Sewn with Joy (17 page)

“Look at this—the corn casserole from Rosemary Eash. She's my cousin on my mother's side,”
Mem
explained to Joy. “Ground Beef Supper from Shari Weaver, who shares the same wedding anniversary we do, just off by a year. Sourdough cinnamon rolls
and maple drop cookies from my sister, Edna.”
Mem
clapped her hands together with glee. “Oh, I've asked for this cookie recipe a dozen times. I'm so happy she finally took the time to write it down.”
Mem
flipped through more of the recipes and then came to an envelope and paused. “I recognize this handwriting.” Her eyes darted to Matthew. “What is this? Who sent it?”

“Aunt Edna sent it, of course. I asked her to.” He touched his
mem
's shoulder. “You know what it is. You know why it was sent.”

Mem
glanced over at Joy, and tears filled her eyes.
Mem
's hand covered her mouth, and Matthew was almost certain sobs would soon follow. After all,
Mem
had wanted this for him nearly as much as he'd wanted it.

Joy eyed him curiously. “Is it a special recipe? It must be extra special to get that type of response.”

Mem
lowered her hand. Her smile doubled in size, and she reached over and gave Joy a tight hug. “Oh, I am so excited.”

Laughter spilled from Joy's lips. “I…I'm so sorry. I don't understand.” She sucked in a breath as
Mem
released her. “Is it a special recipe you've been wanting? Or recipes?”

Mem
glanced up at him again. “Should I tell her or should you?”

He moved around the table and sat down next to
Dat. Dat
's frown had disappeared, and his smile was nearly as big as his wife's. Matthew's relationship with Joy was something they both agreed on.

Matthew chuckled. “Go ahead,
Mem
.”

“
Ja
, they are recipes, all right. My
mem
's favorite. Family recipes she passed down to each of her daughters and daughters-in-law. An envelope of these recipes is given to every bride in our family on her wedding day. These recipes aren't anything special to most families, but they are meaningful to us.”

“But I don't understand.” Joy looked from his
mem
to Matthew, and then back to his
mem
again. “If you already received these on your wedding day, why did you get them again?”

Mem
's eyes twinkled. “Oh, dear girl. They're not for me. They're for you. If I'm not mistaken, Matthew asked my sister to send them so I could give them to you. Not today, of course. But from the look of love on my son's face, very soon.”

Joy gasped, and she turned to look at Matthew. “They're for me? On my wedding day?”

“It's just something I've been thinking about.” He loved seeing the brightness of her face. “There is a lot to talk about, many plans to make, but I wanted you to know, Joy.” He looked to his mother's and father's faces, and both seemed pleased. “I asked my aunt to send those recipes so you'd know I hope to marry you soon. Maybe not as soon as your two sisters, but hopefully not too long after.”

He leaned forward, focusing on Joy's face. Tears rimmed her lower lids, and her lower lip trembled. Her mouth opened slightly but no words emerged.

“That's, uh, if you wish for the same thing.”

A broad, luminous smile spread across her face. “
Ja
, of course I wish for the same thing. I can't imagine wishing for anything more.”

Dat
nodded in agreement. “And I can't think of a more upright young woman for my son. You'll be a delight to have in our family when the time is right, Joy. All my children have made wise choices so far.”

Joy clasped her hands together, and more tears filled her eyes. She quickly dabbed them away. “I don't know why I'm crying. It's just…well…” She reached over and placed her hand in his
mem
's. “I feel like I've stolen all the attention from your day.”

“Not at all.”
Mem
clucked her tongue. “Don't let that bother you. It's a gift to me.
You
are a gift to me. I've prayed for my son his whole life. I've also prayed for the special lady who would someday be his bride. I can't think of a more perfect choice—”

The ringing of Matthew's cell phone interrupted
Mem
's words. He pulled it from his pocket and looked at the number. “Oh, it's Mose. He must be wondering where I am. I should answer this.”

“
Ja
, of course.” Joy patted his hand. “Go on to work. I'll just stay and help your
mem
clean up.”

He nodded and walked to the door as both women offered him a wave. As he exited, he could hear
Mem
telling Joy about how the tradition started. He knew the story well. Grandma, when told that her cancer had spread, had set to work on writing out as many recipe cards as she could. It was her way to pass on something special to future family members.

Matthew's heart felt full as he sauntered down the front porch steps. He had no doubt
Mem
would do a fine job protecting that envelope of recipes until his wedding day. The more time he spent with Joy, the more he hoped the day would be sooner rather than later. He was older than most bachelors were when they married, but he had waited for a reason. He didn't want to marry just anyone. He wanted to find the right one to share his life with. Now that he had, Matthew didn't know how long he wanted to wait. He needed Joy by his side—for her smile and for the daily joy she brought into his life. Mostly he needed someone who believed in him and someone he could believe in. A happy marriage wasn't simply built on love, he knew, but on sharing dreams and living them out one day at a time.

 

Soft Caramel Cinnamon Rolls

1 3-ounce box cook-and-serve vanilla pudding

2 cups milk

½ cup butter

2 packets yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup warm water

2 eggs, beaten

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

6 cups bread flour

butter

brown sugar

ground cinnamon

Cook pudding and milk according to package directions. Add butter and let set until lukewarm. Meanwhile, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water until foamy. Combine pudding mixture with eggs, salt, oil, and yeast mixture. Mix well. Gradually add enough flour to make a soft and somewhat sticky dough. Knead well. Place back in bowl and cover with towel. Let rise 45 minutes. Roll out onto clean countertop. Spread with generous amount of melted butter and cover with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up and cut into 1½-inch pieces. Place in greased baking pans. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Frost with caramel icing.

Caramel Icing

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

¼ cup milk

2 cups confectioners' sugar

In a small saucepan, bring butter, sugar, and milk to a boil. Cook over medium heat for two minutes. Cool and then stir in confectioners' sugar.

Sixteen

You can tell when you're on the right track—it's usually uphill.

A
MISH PROVERB

T
he sewing machine hummed in Pinecraft Fabric and Quilts as Joy worked on aprons to sell in Lovina's pie shop. One thing she enjoyed about working with Elizabeth was that when all her work was done around the shop and there weren't any customers, Joy had time to sew.

Yet there was no joy in her work today. Instead a darkness hung over her, blocking out the light from the front windows that dared to shine through. She'd hardly slept last night. Happiness mixed with despair. Happiness over Matthew's gift—a promise of their future—mixed with the reality of the needs at home.

Just as she had been getting ready for bed last night, Faith had entered their room with bloodshot, puffy eyes. She'd gone with
Mem
to
Dat
's doctor appointment, and they'd gotten an estimate for the cost of
Dat
's treatments. It was more money than they could imagine.

She never was great at math, but she had a lot of aprons to sew to even make a dent in the money they'd need for
Dat
's therapy. She also planned on talking to her cousins to see if they'd be
interested in taking any Made with Love aprons back with them to sell up north. They certainly sold well in Lovina's pie shop. Maybe they would in Ohio too. Anything would help.

But as she focused on sewing a straight seam, she resisted the urge to simply throw up her hands. What could selling a few measly aprons do to offset such a large bill?

The bell on the front door jingled, and Joy lifted her foot from the pedal. “Be right with you,” she called, attempting a chirpy tone. Then she rose from the chair and turned. “It's a beautif—”

The words caught in her throat. Standing just inside the doorway was Rowan, the director she'd talked to on the set. The one who seemed to show up everywhere. And the last person she wanted to see in the shop today. She already had enough worries without him showing up. She just hoped today wasn't a day Matthew decided to come to the shop and surprise her.

Rowan's smile brightened as he strode toward her. “Oh, good. I'm so glad I found you. I had to ask a few people where the fabric and quilt shop was. Thankfully, the third person gave me good directions.” He chuckled.

“There isn't anything wrong with the quilts, is there? If you want to exchange one…”

He wore a sweater over a white T-shirt and pushed up the sleeves as he talked. “No, it's nothing like that. I actually came looking for you.”

“Me?” The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She rose from the chair and walked around it, gripping the top rung. Putting space between them. She'd helped the man once, and now he considered her his best friend.
Doesn't he have any Englischers to bother?

“I need help.” He raised an eyebrow. “Or rather the show needs help. It seems our costume designer, Georgia, doesn't know what she's doing. She's the first to admit it. Not that I blame her. I got
online last night and…well, there are so many details. I had no idea there were so many Amish communities and that they all have different ways of doing things.”

Joy cocked her head, wondering why this was suddenly such a big surprise to him. “I'm still not sure what you need, especially from me.”

“Well, I was wondering if you know of any place where we could find some Amish dresses. If there is a store we can look at—”