by David Archer
“I will. I miss you, babe. I love you, love you.”
“I love you, love you more,” Noah said, putting a smile into his voice. “Katie’s just about ready to go, so I’ll call you back tonight before I go to bed. Love you, sweetheart.”
“Love you more,” Sarah said. “Ha, I got you that time.”
“Yeah, you win that one. I’ll talk to you later, honey.”
“Okay, bye-bye, baby.”
Noah ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket. A moment later, Kate came out of her bedroom. She had changed into a skirt and blouse and had even put on some makeup.
They walked out the front door, and Noah used the remote to unlock his car, then walked around and opened the driver’s door. Kate glared at him for a moment, then opened the passenger door for herself and climbed in. “Haven’t you ever heard about being a gentleman?” she grumbled as she got in. “You could’ve at least opened the door for me.”
“You’re a big girl, you can open your own door,” Noah shot back. Kate was stifling a laugh as he started the car. He used her driveway to turn around and then headed back toward Eureka Springs.
Kate pointed out different buildings as they rolled through town. Noah saw the ancient hotel that still stood on the square, and a few of the buildings that had actually survived the Civil War. Berryville had the distinction of being the only town to be sacked and burned by both the Union and the Confederacy during that conflict. It had actually been occupied by Quantrill’s Raiders at one point, and several local citizens had been murdered during the occupation.
She had him take a slight detour and showed him the big chicken plant. A large segment of the population worked there, she said, along with quite a large number of illegal aliens from Mexico and South America. ICE raided the place about once a year, rounding up the illegals and deporting them, and then prosecuting someone in the personnel office for hiring them in the first place. That person always got probation and then got a fat severance check from the company. A few months later, they would be working at a different branch of the company, and most of the illegals would be right back at the same jobs they had been taken from.
“There was an incident once that was pretty funny,” Kate said. “A whole group of Mexicans, probably ten or twelve of them, got their paychecks and went to Walmart to cash them. Well, it turned out only one of them had any ID, and that said his name was James Baker. None of them spoke any English, so the cashier called one of her associates who could speak Spanish, and he told her to accept that one ID to cash all of their paychecks, which is obviously illegal. She was going to do it, but then some guy standing in line said that if she did, he would post the whole story on the internet the next morning. Well, the guy who interpreted started to say something back to this other guy, but then all the Mexicans took off running out the door because right behind the guy who was threatening to put it on the internet was a crowd of about thirty local rednecks, all of them dressed in camo. I guess they thought it was about to be open season on illegal aliens, and the looks on their faces made the whole bunch decide they wanted to cash their paychecks somewhere else.”
Noah nodded. “I can see how that might be funny,” he said. “Did anything come of it?”
“No, of course not. It just kind of illustrates how these companies don’t even bother to check whether the people they hire even have identification.”
Kate directed him to a restaurant called Grandma’s in Eureka Springs, and Noah parked the car as close to the building as he could. They got out, and he followed Kate inside.
“Hey, Kate,” several different people called out. “New boyfriend?” one woman asked.
“Bite your tongue, Marge,” Kate said. “This is my brother, Rex. He’s staying with me for a while to look for work, so I made him buy me dinner. Don’t let his good looks fool you—he’s an ass.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Gee, thanks, sis,” Noah said, sarcastically. He followed her to a table off to one side, and they sat down. A waitress approached immediately and set glasses of water in front of them. Kate picked up a menu that was tucked in behind the napkin dispenser and began looking it over. Noah picked up a second one and glanced through the options, then put it back. “I’ll have the porterhouse,” he said. “Medium rare, with corn and mashed potatoes on the side.”
The waitress scribbled his order on her pad. “Gravy on the taters?”
“Yeah,” Noah said. “And give me a Coke with that, okay?”
The waitress nodded and then took Kate’s order before she hurried back toward the kitchen. Kate leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest.
“So, anyway,” she said as if continuing the conversation, “your best shot would be the chicken plant. They’re always hiring, and the pay isn’t too bad. At least you could say you were doing honest work for once in your life.”
Noah looked around the restaurant and noticed that several of the patrons seemed to be trying to listen. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe I’ll come work at a restaurant over here. I’ve always been a pretty good cook; I’m sure I could get a job slinging hash in one of these joints.”
“You? A cook? Rex, come on. You never even learned how to make macaroni and cheese, and that came in a box with directions. Somehow I don’t think you’d work out very well in a kitchen around here.”
“Are you always going to be such a bitch?” Noah asked her.
“As long as you’re a jerk,” she replied, “I’m gonna be a bitch. Deal with it.”
“Wow,” said a woman a few tables over. “Can you feel the love?”
“Oh, I love him,” Kate said. “I just don’t like him.”
The two of them continued their act through dinner, and Kate actually did introduce Noah to several people. As a local celebrity, she was quite well-known around the entire area, and it seemed almost everyone in the restaurant knew her. Noah met a doctor, a police officer, and several women, all of whom glanced at his left hand and then got sour faces.
“Why are the good ones always taken?” lamented one woman who was probably old enough to be his mother.
“I don’t know,” Kate said, “but this isn’t one of them. Rex, this is Judy Henson. She owns that little clothing store on the square in Berryville.”
Noah smiled up at the woman standing beside the table. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’ll have to come check out your store.”
“Not unless you’re into cross-dressing, now,” Kate said. “It’s a dress shop. Your wife might like it, though.”
“Isn’t she with you?” Judy asked.
“No, ma’am,” Noah said. “I came on ahead to find a house, but she’ll be here in a week or so.”
Judy’s eyes lit up. “You’re looking for a house? Are you looking to rent or buy?”
“Well, that depends on what I find. Do you know of something?”
“Oh, yes,” the woman said. “My husband is a real estate broker.” She fished in her purse and came out with a business card. Noah accepted it and glanced at it quickly.
“Henson Realty,” he read aloud. “Thanks, I’ll give him a call tomorrow.”
There were several more introductions, and they spent almost an hour in the restaurant. When they finally finished eating, Noah made a point of saying goodbye to each of the people he had met who were still there, and then he and Kate got back into the car and headed back to her house.
“Watch out for Judy,” Kate said. “She may be married, but that won’t stop her from trying to get you alone. If you decide to go look at a house they got listed, make sure her husband, Bob, is there. Judy has something of a reputation around here. They call her the Cougar, because she likes her boyfriends young.”
“Well, she’d find me to be a disappointment. One thing I’ll never do is cheat on my wife.”
Kate looked at him. “Well, you were doing good until now. It’s a good thing nobody around here ever knew my brother, because he was never known for bein
g faithful to anyone.”
They got back to the house a few minutes later, and Kate announced that she was tired and going to bed. She had to get up early for her job, of course, and wanted to get plenty of sleep. She said good night to Noah and went into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Noah wasn’t terribly tired, but he decided to retire anyway. He went into his bedroom and shut the door, kicked off his shoes, and stretched out on the bed, then took out his phone and called Sarah. This time, the two of them stayed on the phone for almost half an hour, and Noah made a point of telling her again that he loved her before they finally hung up. He plugged his phone in and set it on the dresser beside the bed, then stripped down to his underwear and got under the covers.
Noah awoke when the sun came through the window and went into the bathroom to get a shower. Kate was gone, he knew, but he wanted to start looking for somewhere to live immediately. He took care of the morning necessities, then got dressed and headed out the door.
Kate hadn’t given him a key, but he remembered what she said about people leaving their doors open, so he didn’t bother to lock it behind him. He got into his car and drove out to the other end of town, stopping at McDonald’s to get something to curb the hunger. He ordered their scrambled egg breakfast and sat down to eat.
When he finished, he took out the business card Judy had given him the night before and dialed the number. It was just after eight o’clock, but Bob Henson answered the phone on the second ring.
“Henson Realty,” he said. “How may I help you today?”
“Mr. Henson, my name is Rex Madison,” Noah said. “I ran into your wife while I was out with my sister for dinner last night, and she gave me your card. I wondered if you might have some time this morning to talk with me.”
“Certainly, certainly,” Bob said. “Would you care to come by my office?”
“Yes, that will be fine. How do I get there? I’m in McDonald’s, right now.”
“Oh, that’s easy, then. When you come out of the drive, turn right and then take the first left turn. Follow that road about a mile, and you’ll come to a little industrial area. My office is actually right beside the entrance. A little bungalow-shaped building made of natural stone. You can’t miss it.”
Noah smiled into the phone. “Great,” he said. “I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”
Five minutes later, Noah was sitting at a small conference table with Bob Henson. His desk held a very nice computer with multiple monitors, and Bob began asking Noah a series of questions designed to help him choose some properties to present, but Noah decided to just cut to the chase.
“Bob, let me ask you this. I’d like to find something out in the country, something not terribly expensive but decent. A little acreage, maybe, no close neighbors. I like my privacy. Got anything like that?”
The look on Bob’s face told Noah that the man was hungry, but also that he genuinely cared about taking care of his customers. He turned to the computer on his desk and started tapping the keys. A second, larger monitor facing Noah showed a number of different properties.
“See anything you like, there?” Bob asked. “Those are just a few of the places we’ve got listings on right now that might fill the bill, all within just a few miles of town.”
Noah asked a few questions about a couple of the properties he saw, but then Bob’s face suddenly lit up. “You know what?” he said excitedly. “Rex, I think I might have just the thing.” He tapped on the keys again for a moment, and another farmhouse appeared on the screen in front of Noah. “This is the old Howerton farm. It was occupied by one of the oldest families in the county until just a couple of years ago, when Charles Howerton passed away. His children had all moved away, so they put the place on the market. Five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a recently remodeled kitchen, a big living room, and a family room, and both the front and rear porches are enclosed. It sits on fifteen acres, and there are several outbuildings. The house has a two-car garage attached to it, but there’s also a barn, a workshop building, and a couple of pretty good-sized sheds. Central heat and air, one of the best wells in the whole county, and it just so happens that the owners put in a new septic tank just six months ago. That won’t give you any trouble for at least ten years, maybe even twenty.”
Noah looked at the image and nodded. “It looks and sounds good,” he said. “Definitely a nice-looking place, and the outbuildings sound good. But I bet it’s expensive.”
“Actually, it’s not. As I said, it’s been sitting empty for a little over two years, and the family really wants to get it sold. They’ve been good about keeping it maintained, but they’ve reduced the price six different times. They got it listed right now for only $98,000, but I happen to know they would accept any offer over seventy-five.” He gave Noah a conspiratorial wink, then lowered his voice as if someone else might overhear. “Between you and me, they actually put more money than that into the house after the old man died. He lived there almost his entire life without any kind of air-conditioning, and the only heat he ever had was a wood-burning stove.”
Noah leaned in and looked again at the image, and Bob reached over to start a slideshow. Noah saw several pictures of the exterior of the house, and then the inside came into view. From what he could see in the photos, the house did seem to be in very good condition.
“Well, that’s within my budget,” he said. “When can we go see it?”
“We can go right now,” Bob said. “Would that work?”
“Sure,” Noah said. “Your car or mine?”
Bob suddenly broke out in a big smile. “Listen, buddy, I saw that beautiful thing you drove up in. If you think I’d turn down a chance for a ride in that car, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Noah smiled back, and the two of them left the office. Bob locked up and hung a sign on the door saying he’d be back in a couple of hours, and they got into the Charger.
Bob was like a kid in a candy store, looking at everything inside the car. “Holy cow,” he said. “I know these old Chargers are worth some money. Can I ask how much this one set you back?”
“About a quarter mil,” Noah said. “I was lucky enough to make some good investments a while back, and they paid off recently. Of course, then I was unlucky enough to run across the guy who wanted to sell this thing. Well, you know how it is, I saw this car and had enough money, so it didn’t take him long to talk me into buying it.” He looked over at Bob and winked. “But between you and me, it was worth every penny. There might be a lot of ’69 Chargers out there, but there’s only one like this baby. And I’ve got it.”
Bob told Noah to go south on Industrial Park Road and then take a left onto Highway 221. The Howerton farm was about eight miles out on a county road, but it was one that had been paved only a year earlier.
“That’s one of the reasons I thought it might be the right house for you,” Bob said. “I can’t imagine you’d want to take this car down any gravel roads.”
“You’re right about that,” Noah said. “And thanks for thinking of it.”
They followed 221 for a couple of miles, and then Bob told Noah to turn right. The old county road was definitely in good shape, and there was a nice long stretch of straight road that allowed Noah to give Bob a thrill by opening the engine up and letting it roar. Bob was laughing like a little kid when the speedometer hit one twenty, but then Noah had to just about stand on the brakes to slow it down enough for the curve at the end of the straightaway. Noah laughed right along with him, keeping up his act.
“Okay,” Bob said, “it’s the next driveway on the left. There it is, see it?”
“I see it,” Noah said. He slowed the car down and turned into the driveway, surprised to see that it was also paved. He pulled the car up close to the long, ranch-style house and shut it down, and then he and Bob got out and walked up to the front steps.
Bob unlocked the front door and held it open while Noah stepped onto the porch. Bob had told him that it was enclo
sed, but it was very nicely done. All three of the outer walls were made of glass, but every section had a window that could open to let air through, and every window had a screen to keep out the insects. Noah admired it for a moment while Bob opened the main door into the house proper, and then followed him in.
It wasn’t nearly as luxurious as Noah’s house back in Colorado, but it was very nice. The floors were all hardwood and in good condition, the walls were straight and clean, and the ceilings were covered in antique-style metal tiles. There were rugs in each of the bedrooms, which Bob said would be nice during the winter, and the kitchen was very well-appointed and immaculate, with cabinets that appeared to have been custom-built from good hardwoods. The countertops were of composite stone, and all of the appliances—range, refrigerator, dishwasher, and even a microwave—were obviously brand-new. The same was true of the washer and dryer in the utility room, just off the kitchen.
What surprised Noah more than anything was that the house contained a lot of furniture, and most of it would probably have been considered antique. There were beds in all of the bedrooms, while the living room had two large sofas and a couple of chairs. There was an obviously ancient trestle table in the kitchen, and it was surrounded by some of the nicest oak dining chairs Noah had ever seen. While he was no expert on antique furniture, he would have been willing to bet that all of the furniture combined was probably worth a third of the asking price of the house.
Bob was beaming from ear to ear as he watched Noah look over every feature of the house. When they went out the back door and began looking through the other buildings, he seemed to get even more excited. That excitement built until they got to the big barn, and then he handed Noah a key to the big padlock that secured the doors and stood by while he opened it.
“A tractor?” Noah asked.
“Yep. It’s an old Ford 9N, but it’s in excellent shape. It’s got a bush hog mower, and a rear-mount tiller with it, in case you want to do any gardening. Old man Howerton loved that old tractor; I heard he had it rebuilt three different times. The last time was just a few months before he died. The family hired a handyman to make sure the place stayed in good shape, and he uses that tractor to mow the whole place, so I know it’ll start up and go anytime you want it to.”
