this place and seems nicely settled in.”
He nodded and stared into the box. “How many pups does she have in there, can ya tell?”
Knowing it wouldn’t be a good idea to touch any of the puppies yet, Martha squinted and tried to count each little blob. That’s what she thought they looked like, too—squirming, squealing blobs with tiny pink noses. “I think there are five,” she announced. “Could be more scrunched in there, though.”
“Sure are noisy little critters. Are you planning to keep any?”
She nodded. “I might keep one for breeding purposes, but I’ll sell the rest because I need the money.”
He tipped his head as though studying her. “You’re quite the businesswoman, aren’t you?”
“I’m trying to be.” Martha moved away from the box. “Guess I’ll head back inside and see if Mom needs my help getting lunch on the table. Heidi would probably like to be left alone with her brood, anyway.”
Luke reached for two of the empty boxes. “I’d better get back to your daed’s shop before the impatient fellow comes looking for me.”
With no comment on her father’s impatience, Martha turned down the gas lantern and followed Luke out the door. She felt good knowing that Heidi had given birth to a litter of pups. At last, she was well on her way to what she hoped would be a successful business venture.
***
Roman looked up from the paperwork he was doing when Luke stepped into the shop carrying two cardboard boxes. “Took ya long enough,” he grumbled. “Couldn’t you find the stall I told you about?”
“Found it just fine.” Luke set the boxes on the floor. “Martha and I discovered that her sheltie had given birth to five hundlin in a cardboard box inside the stall.”
“I’ll bet my daughter was happy about that. She didn’t think the pups would be born for a couple more days.” Roman nodded toward a stack of finished cabinets sitting along one wall. “The set of cabinets Steven Bates ordered for his wife’s birthday are ready to go, so I’d like you to deliver them today.”
“Sure, I can do that. Want me to go now or wait ’til after lunch?”
“Now would be better. You can eat lunch when you get back.”
“Okay.”
Roman pushed his chair away from the desk. “I’ll help you get them loaded and tied onto the wagon, and then I need to get busy and finish up the paperwork I started this morning.”
“I’m sure I can manage to tie ’em in place on my own,” Luke said, moving toward the cabinets.
“Okay, but you’d better be certain they’re tied on good and tight. Steven’s a picky customer, and he won’t stand for any scratches or dents.”
“I’ll make sure everything’s firmly in place.”
They soon had the cabinets set in the back of the wagon Roman used for hauling, and as Luke began to tie them in place, Roman headed back to the shop. A short time later, he heard the buggy wheels rolling and Luke calling for the horse to “get-a-moving.”
“Sure hope he doesn’t get that horse moving too fast,” Roman mumbled as he reached for his ledger to begin making entries again. “That kid is either running late or moving too fast. No happy medium where Luke’s concerned.”
For the next hour and a half, Roman worked on the books. Every now and then, he glanced up at the clock on the far wall to check the time. He figured Luke should have been back by now—unless he stopped somewhere to eat his lunch.
The sound of a car door slamming brought Roman to his feet. A few seconds later, Steven Bates entered the shop, looking madder than a bull chasing a dog around the pasture.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you like the cabinets Luke delivered? He did deliver them, I hope.”
“Oh, yeah. He got ’em a few feet from my driveway, and they slid off the back of your wagon and landed in the street—in several pieces.”
Roman’s face heated up. “How’d that happen?”
“Guess you didn’t get ’em tied on good enough.” Steven grunted.
He nodded and stared into the box. “How many pups does she have in there, can ya tell?”
Knowing it wouldn’t be a good idea to touch any of the puppies yet, Martha squinted and tried to count each little blob. That’s what she thought they looked like, too—squirming, squealing blobs with tiny pink noses. “I think there are five,” she announced. “Could be more scrunched in there, though.”
“Sure are noisy little critters. Are you planning to keep any?”
She nodded. “I might keep one for breeding purposes, but I’ll sell the rest because I need the money.”
He tipped his head as though studying her. “You’re quite the businesswoman, aren’t you?”
“I’m trying to be.” Martha moved away from the box. “Guess I’ll head back inside and see if Mom needs my help getting lunch on the table. Heidi would probably like to be left alone with her brood, anyway.”
Luke reached for two of the empty boxes. “I’d better get back to your daed’s shop before the impatient fellow comes looking for me.”
With no comment on her father’s impatience, Martha turned down the gas lantern and followed Luke out the door. She felt good knowing that Heidi had given birth to a litter of pups. At last, she was well on her way to what she hoped would be a successful business venture.
***
Roman looked up from the paperwork he was doing when Luke stepped into the shop carrying two cardboard boxes. “Took ya long enough,” he grumbled. “Couldn’t you find the stall I told you about?”
“Found it just fine.” Luke set the boxes on the floor. “Martha and I discovered that her sheltie had given birth to five hundlin in a cardboard box inside the stall.”
“I’ll bet my daughter was happy about that. She didn’t think the pups would be born for a couple more days.” Roman nodded toward a stack of finished cabinets sitting along one wall. “The set of cabinets Steven Bates ordered for his wife’s birthday are ready to go, so I’d like you to deliver them today.”
“Sure, I can do that. Want me to go now or wait ’til after lunch?”
“Now would be better. You can eat lunch when you get back.”
“Okay.”
Roman pushed his chair away from the desk. “I’ll help you get them loaded and tied onto the wagon, and then I need to get busy and finish up the paperwork I started this morning.”
“I’m sure I can manage to tie ’em in place on my own,” Luke said, moving toward the cabinets.
“Okay, but you’d better be certain they’re tied on good and tight. Steven’s a picky customer, and he won’t stand for any scratches or dents.”
“I’ll make sure everything’s firmly in place.”
They soon had the cabinets set in the back of the wagon Roman used for hauling, and as Luke began to tie them in place, Roman headed back to the shop. A short time later, he heard the buggy wheels rolling and Luke calling for the horse to “get-a-moving.”
“Sure hope he doesn’t get that horse moving too fast,” Roman mumbled as he reached for his ledger to begin making entries again. “That kid is either running late or moving too fast. No happy medium where Luke’s concerned.”
For the next hour and a half, Roman worked on the books. Every now and then, he glanced up at the clock on the far wall to check the time. He figured Luke should have been back by now—unless he stopped somewhere to eat his lunch.
The sound of a car door slamming brought Roman to his feet. A few seconds later, Steven Bates entered the shop, looking madder than a bull chasing a dog around the pasture.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you like the cabinets Luke delivered? He did deliver them, I hope.”
“Oh, yeah. He got ’em a few feet from my driveway, and they slid off the back of your wagon and landed in the street—in several pieces.”
Roman’s face heated up. “How’d that happen?”
“Guess you didn’t get ’em tied on good enough.” Steven grunted.
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