Made with Love (27 page)

But was he the right person to be holding her heart? Mem was right. She didn't know much about his past. She knew hardly anything about his family.

More than that, was this the right time to be letting her heart lead? She didn't need anything—
anything
—to distract her from her pie shop. Dat had invested a lot in her. Mem knew this too.

Lord, help me know the truth. Help me to see…

Lovina thought of that tapping pencil. Mem was usually a happy person, but there were a few things that got her troubled. Money problems and the unmarried state of her daughters. And where Lovina was concerned, both of Mem's greatest worries were on display before her.

Lovina felt emotion building in her throat as she considered things from Mem's point of view. Dat had no doubt confessed to her that all his money was wrapped up in that old warehouse.

And with Dat's illness was Mem worried about the financial future for her and her daughters? Lovina guessed she was.

More than that, Lovina was twenty-five years old and had never had a serious relationship. Mem was never one to carry a grudge for long or to look unfavorably upon her neighbors. For her to know so much about Noah Yoder from the moment he'd moved to Pinecraft, there must be some merit to her worries. Even before Lovina started working with him, Mem had encouraged Dat not to let him work on their roof—a simple project.

A chill traveled down Lovina's spine, and the room seemed to dim around her. Mem hadn't mentioned what Noah had done, but then again neither had he.

Why hadn't Noah said anything about his past…unless he was trying to hide it?

The beginning of a headache pounded at Lovina's temples. She wanted nothing more than to curl up on her bed and sleep. She suddenly felt tired and overwhelmed—so different from the way she'd felt this morning. How quickly things could change. The progress on the building continued, but inside she felt as if everything was falling apart.

Maybe Mem was right. Maybe she shouldn't allow her feelings to be wrapped up in Noah Yoder.

From this day on, Mem would be watching her like a hawk. Because even worse than not getting married, in her mother's opinion, was for her to fall in love with someone like Noah Yoder.

Anna knew from Lovina's face that things hadn't gone well with Thomas. Lovina hadn't met her eye when she'd come in the door. She'd hurried to her room instead, not even pausing to enjoy a slice of upside-down cinnamon pudding cake, one of her favorite desserts that wasn't a pie.

Anna was alone in the kitchen, but from the feeling deep inside it seemed that the nearest kind smile was a thousand miles away. She supposed Lovina was upset that she'd pushed the issue about a date with Thomas, but didn't her daughter realize that sometimes mothers do know best? It had been her own mother who'd urged her to go on a date with John. Where would she be if her mother hadn't urged her? She wouldn't have been married to such a wonderful man all these years. She wouldn't have these girls or this cottage. Yet to whom could Anna explain this? No one except Regina.

Lovina wasn't ready to listen. Not yet. John, well, he wouldn't understand. So she sat down with her stationery once again.

Dear Regina,

How thankful I am for the Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with adequate health, good friends, and love that endures forever. I'm also thankful for
gut
friends, no matter the miles that separate us. Thank you so much for your letter.

Things have been busy, and I haven't spent much time at the warehouse. The warehouse is the old building that Lovina is turning into a pie shop. Or at least that is the plan. I have to say that I was impressed today when I saw the improvements that have been made in such a short time. Still, there is so much to be done. So much. Lovina has help from an Amish crew. That's all I'll say about that for now.

What has kept me so busy as to not be involved in this endeavor? (I know this is the first thing that you'd ask.) First, I've been spending time with new friends. Many have been ill and it seems fresh-baked muffins or upside-down cinnamon pudding cake can brighten anyone's day. I've also been working with Joy on some quilts for the Haiti auction. Joy works with diligence, and she's found a dear friend in the elderly woman who owns the quilt shop, Elizabeth Beiler. Joy had always been close to her grandmother and perhaps this friendship is filling a hole that has been there since her passing.

You mentioned news about the pie shop in
The Budget
. I was surprised that the local scribe mentioned it already. In my opinion it's like boasting about the harvest before it comes. Besides, what type of a business name is
Me, Myself and Pie?
If anything the pie shop needs a better name.

It seems to me that too much is being focused on that pie shop and too little on common sense. Today I saw Thomas Chupp, that nice young man I wrote to you about. He's very interested in pursing Lovina, and she's treating him as if he has the plague. Too much dreaming is happening in Love's head. And there is an Amish bachelor from the work crew who has caught her fancy, I'm afraid.

From what I heard from Thomas's Aunt Vera, Lovina made it very clear to Thomas that she thinks of him as nothing more than a friend. After all these years of praying for a husband for my oldest daughter she pushes him away just like that! I'm not sure I'm going to be able to sleep tonight. My mind's too full of all the things Lovina should be worrying about but isn't. Like the fact that she just threw away her chances with Thomas, and the state of our family's finances if this endeavor does not succeed. I know that God can bring good out of anything. I just don't know why there are some folks who make Him work so hard to do so! There, I finally said it.

I still wonder if I should just sit Lovina down and tell her what I know about Noah Yoder. He is the one helping Lovina with the pie shop. Do you remember what we heard about him and that horrible accident? Was it five years ago? I can't imagine my daughter with that type of person. What do you think, Regina? Oh, I wish you were here to give me your advice.

Well, I suppose I do know one thing you would tell me. “Anna,” you would say, “instead of focusing so much on your worries, be thankful for your gifts.” So, yes, I will end my letter with that. John's health continues to improve and, even though I hate to admit this, I believe it's due in part to having something to dream about as much as it is the gentler climate. If anything, Lovina's pie shop has given him that.

I hope the chocolate tasting went well. I guarantee the only chocolate we'll be tasting around here is chocolate pie!

Sending all my love,

Anna

P.S. Oh, and other exciting news is that Yoder's gift shop is carrying some of Faith's sketches! The shop owner even worked to help Faith frame them. If you do come down we'll have to stop by so I can show you the display. And if I were to guess Faith was the one who showed
the most interest in Thomas Chupp. Yet once I saw Thomas's attention turning to Lovina I tried to discourage Faith. Now I wonder if I made the wrong choice—pushed the wrong “friendship.” Oh, the challenges of being a mother with five unmarried daughters. You'd better eat another piece of chocolate for me!

 

Upside-Down Cinnamon Pudding Cake

2¼ cups brown sugar, packed

3 tablespoons butter

2½ cups cold water

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2½ teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup brown sugar

1¼ cups milk

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine 2¼ cups brown sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, and water. Bring to a boil. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, sift flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon together. In a separate bowl, cream 2 tablespoons butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Add to dry ingredients, mix well, and add milk. Spread into greased 13×9-inch pan. Pour cooled brown sugar mixture over the unbaked batter. Optional: Sprinkle ½ cup chopped nuts over the unbaked batter. Bake 35-40 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Twenty-One

The trouble with experience is that you never have it until after you need it.

A
MISH
P
ROVERB

N
oah Yoder paced the swatch of concrete by the front door of the pie shop's interior, waiting for Lovina to show up. She was usually at the shop by eight in the morning, but not today. He'd walked by the Miller house this morning, but her father, John, wasn't sitting outside as he usually did. Normally Noah would have stopped to knock, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. A burden weighed on his heart. He'd been horrible to Lovina yesterday. Instead of confronting her about her lunch date with Thomas Chupp—and instead of fighting for her—he'd ignored her. His heart ached at the thought of it.

Noah paused and leaned against the front counter. He'd made it from an old bar, and Lovina had claimed it was perfect. But what good were all the things he did for her if he treated her with contempt? He'd been working hard out of his growing love for her, but had he let her know that? No, not in the slightest. He'd just expected her to guess his feelings for her. Noah ran a hand through his hair. What a fool he'd been. No wonder she'd
accepted that lunch date with Thomas. Any girl would be drawn most to the one who made his intentions known.

He sat down on the phone bench that Lovina was going to use to display menus, and he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. He ran a hand through his hair, remembering what it was like to be ignored. It was worse than being confronted and accused. And suddenly then he was twenty years old again, with a battered body and a battered reputation.

The memories surprised him, surfacing before he could push them down. Those in his community started ignoring him around the time of his rumspringa. Not that he'd gotten a lot of attention before. In the Amish community most families had eight, ten, or twelve kids, so keeping track of them all wasn't easy. But once Noah bought his own car and started wearing Englisch clothes, people went out of their way not to talk to him.