They walked out through the back door, past the fishpond and waterfall. “There’s a magical view up further.”
As they walked, he pointed out particular flowers and trees. Claire was impressed he knew their Latin botanical names.
“The original house was built in seventeen hundred, and additions were built in around the eighteen forties. There are five bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, but you already know that. It appears a newer outer structure has been built around the older original house. I’m pretty sure the three fireplaces were rebuilt along with more bedrooms at that time. Not so long ago there was a vineyard here. There are twenty eight acres of land.”
“What are you going to do with all the land?”
He raised his eyebrows. “The neighbor on the southern side has used most of the land for grazing and part of it for corn crops. I’m thinking of keeping things the same. When I bought the house, the lease on the land was ongoing and it has two years before it runs out. I figured I’d leave things be and renew the lease if the neighbor wants to continue.” They reached the top of the hill. He put his hands on his hips. “Well, what do you think of this?”
She stepped up next to him and looked around. “You can see for miles. It’s beautiful.”
“It certainly is.” He pointed to the house. “It’s a good view of the house from here.”
“You can see how large it is. Much bigger than I thought it was. Are those barns yours?” Claire pointed to three barns to the left of them.
“Yes, they’re mine, but they’re part of the lease to Mr. Watkins next door.”
“You must feel a sense of accomplishment you’ve got all this at such a young age.” Again, she could see why Jessie had a secret crush on him. He was dynamic and, when he wanted to be, charming.
He scoffed. “No, it’s never enough.”
Claire raised her eyebrows at the concern on his face. What was it that pushed him to want more when he had so much already?
When he looked at her, the worry left his face. “What do you think of all the flowers?”
“They’re beautiful. I love flowers.”
“All women love them.” A little noise sounded from the back of his throat. “Something told me you would. I’m going to have to get a gardener, aren’t I?”
Claire laughed and nodded. “And pretty quickly if you don’t already have one.”
Donovan gazed around his land once more. “This place gives me a sense of peace. I was brought up in a large city, and then Mom and I moved here when Dad died. I was twelve at the time.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What was your father like?”
“He worked hard. He had hotels, which meant late nights. He died suddenly of a heart attack. It was a shock. Here one minute and gone the next. I mean, he had no signs of illness.”
“I’m sorry.”
He looked at her. “I’m an only child. I think it’s easier for people who have siblings.”
Claire thought of her own siblings. Out of her two siblings still at home, Elias was certainly a blessing, but Sally was hard work. But still, she knew Sally would support her in a crisis. “Yes, I think you’re right.”
“You’ve got brothers and sisters?”
“I’ve got two brothers and two sisters. One brother and one sister are married and the other two still live at home.”
“I suppose you get on with them all just fine?”
Claire laughed. “Funny you should ask. My oldest sister, Sally, is always checking up on me and always finds fault. She tries to run my life.”
He smiled. “Maybe the reality of having siblings isn’t as good as imagining it.”
“No, it’s good.”
“I’d like to have a lot of children.”
Again, another thing Jessie would’ve liked if he’d shared that information with her. “You would?”
He moved his weight from one foot to the other. “Why do you look surprised?”
“I didn’t see you as someone who’d want a family. You seem to be … I thought you’d be too focused on your businesses.”
“Did Jessie tell you that?”
She laughed. “No, not at all.”
He sniggered.
“I think our tea would be cool enough to drink now,” she said, feeling a sudden pang of nerves.
“Okay, after you.” As they walked back to the house, he asked, “And how many children would you like?”
“As many as Gott gives me.”
“No, really. Don’t you have an ideal number?”
She swung to face him. “Four. Two girls and two boys is my ideal number.”
“Really? Me too.”
They both laughed.
“I’d reckon in your community four is a small number of children.”
“Yes, there are a lot of families with eight and ten and even more.”
“That would make for pretty cramped living, I’d dare say.”
“Not only that, a lot of our families have grandparents live with them. I’ve heard that doesn’t happen outside the community too much.”
“Some people take their grandparents in, but you’re right, it’s not common.”
When Claire had left, Donovan turned off his phone and sat on the porch with a gin and tonic. It irked him Jessie was now dating Elijah. What had Jessie really said to Claire about him?
He knew Elijah and Jessie liked each other the moment he'd seen them together outside the B&B. He’d lost Jessie, he knew it, but was he getting a second chance with Claire? Although he didn’t believe in God, he’d always wanted a woman who had good morals and ethics to bring up his children and be his partner in life. An Amish girl would be perfect for him and maybe this was his second chance, with Claire.
Donovan was through with women who wanted the richest man they could find and expected to be showered with gifts. He laughed out loud when he thought maybe he wanted a good woman to balance out the bad in himself. With the next woman he got close with, he’d be a different man. Next time, he’d be the best person he could be. None of the women he’d met at nightclubs were the kind of women he’d settle down with. He took a gulp of his drink and felt guilty for switching off his phone. From there, his mind ran away with him as he imagined what emergency would be taking place at the restaurant. Had they double-booked again, had one of the trainee chefs accidently caused a fire? Whatever it was, they’d have to handle it themselves.
He thought back to the look on Claire’s pretty face when he’d mentioned renovating the kitchen. She’d caught him out. Yes, she was supposed to be impressed with the amount he was spending on renovations. That showed him he was going about things the wrong way.
A year ago, he’d dated a different girl every week. Mostly a “relationship” with a girl would last three weeks; that was the average time and then it ended. Those kinds of relationships did not appeal to him any longer. Maybe he was getting old or gaining some sense.
As he watched two birds playing and chirping in the tree in front of him, he realized he didn’t know when he was going to see Claire again. He recalled how awful he’d been the previous day. It was a wonder she hadn’t quit then and there. No one deserved to be treated like that. No wonder the poor girl had fallen asleep. She’d worked so hard on the place; then he came along and reprimanded her instead of thanking her. Then he replayed all the things he’d said to Jessie, hoping Jessie hadn’t told Claire.
There was something more about Claire. She had an inner strength, and he’d seen that the very first time he’d laid eyes on her. Since he certainly couldn’t ask her out for a meal, he had to find a clever way to see more of her—but how?
He turned his phone on and called his mother. She answered immediately. “Mom, have you got the maid coming back to my place again tomorrow?”
“No, I told her to come here. Do you want her again tomorrow?”
“Yes, I’ve got a few things that have to be done. Lots of unpacking to do, and such. On second thought, could you have her go to t
he restaurant first?”
“All right.”
“The cleaners aren’t coming in tomorrow and I’ll need her.”
“Okay. She’s gone now. I’ll send her there tomorrow as soon as she comes in.”
He reminded himself to be more thoughtful of others. He’d have to change if he wanted a special woman who was good and kind. “Oh, and, Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for sending me a maid. It was very thoughtful.”
There was silence before she answered. “You’re welcome. And I only did it as a surprise. I hadn't expected you back for a few more days.”
Donovan hung up pleased with himself for remembering to thank his mother. He knew mostly he’d taken her for granted. He then called his restaurant cleaners to cancel their early morning clean. Then he texted the manager and told him to arrange the staff to clean not only the kitchen, but also the whole restaurant, before they went home tonight.
He chuckled over his plan as he turned and pressed the button of his phone to off.
Rarely did he thank his mother for anything. She’d been a good mother, and things had been hard for her when his father died, leaving her with a twelve-year-old son. He’d been strong-willed from childhood, and his mother was the same, which was why they clashed.
The sun had disappeared behind the trees when Donovan thought about dinner. There was no food in the house, but he’d rather go hungry than go to the restaurant and hear about all the problems. In his car, he dug a couple of protein bars from his gym bag and quickly munched on those, and followed them with an energy drink normally saved for after a training session.
When night came, the quiet was deafening. He was rarely home during the evening and didn’t even own a television or a radio.
His mind strayed again to Claire. She was exactly the kind of woman he wanted to marry and he was determined to know more about her. If she was as she appeared, he’d make the effort to win her heart.
Chapter 6
The next morning, Claire went back to work not knowing whether she’d be sent back to Donovan’s house. There was more work to be done at his house, but Mrs. Billings had told her to report to the B&B.
She found Mrs. Billings sitting next to Yvonne, the receptionist. “I’m loaning you out to my son today at his restaurant. His cleaners let him down this morning.” Mrs. Billings said.
Claire nodded. “Okay, shall I go there now?”
“Yes, he’s waiting. Hurry along.”
Once she walked through the back door of the restaurant, Donovan was nowhere to be seen. “Donovan?” she called out.
“In here.”
She followed his voice and found him in the kitchen.
“Thank you for coming over, Claire.” Donovan ran a hand over his hair. “There’s always something going wrong in this place. Every day there’s another drama, another problem. I don’t know why it can’t be like the coffee shop which practically runs itself.”
Claire had no idea what to say. The stress was evident from his face and she didn’t want to upset him by saying something inappropriate. “Where do you want me to start?”
He blew out a huff of air. “And again, I don’t know why I’m here so early. I’ve got a manager; he’s the one who should be here. He’s useless, completely useless.”
Claire sucked her lips in and kept quiet.
Donovan looked at her. “I’m sorry; I always seem to be complaining about something.”
Claire smiled.
“The staff clean the kitchen before they go. They have to; it’s health regulations, and besides, they’d lose their jobs if I found one speck of dust, leftover food, or dirt in the kitchen.” He opened the ovens and looked in the fridges; then he walked toward the dining area. “It’s the floors, the chairs and the tables. I need all the chairs wiped down. Then they go up on the tables for the floor to be washed.”
“Okay, I can do that. Where do I find the cleaning equipment?”
“Over here.” He opened a door to a room adjacent to the kitchen.
Claire said, “I’ll get started.”
“Thanks, Claire, you’re a lifesaver.”
Claire giggled. Soon, Donovan was gone.
The dining room was a large area and seated one hundred and twenty people. When she finished, she went to find Donovan not knowing whether she should lock the building before she left. Before she could find him, the kitchen staff came through the door.
Minutes later, six staff were milling around the kitchen. None of them spoke to her. Since she had finished the cleaning and packed the equipment away, she walked out the door and headed back to the B&B. On the walk, she wondered if Mrs. Billings had enough work to keep her employed since she was being sent here and there. Then she remembered her pledge to Mrs. Billings; she’d stay for twelve months. But, would she keep her employed for twelve months if there wasn’t enough work?
“Finished, Claire?”
Claire turned to see Donovan getting out of his car.
“Yes, I have. Your chefs and the rest of the staff seem to be there. I’m going to see what Mrs. Billings wants me to do if that’s okay.”
He shook his head. “No, I’ve borrowed you again for the day. I’m your boss today.”
She walked to him. “What shall I do?”
“Come with me.”
He opened his car door on the passenger side. When she hesitated, he said, “Come on; I won’t bite.”
Claire let out the breath she was holding and slipped into the low leather seat. “Are we going back to your place again?”
“I’m afraid so. Being a bachelor, I’ve got a lot of work piled up. I’ve got loads of washing and I need things organized.”
“Yes, I can do that.”
When the car pulled up at Finch House, Claire was secretly pleased she was back there. She hoped she could spend time in the gardens before she left. “Are you staying here or going out again?”
“I’m working from home. I’ve a ton of paperwork and doing it here is as good a place as any.” He got out of the car.
Claire followed him as he strode toward the house. She looked up at the sky to see it was gray. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea to do the washing today; it looks as though it’s going to rain.”
He unlocked the door then turned to face her. “That’s why us modern people have electricity, so we can have things like clothes dryers.”
“You have one of those?”
“Yes, didn’t you see it in the laundry room?”
“Maybe. I didn’t take much notice.”
He chuckled. “You throw the washed clothes in and push a button.” He held the door open for her to walk through. “I’m sorry if I sounded harsh; I didn’t mean to come across as though I was belittling you or your people.”
Claire laughed. “I’ve had worse said to me. I didn’t think you were being mean. It’s okay.”
His face relaxed. “I’ve put all the washing in the laundry room. As soon as you put the washing machine on, you can go through the house and organize my closets and dressers; starting at my bedroom.”
Claire’s eyes flickered to the floor at the mention of his bedroom.
He stepped toward her. “Don’t concern yourself; I’ll be out here working at the dining table.”
She nodded and walked into the laundry. She figured out how to work the washing machine and, after she'd divided the laundry by color and filled it with the first load, she pressed the 'start' button and headed to his bedroom.
His closets were now a mess and there were more boxes and suitcases. She decided where things should go and went to work. An hour and a half later, she had his room organized; the first washing machine load in the dryer, and the next load of washing on. Then she moved on into one of the many extra bedrooms. This room was cluttered with overcoats and heavier clothes including bulky sweaters.
When she had done all the bedrooms and the two bathrooms, she went to speak to Donovan. “All done. I’ve cleaned and organiz
ed the bedrooms and all the bathrooms, and the laundry room. I haven’t touched the upper level yet. Do you want me to show you where I’ve put everything?”
Without looking up, he said, “I’ll figure it out. Why don’t you make us some lunch?”
“With what? Have you been shopping?”
He looked up. “No, I haven’t and that’s what I need to do. I had to starve last night, which goes against my religion.” He chewed on the end of a pencil. “I don’t want to go to the restaurant every night and have to figure out their issues.” Donovan threw the pencil down. “Let’s make a quick trip to pick up some food.”
“You want me to go with you?”
He jumped to his feet. “Yes. Let’s go.”
* * *
When Donovan had said a ‘quick trip,’ Claire had no idea he meant he would speed in the car.
“You’re going quite fast.” Claire hung on to the armrest.
He looked over at her. “I’m sorry. I’ll go slower. I’m used to doing everything fast these days. I get overwhelmed sometimes, I’ve got so much to do.”
“Can’t someone else help you?”
“Yes, but then there are some things only I can do.” He glanced at her again. “If you could drive I could’ve sent you out to get food.”
“I could have ridden my bike.”
He smirked. “Do you think that would be a good solution?”
She giggled. “No.”
“Do you ride everywhere?”
“Most days.”
He gave a sideways glance. “No wonder you’re so slim.”
Claire ignored his comment. “Is it necessary to be so stressed when you work hard? I mean, can’t you do what you do without it upsetting you?”
“That’s the only way I know to get things done. I work myself into a frenzy that I’ve got to get something done and then I do it. Right now, I’m working on getting one of my businesses franchised, and then when the money starts coming in I’ll be able to relax.”
“That’s good.”
“Yes, I’m on track to be a millionaire by the time I’m thirty. I’ve had no help. Well, maybe a little bit from Mom.” He looked over at her. “Not impressed?”
The Amish Maid's Sweetheart Page 4