by Jan Springer
So, Brady led the way along the path toward the ranch house. As they walked, Milena gasped at a nearby woodpecker that cracked its beak noisily against a twisted pine tree. Then she giggled as she focused her attention to a chipmunk that scampered across the trail right in front of them.
Wow, it felt as if years hadn’t separated them and all the emotions of remembering her time in prison came rushing back. Milena had always been so upbeat and naturally curious about everything. She had been able to draw JJ out of her shell and her cell during the time they’d been together.
Despite not wanting to remember that time, the memories poured through her. Of not wanting to leave the safety of her cell to go and eat. Not wanting to take any courses. Just not wanting anyone to bother her or associate with the other cons. But Milena had prodded and nudged and made friends with JJ, coaxing her out of her shell.
JJ swallowed back the emotions and as they neared the ranch house Brady made the excuse he had to do some work in the barn and left them alone. She ushered Milena into the house and realized the woman hadn’t stopped talking. She’d forgotten how talkative Milena could be too.
“This is such a beautiful place, JJ,” she complimented as they entered the open concept kitchen, dining area and living room.
“Home sweet home,” JJ said as she started the coffee machine.
“This place was made for you. The decor is quiet and natural, just like you,” Milena said as she wandered into the living room and looked out the large back window.
JJ smiled at Milena’s compliment.
“And you have a vegetable garden. How cool is that? No wonder you look so healthy. In prison, we die for fresh fruits and vegetables. Everything is canned or from frozen and—” She stopped, twirled around and clasped her hands to her chest.
“Sorry, you already know all the crap food we get. You were there. Hey, whatever you are cooking it smells really really good. I swear I am drooling.”
“We’re having roast beef. From one of our own cattle. Vegetables from the garden and mashed potatoes.”
Milena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
“Smells like I died and went to heaven.”
JJ nodded. She still felt that way every day.
“Is the lady here?” Rafe asked as he stepped out of the shed where he and Dan had just parked their tractors. Dan followed behind him and they circled Brady awaiting details.
They’d been excited all day long, wondering about the woman JJ had been talking almost non-stop about since Jenna had called with the news that Milena was allowed to come here for a temporary stay. But they’d been so busy with work and JJ had always been around during mealtimes, he hadn’t been able to get much of a background scoop on this newcomer.
“She came in about half an hour ago. She seems nice,” Brady answered with a shrug. He didn’t make a move toward the ranch house.
“So? How come you’re out here? Are you scared the newbie will bite?” Dan chuckled. Rafe rolled his eyes. Dan and his sense of humor.
“Thought it best to give them some alone time. After we eat, we take care of the dishes so JJ and Milena can spend more time getting reacquainted,” Brady ordered.
His voice was laced with a crustiness Rafe had noticed was happening more and more often since the tetanus episode.
He wasn’t overly concerned about Brady’s attitude. Being in a similar situation just last year, he understood how frustrating it was to be cooped up and how humbling it felt to face death head on. The thought he might never see JJ again had probably shocked the shit out of Brady, just as it had Rafe.
“She seems very nice. I can see why JJ likes her,” Brady replied.
“So, what was she in for again? I hadn’t wanted to ask in front of JJ and this is about the only time we got you alone,” Dan said.
Brady frowned and took on a serious tone.
“The sheet that Jenna faxed over said Milena is doing a maximum sentence. She’s been inside for about thirteen years. Has had good behaviour and proven she can be reliable with many jobs in the prison. She’s doing twenty years for murdering a security guard while robbing a jewelry store.
She wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger but she was with the guy who did. They were both high on drugs at the time. There were a couple other people involved in the confrontation but apparently their families had hired top-notch lawyers and were able to get them lesser sentences for testifying against Milena and her boyfriend.”
“That’s rough. Sorry I asked,” Dan said.
“But she’s off the drugs, right?” Rafe asked. He was concerned about the drugs. The last thing he wanted was for JJ to be around a woman who dabbled in narcotics.
“She seemed to be fine. Very friendly. They did random drug tests on her since she got accepted into the programs and she’s been clean every time,” Brady answered.
“Well, that’s good to know,” Dan said.
Rafe grunted affirmation.
He would be keeping an eye on her before they left to build that cabin. If he suspected in the slightest that she was using, he’d call Jenna and tell her to get the woman’s ass back to prison.
Dan clapped his hands and the noise grabbed Rafe’s attention.
“Well, I don’t know about you two, but I am starving. Let’s get our asses in there, meet this woman and eat!”
“If I remember right, Milena, you play a mean game of poker,” JJ complimented as she poured coffee into the mugs and set them onto a platter with the homemade raspberry cheesecake she’d made last night for this occasion.
“I gave up playing cards years ago,” Milena answered as she helped cut the homemade raspberry cheesecake that JJ had prepared early this morning for the occasion.
Rafe, Dan and Brady were settled in the living room after JJ had ushered them out so she and Milena could get desert ready for everybody.
Instincts told her that Brady and Dan were happy with Milena but she noticed a bit of a wariness from Rafe. He’d been a quieter than usual but thankfully Rafe was covering up beautifully with good manners. But JJ made a note to ask him when they were alone what was bothering him.
She’d been proud of the compliments everyone had heaped onto her with the roast beef dinner she’d made. Milena had helped herself to three servings and no matter how much JJ coaxed her into helping herself to another serving, Milena had claimed a full stomach.
But as JJ put Milena in charge of carving up large slices of cheesecake for the guys and themselves, Milena’s eyes sparkled with appreciation while she gazed at the pretty swirls of cream cheese icing.
“Oh my gosh, girlfriend. You are going to kill me with all this absolutely delicious and eye festival food,” Milena said with a laugh.
“We can work it off later with a walk,” JJ said.
“I would absolutely love that. Hmm, I guess I can allow myself a slice of cake then?” Milena asked.
JJ nodded.
“Of course you can. Two or three slices if you want.”
“Hey, as long as you leave lots for me,” Brady called out as the guys started playing their traditional after dinner card game.
“Milena, you’re more than welcome to join us in playing cards,” Dan said from his favorite perch on one end of the sofa.
“Thanks, but I’ll keep JJ company. We have so much to catch up on,” Milena said with a smile. Then she turned to JJ. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not,” JJ answered. She was thrilled now that Milena was here. Having another woman to talk to was a treat.
“After you guys have your cake, we’re doing the dishes so you can go for that walk,” Rafe said as he suddenly appeared beside Milena. She handed him two plates, and then she followed him into the living room with another plate which she handed to Brady.
“Wow, Milena you’ll have to stay forever, then I won’t ever have to do the dishes again,” JJ teased.
The men laughed at JJ’s comment and then they
dug into their desert will Milena poured everyone coffee.
JJ smiled as she watched her old friend. She seemed to enjoy the guys’ company. She teased them with jokes and talk about how she thought the ranch house was made just for JJ.
Over dessert the five of them discussed the cabin that was going to be built and then JJ and Milena made their excuses to go for that walk, both reminding the men of their promise to do the dishes.
“It’s absolutely heaven here, JJ,” Milena said from behind JJ as they strolled along an overgrown animal path that meandered near the shoreline of the lake.
JJ had walked along here sometimes, but never this far on her own.
“The are a bunch of blueberries about an hour up this trail. They usually ripen around the end of July. But no one has any time to go and pick them.” JJ said as she continued walking. They had already been on the trail half an hour and she knew they should be starting back now.
But the air smelled so fresh and clean and it was so quiet out here.
“And I don’t want you going off by yourself when you are here alone, either,” JJ warned. “I want you to promise me you’ll stick close to the ranch house or walk the all-terrain vehicle paths only just like we’ve discussed.”
When she didn’t hear a response from Milena, JJ stopped and turned around. Milena was standing about twenty feet away looking out over the picturesque lake. She had such a peaceful expression on her face that JJ remained quiet so Milena could take in the beauty of the glass-like blue lake water, the quietness of the scenery and the loon that was watching them from nearby.
“What’s that?” Milena suddenly asked as she pointed out across the water to the v-shaped line with a small dot in front of the V. The black dot was heading away from them at a brisk speed.
“A beaver,” JJ answered. “We have several of them down at the end of this trail. There’s a big beaver dam with a small waterfall near those blueberries I was telling you about.”
“Can we go look?”
JJ shook her head as she gazed at the dropping sun.
“We need to head back. It’s getting late. The last thing we want to be doing is to travel the trail at night, who knows what we’ll encounter out here.”
Uneasiness made JJ brush past Milena.
“Oh, spooky. That’s right up my alley,” Milena laughed as she followed JJ.
As they headed back, they reminisced about some of the prison women they’d had the pleasure of knowing while incarcerated. By the time they reached the ranch, twilight was making it difficult to see the last few minutes on the trail, but the porch light was shining like a welcome beacon. She heard the door creak open and the men were quickly stepping out and sauntering down the steps.
Relief splashed on all their faces as Milena and JJ walked up the path to meet them.
“We were just about ready to send out a search party, baby mamma,” Brady said. He stepped forward and gave JJ a quick kiss. She longed for a deeper, more intimate kiss, but with Milena watching, she didn’t want to make her uncomfortable so JJ resisted the overwhelming urge to reaching out and grab Brady and planting one full on his lips. And if Milena hadn’t been here, she’d be planting big kisses on Rafe and Dan as well.
“Sorry, we got lost in conversation,” Milena announced. “Won’t happen again. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
Brady chuckled.
“The dishes are done. We’re going to head into the barn. Milena, would you like us to show you around?”
Milena nodded eagerly.
“You all go ahead. Rafe, can I talk to you for a minute?” JJ said quickly.
“Oh, oh, Rafe’s in trouble,” Milena commented and punched him in the arm. Rafe said nothing, but thankfully chuckled.
When they were all out of earshot, JJ frowned.
“What’s wrong?” she asked him.
Rafe averted her gaze and gazed down toward the lake. When he didn’t say anything, JJ continued.
“I was picking up just a bit of tension where Milena is concerned. Is there something you don’t like about her?” she asked quietly.
“She seems nice. I was just concerned about her history with drugs.”
JJ frowned. She had no idea where he was going with this. She already knew about Milena’s drug problem past. She also knew from Jenna that the prison had done random drug tests on Milena.
“I don’t understand.”
He inhaled slowly and then exhaled a sigh.
“Our house was always full of foster kids. My mom and dad loved them all, but some of them were into drugs and there was a pattern I noticed about those specific kids.”
“What kind of pattern?”
“The old saying misery loves company is true.”
“What are you talking about, Rafe?” Being confused irritated her these days, thanks to those ever-loving hormones.
“Drug users tend to drag others into their world. I don’t want that happening to you.”
Shock reverberated through her. How could Rafe say something like that to her? She refrained from exploding on him. He needed to say his peace and she needed to stay calm.
“And I’m just not a hundred percent comfortable leaving her here alone on the ranch. She was a drug user and users tend not to be reliable. Had I known her past I might not have agreed to this.”
JJ’s irritation turned to anger.
“She’s not using, Rafe. It’s history. Give her a break, please?”
Rafe’s eyebrows furrowed. She could tell he wasn’t listening to her.
“Give her a chance, Rafe. What she did was twelve or thirteen or more years ago. The tests proved she is clean. We wouldn’t have allowed her to come here and take care of the ranch if we had any doubts that she couldn’t handle it. At least I wouldn’t have brought her here if I had any doubts. And do you seriously think that I could be so easily swayed into the world of drugs? Don’t you trust me?”
Rafe swore softly. To her amusement, his face blushed red with embarrassment.
Good! It served him right for realizing he was wrong. However, she understood his concern.
He reached out and curled his hands over her shoulders. He squeezed gently. His eyes sparkled with sudden enjoyment.
“Of course, I do. Man, you sure know how to a point and make a man feel guilty.”
“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” JJ soothed. “I just want you to be happy and to be at ease while we are away. Can you at least try to relax? You’re too uptight. I doubt anyone else noticed there was some tension during dinner. But I noticed.”
Rafe grinned and growled.
“I know one way to relax,” he whispered.
JJ giggled as she caught his meaning.
“Any other time, you would have me sneaking away with you,” she admitted.
Rafe nodded. “Yeah, me too. This next couple of weeks is going to be a bitch without you in my bed.”
Instincts told her that he might lower his head to kiss her and she wanted to feel his hot mouth upon her lips. But she didn’t want Milena to see anything and ask questions. It was her private business having three men all to herself.
When Rafe began to lower his head, just like she suspected, she reached up and slapped her hands upon his hot chest, stopping him cold.
A low grumble of frustration erupted in Rafe’s throat and rumbled through JJ as well. It would be so nice to run back into the ranch house and have Rafe make love to her upstairs in her bed. Despite having company, her cravings for sex were still alive and well.
She almost caved into the idea of telling him to run upstairs for a quickie. Almost.
Thankfully, Rafe moved away from her. He grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the barn.
“Come on, we’d better go and help Brady and Dan show Milena around. The more she knows about this place, the better I will feel about leaving her here alone.”
JJ smiled. She’d won Rafe over to Milena’s side. Suddenly she had
the feeling everything was going to be all right now.
Chapter Eight
Milena placed her hands on her hips and stared with pride at the two full buckets of blueberries that she’d placed in the shade of one of the blueberry bushes.
Wow! Could she pick blueberries? Or could she pick blueberries? She’d been a mean, lean, blueberry picking machine and had the buckets filled within an hour. The bushes had been robust with blue. There were still so many berries begging to be picked, it was a shame to leave them behind. She wished she had a tent. She would pitch it right here, camp out with a nice little fire and eat berries for suppers.
However, she only had two hands and very full heavy buckets and it was getting late afternoon. She needed to start heading back to the ranch.
She turned her attention to the shimmering lake in front of her. The tips of the waves glittered like white diamonds and the silhouette of pine trees far off on the other side of the lake made her wish she had the cheap watercolor paint set she’d left back at the prison. She ached to dab the scenery onto some paper and bring the painting back to the prison to hang up in her cell.
She shuddered at the thought of going back to lockup and immediately put the thought out of her mind. She wasn’t going to waste a second of her freedom thinking about the inevitable.
Instead, she would have to commit the scenery to memory. She watched as a couple of big dark-colored birds skimmed low over the water and finally landed in the waves. The birds began singing a mournful sound that sent shivers up her spine.
Loons. She’d heard them cry every day and every night. They were lucky that they could fly like JJ and now swim so leisurely in the water, apparently with no worries in the world.
A nice leisurely swim would cool her down too. She was ultra-warm having walked along the shore in the sunshine to get here and then another hour picking in the heat. Unfortunately, she’d always been afraid of water. She had no idea why, but ever since she could remember, she hadn’t been a fan.
No baths for her. Showers were the exception. Swimming was so not happening in her lifetime. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and inhaled the fresh, crisp mid-August air.
