Her mamm pushed back the stray tendrils that had fallen from her kapp. “Such prideful thoughts from the youth these days. You are way past your days of rumschpringa.”
Lillian cast her eyes downward. “I know mamm. I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t let Seth see me in that dress. I don’t want him thinking I want to trap him into marriage.”
Her mamm pulled her close. “So that’s what this is about? Why didn’t you tell me you were interested in Seth Miller?”
Lillian cuddled in close to her mamm. “Because that is not the sort of thing you tell your mamm.”
“I’m glad you told me. If it be Gotte’s wille, then Seth will like you no matter what color dress you wear.”
Lillian sighed and buried her head in her mamm’s shoulder. “I hope you’re right.”
Lillian whispered a silent prayer, asking Gott to bless her with a husband. Since she’d never thought it was possible, she’d never asked for such a thing. Her prayers were always unselfish, but this time, she would make an exception and pray for something her own heart desired.
****
A fresh blanket of snow covered the narrow path Lillian walked to get to the bakery. She could have taken the long drive that her daed had probably had a chance to sprinkle with salt to melt the snow, but she knew it would take her twice as long, rather than crunching through the snow on the path. Her boots kept her feet from touching the snow, but the cold cut right through her black bonnet no matter how low she kept her head. The large oak trees provided a great deal of shelter from the wind that swirled the snow into a fine dust against the sunlight peeking up over the horizon. The weight of the snow on the branches created a canopy overhead, and provided an insulated calm from noises of the busy street only a few yards from her.
When she was younger, she loved to play in the snow no matter how cold it was. But now it seemed to lose some of its appeal. Lost in thought, she didn’t see the snowball before it plunged into her arm. Lillian whipped her head around in the direction the assault had come from just in time to see Hannah duck behind one of the many trees that lined the path. Scooping up a handful of the damp snow, she tossed it toward the tree and hit it dead-center. The impact sprayed snow on Hannah’s coat, causing Lillian to let out a chuckle.
The look on Hannah’s face let Lillian know she was in for a snowball war. She scrambled to form as many snowballs as she could, making sure she stayed behind the shelter of the trees. When she was satisfied she had enough ammunition to keep Hannah at bay for a few minutes, she poked her head from around the tree intending to fire the first snowball, when she was hit hard in the shoulder. The snowball splattered over her face and hair, chilling her to the bone, but she was determined not to let her little schweschder win this battle.
When she picked up the last of her snowballs, she was hit from two different directions. She searched the wooded area for the third person, but didn’t see anyone. Tossing her last snowball in the direction of the mystery player, she heard a squeal. Abby stuck her arms out from around both sides of the tree in surrender.
“Don’t fire, I’m unarmed.”
Lillian scooped up enough snow to form a few more snowballs, tossing one in Abby’s general direction, not intending to hit her with it. “I don’t believe you. You hit me pretty hard so now it’s your turn to suffer the consequences.”
Abby squealed again. “I promise I won’t fire anymore, just don’t get me.”
Just as Lillian was about to throw the snowball at Abby, despite her plea, she was hit from behind between her shoulder blades. Turning around quickly to see her assailant, Seth stood behind her wearing a big smile, a snowball in each hand. Lillian quickly threw both snowballs in her hands, but she wasn’t fast enough. She was hit in both shoulders by Seth’s perfect aim.
She quickly threw her hands up in surrender. “I surrender. I give up.”
Seth tossed the snowball lightly, letting it hit the tree next to her. “You could have hit me with that, and I surrendered.”
Seth laughed. “I was trying to hit the tree—not you.”
“I don’t believe you.” Lillian bent down to scoop up more of the snow.
Seth did the same, and the two began to fire continuous snowballs at each other until Lillian accidently hit Seth on the top of his head and knocked off his hat. He threw himself to the ground pretending he was badly hurt, but he was laughing so hard Lillian didn’t take him seriously. By that time, Abby and Hannah had gathered around him and watched as he flapped his arms and legs in an arc to form the perfect snow-angel.
Lillian stepped forward, hands on her hips. “Do you surrender?”
Seth held up his hands. “Okay, I surrender. No more. I’m soaked to the skin and I have to go help Jacob.”
Lillian picked up his hat and handed it to him.
“Why are you here?”
“I gave Abby a ride up the lane to the bakery so she wouldn’t have to walk in the deep snow, but you weren’t there yet. So we started walking up the trail, and that’s when we saw the two of you plotting against each other with the snowballs, so we decided to join in. But I surrender, I promise.”
Lillian laughed and they all joined in. She brushed the snow off her coat, and they walked the rest of the way to the bakery. Lillian thanked Seth for bringing Abby, and she watched him steer the horse across the street where he disappeared beyond the snow-covered trees that lined the lane to Lizzie’s haus.
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CHAPTER 15
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Lillian had so many things to prepare for the day ahead, and she was grateful for having two helpers this morning. It was unusual for Hannah to help her, but she figured with Abby there to help, her schweschder offered in order that she wouldn’t appear selfish. No matter what the reason, her morning help allowed her the luxury to daydream just a bit. She’d enjoyed seeing the playful side of Seth during their snowball fight, and she even saw a hint of a competitive opponent. Being very competitive herself, it was a quality she readily admired in him.
For whatever reason, he seemed to suddenly be everywhere she was. She suspected that her new connection to Abby and Lizzie was going to bring them together even more. But what if she didn’t want to be thrown in with him? What if she only welcomed the idea because it would seem he was the last man available for her? Did she really want him just because there was no one else for her? Did he want her for the same reason? She had grown to like him over the past year, but was it only infatuation, or something deeper? Had Gott brought them together, or was it something simpler?
While the first batch of whoopie pies baked, Lillian showed Abby how to make the filling. Hannah unfolded and assembled the pink, cardboard boxes and stacked them in the corner so they could be filled once things were underway. Next she brewed a fresh pot of kaffi and set out the creamer, sugar, and stirring straws for customers.
Lillian had an order for a four-tier cake for an Englisch wedding. She’d taken a trip to town and purchased a magazine that boasted many wedding cake ideas. She’d practiced for many weeks, and now her self-taught talents would pay off with her first order. If she did a gut job, she would soon get more orders. But it was unusual for the Englisch to have weddings this time of the year. She planned on making one for her schweschder, and her cousin Annie when they got married, so she hoped it would be something she could do as a contribution to the weddings in the community.
Still, she wished it was she that was getting married this season, the same she had for the past few years. But it would seem that it just wasn’t her time yet. Even if she and Seth decided to pursue a relationship, there wouldn’t be any proposal from him until next season. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep her mind on the weddings of her familye and neighbors, while pushing her own desires for the same down where they wouldn’t make her show her jealousy.
Abby spread the filling over the whoopie pie halves like Lillian instructed, carefully measuring each portion. “Are you going to the sk
ating party on Saturday at Goose Pond?”
Lillian looked at her quizzically. “That skating party is for the youth, not for me. I’m too old.”
Abby smiled. “You can be a chaperone. Onkel Seth is chaperoning.”
Lillian’s heart fluttered at the thought of seeing Seth at a social function. “I don’t know if I should.”
Hannah stepped into the back of the kitchen. “I think you should go, Lillian. You enjoy skating. It’s one of your favorite things to do in winter. You’re a much better skater than I am.”
Lillian shook her head. “I didn’t skate even once last season. I’ve probably forgotten how.”
Hannah laughed at her. “That’s narrish. Skating is like riding a bike; you never forget how.”
Lillian raised an eyebrow. “Skating on ice requires a lot more skill than riding a bike.”
Hannah nudged her ribs “Then you’re afraid of making a fool of yourself in front of Seth.”
“Nee. “I’m afraid I’ll be clumsy and fall. I’m getting older and could break my leg.”
Abby shook her head and giggled. “You talk like you’re as old as my grossdaddi.”
Lillian sighed. “Okay, I’ll go. But going as a chaperone makes me feel old.”
“I could ask Onkel Seth if he’ll escort you.”
Lillian looked at the innocent look on Abby’s face.
“Nee. That would embarrass me even more.”
Abby smiled. “If you go with my Onkel Seth it will be more like a date and less like chaperoning.”
Lillian’s face turned deep red. “He hasn’t invited me!”
Abby snickered. “I’ll tell him to invite you.”
Lillian threw her hands up. “Nee! I mean—I appreciate your willingness to help, Abby, but sometimes grownups have to do things on their own.”
“Grownups make things more difficult than they ought to,” Abby grumbled.
Lillian tried to calm her nerves. “That may be true, but if your Onkel Seth is going to escort me anywhere, I’d like it to be his idea, and not because he was prompted to do so.”
Abby’s expression turned to sulking. “Yes ma’am.”
Lillian looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s ten o’clock, time to open the bakery. Let’s get the last of these whoopie pies in the boxes, and then we’ll start on the cookies. I usually bake those until just after the lunch hour. That usually holds me over for the day. Tomorrow we will bake snitz pies and shoofly pies in the morning. Wednesday and Friday are cake days.”
Abby shook her head as she worked to fill the pink boxes with whoopie pies. “That seems like a schedule I can remember easily.”
Lillian smiled as she turned over the sign on the door indicating they were open. She already had three customers pulling into the parking area.
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CHAPTER 16
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Hiram looked out the kitchen window at the snow as he dipped his hand in the pink cake box to retrieve a pastry. He smiled at the new flurries, knowing he would be able to send Seth over to help Lizzie with getting the kinner to school and Abby to the bakery. His new quest to keep throwing Seth together with Lillian was working—and would continue so long as it kept snowing as much as it had been the past week. Hiram only had a few outstanding orders for leather harnesses, so Seth was needed to help his schweschder and bruder-in-law. At least that’s what Hiram had led him to believe.
Jacob spent his free time repairing buggies for the folks in the community, and he had more work than he could handle alone, so Seth was sent by to help pick up the slack. Taking the kinner to school and Abby to the bakery was an added bonus in Hiram’s plan. With Abby’s help, he’d managed to convince Seth to chaperone the skating party. Now all he had to do was drop a few hints that he should escort Lillian.
Seth hurried in through the kitchen door, stomping the snow from his work boots. “I can’t believe how much snow is coming down.”
Hiram tried to contain a smile. “I guess you’ll have to go get Abby and the kinner again today before you help Jacob with the buggy repair.”
He hung up his wet coat on a peg near the wood stove to dry. “Are you sure you don’t need any help today?”
“Nee. I have one order to fill today. I think my hands will hold out that long. Besides, your schweschder’s familye needs your help more than I do right now.”
He looked at the expression on his daed’s face, who almost seemed to be smiling—something he rarely did. “Are you up to something, Daed?”
Hiram dipped the plain donut in his kaffi. “I was thinking you should take Lillian Stoltzfus to the skating party on Saturday. Since you’ll both be chaperones, I think it would be proper if you would escort her.”
Seth nearly choked on the bite of kaffi cake he’d put in his mouth. “You’re not suggesting I take her on a date, are you?”
Hiram bit his lip so he wouldn’t smile. “Nee. I think you should be neighborly and escort her so she doesn’t have to attend alone, that’s all.”
Seth cradled a warm mug of kaffi between his hands, studying his daed’s mischievous expression. “I’ll ask her if she needs an escort when I pick up Abby in a few hours.”
Hiram nodded and smiled at his son. He felt he owed his son so much more than what he was trying to do now, and hoped it would somehow make up for years of neglecting his son’s needs to be sure his own needs were met first.
Seth wondered what his daed was up to. The man had rarely shown an interest in his needs. But suddenly he was showing signs of charity and kindness. Was he ill? Or worse, could the old man be dying? He’d noticed his daed taking naps in the afternoon for several months, and he was getting thin. Was it possible that he knew he wasn’t going to be around much longer, and wished Seth to be married?
“Have you been to see Doctor Davis lately?”
“Nee. You know I don’t see any reason to see the doc unless I’m ailing, which I’m not. I’m fit as a mule.”
“And stubborn like one. Maybe you should pay him a visit. Or I could see if he’d come by and give you a once-over just to make sure. You seem a little thin, and the dark circles under your eyes are getting bigger.”
“We don’t need to be wasting the doc’s time for the likes of me. What I have, there’s no cure for. It’s just old age catching up with me.”
“I don’t like hearing you talk like that, Daed. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you if I could have prevented it by insisting you see the doc.”
Hiram hung his head in shame. “If it weren’t for me, you would probably have a fraa and kinner.”
“Is that what this is about? You think I need to escort Lillian because you think I’m going to marry her?”
“I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve stood in the way of the happiness of my own kinner for my own selfishness. That’s why your schweschder ran away, and you are still single. If I hadn’t forced my obligations on you, you’d probably be married with kinner of your own. I’m sorry that I’ve relied on you so much. I’m sorry that I never allowed you any free time to do what you wanted to do with your life.”
Seth placed his hand over his daed’s. “I’ve stayed here to help you of my own free will. I don’t hold any of that against you. I know you had a hard time when you lost mamm.”
“You and Lizzie lost her too, and I didn’t make things easy for you. Please forgive me.”
Seth swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.
“I forgive you daed, but there’s nothing to forgive. You have always loved us and have been a gut provider.”
“But I wasn’t always fair in the way I treated either of you, and for that I’m sorry. I need to make amends with Lizzie too—for the way I had your bruder David break them up.”
Seth patted his daed on the shoulder. “We both know you love us, and that’s all that matters. I’ve always been curious why you broke them up. You don’t have to tell me, but it might make you feel better to get it o
ff your conscience.”
Hiram poured himself another cup of kaffi and then sat back down with a loud sigh. “My biggest fault is that I acted selfishly. When your mamm died, I was so afraid of losing you too, that I held on too tightly. When Lizzie started getting serious with Jacob, I knew it would only be a matter of time before he married her, and then he would take her away from me. When she ran off, you were the only one I had left, and I guess I leaned on you too much.”
Seth pushed at the uneaten kaffi cake on his plate with his fork. “Lizzie has been back with us for over five years, and yet I’ve continued to stay here with you. You didn’t force me to. I guess I’ve been a little afraid to venture out on my own. I’ve thought about dating over the years, but I’m afraid of rejection. I like Lillian, but what if she doesn’t like me?”
Hiram’s look softened. “Why wouldn’t she like you? You’re a kind man with faith stronger than any man I’ve seen.”
Seth shook his head. “That isn’t always enough.”
“Why wouldn’t it be enough? Faith is the most important thing in any marriage. Without Gott, a man’s life is nothing.”
Seth cast his eyes downward. “I have no way to support her. You need the money from your harness business, and I don’t have any money to buy any land.”
Hiram chuckled. “Don’t you know that Efram will let you work off the land adjacent to his farm if you marry his dochder? Miss Lillian has her bakery on that very property.”
Seth bit into his bottom lip, feeling frustration well up in him. “I will not let Lillian support me. I have to be able to be a gut provider for her and our kinner.”
Hiram placed a hand on his son’s arm. “You have handcrafted every piece of furniture in this haus, and even made pieces for your bruder and schweschder. I think you could sell your furniture at the flea market in Shipshewana.”
Seth couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It had been his heart’s desire to make the furniture as more than a hobby. He loved working on his own creations, and if he did this, it could afford him the opportunity to have a life with Lillian that he so desired. Seth thought about it for a few minutes while he finished his kaffi cake. If he wanted to win Lillian’s hand, he had to get started on his new business.
Amish Winter Wonderland: Book Two Page 5
