Planted with Hope (2 page)

Emma took three quick licks. “Did you used to be a gardener?”

“
Ja
, I guess you can say that.”

“Do you wish you could be a gardener again?”

“I do. Very much.” Hope cocked an eyebrow. “You sure ask a lot of questions.”

Emma took another lick of her ice cream, but it was impossible to keep up. “If I had a garden I'd let you come and pull
my
weeds.”

Laughter spilled from the woman's mouth, and Emma smiled. Seeing smiles was better than seeing tears.

“You would, would you?” Hope shook her head. “I'm not sure if I'd pull someone else's weeds—it wouldn't be fair to them. That's part of the joy of gardening—seeing your hard work pay off in your own space. Standing back and noticing that what you did really mattered.”

Emma nodded, even though she didn't understand what Hope was talking about. “My dat likes to work in the garden too. My
mem
used to… ” Emma let her voice trail off, remembering the she was in Pinecraft now. Remembering that people didn't know her mother here. Remembering that she didn't want to tell Hope what had happened to her mem, otherwise she'd look at her with sadness too.

The woman moved a few steps closer to the large pot of flowers. Two large, empty buckets sat there. Hope turned them over. She sat on one, and then she patted the other, motioning for Emma to join her. Emma looked to her aunt, took a few steps, and then did just that.

Hope reached into the pot and used two fingers to pull a small weed. “What does your dat like to plant?”

“Oh, just 'bout everything. Except beets. Says he hasn't much use for those.”

The woman wrinkled her nose, and then she leaned close. “Don't tell anyone, but I tend to agree.” She shrugged. “I'd still plant beets, though, if I had a garden again. It wouldn't seem right if I didn't. What good is a garden without beets, carrots, potatoes, corn, cabbage… ” Hope's voice trailed off. She swallowed hard, as
if something was stuck in there. Hope reached down and pulled up another weed, harder this time.

Emma leaned forward and looked more closely at Hope's face. The twinkle in her eyes was gone. Hope still smiled, but her eyes weren't smiling. It reminded Emma of all those days when Dat took her fishing or for a pony ride back on their farm. Even though he smiled she could tell he was really thinking about
Mem
. He still got that sad look, but not as much. And Emma wondered if this woman had lost someone too. She also decided she liked this woman. Liked her very much. Maybe this woman could be Dat's friend since they had both lost someone.

“What is your last name?”

“Miller.” The woman turned to her, meeting her gaze. “Hope Miller.”

“I'm Emma. Emma Sutter.”

“And where do you live, Emma Sutter?”

Emma shrugged. “Here in Pinecraft now. My dat's—”

“Emma, time to get going.” Her aunt's voice interrupted. “I promised Hannah I'd make her lunch, and I'm afraid I've been chatting far too long.”
Aenti
Ruth Ann approached. She smiled at Emma, then tilted her head and looked at Hope. She also leaned forward a little, as if taking a closer look.

“Are you one of the Miller girls? One of the younger four?”
Aenti
Ruth Ann asked, obviously forgetting she'd just told Emma they had to leave.

“
Ja
, I'm Hope, the second oldest. My older sister Lovina opened the pie shop here.” Hope pointed. “And my younger sisters are Joy, Faith, and Grace. Grace is one of the new scribes in Pinecraft. Maybe—”

Aenti
Ruth Ann cut off Hope's words. “And Lovina will be married soon from what I hear?”

Hope pressed her lips together, and her eyes darted from the
front door of the pie shop back to Emma's aunt. “Well, nothing's been published yet… ”

Aenti
Ruth Ann fiddled with her kapp string, twisting it around her finger. It was what Emma's aunt always did when she was thinking hard.

“And the rest of you are single?”

There was something in her aunt's eyes that Emma hadn't seen before. Interest? Curiosity? No, something different. It was the same look that her dat got when he was baiting his fishing hook. It was excitement over what he expected to come.

“Aenti Ruth Ann, Hope is a gardener. Hope likes ice cream too.” Emma lifted her cone. Her fingers were once again covered with drips.

“My, you have a big mess there.”
Aenti
Ruth Ann pointed at her cone. “Why don't we throw the rest of that cone away and wash up, and I'll share my pie after lunch?”

Emma nodded excitedly. Ice cream, pie, and a new friend all in the same day. A new friend Dat just had to meet. He needed someone to look at him, too, with eyes not filled with sadness.

 

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

2 envelopes Knox gelatin

½ cup cold water

4 cups whole milk

2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. salt

3 cups heavy cream

1½ cups pecans, pieces or whole

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

Soak gelatin in cold water. Heat milk till just before boiling. Remove from heat. Add gelatin, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Let cool. When cooled, stir in cream. Place in freezer.

In a saucepan, melt butter and heat nuts until crisp. Stir in brown sugar. Mix well. Add to ice cream once mixture has partially frozen.

Chapter One

When the outlook is not good, try the uplook.

A
MISH
P
ROVERB

H
ope, can you scoot down a bit more? Faith has yet to find a place to sit,” Mem called to her.

Hope Miller forced a smile and scooted farther down the picnic table's bench. Ten people were squeezed around the table already, and even though a cool breeze ruffled her
kapp
strings, the press of bodies nearly suffocated her.

She picked up her fork and attempted to scoop up another bite of sausage, sauerkraut, and creamy potatoes.

She'd heard the murmurs around the park that it was Becky Fisher's sauerkraut recipe. The older woman had passed away, but thankfully her recipe continued. The food smelled good, but Lovina pressed so closely against Hope that she had no room to extend her elbow to get a scoop of food. Hope tried to adjust herself—lifting her arm a little—but it did no good. The people were too tightly packed around her.

Take a breath. Take a breath. You're all right,
she told herself.

The words did no good. The jumble of voices and press of bodies overwhelmed her. She put down the fork and placed her hand
to her chest. Beneath her hand her heartbeat pounded through the thin cotton fabric of her dress and apron. From the corner of her eye she glimpsed Mose Yoder eyeing their table as if preparing to ask to squeeze in.
Please no.

Even though she'd just started on her meal, Hope pushed her plate away. She needed space. She needed quiet. The hundreds of voices of Plain people attending the New Year's fund-raising Supper at the Park swirled around her head. She didn't have a garden to escape to—not here in Pinecraft—but she did have the park. Pinecraft Park was packed with people near the pavilion, but beyond that the green grass and canopy of lush trees beckoned her.

Hope straightened in her seat. “Excuse me, Lovina. Can I get out?”

Lovina turned to her and her dark eyes widened, filling with questions. “Is everything all right? You're not coming down with something, are you?”

Hope forced her lips into a smile. “Me?
Ne
. I shouldn't have eaten that piece of pie so close to the meal.”

Lovina cocked one eyebrow, and Hope knew her sister wasn't buying it. The taste-testing of Lovina's newest pie had been three hours ago, and Hope hadn't eaten more than a sliver.

“Really now. It's the pie that stole your appetite?”

“
Ne
.” Hope leaned close to Lovina's ear, and then she lowered her voice. “It's just that there are so many people. Everyone is talking at once. I just need some fresh air for a moment. I promise to be right back.”

Lovina nodded, and she then whispered something in Noah Yoder's ear. The two had been inseparable ever since they'd worked together to remodel the old warehouse into a pie shop. Me, Myself, and Pie had been up and running nearly two months already, and it was doing better than anyone had expected.

Whatever Lovina said caused Noah to glance over and look at Hope with concern, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he slid off the end of the picnic table bench, making room for Lovina and Hope to stand.

“
Danke
.” Hope took a step back. “I'll be right back, I promise. I'm just going to stroll down to the creek.”

Noah sidled up to Lovina, as close as they could be without touching. “Watch out for gators.” He grinned.

Hope nodded. “I will. Don't worry now.” And without hesitation she moved away from the table.

No one else seemed to notice her leaving.
Mem
was busy in conversation, talking to her friend Regina who was still in town for the season. As they talked, they also eyed a group of bachelors who'd just arrived last week—no doubt attempting to choose ones for the remainder of Mem's single daughters. Thankfully, Mem now approved of Noah Yoder. No, more than that, she acted as if he'd been her choice all along. But Mem still had four more daughters to worry about. She acted as if getting her daughters married was her only purpose in life.

Hope had heard Mem and Regina chatting over coffee this morning. They'd been talking about one of their neighbors, Hannah Wise. Not only had Hannah just been married eight months ago, but she was already expecting twins. As she spoke, Hope noted the longing in Mem's voice. After all, most of her friends were grandmothers many times over now.

Just as long as Mem and Regina didn't concern themselves with
her
love life next. With each passing day, Hope had a growing desire to leave Pinecraft, return up north, and find a job that could support her. Mostly, she just wanted to find a garden to tend.

Since it was only January, she still had four months to find
such a garden. Even though the sun shone brightly in Pinecraft, most of Ohio and Indiana was still covered in snow. And hopefully by the time the ground thawed she'd know just where to go. Did God have a good place for her? She'd been thankful to be here for her family, especially during Dat's illness, but with each passing day Hope longed for a farm with squealing baby pigs, black-and-white dappled calves, and a large garden in need of a gardener.

With quickened steps, Hope moved away from the table, and instead she fixed her eyes on the creekside trees in the distance. Heavy, dark moss hung from the limbs, and she smiled, remembering something she'd overheard last week from a young boy new to Pinecraft. “Look Dat, even the trees have beards down here.”