A Place of Peace by Amy Clipston Page A

conversation with the man she’d thought was the love of her life.
    Pushing those thoughts away, Miriam stepped through the back door of the bakery and inhaled the sweet smell of baking bread. Elizabeth, Beth Anne, Kathryn, and their nieces rushed around the kitchen preparing desserts for the day.
    “Gude mariye. Wie geht’s?
“ Beth Anne called while washing cookie sheets.
    “Gut.
How are you all doing?” Miriam rung her hands and cleared her throat, standing before Timothy’s mother and sisters.
    Kathryn frowned and looked down, mixing dough for her next creation.
    “Miriam!” Elizabeth rushed over. “It’s so
gut
to see you. How have you been?”
    Miriam blinked, studying the older woman’s genuine smile. She’d always considered Elizabeth an angel on earth, a loving, forgiving woman.
    “I’m doing okay. How have you been?” Miriam stepped back and forced a nervous smile.
    “Gut. Danki.”
Elizabeth gestured around the kitchen. “You can see the bakery looks the same. I don’t mean to sound prideful, but I have to admit business is booming. We’re glad you can help us out.” She turned to her granddaughters. “Lindsay, Amanda, Lizzie, and Ruthie, please come meet Miriam.” The four girls crossed the room and smiled. “These are my
grossdochdern.
Lindsay is Rebecca and Daniel’s niece who came to live with them from Virginia last year, and Amanda, Lizzie, and Ruthie are Kathryn’s
dochdern.
I’m sure you remember them.”
    Miriam nodded and smiled.
“Ya,
I do. You’ve grown up.”
    Amanda tilted her head in question. “You know us?” She tapped her finger to her chin, concentrating. “You were courting
Onkel
Timothy, ya?”
    Kathryn muttered something inaudible across the counter, and Beth Anne shot her older sister a warning look.
    Kathryn blew out a frustrated sigh and then met Miriam’s gaze. She pursed her lips. “It’s
gut
to see you,” she said without the hint of a smile. “Welcome to the bakery.”
    “Danki,
Kathryn.” Miriam smiled, and Kathryn looked away.
    “As you know, we’re open from eight until five,” Elizabeth said. “The girls take turns taking care of the younger
kinner.
Right now Kathryn’s daughter Lizzie is on duty. She’ll switch off later with Ruthie.”
    Elizabeth put her hand on Miriam’s shoulder and led her toward the row of ovens, refrigerators, and freezers. “Let me give you a tour of the kitchen.” She pointed out the cooking supplies and ingredients and then discussed their schedule for the baking.
    “You were always a
wunderbaar
baker.” Elizabeth led her to the refrigerator. “I thought you’d like to start out with crumbly peach pie.”
    Miriam paused and met Elizabeth’s eyes.
    Timothy’s favorite.
    Pushing the memory away, Miriam cleared her throat. “I’d be happy to.”
    “Gut.”
Elizabeth opened the refrigerator. “You’ll find everything you need in here and in the stand-alone freezers.” She nodded toward a shelf full of binders, journals, and books. “We have several volumes of traditional recipes. Feel free to leaf through them or bake from memory. We trust your judgment. I know your
grossmammi
taught you well.”
    “Danki,”
Miriam whispered, winding her finger around the tie of her prayer
kapp.
    Elizabeth’s gaze softened. “Please feel comfortable here, Miriam. We’re
froh
to have you, despite what my stubborn Kathryn said. The past is the past, ya?”
    “Ya,”
Miriam said.
“Danki,
Elizabeth.”
    Elizabeth patted her shoulder as she headed back to the center of the kitchen.
    Miriam hummed her favorite hymns while she worked in the corner of the kitchen alone all morning long, baking four crumbly peach pies and then four dozen sugar cookies.
    She was deep in thought, comparing her life in Indiana to her life in Pennsylvania, when a tap on her shoulder surprised her. She turned to find Beth Anne smiling at her.
    “You’ve been working nonstop for hours,” Beth Anne said. “Are you ready to take a lunch