Chapter 1
Tabitha dried her hands on an old towel, glad to be done with the morning milking. Milking cows, twice a day, every single day was tough. Her fingers ached and her dress smelled like cows despite the apron she'd worn.
“Finished for another day,” her brother Ben said from behind her.
“Yes, and now I have to get to Aunt Joy's.” She untied her barn apron and hung it on its peg.
“Are you really going through with this? Interviewing all Mamm's sisters about marriage?”
Tabitha turned to stare at him with her hands on her hips. “I don’t know how everyone found out about this. It’s annoying that I can have no privacy, and why is everyone calling them interviews? I’m not a reporter.”
“Yep, sounds like you’re really doing it.”
“Why not? It’s better than going in blind.” Tabitha retrieved her notebook from the shelf where she'd left it safe from barn moisture. “Aunt Mercy told me things and so did Aunt Honor. Now I need to hear what Aunt Joy thinks.”
Ben laughed. “Aunt Joy? The one who makes everything look perfect? Good luck getting real answers.”
Tabitha headed for the house to wash properly and change her dress. Perfect Aunt Joy—that's what everyone called her. Perfect house, perfect daughters, perfect pies at every gathering. Surely she'd have the most practical, organized advice about finding the right husband.
Her mother looked up from kneading bread when Tabitha entered the kitchen. “You smell like the barn.”
“I'm washing and changing before I go.”
“Joy knows you're coming?”
“She does.” Tabitha paused at the stairs. “Mamm, was Aunt Joy always so... organized? So perfect?”
Cherish smiled. “Always, and as for marriage, we all thought she’d marry later or maybe not at all. She surprised everyone with how quickly she married Isaac. He’s your Uncle Mark's brother-in-law. Christina’s brother, that’s how they met. It was simple, really.”
Simple. Tabitha remembered that word so she could write it down. “Everyone seems to be related by marriage somehow.” Maybe that's what Aunt Joy would teach her—how to make choosing a husband simple instead of complicated.
Twenty minutes later, washed and changed into a clean dress, notebook tucked under her arm, Tabitha set off for Aunt Joy’s.
* * *
Joy stood at the kitchen window, watching her husband Isaac hitch the horse to the buggy. It was the same routine every morning—check the horse's hooves, adjust the harness twice, pat the horse's neck before climbing up. He'd been doing this for years, heading to the saddlery owned by Joy's half-brother Mark, with the same quiet contentment he brought to everything.
“Dat forgot his lunch again,” Faith said, holding up the packed meal.
“Run it out to him.”
Faith hurried outside, and Joy watched Isaac's face light up when he saw her coming. After all these years, he still forgot his lunch regularly. Or maybe he just liked having one of his daughters notice it sitting there and run it out to him.
“Should we start the washing?” Audrey asked from behind her.
“Actually,” Joy turned from the window, sudden decision made, “let's make Grossmammi's apple dumplings. You both should know the recipe by now without reading it off the card.”
“Now? But it's washing day.”
“Washing can wait until tomorrow. Nothing will dry today with all these clouds. Besides, Tabitha's coming today. She wants to ask me about marriage.”
“Her marriage interviews.” Audrey laughed. “What will you tell her?”
Joy moved to the pantry for flour. “The truth. I don’t know if I can help her at all. Your father was just there at the right time and we both knew we were right for one another. The perfect man was right in front of me.”
“You mean Dat?”
“Of course I mean Dat.” Joy set the flour on the table. “Everyone said I was too picky, that I'd never find someone who met my standards, but they were all wrong.”
Faith returned from outside. “What did I miss?”
“We’re going to make apple dumplings and we’re talking about your father. Tabitha’s coming today to ask me about how we met or some such,” Joy said, turning on the tap to wash her hands. “I thought finding a husband would be this long, difficult search, but he was there when I wasn’t even expecting anyone. I wasn’t even looking.”
“Tell Tabitha that then,” Faith suggested, getting the apples.
Joy dried her hands. “Oh, I will. But I'll also tell her not to just sit and wait. She should be talking to young men now, finding out who they are, what they want. Being smart about it.”
“That's bold advice, Mamm,” Audrey said.
“Sometimes bold is better than being cautious.” Joy started measuring flour. “Now help me with these dumplings. I want the kitchen smelling good when she arrives.”
As they worked, flour started to dust everything. Joy thought about young Tabitha with her serious questions and careful notes. The girl was trying to find a recipe for something that didn't work that way.
Maybe what she needed to hear was simple: don't wait for life to come to you. Go meet it halfway.
“Tabitha is way too young to be worried about all of this,” Audrey said.
Faith laughed. “I’ve heard she’s desperate to escape farm work. Well, dairy farm work.”
“Well, she better not marry a dairy farmer,” Joy said.
“Oh, Mamm, she would’ve figured that out already.”
