The Amish Bachelor's Choice by Jocelyn McClay

Author:Jocelyn McClay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-05-09T15:49:05+00:00

Chapter Ten

“Ach, you always make something with so many pieces.” Benjamin was helping Ruth disassemble the petite rolltop desk. To confirm quality staining, they took the furniture apart to ensure the sprayed stain and sealant got into all the corners and small areas of the piece. After the staining and sealing processes, he’d help her wipe the sprayed pieces with a soft cloth to create a uniform appearance.

They’d partnered on this frequently over the years. Their actions were automatic, leaving time for easy conversation.

“Hannah said at church that you have a puppy from their dog’s recent litter.”

Ruth smiled at the thought of Rascal. The joy he’d brought to her life with his company and antics had been sorely missed. “Oh, yes. I’m struggling, though. There are things he could easily learn, if I just knew how to train him. And sometimes, when he does something and I know I should scold and make him behave, all I want to do is laugh.”

Benjamin smiled in return as he unbolted a leg. “I know what you mean. We had a shepherd puppy one time. Smoky was his name. Smart as a whip. But with four young boys to see to his training...” He shook his head. “You can imagine how it went.”

His smile extended further over his lean, tanned face until it was a face-splitting grin. “One time, my brieder and I were busy in the hog pen. I think we were sorting. The puppy tried to get in and help but just kept getting in the way, so we’d tell him to go. He did for a while. But he came back. With what he was apparently hoping was a gift.” Benjamin snickered at the memory. Ruth poked him in the shoulder with a slat from the rolltop to get on with the story.

“Mamm had been hanging up the laundry on the other side of the house. While she was hanging up some sheets...” He started chuckling again. Grinning at his contagious amusement, Ruth poked him anew, highly curious by now.

“The puppy got into the laundry basket and pulled out some of her...” Benjamin blushed and waved his hand vaguely up and down in front of Ruth’s torso. Ruth’s eyes widened, not at Benjamin’s gesture, but at the thought of a puppy running around the yard with Mrs. Raber’s undergarments in his mouth.

“The puppy made it to the hog pen and before we could stop him, he’d crawled through the fence and started chasing the hogs with it. Waved it like a white flag, only he wasn’t surrendering. Not his new prize anyway. And it didn’t stay white for long. He wasn’t very big or agile yet, and some hogs got by him, trampling on his prize in the process. Pretty soon it got mired in the mud, and with four boys and a puppy chasing hogs around a messy pen, it got lost.” Benjamin attempted to get control of his mirth, only succeeding for a moment. “Daed found it in the hog pen three days later and offered it to Mamm.

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