A Simple Winter: A Seasons of Lancaster Novel by Rosalind Lauer Read Free Book Online Page A

in his heart.

FOUR
    urple carrots. Are they not beautiful?” Dakota Ferris said as she dropped a bunch of heirloom carrots into a canvas shopping sack. “Love the Reading Terminal Market. Love these beets.” Her lips pursed in an air kiss as she lifted the bag of crimson root vegetables. “I can’t wait for you to taste my vegetarian stew. Did you get the cranberries?”
    “Got them.” As Remy added the bag of ruby red berries to their collection she couldn’t help but smile. Dakota’s excitement was always contagious, and her friend was right; Philly’s indoor market was a splash of color and warmth on a gray winter day. She would have to remember this after Dakota went home, how just walking past the bins of bright red, orange, and green produce lifted her spirits. The chatter, the flurry of activity, and the mouth-watering scents of coffee and vanilla and fresh flowers all made her smile.
    Many of the vendors at the market were Amish, easily distinguished by their clothes: modest dresses, aprons, and bonnets forwomen, dark suits and hats for men. Although Remy tried not to stare, she couldn’t help but check the face of each Amish man she passed, searching for soulful brown eyes and the angular jawline of the man she’d met a year ago on that train. Perhaps it seemed like a stereotype, thinking that Adam King might be here, but since their first meeting she had looked for him whenever she’d happened upon a group of Plain folk. She had lain awake plenty of nights thinking about how an act of violence had impacted his life. She’d worried about the toll something like that would take on his youngest siblings, and she’d tried to imagine him as an Amish man, clean-shaven, which was an indication of being single.
    Or not.
    What if he had a beard, a growth of thick, dark hair below his chin line? That would mean he was married, as Amish men let their beards grow after they got married. It was one of the cultural details she’d picked up in her research of Amish customs. Disappointment cast a shadow over her mood at that possibility. Somehow, the idea of Adam with a wife bothered her. It seemed wrong that he might marry so soon after his parents’ deaths. It just felt wrong.
    “You know what I’m thinking?” Dakota asked.
    Remy blinked back to the moment. She had no clue, but at least her friend didn’t seem to have noticed that she’d zoned out.
    “This place is newsworthy.” Dakota tucked her blond hair behind one ear and did a quick scan of the marketplace. “You should do a story on the Reading Market. People here need to know what a great resource they have, right in the downtown area.”
    “Really? I’d love to.” They had spent a good part of the afternoon in a café trying to come up with stories Remy could pitch. After nearly a year with the
Post
, she still hadn’t come up with a newsworthy angle. “But it’s probably been done to death. This place has been here for a hundred years.”
    “So you put a new spin on it.” Dakota cocked her head, the goldstreaks in her hair catching the light. “You’ll think of something. But I’m getting hungry. Let’s grab the rest of our ingredients and run so I can get this on the stove. All the flavors need time to intermingle.” As Dakota sorted through the satchel, taking inventory of their groceries, Remy was reminded of the good times they had shared in college, along with Kiara, pooling resources and talents in their New York apartment. Having Dakota here for the weekend was like a trip back in time to their college home.
    “We’ll probably need a forklift to get this stuff to your apartment, but we’re not done yet. I’m going to get some almonds for the stew, while you head over and pick up some homemade cheese to go with the Tuscan bread.” Dakota hitched the handle of the tote bag up on her shoulder. “See if you can get cheddar or Havarti. Dairy is thataway.” She pointed past the flower stand.
    “Got it. I’ll meet you back