Rosemary Opens Her Heart: Home at Cedar Creek, Book Two (36 page)

Rosemary’s eyes widened. “I brought along a basket of sandwiches and a pie for us,
but—”

“Pie?” Matt’s grin widened. “We’ll add your lunch to Mamm’s menu, then. The more the
merrier, ain’t so?”

Her cheeks bloomed as she playfully lifted Katie to her hip. Had there ever been a
prettier woman? A more devoted mother? Surely
God had created Rosemary just for him! Something inside him glowed, just being near
her today.

Charity suffereth long and is kind…charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself,
is not puffed up…

The familiar Scripture passage came to him, most recently from Zanna’s wedding. Aunt
Abby had suggested to him when he was younger, struggling to understand the Bible,
that he could substitute the word “love” for “charity”—so the passage described Rosemary
perfectly. Didn’t it? Love was patient and kind, just as she was.

“See you in a few,” he murmured as he followed Titus and Dylan toward the truck.

“I’ll be here, Matt.”

Along toward noon, Abby’s head began to throb. Only Tuesday it was, and already she
felt she was running behind for the week. All morning she’d tried to focus on filling
out the order form for bulk spices, cereals, and baking staples from their supplier
in Lancaster County, but every time she had a moment, Gail would have a question or
a customer came in wanting her to sew. Vernon Gingerich had ordered four new summer
dresses for his aunts this morning and curtains to go with the rag rugs Zanna had
just completed for their room. Amos Coblentz had bought a new set of dishes for Nell’s
birthday next week, so Mary and Martha wanted two long tablecloths made from a sturdy,
no-wrinkle cotton-polyester blend as a present to their mother.

And Barbara had insisted that because Sam would soon sit up front with the bishop,
Preacher Abe, and Deacon Pete, it was time to replace his black church trousers, vests,
and
Mutze
coat. And now that he was a preacher, he needed more than one suit, and new dress
shirts to go with them.

When would she have time to sew all of these items? Phoebe and Gail were learning
the finer points of managing the store, but
they had realized right off that running the Cedar Creek Mercantile was a bigger responsibility
than baking at Mother Yutzy’s Oven.

Abby looked up from her paperwork. Gail was patiently describing the different cheeses
in the refrigerated section to Merle Graber, who had come to fetch some for Emma’s
dinner casserole, while Phoebe was valiantly counting out the bolts Mervin Mast needed
at his wooden pallet factory. Mervin, like a lot of fellows, preferred to deal with
Sam when it came to supplies for his business—but wasn’t everyone in Cedar Creek having
to be more patient while her brother did the homework that would enable him to serve
them in a higher capacity?

Abby began to mentally add up the amount of payment to send with the order, but about
halfway down the long column of figures she felt someone gazing at her. She swallowed
a sigh, wishing she’d used the adding machine. Yet when she saw Merle’s gentle expression,
her exasperation vanished. He laid three different kinds of cheese on the counter.

“You know, when I came over here I was missin’ my buddy Paul,” he murmured as he fished
for his money. “And Eunice won’t let me go to the fishin’ hole by myself, you see.
But what with Gail talkin’ so nice to me about these cheeses, and you and Phoebe bein’
so kind and perty, why, I might just take up shoppin’ as my new hobby!”

Abby was so touched, she didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Emma had probably
told him exactly what kind of cheese she wanted when she’d sent him out half an hour
ago, yet Merle was unconcerned about such details. He had focused on the silver lining
rather than the cloud—paying her a compliment instead of bemoaning the loss of his
longtime friend. “Denki for saying that about us, Merle. You come over and shop anytime
you like. I’m sure it’s a big help to Emma.”

“That poor girl needs to get out even more than I do—but not for shoppin’,” he added
sadly. Then he brightened again. “But at least my
James is socializin’ again, and I’m mighty happy it’s you he’s seein’, Abby. When
he came home whistlin’ and grinnin’ the other night, why, I felt like a young fella
again myself.”

The heat rose in her cheeks as she totaled Merle’s order. Would James have his dat’s
endearing smile and benevolent nature as he got older? Abby looked forward to finding
out. “Give Emma and Eunice my best,” she said as she handed Merle his change. She
winked at him as she put his purchase in a small sack. “Your dinner’s going to taste
awfully gut with this cheese in it. You picked all my favorite kinds.”

He winked back and patted her hand. “Jah, Abby, you and I have gut taste, ain’t so?”

The bell above the door jingled as Merle left, a lighthearted sound that matched her
mood now. Abby resumed adding up the amount for the order she’d been working on all
morning. She wrote the check, signed the order form, and finally slipped all the paperwork
into an envelope. “I’ll be back by one o’clock so you girls can take your lunch break,”
she called over to her nieces. “Sam will surely be ready to come in by then.”

Phoebe and Gail waved as she headed toward the door. And when Abby placed the order
into the mailbox by the road, her smile found her again. Titus Yutzy and his driver
were striding toward her, along the shoulder of the blacktop, while behind them Matt
strolled beside Rosemary as Katie toddled between them, her hands holding theirs.
Matt carried a picnic basket, as though they were a family ready to sit on a quilt
beneath the trees and enjoy their lunch together.

And isn’t that a picture, Lord?
The worries and pressures of the morning faded away. No doubt there would be a wedding
in their future, but it wasn’t her place to push for that.

Then Abby’s eyes widened. “Rosemary! What a wonderful-gut surprise, to see you wearing
green
!” she called out. She hurried toward them, drinking in the sight and the meaning
of the young widow’s new clothes.

“Abby, hullo!” Rosemary shrugged modestly, keeping a grip on her toddler’s hand as
a car went past them. “Emma and I found the pieces of this dress cut out amongst Alma’s
fabric, and last night after dinner Beth Ann put it together in no time. She’s taught
her best friends how to make rag rugs, so they’re having their own frolic today.”

Abby quickly assessed the dress. It appeared to be as well made as the clothing she
sewed in her shop, perfectly proportioned to Rosemary’s body even though it had been
originally intended for a taller, larger-boned woman, from what she recalled about
Alma Yutzy. “I figured right, when I suggested to Beth Ann that she might sew for
me,” Abby said. “And my stars, do I have as much work as that girl would care to take
on.”

As they opened the kitchen door, the aroma of pot roast baked with potatoes and carrots
greeted them, as did Barbara and Treva. “Gut to see you girls again so soon,” Abby’s
mother said as she placed silverware around the places at the extended table.

“And gut to see you in such a fresh color, too,” Barbara chimed in. “You fellows get
washed up, and we’ll be ready to sit down in a few. Meanwhile, I’ll just have to tickle
this Katie girl, won’t I?”

As the toddler giggled in anticipation, it occurred to Abby that Barbara was looking
forward to having a grandchild to play with. What a fine sight, to see her chasing
Katie around the kitchen table as Mamm stepped out of their path—and then lo and behold,
her mother started around the table in the other direction to ambush the child with
a hug. Laughter filled the kitchen as the three of them came together, with Katie
the filling in a sandwich made of grandmotherly love.

Abby noticed then that Sam had come in from the downstairs bedroom, which they had
set up as his study. As he paused in the door to watch the merriment, his face lit
up.

Oh, but he needed this moment,
Abby thought. And she hoped they’d have many more like it as they helped Sam toward
his new calling.

As Titus introduced Dylan to everyone and the men took their places at the table,
Abby placed Rosemary’s sandwiches on a platter and set her pie alongside an angel
food cake. They bowed for a moment of silent grace, and then Sam passed the platter
of pot roast to Titus.

As Abby looked around the table, it seemed Rosemary, Titus, and little Katie were
already adding a welcome new dimension to their family. She wished that Phoebe and
Gail could have been here to share this gathering. Rosemary glowed as she cut up roast
and vegetables for her daughter’s smaller plate. No doubt they would soon need a second
high chair for meals when Zanna, Jonny, and little Harley joined them. This growth
in their family meant a fresh start in ways they hadn’t been thinking of lately as
they’d focused on the responsibilities Sam’s new position had added to their lives.

As Rosemary received the basket of fresh, warm bread, she inhaled its aroma with her
eyes closed. “What a treat. While I can make pie crust in my sleep, a gut, chewy-soft
loaf of bread doesn’t come so easy for me.”

“Treva’s the one we beg to bake the bread and rolls,” Barbara said with a smile for
her mother-in-law. “It’s another reason we’re pleased she’s living in the dawdi haus,
close to the kitchen.”

“It’s a treat to be here amongst all of you Lambrights, too,” Rosemary continued in
her low, compelling voice. “Makes for more interesting conversation than Titus, Beth
Ann, and I have at our table.”

“Jah, you betcha!” Katie piped up.

As everyone laughed, Dylan McGrew grew pink in the cheeks. “You know, I said that
a time or two on the way over here, and it seems someone has picked up on it.”

“She doesn’t miss much,” Titus agreed. “And I can tell you she keeps us all on our
toes, too, now that she’s walking so gut. Won’t be long before she’ll outrun us.”

“Jah, Zanna’s Harley already reminds us of how busy we were when Matt was a tyke,”
Sam said as he sopped up gravy with his bread. “Keeps you young and alert, having
the little ones around.”

“And you know,” Rosemary said in a thoughtful tone, “I’m thinking
you
will keep us young, too, Sam, with your preaching. One of the reasons I’m glad we’re
coming to Cedar Creek is the way you considered all sides of the situation when Zanna
was having a baby before she was married. I was impressed as I listened to the stories
about that when I came to her wedding.”

The kitchen got quiet as Rosemary gazed directly at Sam, smiling with sincere respect.
Abby had seldom seen her brother appear utterly speechless, yet he had stopped eating
to gape at their guest.

“Our preachers in Queen City would have shipped her off without considering anything
but the Old Ways,” Rosemary insisted. “Your response—the way your whole family took
up Zanna’s cause—makes me think you’ll breathe fresh ideas into the church here and
you’ll keep some of the young people from jumping the fence, too. It’s a real talent,
a true gift from God, to stand firm in the Old Amish beliefs while allowing love to
lead us into the future.”

“You said a mouthful there,” Abby murmured. And wasn’t it a fine thing to see Sam
blush as he soaked up Rosemary’s compliment?

“Couldn’t have said it at a better time, either,” Mamm chimed in gratefully. “Sometimes
we get so weighted down carrying our crosses, it takes an outsider to see us for who
we are. I’m mighty glad you’re not an outsider anymore, Rosemary.”

“Jah, so am I,” Abby added as she rose to fetch a knife. There was no doubt in her
mind that Rosemary’s rhubarb pie would be as much of a treat as the company of the
delightful young woman who had baked it.

E
arly the next morning, Rosemary drove to Mamm’s by the sun’s first light. What with
moving the furniture and spending the night in their new place, Titus’s house would
be swarming with neighbors and emotions would be running high. Beth Ann was keeping
Katie for her while she made this final trip to her mother’s house to say her farewell.

Lord, help me be strong
, she prayed as she pulled in. The buggy wasn’t halfway up the lane before her mother
and Malinda stepped out on the porch to greet her.

“And would you look at that perty purple dress?” her sister called out.

“Jah, that’s a sight for sore eyes,” her mamm agreed. “It tells me you’re ready to
move on, Rosemary, so there’s to be no tears or saying good-bye this morning. Hear
me? Do you think we’ll not come to Cedar Creek to see your new place—and Katie, of
course?”

“We’d be helping you move, you know,” Malinda added, “except you’ve told us a dozen
times to stay put.”

Rosemary clambered down, grateful for their positive attitudes. “Titus has Dylan and
a few other fellows driving trucks for
him, so I’ll let them do the heavy lifting—and meanwhile I’m saving your backs, too.
Beth Ann and I are taking Katie with the first load and staying over there so we can
point out where all the furniture’s to go.”