Love Lift Me (13 page)

“Why
didn’t the EPA sue them back in the eighties, then?”

“Bureaucracy.
Red tape. Whatever you want to call it. The truth is, Patterson Reid rubs
elbows with a lot of rich and high-ranking people so he was able to keep things
under wraps for a long time.”

“He
came to our church on Sunday. Got a bunch of people all excited.”

“He’s
certainly doing a good job of it,” Shane said and leaned back in his chair.

“How
could all those people out there support him? Can’t they see how much damage
he’s done over the years?”

Shane
shook his head. “I don’t know. Some folks don’t understand unless it affects
them directly, I suppose. For some, it’s become this big thing they’ve got in
their heads about the government coming to take away their jobs.”

Another
moment of silence.

“So
you think you’re going to win?” I asked.

“I
hope so. I’m trying not to stress out over it too much, but you never know what
kind of stunts might get pulled during a trial. Reid’s got one heck of a legal
defense.”

“Tell
you what,” I said, leaning forward and staring into his beautiful, amber eyes,
“After you come visit me on Saturday, you’re gonna be too tired to even think
about being stressed out.”

“Is
that right?” Shane lifted one brow and leaned in as well. “What did you have in
mind, Miss Atwater?”

“All
sorts
of physical activities. Farm life is strenuous.”

“You’ve
definitely gotten my attention. I’ve already forgotten about that troublesome
court case.” Shane’s grin stretched even wider and I plunked his nose with the
end of my finger. Warm, bubbling heat seemed to tingle up my spine and I
squeezed my legs together to try and suppress it.

Mmm…he
was doing it again.

“Oh,
you have?” I asked with a smile.

“Definitely.
Who was I suing again? Blatterson Smeid?”

The
chimes on the shop door jingled and Shane suddenly looked up at the person who
had just walked in. It was the woman I’d seen the protestor throw a sign at,
and she was wearing the same peach-colored outfit she’d been wearing the day she
stood behind Shane as he gave his press conference. Shane’s warm smile quickly
tightened and gave way to a serious expression.

“The
judge is calling us back,” she said hastily and slapped her hands flat against
her thighs. The tone of annoyance in her voice couldn’t have been any more
evident.

“Why?
The recess isn’t over for another hour.”

“I
don’t know, something about our last witness. Reid’s doing, I’m sure.”

“Damn.”
Shane drained the last of his drink. “Kat, I hate to do this, but I’ve got to
go.”

Shoot.
Just when I was starting to have fun.

“That’s
ok. I’ll see you on Saturday,” I said.

“Sounds
great,” he replied and stood up. With his briefcase in his hand, Shane bent
over and whispered so his colleague couldn’t hear, “It
’s
a date.”

The
woman that had come to fetch him was already holding the door and waiting.
Whatever it was that had caused them to be called back certainly had her
incredibly inpatient. Shane gave a final wave on his way out, and then he was
gone.

Thirteen

The
entire rest of the week I could barely do anything except think about Shane’s
upcoming visit. I stayed busy around the house whenever I wasn’t with mother at
her appointments, and one evening, even though she had to drag it out of me, I
took Abby to meet up with her friends at a roller skating rink in Wilmington.
In the end, I was glad she did. While the girls mostly sat at the tables near
the concession and gabbed and ate cotton candy, I took the time to throw on a
pair of used skates and glide around the concrete rink. The distraction was a
blessing, and I managed to only fall
once
.

I
talked to Momma about her plan to drive herself to the clinic for her last few
appointments and follow up with the doctor, but she shot me down at every turn.
Getting my father involved did little to help, as she did the same thing with
him. According to her, this was part of her recovery, and something she had to
do on her own so that she could prove that she was getting well again and could
handle daily tasks without help.

When
Saturday did finally come, I woke up at the crack of dawn and found it
impossible to go back to sleep. Shane was on my mind, swimming through my
thoughts, and invading my dreams. It was wonderful and nerve-wracking all at
the same time.

After
tossing and turning for nearly an hour, I crept down the stairs and listened
for sounds in the kitchen. All was quiet. Daddy had likely already gotten up
and made his way to the barn to check on Francis and Dale or get the tractor
ready. Abby was still out cold in her bed, and if past experience was any
indicator, she would probably stay that way most of the morning.

I
came around the corner and there was Momma, sitting at the end of the table
where Daddy usually sat, with a cup of coffee and a plate with a single biscuit
arranged right in front of her. She hadn’t noticed me yet, and was staring out
the window with an odd, concerned expression, and clutching her stomach.

“Everything
all right?” I asked, startling her out of whatever trance she was in.

“Huh?
Oh, Mary Katherine!” She fumbled, dropped her hand, and snatched up the coffee.
“I’m fine, you jus’ surprised me, girl.” Just as quickly, she put the coffee
back down without taking a sip and walked over to the stove. Then she leaned
over with a grimace, opened the oven and pulled out a metal tray filled with
warm, scratch-made biscuits. “C’mon and get you somethin’ to eat. Plenty of
eggs and biscuits left, now.”

“Are
you sure you’re ok? You look like you’re hurting.”

“It’s
this old back of mine. Your pawpaw and I need a new mattress, I reckon. It’s
been botherin’ both of us for ages.” She groaned and rubbed her back before
shuffling back over to Daddy’s chair.

I
looked at the untouched biscuit on the plate in front of her. “Aren’t you going
to eat?”

“I
am, I am,” she lifted her head towards the window again and answered slowly.
“Jus’ admiring the day. They say it might rain late this afternoon. Reckon that
ain’t helpin’ my back out much either, but Lord knows we needs us a good rain.”

“You
see Hale yet this morning?”

She
leaned towards the window and squinted her eyes. “Naw. Don’t see his truck out
there, neither. Why you all worried about what Hale Ellis is up to?”

I
shrugged. “Shane’s coming today.”

“Oh,
that’s right! I’ve been dyin’ to meet him.”

“I
figured I’d show him around. He’s never even been on a farm before. Maybe I’ll
make him try to milk Lucy and see how far he gets,” I said and had to let out a
laugh as I pictured it.

“Well,
you make sure to bring him by the house. He comin’ by early, or-“

“Around
ten.”

Mother
nodded in understanding. “That’s good, then. He can have lunch with me and your
pawpaw. Might even get to meet Abby if she’s up. Swear I ain’t never seen a
girl need so much beauty sleep in all my life.”

“Want
me to go kick her out of bed?”

“Good
luck if’n you try. It’s that darned phone. She stays up all night messin’ with
it. We shoulda never let her buy one, but it looks like everybody’s usin’ em
these days.”

“She’ll
run out of minutes eventually.” I sat down at the table next to her and folded
my steaming biscuit over onto the eggs. “Just do me a favor. Hide the shotgun
from Daddy before Shane gets here.”

A
few hours later I was sitting on the top step of the front porch and watching
under the shade of my wide-brimmed straw hat as Shane’s BMW rolled up. I stood
up and dusted off the grit from the rear of my blue jeans, which still fit but
hugged around my waist almost a little too much. Maybe I’d avoided the dreaded
“freshman fifteen” when I moved away to college, but I’d definitely run smack
into the
nursing student five
, at least. Still, the jeans didn’t look
bad on me at all.

When
he popped out of the car, it was a surprise to see him not wearing the usual
type of business attire he normally greeted me in. He’d gone full casual;
dressed in a pair of rugged old wranglers, tennis shoes, and a simple plaid
shirt which had several buttons open at the top, exposing just a bit of the
tight, firm skin underneath. That same smile was still there of course, beaming
out at me already from one side of his mouth along with those smoldering amber
eyes.

“Hey,”
I said, and tried to shove my hands in my rear pockets. It didn’t take long to
figure out they weren’t going to fit.

“Howdy.
That’s what they say on a farm, right?”

“Sometimes.
Glad you could make it.”

Shane
looked around. “Where is everybody?”

“Daddy’s
out working.” I pointed towards the tractor rolling across a field several
hundred yards away. “That’s him out there now. Momma laid down for a rest. My
sister had just got up a few minutes ago, I think she’s inside somewhere.”

“Good.
Now that I know we’re alone, I can feel free to compliment you on how beautiful
and sexy you look today.” He leaned comfortably against one of the posts at the
end of the bannister. “Nice kicks, too, by the way. Very cowboy. Or…cowgirl.”

I
twisted my leg and looked down at my boots. They were a pair I’d won in a youth
horse-riding competition when I was only a little older than Abby, yet they still
fit as well as the day I received them. Despite how the red color on part of
the design had faded to a light rust along with the shine of the leather, they
were still my favorite.

“Thanks.
We ought to get you some.”

“Boots
on a city slicker like me? Mmm, I don’t know,” Shane said. “The judge might
frown on me if I wore boots in his courtroom.”

“Well,
I actually meant for riding, silly. C’mon inside. I’m sure Daddy’s got a pair
layin’ around that will fit you.”

I
led Shane through the front door and left him standing in the living room while
I slipped into my parent’s bedroom to look for some boots he could wear. Momma
was lying on the bed and appeared to be asleep, so I rummaged in the closet as
quietly as I could. Underneath a pile of disused sheets and pillow cases I
fished out a pair of beaten-up boots that looked like they might fit him. On
the top shelf I discovered a faded brown Stetson that I could remember Daddy
wearing a time or two. After a brief moment of indecision, I grabbed that, too.

When
I shut the closet door, Momma rolled over and let out a faint, tired-sounding
groan.

Something’s
up with her
,
I thought, and the idea that she was getting worse sank in once again. Ever
since Wednesday, and her insistence that I let her drive herself to the clinic,
something had not felt right to me. She’d definitely been acting funny. I
glanced at the bottle of pills on her nightstand. It certainly looked like
she’d been taking them like she was supposed to.

I
love her, but I wish she wasn’t so stubborn sometimes
. With the boots
in my hand, I slipped out and silently closed her bedroom door on my way out.

In
the living room, Shane was nowhere to be seen.
Where’s that boy gotten off
to?
I found my answer in the kitchen. Sitting on one side of the table was
Shane, and on the other side was Abby, who was propped back with her feet up on
an empty chair and busily tapping the screen on her phone.

“I
met your sister,” Shane said, and held out his hand towards her. “She’s, uh,
real talkative.”

“Abby?”
No response. “Abby!”

“Whaaat?”
she answered in a whine.

“Did
you say hello to Shane? He’s come to visit us today.”

“
Hey
,”
she said as if forcing it out, and then turned her attention immediately back
to the phone in her hands.

“Well,
there you go. Now we’re old friends,” Shane said. “Those the boots?”

“Yep.
I figure they’ll fit you good enough.”

“You
brought me a cowboy hat?”

I
tossed him the Stetson. “Here. Try it on.”

Shane
caught it and slipped it on carefully, checking twice to make sure he wasn’t
putting it on backwards. “Fits pretty good. What do you think, Kat…I mean,
ma’am
?”

I
had to admit, he looked
damn
good wearing that hat. Something about it
added to his already rugged appeal. “That’s a good look on you, Mr. Lawyer.
Why, by the time today is over, you might just want to leave the big city and
move out to the country. Here, see if the boots fit, too.”

“Do
I really need boots to ride a horse?” he asked after kicking off his bright
white sneakers.

“Not
really. I just wanted to give you the full farm experience. They do protect you
from rattlers, though.”

He
stopped and glanced up at me seriously. “Rattlesnakes? You’ve got to be
kidding, right? I thought they were only out West. Like, Nevada or Texas or
something.”

“Oh,
no. We have them here also. Eastern Diamondbacks. Pretty rare to see one,
though.”

“And
Copperheads,” Abby mumbled. “Lots of them out there.”

“Thanks
for letting me know, Abby,
I think
. Let’s hope we don’t run across any.”
He shoved his foot the rest of the way in to one boot and then did the same with
the other. It was a bit of a struggle, but once he stood up and rocked on his
heels, a satisfied look returned to his face. “These fit like a glove.”

“Alright,
then. Ready to go meet Ruby and Zip?”

“Born
that way,
ma’am
,” Shane said, trying very much to sound like John Wayne,
and tipped his hat.

“Good.
We can walk there from the house. Driving’s faster, but if we walk I can show
you a few things along the way.”

“Lead
the way.” Shane raised his hand to my sister, who was still absorbed in her
phone. “Bye, Abby. Nice to meet you.”

His
farewell was met with her typical, “Uh-huh.”

The
day was absolutely gorgeous as we set off across the yard and down the
well-used trail through the grass towards the garage. Thick clouds drifted
lazily and far apart across the sky and a light breeze had kicked in once again
from the coast. With the breeze came a hint of muggy humidity, nothing extreme,
but enough to let a person with a nose trained for weather predict that a late
summer storm might just be brewing up.

I
was just glad that so far there was no sign of Hale Ellis.

When
we reached the garage, both doors were wide open and the front end of the
harvester was poking out between them. I led Shane inside and did my best to
explain the machine and how it worked. I’d almost finished telling him how the
blades separated the corn from the stalk when I nearly tripped over Dale, who
was lying underneath the harvester with both legs poking out.

“Oh!
Dale! I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here,” I apologized.

The
old man slid out and looked up in confusion. He was dressed from neck to ankle
in a grimy pair of coveralls and held a crescent wrench in on hand. What little
remained of his hair went out wildly in all directions and was as white as
snow. When he finally stood up it seemed like something flashed in his brain
and he remembered me all at once.

“H-hey
there, Lil’ Bit!” His wide, cheerful smile was given with a mouth missing
several teeth. “I-I-I didn’t want to interrupt ya’ll talking. Jes’ kinda
figgered I would stay down there and be quiet till ya’ll left.”

“Don’t
be silly, Dale. I want you to meet Shane Logan. I’m showing him around the farm
today.”

Dale
stuck out his wrinkled, oil-covered hand, thought better of it, and then
promptly wiped it on his coveralls before offering his hand again. Shane took
hold and gave it a shake. “Right pleased to meetcha, young feller. I heard you
might be around and abouts the farm.”

“Yes
sir. Nice to meet you, too. Lovely place out here.”

“Well,
I ain’t never heard nobody call it lovely ‘fore, but I reckon it is that. Been
workin’ here for dang near half my life and wouldn’t trade it for nothin’.
Ya’ll gon’ out to ride today?”