The Path to Piney Meadows Read online

  Just as had happened with Peter, Bart talked fondly about the town of Piney Meadows. And as during his time at Anna’s parents’ home, the women not only put the food into the fridge, they also cleaned the kitchen and washed and dried the dishes before joining the men in the living room.

  Leave It to Beaver, with bonnets.

  He didn’t know how he was going to get used to this, but if he was going to live here, he had no choice.

  He told himself with each day he’d become a little more accustomed to it. Even more, he was going to need Anna’s help to do this. Fortunately, Anna was easy to talk to, and best of all, he had something to offer her in trade for her help.

  They continued to chat about nothing in particular, until he saw his hosts starting to show signs of fatigue. It dawned on him that while he had slept the morning away after enjoying a big turkey dinner the day before, they had arisen early and gone to work. Also, since he’d seen how the town shut down not long after nightfall, he suspected that his hosts, unlike himself, were the early-to-bed-early-to-rise type.

  Chad stood. “Thank you for a wonderful evening, but I think it’s time we called it a night. What time should I be at the factory tomorrow morning?”

  Bart stood. “I will be there at six o’clock, but it is fine with me if you start later. How is seven?”

  Inwardly, Chad grimaced. He’d started at eight o’clock at his old job in Minneapolis, and there, he didn’t have to slog through half a mile of snow in the dark. He’d merely taken the elevator to the underground parking area, where it was sheltered, made a trip to the drive-thru for a fresh cup of coffee, and driven to work on nicely plowed, salted streets. Likewise, at the end of his workday, even though at work he’d had outside parking, he always had both the block heater and the in-car heater plugged in, and he’d always had a comfortable drive home.

  Bart, the owner of the company, didn’t own a car. They’d walked to Bart’s home, and likewise, he would have to walk back to Ted’s house. He would also have to walk to work until he got his car keys back. Or, maybe he’d have to walk to work all winter. He’d noticed on the way here that the streets had been hand-shoveled, and he hadn’t seen a single car or car tread in the soft snow. He didn’t know if Bart chose to walk to work, or if he perhaps didn’t own a car.

  Anna also stood. “I also thank you for a wonderful meal. I will see you tomorrow at work, Bart. Odelle, I will see you at church on Sunday.”

  Once outside, Anna pointed to the right. “We are to go in that direction.”

  “Thanks. I would probably get lost without you, and I sure don’t want that to happen tonight.” Already, his teeth were chattering.

  Anna nodded as she raised her fingers to touch the scarf she’d wrapped over her head and around her neck. “You must feel very cold. Would you like to use my scarf since you do not have a hat?”

  He eyed her pink scarf and nodded. Without the scarf, she still had her bonnet protecting her head from the biting cold. In Minneapolis, he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a pink scarf, but here, no one would see him, so he was safe. “That would be great. Thank you.”

  “Do not let her know I have said this, but my mama asked yesterday why you had no hat, and she is knitting one for you. It should be finished by morning. I can bring it to you before work tomorrow.”

  He nearly stumbled. “Your mother is knitting me a hat? She doesn’t even know me.”

  Anna smiled. “My mama has a good heart. She has asked me if she can sew you a good winter coat, but I told her you no doubt had a warm coat at home.”

  “I do,” he muttered. But it wasn’t anything like the knee-length double-breasted coat that Bart had been wearing. In Minneapolis he had only needed a coat warm enough to protect him from the elements between his car and the office door. He had a feeling he was going to be making a trip to the mall very soon.

  If they had a mall in Piney Meadows. Or maybe when he went home to pack up, he’d go shopping on the way back.

  He nearly stumbled again. Thinking of clothes, he didn’t have anything to wear tomorrow. He’d felt horrible wearing the same thing to Christmas dinner as he’d worn the day before, but he’d had no choice. Before he’d gone to Bart’s office, he’d used some of Ted’s laundry soap and washed his shirt and personal items in the sink before bed. He’d needed to look fresh for the interview, and now he was glad he had, because he’d been seen by all the employees. However, tomorrow, when introduced as the new general manager, he needed to look professional. On his first day as manager, he should be wearing his suit, which was in his closet in Minneapolis. Instead, he would be wearing the same clothes four days in a row. Even with them freshly washed, it wasn’t right. Some things even laundry soap didn’t fix.

  He couldn’t even take the liberty of borrowing or buying something out of Ted’s closet. He was about four inches taller than Ted, and Ted had a stockier build. He didn’t even have to look to know that nothing would fit.

  “Is there a place we can go shopping on the way home?” Even if that meant the chance some of his future staff would see him wearing a pink scarf.

  Anna shook her head. “It is after six o’clock.”

  Chad didn’t know why he’d asked. Of course, everything was closed. The winter sun had set.

  In his mind’s eye, he watched any potential nightlife he’d envisioned going down the proverbial drain. Mentally he shook his head. No, those days were gone. He was done with a party nightlife and lack of focus. It was time to get his life in order, and this new job was the start.

  “Is there anything open here after six o’clock any day?” he asked, already knowing the answer but saying the words anyway.

  “Nein,” she answered with a completely straight face. “Of course not.”

  One day he’d tell her that in the month before Christmas, most of the big-box stores were open 24–7 in the big cities.

  Chad struggled not to quicken his pace, keeping in mind the height difference between them, which caused him to walk faster than Anna did. However, it was obvious from the white puffs of air as they walked that he was breathing much harder than Anna. It hit him that she had to be in much better physical condition, because he was getting out of breath and she wasn’t. She walked everywhere, including through the thigh-high snowdrifts, and he drove only on plowed streets. In fact, in addition to a new coat, he needed to buy new boots and a man-colored scarf. His ankle-high boots had become packed with snow and his feet were as numb as his nose.

  He walked with Anna to her front door. It shouldn’t have shocked him that she simply reached for the doorknob, ready to open it, knowing it was unlocked even though it was dark out.

  “Are there any stores within walking distance of Ted’s house where I can buy some new clothes? Or make that close to work. I’d like to do some shopping on my lunch break, if you can loan me a little money until I get my wallet back.”

  He turned his head to see her smile.

  He liked her smile. It was honest and sincere, and suddenly, he didn’t feel quite so cold anymore.

  Even if he did have to walk everywhere, if everyone was as nice as Anna he really would like it here.

  “Of course. About ten minutes away, that is where the stores are. You do not need money. Just tell them I sent you and your name. They will sell you what you need and wait for you to get your wallet back.” She giggled. “Besides, by tomorrow at lunch time, everyone will know who you are, anyway.”

  She stopped talking, and he mentally filled in what she hadn’t said. Within hours, everyone, not only people who worked at the factory, would know that he was taking over Ted’s job, and by the nature of the job, his credit was good.

  A scary thought.

  Anna opened the door. “Good night, Chad. I will see you tomorrow morning. We can walk to work together, and I will make you some coffee before Bart goes over everything with you.”

  Anna sat at her desk, her eyes focused on the door to Ted’s office—or rather, Chad’s office—and s
miled.

  She’d never seen a man so happy. Just before the lunch break, the courier service delivered a package containing Chad’s wallet and keys. Instead of eating his lunch, Chad had gone shopping, and he had returned wearing a new knee-length coat and new boots, carrying an armful of bags. It did her heart good to see that despite the new store-purchased clothing, he still wore the cap her mama had knitted for him.

  Since Bart had gone into the back to check on something, Anna rose from her chair and walked into the office to check on Chad.

  A new pair of padded mittens lay in the middle of the desk alongside the hat, and he’d deposited the bags onto the chair.

  “You look warm.” Except for his red nose and pink cheeks.

  He smiled, wider and brighter than he had since she’d met him. Her heart began beating in double time. He truly was a handsome man.

  His grin widened even more. “Yeah. This coat is great. The lady in the store helped me pick it. The lining zips out for when it’s not so biting cold, and it’s also got a wind protector panel in the back. I didn’t know they made them like this.” He clicked his heels together. “And nice padded boots, too. I feel like a kid at Christmas.” As he shrugged out of the coat and draped it on the coatrack, Anna noted he also wore what looked like a new suit, a new shirt, and a tie. “I asked Bart to hold off on the general meeting to introduce me until after lunch.” He rubbed his palms together. “That’s now. As soon as I fix my hair.” Instead of going to the mens’ washroom, Chad looked at his reflection in the window and finger-combed his wavy blond hair. “They didn’t have my brand of hair gel, or actually, they didn’t have any hair gel, so this will have to do.” He straightened, wiggled his tie, and turned around. “When Bart comes back, it’ll be official.”

  All Anna could do was stare. With his new clothes, Chad looked even more handsome, and he even seemed taller.

  Anna cleared her throat. “Here he comes.”

  With a quick stride, Bart entered the room, then skidded to a halt and looked up. Beside Chad, Bart looked . . . messy. And definitely harried. Also, just as she’d thought earlier, there did appear to be a bit more of a height difference with Chad’s stiff posture. Bart looked up and down at Chad’s new clothes, stopping at the tie. “I have called everyone into the lunchroom. Let us go.”

  As soon as Chad stepped into the lunchroom, all the chatter ceased. “Everyone,” Bart called out, “I would like you to meet Chad Jones. Starting today, Chad is taking over for Ted. As you know, Chad is new to Piney Meadows, so please give him a warm welcome.”

  Odelle stood beside one of the tables taking the plastic wrap off a cake she’d brought, then began to fuss with folding the napkins.

  At first only a couple of the men came forward, but when everyone saw how easy Chad was to talk to, more of the men came to shake his hand and greet him. After he’d shaken hands with all the men, Chad walked to the back of the room and introduced himself to the ladies, who were helping Odelle serve the cake.

  When Chad had spoken briefly to everyone, Bart took him back to the office, and Anna stayed behind to help the ladies clean up.

  Elaine approached her first. “Who is this man? Where did he come from? I have never seen him before.” Her voice lowered. “He looks like he is from the cities.”

  Anna nodded. “Ja. He is.”

  Martha came to Anna’s other side. “How did Ted find this man? I saw Ted speaking to him at church, after our Christmas play. Then he left with Ted and Miranda. I hear he is staying at Ted’s house until Ted’s return.” Her voice lowered. “I have seen his car parked near the church since Christmas Eve. It is very fancy and looks like it goes very fast.”

  Before Anna could answer, Elaine spoke again. “Sarah told me Ted and Miranda will be married soon. When is Ted coming back?”

  Anna cleared her throat. “I do not know the answer to all your questions. Today when Ted phoned for Bart, I spoke to him first for a little while. He is not sure when he is coming back, as he has been hired at a new job in Seattle and he cannot leave his job to come here. He said he must wait until a weekend, when he can get flight times that will be good. But he said that Chad will do well for us. He has phoned Chad’s former workplace and told me that they spoke very highly of him.” Ted had told her more than just that. He’d spoken to some of the people Chad supervised before speaking to the owner of the company. All of them spoke very highly of Chad and not at all highly of the president of the company. Then when Ted spoke to the company president, he spoke even worse of Chad than the other people had spoken of him. Oddly, he’d told Ted to tell Chad that if Chad came back and begged, he would give him the job back. This told Ted that the decision to hire Chad was the right one, and Chad was hired.

  Ted had also reminded Chad’s former boss to forward Chad’s vacation pay and all money owed promptly or he would take legal action.

  Anna couldn’t believe Ted would have said such a thing.

  She turned to Elaine as she put the last cup into the cupboard. “I must go back to the office now. I do not know what will happen, but surely many things will become different now that we have a new manager.”

  A new manager from the cities.

  7

  Anna!” a female voice called out. “You must come quickly. It is Chad!”

  Anna fumbled with her coffee cup, then set it down so quickly that coffee splashed out onto the desk. “What is wrong? Where is he?” The last she’d seen him, he’d told her he was going to the kitchen to get himself more coffee. Anna had offered to get his coffee for him, just as she did for Ted, but Chad had told her that he didn’t want to interrupt her work and left the room with his empty mug before she could respond.

  At the desk next to her, William grunted and kept working. The financial statements Chad had asked William to prepare were unlike anything he’d ever had to do for Ted, and William had complained all morning. “I do not know where he has gone,” William muttered and kept punching numbers into his calculator.

  Knowing Chad had gone to get his own coffee, she’d had a difficult time returning her concentration to her work, which was an order confirmation she should have sent out yesterday. She now noticed it had been nearly half an hour since Chad had left the room.

  He had obviously done more than just pour himself a cup of coffee.

  She sprang out of the chair and ran after Martha. Instead of going to the factory, where Anna was sure she was going to find Chad lying half dead on the floor, Martha turned into the kitchen.

  Anna skidded to a halt behind her.

  Chad stood with his back to them, at the sink, his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, with his hands immersed in soapy water. Beside him Elaine stood holding a towel, wringing her hands in distress as a man—not just any man, but the new general manager—washed dishes.

  He ran a plate under the water and placed it on the rack, beside a couple of other plates and some cups. “There we go. Now it’s time to get back to work.” He lifted his cup from the stack, poured himself a cup of coffee, and turned toward the door, and toward her.

  As his eyes met Anna’s, his face tightened and his eyebrows clenched. “Are you looking for me?”

  “Is something wrong?” she choked out.

  “No. I just realized what time it was and made myself a late lunch. Did you need me for something?”

  “I . . .” her voice trailed off as she looked at Elaine, who looked like she was about to cry.

  Chad blew across the top of his coffee, grabbed his suit jacket, which he’d slung over the back of one of the chairs, and dangled it over his shoulder by one finger while carrying his coffee mug with his other hand. He began to walk toward the office. “Okay, let’s see what you’re having trouble with and don’t want to tell me about,” he said as he walked past her into the hallway and toward the office, probably expecting she would trail behind him.

  Instead, Anna looked toward Elaine. Lowering her voice so only Elaine could hear her, now that Chad was almost at the
office, she stepped closer to Elaine. “What is wrong? Why was he cleaning? Was the kitchen dirty? Is he displeased?”

  Elaine shook her head. “I do not know. I could see nothing wrong. We all cleaned the kitchen yesterday, with Odelle.” Elaine wrung her hands again. “Daut es mie onnbekaunt. I did not know what to do.” She held out the dishtowel with a shaking hand. “He told me to dry the dishes and did not allow me to wash them.”

  Anna lowered her voice even more. “I will find out what was wrong, and I will let you know so it can be fixed. I must go.”

  She turned and ran back to the office, where she found Chad seated at her desk, reading the spreadsheet she’d left open.

  “I don’t see that you’ve done anything wrong,” he muttered as he added a comment to one of her entries. “But I do see that we need to get a better quote on shipping prices to the Eastern states. What were you having trouble with?”

  Anna cleared her throat. “It is not me. It is Elaine. Can you tell me why you washed the dishes?”

  Chad stopped typing. “Oh. Elaine. Thanks. I couldn’t remember her name. I will now. I told her she could dry, I’d wash, and it would be faster.”

  Anna shook her head. “But she was going to wash your dishes, and you did not allow her.”

  He stiffened in the chair. “Allow? What are you talking about? I made myself some lunch and washed what I used because the dishwasher was already full and running. The kitchen was so nice and clean, I didn’t want to leave a mess in the sink. I wanted to be a good example and show that everyone should clean up the mess they make. The kitchen at my old office was disgusting, and I don’t want that to happen here. Everything goes in the dishwasher, or it should be washed right away. Nothing gets left in the sink.”

  Thinking of the dishwasher, Anna bowed her head and pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “I remember when Ted bought the dishwasher. Everyone was very unhappy. The men were angry because they do not wash dishes at home, they did not want to rinse their dishes and put them in the dishwasher here, but Ted insisted. Then the women were angry because they thought Ted bought the dishwasher because he did not think they did a good enough job cleaning the kitchen. He told me he did it so everyone would spend less time doing dishes and more time building furniture.”