Leigh Bale - Her Amish Christmas Choice

“Mr. Nelson sent you here?” she asked.

“ Ja , he said you need a handyman to help with repairs.”

Carl Nelson was the only attorney in town and had contacted Julia after Grandpa Walt died. Located at the end of Main Street, the store was rundown but spacious, with lots of potential for growth. Her grandfather had lived in the two-bedroom apartment upstairs, which included a small bathroom and kitchen-living area. But they had no electricity in spite of having turned the power back on. Julia wasn’t sure, but she thought there was a problem with the fuse box. Apparently, the same situation had existed while Grandpa Walt had lived here. She and her mother had arrived in town two weeks earlier and were still using the gas and kerosene lamps he’d left behind.

“I definitely need a handyman,” Julia said as she explained the situation to Martin. “With my father being sick and not enough money to pay the bills, we had to shut off the power back home in Kansas. I’ve contacted an electrician here in Riverton, but it’ll cost a lot to replace the fuse panel and upgrade the system. We need to wait until I have more funds. But it’s no matter. We kind of got used to doing without electricity. We live a simple life.”

He nodded. “You are better off without it and I don’t need it for my work.”

“That’s good. Paying you is my priority right now, so I can get my studio and store up and running. Do you know carpentry work?” she asked, wondering how he could do the job without a power drill and electric saw.

Another nod, a slight smile curving his lips. “ Ja , and plumbing, but I don’t use electricity.”

Though she’d never met an Amish person, she’d heard the use of electricity was against their religious values, or something like that.

“But there’s just one thing you need to know… Hank works with me. I promise he won’t be a bother or slow me down. Is that okay?” Martin asked.

As he listened to this exchange, Hank’s eyes widened, his mouth hanging slack. His expression looked so intense that she didn’t have the heart to say no.

“Of course. That will be fine,” she said, realizing she had no one else to hire. Not in a town this size. Thankfully, the money Grandpa Walt had left her would allow her to pay a handyman.

Hank’s eyes sparkled with pure delight. “ Ach , I work hard, too. I help a lot.”

She returned his smile, a feeling of deep compassion filling her heart. She liked this boy and his brother. All her life, she’d wished she had a brother or sister of her own. Someone to help look after her ailing parents. Since her breakup with her lying ex-fiancé, she’d felt so alone and it warmed her heart to see how kind these two brothers were to each other.

“ Gut. What needs to be done?” Martin asked.

Julia shrugged, brushing at her faded blue jeans. “As you can see, the front porch is falling apart, there are two gaping holes in one of the walls of my workroom, and I need to install counters, cabinets and shelving in the area where I plan to make and sell my soap.”

Martin nodded, seeming to mentally calculate how to accomplish these tasks. “You make soap?”

“Yes, among other things. I sell my products nationwide. But since the soap needs to cure for four or five weeks, I’m eager to get some made before my next contract comes due the first of February. I supply handmade soaps to KostSmart.”

He looked at her without recognition. Obviously, this Amish man didn’t get out much if he’d never heard of the giant supermarket chain. But since they didn’t have a KostSmart here in Riverton, she figured it was unimportant. As long as the town had a postal service, she could ship her goods anywhere in the world.

“Follow me.” Julia slipped through the front door. “The porch is the first thing I need repaired, so we can walk inside without fearing for our lives.”

“ Ja , I see that.” Martin showed a wry smile as he trailed after her. Upon entering the spacious room, he pulled the hat off his head. Hank did likewise, copying his brother’s every movement.

Wow! They sure were polite. Dallin, her ex-fiancé, had never treated her so courteously. Never said please or thank you . Never asked how she was. How it hurt to discover he was coming over not to spend time with her, but to be near her former best friend, Debbie. But Dallin had loved kids. Julia had longed for a family of her own and thought she would have it with him. Losing her fiancé and best friend all at once had broken her heart and left her feeling more alone than ever before.

She mentally shook her head. No! She was not going to think about Dallin. She’d already cried buckets of tears over him. She and Mom had a fresh start and it didn’t include her two-timing fiancé and ex–best friend. But he’d taught her one important lesson: never trust a man.

“Exactly how skilled a carpenter and plumber are you?” she asked.

“I am skilled enough for the work you need done.” Martin’s voice was filled with confidence and a sweeping honesty. But Dallin’s lies had taught her to question everything.

“Can you expand on your experience, please?” she asked.

“Ja…” Martin took a deep breath. “I have helped the men in my Gmay build seven barns, nine houses, a variety of sheds and outbuildings and many pieces of furniture in my father’s home.”

“What is a Gmay ?” she asked.

“The Amish community here in Riverton. Members of our congregation follow the same Ordnung and attend church together. We also rely on one another in all facets of everyday life,” he said.

“Ordnung?” she asked, enthralled by his use of new words and curious to know their meaning.

“The unwritten rules that govern our community.”

“Oh. Then, I suppose you are skilled enough,” she said.

Still, a lance of skepticism speared her. Although the building she owned was quite shabby, Julia had a vision of a happy place to live. Some nails and paint could transform this store beautifully. She was determined to make it work. Determined to secure a future for her and Mom. She must! She was alone now and had promised her father before his death that she’d look after her mother. After all, Mom was the only family she had left.

Martin glanced around the enormous room filled with boxes, broken furniture and piles of junk.

“Except for the old woodstove, I’d like everything hauled off to the dump,” she said.

“ Ja , I can do that. Hank will help me,” Martin said.

Hank nodded eagerly. Julia didn’t see how they could carry everything off without a truck, but she didn’t say so. She had already cleared tons of debris from their living quarters upstairs and stacked it neatly in the backyard until they could haul it off. When she considered the bit of money Grandpa Walt had left her, she didn’t want to spend it on a car. Although she had a driver’s license, they’d sold their broken-down truck to pay bills many months ago. When she and Mom had moved to Colorado, they’d shipped their few possessions here, then traveled to town via bus. The general store, post office and bank were within walking distance, so they shouldn’t need a vehicle.

“What do you charge?” She braced herself, but there was no need. Martin requested such a low hourly rate for himself and Hank that she was compelled to offer more.

Martin shook his head. “ Ne , the price I have asked is sufficient for our needs.”

“But…but I don’t want to cheat you,” she said.

“You won’t. I trust you. It is a fair price for both of us,” he insisted, his gaze never wavering.

Hank didn’t say a word, just gawked at his brother with complete confidence.