Authors: Felicia Rogers
Ellie left the rocker and followed him inside. For dinner they enjoyed roast beef, boiled potatoes and carrots, and cornbread with pinto beans. A cold glass of milk washed it all down.
Jake said, "Tomorrow we'll give our compliments to Charlotte. She must have dragged out the recipe box because that reminded me of…"
Ellie caught Carla's frown as her father's speech faltered. The tension in the room increased. A storm was brewing between the two. It was the same every time Charlotte, the housekeeper, made one of her mom's old dishes.
In hope of avoiding the conflict, Ellie slipped from the room, taking her dirty dishes to the kitchen. A window above the sink revealed light from the cabin. The Wiseman men were no doubt settling in. After their long drive, they probably didn't feel like preparing dinner. Ellie dished up several containers of leftovers and prepared a note for her dad and Carla. She placed it on the refrigerator under a magnet. Leaving the kitchen, she walked out the back door and took the wooded path to the little house.
Shane and Nicholas unloaded suitcases and boxes in the cozy living room and bedrooms and then plopped on the couch. An air conditioner hummed in a nearby window. The ceiling fan wobbled with each rotation.
"So, what now? Wanna watch TV?" asked Shane, twirling the remote in this hand.
Nicholas pushed up from the couch and walked to the adjoining kitchen. He poked his head in the refrigerator. "Dad, didn't Jake say his wife stocked the fridge?"
"Yeah, he did."
"Well, somebody must have gotten their wires crossed because there's no food in here."
"What about in the cabinets?"
Nicholas opened cabinet doors. Every shelf was empty. He shook his head and swore under his breath. Before long his father joined him in canvassing the kitchen. After a fruitless search, they collapsed back on the couch.
"So what do we do now?" asked Nicholas. "I guess we should have stopped before we got here."
Shane raised an eyebrow. "We'll have to go out and eat and then run by the store. I don't know what else we can do."
"What store? I only saw an auto repair shop and a gas station—and maybe a fast food joint."
Shane laughed, "Nicholas! It isn't
that
bad."
"Might as well be." He crossed his arms over his chest.
Shane grabbed the truck keys. "Let's go find something. I just hope once we leave this place we can get back in. That narrow road wasn't exactly easy to see."
Nicholas sighed and slipped his shoes back on. Jerking the door open, his heart thumped when he saw the hand poised to knock.
"Oh, hello. I thought you two might be hungry."
The girl with the emerald eyes stood with a box full of food containers. She thrust the box toward Nicholas, but Shane stepped between them to grab it. It was a good thing his father took the initiative because all Nicholas could do was gawk.
The word, "Thanks," finally pushed past his lips.
She shrugged. "Sure. We had plenty left over. No reason to let it go to waste."
Shane said, "Nicholas don't just stand there, invite the girl in."
Nicholas stood aside and motioned for Ellie to enter. She hesitated before crossing the threshold. Once inside, she walked to the kitchen and opened cabinets and drawers. Plates and cutlery were pulled out and she set the table. Shane and Ellie worked together to spread out the feast. Another cabinet was opened and Ellie came away frowning.
"I thought…I mean...there was supposed to be food here."
Shane grabbed her hand and led her to a chair. "Not a problem, we can rectify that tomorrow."
"You're right. I'll see to it myself. I guess Carla forgot."
Nicholas sent her a questioning gaze and her cheeks colored.
Shane took a bite. "This is great. Did you make it?"
"No, I'm afraid not. Charlotte comes during the day to cook and clean; she made it." She twisted a long strand of black hair. "I used to help mom cook this meal, but I haven't tried it on my own." Sorrow tinged her voice, and a sad smile lifted her lips.
Shane said, "Jake must be doing pretty good if he can afford a maid."
"Not really," Ellie replied, studying the table.
"What do you mean?"
Nicholas enjoyed the meal and listened to the conversation. The tone of Ellie's voice made a dull ache start inside him.
She shrugged. "Truth is Charlotte feels bad for dad so she gives him a discount."
Nicholas replied, "What's there to feel bad about? He has a decent farm. A beautiful new wife. A faithful daughter."
Ellie shifted in her seat, nervously twisting her hands. "I think I should go. I mean, I'm sure dad is trying to track me down and you two need to settle in and get some rest after your long drive. I'll see you tomorrow."
Nicholas and Shane stood when Ellie scooted her chair back and rushed from the kitchen. They walked to the window and watched her flashlight bob and weave down the trail toward the big, white house.
Nicholas asked, "What's up with that girl? She seems skittish."
"Nicholas, let's go back to the table and eat."
"But, she's out there alone."
"She's fine. Sit down."
"If I do, will you explain what you know that you're not telling me?"
"Yeah." Shane waited until Nicholas was seated. "What Ellie was trying to say was that Charlotte feels sorry for Jake because his first wife died in a car crash."
****
All night, sadness and thoughts of loss haunted Nicholas. When morning came, he was in a surly mood.
Jake knocked on their door with an offering of waffles and coffee, apologizing for the lack of food in the house. "When Ellie told me what happened…man, I'm so sorry. I guess Carla just forgot to stock the shelves. Everything else is okay though, right?"
Shane smiled and slapped Jake on the back. "Sure is. Everything is fine. We'll go after work to pick up some things. No big deal."
Jake shook his head. "No need for that. Ellie's already headed to the store. She'll have everything ready when we get home today."
Nicholas pulled his work gloves on and stifled a groan at the headache beginning behind his eyes. He walked to the medicine cabinet and popped two aspirin.
His dad came around the corner. "We good to go?"
"Ready when you are."
Jake had brought three horses with him. As they rode, he explained that in addition to raising a few head of cattle, the ranch was also a fifty acre farm that grew corn, green beans, potatoes, and other vegetables for farmers' markets and people in the region.
While the horses trotted, Shane said, "Jake, when you called and asked me to move here and help, you never really told me my duties. I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to do."
Jake scratched between his eyes and cleared his throat. "Well, the fact is, the place is too big for me to run on my own and I need help with everything. I hate to admit it, but I let some things go after Annie died. I just couldn't seem to move on. I kept thinking back and realizing how much time I could have spent with her. I just don't want to make the same mistake twice."
Shane nodded.
Nicholas understood. How could he not? How many years had he spent away from home trying to be his own man? There had been times when he could have spent more time with the family, but he'd blown it off. It was time he could never get back.
They traveled a little further before stopping next to a broken fence. Supplies were piled nearby. Jake said, "Here's our project for today. We need to repair this fence so the cows don't escape."
Shane dismounted and started right in. Nicholas gave him a puzzled look. How did his father know about fence repair? He'd worked as a plant supervisor for a chemical company in Louisiana. He'd never repaired anything at home. Nicholas' mom had always called in specialists: carpenters, plumbers, electricians. She'd claimed his father was hopeless when it came to home repair.
Shane must have noticed his confusion, because he explained while he worked, "Don't look so shocked, son. Jake and I worked together on a ranch one summer. In fact, that's how we met. Both of us were on school break and trying to make some spending money. Where was that place again?"
Jake laughed. "Oh, don't act like you've forgotten. That was the most memorable summer of both our lives."
Shane grinned sheepishly. "True. It was one with lasting consequences."
As he lifted the pile driver from a hole and dumped the dirt, Jake guffawed, "The ranch was in Oregon; beautiful country. But I think if you're going to tell the story of that summer, you need to tell the boy the truth."
His father shrugged. "Nothing much to tell. It was a great way to make some cash. The ranch was a fancy resort where people with more money than sense go. People would pay to come out and "play" at the ranch. Only we were the real hands keeping everything going. We were responsible for some hard, grueling labor. I don't think I've worked as hard since."
Jake never looked up, his tool striking the ground. "
And
tell the boy the other reason we were there."
"I did. I told him we wanted spending money. And it was a good learning experience."
"And?"
"Oh, all right. We were there looking to find girls."
Nicholas snickered, "Girls? Did it work?"
A blissful expression covered his father's face. "Yeah, it did. I met your mother that summer."
"And I met my Annie."
Both men stopped working and stared off into space. Nicholas watched changing emotions flash across their countenances. "Not to interrupt your walk down memory lane, but if you two were such great friends, how come we never got together while I was growing up?"
Shane answered, "No real reason—life just getting in the way. When the summer ended, we left the ranch and went our separate ways. We finished school, got married, and started working. Time and distance just kept us apart."
Jake added, "We talked on the phone occasionally and sometimes sent letters, but we didn't have time for anything else. The wives kept in better touch."
Both men started working again. Before long, the heat of the day caused all three men to sweat profusely. Shirts were removed and thrown aside as the day waned. Each horse carried a water container but it wasn't long before the canteens were empty.
"I guess we should stop for the day. This heat is unbearable. And I didn't tell Ellie to bring more water."
Shane propped himself against a fence post and rubbed the back of his neck. "Stopping is okay with me. I haven't worked this hard in forever. I may not be able to move tomorrow as it is."
They laughed at Shane's admission. Mounting their horses, they headed back to the small cabin. When they dismounted, Jake said, "I told Carla this morning I was inviting ya'll to dinner. I think Charlotte's making lasagna. How about it?"
They readily accepted and while Shane showered, Nicholas went to inspect the cabinets. He was surprised to see the shelves overflowing with staples: pasta, rice, sugar, flour, canned goods. There were even bags of chips and cookies and boxes of cereal. The fridge was also overflowing. He read a note on the counter.