Miriam's Heart (Love Inspired) by Miller Emma

Author:Miller, Emma [Miller, Emma]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Love Inspired
Published: 2011-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Charley knew he was in trouble when he saw John pull a tool belt from the bed of his pickup. He’d expected that John would bring a new hammer with the price tag still on it and little else. Instead, the wide leather belt that the Mennonite strapped around his waist was obviously well-used and of professional quality. Either John had borrowed an experienced carpenter’s tools, or he had more experience than hammering just a few nails.

The day just seemed to get worse from there.

It wasn’t long before John proved his worth in the construction, and Charley felt himself hard put to keep up with him. John not only knew the trade, but he was a hard worker who didn’t mind taking orders from their gang boss. Charley’s only saving grace was that while John might have been even more skilled with a hammer, Charley was definitely stronger, and was called upon several times when there was a heavy job to be done. Charley was ashamed that he’d misjudged the vet so quickly when he obviously hadn’t known anything about him.

Charley didn’t usually draw conclusions about people without careful consideration, but he felt a natural competition with John from the first day they’d met, when Miriam had been all smiles introducing them. The thing was, he genuinely liked John. It was just that he felt threatened by John’s obvious interest in Miriam.

An hour after John arrived, his uncle Albert and three other Mennonite boys showed up, ready to pitch in. “Sorry to come late,” Albert said after he’d introduced his team. “I had an emergency at the office this morning.”

“Glad to have you,” Eli said. “The more hands, the quicker the work goes.” Eli glanced at John. “He’s no stranger to hard work.”

Albert smiled and nodded. “He put himself through college working construction.” Albert walked to the rear of his truck and fired up a gas-powered generator. In the bed of the truck were several different kinds of electric saws that could be run off the generator. “I thought we could set up a saw table.”

“Sounds good to me,” Eli shouted, above the roar of the motor. “Power saws will make the construction go even faster.”

“Let’s get this section up!” Samuel gave the signal, and the six men on his team, including John, began the strenuous task of raising the west wall of the house.

Charley threw his weight into the frame. The six of them lifted the heavy wooden structure into place, and Samuel and Eli began to attach braces. Charley pulled a handful of nails out of the bag on his belt and began hammering them in, securing the bottom wall plate to the floor joist. Beside him, John was doing the same thing. John’s hammer struck with a steady rhythm and Charley quickened his pace to keep up.

Beside the house, Albert Hartman switched on a circular saw he’d plugged into his generator. Other men, Amish and Mennonite, carried lengths of marked lumber to be cut to size. From the other sides of the house, Charley could hear framing going up.

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