Authors: Fiona Knightingale
“I didn’t know what to expect. You’re not exactly hard on the eyes.” I didn’t mean to make him blush, but it was quite endearing to see that I had that kind of effect on him. “I was a little nervous, but seeing you erased all of my doubts.” He was wearing a black pair of pants with suspenders complemented by a white shirt and a black leather vest. The black cowboy hat made him look like he had something to hide. His disarming smile was enough to make me think that this was a good decision.
“As promised, I have taken care of those that your husband owed money to. I know that you didn’t want me to, but I talked to the bank.” That made me stop in my tracks and I pulled my hand away from him with disgust. “I know that it was a betrayal of your trust. Forgive me, but I was raised to take care of a woman the right way. I think on some level you wanted me to help. You wouldn’t have told me, unless somewhere deep down you wanted me to make sure that it didn’t come back and bite you.” I suppose that in retrospect, I could’ve kept it a secret. I still didn’t like that he had taken care of a debt that was mine and my husband’s to deal with.
“You really don’t know much about women. I think it goes without saying that we say things that we don’t mean. We might say one thing and mean another. You’re supposed to be able to read between the lines. I know how unfair that might sound, but it is what makes us who we are.” I could see that he was not impressed. He wasn’t used to living with a woman, but he was going to have to get used to it.
“Are you going to introduce me to this fine looking young lady, Avery?” A man stepped forward and I could see from the badge on his chest that he was the sheriff of this town. “After all, I should know everybody that’s in my town.”
“Sheriff Evans, I would like you to meet my soon to be bride Hope Crosby.” He bowed slightly and the Sheriff took my hand and never stopped staring at me the whole time. I don’t know why he was using my husband’s last name, but I kind of liked it.
“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Crosby. I do hope that you find our town to be hospitable. If for any reason you need my assistance, then you can surely call upon me or one of my deputies. There are a lot of people that will look at you unfavorably. It has nothing to do with you and I’m sure that you’re a wonderful woman. It’s just that we’ve only seen one of your kind here in town. She and her husband have since left town. I think that she felt a little unwelcome. I’m afraid to say that people can be mean spirited. I do hope that you don’t take any offense by how people treat you.” The way that he said ‘my kind’ made me feel like I should be segregated. I felt like I was some kind a leper to be avoided at all costs.
“I’m just here to make Avery’s life easier. I know what it is to work hard for something that you believe in. I know how to roll up my sleeves and get dirty.” Essentially, I was telling him that I was not some dainty flower. I didn’t need his assurances and the only person that I cared liked me was Avery. Since he had taken care of my debts, I had an obligation to follow through with at least two months of working alongside him. He promised that there would be no pressure.
“I’ll be sure to find you if I need you. I think you’ll find that I can take care of myself.” He gave me this smirk and I think that he thought that I was putting on airs for his benefit. It couldn’t be further from the truth. I was doing it, so that everybody would see me standing strong and not bending like a branch that was about to break.
I was led over to the horse and it was a white stallion that looked ready to ride us off into the sunset. “Hope, we both know that him coming over and introducing himself had a two fold purpose. One, he wants to make sure that you knew that he was the law in this town. The other was to get a feel for who you are. I will say that you stood up to his questions with attitude. Don’t get me wrong, I was secretly smiling on the inside.”.” He lifted me easily onto the horse and then climbed up behind me with his body pressed up against me.
I could smell his natural scent and it was not repugnant like most men. The heat of his body reminded me that he was a man and that he had needs. I just got this feeling that he wouldn’t try to push anything. His words and the way that he was in person told me that he was somebody to be admired. His strength and his character were above reproach.
“I’m really quite interested to see this ranch of yours. You said in your letter that you had 200 acres. That’s very impressive. By the way, since you did pay the debt, it means that you own not only your land, but you own mine with me. If things go well, we might be able to put my land up for sale. I guess only time will tell.” His hands were around me holding onto the reins and I really did feel safe.
My luggage was right in front of me, as my own personal shield against unwanted advances. I could feel the heat of the sun and looked up to the sky in a silent prayer to my deceased husband. I wanted to somehow tell him that this was not a slight against him. It was just me trying to lift myself up by my own bootstraps.
Chapter three
We arrived at the ranch and the rolling hills and the trees that were buffering with the wind were amazing. I could see a brook in the back of the property and I could hear the bubbling of the water, as it rushed by. The house was built to last and I could tell that he had just put on a new roof. It was a farm style and I’m sure that it was passed down from one generation to the next.
I think I was mesmerized and when I got off the horse, I had to stand there and look at what kind of heaven I had landed in. I don’t think I had the words to describe what I was seeing with my own two eyes. I could feel this presence behind me and then a shadow loomed, before I turned and found him standing there with my two suitcases in tow.
“My family took pride in what they owned. We knew the value of a dollar and we never forgot where we came from. This is not the only land I own. It is the one that I hold the most precious in my heart. I grew up right here and I’ll be damned if anybody tries to take it from me.” He walked ahead of me and I followed behind him, until we walked into the house. I followed him up the stairs, pure white with a wood grain banister and railing to match.
He showed that he had class by taking off his boots. I followed him up and I didn’t meaning to stare at his ass, but it was right there. I sensed that I could fall for somebody like this, but I had the baggage of my memories that were holding me down. I’d just lost him a couple of months ago and that wound was still fresh. In fact, I would turn a corner and I would almost expect to see his smiling face.
“This will be your room. We never discussed it, but I think it goes without saying that we won’t be sleeping in the same bed, until we actually have those rings on our fingers. There will be no physical stuff. I would never presume to put my hands on anybody that I just met. I just want to do know that I’m not the kind of guy that goes out drinking and comes back expecting something. In fact, I don’t drink. I’m a good catholic boy with morals. I go to Sunday mass and I even pray and read the bible every night.” That was one thing we did have in common. My prize possession was a bible that was given to me by my mother on her deathbed.
I rummaged around in my luggage and I could feel that he was watching me the entire time. I came out with the bible and I turned holding on to it like my own personal life line. “This was given to me by my mother. She believed that there was nothing that we couldn’t overcome with the hand of god on our shoulder. I have lived by his teachings and I’ve tried to treat people in the way that they deserve.” I handed it to him and he took the leather bound volume and looked at it from every angle.
“Hope, this is something that is very special and dear to your heart. I can see that it means a lot to you. I’m glad to see that we have the same religious beliefs. It was one of the things that I was worried about. We never did venture into that topic of conversation.” While he was talking to me, he was fingering a gold chain around his neck with a cross attached to it. “I can tell that this is very old and I hope that you hold onto it like grim death.” I had no intention of letting anybody get their hands on it.
“Avery, I know that you really didn’t know what to expect. I just hope that I have at least met up with your expectations. We went into this blind and I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised.” I really didn’t know how I got so lucky. I wasn’t sure, but I was starting to think that I could be with a man like him. He had a good heart, came from a good background and I saw no semblance of any bad habits. He had no tobacco stained hands or teeth and for once in my life, I didn’t feel like he was trying to get underneath my dress.
“If I were to be honest with you, Hope, I thought that you might smell of desperation. I know that you had a lot on your plate and I was worried that you were just using me for my money. A lot of women think that they can make me forget about who I am. They see me as the golden ticket. I wasn’t really expecting that much, but like you, I was pleasantly surprised. I do have to check the fence on the south side of the property. I’d really like to see how you cook. I think that you’ll find everything that you need. If there’s anything that you can’t find, then just ask.”
“I don’t think that you’re going to be disappointed. If you need help with the fence, then you can ask.” I was using his words against him. He turned cocked his head aside with a smile on his face that made what I was doing here more palatable. If he was thinking that I was supposed to be seen and not heard, then he was in for a rude awakening.
I found the kitchen and the pantry and I had to admit that for a single guy, he certainly had everything that he needed here for a meal that was fit for a king or queen. When I started to cook, I felt this therapeutic rush come over me that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It was nice to get back to the basics. I missed cooking for someone and it was lonely cooking for myself. Eating there at the kitchen table with nobody across me had gotten old quickly.
I cut the vegetables and I poured water from the tap that came from a gravity fed well in the mountains. I knew that, because my father had the same kind of setup. That fresh spring taste brought back some wonderful memories of growing up. Just tasting that sparkling water on the edge of my tongue gave me a new lease on life. It gave me that skip in my step.
I did notice while he was walking down the stairs that his bedroom showed that he was a true bachelor. His clothes were strewn everywhere and his bed was unmade. It didn’t look like he had the hand of a woman to take care of him in some time. I knew that he had never married and that he had never found the right one. He was looking for the total package.
I was busy getting things ready, when I stopped short like I knew that there was somebody there. “If there’s anything sexier that a woman cooking, then I don’t know what it is. I could smell that all the way across my land. I can honestly say that I haven’t had a really good home cooked meal, since I was with my parents.” He raised his head to the sky and crossed his fingers across his chest. “I think that they would be very proud of me for what I have accomplished. I know that my mother wouldn’t care about material things. She just would want to know that her little boy had found a woman that was worthy of his love. I think you and her would’ve been fast friends.” That was high praise and this time it was my time to blush.
“Um, dinner is ready.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to something like that. The best thing that I could do was just take the compliment. “I do hope that you like stew. I’ve always been able to make a mean one and you had everything that I needed.” I knew that he was out there for at least 3 hours and I could see the bead of sweat on his forehead. He was no stranger to putting his nose to the grindstone.
“If it taste as good as it smells, then I think that my stomach is going to thank you.” When he took that first bite, he dropped the spoon into the mixture and started to fan his mouth. “Hot…hot…hot…hot.” I began to laugh and I thought that he would be angry, but he only smiled. The next time he went for another bite, he purposely blew on it, before taking it into his mouth. The look of his eyes going wide was familiar and I had seen it several times on my husband’s face in the years that I’ve been with him.
“I take it that you like it, Avery?” I think I knew the answer before he even said anything.
“I don’t think that I’ve met a stew that I didn’t like, Hope. That being said, I will say that yours is the best that I’ve ever had. I just hope that my mother isn’t listening from heaven. I certainly don’t want her to be rolling over in her grave. I don’t know how you got the meat to be that tender and the vegetables to be that flavorful. You really do have a knack and maybe you should consider using your talents.” I wasn’t sure what he meant. “There is a market every Sunday after mass. If you were to make some of these culinary delights, I’m sure that people would pay for them.” It was an interesting idea and I’d always had a good hand at baking and cooking.
“Avery, I do believe that I might take your suggestion to heart. He finished the bowl, went for seconds and I’m sure that he would have licked the bowl had he been alone. Thankfully, he was using a little bit more class. I could seriously get used to this, but there was still something that I hadn’t told him. It might change everything and I wondered if he would be able to accept me. It was just a matter of finding the right time to spring it on him.
Chapter four
Saturday was spent working side by side. I was the one that took care of the animals, making sure that they were fed and ready for slaughter. The eggs were collected in the morning and we had a wonderful breakfast together to feed and nourish us for the day.