Steve thought about having to let her go, knowing that one day, perhaps soon, he would have to do just that. That she would walk out of his life and back to her own. And he would have to let her go. God, would he be able to do it? Would he have a choice?
He finally decided not to think about that now. To just enjoy the time they had together, to appreciate this gift he’d been given for as long as it lasted.
He finally drifted off to sleep again.
When Steve woke again, he was alone in the bed. The sliding glass door was open about a foot, and the curtains moved slightly in the breeze.
He sat up and looked at his watch. It was almost midnight. Reaching for his jeans, he slid them on, and crossed the room to the balcony.
Summer had his denim shirt on and was leaning over the railing, watching the moon shining on the river. He admired the back of her bare legs. Coming up behind her, he slid his hands up under the shirt and gathered her back against him. She turned her head, and he kissed her forehead. “You aren’t having regrets, are you?” he asked, praying she wouldn’t say yes.
“No. No, not at all.” Turning in his arms, she wrapped her arms around his neck and went up on her toes to kiss him. When her lips parted under his, his tongue delved inside, and his arms tightened, pulling her up against his body as he deepened the kiss. When they broke apart, she asked, “What about Pop and Jessie? Won’t they be worried? I only wrote in my note that we would be gone for the day.”
“I called home a few hours ago and told Pop we were staying up here tonight.”
“What’s he going to think of that?” she worried.
“What difference does it make? We’re adults.”
“Yes, but-”
“Summer, he isn’t going to think badly of you. He loves you. In fact, he…” Steve stopped himself before he said too much.
“What?” she prodded.
“Nothing.”
“Steve, what were you going to say?” she insisted.
“He was happy. Thrilled, if you must know. He told me it was about time I pulled my head out of my ass, and…”
“And?”
“And realized the gift the Lord dropped in my lap.”
“Really?” Summer grinned. “He said all that?”
“That, and more.”
“What else? Tell me.”
“He said I’d better not blow it again.”
She grinned. “I knew there was a reason I liked that old man.”
“Yeah? Good. Now come back to bed, and show me how much you like
this
man.”
*****
They arrived back at the house by mid-afternoon the next day. Steve pulled the truck around back and stopped to let Summer out. She climbed out, gathering up the things they’d purchased along with her painting. Steve backed the trailer up to the shed to unload the car he’d bought.
The screen door slammed as Summer walked into the mudroom and through to the kitchen. Pop was sitting at the table reading the paper.
He looked up when she walked in. “Well, hello there. How was your trip?”
She smiled. “It was good.”
“Looks like you bought some things,” he said, nodding towards the things she carried.
“Yes, we did.”
“Nice picture.”
“Do you like it?” she asked, setting the other items down and holding up the painting.
“It’s real pretty.” He nodded.
“I painted it.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a long story. Let me go put these things away, and I’ll tell you about it.” She turned to carry everything upstairs. “Oh, and Steve bought a car.”
“He did, huh? Well, I’ll just mosey on out there and take a look at it.” He set the paper down and stood up.
“Okay, see you later.”
Pop walked outside and wandered toward the shed as Steve was backing the car down off the trailer and into the shed. He parked it in the middle and got out. Pop walked around the car, looking it over. He ran his hand over the roof. “Nice.”
“Not bad, huh? It’ll take some work, but it’s in pretty damn good condition.” Steve walked to the front and lifted the hood. He rested the palms of his hands on the frame and stared down at the engine.
Pop pulled out his pipe and a packet of tobacco, and he began to pack his pipe. “Got a light?”
Steve pulled out a pack of matches and struck one. Pop leaned over, and Steve held the match for him. Pop inhaled and puffed a few times. The rich smell of pipe tobacco filled the shed.
“She’s getting her memory back,” Steve announced softly, shaking out the match and turning back to the engine.
Pop waited quietly for Steve to explain.
“We were picking up this car, and I was off with the owner working out the deal. When I came back to the truck, she was white as a ghost. She said she’d bent to smell some roses and had a flash of memory of cutting roses with her mother.”
Pop nodded. “And now you’re worried.”
Steve turned from the engine and looked at Pop. He nodded. “Yeah.” He held Pop’s eyes a moment, and then continued, “We ran into someone…someone in Helen that knew her.”
Pop slowly took the pipe out of his mouth.
“There was an art fair. This woman, she had a booth. We walked by, and she jumped up and hugged Summer. Said she had sold all of Summer’s paintings, but one.”
“So that’s what that painting was that she had…”
Steve nodded. He told Pop the whole story.
When he was finished, Pop puffed on his pipe. “So, now you think there’s another fella, huh?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. What if there is?”
“I guess that will all depend on her, son. You think she’ll leave, is that it?”
Steve straightened up. “I knew eventually, but now…”
“How did the rest of the trip go?” Pop asked.
“I think you know it went pretty good, considering we didn’t come home last night.”
“Pretty good? Is that all?”
“Okay, it was fantastic, is that what you want to hear?”
Pop puffed on his pipe. “And there’s a problem with that, is there?”
Steve smiled and shook his head.
“How does she feel about you?” Pop asked.
Steve didn’t say anything.
“Don’t you two ever talk?”
“We talk,” Steve said defensively.
“About anything important?” Pop pressed.
“She told me a while ago that she was falling in love with me.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Have you told her how you feel about her?”
“I’m not sure how I feel about her.”
“Cow patties!” Pop spit out.
“Pop.”
“Well, maybe you should start figurin’ it out, son.”
*****
That night after dinner, Summer, Steve and Pop were sitting in the living room watching television. The news was about to come on. Summer was sipping on a mug of coffee. She got up and asked, “Anyone want more coffee?”
“No, thanks,” Steve and Pop said simultaneously.
“Okay.” She took her mug and headed into the kitchen.
Pop stood up and stretched. “Well, I think I’ll go to bed. Night, Steve.” He shuffled out of the room.
“Night, Pop.”
Summer was pouring the remains of the coffee pot into the sink and rinsing the carafe with water. Steve came up behind her and put his arms around her, pulling her back against him. He nuzzled the side of her neck. Summer set the coffee pot down in the sink and turned in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer, his mouth finding hers.
After a few minutes, he took her by the hand and led her out the back door, across the yard and into the barn. As soon as he got her inside the barn doors, he turned and pulled her into his arms. They kissed like they’d been apart for weeks, not hours. Finally, he broke the kiss long enough to murmur, “I want you in my bed tonight.”
“We can’t, Steve. Jessie might find out and…”
He kissed her again, silencing her protest.
A few minutes passed and the kisses grew more passionate, more urgent. Summer took his hand and pulled him back toward the stall where they’d first made love.
Steve hesitated. “Summer, you’re sure?”
She just pulled him forward and laid down in the hay. He followed her down.
Later, they stood in the stall and Steve helped her button her shirt back up. When he was through, he pulled the stray pieces of straw from her hair and leaned down and kissed her again. Then they walked hand in hand back to the house. They walked together up the stairs. Steve stopped in front of her door and kissed her on the forehead. She opened her door and he walked to his room.
Chapter Nineteen
Summer woke up, rolled over, and looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was 1AM. She leaned over to push the curtains apart to try to get a breeze through the window. As she did, she glanced out and saw two figures standing in the shadows on Cary’s front porch. She blinked and realized it was Cary kissing a woman.
Now who would he have brought home? She didn’t even know Cary ever had ‘visitors’. The kiss went on for a while, and she smiled, thinking she would have to tease him about it in the morning. Then, as Summer watched, the two parted, the woman stepping down one step, and then another, their hands holding until the very last second, then the woman turned and headed toward…the farmhouse.
Summer sat up further, leaning to look more closely. Now why would she be heading this way, and where was her car?
Summer noticed that Cary stood watching from his porch. When the woman got closer, Summer’s mouth opened as she realized the woman was Jessie! Summer’s eyes flicked back to Cary, still standing on his porch.
Good Lord, what has he done?
Summer heard the screen door squeak as Jessie opened it slowly and quietly snuck in. Summer lay back and stared at the ceiling, a million thoughts racing through her mind. How long had this been going on? If Steve knew about this, he’d kill him. Should she tell him? She had to, didn’t she?
Maybe it wasn’t what it looked like.
But Summer knew what she saw, and that looked exactly like lovers parting after…
No, she couldn’t even think it.
Summer heard the stairs creak as Jessie came up, and then a door closed quietly across the hall. Maybe she should go and talk to her right now. On second thought, maybe it was Cary she needed to talk some sense into!
*****
The next morning, Summer was up making breakfast, thinking about what she had seen last night, and trying to think of what to say to Cary. Oh, she certainly had a few things on her mind to tell him! But, this could be a delicate situation. Well, probably the best way was to just say it out plain. No pussyfooting around it. This was serious.
She looked out the window and saw the guys heading up for breakfast. Steve was animatedly telling Cary something, a big smile on his face, his arms gesturing as if explaining the size of something. Cary laughed and slugged him in the shoulder. They stomped into the mud room, and Summer heard the water come on in the utility sink. She could hear them talking.
“You never caught a fish that big in your life. Your brains were addled from too much sun,” Cary teased.
Summer could hear Steve laugh.
Then he was walking through the door, smiling. “Morning, Summer.” He pecked her on the cheek and plopped down in a chair.
Pop and Cary followed.
Summer brought over a platter of scrambled eggs and sausage, set it on the table, and then sat down. The men bantered back and forth and were soon telling jokes. She smiled at all the right places, but she couldn’t help feeling sick inside knowing that when this secret came out, things would never be the same between Steve and Cary.
Soon they all trouped back out to do more work. Summer stood at the kitchen sink, steam rising from the hot dishwater she was running. She watched the men walk across the yard, and she tried to think of when she would be able to talk to Cary alone.
As it turned out, she didn’t have to wait long for her chance. That afternoon, Steve drove Pop into town for an eye appointment. Jessie was still at school and wouldn’t be home for a couple of hours. Summer waited a few minutes trying to steel herself for the confrontation, and then she took a deep breath and went in search of Cary.
She found him in the barn, cleaning the milking equipment.
As she walked in, he glanced up from what he was doing. “Hey, Summer, how are you?” She came to a stop in front of him, her arms folded. She glanced at the ground, and then up at him. Cary knew right away that something was wrong. He straightened and laid the equipment aside. “What’s up?”
“Cary, I…I need to talk to you.”
“Sure,” he replied, his smile disappearing.
“It’s about…something I saw last night.” Summer watched his eyes. He immediately stood a little straighter, and everything about him came alert, but he didn’t say anything.
She continued, “I saw you kissing a woman on your porch last night.”
“Did you, now?” he asked softly.
Summer held his gaze. “Yes, I did. I wasn’t spying, I just happened to be opening my curtain to get some air and, well, I saw the two of you.”
“Okay,” he conceded slowly. “So, you saw me kissing a woman. And?”
“Cary, I saw who it was. It was Jessie.”
He closed his eyes and blew out a breath. Then he looked her straight in the eyes and nodded his head slightly. “Yes, it was Jessie.”
“Cary, what’s going on between you two?”
“That’s really not your business,” he pointed out, turning back to the equipment. He began to wrap some hosing up in a roll, his movements filled with tension.
“Cary, please. Talk to me.” Summer reached up and touched his arm.
He turned back to her, and there were tears in his eyes. “What do you want me to say?” He stood looking at her a long moment, and then looked away. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I swear to God, I didn’t. It…it just did.”
“What…what are you saying? Are you and she…”
“Yes,” he whispered in a tormented voice.
Summer was taken aback. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But, Cary, she’s only eighteen, and you’re…you’re…”
“Twenty-six,” he finished her sentence. “I know. I know everything you’re going to tell me. I’ve been over all of it again and again in my head.”