A Season of Love
A
S
EASON
of
L
OVE
Amy Clipston
BOOK
FIVE
For Sue Brower
Table of Contents
Previous Books in the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series
Kauffman Amish Bakery Family Trees
(boldface are parents)
K
atie Kauffman carried a tray filled with breakfast foods down the hallway toward her aunt Rebecca’s bedroom. Balancing the tray on her hip, she tapped on the closed door. “Breakfast time,
Aenti
Rebecca!” she called.
“Oh,” Rebecca said through the door. “Come in.”
Katie pushed the door open and smiled at her aunt, who rested propped up in bed. Katie had spent most of the summer helping her pregnant aunt in place of her best friend Lindsay Bedford, who had come to live with their aunt Rebecca four years earlier after her parents died in a car accident.
Lindsay had left their community of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, to visit her parents’ dear friends Trisha and Frank McCabe in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and help Trisha heal from an accident in which she had broken her leg. After Lindsay had left, Rebecca’s pregnancy complications had worsened, and Katie had moved in to help care for her aunt Rebecca and uncle Daniel’s young children.
“How are you feeling today?” Katie asked, as she placed the tray on the nightstand beside her aunt. “You don’t look quite as pale as you did yesterday.”
“I’m doing better,
danki.
” Rebecca smiled. “How are the
kinner
?”
“They’re doing well,” Katie said, pulling up a chair and
sitting beside the bed. She handed her aunt a glass of orange juice. “They’re eating breakfast with
Onkel
Daniel, but I have a few minutes before his ride arrives to take him to work.”
Rebecca sipped her juice. “How are you today, Katie?”
“I’m doing well.” Katie lifted the plate filled with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and sausage and handed it to her aunt. She then gave her the utensils. “I made your favorites.”
“
Danki.
” Rebecca bowed her head in silent prayer and then scooped a pile of eggs into her mouth. “Katie, this is delicious, as usual. Not only are your breakfasts always
wunderbaar
, you’re a fantastic baker.”
“
Danki.
” Katie smiled. “It’s my goal to be the best baker at the Kauffman Amish Bakery. I’m working with
Mammi
to learn all of her recipes and even invent some of my own.”
“Maybe someday you’ll run the bakery for your
mammi
when she’s ready to retire,” Rebecca said.
“I would love that,” Katie said, smoothing her apron over her lap. “That would be a dream come true for me. Hopefully Amanda and Ruthie will continue to work there with me. I would love to keep working with my family, you know?”
Rebecca nodded. “I bet you can’t wait to go back to the bakery,
ya
?”
Katie hesitated, not wanting to hurt her aunt’s feelings. “I love being here, but I do miss the bakery.”
“You’re allowed to miss the bakery.” Rebecca smiled. “I bet you miss your friends too.”
Katie nodded. “I do. I’m looking forward to when Lindsay gets back, and we can all be together. It’s been a long time since Lindsay, Lizzie Anne, and I have all been together. I miss
mei
best
freinden.
”
“I’m certain you do.” Rebecca swallowed some hash browns and then sipped more juice.
“I really miss Lindsay since it seems like Lizzie Anne is
spending more and more time with
mei bruder
, Samuel,” Katie said, hoping she didn’t sound selfish.
“Have you heard from Lindsay?” Rebecca asked.
“I need to go check the messages.” Katie glanced toward the window and wondered if Lindsay had received the letter she’d written a few days ago. Against her aunt’s wishes, she’d written to her friend to tell her Rebecca had taken a turn for the worse and was restricted to full bed rest. Though she knew she was disobeying her elders, she felt Lindsay needed to know the news as soon as possible. “I’ll check the messages today and see if Lindsay has called.”
“
Danki
,” Rebecca said. “I hope she’s doing well.” She smiled. “I’m certain you and your friends will be back together soon, and you’ll be back at the bakery making your
wunderbaar
desserts.”
“
Ya
, you’re right,
Aenti
Rebecca,” Katie said. “Things will be back to normal soon.” Smiling at her aunt, Katie hoped she was right.
Lindsay Bedford held her breath as the bus pulled into the station in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She touched her prayer covering and then smoothed the skirt of her black bib apron, which covered her purple frock, making sure both were presentable before grabbing her tote bag from the floor. It seemed as if it took a lifetime for the line of passengers in front of her to file off the bus. When she finally stepped onto the sidewalk, her heart swelled.
“
Heemet
,” she whispered, her lips curling up into a smile.
“Lindsay!” a familiar voice called.
Turning, she spotted Matthew Glick waving from a few yards away. He was dressed in a dark blue shirt, black trousers, and suspenders. His dark brown curls peeked out from under his straw hat, and his golden-brown eyes shone as he made his
way through the crowd toward her. A smile split his handsome face, and her heart thudded in her chest.
“Matthew!” she called as he approached.
“Wie geht’s?”
“Doing great now.” Matthew reached for her bag. “May I carry that for you?”
“Danki.”
She smiled, but held the bag closer to her body. “How about you carry my luggage instead? My duffle bag is pretty heavy.”
“I’d be happy to,” he said, gesturing toward the bus station. “Let’s go inside and get it. I’m certain you’re in a hurry to get
heemet. Mei schweschder
rode along with me. She’ll be happy to see you too.”
“Oh, that’s nice. I can’t wait to see Betsy,” Lindsay said. “It’s so
gut
to be
heemet.
”
After retrieving her duffle bag, they both climbed into the back seat of the waiting van.
Betsy waved from the front passenger seat, where she sat next to the driver. “Lindsay,
willkumm heemet.
”
“Danki
, Betsy. I appreciate your coming to get me,” Lindsay said, as she settled into her seat and buckled her belt. “You both kept my arrival a secret,
ya
?”
“I kept my promise.” Matthew lifted his hat and smoothed his curls. “Betsy and I haven’t told anyone.”
“I’m certain Daniel, Rebecca, and the
kinner
will be
froh
to see you again,” Betsy said.
“How is
mei aenti
doing?” She held her breath, hoping her aunt Rebecca hadn’t taken a turn for the worse.
“I haven’t heard that anything has changed,” Matthew said. “Don’t worry about her right now. We’ll get you
heemet
as soon as we can.” He smiled. “Tell me about your trip. Did you have a
gut
time?”
“I did.” Lindsay angled her body toward him and also glanced at Betsy as she spoke. “My aunt Trisha and uncle Frank live right on the beach, and I walked out there every day. It was so nice to
feel the warm sand between my toes. I even swam a bit. I love the ocean. I spent some time with friends from school, and I attended the church where I grew up. I volunteered at a nursing
heemet
too, which was nice. I told you in my letter I helped Mrs. Fisher, the patient who spoke only
Dietsch.
”
“Oh, how nice that you helped out in a nursing
heemet
,” Betsy said. “I’m certain the patients enjoyed seeing you.”
“
Ya
,” Matthew said with a nod. “That was really
wunderbaar gut
how you helped Mrs. Fisher communicate with the nurses when she fell and hurt herself.”
Lindsay’s smiled faded. “She passed away Friday night.”
Shaking his head, he frowned. “I’m sorry. I know she was very special to you.”
“I’m so sorry too, Lindsay,” Betsy said. “How very sad.”
Lindsay cleared her throat in the hopes of not getting emotional in front of them. “But I’m glad I was able to help her some. She dictated a letter to me, and I sent it to her estranged
dochder.
It was a way for her to make peace between them before she passed away.”
“That’s very nice of you,” Betsy said. “What else did you do while you were in Virginia Beach?”
“Let’s see,” Lindsay said, touching her chin. “Aunt Trisha, Uncle Frank, and I went to some of my favorite places to eat, and we ordered pizza from my favorite pizza parlor.”
“Oh, I love pizza,” Betsy said with a grin. “I bet it was
wunderbaar gut
!”
“
Ya
.” Matthew grinned. “I bet that was a nice treat.”
“It was. I would love to take a group of
mei freinden
to visit Virginia Beach sometime. I know it’s Katie’s dream to see the beach.”