Plain Christmas (Plain Fame Book 6) by Sarah Price

Author:Sarah Price [Price, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781503934832
Publisher: Waterfall Press
Published: 2016-10-17T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

In the early-morning hours, Amanda made her way down the staircase, careful to walk softly. The last thing she wanted to do was wake the children. She knew far too well how precious the quiet moments of dawn were. Now that she was rested, she wanted to spend some quality time with her sister.

Because the sun had not crested the horizon yet, someone had turned on the propane lantern that hung over the table. It hissed and spewed forth a blinding light in that part of the room, a sound that brought back a new flood of memories. The smell of bread baking in the oven brought her back to her childhood. Almost every morning, she had rubbed sleep out of her eyes as she padded down the stairs and had been greeted by the yeasty scent of fresh bread. Today was no different.

She stood on the bottom step, bathed in the shadows the lantern created, and watched as her sister moved around the kitchen.

The scene reminded her of her mother. How many mornings had Amanda walked down those same steps to find her mother already working in the kitchen? Whether she had been baking bread or making cheese, Lizzie was always hard at work on something.

It dawned on Amanda that, like herself, her mother must have enjoyed those quiet hours before her children awoke.

“Mmm. Smells like home,” Amanda said at last to break the silence.

Anna jumped at the sound of her sister’s voice. As she turned around, she gave an embarrassed laugh and placed her hand on her chest. “Oh help! You startled me, schwester!”

Amanda walked to the table and sat down on the bench. She ran her hands across the wood top of the table, amazed that it was the same table where she had eaten every meal her mother served. Even more impressive was that her father had sat on the very same bench when he had been a child.

“Morning is my favorite time of day,” Amanda said with a wistful tone in her voice. “Looks like it’s yours, too.”

Anna opened a cabinet to retrieve two coffee cups. “Usually, I’m helping Jonas with the milking. It is a true gift to have more time to work in the kitchen before the children are awake today.” She poured some coffee into two cups, pausing for a moment as she looked over the rising steam at Amanda. “Do you really still consider this home, or is this how your Miami house smells in the morning?”

Accepting the cup of coffee from her sister, Amanda gave a little laugh and shook her head. “Nee, Anna, my kitchen does not smell like this.”

Anna joined her at the table, sitting in one of the chairs across from her. She frowned, thinking about Amanda’s response. “So you still consider this your home, then?”

The question surprised Amanda, and it took her a moment to respond. The word “home” had so many meanings. When she was younger, home was the kitchen where she used to stand next to her mother while she cooked their meals.

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