Made with Love Read Free Page A

some type of theater. In the months he’d lived there Noah had never seen anyone go in or out. He’d been meaning to ask Uncle Roy who owned the place. Chills moved up and down his arms as he considered what treasures had been left behind inside the warehouse.
    The clouds moved over the sun, casting a long shadow, but the woman didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she parked her bicycle and strode up to the warehouse.
    An Amish man was picking up trash and cigarette butts near the building. The woman hurried over to him. They talked for a few minutes, and then the man pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket, wrote something down, and handed it to her. When the woman turned, her smile lit up the horizon even more than the sun had just minutes before.
    What had she asked the man? What had made her so happy? Noah wished he could find out.
    Instead, he had to walk inside those doors to tell Mose andthe other teens they still didn’t have any work within Pinecraft. Instead, he’d have to call some of his construction worker friends to see if there was anything that looked promising in their salvage piles—things he and the teens could gather up, repurpose, and resell.
    How am I going to help these teens get reconnected within the Amish community if I can’t even find one simple job here? It seemed the Englisch didn’t mind that the teens were rough at times. They almost expected it. And Sarasota Salvage had been a willing buyer for the numerous treasures they’d rescued from construction sites and dumpsters.
    Still, a burden within Noah’s heart wouldn’t be shaken. From the first moment he got the idea of moving down here with the guys his desire was to reconnect them with an Amish community in a safe place. Had he heard wrong? Since Pinecraft was known to be more liberal, with their electricity, air conditioning, and Amish and Mennonites from various communities living side by side, he’d thought this was the perfect place to bring the young men. To help them start over. He’d just had no idea how far one’s bad reputation carried. Like geese, news of the wayward teens—and most likely his own former ways—had found their way south in record time.
    There had to be something out there for them. There had to be someone willing to give him—give Mose and the others—a chance.
    He walked by the mailbox and then paused. Noah couldn’t remember if he’d checked the mailbox yesterday. He was waiting for his last check from Dat for some items he’d sold at auction. And then…well, they’d be out of money after that.
    Where would that leave them? They couldn’t stay without helping out Uncle Roy with the expenses. And the way these guys ate the money would be swallowed up by groceries alone.
    He opened the mailbox and found two bills and a long white envelope addressed to him. He quickly opened the envelope and breathed a sigh of relief at the check inside. His dad had done well selling Noah’s items, and it was more money than he’d expected. Also inside was a folded-up letter and a photo. He lifted up the photo to get a look and his heart sank.
    It was a photo of the gift shop, just outside the city limits of his hometown. His heart skipped a beat as a flood of memories came rushing back. The small building was painted white, and four wooden rocking chairs sat out front. There was a handmade OPEN sign in the large picture window, and inside quilts and other gift items were displayed. A window box held colorful flowers.
    Still standing by the mailbox, Noah opened the letter and read.
    Dear Noah,
    Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
    It is a beautiful day here at home. It’s the day that the Lord has made. The garden is growing much better this year than last. I think it’s because of the watering system that you helped me put in before you left. It’s much easier for me to make sure all the rows