The Amish Bachelor's Choice. Jocelyn McClay

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       Chapter Four

      Malachi’s lip twitched as he watched the diminutive figure stride away. That had to have been hard for her, Miss Nothing-Good-About-Having-You-Here. But she’d done it. His eyes narrowed as he watched her expertly resume the project she’d been working on. He’d been talking with his new employees. To every query, the response was the same: “Ask Ruth. She’ll know.” Was there any part of the business the woman didn’t have her hand in? He could tell from the tone of the unprompted responses that she was respected.

      He hadn’t talked with her this morning. She’d looked like a cornered badger when she’d come in late. If she thought she’d been snappish a moment ago, he was thankful he hadn’t approached her then. From his conversations with the men, he’d determined that she was always the first to arrive. So something must’ve happened this morning. She seemed more straightforward than to slacken her efforts just because ownership had changed. The recent interaction showed she cared about the future of the business. The question remained, would she have a future in it?

      “Who’s she?”

      Malachi turned to see his twenty-one-year-old brother watching Ruth as she assembled what appeared to be a small rolltop desk at the back of the workroom.

      “The previous owner’s daughter.”

      Samuel rolled his eyes. “Oh, no. Not one of those again.”

      Malachi allowed a small smile in commiseration of the sentiment. “Ja.”

      “She going to haunt your steps like the other one did?”

      His eighteen-year-old brother, Gideon, joined the observation of the auburn-haired woman, who fortunately wasn’t aware of the scrutiny. If she glanced up, the “cornered badger” look would return, complete with hisses and snarls, Malachi thought as his smile progressed to a one-sided grin. Actually, Malachi mused, the analogy fitted pretty well. Badgers were small in stature, protective, blunt and aggressive. Like someone he’d recently met.

      “She’s not as pretty as Leah.”

      Malachi’s smile evaporated at Gideon’s comment. Yes, with her blond hair and thick-lashed eyes, the daughter of his boss in Ohio had been very attractive. But for some reason, the comparison to Ruth seemed unfair.

      “This one works here. It couldn’t be much worse.”

      “Samuel, what could’ve been worse is if she hadn’t caught your mistake and we created an error for a customer on our first day on the job. Or had to waste labor and materials to do it over.” The younger men’s eyes dropped before their brother’s steady gaze.

      “Ja. You’re right about that.”

      “Is the quality of work something I need to be concerned about going forward?”

      “Nee. If only to make sure that she doesn’t catch us at it again.” Samuel nodded toward the back of the room.

      “Gut.” Malachi dropped a hand on each brother’s shoulder. He was surprised at how muscular those shoulders had become as he gave them a brief, encouraging squeeze. “I’m glad you’re with me on this adventure. It would’ve been harder to leave Ohio without you.”

      “You did the right thing.” Gideon earned another squeeze with his support.

      “Let’s hope so.” Malachi patted their backs before dropping his hands. “Let’s get some work done today. Show that the Schrock brothers know their way around building furniture.”

      Work was accomplished, but it tapered off in efficiency as the intensity of the weather picked up. Malachi watched his employees repeatedly glance up at the encroaching darkness that dimmed the skylights, the primary source of light for the business. Or go to the window and look outside at the growing storm, usually with hands on their hips and a worried expression on their faces. All except his single female employee. She stayed at her task until he could determine the project was indeed a petite rolltop desk. With the ominous change in the weather, no one entered the showroom to distract her from the work.

      It was past midafternoon when Malachi called to get their attention. He waited until the machines had been turned off and the hums and squeals of the equipment died down so they could hear him.

      “We want to get the work done on time for our customers. In order to do that, we need to ensure that you are safe and sound to come in and do it. We have storms in Ohio, and I’ve heard that the Wisconsin ones can be quite fierce, as well. We’re closing up early today so you can get home and check on your families and livestock before the storm gets worse.”

      Although nothing was said, Malachi could tell by the relaxation in the tense faces watching him that his new employees appreciated the early release. He wanted his workforce safe. He was also striving to establish trust as their leader. Working hard in the long run did not always mean working all the time.

      The men didn’t need further instructions. Workstations were quickly cleaned up and equipment and materials put away for the day. Malachi saw his brothers by the coatrack, outer gear on and obviously ready to go. He frowned. There was some work in the office he wanted to finish before he left today. Malachi walked toward them, intending to instruct them to wait a bit before they hitched up the buggy. One of his new employees, Jacob, a beardless young man with red hair, was visiting with them as he СКАЧАТЬ