An Amish Christmas Match, page 9
She quickly stepped in his path. “They just came out of the oven—give them a few minutes to cool.” She waved to the refrigerator. “Pour yourself a glass of milk while you’re waiting.”
Mark gave her a mock-pout then moved to the cabinet where the mugs were stored. Once he’d filled the mug he was back at the stove helping himself to two of the warm treats. “These are really gut.”
Phoebe used a spatula to transfer the rest of the cookies to a platter. “Glad you like them, but leave some for your brieder, please.”
Mark nodded, then gestured toward her hand. “How’s your burn feeling?”
“It stings a little, especially if I forget and grab something heavy with it. But it’s not too bad.”
“Gut. If you need help with anything, don’t be afraid to ask for it.”
“Danke, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Mark reached for another cookie and she put one hand on her hip. “That’s the last one. You need to save some for your brieder.”
He grinned at that. “I almost feel sorry for them since they won’t get this soft, fresh-from-the-oven tastiness.” He bit into the treat. “Almost.”
She shook her head at him and made shooing motions. “I think it’s time you move away from that platter.”
He finished off the cookie and drained his mug of milk then set it in the sink. “It’s time for me to get to work anyway.” He moved to the corkboard. “Let’s see what task Seth put at the top of the list today.”
A moment later he’d put his jacket back on and headed outside.
When the two scholars made it home from school they were equally appreciative of her baking efforts, wolfing down their share of the cookies as if they hadn’t eaten in days rather than mere hours.
After they’d finished and headed out to take care of mucking the stalls, Phoebe looked at the remaining cookies. After waffling for a moment, she finally made up her mind.
She placed four cookies on a saucer, filled a glass about halfway with milk and headed out the door.
Stepping carefully to avoid another klutzy incident, she breathed a sigh of relief when she finally made it to the workshop. She stepped inside and nearly spilled the milk when Checkers jumped up from his spot at Seth’s feet to bark a greeting.
Seth looked up and when he saw her, he gave the dog a sharp “Sit” command. “What brings you out here?”
“I baked some peanut butter cookies this afternoon. Your brieder have already had some so I thought I’d bring you a few before they’re all gone.”
“Danke. That sounds gut.”
She moved to place the saucer and glass on his worktable. “I don’t want to interrupt your work, at least not any more than I already have. I’ll just set these here and head back to the house.”
He reached for a cookie. “There’s no need to rush off. I could use a short break.”
She relaxed, pleased by the invitation. “What are you working on?”
He pointed to the piece he’d just set down. “The dark queen.”
Phoebe studied the piece. The crown and tapered top it sat on were starting to emerge from the block of walnut wood. It was rough still but she could see some of the classic features starting to appear.
She set it back down. “I notice these pieces have a different look than the set we played with. You’ve added some refinements.” She gave him a smile. “Despite how much I like your original, these new sets have a more polished look and feel.”
He spread his hands. “I try to improve my skill with each set I make.”
That was an admirable goal.
Seth munched on his cookies, watching her admire his work. He knew it was wrong to be prideful but her obvious admiration of his efforts was quite gratifying. Even Dinah had only seen it as an extra source of badly needed income rather than an artistic outlet for him.
Which, to give Dinah credit, was how he’d started his business in the first place. After he’d made a few sets as gifts he’d gotten some inquiries from folks who’d wanted to buy one, either for themselves or to give as gifts. It had amazed him how much some of them were willing to pay for a set. Dinah had suggested he use his off time in the winter months to make his sets and sell them. But she hadn’t been interested in learning to play chess. And when he’d asked her questions about possible design options her only comment had been to ask which design the customers liked best.
He had a feeling that Phoebe would give him a very different answer.
Chapter 14
Seth took his place at the supper table that evening and discovered the meal was once again something she’d come up with on her own. It was a pork chop dish of some sort, accompanied by mashed potatoes that had more than butter added to them, and English peas.
He also noticed that Levi again took the seat to Phoebe’s right.
This time, when the bowls were passed around the table he was able to take a generous portion of each dish without hesitation.
When he actually tasted the meal, he was surprised. The sauce on the pork chops had an orangey flavor, the peas had apparently been seasoned with mint, and cheese and bacon pieces had been stirred into the mashed potatoes with perhaps just a hint of mustard. He was still trying to decide what he thought about it when Levi spoke up.
“This is wonderful gut food. It’s nice to have some variety in our meals, that’s for sure and for certain.”
Several of his brieder added their compliments and agreement. Had having a regimented menu been such a terrible thing? He’d made sure each of their favorite dishes had appeared at least once every week so that it wasn’t all weighted one way or the other.
Levi spoke up again, pulling Seth out of his thoughts.
“Tell me,” Levi asked Phoebe, “are you settling in okay?”
“Jah, this is a wonderful nice home and I feel useful and welcome here.”
“Gut. Because I think I speak for all my brieder when I say we’re glad you came.”
Seth saw the way Levi’s words made her smile, the way her eyes brightened and she sat up a little straighter. Was she falling for his bruder’s charm?
But the next minute Levi offered her a bit of outrageous flattery and she actually grinned and rolled her eyes at him. Perhaps she had enough sense to see his bruder’s harmless flirtations for what they were after all. Just in case, though, it would be best if he still had that talk with Levi.
When the meal was over, Seth stood and carried his dishes to the sink. But rather than filing into the living room with his brieder, he turned to fill the sink.
Levi, naturally, was the first to notice. “What are you doing?”
“Phoebe needs to keep her bandage dry and since Edna can’t help, I’m going to wash the dishes while Phoebe dries.”
Levi’s lips quirked suspiciously. But all he said was “That’s quite noble of you.”
Their conversation had garnered the attention of some of his other brieder, who were now staring at him in surprise. You’d think they’d never seen him wash dishes before.
Before he could come up with a response, Edna stood and made shooing motions. “Everyone who’s not cleaning the kitchen or dishes get out of here and give those who are room to work.”
For once Seth appreciated her no-nonsense tone.
Once he and Phoebe had the kitchen to themselves, they got to work on the dishes, chatting about inconsequential things.
“So how did you come to need Edna as a housekeeper? Were you all on your own before she returned to Sweetbrier Creek?”
He nodded. “For a month or so. Our former housekeeper was part-time—she came in for about four hours a day, five days a week. She was with us for ten months before she became engaged.” He gave the bowl he was washing a vigorous scrub. “The gut Lord was certainly watching out for us when Aenti Edna came along. She offered to take the housekeeper’s place if we would give her use of the dawdi haus.”
“Edna isn’t afraid of hard work, that’s for sure and for certain.”
He cut her a sideways glance. “That seems to be a trait you share with her.”
Her cheeks pinkened at that—it was a look he was coming to appreciate. “How did your eldre feel about you coming all this way to take the job of housekeeper for a familye they’d never met?”
She put away the bowl she’d just dried. “They were hesitant at first—I think they still see me as a youngie. But Daed came around to the idea and Mamm followed his lead, though not happily I’m afraid. It did help that Edna was here, though.”
“If you need to speak to them while you’re here, you are welcome to use the phone shanty.” He wasn’t sure why he’d said that, of course she’d know she was welcome to use it.
“Danke.”
By this time they’d finished with the dishes. While Phoebe finished straightening up a few things, Seth headed for the living room.
He found his brieder had taken out a couple of sets of dominoes but instead of playing the game, they had lined up two domino runs on the floor and were competing in some fashion. Jesse and Kish were working on one of the runs and Mark and Daniel on the other. Levi was stooped on the floor alternately cheering and critiquing from the sidelines. As Seth watched, the run Jesse and Kish were working on toppled prematurely and there were groans and heckles from the other three.
This looked like an ideal time to have that talk. “Levi.”
His bruder looked up and met his gaze, his brows raised in question.
“Would you join me in my office please? There’s something I’d like to speak to you about.”
He saw his brieder all exchange glances before Levi nodded and stood from his stooped position. “Lead the way.”
When they reached the small bedroom Seth had turned into his office, Seth took a seat behind his desk while Levi dropped into a guest chair and lounged back. “I haven’t been singled out for one of your talks in a long time. So am I in some kind of trouble?”
Seth frowned at his bruder’s amused tone. “I just wanted to talk to you about Phoebe.”
His words seemed to have no effect on Levi’s mood. “Do you now?” his bruder asked. “What about her?”
No point in mincing words. “I notice you’ve been paying her some particular attention.”
Levi shrugged. “Phoebe is an interesting woman. Why shouldn’t I pay attention to her?”
“I don’t think you realize the effect you have on some of the more impressionable ladies you interact with.”
If anything Levi appeared even more amused. “And what effect is that?”
Seth usually ignored Levi’s attempts to goad him but this time it irritated him for some reason. “Don’t pretend you haven’t noticed and even taken advantage of it on occasion. You know very well most of the girls find you charming and attractive. In fact it’s beyond me why you haven’t found one to court yet.”
That remark seemed to finally get under Levi’s skin. But he recovered quickly enough. “Don’t worry, I’m just being nice to Phoebe, trying to get her to smile a little more. It can’t be easy for her to just pick up and leave her familye this way.”
“Regardless of all that, Phoebe is not just our housekeeper, she’s a guest of Edna’s and her eldre have entrusted her to our care. While she’s here she’s a member of our household and should be treated as such. Besides, she’s going to be returning to Bergamot in a few weeks and we probably won’t see her again. I don’t want her to leave with a broken heart and unhappy memories.”
“I don’t want that either.” Levi’s gaze held a note of challenge. “Maybe you should take charge of seeing that her stay here is a pleasant one since you know how to take care of that without endangering her heart.” He stood. “Is there anything else we need to discuss?”
“Nee, that was all.”
With a nod, Levi left the room.
Seth followed more slowly. He was concerned that he hadn’t gotten through to his bruder. Was Levi right that he himself should take a more active role in ensuring Phoebe’s stay was pleasant? After all he was the oldest, the head of the household.
And that was his only motive, of course.
When Seth reached the living room it was to find that the group had moved to the kitchen and were playing an actual game of dominoes. Phoebe was laughing at something that Kish had said and her whole face was aglow with her mirth. For a moment he imagined her like this, in this kitchen in the midst of his brieder, for the long term.
Then he shook his head—it wasn’t like him to allow such fanciful thoughts to distract him.
Phoebe glanced up and saw Seth in the doorway watching them. Why did he insist on keeping himself separate from his brieder?
She stood. “Ach, Seth, you’re just in time. Kum take my place for a few rounds while I make hot cocoa for everyone.”
He straightened and she saw a refusal forming on his lips.
“Unless you think you can make a pot of cocoa that’s better than my special recipe.”
“I vote for Phoebe’s recipe,” Levi said.
There was a chorus of agreement from those around the table.
Seth held his hands up palms-out in a sign of surrender and took her place at the table.
With a smile, Phoebe went to work on the cocoa. She’d promised them a special recipe so she looked at the spices in the cabinet and available ingredients in the refrigerator and found a jar of strawberry jelly. Smiling she added a large dollop of the jelly to the pot of milk heating on the stove. Then she added a touch of salt and finally the cocoa.
As she stirred the mixture, she heard Seth let out a mock-protest at a move made by one of his brieder. Hearing him really interact with his brieder this way brought a smile to her face.
She waited until the current game was over to tell them the cocoa was ready and they immediately abandoned the dominoes to fill their cups.
“There is something special about this cocoa.” Seth raised a brow. “Is that a hint of strawberry I taste?”
“Ach, it’s not that easy to get my secrets from me.”
Seth merely grinned in response.
What would he think if she told him her actual secret, that she could barely read or write and tried everything to avoid it? She felt a pang of guilt for keeping it from him while knowing he assumed she could. But she needed time to prove herself first.
Besides, if it didn’t affect her work, it shouldn’t matter.
Should it?
The next morning Phoebe was more comfortable in the kitchen and she had breakfast well under way by the time Seth came in with the milk. This time she was careful to turn the burners off before she went to help him strain the milk. Her hand still gave her sharp reminders that she’d burned it yesterday.
When they were done Seth gulped down a second cup of coffee then went back out to finish up whatever morning chore he’d set himself.
As Seth was going out, Daniel came in from the mudroom and Edna entered from the back porch. Both headed for the coffee. After they’d each poured up their cups Phoebe noted that the second oldest Beiler quietly went about fixing a fresh pot.
Phoebe decided to take the opportunity to get to know him better. “You work in an orchard, is that right?”
“Jah. The Fretz apple orchard. It’s located right next door.”
“Do you enjoy the work?”
He nodded while he took a sip from his cup. “Someday I’d actually like to have an orchard of my own.”
“I’m not familiar with what it takes to maintain an orchard but I would have thought there wouldn’t be much to do this time of year.”
“Actually, this is the time of year where we do maintenance—trimming away dead growth, lopping off the tops, checking for damage, mulching.”
“You said you want to have an orchard of your own someday. Would you plant it here, on this farm?”
“Nee. This land is for the farming that supports our familye. But I have half an acre here that I’ve planted with apple and pear trees—if you go out behind the dawdi haus and look to your right you’ll see them. I use it for experimenting.”
“Experimenting?”
“I’m trying to use new growing techniques and grafting of one stock onto another. I’d like to improve the fruit production and quality.”
“So you do more than just cultivate and grow the trees.”
He gave her a smile that was almost prideful. “Jah.”
She supposed he had a right to take pride in his work. “Have you harvested any fruit yet?”
He shrugged. “Nee, the trees are too young.”
The two younger boys arrived in the kitchen just then, ending the discussion on orchards and reminding Phoebe she had to focus on getting breakfast on the table and lunches packed.
For breakfast this morning she’d decided on pancakes, though getting enough batter prepared for this household was a bit daunting.
To go with the pancakes she’d gathered up a jar each of strawberry, blackberry and raspberry preserves, added a little bit of cream cheese, honey and lemon juice and simmered the mixture on the stove for a while. The result was a chunky mixed-berry syrup to spoon over the pancakes. She’d also cooked some bacon to have on the side. By the time she had everything on the table everyone had gathered in the kitchen.
As the Beilers dug into their meal, they made it obvious her efforts at the stove had not gone unappreciated.
“This syrup is wonderful gut,” Mark said as he grabbed the bowl and ladled another portion on his pancakes.
“Save some for the rest of us,” Kish warned.
“I must say,” Levi added as he speared another forkful, “I’ve begun looking forward to your meals. And not just because they’re so tasty, but also because of the surprising touches you add to them.”
“Danke. But, just like Daniel and his orchard, I enjoy experimenting with new ways of doing things when I’m cooking and you all end up with the results of those experiments.”
Levi grinned. “Well, let’s just hope Daniel’s experiments turn out as well as yours.”
She cast a quick glance Daniel’s way. “Ach, I didn’t mean to say my cooking efforts compare to Daniel’s work in importance, just that they are both experiments.”
