Read The Way to a Man's Heart (The Miller Family 3) for Free Online Page B

stop for lunch at the buffet to see what the competition was doing. Leah swallowed two aspirin, rubbed lotion into her reddened hands, and hurried downstairs.
    Julia had breakfast almost ready. “Guder mariye,” she said. “I’ll bet you slept well last night.” She set a bowl of scrambled eggs and plate of bacon on the table.
    “I would’ve helped you, mamm. You should’ve waited.” Leah reached for a piece of toast.
    “I’m not helpless. I can still cook breakfast for my family…unless you only eat fancy recipes these days.” Julia winked at her across the table.
    “Nothing’s very fancy in our diner. The kitchen’s too small. I can’t wait until daed brings you to town to try it out.”
    “He said he’ll wait for you to work out the kinks on unsuspecting folk and then we’ll stop in.”
    Leah and her mother shared a hearty laugh. “This afternoon I’m going shopping with April. Is that all right?”
    “Jah, but don’t make a habit of going off every Tuesday. That wasn’t what we agreed upon.”
    “Don’t worry. She’s just giving me an idea of how she runs things.” Leah sipped her coffee and enjoyed a meal cooked by someone else for a change. After washing the breakfast dishes, she had enough time to sweep the floor, iron some shirts and dresses, and bake two Dutch apple pies.
    When April picked her up promptly at noon, Leah’s education in restaurant supply began in earnest. They visited a poultry farm and a beef processor but placed only small orders because their freezer space was limited. In both cases April signed her name to a paper instead of giving cash or writing a check.
    “Why did they let you leave without paying?” Leah asked in a whisper.
    “I’ve set up accounts here,” April explained while they loaded the meat into ice chests. “It’s how the world does business. It’s so much easier.”
    “How did you learn all this?”
    “I took a course on business administration and another on restaurant management at the community college. I loved going to school, but my husband said a couple classes should be enough.”
    Leah nodded. She had loved school too and had wished an Amish education didn’t stop after the eighth grade. But like her daed said, “Just because you stop going to school doesn’t mean you have to stop learning.” She would get quite an education at the diner.
    “It’s been almost four weeks that you’ve worked for me. How do you like the job so far?” April asked once they were back on the county road.
    “I love it!” Leah answered without hesitation. “At first I didn’t like all that chitchatting with the customers, but I’m getting used to it. Everybody sure wants to talk, don’t they.”
    April laughed. “Yeah, they do. Farming is a solitary occupation, so when they come to town they want company. And the Amish young men like talking to you, but that has nothing to do with them being surrounded by draft horses all day.”
    Leah pursed her lips. “Well, what does it have to do with?” She wasn’t sure she liked where the conversation was headed.
    “I know Old Order doesn’t spend much time looking at themselves in mirrors, but you do have a hand mirror, don’t you?”
    Leah turned on the seat and frowned. “Of course I do.”
    April glanced at her from the corner of her eye and then refocused on the road. “You’re very pretty, Leah. Why else do you think all these young men keep stopping in?”
    Leah crossed her arms and stared out the window. Spring was in glorious full bloom. Every tree had opened with thousands of tender green leaves. “I thought they enjoyed our cooking. You said folk like my pies.”
    “Yes, that’s part of it.”
    “My sister, Emma, is the pretty one. I planned to have a career in case I don’t find somebody to marry.” She stole a glance at her boss.
    “There’s nothing wrong with being pretty as long as it doesn’t go to your head. And I don’t think you should worry about not finding a