Starting from Scratch by Kate Lloyd

Author:Kate Lloyd
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736970242
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers

TWENTY-NINE

The sun was fully up, the light threading itself past the window shades and making a slit of gold color along the left side of my single bed. Promises of a beautiful day, but I felt in a benumbed state, slow and doltish. I pushed to a sitting position and propelled myself out of bed. I needed to scramble.

As I entered the café, my mood spiraled upward upon hearing Beatrice singing an Italian song in the kitchen. Stephen and his sleeping bag must already be gone.

“Hope you don’t mind that I started the soup.” She grinned over her shoulder. “I know we talked about a different soup yesterday, but I couldn’t sleep. So I got out my grandmother’s cookbook and found a family recipe that’s out of this world. Molto deliciosa.”

I inhaled the aroma of browning sausage. “What are you making?”

“Zuppa Toscana.”

“Ach, that sausage smells so good.”

“That’s because it’s Italian.” She stirred her concoction of sausage, diced onions, garlic, and crushed red peppers. “Would you please wash and slice these potatoes for when I need them?”

“Of course. Anything you say.” Her good mood was infectious—exactly what I needed after a confused and sleepless night.

“I’ll add chicken stock and heavy cream later.” She kissed the air for effect. “Our customers will rave about it, I promise. You know, ten percent of the population in Lancaster County is of Italian descent. But Amish customers will love this soup too.”

“That’s news to me. I hadn’t heard that statistic.” I wondered if she were teasing me. “Are you sure?”

“Certo—absolutely. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if Stephen Troyer weren’t of Italian descent.”

“But he’s Mennonite, and his last name isn’t Italian.”

Her belly shook as she chuckled. “Stephen took his adoptive parents’ last name. He told me once he’d never met his father. I’d say he’s at least half Italian with that striking profile.”

“Really? You think he’s handsome?”

“What woman wouldn’t? But I’m afraid he’s too young for me.” She smirked. “It’s a shame he’s not Amish, Eva.” She raised her brows, as if she’d been watching Stephen and me out the window last night. The dogs had no doubt heard Stephen’s truck and our voices and had awakened her.

Reliving spending time with Stephen last night, I couldn’t remember when I had last laughed so hard or experienced so much fun. Later, when he walked me to my cabin, in my wild, impetuous mood, I might have kissed him on the lips if he’d tried. He’d lingered longer than seemed necessary. The electrical current zinging between us was not my imagination.

Urgent rapping on the back door ended my musings. I scuttled to open the door and found Olivia’s brother carrying her baked goods in a cardboard box. He set the box down hard and swung around to face me. “Have you seen Liv? Has she called you here?”

“She stopped by a couple of days ago.” I recalled my promise to her and now wished she hadn’t confided in me.

Her brother’s bearded face was stern, his eyes growing small. “If you know where she is, Eva, please tell me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.