by Chula Stone
Chapter 10
“So, this is my surprise for you. What’s your surprise for me?” Vince asked languidly. He loved this position, with her snuggled up against him, one arm on his chest, her head on his shoulder and one knee crooked over him where he could stroke it lazily.
She gave a little jump as if she had been sleeping. “Oh, let’s not worry about that now. It’ll wait. I don’t”
“Want to spoil the surprise,” he finished for her resignedly. “But eventually you’re going to have to tell me what it is. Or show me, at least.”
“All right,” she sighed. “But it’s going to be anti-climactic. Especially after…” She let her voice trail off and indicated their intimate position on the bed.
“It is a little hard to concentrate, but I don’t want you accusing me of ignoring your gift. Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll love it.”
“I hope you will.” Pinkie gave a little shudder.
He rubbed a hand over her bare shoulder. “You’re not cold, are you? Maybe I should have taken the time to pull down the bedspread.”
She sat up, turning her head from side to side as if searching for something. “I don’t see my blouse.”
“Why are you stalling?” he asked conversationally as he levered himself off the bed and tossed her shirt over his shoulder. He sent the skirt after it without looking where it landed. Her boots were under the bed, so he knelt to retrieve them.
“I’m not stalling.” Her denial was sweet and candid.
Her response had him shuddering worse than she had. “Now, Pinkie, this is no way to start our honeymoon. I know that tone and it never bodes well.”
“It’s nothing bad. I think you’ll be pleased. In fact, I’m sure you’ll be pleased. What would you say if I told you that I’d sold the alpacas?”
“Thank heaven! Who’s buying them? Somebody from far away? Please tell me it’s somebody from Bumchuck. Or even further! Dallas? Mexico?”
Pinkie laughed. “I’m not sending them that far away. Betty has shown a lot of interest in their wool, so when she asked me how much they cost…”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all year. What an annoyance those things were. And with them cleared out of the near pasture, I can make my next move on my breeding plan.”
“I knew you wanted the room for the new stud, so I thought it was the perfect gift to give you.”
“You were right.” He slipped back over to the bed where Pinkie had finished dressing. A hearty kiss seemed to be the only appropriate way to thank her for her generous gesture. Taking his time, he indulged himself, enjoying the taste of her sweet lips and the feel of her soft hair. Soon enough, he knew he had to either give in and spend the whole night in the cottage or break things off before he reached the point where he no longer could. Reluctantly he let her pull away. Just to have something to fill in and distract him from other more pleasurable thoughts, he asked, “My only question is, why did it take so long? You’ve been talking about this surprise for months.”
“I had to make sure she had a place big enough for them and that she knew how to take care of them. I can’t give them to just anyone, Vince!”
“Of course not,” he agreed, hoping she couldn’t hear the skepticism in his voice. Why she pampered those overgrown sheep like they were winged horses, Vince could never understand. She treated all her animals better than she treated some people. All he could do was note how she felt and try to keep out of her way, but to his mind, getting rid of that chorus of crazy cattle was Christmas and his birthday all rolled into one.
“It’s really late, Vince. We have to get home.” She pushed his wandering hand away, but threw him a tantalizing smile. “I’ve never used two different beds in one day. Have you?”
“There’s a first time for everything.” It hardly crossed his mind to wonder why she was being quiet on the way home. Every time he tried to get her talking in her usual energetic manner, she would turn the tables and start him chasing one conversational rabbit after another. He supposed it was just her way of thanking him for fixing the cottage up.
And she liked his idea of letting Shep move in for a while. What a joy she was, and how generous. Maybe she was so wrapped up in all her schemes and plans that she didn’t have much to say about anything else. She sometimes got that way with a new project. Maybe he should have left part of it for her to do. She might have enjoyed fixing the place up, or at least adding the finishing touches.
“You know, you could change anything you want to, on the inside. I’m sure Treli will want to fuss with the feminine fixings you ladies think are so important, but if you want to polish the lace and paint flowers on the floor, go right ahead. Whatever makes you happy.” He gave a shrug and put an arm around her shoulders.
During the week it took to finalize arrangements for their honeymoon, he found great satisfaction in personally leading every one of those blasted beasts off his property. The peacocks, he could handle. The ailing lion they had hosted for six months, he could tolerate, but for some reason those alpacas had simply been one mile too far to go. With a light heart, he led them into the barn Betty Farmer had rented for the purpose. Her mother lived across the street from the disused pasture whose owner had been glad of the pittance he would get and the share of the wool he had been promised if he allowed Betty to keep the animals on his land. It was a good quality wool and made some fine sweaters and socks, but since the weather was still warm, Vince had a hard time appreciating those qualities fully.
Betty’s joy in taking charge of the creatures seemed to equal his own in getting rid of them. She patted them and cooed at them as if they were babies. “There they are, the darlings!” she cried. “Please tell Mrs. Sloan how happy I am to have them. I know it was a wrench for her to give them up.”
“It was indeed, but it’s for the best. You’re doing me a great favor and I won’t forget it, young lady,” Vince replied. Turning, he found Betty holding out to him a small leather pouch. “What’s this? Pinkie told me no more payment was needed and that she had taken care of the business transaction.”
“I know what we agreed but it just doesn’t seem right,” Betty answered fretfully. “Please give this money back to her. It’s only fair. I don’t want charity.”
“But you already paid for the animals,” Vince argued. He didn’t want to take this girl’s money if she had already paid what Pinkie wanted. “They’ve been shorn for the year and it will be months before they produce anything for you.” He followed her into the barn and tried to put the money back in her hands but she paid him no heed.
Busy about her barn chores, Betty commented distractedly, “I’m not sure Treli ever realized what happened with the curtains, what with Mr. Shepard rushing out of town like that right after the deal was done.”
Vince wondered for a moment if Betty were confused about this transaction. Treli hadn’t had anything to do with the curtains as far as he knew, but he didn’t want to risk having Betty return the beasts so he merely explained again, “Shep paid extra for the curtains on my instructions, Miss Farmer. That’s all over and done with. You earned this money. It was well worth it to see the smile on my Pinkie’s face.”
“You take that up with Mr. Shepard when he returns. I’ve got my payment and now my animals. I made out like a bandit on this deal and I don’t want to take advantage of…uh, anyone.”
In one corner of the barn was a table littered with assorted old tools, bits of leather and the other oddments needed to work with animals. He plunked the coin bag down in the middle of it and spoke in his firm, no-arguments tone. “It’s not taking advantage when you take what you’re promised, young lady.” He turned and left the shed before she had time to protest.
The next morning dawned cooler, with a hint of that edge fall brings to the air and the gold that gilds the leaves in autumn. Pinkie had to run back to the house three times to kiss the children and pick up successively heavier wraps. Vince thought the younger children might fuss as their mother pr
epared to leave them, but Drina had them all organized into an impromptu band, drumming on upturned pots and piping on empty jugs as they pulled away. What child could resist making all that noise and marching around wearing his father’s old hats and gloves? The only one who sprung a leak was Pinkie and even she only cried a little.
“Don’t do that, honey,” he chided her. “Aren’t you glad to be spending some time away with just the two of us?”
Pinkie sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Yes, of course. I don’t mean to seem ungrateful. We’re going to have a wonderful time.”
“I’m sure we are,” Vince agreed.
“We can play games and read in the evenings, and take long walks in the mornings. I can sketch the birds we see and you can help me press any flowers we find for my album. And we can wind yarn for the winter.”
Her album? Winter yarn? “Now, Pinkie, I didn’t bring you on this honeymoon so we could work the whole time. You’re still not fully recovered from your illness earlier this year.”
“I wasn’t ill,” she objected.
“Well, you weren’t well and you’re still looking tired. I want you to rest. We can do some of those things you mentioned, but I plan to spend a good bit of this honeymoon in the bedroom.”
She stared at him petulantly. “And what if I don’t feel tired?”
“Then I plan to spend even more time in the bedroom.” He raised his eyebrows at her and leaned in, willing her to feel his desire.
The flush that raced up her cheeks told him she had understood. “Oh, well, if that’s what you mean…” She scooted a little closer on the buggy bench.
He smiled with satisfaction… and anticipation. The farther they got from the distractions of home and the demands of the ranch, the closer they drew to each other. Once they closed the door of the cottage behind them, it seemed to Vince as if they entered another world where only the two of them mattered. They spoke of nothing more consequential than what they wanted for dinner or which direction to start on their next ramble. He carried the thick blanket in one hand and the picnic basket in the other when they went out, but as often as not, they strayed no farther than the first pond or clearing they met.
Sometimes they made it back to the cottage, but other times they made use of the blanket and the fact that Vince had warned all the hands on the ranch that the narrow end of the valley near the trail to town was strictly off limits for the week. Vince thanked every power he knew that the days were still warm enough for them to be comfortable lying on the ground since there were many times he was too impatient to take his lovely wife home before enjoying her feminine charms.
By the third day of their sojourn together, Vince had effectively forgotten that the rest of the world existed. In a sort of happy haze, he floated from hour to hour, his one concern being that his wife had at least a pleasant look on her face. If she was smiling, that was better and if she was laughing, he felt his life was complete. The only exception to this rule was when, in the throes of their shared passion, she might cry out, but even those exquisite moments led to her contented smiles again.
That’s why the knock on the door was such a wrench when it came. “What was that?” Pinkie asked languidly.
Vince’s sleep addled brain took a moment to figure out what she had said and why she had said it. Then it dawned on him. “A knock at the door.” He leaned over to grope around for his pants. They weren’t on the bedpost where he usually hung them. They had been in too much of a hurry last night to respect the niceties.
“But why would anyone knock at the door?” Pinkie sounded genuinely confused. It made Vince feel a little guilty. He had obviously kept her awake too far into the night. He hadn’t worried, knowing she could sleep all day if she needed to, but still, he wondered if he were overdoing it just a bit.
“I guess because they want to come in.”
“But… oh, never mind. I’ll get it,” Pinkie said, swinging her feet to the floor.
“No, you go back to sleep. Whoever it is, I’ll send them away.” Vince stumped to the door and opened it a crack. Peering out, he was shocked to see Betty Farmer. Forgetting all the manners he ever knew, he demanded, “What are you doing here?”
“I knew it was getting cold, so I brought you some more curtains. If you won’t take your money back, I at least owe you what you paid for.” Betty held out a stack of thicker, darker colored window dressings. They were partially wrapped in brown paper, but the crimson and gold pattern peeked out over the edges.
Vince took a deep breath as his shoulders slumped. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“When Mr. Shepard told me one set would be enough but he would pay me everything I was promised, I knew I shouldn’t accept. A deal is a deal and I deliver what I promise, so here are the other curtains. It’s getting colder. These will keep the cottage snug as a steamer trunk.” She set the bundle down on the stool that sat by the door, turned on her heel and scampered away leaving him no choice but to accept more curtains. On the way to the bedroom, he tried to figure out what he would say to Pinkie, but since he hadn’t understood the half of what the girl was talking about, he had to give up.
All he said was, “That young Farmer girl has brought more curtains.”
Sitting up in bed to accept them, Pinkie smiled. “They’re lovely. How nice of her to think of making a warmer set for fall and winter. She is a dear. If Shep weren’t going to marry Treli, I’d tell him to pursue Betty.”
“She’s certainly got her own ideas about things,” Vince admitted. Eyeing the drapes speculatively, Vince took them from Pinkie. “If I hang these on top of the others, they’ll make it seem like night in here. How handy! But we need to try it out to make sure.” He hung the new winter curtains over the others and turned to survey the room. It was appreciably darker. “Yes, indeed, I like the effect, but to give it a realistic test, we need to do what we would do at night.”
She gave him a coy smile. “Do you mean we ought to eat supper?”
“I am hungry, but not for food,” Vince growled. Reaching for her, he drew her to him, his fingers seeking her tender sides to tease and tickle.
Later, as he was lying back in a satisfied haze of contentment, the detail that had been bothering Vince since he had delivered the alpacas finally coalesced sufficiently for him to examine it. What did she mean when she spoke of a deal? More than once, she spoke of something she had promised but hadn’t delivered. Now, here she had delivered more curtains, so it only stood to reason that… more curtains had been ordered, but by whom? Since Betty was delivering curtains to him, she must be under the impression that his paying her double was an implicit contract for an extra set.
But Shep had explained why he had to pay the extra premium and Vince had agreed. The girl deserved every penny she got. “Why do you think Betty is delivering extra curtains, Pinkie?” Vince asked, more to see if Pinkie were awake than for information. He thoroughly expected her to give some sassy, funny answer.
Instead, she hemmed and hawed, obviously stalling. “Well, I, uh…I really couldn’t… I mean, how should I…” Pinkie turned to him and ran her hand over his chest. “Why look gift curtains in the mouth? They do come in handy for turning day into night and keeping the cold out.” She snuggled up closer to him, almost distracting him from his suspicions.
And it might have worked if at that moment, Shep hadn’t pushed through the front door. Vince recognized his voice and a moment later, heard Treli’s as well. “Where are we?” she was asking through her laughter.
Shep answered her laughter with a mock growl. “Never you mind. I’ve brought you to a place where we can have some privacy. A place almost as beautiful as you. Here, I’ll take off your blindfold now.”
“Shep, we shouldn’t be here!”
“Why not? Vince won’t mind. As long as he’s not here, I’m sure he won’t care if I use the cottage for a little while. Just for this special occasion.”
“But he is using it! He and Pinkie are taking their honeymoon
here.” Treli sounded horrified and overcome with amusement at the same time. “They must have gone for a walk. If they come back and find us here…”
“Then I’ll get right to the point. I didn’t plan to linger here long.” There was a pause and Vince thought he heard the sound of a knee hitting the wooden floor rather hard. Stunned into silence, Vince and Pinkie stared at each other, a shared comprehension passing soundlessly between them. Shep thought they were alone and he was about to propose. Should he clear his throat? Shout a greeting? Pinkie was registering her opinion with frantic shushing gestures. Vince thought he could see her reasoning. She was afraid, as was he, that if they interrupted Shep, it might ruin the moment and delay the proposal.
“Are you all right? Why did you duck?” Treli sounded genuinely confused.
“I’m not ducking. I’m kneeling. Treli, you are the darndest girl I ever did meet. Would you quit looking around and pay attention to me? I’ve got something important to ask you.”
Pinkie grabbed Vince’s hands in both of hers and squeezed hard, her eyes shut tight. Vince could tell she was begging Providence for aid for the young man. Vince joined her, but he kept his eye on the door in case one of their visitors should take it into their heads to check the bedroom. He didn’t want to be caught unawares.
“What?” There was a long pause. “Oh, Shep!”
“Will you?”
“Will I what?”
“You know!”
“A girl likes to be asked.”
“I thought if I got the ring, it would do the asking for me. In fact, I nearly forgot the ring, but when I started making my plans, I realized I needed one, and a right good one, to boot. Do you like it?”
“It’s lovely.”
There was another awkward silence. Vince thanked heaven once again that circumstances had conspired to spare him the agony young Shep was now experiencing. Pinkie opened her eyes and made circling gestures towards the door with her hand, as if silently willing Shep to get on with it.
The young man stuttered and stammered his way through the next few minutes. “I went all the way to Dallas because I wanted the best ring I could find and the minute I saw this one, I knew it was the one for you. Then I couldn’t wait to get back to Merriview. The road seemed to stretch on forever trying to keep me from getting home. Then once I hit town, nothing would do but to show it to you. I couldn’t wait for all the fancy dinner or moonlight strolls by the river that I kept dreaming of. I just couldn’t draw a good breath until this ring was on your finger. And now that the moment is here…”
