Free Debra Ullrick by The Unintended Groom Page B

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    “Please, won’t you sit down?” She motioned to the empty chair across from her, and then sat down. Harrison did also.
    Mr. Martin lowered his tall, broad-shouldered frame into the chair across from them. Dark brown eyes trailed to her. Fletcher Martin was an extremely handsome man, but not as handsome as Harrison. He had many more edges to him, and most of them looked quite rugged.
    She stopped in midthought. Why was she comparing him to Harrison? Ridiculous. That’s what it was. Just plain ridiculous.
    Drawing on her business persona to get her mind where it needed to be, she slogged forward. “Mr. Kingsley and I are looking for someone to not only repair this place—” her arms made a wide arc of the room “—but also someone to build a theater stage and props.”
    “I can do that.”
    Her insides danced with the prospect of having found a carpenter so soon.
    “What kind of experience do you have, Mr. Martin?” Harrison asked.
    Now why hadn’t she thought to ask him that?
    Mr. Martin looked at Abby, then at Harrison.
    “Mr. Kingsley and I are business partners.”
    “Oh.” He gave a quick nod. “I see.” He reached inside his pocket again, pulled out another slip of paper and unfolded it. “Here’s a list of references.” He stood and handed the list to Harrison.
    Something about that bugged her. She was in charge here, not Harrison. Of course, Mr. Martin didn’t know that. At that moment, she realized she’d better get used to it. They were partners, after all.
    Harrison studied the paper as she sat with her hands in her lap patiently waiting while he did.
    Finally, Harrison nodded. “That’s quite an impressive list, Mr. Fletcher.”
    “Thank you, sir.”
    “Do you mind if we keep this? We’d like to check your work before we consider hiring you.”
    How sweet of him to include her.
    In a million years, she never thought she would like someone taking over the charge of her business affairs, but something about the way Harrison did it was so attractive and so alluring and so like the heroes in her romance novels.
    Stop thinking like that. She reset her gaze on the carpenter across the way, determined to keep her notions—romantic and otherwise—under wraps.
    “Not at all.” Mr. Martin stood. “If you would like to see some of my work, you can head over to the town hall. My crew and I built that building. We made most of the furniture in it, too.”
    “Oh. You make furniture?” Abby’s interest and excitement piqued.
    “Yes. We do.” His attention gravitated from Harrison to her.
    “What kind do you make? Do you have any pieces for sale?”
    “Yes. I have a storehouse outside of town full of furniture.”
    Her eyes widened in hope and surprise. “You do?”
    “Yes, ma’am. When things are slow, especially during the winter months here, we build furniture. Not to boast or anything, ma’am, but some of our items have shipped as far east as New York, even.”
    “Wonderful. I’d love to come see what you have. I need to fill this place with furniture. What you can’t supply me with, I can have shipped from catalogs.” She stopped and gazed over at Harrison. “That is, if it’s all right with you.”
    He hadn’t left her out, and she wasn’t going to leave him out, either. Besides, she knew it hurt a man’s pride to have to take orders from a woman or to not look like he was in charge, so she’d let him think he was. But she knew the truth. And that was all that mattered.

Chapter Five
    D ressed in a simple cotton dress, Abby grabbed the blue wrap that matched it and waited by the front door for Harrison. Before he’d left the night before, they had agreed to go to the furniture place together. They’d also agreed if they liked Mr. Martin’s work, they would hire him and his employees.
    Harrison pulled his buggy in front of her house.
    Abby swung the door open, scurried down the steps and met him just as he stepped out of the carriage. “Good