Chapter 1.
Cherish woke to birds chirping and a shaft of sunlight coming through the bedroom window. She sat up and stretched, looking for her husband of two days. After finding no trace of Malachi, she threw on her prayer kapp and left the room.
When she got to the porch, she sat down and pushed her feet into her shoes. Then she stood up and headed off to find him.
After walking around for a while, she spotted him pushing a wheelbarrow filled with horse feed in the field. She was about to join him, but some scratching noises from the barn distracted her. She pulled the door open slightly, just enough to look inside.
A small woman with graying hair was bent over a table, focusing on the papers in front of her. Cherish could tell right away it was Aunt Dagmar.
Cherish took a few steps forward, feeling anxious and out of sorts.
How long had it been since she had seen Aunt Dagmar? Cherish couldn't remember. Dagmar looked up at the sound of Cherish's footsteps and seemed startled at first. When she saw it was Cherish, she smiled, pulled her into a tight embrace, and hugged her.
Cherish wrapped her arms around her aunt, who smelled like cinnamon and vanilla. Cherish was safe in the warm embrace of family. "Everyone thought you were dead. I've missed you so much."
"I've come to tell you something."
Cherish stepped back to look at her aunt, but then a shaft of light coming in through the high barn window stung her eyes, causing Cherish to cover her face and close her eyes.
When she opened her eyes, she was back in bed. A beam of sunlight shone on her face. She sat bolt upright, and both hands went to her chest.
It had all been a dream. Aunt Dagmar wasn't there.
It had seemed so real, but it hadn't been. She closed her eyes tightly and could still feel her beloved aunt close by. Cherish was sure she could detect Dagmar's familiar scent—vanilla and cinnamon. Could she sense her because she was now living on the farm that Aunt Dagmar had willed to her?
Dagmar would've been so happy for her to be married to Malachi. How she wished Aunt Dagmar had met him. Still, Cherish was sure they would've gotten along.
Cherish and Malachi had arrived at the farm the night after the wedding, having come from the orchard. Their whirlwind wedding had been beautiful. Mamm and Ada had seen to that.
After she got out of bed and put on her slippers, she walked to the window and looked out. In the distance, she saw Malachi. She was glad he hadn't woken her; it was so cold this morning. There were icicles on the window pane.
Malachi strode over to the horses with their buckets of feed. Wally, his pet goose, followed, flapping his wings all the way. When Malachi noticed her at the window, he put his hand high in the air and waved. She smiled and waved back.
Cherish's dog got off his bed and walked over to her, his tail wagging furiously. "Good morning, Caramel." Cherish leaned down and patted him.
Then she quickly brushed her hair and changed into her day clothes. Lastly, after putting on her coat and pushing her stockinged feet into her shoes, she went outside.
Malachi had just finished milking the cow as she approached. With his messy hair and rolled-up sleeves, he looked like the Malachi she had fallen in love with. Looking at his bare arms, she wondered why he didn't feel the cold as much as she did. Malachi was picking up the bucket of milk to take to the barn when Cherish asked him how long he'd been up.
He jumped and nearly dropped the bucket at the sound of her voice. "Cherish, you scared me."
Cherish covered her mouth and laughed along with him. "I'm sorry about that."
"You could've slept longer. I've got this under control." He pulled her close, and she rested her head on his chest, breathing in his musky maleness. She could feel his heart beating against her cheek. "I'm so glad you're here with me," he muttered softly.
"I'm glad I'm here with you too."
He did not say anything else, simply held her in his arms, like he was afraid that she might disappear if he let go of her.
When they parted, Cherish said, "You should have woken me. We said we'd do everything together."
Malachi shook his head. "It's gettin' pretty cold, and I didn't think—"
"Hey, we're in this together. We said we'd do all the chores and everything side by side."
"I know. I'm just used to doin' everything myself ever since I started here."
Cherish grinned, thinking about those early days when he came there as her farm manager. It had taken them years to get along. "Now, you don't have to do things alone. I'm here to help."
"Okay. If that's what you want."
Cherish laughed. "It is. We'll work together."
Cherish and Malachi walked to the barn, with Caramel and Wally following them. Cherish was relieved that Caramel wasn't bothered by Wally, and Wally didn't seem to notice Caramel either.
When they reached the barn, Malachi poured the milk from the buckets into two giant jugs, which he would carry to the house after finishing their chores.
"First, we need to feed the pigs. They'll start making noises that scare the other animals if they get hungry."
Cherish looked into the pen at the piglets running around. "They're so cute."
"Yeah," Malachi said, "but they'll get big soon, and they won't be so cute."
A few of the piglets squealed and jumped on their mother, who was lying in the corner of the pen. "I think they're playing," Cherish said.
"No, I think they're trying to get her to move," Malachi said. "Sometimes, if the ground isn't soft enough for them to dig, they'll try to push their mother out from under the fence."
"Why don't they just dig a hole?" Cherish asked.
"Don't know," Malachi said. "Maybe they just like to play rough." A couple of the piglets came over to the side of the pen, where Malachi was feeding the rest of them. "They're kind of like puppies," he said.
Cherish reached out and patted one of the piglets on the head, and it rubbed its snout against her hand. "They're cute."
Malachi shrugged and continued to pour the food into the troughs.
"They're so adorable." Cherish smiled.
"Aren't they?" Malachi chuckled.
Cherish looked at him smiling at the pigs. It was clear he had grown fond of the older pigs over the years.
"Pigs make great pets, much like dogs," Malachi said.
"Or even geese," Cherish suggested.
Malachi laughed and then looked back at the piglets. "That big one there is Pete. Growing up, I went to school with a boy who was much bigger than everyone. He was Pete and that's how I thought up the name." Malachi went on telling her the names of each piglet.
"Don't get too attached to them. We're not keeping them all," Cherish reminded him. "We're not running a pig farm."
"I know. I've got people coming for the piglets soon. They're old enough to leave their mother now."
"Oh, people come here to buy them? I thought you took them somewhere, or we'd use them ourselves for food. That's what Aunt Dagmar would've done."
"No." He shook his head. "Next up, the horses. Grab a pile of hay and throw it in their pen."
"Hay as well? Didn't you already feed them? I saw you with buckets earlier. Or did I dream that part?"
"They need hay too."
Cherish passed by Malachi and picked up a large bundle of hay to carry to the field. Cherish was overjoyed. There was a smile on her face that would not go away.
As Malachi took Cherish around the farm, she watched as he treated each one of the animals so kindly. She considered how good he would be as a father, and she hoped that one day soon, they would hear little footsteps coming down the hallway of their house.
