Free The Search by Suzanne Fisher Page B

been?” Mammi asked when Bess pulled the buggy horse to a stop by the barn.
    “Lainey taught me how to make cherry tarts!” Bess handed Mammi a big pink box before she got out of the buggy, which, she thought, was a smart move. “The bakery was empty and she was just about to make a fresh batch. So she asked if I could help and I thought you wouldn’t mind, seeing as how you love them so much.”
    Mammi opened the box and looked over the tarts. “Well, as long as you were helping her and doing something useful.” She took a bite out of a tart and closed her eyes, as if she were tasting heaven.
    “Lainey didn’t even let me pay for them. She said I earned my keep and she hoped I’d come back again. She said late in the day the bakery is usually empty and she could use my help.” Bess hopped down from the buggy and started to unbuckle the tracings on the horse. “Would you mind if I go see Lainey at the bakery now and then? Dad would sure love it if I could bake something new. I told her you wouldn’t mind. You don’t, do you, Mammi?” She backed the buggy up from behind the horse and leaned it upright against the barn.
    There was no answer, so Bess chanced a look at her grandmother. Mammi’s mouth was too filled with another cherry tart to talk.

    Three o’clock in the afternoon had become Lainey’s favorite time of the day. For the past two weeks, like clockwork, Bess came through the door for another baking lesson. Normally, Mrs. Stroot closed the bakery at three, but when Bess started coming by at that time, Lainey asked if she would mind if the store stayed open a little longer. “I’m here anyway, getting ready for the next day,” she told Mrs. Stroot, “and each afternoon we end up selling a few more baked goods. Better first-good than day-old prices.”
    Mrs. Stroot couldn’t argue with logic that turned a profit, but she did say she needed to go home and start dinner for Mr. Stroot. Lainey promised her that she would lock up. So each afternoon, Bess drove Bertha’s buggy to the bakery, parked the horse under the shade tree, and spent two hours with Lainey, baking and talking. More talking than baking.
    Oh, the things she was discovering about Bess! She learned about Jonah and how he was going to marry his neighbor, Sallie Stutzman, who had twin boys no one could tell apart. And she learned about the boy at school who liked Bess overly much. “Levi Miller is nothing but a bother and a nuisance, Lainey. So . . . childish,” Bess said, sounding so very adult. “But we’re the only two Amish ninth graders at our public school, so he thinks we’re destined for each other.” And with that, Bess made a sour face.
    There were also things about Bess that Lainey picked up without being told. Earlier in the week, Bess was in the middle of mixing cookie dough when she froze, eyes wide, as she stared out the window. Eventually, she turned back to the cookie dough, but sadness covered her like a blanket. Carefully, Lainey craned her neck to see what had caught Bess’s eye out the window. It was that young fellow who worked for Bertha, Billy Lapp, carrying packages for a very attractive Amish girl.
    “You’re every bit as pretty as she is, Bess,” Lainey said. She wasn’t just saying that. Bess was going to be a beauty. She was unusual looking, with lovely cheekbones and skin like peaches and cream. And those eyes! They were extraordinary. When she wore a dress of a particular shade of blue, those eyes looked like the waters of a tropical island.
    “No. I’m not,” Bess said, sounding miserable. “It’s hard on an ordinary moth when a beautiful butterfly comes around.”
    Lainey couldn’t help but laugh. “Give yourself a little time. You just turned fifteen!”
    Sadly, Bess said, “I don’t have time. The summer is flying by.”
    Lainey’s stomach gripped tight. She didn’t want to think about that.
    Bess looked up at her, a question on her face. “How did you know how old I