by Candy Quinn
“Well I don’t want any trouble either way,” he said, and it seemed so funny comin’ from such a big hunk of a man, covered in freaky lookin’ tattoos. He looked like trouble personified. “And if I’m gonna cause any just by being here, I should probably move along,” he said so casually.
“Don’t,” I said, a little too fast. Too urgently. Not after a day!
I wanted more time, to get to know him, and I was certain Marcus was bluffing.
Again, though, I felt my cheeks start to burn, to spread that warmth down towards my chest as those butterflies within my stomach woke up. I knew it wasn’t love at first sight, I was more reasonable than that, but I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt, how strong it was.
“You sure?” Asher asked me, peering across the table at me, brow raised in questioning before he moved on to help himself to another slab of chicken with that appreciative air about him. He was like my father in that way too: he ate a ton, but he seemed to enjoy and appreciate every bite he took.
“I don’t wanna risk causin’ any trouble. Especially not with the law,” he reiterated, not elaborating on that a whole lot.
“Well, sure, no one wants the law on their back,” I said, though the comment took me through a loop a little. Was he on the run from something?”
“But the Sheriff, he just wants to keep the peace, and Marcus’ll calm down before dawn, I’m sure. He just needs time, don’t cope well with change.”
Asher nodded his head slowly then took a generous helping of his water, in fact the whole glass, before pouring himself some more.
“Good. It’s a lovely farm you’ve got, I’d love to stick around a while,” he said, and I swear I could see a glint of somethin’ in his eyes.
I wanted to ask him more, about himself, about what brought him out my way, but it was hard. Impossible.
I was instead lost in his beautiful eyes, and the little hidden hint of something. The little bit that I wanted to ask about but didn’t have words for.
I didn’t have no pa to ask what his intentions were with me.
So instead we ate supper together until he’d polished off every last morsel and left the chicken a rather bare set of bones for me to toss. As I tidied up, he got up and stretched, makin’ that broad body of his bulge and present to me in such a tantalizin’ display.
“You wanna watch some TV?” I asked him hopefully.
“I wouldn’t mind,” he began, lowering his arms back down, “but it’s been a long day, and I really need to make up for some lost sleep. Been on the road for a long while.”
I’ll admit, I was a might disappointed with that then and there.
But what could I say other than a soft, “Alright, maybe tomorrow then. The sun saps my strength like you wouldn’t believe.”
I got up, beginning to clear the table so he wouldn’t see the stormclouds over my eyes.
“Where’s my room again?” he asked, but of course, I didn’t show it to him a first time yet.
“Oh, right, yea,” I said, setting the dishes aside and leading him towards the stairs. The wooden staircase was old and worn, but it was sturdy even with the creaking it made as I stepped on it.
The guest room was right next to mine, and I’d just done it up with fresh sheets and pillowcases. I opened the door, showing him the simple room, dresser and mirror on one wall, bed on the other with a large window looking out over the fields.
“I’m just right next door if you need for anything. Wake up at dawn, you know, to fulfill the stereotypes,” I say, trying to keep it light.
It earned a genuine chuckle from him though, and he smiled at me. A big, broad smile that showed off his handsome face.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be up bright and early to get the work done,” he said. “Thanks so much for giving me a chance,” he added on, looking at me as we stood there in the hallway.
I knew I’d been wrong about him a little bit. He appreciated the things I’d done for him, no word of a lie. I smiled, tilting my head down and brushing some hair from my cheekbone, tucking it behind my ear.
“Well we’re all part of society, and we gotta look out for each other, you know?”
“Damn straight,” he said to me, hands on his hips as he flashed me a wink. “And don’t worry, I just need to catch up on some lost sleep, tomorrow I’ll be right as rain,” he pledged, as if he was readin’ my mind.
I gave a small smile, hope eking its way into my expression.
“Sure, well, I’ll keep the TV low and all that, don’t you worry none, and will be quieter than a mouse when I come to bed.”
“No need to put yourself out on my account, I’m a heavy sleeper,” he said, and though he was honest to a point, the events of that night proved he had a certain weakness to being disturbed by certain sounds.
A dull night of watchin’ TV by myself again, and tendin’ to ma on the off chance she needed it, ended much as all my other nights had. I headed up to bed alone, passin’ off Asher’s guest room to the sound of silence.
I went to bed, and it weren’t nothin’ to recollect on any further.
Though in the middle of the night, I awoke to the sound of someone movin’ about.
I got up, threw on my bath robe and went out to take a peek. There I saw someone movin’ on down the hall, faint an’ ghostly, like they was creepin’ on by.
With someone I didn’t know in the house, I s’pose I shoulda been worried, but truth of the matter was I was only a lil’ bothered. So I came on out, made my way quietly to the halfway point, just a couple meters away from the figure, an’ very quietly twisted the switch on the lamp in the hall, sheddin’ some light on the situation.
There before me was the weathered figure of my ma, shufflin’ around lost as can be.
“Ma,” I said, exasperated, “you know ya ain’t supposed ta be outta bed at this hour.” I chastised her, but truth be told, it was more for my benefit than hers. These days she weren’t much on communication no more, and I went to guide her by the arm back towards her room.
It was then I heard the spare room open up, and Asher step out, dressed in naught but his tight black boxer-briefs!
“I heard somethin’,” he said, lookin’ around suspiciously.
“Thought you was a heavy sleeper,” I said, giving him a pained smile despite my humour. It wasn’t that I was embarrassed by my mom, not at all. It was just hard explaining to strangers, seeing their pity.
“It’s just my ma, don’t fret none, I’m takin’ her back to bed,” I said, reassuringly. Though it didn’t seem to do that at all. He looked around, peerin’ out the window at the end of the hall into the outdoors.
“It isn’t that,” he said, though honestly, seein’ that big man bent over, his back and rear on display was a lil’ more distractin’ than I’d like. “I’m gonna check it out,” he said, but I knew I had to get mom back to bed before I could do a lick more.
“Go back to bed,” I said with a roll of my eyes in annoyance. Wasn’t nothing outside but the wind.
I led ma further down the hall, opening her door and hearing the rattle of her name tag against the wood. I put it there when she started forgetting where her room was, she didn’t use it by that point. I doubted she could read.
But after only a long enough moment for Asher to pull on some jeans, there he was, goin’ on past down the stairs on the alert.
“Men folk,” I muttered to myself with another roll of my eyes. They were always so paranoid, just like Marcus. Even if they don’t want to admit it.
By the time I got ma settled back in and shut her door, I went on down to check on Asher, see how he was doin’. But I couldn’t locate him right away, even with as many stars as there was lightnin’ the night sky, I couldn’t make hide nor hair of ‘im.
I poked my head out the door.
“Asher? Ash?” but got no response.
I picked up a flashlight by the door and turned it on, flashin’ it about the area over towards the barn. That’s when I caught sight
of someone comin’ up behind topless Asher. The two of ‘em about equal height.
“Watch out!” I called, my blood suddenly chill from the sight of it. But my warnin’ was all the man needed, and he turned around with his fist in motion like a lightnin’ bolt!
Bam!
Right in the jaw!
The other fella went sprawlin’ back onto the ground in a heap, and Asher pounced upon him, pinnin’ him to the ground!
I ran towards them, without regard for the fact that I was wearin’ my camisole and shorts, without a bra on. But I was pushed on by adrenaline.
What was going on?
Asher gave the guy another slug across the face with his massive fist, and the fella beneath him gave lil’ more than a groan of defeated pain from the blow. Whoever it was couldn’t withstand the brutal assault of my new hired hand.
“Don’t fuckin’ move one goddamn inch, you hear me?!” Asher yelled at him, brandishin’ his fist to intimidate the fella into submission, so he’d not push his luck with any further attacks.
“What’s goin’ on?!” I said in a panic, but then I remembered my flashlight and turned it upon the fella beneath Asher, only to see an all-too-familiar face.
Marcus. Nose and lips bloodied, but it was Marcus, dressed in some puffed up leather jacket that added a lot of bulk to his figure.
Oh no.
“Marcus!” I screeched, dropping the flashlight to the ground as I ran over to him. “What in blazes are you doing around here, creeping around like a... a creeper?” Wasn’t exactly my finest wordplay, but I was in a panic!
I was livid at him, but I was scared too, scared at why he was here and what he was planning to do.
Marcus groaned, his face bloody and battered as he lay beneath Asher. He lifted a hand to wipe at his face, while Asher kept the other arm pinned.
“Get off’a me,” he groaned. “Get off’a me!” He yelled again, but Asher first wrenched something from his hand before getting up off him.
“What’s that?” I asked, but even with the undirected light from the flashlight I could see it was crowbar that Marcus had been holding.
“What were you planning on doing, Marcus?” I shouted, and I could hear some of the animals in the barn beginning to stir from the ruckus.
I walked over to Asher, glowering down at the pummelled man. I’d have felt bad for him if I couldn’t see exactly where this was going. He was going to try to do something and then blame it on Asher, then he’d tell me that he was right about the stranger all along.
“I was comin’ to check on you!” Marcus protested as he pushed himself up. “There was no tellin’ what this hoodlum would be up to in the middle of the night!” He said, brushin’ himself off and glarin’ at Asher, as if he were in the wrong.
But for his part, Asher stood quietly by, holdin’ the crowbar out of reach.
“He was sleeping. That’s what he was doin’ in the middle of the night! And you woke ma up and everythin’, I had to put her back to bed and you know how disoriented she gets! Asher ain’t gonna do a thing here, he’s just a guy needin’ a job and a place to lay his head like any man.”
I was breathin’ hard, my heart racing. I could barely hold myself back.
“That’s what you think, Shelby!” he said in accusation as he began to walk off, wiping his bloodied face with the back of his hand. “You best be watchin’ out, you don’t know what he’ll do!”
“He’ll do his job!” I screamed at the back of his head, my hands tremblin’ from anger and frustration. I’d never seen Marcus so worked up about something before, and it scared me a little. What lengths would he go through to keep Asher off the farm?
And rememberin’ what Asher’d said about the cops and not wanting them involved... What if Marcus did call Hank?
Asher and me watched Marcus stalk off in the dark, off towards where his truck must’ve been parked along the road away from the farmhouse. Until finally he was far enough away we could talk with some privacy, and he turned to look at me.
“I didn’t break his jaw or nothin’, didn’t hit him near hard enough for that. He’ll be fine,” he remarked, looking down to the crowbar in his hand, twisting it around before giving it a toss onto the dirt by the shed.
“I’m so sorry about that, Asher,” I said with a resigned sigh, as I went over to pick up the discarded flashlight. “He never shoulda done that, I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
“He’s got a thing for you,” he said so casually, brushin’ off his low-hung jeans as he looked around the place, doin’ some final check of the area. “I know he’s your cousin, but he does. Whether he knows it or not,” Asher stated, matter-of-factly like.
I stared at Asher, aghast, though it wasn’t like I could even see him so good in the dim light of the moon and the stars and the flashlight.
What?
Part of me didn’t believe him and was going to protest but then there was that deep, hidden part of me that I’d always ignored. The way we got into tickle fights for too long and how every summer we always went swimming and he’d cling onto me. It was all games, but then with Asher’s words, it wasn’t.
“No he don’t,” I protested.
He didn’t disagree any further, maybe ‘cause he knew it was an uncomfortable subject, but all’s he said was, “Alright” and escorted me back into the house.
“I dunno if he had time to do anythin’ while he was out there, but I’ll check come mornin’,” he said to me, so in control of the situation.
“It’s fine,” I sighed. “Just get some sleep, I know you ain’t got a peaceful night in who knows how long, and I know I’m gonna be beat tomorrow. Probably won’t even be able to sleep with my heart poundin’ like this.”
He nodded, but before we parted ways and he headed into his room he stopped.
“Oh, and Shelby?” He looked at me expectantly, pausin’ for just a moment. “If he goes causin’ problems with the cops, I’m gonna have to head on. I don’t wanna cause a fuss anywhere.”
“I’ll talk to him,” I said with a bit more of a pout than I intended. I was exhausted and not able to hide my emotions so well as I wanted to.
But beneath it all, I was burnin’ with curiosity about why he was so afraid to get them involved...
“Thanks,” was all he said simply, before he disappeared into his room and the night resumed its lonesome course.
The day began bright and early, more so for Asher than me. ‘Cause by the time I woke up and knocked on his door, it fell open to show an empty room. One peek out the window showed him already bustin’ his butt outside, haulin’ junk about and preparin’ for the day.
He was true to his word, had to give the man that.
I headed on down to the kitchen and decided to get to work on some breakfast. If he was gonna be workin’ hard right from sunrise, I figured it was only right I’d get a good meal in him to aid the process along.
It was another bright an’ sunny day, and though he was still wearin’ his shirt now, I knew that wouldn’t last long like this. Not with how hard he was workin’ and how intense that sun was.
And I was really trying to enjoy the view of his hard, sexy body, but my mind was distracted. I was worried about Marcus, about what he might say or do. Especially if Asher was right about him. Just because Marcus knew nothin’ could happen between us didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to keep me from fallin’ for someone else.
Especially someone he definitely didn’t approve of. He was as hard skulled and stubborn as a mule, but I couldn’t let him take that slice of excitement and happiness from me.
“Come an’ get it,” I called out the door to Asher, a big grin on my face as I summoned the man in for the hearty meal I’d made. And he took the summons serious, wipin’ away the sweat from his brow with a cloth and immediately stoppin’ what he was doin’ to march on in to me.
“Hope I didn’t wake you this morning,” he said with a smile, lookin’ so darned good in that tight top and jeans as he sa
t himself down to the table in a hurry.
“Not even a little,” I said, putting the ham and bacon and eggs in front of him, orange juice and water to either side. I was spoiling him, even had the good jam out for his toast, trying to make amends for Marcus’ boneheaded behaviour.
“I hope you got to sleep easy after...” I trailed off.
“Don’t worry about it, hun,” he said with a dismissive wave as he was already in the process of bringing some bacon to his mouth. He was ravenous, and it brought a familiar feeling back to the house, one that’d been missing ever since pa died. “I just hope I didn’t hit the guy too hard, he wasn’t a big guy after all.”
“Yea, his stupid jacket made him look like a brute,” I said as I sat across from him, leaning in on my elbows. I’d dressed a bit nicer, my newest pair of shorts and a tank top that showed off the cusps of my breasts but not in a slutty way. My blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and though I didn’t have much by way of lipstick, I’d slapped on what little I had.
Asher gave a chuckle to my statement, and I realized the humour in thinking of Marcus as a brute myself, so we laughed together as we ate the meal.
“You’re a mighty fine cook, Shelby,” he remarked to me appreciatively, and as he peered over the table I could see a special somethin’ glitter in his deep, dark eyes. It weren’t just politeness that motivated him and made him wanna stay.
At least, I dared to hope. I didn’t get a lot of excitement ‘round here, nor a lot of men I was interested in. I wanted to believe I was more than just a good cook and a pretty face.
“Thanks, Asher,” I said and I went to tuck some hair behind my ear out of instinct, forgetting I had it pinned back.
“Never got to eat like this back in the city,” he said, devouring the eggs and toast, leavin’ not a morsel behind on his plate. He had a real man’s hunger, that was for sure.
“Not even when you lived at home?” I asked, and he gave a chuckle.
“Nah. We ate like paupers growin’ up. Oatmeal and toast. Noodles with or without sauce. That kinda thing. Even if you were to prepare it well and not burn it up, it was never anything you’d care to savour. Not like this.”
