lizzie had given her and slipped it over her head. She heard the clip-clop of horse’s hooves on the long drive to their haus, and knew that Jonathon had come to pick the two of them up for the party. She felt funny being a third wheel to her schweschder’s date, but Hannah had insisted she go with them. And since Seth never asked to escort her, she had conceded.

  A knock sounded at the door, and Hannah poked her head inside. “Are you ready? They’re here.”

  Lillian stopped pushing the pins into her kapp.

  “They?”

  Hannah shook her head casually. “Jonathon and Henry. Let’s go. I don’t want them to wait on us.”

  Lillian crossed her arms. “I’m not going!”

  Hannah stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her. “What do you mean you aren’t going? They’re here waiting on us.”

  “Why did you set this up? I told you I didn’t want to go with Henry. He’s too young for me, and I promised Seth I would skate with him. He’s going to think Henry is my date.”

  “Henry is going to make Seth jealous, remember? I did this for your own good.”

  Lillian fought back tears. “Like the blue dress was for my own good? That was an embarrassing disaster. I do not want to go with Henry.”

  Hannah smiled mischievously. “The situation with the dress turned out alright. You got that purple dress as a result, and it looks beautiful on you.”

  Lillian pursed her lips. “Don’t flatter me with your prideful talk. I do not want to go with Henry and that’s final. I will have Daed hitch up the buggy for me, and I’ll drive myself.”

  Hannah tried to put on her best smile. “Daed just left with the small buggy. You’ll never get Nutmeg to pull the larger one in this deep snow, and my horse is too uncontrollable to pull a buggy. You’ll go with us and I’ll sit in the back with you.”

  Feeling the situation was hopeless, she once again conceded to her schweschder’s devious plans. She didn’t want to stay behind since she’d promised Seth she’d skate with him. This was the only way of getting there, and she would suffer through it for the sake of seeing Seth. She would make sure all conversation with Henry was causal, and she would keep her distance from him to be sure he wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

  When they went outside to the buggy, Henry was gentleman enough to assist Lillian into the back, but then he climbed in beside her. Her heart nearly stopped as she glared at Hannah, who was already climbing up into the front of the buggy beside her betrothed.

  Henry turned to her. “I’m honored you agreed to accompany me tonight.”

  How could she explain to him that she hadn’t agreed to allow him to escort her at all? That it had been her sneaky schweschder who’d set the whole thing up. She couldn’t be cruel to the
poor boy, but he was, after all just a nineteen-year-old boy. Lillian glared at Hannah, who ignored her as she snuggled in close to Jonathon. Henry offered her half of the quilt for her lap, but she refused in spite of the cold wind that whistled into the buggy. She wasn’t about to give him any reason to think she wanted to snuggle up to him.

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  CHAPTER 20

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  By the time they reached Goose Pond, Lillian was shivering so much her teeth had begun to chatter. She allowed Henry to help her out of the back of the buggy to avoid slipping on the icy path while scanning the area for Seth. When her eyes met his, Henry still had ahold of her hand from assisting her out of the buggy. Lillian quickly snatched her hand away, but Seth had already seen all he needed to see to know Henry had escorted her.

  Anger pushed at Lillian’s heart as she grabbed her lantern and her skates and walked over to the pond, leaving Henry to run on her heels to keep up. If not for the anger clouding her mind, she would have been able to enjoy the warm glow of the lanterns lining the pond’s edge, and the light snow that floated from the sky above like feathers. Large tree trunks had been placed along the ends to serve as seating, and Lillian sat on the end to put on her skates. Though she didn’t feel like skating anymore, she reminded herself she was there to chaperone, and she would do just that.

  Henry straddled the tree trunk close to Lillian and began to lace up his skates. She didn’t like his closeness, especially since Seth seemed to be watching them. Henry made small talk with her about the ice and helping her light her lantern, but she didn’t want to encourage him. Before she realized, Henry was helping her to her feet and pulling her onto the ice. He laughed, not realizing she wasn’t enjoying his playfulness. He was very handsome, and Lillian couldn’t understand why he hadn’t found anyone to settle down with yet. Not that she was interested in him because of his looks. As far as she was concerned, her heart already belonged to Seth.