The Amish Clockmaker ~ Men of Lancaster County Book 3 by Mindy Starns Clark

Author:Mindy Starns Clark [Clark, Mindy Starns]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780736957397
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-TWO

Miriam had visited Clayton in the clock shop a number of times over the years, more so when she was younger and didn’t have an outside job. As a teenager, sometimes she would bring down a plate of cookies or a basket of muffins and then just linger in the showroom for a while, listening to the gentle ticking that filled the air or running her fingers along the beautiful edges and lines of the Englisch clocks that surrounded her. As she grew older, she had come less and less until she hardly ever showed up any more. Clayton couldn’t remember the last time she’d been there.

Now, as he heard the back door swing open just before noon, he found himself almost feeling nervous. Would she still love it here? Would she enjoy working alongside him? Would she, too, find the days flying by with all that was to be done?

Fortunately, she’d come during a lull in customers. Clayton was at the worktable, putting the finishing touches on some complicated mechanics, so he set down his tools, stood, and was about to head into the back room to greet her when she appeared in the doorway, an oversized lunch pail in her hands.

“No more curtain,” she commented, looking up over her head to where it used to hang.

“I took it down once Daed… once I started handling the store all on my own.” Once I could no longer run and hide from the curious stares of my customers.

Miriam looked around, taking everything in. “The place seems smaller without your father in it,” she said, her eyes landing on the far side of the worktable. “I suppose that doesn’t make sense. It should seem bigger with one less person here.”

“I know what you mean, though,” he replied, realizing in that moment he hadn’t moved his father’s chair. It still sat there at the far end of the table, as if Daed might return any second, take a seat, and get back to work. “I feel that way too every time I come in.”

Clayton reached out a hand and took the pail from Miriam, noting the familiar anticipation in her eyes as she gazed toward the showroom area ahead. Though it wasn’t a huge space, they had managed to get the most out of it. Mounted practically floor to ceiling were all of the wall clocks, interspersed here and there with the grandfather clocks. At the center were glass-fronted cases that held the mantel clocks, carriage clocks, Chaucer clocks, table clocks, chronometers, and other small, non-mounting timekeeping devices.

To Clayton’s delight, Miriam moved there now and began doing what she’d always done when she came to the store: stroll along the displays, walking slowly and admiring each clock individually. Both Plain and fancy clocks were available, but Miriam lingered only over the fancy ones, pausing at the prettiest and most ornate and studying them with awe.

All around, gentle sounds of ticking and clicking filled the air like a symphony, though Clayton rarely ever noticed or heard it anymore.

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