Christmas at Stoney Creek

by Martha Rogers

  Tom grasped Faith’s hand in his and pulled her aside. “See, it’s going to be okay.”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure. Papa won’t take anything on credit, and I don’t know how we’ll pay for everything we need.”

  Just then Faith heard her mother gasp and exclaim, “You said what?”

  Faith hurried back to her mother. “What’s going on?”

  Mr. Hempstead grinned. “I said, a new stove for the bakery was ordered a week or so ago and should be here next week. It’s a larger, commercial-size one like the one at the hotel.”

  Mr. Delmont wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “I didn’t order any such stove, and we can’t pay for something like that with all the repairs that need to be done.”

  Red flushed Mr. Hempstead’s face. “Um . . . well . . . you see . . . um . . . it’s already paid for. Someone”—he held up his hands and shook his head—“and I don’t know who, ordered it from a catalog and paid for it. I got notice it was being shipped.”

  A scowl filled Mr. Delmont’s face. “We can’t accept such an offering, and we won’t buy the supplies until we have the money to pay for them.”

  Mr. Swenson from the bank and Mayor Gladstone pulled Mr. Hempstead aside and conferred with him in whispers. The man nodded and spoke again to Mr. Delmont. “Mr. Swenson and the mayor said to let you know it’s from the Community Service Fund that’s been set up to aid those who had damage from the flood and for anyone else who needs repairs or rebuilding after a fire or tornado or other disaster. There’s plenty of money there to take care of the bakery until you’re back in business and can repay.”

  Faith peered up at Tom and bit her lip. “I’ve never heard of such a thing as a Community Service Fund. Where in the world did it come from?”

  Tom had his suspicions but had no facts or proofs, simply his journalistic instincts. He scanned the crowd for any sign of Joe, but he was nowhere in sight. One thing for sure, since Joe had arrived, for every bad thing that had happened, far better things came along to take care of them. For some reason God had chosen Stoney Creek for the greatest blessings they’d ever seen.

  Mama clasped her hands to her chest. “Saints preserve us. I can’t believe this is happening.”

  Aunt Ruby fisted her hands on her hips. “With my kitchen and these other ladies’ help, we’ll do fine.”

  Faith wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders. “It’s a miracle, Mama. Now we can get every order filled with the help of Mrs. Whiteman and the other women. We can spread out with you, Aunt Ruby, and me in three kitchens, and we can get it all done.”

  A smile brightened Mama’s face. “I’m so thankful for their help, and yes, I do believe we can do it. We can collect the pans and mixing things we need and clean them up to use. Water and smoke wouldn’t damage them.”

  “See, things really do look better.” Faith grasped her mother’s hand and nodded to Aunt Ruby. “Now, let’s go see what we can salvage.”

  Back in the ruined kitchen Faith rummaged through the drawers and cabinets to find the cake pans, baking sheets, cast iron skillets, and muffin tins all sooty but easily cleaned. She set them on the floor to divide and take with them to the different kitchens.

  Mama added the big pottery and metal mixing bowls, and Aunt Ruby salvaged wire whisks, beaters, spoons, ladles, and tin measuring utensils. Soon they had assembled a good start on what they needed. They pulled out waterlogged bags of sugar, flour, and meal to throw away.

  “Here, let us handle those for you.”

  Faith jerked around to find Tom, Pa, and the sheriff in the kitchen. She handed Tom the bag of sugar.

  “I’m so glad you’re here. After we get rid of all this stuff we can’t use, we can use your help carrying these other things to where we’ll need them to bake tomorrow to fill our Thanksgiving pie and cake orders.”

  Mama hugged Papa. “This is a miracle, Gus. Look at the equipment we saved.”

  “I do see, and I’m very thankful for this. I’ve been upstairs and it was pretty much filled with smoke, and the floor over the kitchen is damaged enough that it’s not safe. The sheriff says it’s better if we don’t try to stay there tonight. The floor around where the flue came up the back wall of our kitchen and the wall are damaged as well. We will have to go to the hotel for a few nights until we can find other living arrangements.”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” Aunt Ruby declared. “You’re staying with me. I got that big house with just me, and there’s plenty of room for you. Now get what you need and get it on over to my place.”

  Mama hugged her sister. “Thank you, Ruby. We’d be delighted to stay with you.”

  “Ma, do you have the recipes for the orders so we can divide them up and start on the orders for Thursday?”

  “The ones on paper were ruined, but I have them all in my head, and I can rewrite them for you.”

  Aunt Ruby laughed. “I think I have most of them in my head too. We’ve baked so much lately, we have them memorized.”

  “Well, I guess that means it’s my turn to start memorizing.” Faith joined in a hug with her mother and aunt.

  Pa raised his hand. “This calls for a prayer of thanks to our great God.” He bowed his head, and his gentle bass voice lifted in praise. “Our Father God, You’ve taken what could have been the greatest tragedy for this family and turned it into a project of unselfish love and sharing. We shall be eternally grateful for the generosity of whoever purchased the stove and for this new community fund. We may be down, but we are not out because You have provided out of Your great storehouse of riches in Your Son, Jesus Christ. In Your mighty name we pray. Amen.”

  A chorus of “amens” rose around them. Tom hugged her close to his side and bent his head to whisper in her ear, “We’ve just seen God at work.” He kissed her forehead. “Now He has work for us to do.”

  Faith’s heart skipped a beat. Maybe he did care about her. She shook her head. No time to think about that now.

  Tom picked up another bag to haul out to the back. Mama divided the pans into three piles. When they had finished and were ready to move the piles to the three kitchens, Pa came back and told them three wagons were outside ready to take the equipment and supplies to their destinations.

  Mama picked up her shawl. “Then let’s get to the store and get what we need, Ruby. Faith, you go with the menfolk and get everything in the right place. Then we can decide who will work where and when.”

  Mama and Aunt Ruby left to find Mr. Hempstead. Faith picked up an armload of pots and pans to take to the wagons. With wonderful friends and neighbors like those in Stoney Creek, they would recover. All the Thanksgiving orders would be filled. Faith breathed a prayer of thanks and set her load on the bed of the wagon.

  CHAPTER 26

  TOM FOLLOWED HIS nose to the kitchen late Thanksgiving morning. Although dinner would be later in the afternoon, his stomach still reacted to all the delicious aromas from roasting turkey, cornbread, and pecan pie.

  Voices from the kitchen reminded him of all that had transpired in the past two days. He pushed open the door from the dining room to find his mother and Mrs. Delmont sipping tea at the table.

  “You must be all done with the bakery orders.” Tom reached for a mug in the cabinet.

  “Yes, we are. Your mother has been such a great help. She knows what it is to cook for a crowd.”

  “She sure does, but we never have any leftovers for the next day. With my uncles and cousins around, food disappears in a hurry.” He pulled out a chair. “Mind if I join you?”

  Ma laughed. “Now, I know you well enough to know you’re not sitting here to keep two older ladies company. You want a story.”

  Tom shrugged and picked up his coffee mug. “Well, I am a reporter, so that’s what I do.” He gulped down a bit then set the mug on the table.

  “Were you able to get all the orders filled? How did you divide up the orders? When were they all delivered?”

  “Goodness, you
don’t give a body time to think on one question before you ask another. Let me think on it.” Mrs. Delmont sipped tea and furrowed her brow.

  “Faith was over with Mrs. Weatherby at her house, and your sister, Mrs. Stone, worked in her kitchen with Mrs. Booker, and you were here with Ma. Didn’t that get confusing?”

  Mrs. Delmont set her cup on the table and leaned toward Tom. “Your mother and I did the pastries, Ruby took care of the cakes, and Faith baked cookies. Mr. Hempstead sent over his delivery boy to help deliver groceries, and your brother, Daniel, helped him. Once we relegated the recipes, it wasn’t difficult to get it all done.”

  “That sounds very organized.”

  “It was, and if everyone hadn’t worked together, we’d have had one big problem.”

  “When do you think the bakery will be back in operation?”

  “Of that I’m not sure, but Mr. Delmont, Burt, Reverend Booker, and Reverend Weatherby were there yesterday to take out the furniture and belongings from our living quarters. Most of the clothes will have to be cleaned because of the smoke, but our belongings upstairs are in relatively good shape otherwise. The men are organizing a cleaning and repair crew. We may not have a barn, but it’ll be like the old barn raisings we had when I was a girl.”

  “Strange about that stove, isn’t it?” Tom studied Mrs. Delmont’s facial expression, which could sometimes reveal more than any words.

  “Yes, it is. We asked Mr. Hempstead about it again, and he still has no clue who ordered it. If there is an invoice, that may give a clue. Otherwise, we’re all in the dark.”

  Not exactly the answer Tom wanted, but it did confirm his notion that no one else had any idea who the benefactor might be. Joe’s name had not come up one time in all the conversations he’d had and heard concerning the mysterious good fortunes falling on people.

  “I think I have enough for my story, so I’ll leave you two to do whatever it is you need to do to be ready for today.” He ambled through the door to the dining room. Behind him Mrs. Delmont said she had to leave to go help her sister with their family dinner.

  That reminded him of Faith. He planned to go over to Mrs. Stone’s house after dinner at the ranch and escort Faith to the tree lighting ceremony. The evening he’d planned for last night never materialized because Faith and her family were the center of attention, and he never really got a moment alone with her. He’d make sure that didn’t happen tonight.

  Faith dropped down into a chair in Aunt Ruby’s parlor after setting the table for the dinner with her family. Never had she been so tired. The last of the Thanksgiving orders had been delivered yesterday evening before the church services. Then she and her mother had spent the evening helping serve the meal for all those who had lost their homes and belongings in the flood.

  A few stayed with families in town, but some had elected to erect tents on their own property and live there until they could rebuild. They had plenty of food thanks to the hotel kitchen, Mr. Hempstead, and Carl from the diner.

  Seemed as though she’d been on her feet forever. How had Aunt Ruby and Mama done it all these years? The past days had been a baking nightmare. Right now she didn’t care if she never saw an oatmeal or sugar cookie again, or at least not until next week.

  As tired as she was, the wonderful aroma of roasting turkey lured her to the kitchen. As she passed the dining table, she again admired Aunt Ruby’s good china dishes and crystal, which sparkled in the sunlight shining through the windows.

  When she entered the kitchen, she found Aunt Ruby and Mama filling bowls to take to the table. Her mother ladled green beans into a bowl. Looking up, she said, “If the table’s all ready, call your father and we’ll eat. I think he’s in the back parlor reading.”

  “It’s all set, so I’ll get him. It smells so good in here, my stomach is growling.”

  Faith hurried back through the dining room and to the back parlor where Aunt Ruby had one wall of bookshelves filled with books of all kinds. She found her father seated in a dark blue wingback chair by the window holding a book, but his head leaned to one side against a wing, and his glasses had slipped down his nose. Small flames glowed red and orange in the fireplace. She stopped to admire the perfect fall afternoon scene.

  She reached over and patted her father’s arm. “Papa, dinner’s ready. Mama and Aunt Ruby are putting it on the table.”

  He jerked awake and blinked his eyes. “Oh, Faith, my dear girl, I didn’t hear you come in.”

  Faith grinned and kissed his forehead. “I guess I was too quiet.”

  He laid his book aside, adjusted his glasses, and stood to follow Faith to the table. After he blessed the food, Mama handed him the carving knife to slice the turkey.

  Faith served her plate with turkey, dressing, vegetables, and spiced peaches canned last summer. This was truly a day for giving thanks. Their home and bakery had been damaged, true, but they were together and had food on the table. Everything else was stuff that could be replaced.

  After dinner Faith volunteered to wash and dry the dishes. Aunt Ruby argued for a few minutes but finally gave in. She and Mama covered the serving dishes with a cloth then left Faith to her cleaning up.

  Alone with her hands in hot, soapy water, she had time to think about Tom and his strange behavior the past weeks. He’d never kissed her before until now. Then he had actually formally asked to escort her to the tree lighting tonight. It had come to the point she didn’t really know what to expect from him anymore. She finished the dishwashing and carried the pan to the back door, where she threw out the water over the grass.

  Back inside she dried the dishes and placed them back in the cabinet. As she stacked them on the shelf, a smile filled her heart. Perhaps Tom’s strange behavior would lead to a closer relationship. She closed her eyes and imagined the two of them in their own home with several children. What a pretty picture they would make.

  She closed the cabinet door and leaned her forehead against it. How nice it would have been to have spent time with him last evening as they’d planned. Things had been so hectic at the church supper, and then the attention from the people at the joint church service had given them no time at all alone.

  He’d said he’d be in from the Gordon ranch before the ceremony to pick her up. She checked the watch pinned to her shirtwaist. He wouldn’t be here for at least several more hours. With the kitchen now clean she wandered out to the back parlor. The house was quiet with the only sound coming from the fire hissing and popping in the grate.

  Everyone else would be upstairs taking a nap before this evening’s festivities, but sleep didn’t appeal to Faith. She gazed out the back windows toward Aunt Ruby’s rose garden. Aunt Ruby has been a widow for ten years now, and she had kept her home and garden just as beautiful as ever.

  Faith’s heart ached for her dear aunt who never had children of her own. She could have become a bitter woman with no husband or children, but she had filled her time helping Ma with the bakery and helping women all over town with their children. Many a Sunday afternoon found Aunt Ruby with a passel of young ones gathered around for storytelling or games. As wonderful as that was for her aunt, Faith prayed her own life would be different. She wanted children of her own, preferably with Tom.

  She removed her shoes and settled back in the chair where her father had dozed earlier. Pulling her knees to her chest, she rested her chin on her knees. Perhaps that day wasn’t as far off as she thought. Joy filled her heart. Yes, she was definitely going to show one Tom Whiteman how much she cared for him.

  After the hearty meal served by Mrs. Hutchins to her boarders, Joe retired to his room to rest. Today his body had reminded him once again of the urgency of his business here in Stoney Creek. The medication Doc had given him helped relieve the pain, but the times he needed it came closer together.

  He lay on his bed and stared at the ceiling then closed his eyes.

  Dear Lord, time is getting short, but there is still much to do. You’ve been good to me all these yea
rs, and I’m thankful for the time I’ve had. Thank You for leading me to Stoney Creek and the people here. Whatever I can do for them is little in comparison to what You’ve done for me. I sure would like it if You’d let me stay long enough for Clara and Theodore’s wedding and the Christmas program. I’ll have to leave soon after that to get back home before the new year begins. Thank You in advance for the blessings still ahead. Amen.

  The list of things the town still needed ran through his mind. He’d already talked with Mr. Swenson about ordering a fire wagon for Stoney Creek’s volunteer fire team. A bucket brigade wasn’t of much use in case of a fire much larger than the one in the bakery. Mr. Swenson had promised to speak with Mayor Gladstone about it before tonight so he could announce it at the ceremony.

  For the first time the town would have electric lights on the tree, and that was a sight he wanted to behold. He’d seen the faces of children back home when the lights came on, and the wonder and awe in their eyes and smiles warmed his heart every time. It would be no different here in Stoney Creek.

  A knock on his door followed by Mrs. Hutchins’s voice stirred him from his reverie. “One moment, I’m coming.”

  He padded to the door in stocking feet and cracked it open. “What is it?”

  “Oh, I wanted you to know that the coffee is hot and the pies are warm. So if you want to come down for dessert before we go to town, it’s all ready and waiting.”

  “Thank you, I believe I’ll do just that.”

  If the pecan and pumpkin pies he’d seen on the sideboard earlier tasted as good as they looked, they’d all be in for a great treat. Thinking of those pies reminded him of the Delmont family. If the stove had arrived a week sooner, maybe the fire could have been prevented.

  Too late to second guess the timing on the order now. It’d be here in a day or so, and with all the help the town offered, the bakery wouldn’t be out of its building for very long.