1 cup pumpkin puree

  ¾ cup milk

  ½ cup chopped nuts

  Cream shortening, gradually adding sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in beaten eggs. Add pumpkin puree and milk; stir and set aside. Sift together the dry ingredients, then add to the pumpkin mixture, stirring well. Stir in chopped nuts. Bake in greased 9-inch layer pans at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

  Twenty-Two

  If at first you don’t succeed, there will be plenty of advice.

  AMISH PROVERB

  It was Friday afternoon, and Joy released a sigh of relief when the last of the filming was done for the week. She’d stayed throughout the day and watched the takes just to make sure they got everything right, but after two weeks of guiding the actors she’d had to point out very few mistakes. There had even been some moments when she’d forgotten they were Englischers playing parts. It seemed as if they were just Amish friends and she was getting a peek into their lives.

  As she was gathering up her belongings to head out, Rowan strode toward her with an envelope. “I’m sorry it took so long to get this to you. I’ve had to deal with accounting and all that.”

  Joy took the envelope. “Danke.”

  Rowan cocked his eyebrow. “I know I should know what that means by now, but…”

  “Thank you,” she translated.

  “Thank you, Joy. This show wouldn’t be the same without you. I hope you understand that.”

  She nodded, remembering her first impression of Rowan. He’d been tired and frustrated that first night when he’d been lost and she’d helped him, but over the weeks she’d discovered how gentle he was. Even when things went wrong, he didn’t yell or get upset, unlike some of the others on the set.

  She strode out of the warehouse studio and walked straight to the bank. “Thank You, Lord, for providing.” Once she got there, she found the lobby was empty. She stepped up to the counter and noticed a new face. It belonged to a young Mennonite man with an inviting smile.

  “How can I help you today?”

  “I’d like to deposit this check into my father’s account. He’s John Miller. It should be under John and Anna Miller.”

  He tapped away in the computer. “Yes, I see it.” He took the envelope from her hands and opened it. His eyes widened slightly. “Do you want to deposit all of it in there?”

  “Ja, I do.”

  “Good. I can do that. I just need you to sign your name.” He slid the check toward her, and for the first time she saw the amount. Joy sucked in a breath. She couldn’t believe it. There must be some mistake. She looked into the envelope and found a slip of paper where the amount was broken down by tasks and hours. There was money for the dresses and money for her consultation. The amount she was paid each day to be on set was more than she usually made in a month working in Elizabeth’s shop. Her heartbeat quickened, and the idea of her father’s therapy became a reality before her eyes. It could happen. It really could happen.

  “I take it by the way all the color has drained from your face that you hadn’t actually looked at the check before now?”

  “Ne.”

  “The TV show must pay more than you expected. Is the filming going well, Joy?”

  She looked at the check more closely and then eyed the man again. The check was made out to her, but even if he knew a Joy Miller was working for the TV show, how was he so sure she was that Joy Miller? How did he know the check was from the TV show? It was from a company she’d never heard of. Was everyone in town really watching her that closely—even people who weren’t Amish? Did they all believe she was being prideful and doing her own thing despite what the bishop thought? That’s what Matthew believed. Most likely that’s what everyone else in town believed too.

  Anxiety tightened the muscles in her neck and crawled down the back of her arms. Grace said everyone in town—and beyond—had been talking about the television show and about her. She’d thought that was an exaggeration. Now she realized it wasn’t.

  “I…I believe the filming’s going well. Thank you for asking.” Her voice quavered, and she thought of Elizabeth’s words from yesterday. Joy had stopped by to check her schedule, and the older woman had taken time to encourage her and to pray.

  “If you’ve gone to the Lord, and you believe you’re doing the right thing, then trust in that,” Elizabeth had said. “Sometimes it takes some people longer to come around, but if they’re open to God’s voice they eventually will.”

  Matthew’s face filled her mind. She also thought of the bishop’s order not to get involved with the Englischers. I don’t have anything to be ashamed of. This is a blessing. It’s a way of provision.

  “So it’s a lot more money than you expected?” the man asked.

  “I never asked what I would be paid, but I am thankful, especially with my dat’s medical bills.”

  “You don’t have to explain, and you don’t have to worry. Your banking is always confidential with us.”

  “Danke.” She took the receipt from his hand. “That’s gut to know.”

  Joy was sure the man’s eyes stayed on her as she walked away. Would he really keep her personal business to himself?

  “It doesn’t matter,” she mumbled as she left. “I know what I’m doing and why.” And then, as the warm breeze outside caused her hem to flutter, Joy sent up a prayer. Help me focus on Your opinion of me, God. It’s the one that matters.

  Joy quickened her steps as she walked, eager to talk to Faith. Just a few more weeks like this and they’d have enough to provide for their dat’s first treatment. She never imagined it would happen so quickly, but she was thankful. No matter what anyone thought, God’s plan for her to work with the television show was clear.

  Joy poked the needle into the fabric. It was Saturday, her day off, and it felt good just to sit and not think about a script, a wardrobe, or the million little details the Amish tended to and paid attention to. Things that the outside world never noticed or cared about.

  Yesterday she was surprised when Alicia had sought her out, asking if Joy was open to spending any time together. Alicia commented that she’d love to spend a day as an Amish woman, sewing and cooking. Inwardly, Joy had laughed. In a typical Amish woman’s life, very few days were set aside just for sewing and cooking, but Joy didn’t tell the actress that. She liked the idea of relaxing in this way and spending time with Alicia.

  Alicia had shown up right after lunch, wearing a long skirt and T-shirt and with her hair up. The rest of the family was out of the house for the afternoon, and the two women sat at the kitchen table, looking through Mem’s cookbooks and deciding what they were going to make.

  “I learned how to cook and sew when I was younger—well, just a little.” Alicia flipped through the pages. “I took home economics in eighth grade, and I know enough to impress my Hollywood friends when I host dinner parties.” She sighed. “At least when I used to host them. Did you have home ec in your Amish school? You did go to one, didn’t you?”

  Joy paused at the recipe for Healthy Chocolate Chip Granola and put down a sticky note.

  “Ja…I mean, yes. I did go to an Amish school, but we didn’t have home economics. Mem taught me. I can remember sitting next to her during sewing frolics even as a toddler. Three of my sisters would be outside playing with the other kids, and my sister Lovina would be in the kitchen with the other girls her age. But I was always at Mem’s side, and I started sewing as soon as I could.”

  “Lovina…is she the one who owns the pie shop? Oh my word, I’ve never tasted such wonderful pie. Do you think she’d bring me a pie sometime?”

  “I bet she would. Do you have a favorite?”

  “A favorite? I’m not sure. I usually don’t eat sweets. Wardrobe would have a fit if I gained too much weight, you know, but pie like that is worth an extra hour in the gym!” Alicia laughed, but the laughter didn’t meet her eyes. There was something wrong, something sad inside this beautiful woman. Something Alicia especially tried to hide when she was on the set. Would Alicia ever trust Joy enough to open up?

  They were quiet for a while, each in their own thoughts, as they looked through the recipes. Then Joy turned to her friend. “So what movies or shows have you been in before?”

  “Have you heard of The Lockup?”

  “Can’t say I have.”

  “Oh, yeah. You Amish people don’t watch television, do you? Whoa. That’s so crazy. I mean, I never thought of that before. You’ve never watched Little House on the Prairie or Gilmore Girls. Seriously, that’s weird that people in the United States have no idea who Kim Kardashian is.”

  “Oh, I know who she is. I do shop at the grocery store and see the headlines. I just have no idea what she does.”

  Laughter spilled from Alicia’s lips. “Uh, and the rest of the world asks the same question. No one really knows what she does.”

  “So did you play a prisoner in that television show?”

  “Yeah, an undercover prisoner. I’d pretend to get arrested and get locked up. It was my job to solve the crimes from the inside.”

  “Was that hard—pretending to be a criminal?”

  “Not really.” Alicia flipped another page of the cookbook and then shrugged. “I visited some real prisons…you know, to get into character. And I discovered that those on the inside aren’t much different from those on the outside. We all want to be loved. We all seek to find value and worth. And we all want money and power. We just go about getting it in different ways.”

  Joy smiled and nodded, not knowing what to say. Things weren’t like that in the Amish community—or at least with the Amish she knew—but she didn’t want to bring that up. She didn’t want to sound prideful. Sound like her community was better.

  Alicia licked her lips at a photo of chocolate cake, and then she laughed again. “Wait. Listen to who I’m talking to. I forgot about your kapp for a moment. I suppose people don’t sin like that in your group.”

  “Oh, people sin all right. I have sinned more times than I’d like to admit, but from a young age we are taught to put others before ourselves. To work together. To be humble.”

  “I can’t even imagine. My old man was long gone even before I can remember, and my mom…well, she was often more interested in her newest boyfriend than in caring for me and my sister.” Alicia reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone, checking her messages. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  Joy forced a smile. “I’m fine. I know you have important things to keep track of.”

  After reading through some messages and clicking on some photos, Alicia put her phone back into her purse and turned to Joy, picking up where they’d left off. “I really can’t imagine it. Having a family dinner with a mom and dad, sisters and brothers around the table. I used to think the movies just lied about stuff like that, because no one I know in Hollywood lives like that. Well, until I came here.”

  “You know what I’m thinking? You need to do some research, to get into character. How about you stay for dinner tonight at our place?”

  “Really?”

  “Ja.”

  “And your folks won’t mind?”

  Joy paused for a minute, and she tried to picture Mem’s reaction. Mem would be surprised, but she’d be welcoming. Neither Mem nor Dat would ever turn a stranger away from their table.

  “They wouldn’t mind at all, especially if we’re cooking.”

  “Oh, can we make this Shepherd’s Pie? I’ve never had it, but it sounds very Amish to me.”

  Joy laughed. “Ja, that’s easy to make.”

  Alicia looked to Joy and her smiled faded just slightly. “I wish Rowan could see this—you and me sitting here, enjoying each other’s company like old friends. I’m not sure he’d believe it.”

  “Oh really? Why?”

  Pink touched Alicia’s cheeks. “Well, this is not how I usually spent my Saturday afternoons back in LA.”

  Joy rose and moved to the pantry, checking to see if they had enough potatoes. If not they’d have to walk down to Yoder’s Produce. “If you’d like you could call and invite Rowan.”

  “No.” The word shot from Alicia’s mouth.

  Joy turned in surprise. “I see. You don’t like that idea?”

  “That sounded bad, didn’t it? The truth is that Rowan and I… well, we had some issues in the past. It’s best to just keep things work-related.”

  Joy nodded. “Ja, I understand. Men…they do cause all types of issues, don’t they?”

  Joy put the bag of potatoes on the counter and then took two knives from a drawer. “Ready to start making some Shepherd’s Pie? I’m going to get you started on that while I work on this granola. It sounds like the perfect thing to take to the set on Monday.”

  Alicia’s eyes widened. “You’re going to turn dinner over to me?”

  “Ja, of course. You want to impress my parents, right?”

  “If I don’t poison your parents, it’ll be a good day.”

  “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. I promise.” Joy couldn’t help but laugh, and even as she pulled the other ingredients from a cupboard, a smile filled her face. For most of her life she’d been aware of the differences between her and the Englisch. It was quite refreshing to now focus on the similarities. Alicia was an Englisch movie and television star, and she was a simple Amish woman. They couldn’t be more different on the outside, but on the inside they couldn’t be more alike. They each wanted to be loved and appreciated.

  As Joy expected, both Mem and Dat were welcoming when it came to having Alicia for dinner. And they were especially pleased to discover that Alicia had done most of the cooking.

  Before the food was served, Dat bowed his head, and everyone followed. Silent prayers were familiar and comforting to Joy. When she lifted her face, she noticed a smile on Alicia’s face.

  “So what happens with this television picture? Is there a certain time when it shows?” Mem asked after they’d finished serving up the plates. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand how it works.”

  Joy attempted to hide her smile. She had to give it to her mem. She was trying. It wasn’t easy to talk about something you’ve never seen before.

  “It’s a television series. It’ll play every Monday night, starting in the spring.” Alicia took a big bite of her casserole and smiled. Her eyes widened as she looked to Joy. She nodded, excited about her accomplishment.

  “But it’s November now. Can you really make a show by the spring?”

  “I can’t, but Rowan—the director—he’s pulled together a great team.”

  “So you’ll be around a while?” Mem asked. “When I asked Joy that question, she said she didn’t really know how long you’d be here.”

  “We’ll be there through Christmas…at least that’s the plan. Then we’ll go home, and when the show airs, we’ll see how the ratings are. Only then will we know whether the network will renew.”

  Heads bobbed around the table, but Joy knew her family didn’t understand words like network and ratings.

  “So have you been in other television shows?” Dat asked.

  “Oh, yeah. Quite a few. The last two have been a cop show and a prison drama. They were pretty intense roles. I was ready to break out of the mold they were putting me in. And…” She let out a low sigh.

  “And?” Dat asked, urging her on.

  “And I’m tired of the darkness of it all, you know? Thinking about crimes and prisons all the time. I was ready for something lighter, happier. So when my agent pitched me a sweet family show, I was hooked.”

  Mem reached over and patted Alicia’s hand. “We’re glad to have you here.”

  “Thank you…” Alicia’s voice broke, and she looked away. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to cry. It’s just that I’ve never been so welcomed by a family like yours before.”

  “I’m glad you’re here at our table.” Dat appeared to have more color in his cheeks tonight. “The Bible says the gut Lord knows every person on this earth, and for some great reason He’s connecting you with us here. It’s not just a coincidence. It’s part of a great plan.”

  Tears filled the corners of Alicia’s eyes, and she nodded. Joy couldn’t help but think back to the sewing circle and everyone who had so many worries about the television show coming to town. But now she knew they had a limited perspective. They had spoken from their fears, but thankfully God had seen beyond that. God spoke from His promises, and in the weeks to come Joy would need to remember that.

  Healthy Chocolate Chip Granola

  12 cups quick oats

  2 cups wheat germ

  2 cups sunflower seeds

  2 cups flaked coconut

  1 teaspoon salt

  1 cup brown sugar

  1 cup vegetable oil

  1 cup honey

  1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  1 to 1½ cups raisins (optional)

  1 to 1½ cups chocolate morsels

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, coconut, salt, and sugar; mix well. In a small saucepan bring the oil and honey to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract. Pour over dry mixture; stir to coat. Transfer to large baking pan or divide into two pans. Bake for 1½ hours, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Stir in chocolate morsels (and raisins if desired). Store in tight container.

  Twenty-Three

  Faith rests on God, receives from God, responds to God, relies on God.

  AMISH PROVERB

  What do you mean they quit?”

  They were the first words Joy heard from Rowan when she arrived Monday morning. Worries weighed her down, yet she’d tried not to let it show. She’d seen Matthew at church, but he’d slipped out just as the service ended, and she didn’t get a chance to talk to him. Does he think he can ignore me forever? It had been two weeks, and it appeared that he did. But now that Joy was at work she had to focus on the needs and problems here.

  “What happened?” Joy asked Rowan. He was with one of his assistants, Heidi.