Hannah (The Peachy Sisters Trilogy #1)

Chapter 1

Duty Before Dreams

The comforting scent of coffee filled the farmhouse’s kitchen as Hannah Peachy poured herself a cup.

It was five am, which meant she had a later start than usual this morning.

Outside, the world was slowly waking up after a good night’s rest, and Hannah was eager to witness it.

But before she could take her coffee outside and sit on the porch for the ten minutes of solitude and peace she allowed herself each day, she needed to put the buns into the oven.

She slipped the freshly made dough balls into the oven of the woodstove, topped off her coffee, and headed outside, trying to be as quiet as possible.

The last thing she wanted to do was wake up Miriam and Lydia.

Just because Hannah was up before dawn every day didn’t mean her sisters had to suffer the same fate.

She stepped out the front door and welcomed the brisk spring air that kissed her cheeks with the lingering cold of winter. After taking a seat in the rocking chair that her father had always preferred, Hannah closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.

She held her breath for a few seconds before letting it out in a slow, controlled motion.

This, here, was what she needed before the weight of the day’s work in the fields, the list of chores, and the responsibility of taking care of her two younger sisters rested on her shoulders.

Just a few short moments of being just Hannah.

Not even taking the time to dream of her own future or to imagine what she wanted her day to look like, but just a brief moment in time to gather the strength and courage she needed for another day while both her sisters still slept soundly.

Before everything had changed, Hannah had savored the mornings spent with her mother in the kitchen before the house came to life.

But an accident had changed all that. A simple trip to the market on a late fall afternoon had claimed the lives of both her parents.

A storm had caused an eighteen-wheeler to skid on the road right into her parents’ buggy.

Her father had passed away instantly; her mother hung on long enough for Hannah and her siblings to say goodbye. Hannah didn’t think about that day often, but when she did, she could see it in her mind’s eye.

She had just turned eighteen, and suddenly she was the caretaker of her sisters. Miriam had been fifteen at the time and Lydia only thirteen. There was no question that Hannah was prepared to take on the responsibility of becoming their guardian, as she accepted her duty without complaint.

Managing a produce farm, making sure they had an income, planning meals, handing out chores, and keeping her sisters in line all suddenly rested on her shoulders. Hannah didn’t complain about the weight of her responsibilities; instead, she accepted them with grace.

As the oldest Peachy sibling, she had this duty.

Her sisters had been too young to understand the burdens Hannah was facing, and they didn’t deserve to be burdened by an accident they had no control over. Hannah had sheltered them as best she could, protected and cared for them, loved and guided them.

She had taken on the role of both parents – and that was why she was the first to be awake in the mornings, making sure breakfast was ready and a fresh pot of coffee on the stove when her sisters woke.

The exhaustion had become part of who she was, and hiding it had become second nature. But here, alone on the porch while the world began to stir, for a moment Hannah could breathe and forget about everything she was responsible for.

Sometimes, like this morning, she could even allow herself to imagine what her life might have been like if it hadn’t been for the accident. She might have been married to a husband who adored her, lived in her own home, and perhaps even have been blessed with a baby or two.

But instead, at the age of twenty-three, she was still alone, and although she sometimes longed for more, she was grateful for all her blessings. She prayed for guidance and strength from the Lord and sipped her coffee until her ten minutes were up, then headed back inside to start her day.

First, she stopped by Miriam’s room. “Miriam, it’s time to wake.”

She heard a groan from Miriam’s room and smiled as she walked over to Lydia’s room.

Miriam had never been fond of mornings; her vocabulary usually only kicked in after her second cup of coffee.

She knocked on Lydia’s door and stepped inside.

With a mischievous grin, she tiptoed towards the windows before she whipped back the curtains.

“Lydia, rise and shine!”

Lydia shot up in bed with a wide-eyed look of disdain. “Do you really have to do that every morning?”

Hannah chuckled. “I don’t do it in winter; then we’re up before the sun.”

“Urgh, fine, every other season then,” Lydia pushed back the covers and stood up. She stretched like a cat before a yawn escaped her. “How’d you sleep, schweschder?”

“Restful,” Hannah lied. At the age of eighteen, Lydia didn’t need to know that Hannah wasn’t sure how they were going to afford this week’s marketing.

“Gut, I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” Lydia smiled.

Hannah returned to the kitchen where she started frying eggs and sausages. It didn’t matter how dire their finances were; breakfast remained the most important meal of the day.

While she cooked breakfast, Hannah’s notepad was close by.

She noted which chores were assigned to whom for the day, what needed to be done in the fields, and what produce they could harvest to sell.

By the time her sisters joined her in the kitchen, Hannah was already prepared for another long, exhausting day.

But at least she had her sisters' company to make the work a little easier.