Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date.
For a better shopping experience, please upgrade now.
Available within 2 business hours
Christiana Kurtz loves to bake, but when her bake stand becomes too busy, her mother encourages her to move her business to the local market. Her new bake shop is an instant success, but it becomes so inundated with customers that the line blocks the leather and woodcraft shop next door. The shop’s owner, Jeff Stoltzfus, catches Christiana’s attention at first glance with his dark brown eyes and sad expression, and she longs to know more about him.
After a series of mishaps and Jeff’s complaints that her stand is driving away his business due to the lines, their relationship begins rockily. Drawn to each other despite themselves, Jeff and Christiana forge a friendship that begins to deepen, and Jeff slowly begins to trust her with the painful secrets of his past.
When Christiana’s father makes a surprise visit to the market, he is upset to find that Jeff uses the building’s electricity to personalize his items. He tells Christiana that Jeff is too modern for her, and she’s forbidden from dating him. Christiana is crushed, but she knows she must obey her father.
When Jeff’s shop catches fire one day, he puts the entire market in jeopardy—including Christiana’s bake shop, but she can’t deny how she feels about him despite his mistakes. Though the odds are against them, can the two young people find a way to rebuild both their businesses and their relationship?
| ISBN-13: | 9798885788038 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Gale, A Cengage Company |
| Publication date: | 02/08/2023 |
| Edition description: | Large Print |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d) |
CHAPTER 1
"Christiana!"
Christiana's cousin Bethany Gingerich smiled brightly as she sat at a high-top walnut table on a matching ladder-back chair in her Coffee Corner booth at the Bird-in-Hand market. Sitting on either side of Bethany were Christiana's two other favorite cousins, Leanna Wengerd and Salina Petersheim.
"Gude mariye." Christiana greeted them all and set her purse and tote bag on the floor beside the empty stool at the table. She inhaled the rich aroma of Bethany's delicious coffee. The smell made her taste buds dance with delight. It was no wonder her cousin's booth was so successful. "How are you all?"
"We're great," Bethany said. The other two nodded as they sipped their coffee. "We were just catching up before the market officially opens." Bethany smoothed her hands down her black apron, and her light-blue eyes seemed to sparkle under the fluorescent lights glowing above them. Although she was twenty-two, Bethany always reminded Christiana of a happy kitten with her unfailing energy and constant smile. "How are you doing this lovely Thursday morning?"
"I'm fine," Christiana said. "I had to run an early errand for mei mamm before opening my bake stand, so I thought I'd drop in. The greeter at the door remembered I'm your cousin and let me in."
"Sit with us." Leanna patted the empty stool. At thirty-four, she was both their oldest cousin and the shortest, standing at only five foot three. Christiana considered her to be the bravest and most resilient. She'd lost her husband in an accident three years ago, but she persevered, raising her son on her own.
"I do have a little time." Christiana hopped up on the stool and then glanced over her shoulder at the counter where the coffee and donuts were beckoning her.
"Kaffi?" Bethany asked, as if reading Christiana's mind. "Cinnamon is the special today."
"Ya, that would be perfect." Christiana pulled a bill from her pocket and handed it to Bethany. "Danki."
"Gern gschehne," Bethany sang out as she slid from her stool and headed toward the counter.
"How are things at the bake stand?" Salina picked up her cup and took a sip.
"It's gut. Busy." Christiana shook her head. "I can hardly keep up with the demand. I have to come back to the haus more than once to replenish my inventory, and if I close the stand early because I've run out of baked goods, sometimes customers knock on our door asking for pies, kichlin ... everything. Sometimes they've come even after hours!"
Salina and Leanna locked eyes.
"What?" Christiana leaned forward as if to catch their unspoken thoughts.
"Here you go." Bethany set a cup of coffee and a donut on the table. Then she divided a look between Salina and Leanna. "Did I miss something juicy?" "Christiana was just saying her bake stand is so busy that she can't keep up with the demand ... and she has a few other challenges too," Leanna said.
"Ya. Customers come to her door even if the bake stand is closed." Salina made a sweeping gesture toward the back of the market. "What were we just discussing, Bethany?"
At twenty-four, Salina was just two years older than Bethany, but Christiana had always considered Bethany and Salina to be opposites. While Bethany was a bubbly chatterbox, Salina was quiet and thoughtful, with dark-brown hair framing her blue eyes.
"Oh!" Bethany's eyes rounded as she picked up her cup of coffee. "You mean the empty booth."
"There's an empty booth?" Christina took a bite of the chocolate donut and savored the taste. The best, just like Bethany's coffee!
Leanna nodded. "Ya, there is. The knickknack boutique closed down. I heard the owner decided to find a storefront. A bakery is just what we need here at the market. Besides the gift shops, we have a deli, a candy shop, and then my Jam and Jelly Nook and Salina's Farm Stand, but I think customers would love to see baked goods."
"You should snatch up that booth before someone else gets it," Salina said.
"Then the four of us will have Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays together every week." Bethany beamed. "Wouldn't that be fun?"
"I don't know." Christiana shook her head. "I may be twenty-five, but you know how strict mei dat can still be. He's always leery of anything that, as he says, might allow either of his dochdern to spend too much time in the English world. Plus, I can't leave all the chores for Phoebe and Mamm."
"But we're here only three days a week." Salina held up three fingers.
"Ya. Don't you step away from chores to run the bake stand six days a week now?" Leanna shrugged. "You'd have more time to help with chores at home if you sold your baked goods only the three days you're here. And I'm sure you'd make just as much money. Maybe more."
"Exactly!" Bethany snapped her fingers.
"That does make sense." Christiana let their reasoning roll around in her mind as she sipped her coffee. "It would be nice to not have to deal with customers at the haus all the time. I could put a sign out by the road inviting them to come here to buy their baked goods instead."
"Right." Salina nodded.
Christiana flattened her lips and then asked, "But how much is the booth rent?"
"It's not too bad. I'm sure you could make your rent quickly," Leanna said.
"Ya, that's true," Salina chimed in.
"But you both have regular customers, and I don't know if mine would really come here." Christiana nodded at Salina. "You have customers who come every week for your produce." She turned to Leanna. "And you have regulars for your jams and jellies." Then she looked at Bethany. "I don't even need to discuss how popular this booth is. It's always busy when I stop by to see you. You never have to worry about making booth rent and a profit."
"Now, now. Let's not be gegisch. You have plenty of regulars, too, and I do think they'd come here for your baked goods." Bethany looked over her shoulder, and her eyes lit up. "Gude mariye, Jeff. Wie geht's?"
Christiana looked up as the young Amish man Bethany addressed walked toward them. She took in his solemn expression as he murmured a response to Bethany and followed her to the counter. He looked to be in his mid to late twenties, and she guessed he was a few inches taller than her five-foot-seven height. He was clean shaven, which meant he was single, and dark eyes matched hair that was both wavy and curly. One thick curl was falling over his forehead. He was attractive, but his sad expression was what tugged at her heartstrings.
Turning on the stool, Christiana looked back at the counter as Bethany slipped behind it.
"Do you want your usual?" Bethany asked him. Then she tilted her head. "The special today is cinnamon. Maybe you want to try something new."
"I'll just take the regular roast. Danki." He pulled his wallet from his trousers pocket.
Bethany poured his cup of coffee. "It's warm out there, isn't it? It feels more like July than mid-May. I think it's going to be a hot summer."
Christiana turned back to Salina and Leanna and tried to put this Jeff 's sad expression out of her mind. Instead, she concentrated on the booth opportunity at the market. "I'll talk to my parents about this. Maybe it would be a gut idea to close down the bake stand and just concentrate on running my business from here." And I wouldn't be so isolated!
"I think you'll be froh you did," Leanna said. "I appreciate that I can go home and leave my booth behind."
"Me too." Salina folded her arms over her chest.
"I'll see what mei dat says." Christiana sipped her coffee and then set the cup down on the table. She pushed herself off the stool. "I need more creamer."
"Wait!" Leanna called. "Christiana!"
As Christiana pivoted, she slammed into Jeff, sloshing his hot coffee onto his dark-blue shirt and knocking his donut to the floor.
Christiana gasped as she looked up at him. His face had twisted with a deep scowl.
"Uh-oh!" Bethany called from behind the counter. "I'll grab a towel."
"Let me get napkins." Salina popped down from her stool and grabbed a handful from the counter.
"Oh no. I-I'm so sorry," Christiana said as Jeff set his empty cup on the table. She thought her cheeks might combust with embarrassment. "I-I didn't see you, and I —"
"Forget it." Jeff took the towel from Bethany and began to mop his shirt.
"Let me help." Christiana grabbed the napkins from Salina and started to wipe at his soaked sleeve.
"Please don't." He stepped away from her, and her cheeks flared hotter.
"Let me buy you another cup of kaffi and donut," Christiana said, offering what she could.
"Don't worry about it," he muttered. "I guess nothing is going to go right today." He looked over at Bethany. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Wait, Jeff." Bethany rushed over to the counter. "Let me give you another cup of kaffi and another donut. I insist."
"I'm so sorry," Christiana repeated as she handed him more napkins. "I should have looked behind me before I got up."
"It's fine." He swallowed, and when his gaze met Christiana's, his grimace warmed slightly. "After the morning I've had, nothing surprises me."
"Here you go." Bethany sidled up to him and held out another cup of coffee and donut.
"Let me pay for these." Christiana pulled her wallet from her apron pocket.
Bethany waved her off. "Accidents happen."
"Danki." Jeff cleared his throat and then started toward the exit.
"I hope your day gets better," Christiana called after him, but he didn't look back at her.
Salina began to wipe up the lake of coffee at Christiana's feet, and Bethany picked up the damaged donut and threw it away.
"Let me clean that," Christiana said, insisting. "I caused the mess."
"It was an accident," Leanna said as she wiped up the table. "It's like I tell Chester all the time. Accidents happen. Just clean it up and move on."
"Ya, but his shirt might be ruined." Christiana heard the hint of a whine in her voice. "He got soaked, and that kaffi was hot too."
"He'll be fine." Bethany smiled. "Stop beating yourself up."
"Who is he? Jeff who?" Christiana asked.
"Jeff Stoltzfus," Salina said. "He runs a leather and wood booth."
"Leather and wood?"
"Ya, you know." Bethany deposited a pile of wet napkins into a trash can. "He makes personalized leather bracelets and belts and those wooden letters people use to spell out names, like on signs. He also makes little trains made from wood letters that spell out little kids' names and key chains with names on them. The Englishers love that stuff."
"Oh." Christiana cupped her hand to her forehead. "I can't believe I bumped into him. I feel so stupid."
Leanna rubbed her arm. "You're too hard on yourself. It was just a mistake."
Christiana helped finish cleaning up the coffee spill. "I'm really sorry for the hassle," she told Bethany.
"It was no trouble at all. And at least we know Jeff will never forget you." Bethany grinned.
"Stop." Christiana swatted her arm. "I should get going." Bethany squeezed Christiana's hand. "See you soon."
"I need to get back to my booth. The market just opened." Leanna gave Christiana a quick hug. "Let me know what your parents say."
"I will."
"Why don't I show you the empty booth on your way out?" Salina said. "It's across from mine. They're both on corners where two aisles intersect — mine and a main one."
"Okay." Christiana walked through the aisles with Salina, passing both English and Amish customers just coming in to visit the variety of booths. She'd always liked exploring the one with used books.
When they reached the far end of the market, they approached Salina's booth, the Farm Stand.
"Here's the empty booth." Salina pointed across the aisle and then led Christiana inside. "I think it's perfect. The last vendor left all the shelving." She gestured around. "You could organize it with pies over here and maybe cookies here." She pointed to the back. "There's electricity, as you know, so you could even use a small refrigerator to —"
"Oh no." Christiana shook her head. "Mei dat would never allow me to use electricity. You know how he feels about worldly things."
"No electricity? Really?" Salina spun toward her, and then she lowered her head and nodded. "Ya, I should've known that. Onkel Freeman is strict." She pointed to the back of the booth again. "But you'd have plenty of room for supplies."
"I would need a propane oven to keep up with the baking since I couldn't just run home to get more. I do think this could work, though. But will mei dat allow me to come here?"
"I think he will." Salina looped her arm around Christiana's shoulders. "Just be sure to tell him that you'll have more time to help with chores at home earlier in the week."
"Right. At least when I'm not baking." Christiana wound her finger around one of the ties from her prayer covering as she scanned the large booth. It did have more shelves and storage than her bake stand. She could sell more goods and decorate it with a theme for each season. She felt her lips turn up in a smile as she imagined adding pumpkins and leaves to the shelves in the fall and then a poinsettia and greenery at Christmastime. This would be her store, her place to do what she loved — sell her baked goods. "From the grin on your face, I get the feeling you like this idea." Salina bumped Christiana with her shoulder.
"Ya, I do." Christiana turned toward her cousin. "And seeing you, Leanna, and Bethany is the best part."
"Ya, it is."
Christiana's grin widened. How she adored her favorite cousins! And because they shared their deepest secrets, they often felt like sisters.
"I need to get to my booth." Salina pointed to where the colorful, fresh produce from her garden was already on display for customers to inspect and buy.
"Have a gut day." As Salina left, Christiana stepped out of the empty booth and turned the opposite direction from where they'd come. The booth next door boasted the sign Unique Leather and Wood Gifts. She stopped when she spotted personalized bracelets, key chains, and belts inside. A shelf beside those items displayed wooden signs, blocks, and letters. Beyond the shelves and a counter were a workbench, a table, a couple of stools, and tools.
And Jeff Stoltzfus.
When her gaze collided with his, her stomach seemed to drop. Standing, he was wiping a paper towel over the large, dark stain on the front of his shirt.
He offered her a curt nod, which she returned before spinning on her heel and hurrying out of the market.
* * *
"I stopped by the market this morning," Christiana said as she set two sheets of peanut butter cookies in the oven late that afternoon.
"Oh ya?" Mamm was mixing the ingredients for a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
"If you had told me you were going, I would have gone with you." Phoebe frowned as she pulled together ingredients for lemon bars. "You know I like to see our cousins too." She stuck her lip out, and Christiana bit back a laugh at her cute expression. At eighteen, Phoebe was seven years younger than her, but unlike her, Phoebe was the spitting image of their mother with her light-brown hair and blue eyes.
Christiana had always believed Phoebe looked like she belonged to their parents more than she did. With her red hair and blue-green eyes, Christiana thought she looked like a stranger in her own family, but her parents had shared that her great-uncle Harvey, whom she never knew, also had red hair and green eyes. "I promise I'll take you next time." Christiana moved to the counter and began putting cooled butter cookies into boxes.
"How are the maed?" Mamm asked.
"They're gut." Christiana looked at her over her shoulder. "There's an empty booth available across from Salina's, and I'm wondering if I should move my business there."
"What?" Mamm spun to face her. "You want to close down your stand here?"
"I think it would be a gut idea." Christiana explained all the reasons she and her cousins had come up with. "It would make gut business sense, protect our home from unwanted customers, and give me more time to help you and Phoebe here."
"Hmm." Mamm tapped her chin. "We'll have to discuss it with your dat."
Christiana nodded. "I know. I think he'll agree to it since my cousins are there, and other Amish have booths there too. I wouldn't have any more interaction with the English at the market than I do here." She turned back to the counter as her thoughts turned to Jeff Stoltzfus. He'd been rather rude when she apologized to him and tried to help him clean up the mess. After all, the spill had been an accident, and she'd expected him to be a little more forgiving. Amish were taught to forgive others from a young age.
And maybe he could have been a little warmer, especially when she saw him in his booth. Of course, he was still trying to get the coffee stain out of his shirt.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "The Bake Shop"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Amy Clipston.
Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
I like to think of myself a bit as a hopeless romantic. I love a good rom-com and a happily ever after, though sometimes a bit of drama keeps things interesting. Add in a little mystery and some action too. And let’s not forget sports (yay sports!). I decided it was time to broaden my […]
