Melting Hearts Read online

  “Danki,” she said quietly, and then she took a small sip. Her eyes had narrowed when she looked up at him. “Why are you being nice to me?”

  He sat down. “Because I’m a nice guy?” Sometimes too nice. That’s what his father had said after the Lizzy nightmare—“You’re too nice for yer own gut, sohn.” But Peter couldn’t help it. That’s the way he was, and some people took advantage of that.

  She smirked. “Humble, too, I see.”

  “You know,” he said, pointing at her with his fork, “you should try it sometime.”

  “What?”

  “Being nice.” He scraped his plate for the last bite.

  “I am.” She lifted her chin. “To people who deserve it.”

  Good grief, she could be insufferable. He stood. “I’m going to bed.” After rinsing off his fork and plate, he set them in the sink. Then without saying another word, he left the kitchen—again.

  As he made his way upstairs, he grew even more annoyed. Mattie was overly nice to Lizzy, who didn’t even deserve her friendship, but she couldn’t be bothered to be decent to him. He’d never done anything to her. Women didn’t make sense, which was why he swore off them after dating Lizzy. It would take a special maedel to make him want to date again, and the last thing he wanted was another romantic entanglement. He’d had enough with Lizzy to last a lifetime.

  3

  THE NEXT DAY, ONKEL ATLEE CONVINCED CAROLYN TO see her doctor. She’d been able to make a same-day appointment, so Mattie was thankful that Joanna could work in the bakery a little later than usual. They’d had a steady stream of customers, and Mattie couldn’t have made so many sugar cookies cut into Christmas shapes and sprinkled with green and red sugar without Joanna’s help.

  Mattie was also tired. She’d slept very little after her encounter with Peter the night before. She hadn’t expected him to invite her to sit down with him, although it could barely be called an invitation. And then when he poured her a glass of milk, she was confused. She had to remind herself that Peter wasn’t who he presented himself to be. He might say he was a nice guy, he might act like a nice guy, but she knew otherwise.

  She hadn’t thought much about Peter all day, though. She also hadn’t seen him since breakfast that morning, and even then he’d merely grabbed two slices of bread and left the house without a word.

  At the end of the workday, she turned the sign to CLOSED, counted the money for Carolyn, and made sure everything in the kitchen and the storefront was spotless. She hoped Carolyn was okay. She seemed fine when she told Mattie they were headed to Akron to see the doctor. “I’m sure I’m all right,” she’d said.

  “I just want to be sure too. You’ve been so tired lately,” her uncle had added.

  Now Mattie locked the front door of the bakery behind her and then put the key in her purse. She was pulling on a glove when she turned around and found Peter standing there on the bakery’s porch. “I left mei tape measure in the kitchen.”

  He was wearing a winter jacket and a knit cap that covered his ears. Light-brown hair peeked out from under the hem of the hat, and his pale-blue eyes signaled impatience.

  “Mattie?” He peered at her. “You can give me the key. I’ll lock up.”

  “Nee.” She retrieved the key and inserted it into the lock. Carolyn had entrusted her with this business, and she wasn’t going to let Peter be here alone. She opened the door for him, the scents of cinnamon and cloves mingling with the cold air. “I’ll wait out here.”

  “Fine.” He went inside, and she peeked around the doorjamb. He marched straight into the kitchen and then came out a few seconds later. He held up the tape measure so she could see it. She jerked back and frowned. It wasn’t as if she didn’t believe him. She just didn’t trust him.

  He came back out, shutting the door behind him. She expected him to immediately head for the house, but he stood there, his hands in his pockets. She’d noticed he didn’t wear gloves, even though it was winter.

  “You don’t have to wait for me,” she said, lifting her chin.

  “I know. But I’ll walk home with you anyway.”

  The key slipped from her bare hand and clattered on the cement in front of the door. Peter swiped it up before she could get to it. He put it in her hand, and his skin was ice cold against hers. “Why don’t you wear gloves?” she blurted.

  “It’s hard to do mei job wearing them, so I often forget. I even forgot to pack them for this trip.” He shrugged. “Mei pockets keep mei hands plenty warm.”

  They didn’t, judging from how cold his hand had felt when he gave her the key. She turned around and locked the door again. It wasn’t her business if Peter wanted to freeze his hands off. She didn’t care. She put the key back in her purse, and then she pulled on her other glove and walked past him and down the steps as if he weren’t there.

  As she strode toward the house, Peter caught up with her, his hands still in his pockets. But he didn’t say anything as they walked side by side. When they arrived, he bounded up the porch steps and opened the door, motioning for her to go through. If she didn’t know any better, she would think he was a gentleman.

  Once inside, Mattie saw her uncle and Carolyn sitting next to each other on the couch. That was strange at suppertime. Usually one or both of them were in the kitchen cooking. She knew Carolyn gave her husband cooking lessons while they were dating, which Mattie thought was sweet. But right now they looked anything but sweet. They looked stunned. What had the doctor told them?

  “Carolyn?” Mattie moved to her aunt and uncle, swallowing concern, hoping the looks on their faces didn’t mean bad news. “Is everything all right?”

  “I don’t know,” Carolyn whispered, looking up at her. “I really don’t know.”

  Her uncle ran his hand through his hair, and then he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. Mattie’s stomach grew queasy. “Onkel?” she said, looking at him. “Is something wrong with Aenti Carolyn?”

  He turned to her, his expression dumbfounded. He paused, and then he shook his head. “She’s going to have a boppli.”

  Peter watched with a mix of shock and amusement as the newly expectant parents grappled with the news. Mattie seemed just as stunned as she sat down on the coffee table in front of them. He knew she’d never do that otherwise. “Are you sure?” she asked.

  “Positive.” Carolyn gripped the edge of the light-blue throw pillow on the couch. Her face turned red when she glanced at Peter. Then she leaned toward Mattie and whispered, “I’m due in June.”

  Peter could barely hear what Carolyn said. Talking about pregnancy openly wasn’t usually done in mixed company. Then again, a couple in their late forties having a baby wasn’t usual either. He’d never known it to happen.

  “Let’s geh to the bedroom,” Carolyn said, getting up. She took Mattie by the hand and led her to the back of the house, leaving Peter alone with a mute Atlee.

  Peter still stood, unsure what to do. Atlee just stared straight ahead. Peter waited a few moments, and then he joined the man on the couch. “Congratulations,” he said.

  “Ya.”

  “Guess this is a surprise.”

  “Ya.”

  Peter frowned. At this point he was more concerned about Atlee than about Carolyn. “Are you all right?”

  Atlee turned to him. “I never thought it would happen, being a vatter. After May died, I accepted that kinner would never be in mei future. And Carolyn and I accepted that we’d never be parents.” He shook his head. “How did this happen?”

  Peter didn’t say anything. If Atlee didn’t know how it happened, the situation was worse than he thought.

  Atlee waved his hand. “We’re too old to have a boppli.”

  “Apparently God has other ideas. Remember Sarah and Abraham?”

  “But we weren’t praying for a kinn.”

  Peter clapped Atlee on the shoulder. It was strange to be comforting an older man over something like this. “Are you happy?”

  The questi
on seemed to pull Atlee from his fog. “Ya,” he said slowly, and then he smiled. “I am. At least I think so.”

  “Then I’m happy for you.”

  Atlee slapped his hands against his legs and bolted up from the couch. “I need to heat up those leftovers from last night. After all, Carolyn’s eating for two now. Not enough time to make supper from scratch.”

  “Gut idea.” Peter stood next to him. “I’ll help.”

  “I think it’s going to be okay,” Atlee said, turning to Peter. “I think we’re going to be all right.”

  Peter grinned. “I’m sure you will, vatter.”

  She wasn’t sure whether pacing at a rapid rate was bad for the baby, but Mattie didn’t dare try to keep Carolyn from marching back and forth in the master bedroom. Mattie stood in the corner, unsure what to say. She didn’t know anyone who’d had a baby in their late forties. The oldest new mother she knew was forty-two, considered an advanced age for pregnancy. All the other mothers she knew had had their babies in their twenties and thirties, and one when she was in her late teens after marrying early.

  “I don’t know what to do,” Carolyn said, wringing her hands. “Pregnant? How is that possible? I’m forty-eight. That’s too old.”

  “Apparently not,” Mattie said quietly.

  Carolyn didn’t seem to hear her. “I can’t have a boppli. I have a business to run. And what about Atlee? He’ll be nearing his seventies by the time this kinn is an adult.” She gasped. “So will I!” She started to pace faster. “The doctor also said this is a high-risk pregnancy because of mei age. I don’t have time to be high-risk anything!”

  Mattie decided to intervene. She stepped in front of Carolyn, which stopped her in her tracks. “God has a plan, aenti,” she said. “Every kinn is a miracle from the Lord. You know that, right?”

  Tears came to Carolyn’s eyes. “Ya. I do.” She put her hand over her abdomen. “I can’t believe I’m going to be a mutter,” she said, her voice thick. “I never imagined I’d be one.”

  Mattie held her hand. “Do you want to be a mutter?”

  Carolyn nodded. “Ya, Mattie. I do.” She looked down at their hands. “I really do.”

  Mattie put her arms around her aunt. “You’re going to be a great mamm,” she said, feeling a lump in her throat. “And don’t worry about the bakery. I’ll stay here as long as you need me.”

  Pulling away from her, Carolyn said, “I can’t ask you do to that. You have a home in Fredericktown.”

  She did, but the thought of returning there didn’t hold much appeal. Lizzy was busy with her new boyfriend and her job at an Amish diner in the next town over. And, of course, she didn’t have a boyfriend of her own to go back to. She also had to admit it felt good to be more independent.

  “I don’t mind,” she said. She’d found more purpose in Birch Creek than she ever had in Fredericktown. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “All right.” Carolyn sniffed, and Mattie handed her a tissue from the box on the dresser. “I better geh make something to eat,” Carolyn said. “The men are starving by now, I’m sure.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  “But you made breakfast. And took care of the bakery today. How were sales, by the way?”

  Mattie almost chuckled. Leave it to Carolyn to be concerned with business, even after today’s news. “Very gut. You’ll be pleased. We’re running low on sugar, though.”

  “That’s not surprising. I underestimated the amount we needed. I’ll send Atlee to purchase some. I promised the doctor I’d rest for a while.”

  “Gut. Now let’s geh to the kitchen and get you something to eat. You have to keep up yer strength.”

  When the women walked into the kitchen, they were surprised to see the men putting last night’s leftovers on the table. “It’s not a fresh meal,” her uncle said, looking at his wife. “But it’s hot.”

  “That’s all that matters.” Carolyn touched his arm and smiled before sitting down in the seat opposite him.

  Mattie had to hold back a sigh. Would she ever know that kind of love?

  Peter tapped her on the shoulder. “Ahem.”

  “What?” She whirled around, annoyed that he’d interrupted her thoughts—although it was probably good since they were on the brink of being depressing.

  “Aren’t you going to sit down? We’re hungry.” Peter moved past her and sat down in his chair.

  “Oh.” She quickly sat down in her own seat. “I didn’t mean to keep everyone waiting.”

  After they ate supper, Peter insisted on doing the chores in the barn. Her uncle protested, but when Carolyn tried to stifle a yawn, he promptly escorted her to her room. Oh boy. If Onkel Atlee was overprotective before, he’ll be downright smothering now. How sweet. Although Mattie couldn’t imagine Carolyn putting up with that for long.

  “So.” Peter took a toothpick from the small container in the middle of the table and put it between his teeth. “You’re getting a new cousin.”

  Mattie hadn’t even thought about that. “Ya,” she said, staring at the glass of tea in front of her. Would the baby be a boy or a girl? Have Carolyn’s features or her uncle’s? She just hoped the baby wouldn’t have her freckles. Neither her older brother nor her older sister had them, but some distant cousins did. She just had the lion’s share of them.

  “I’m sure Atlee and Carolyn will be gut parents,” Peter said.

  “How do you know?” Mattie narrowed her eyes. “You just met Carolyn, and you and mei onkel aren’t exactly close.”

  “I’m a gut judge of character.” He frowned. “Had to learn that the hard way.” He dropped the toothpick onto the edge of his plate. “I’m going to do the chores outside,” he said. “Clean the kitchen, will ya?”

  “Ooh,” she said as he strolled out the back door. The nerve of him ordering her around. While smirking too. She shoved back from the table and started clearing the dishes. Not because he told me to. Because she had given Carolyn her word, and she wasn’t going back on that.

  4

  FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS, MATTIE BAKED ALL THE SPECIAL orders—six dozen red-and-green sugar cookies—a treat becoming more popular by the day—twelve nut rolls, ten pound cakes, and a yule log. She’d never made a yule log before, but she found Carolyn’s recipe and followed the easy directions.

  The doctor had actually insisted that Carolyn rest not for “a while” but until at least January. That’s when she’d know if she could approve light duty at the bakery. So her uncle had decided to manage the front of the store himself. That meant he’d been too busy to go buy more sugar, and by the second afternoon, Mattie had finally run out of it. She decided to go herself.

  When she went to the front of the bakery, she found it surprisingly empty. The chance of snow reported in the newspaper might have had something to do with it, but when she looked out the window, she didn’t see any sign of snow.

  “I need to purchase some more sugar,” Mattie said to her uncle.

  He opened the cash box and handed her a twenty. “That should be enough for a couple of bags at Schrock’s Grocery.”

  Mattie shook her head. “I need more than a couple of bags.” She explained how Carolyn usually ordered in bulk but had under-ordered the last time. “There’s a store in Barton where I can get at least fifteen bags. They always have plenty in stock. I’ll call a taxi to take me there. It won’t take too long.”

  “That’s fine. Mary already went home, but I can handle any customers who come along.” He grinned as he gave her another twenty and more for a taxi. “It’s not half bad, working here. Pretty easy if you ask me. Then again, I don’t have to bake anything, which is a gut thing for everyone concerned.”

  The front door opened, and Peter came inside. She hadn’t seen much of him over the past two days, although she knew he’d been laying the groundwork for the addition. Eventually they’d have to tear down the wall between the kitchen and addition, but that wouldn’t be until the new space was almost completed. Until then, that wall w
ould separate her and Peter. She’d never been so grateful for wood beams and dry wall.

  Peter walked toward them, his cheeks red from the cold. His pale-blue eyes looked almost like glass, and his light-brown eyelashes were ridiculously long. That wasn’t fair. She barely had any eyelashes at all.

  As Peter spoke to her uncle, she pretended to be busy straightening up the display of individually wrapped brownie squares at the end of the checkout counter.

  “I’m ready to take a trip to Barton to pick up those supplies we talked about. The cinder blocks are arriving in the morning.”

  “What a coincidence,” her uncle said. “Mattie was just telling me she has to geh to Barton too. Why don’t you two share a taxi?”

  Mattie’s head jerked up. “I’m sure Peter doesn’t want me tagging along while he goes to the hardware store.”

  Peter looked directly at her, his expression deadpan. “Of course I don’t mind.”

  “She just has to make a stop at a store for sugar,” Onkel Atlee said. “I have an account at the hardware store, so have them put the supplies on mei tab.”

  “Will do.” Peter stood there, now looking at Mattie with an expression she couldn’t read. What was he up to?

  “Mattie, you want to geh ahead and call that taxi? You can call Carl again.” Her uncle handed her the cell phone Carolyn kept for her business.

  “Maybe I should just stay here,” she said. “I can geh tomorrow.”

  “But you said we’re all out of sugar.”

  “Ya, but . . .”

  “Besides, Peter can help you carry the bags to the taxi.”

  “Yep,” Peter said, still looking at her. “I’ll help you.”

  Mattie grimaced, but then she took the cell phone and punched in the taxi driver’s number, almost sorry she remembered it. Now she was stuck spending the rest of the afternoon with Peter. After she made the arrangements, she pressed the off button on the phone. “Carl will be here in five minutes. He said he’s nearby.”