six people laughed. James stepped back from Kim and put his arm around Emma’s shoulders. “Jah, I turned Amish three years ago, right after I finished at OSU’s Agricultural College. We got hitched the following year.”
Emma watched Kim’s face while James explained. Her smile melted like a snow cone in the sun.
“You’ve been married for two years already?” Kim asked.
“We have,” he said, tightening his hold on her shoulders.
“How old is your kid?”
James shook his head. “No children yet. We hope for a baby someday, but so far we haven’t been blessed.”
Kim stared at Emma. “I’m surprised…surprised by everything coming out of your mouth, Jamie Davis.” She picked up her Coke and drank down half of it before stopping.
“How’s your family?” asked Mark, giving Kim an odd look.
“Fine, everyone’s good,” said James. “Dad is still not ready to retire. He likes working too much to stop. Mom’s nursing in Canton. Lily’s at vet school, my older brother is an associate pastor in Wooster, and my little brother is home from college. That’s everybody.”
“Did you finish at OSU?” asked Josh.
“Yeah, I fit everything I needed into two years. I couldn’t wait to be done with school.”
“You and me both, old buddy,” said Mark. “My folks insisted that I get my MBA when I graduated from Bowling Green with an under-grad degree. They said it would improve my job prospects. So I didn’t finish until last month, and I don’t want to open another textbook for the rest of my life.” All of the males laughed at this.
“So what do you do here?” asked Corrine, glancing around.
“I help my dad run his business and I farm.”
“Using those giant horses I see in the fields?”
James smiled easily. “No, we’re New Order. We use tractors and other mechanized equipment.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Corrine looked quickly at Emma. “I mean…it’s faster and easier with a tractor than with horses, isn’t it?”
But James wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable. “It sure is. I get as much done as I did before.”
“I see you still have your truck,” said Kim. “I saw it parked near the barn.”
“It’s Kevin’s truck now. I sold it to him.”
Emma heard the timer go off on the stove, signaling that her muffins were done. “If you will excuse me, I have to tend to something in the house.” She slipped out from under her husband’s arm and hurried inside.
She didn’t want to spend another minute on the porch in her untidy dress while James’ former prom date stole surreptitious glances at her.
Why are his friends looking him up after five years? This was Holmes County. They probably saw plenty of Amish people every day.
Maybe it was her imagination, but Kim seemed to possess more interest than normal for someone supposed to be “just a friend.”
L eah trotted the horse all the way home from Mrs. Byler’s that day. She hurried to fix supper, tried to hurry her family through the meal, and rushed to clean up the kitchen. She couldn’t wait to try the new cheese in the recipe she was inventing. And the results were better than expectations.
Peach Parfait Supreme was light and creamy, sweet yet tangy, with firm ripe peaches that melted on your tongue and left only a delicious memory. It was a slice of summertime—perfect alone or topped with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. She had baked up two pies that night with some Georgia peaches purchased from the fruit seller in Wilmot. Her family had raved and devoured the first pie that night. April had gushed over her sample slice the next day and then took the remainder of the second pie home to her family. On Leah’s next baking day, she made an even half dozen. The recipe would only improve once Ohio peaches were ready to pick.
Now today was Thursday, and if Jonah Byler didn’t stop by the diner soon, there would be no pie for him to try and report back to his mother. She should have baked one extra to
Emma watched Kim’s face while James explained. Her smile melted like a snow cone in the sun.
“You’ve been married for two years already?” Kim asked.
“We have,” he said, tightening his hold on her shoulders.
“How old is your kid?”
James shook his head. “No children yet. We hope for a baby someday, but so far we haven’t been blessed.”
Kim stared at Emma. “I’m surprised…surprised by everything coming out of your mouth, Jamie Davis.” She picked up her Coke and drank down half of it before stopping.
“How’s your family?” asked Mark, giving Kim an odd look.
“Fine, everyone’s good,” said James. “Dad is still not ready to retire. He likes working too much to stop. Mom’s nursing in Canton. Lily’s at vet school, my older brother is an associate pastor in Wooster, and my little brother is home from college. That’s everybody.”
“Did you finish at OSU?” asked Josh.
“Yeah, I fit everything I needed into two years. I couldn’t wait to be done with school.”
“You and me both, old buddy,” said Mark. “My folks insisted that I get my MBA when I graduated from Bowling Green with an under-grad degree. They said it would improve my job prospects. So I didn’t finish until last month, and I don’t want to open another textbook for the rest of my life.” All of the males laughed at this.
“So what do you do here?” asked Corrine, glancing around.
“I help my dad run his business and I farm.”
“Using those giant horses I see in the fields?”
James smiled easily. “No, we’re New Order. We use tractors and other mechanized equipment.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Corrine looked quickly at Emma. “I mean…it’s faster and easier with a tractor than with horses, isn’t it?”
But James wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable. “It sure is. I get as much done as I did before.”
“I see you still have your truck,” said Kim. “I saw it parked near the barn.”
“It’s Kevin’s truck now. I sold it to him.”
Emma heard the timer go off on the stove, signaling that her muffins were done. “If you will excuse me, I have to tend to something in the house.” She slipped out from under her husband’s arm and hurried inside.
She didn’t want to spend another minute on the porch in her untidy dress while James’ former prom date stole surreptitious glances at her.
Why are his friends looking him up after five years? This was Holmes County. They probably saw plenty of Amish people every day.
Maybe it was her imagination, but Kim seemed to possess more interest than normal for someone supposed to be “just a friend.”
L eah trotted the horse all the way home from Mrs. Byler’s that day. She hurried to fix supper, tried to hurry her family through the meal, and rushed to clean up the kitchen. She couldn’t wait to try the new cheese in the recipe she was inventing. And the results were better than expectations.
Peach Parfait Supreme was light and creamy, sweet yet tangy, with firm ripe peaches that melted on your tongue and left only a delicious memory. It was a slice of summertime—perfect alone or topped with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. She had baked up two pies that night with some Georgia peaches purchased from the fruit seller in Wilmot. Her family had raved and devoured the first pie that night. April had gushed over her sample slice the next day and then took the remainder of the second pie home to her family. On Leah’s next baking day, she made an even half dozen. The recipe would only improve once Ohio peaches were ready to pick.
Now today was Thursday, and if Jonah Byler didn’t stop by the diner soon, there would be no pie for him to try and report back to his mother. She should have baked one extra to
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