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her mind.
    But why would Peter lie?
    She wondered if this man who claimed to be Peter’s relative was really just someone posing as a Troyer in order to gain something. But what could he be after?
    “Anyone could’ve confirmed that information,” Sarah said, hoping to sound more confident than she felt. “That doesn’t prove you’re his Freindschaft.”
    He folded his arms across his broad chest. “Your brothers and father agree there’s a family resemblance between Peter and me.”
    Unable to disagree, Sarah nodded.
    “I’ll leave you two alone to talk,” Mamm said, her voice shaking with emotion. She disappeared into the bakery.
    Sarah opened her mouth to protest her mother’s desertion and then stopped. She cut her eyes to the tentative smile growing on Luke Troyer’s lips, and her body tensed.
    Suddenly her mother’s favorite verse from Romans 12 echoed in her mind: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
    She bit her lip while the words soaked through her being. Was Luke the source of hope she’d been begging God to send her?
    No!
    The internal response sent a jolt through her soul. He couldn’t be the tranquility she craved. Having Luke here sent her already-crumbling confidence sinking into a black hole of doubt.
    Who was this man? Why was he here when Peter had said he had no family left in Ohio?
    She put her hand to her throbbing temples. “This is all too much,” she muttered.
    “Sarah Rose?” He stepped toward her. “Are you all right?” He held a hand out to her.
    “Please don’t touch me.” She took a step back.
    His eyes widened with shock, and he raised his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
    “This is just a lot to take in.” She gestured toward him. “I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed.”
    He glanced back toward the bakery and then at her. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
    She hesitated and then nodded. “I guess it would be okay for a few minutes, but then I need to get back to work.”
    “That sounds fair.”

Fastnachts (Raised Donuts)
    2 cups milk
    1/3 cup lard
    3/4 cup sugar
    1-1/2 tsp salt
    2 eggs
    1 yeast cake/package
    1-1/2 Tbsp warm water
    About 7 cups sifted flour
    Oil for frying
    Powdered sugar
    Bring milk and lard to boiling point, but do not boil. Stir in sugar and salt and let cool to lukewarm. Beat eggs and add to the mixture. Soak yeast cake in warm water and keep warm. Sift and measure the flour. Combine yeast and mixture. Add enough flour until able to handle easily. Knead well by stretching and folding it over itself. Let rise overnight.
    The following day roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch squares and make a slit in the center. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes. Fry in deep fat until brown. While warm, roll in powdered sugar.

4
    T imothy glanced out the kitchen window to where Sarah Rose and Luke stood talking. He gritted his teeth and swallowed a groan.
    This can’t be happening!
    Ever since Peter’s death, Timothy had worried he’d be caught in the lie of knowing about Peter’s past. Now with this relative from Ohio showing up, the truth would be revealed, making Timothy look like a liar. His stomach roiled as he paced around the kitchen in front of his siblings.
    “What’s wrong with you?” Kathryn asked. “You got ants in your pants?”
    While his siblings snickered, Timothy huffed. “We’ve got to be careful of this man. We can’t know who he is for sure, and he’s only going to upset Sarah Rose by bringing up the past—a past that Peter can’t defend.”
    Daniel’s brows furrowed with question. “What are you saying?”
    Timothy gulped. I said too much. “I just meant that this man is coming at the worst possible time. Sarah Rose is in a very delicate condition. We don’t need her upset right now. How can we even be sure he’s truly Peter’s freindschaft?”
    “He’s family,” Beth Anne said. “You can see it in his eyes. He’s a Troyer in