Page 73 of More than Words Can Say

Hinges creaked behind him, and Zach glanced up from making change to see his wife sweep through the door. She wore a bright smile on her face, as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, and the pride already tightening his chest intensified.

Trying not to get caught staring at his wife, Zach forced his attention back to the woman with the rolls standing in front of him, her palm extended for the fifty cents he owed her.

“Here you go, ma’am.” He dropped the coins into her hand.

As her fingers closed over the coins, she smiled, but not at him. “It’s about time you trained your husband in the family business, Abigail. He looks good behind that counter.”

Abby winked at him as she navigated into her customary position behind the counter. “Zach looks good anywhere.”

His eyes widened. Had she just flirted with him in public? Heat climbed his neck even as an idiotic grin stretched his lips.

“That he does,” the middle-aged woman said with a wink of her own as she stepped away from the counter to make room for the next patron.

“Too bad he’s needed in the square,” Abigail said, real disappointment coloring her voice. “Rosalind is running a biscuit booth. Two for a nickel. Zach will be helping her get everything set up. Be sure to spread the word.”

“I’ll do that,” the woman promised with a wave and headed out the door.

Zach stepped close to his wife. “Time for me to go, huh?”

She glanced at him, the joviality in her manner slipping just a bit as she nodded. Man, but he wanted to stay with her. She shouldn’t be alone after all that had happened.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, as if she’d read his mind.

She’d be busy. He wasn’t so sure about fine, but this wasn’t the time or place to argue. And he really did need to check on Rosalind. A lot of outsiders in town meant an increased chance for trouble.

So after making a note of the sale he’d just completed on the ledger next to the cashbox, he took his leave. He made sure to pull the door to the kitchen closed behind him. He’d only noticed a touch of smokiness in the air inside the bakery, and no one had said anything, but he wanted to minimize the effect as much as possible.

Once in the kitchen, he took a moment to examine the broken window, frowning over the glass littering the floor. He grabbed the broom from the corner and swept up the shards, not wanting Abigail to have to deal with it later. When they finished with the biscuit booth, he’d track down the marshal to report the vandalism, then bring the two wooden signs home and use them to board up the window.

After dumping the broken glass into the trash bin, Zach headed out to the square and met up with Reuben and Rosalind. The kid he’d hired with the promise of food was there too, nailing the signs into place as Reuben held them.

Rosalind stepped away from the biscuit baskets, leaving Simeon and Dinah to guard them, and met Zach a short distance from the booth. “His name’s Nate,” she said with a nod toward the kid. “Seems to be a good worker.”

Hunger was a powerful motivator. He’d intended to ask Abby about hiring the boy on, but now with the oven trouble, well . . . Zach set his jaw. He’d just pay the kid out of his own pocket. He wasn’t sure how Abby planned to move forward with the bakery being down an oven, but if he could lessen her workload in other areas, taking the boy on would be a bargain.

Once the last nail had been driven and the sign hung firmly in place, Zach approached the booth. “Nate, is it?”

The kid turned and gave a quick nod. “Yessir.”

Zach smacked him on the back. “Glad to see you took me up on my offer.”

“I’ll be drummin’ up business fer ya too.” He shot Zach a man-to-man look, one that promised he’d uphold his end of the bargain as long as Zach came through on his. “I’m meetin’ up with my sister in a few minutes over by City Hall. I’ll get her to help too. With two of us working, we’ll spread the word even faster.” He turned a shy smile toward Rosalind. “You’ll be sold out of them biscuits in no time, miss.”

“Then you better grab a handful for you and your sister before you head off, shouldn’t you?” Rosalind smiled at the boy, which immediately turned his cheeks red, but she pretended not to notice as she retrieved a basket and held it out to him. “Thank you for your help with the booth. You did fine work.”

Nate might be shy around the pretty Rosalind, but he wasn’t shy around food. Four biscuits disappeared into the small knapsack slung across his body before Zach could even blink.

“Live around here, Nate?” Zach asked.

The kid nodded, though his gaze turned wary. “Just outside town.”

Zach wouldn’t press for more details. Nate’s living situation was his own business. If he turned out to be a good worker and trustworthy, maybe Zach would talk to Abby about offering him and his sister a place to stay—if they needed one. Cots in the kitchen would keep them much toastier in the winter than some abandoned shed or lean-to if they were on their own.

“Come by the bakery tonight around six. Bring your sister. We’ll feed you supper and maybe talk about offering you regular work. If you’re interested.”

The boy stood straighter. “I’m interested.”

“I got to clear things with the wife, first,” Zach warned, not wanting to get the kid’s hopes up too high before he talked things over with Abby, but she had a soft spot for widows and others who had no one to look out for them. Surely she wouldn’t refuse a hungry boy work. “It’s her bakery, but if she approves, you can start on Monday.”