One sign made him pause, and it wasn’t the sign for Yoder’s Restaurant and Gift Shop, nor the sign for Big Olaf’s Ice Cream. Village Pizzas by Emma? Pizza. In Pinecraft? Maybe there was hope for a prodigal baker yet. The idea almost tugged a grin from his lips. Almost. He yawned. After his night on the road, then sleeping on the lumpy mattress in a cheap motel off the interstate, he hoped his mammmi would welcome him. He hadn’t written, hadn’t called. Of course, she had no phone. But Thad knew where her home was. As soon as he’d entered the neighborhood, it all came back to him. Pinecraft had changed a little from what he remembered in childhood. Pizza. The thought made his stomach grumble. Arriving at Mammi’s would wait for a few minutes. He parked in an empty parking space and noted the pizza shop was open for business now. The late morning sun felt good on his skin. He’d shed his jacket in the morning, and it was strapped to his duffel bag on the rear of his bike.
