Page 308 of Conveniently Wed
“If he doesn’t, you’ll have to teach me how to kill a chicken. I’ve plucked and cooked them, but never had to execute one before.” Aundy glanced at Dent as she continued wiping off the eggs and placing them in a basket on the counter. “Napoleon may make me anxious to learn that particular skill.”
“Missy, you are something else,” Dent said, leaning against the door. He watched Aundy carefully hold an egg in her hand then use a soft cloth to wipe it clean. “I’ve got some news you aren’t gonna like, but need to hear.”
“Oh?” Aundy set down the egg and gave him her full attention.
“I told the men you’re planning to run the farm and four of them quit this morning.” Dent hoped Aundy didn’t take it personally. The hands would have quit if any woman had taken over the farm. It wasn’t that they disliked her, just the idea of having a woman as their employer.
“I suppose I should have anticipated the possibility of that happening.” Aundy took a seat at the table and stared down at her lap. She was quiet so long, Dent didn’t seem to know what to make of it. He finally pulled out a chair and straddled it.
“We need to pay them for wages due. Erik always paid everyone on the last day of the month, so we need to talk about pay for all of the hands.”
“I recall seeing the monthly withdrawal in the ledger book, but it slipped my mind that you all will want your wages soon.” Aundy lifted her gaze to look at Dent. “If I forget going forward, please just remind me. It won’t be intentional. I’m just not used to taking care of paying wages. Do I need to go to the bank to collect the funds?”
“Yep. Erik usually went in and got the money, picked up supplies, and made a day of it.”
“I see. Do you know how much is owed the men who are leaving?” Aundy vaguely recalled a list of payroll in Erik’s ledger.
Dent listed the men’s names and the amount of wages they were owed. Aundy told him she would have the funds ready for him by the time the men were finished with breakfast.
“That would be good, Missy.” Dent decided they might as well get all the problems out on the table. “We can’t operate five men short, which is what we’ll be now. We’ve got to hire more help.”
“Do you feel comfortable hiring more men?” Aundy could judge character, but wasn’t sure she’d know what to look for in a hired hand.
“I can do that.” Dent sat quietly for a moment, lost in his thoughts, before looking at her across the table. “If I help you write an advertisement, can you make sure it gets in the paper? We could post it around town, too.”
“That would be satisfactory. Perhaps after you pay the men and see them on their way, we can come up with something I can take to town. I’ll need to go to the bank to collect wages for the rest of the men. If anyone needs supplies, please let me know and I can pick them up when I go.
“How are you going to get to town?” Dent asked. She couldn’t drive the buggy and she didn’t know how to ride a horse.
“I’m not entirely certain, but I’ll figure something out,” Aundy said, getting up from the table. Dent stood, shook his head, and walked outside.
Aundy sat back down at the table and raised her gaze heavenward, praying for strength and wisdom. She was going to need an extra helping of both to get through the day.
She went to Erik’s desk, took out his ledger, and noted a final payment made to the four men who quit along with the date. Shetook out a scrap of paper and wrote down the amount of wages from the previous month and placed it in her pocket then began opening drawers, hoping to find some cash Erik might have on hand. After searching through the desk, she came up with enough to pay one of the men.
Since there was no help for it, she walked to Erik’s bedroom and stood with her forehead resting against his door. Slowly turning the knob, she looked around the room for a moment before stepping inside.
Nora made sure the room had a good airing and clean linens covered the bed, but everything else was just as Erik left it.
The nightstand drew her attention, so she looked there first for any money he might have left behind. Grateful when she found his wallet, she emptied it then searched the dresser. A box shoved in the back of one drawer contained more than enough money to cover the wages of the men leaving.
Relief flowed over her. Aundy took out what she needed, put the rest of the money back in the box and returned it to Erik’s drawer. She needed to clean out his things, but she’d worry about it another day.
Hurriedly exiting the room, she shut the door behind her and walked back to his desk in the front room. She placed money in four envelopes, addressing each to the appropriate farm hand. After setting the envelopes on the kitchen table, she finished cleaning the eggs, made herself a simple breakfast, and waited for her foreman to return.
Dent knocked softly and opened the door, sticking his head inside. Aundy handed him the envelopes without a word and he hurried back toward the bunkhouse.
She mulled over her options for getting herself to town when a knock at the kitchen door brought her out of her musings. She steeled herself for whatever waited and opened the door.
“Mrs. Erikson?” The men stared down at their scuffed boots instead of looking her direction.
“Yes?” Aundy opened the door wider and studied the four hands that quit. All but one of them looked uncomfortable to be there. The fourth boldly lifted his gaze to hers with a gleam in his eye she found unsettling.
“We just wanted to thank you for paying us for a full month and for treating us good since you’ve been here. Us leaving ain’t about you specifically.” The designated speaker looked to his comrades for agreement. At their nods, he continued. “We just don’t cotton to working for no woman, no matter how nice she might be.”
“Thank you for providing me with that information.” Aundy wanted to give them a piece of her mind. Instead, she bit her tongue and forced herself to smile. “I appreciate the work you’ve done here on the farm and wish you all much success in your future endeavors.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” the speaker said, tipping his head as they all backed off the steps and walked around to where their horses waited.
