She shrugged. “It was getting in the way when I tried to do my mixing and prepping this morning.”
“Let me see it,” he said, holding his hand out.
It was really more of a command than a request so Phoebe somewhat reluctantly put her hand in his. His hold was surprisingly gentle despite the rough calluses and large size of his hand. He cradled her hand in a way that made it seem her hand was meant to fit in his. The warm feeling his touch created caught her off guard, made her feel unsettled.
But he was frowning as he studied her injury. A patch about the size of a quarter on her palm between her thumb and index finger was still an angry shade of red and there was a match-head-sized blister near the center.
“It still looks like it could use some extra care,” he said without looking up. “I can apply a fresh bandage for you if you like.”
She reluctantly slid her hand from his. “Danke, but I think I’m okay without it. I’ll be extra careful.”
He met her gaze then and she saw concern and something else reflected there. “You know best, but please do take care.”
And with that he turned and headed for the mudroom.
Phoebe moved to the sink, her hand still warm and tingly from his touch.
She decided it was best not to attach too much meaning to that. He was just being kind to his housekeeper, nothing more.
And that was as it should be.
Chapter 15
Seth pulled on his jacket feeling oddly deflated. What was wrong with him? It wasn’t like he enjoyed doing the dishes. But for just a moment as he held her small, feminine hand in his he’d had the urge to help her, to make her life easier. He could still feel the soft warmth of her hand and the way the pulse jumped in her wrist. Pushing off those thoughts he stepped outside, welcoming the cool blustery wind that whirled around him.
A few moments later he sat in his workshop, trying to focus on carving the light queen. It was delicate work, one cut too deep could ruin the whole piece. But today he was having trouble concentrating.
Perhaps Edna’s idea to bring Phoebe here hadn’t been such a gut one after all. Not only was she younger than what he’d expected, but she was too apt to act on impulse rather than follow a plan or think logically, to the extent that she was a distraction.
Unlike Dinah, whose entire approach had been based on organization and orderliness. His former wife had brought a structure to their lives, a calming discipline, that had saved him at a time when he was sinking under the weight of smothering responsibilities.
He couldn’t imagine Phoebe wrestling order from chaos in the same way.
He gave his head a mental shake. Why was he even thinking of her in those terms? She was just here to help Edna and his familye out for a few weeks. Once Edna had recovered the use of her hand, Phoebe would head home and he’d likely never see her again.
His knife slipped, gouging the queen’s crown. Grimacing, he studied the damage. He could use wood filler to fix it but if he did that it wouldn’t live up to the quality standards he set for himself.
Tossing the piece in the box of seconds he kept on the floor beside his bench, he turned to reach for a fresh block of wood, then changed his mind. Instead he slid a box of the disks he’d cut earlier in front of him.
It would be better to work on the less detailed checkers pieces until he regained his focus.
When Phoebe went out to collect the eggs, she kept her eyes out for the dog. She didn’t want a repeat of what had happened yesterday. But for now Checkers was nowhere in sight. When she entered the chicken yard she repeated the steps she’d gone through yesterday. This time she found nineteen eggs, which was gut based on the menu she had prepared for today.
As she closed the gate behind her, she heard the barking that announced Checkers was approaching at a run. This time she stood right where she was and let the dog approach her. He stopped when he was right at her feet, his barks not at all threatening and his tail wagging.
Phoebe set the basket down and greeted the dog properly, ruffling the fur on his neck and cooing what a gut dog he was.
Seth showed up a moment later. Since it was obvious from the tone of Checkers’s barking that he was greeting rather than attacking, she wondered why he thought it necessary.
“Is Checkers bothering you?”
She straightened and picked up her basket. “Don’t worry, he and I are friends now.”
“That’s gut. But don’t be afraid to speak sternly if he gets in your way.”
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” Then she changed the subject. “What are you working on today?”
“Right now I’m working on the checkers.” He waved a hand toward his workshop. “Do you want to see?”
“Jah.” She was pleased by his invitation.
“Then come along.” As they started walking, Checkers danced at her feet. Seth said a stern “Checkers, kum!” and the dog immediately abandoned her to trot obediently at Seth’s side.
When they reached his workshop she went straight to his worktable and set her basket of eggs down.
With her now-free hands, she picked up one of the pieces he’d completed and studied both sides of it. She looked at the other checkers he’d carved that were lined up on the worktable waiting to be stained and polished. “The star design on the flip side is wonderful nice. And all of these are identical down to the last detail. I can’t see any differences other than the wood grain.”
He shrugged. “That’s what’s required by my customers.”
“And I imagine they are very well satisfied with the craftsmanship you deliver.” Then she met his gaze. “You said your brieder don’t care much for chess. Do any of them play checkers?”
“Jah, they all do.”
“It must be quite satisfying to be able to play the game with them with a set you constructed.”
There was a look on his face she couldn’t quite interpret and then he turned away to fetch a polishing rag. Had she said something wrong?
