“He really licked the counter?” Callan asked, repulsed at the thought of it.
“I made him eat three Listerine strips,” Laken said, taking a deep sip of her iced tea. “He screamed the whole time like I was trying to kill him. Believe me, it was all I could do not to take a bleach wipe and scrub his tongue.”
“Well, I had a moment or two when I felt like I needed some bleach wipes myself,” Jenna said with a sigh.
“What trauma did my brother impose on you today?” Callan asked.
CHAPTER THREE
Jenna
Jenna was a confirmed city girl. Growing up in an upper-class neighborhood in Seattle, she dreamed of having a successful career and jet-setting around the world.
Little did she know when she fell for a luxury car salesman that he would wait until she was completely and hopelessly in love with him to decide he wanted to become a farmer.
When Josh Carver told her he was buying a farm, she was convinced he’d gone off the deep end. Why would anyone making a six-digit income and living a very comfortable lifestyle trade that in for an uncertain income, non-stop sweat and dirt as well as a never-ending amount of physical labor?
Despite her misgivings, she loved Josh with all her heart and resigned herself to being a country wife. It didn’t mean she always enjoyed it or was particularly enthusiastic about the arrangement.
Today was a perfect example. The day started off fine when Josh left her to sleep in while he did the chores and irrigating. By the time he came in for breakfast, Jenna was up and dressed, ready to take on whatever project he had planned for the day.
He had her help him build some fence where their herd of Herefords seemed intent on escaping from the pasture. That took most of the morning.
It was hard work holding the supplies while intently watching her husband’s muscles ripple beneath his T-shirt as he stretched wire and pounded fencing staples. She barely managed to not break a sweat or a nail.
After she fixed them sandwiches for lunch and Josh took a quick twenty minute rest, he did some work in the shop before coming in and requesting her presence in their far pasture.
A ditch ran through the middle of the pasture. To irrigate it, Josh used gated pipe that was moved from one side of the ditch to the other, depending on which side was being irrigated.
Having not been involved in the pipe moving process before, Jenna didn’t think it looked like that hard of a job. Although jumping back and forth across the ditch was going to be a workout, the pipe looked easy enough to handle and Josh would do the work of hooking the pipes together and opening the gates.
With her brown bobbed hair pulled back into a ponytail, gloves in place and rubber boots on her feet, Jenna decided she was about as ready as she could get.
“Okay, Babe, I’m going to pull out the first pipe and tip the end up so it can drain. I just need you to hold the end while I move the connector hose to the other side of the ditch then we can get this project rolling,” Josh instructed, stepping easily across the ditch with his long legs.
“No problem,” Jenna said, holding up the end of the pipe. She hadn’t noticed it when the pipe was all connected, but now that the open end was close to her face, a ghastly assortment of vile smells rose up from it.
Wrinkling her nose, she looked at Josh. “What is that smell?”
“What smell?” Josh asked as he secured the connector to the end of the hose and took the end of the pipe from her, dragging it across the ditch.
“That horrendous smell coming from the pipe,” Jenna said, blinking her eyes at the fumes. “You honestly can’t smell it?”
“I guess I’ve gotten used to it,” Josh said with a smile that revealed even white teeth and the deep dimple in his left cheek. “Just think of it as the smell of money.”
Jenna laughed. “I know for a fact that money does not smell like that and you aren’t going to convince me otherwise.”
Josh set the pipe into place and glanced over his shoulder at Jenna with a grin. “Well, without this pipe we couldn’t water the pasture, which means the cattle wouldn’t have anywhere to graze, which means we couldn’t have them, which means we wouldn’t have the nice chunk of income we get when we sell them. So yes, lovely wife of mine, that smell is the smell of money.”
“Well, fine. Have it your way,” Jenna said with a huff as she picked up an end of the pipe and helped Josh carry it across the ditch. She guided her end into the previous pipe while Josh applied the muscle to make them connect.
They were making progress and Jenna thought they had a good rhythm going. She was getting a bit distracted from her duties watching Josh. When they were dating she had no idea beneath his fancy suits lurked the body of someone in prime physical condition, clearly accustomed to putting his impressive muscles to use.
Although she’d never admit it to him, she much preferred him in his role of farmer. Especially when she could stand and watch his sweat-soaked T-shirt fit like a second skin while his muscles bunched and stretched as he worked.
In fact, Jenna got so distracted watching Josh, she didn’t realize he’d already lifted his end of the pipe across the ditch while she was just picking hers up. As she grasped the end, a slew of disgusting, half-rotten, unidentifiable objects ran out to puddle down her legs and into her boots.
“Josh!” she screamed, dropping the end of her pipe with a thud, trying to swallow down her desire to be violently ill. She was frozen in place, afraid if she moved what slimy nastiness might bite her now-soaked feet.
In response to her distress, Josh dropped his end of the pipe and roared with laughter. He was laughing so hard, he could barely stand up. Then he looked at her and suddenly grew quiet. Her large chocolate brown eyes were about to shoot sparks and he saw her lip quiver.
Stepping back across the ditch, he put his gloves in his back pocket and took her by the arms.
“Babe, it’s okay. It’s just a little pipe slime,” he said, rubbing his hands comfortingly along her back.
“It’s more than just pipe slime. Something is wiggling in my boot,” Jenna said, nearing hysteria. “Do something!”
Josh kneeled on one knee and bent the other long leg as a seat for Jenna. When she sat down, he put his arm around her for support then quickly pulled off both boots, tipping them up. As the slime oozed out, they watched a frog hop off into the weeds lining the ditch bank. Looking in the mess, Jenna thought she saw what looked like part of a decomposed fish and something else that could have possibly at one time been a rodent.
Fighting the urge to gag, she looked at her socks and decided they would go in the trash as soon as she got home. Resigning herself to finishing the job, she pulled her boots back on with a shudder that shook her entire body.
Josh gave her a kiss and an encouraging pat on the back. “You’re a trooper, Babe. We’re almost done, so just hang in there.”
“Sure, whatever,” Jenna said as slime squished between her toes. Setting her focus on the last pipe, she kept intent on how many more steps she would have to take before they were done and she could go home.
Only two segments of pipe were left and Jenna was already envisioning the long shower she was going to take with her favorite perfumed body wash. It was while she was trying to conjure the scent in her head that she slid on the ditch bank and fell in. Soaked to the knees with ditch water, the end of the pipe poured slime all down the front of her shirt.
Josh had sense enough not to laugh this time and quickly set down his end of the pipe as he rushed to help her out of the ditch.
“Done. All done, Josh,” Jenna said, as she walked back toward the four-wheeler. She couldn’t make herself look down at her shirt and was afraid what she’d find if she took off her boots again, so she slogged ahead with ditch water oozing from her boots.
Josh hurriedly finished moving the last two pipes then ran to catch up to her before she got to the four-wheeler.
Picking her up, he carried Jenna the rest of the way, setting her carefully on
the back then drove home in silence.
Pulling up at the house, he tugged off her boots and socks then set her down on the mat at the back door.
“I’m really sorry, Babe,” Josh said, looking contrite. “I didn’t mean for you to get so dirty.”
Jenna glowered at him in irritation. It was then she felt something wiggling way too close for comfort and gasped.
Screaming, she stuck her hand down her shirt front and came out with a worm wiggling between her fingers.
Throwing it at Josh, she stomped inside the house and slammed the door.
<><><>
“I think I used half a tube of body scrub,” Jenna said, shuddering again as she remembered her afternoon experiences. “It was probably a good thing Josh headed over to the ranch to help Clay before I got out of the shower or who knows what might have happened.”
Laken was laughing outright and Callan was trying to hide her giggles behind her hand.
“I know it is so not funny, Jenna, but I can’t help it,” Callan said. “If it makes you feel any better, I had my own bit of fun earlier today as well.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Callan
Although her inner alarm clock woke her up at the usual hour of 5:30 a.m., Callan rolled over, reminding herself it was Saturday. She could sleep in today and enjoy a quiet, peaceful morning before she faced an appointment-filled afternoon.
Sighing contentedly, she snuggled into her pillow and almost drifted back to sleep when she felt something sweep across her cheek. Brushing at the annoyance, she attempted to relax. Again, something grazed her cheek and she waved her hand in front of her face.
“Clay, you better not be the cause of my loss of sleep or you are in trouble. Big trouble,” Callan grumbled, finally prying open one eye and looking up. She didn’t see anything looming over her. Looking to her side, Clay appeared to be sleeping quietly, a faint smile riding his full lips.
Turning on her side, she tugged the sheet up and once again settled into her pillow. She felt herself relax just as something tickled her neck. Shooting out her hand, she snatched the offending item and popped open her eyes. Looking down, she saw a feather clutched in her fingers. Glaring at Clay, he continued to appear to be sleeping.
“You are so busted, buster,” Callan said, stroking the feather beneath his chin, causing his lips to twitch.
His bright blue eyes opened and focused on her sparkling green ones. “How did you know it was me?” he asked in a rumbling voice that made Callan’s pulse pick up tempo.
“Who else would be annoying me this early in the morning, depriving me of much needed sleep. Seriously, Clay? Couldn’t you let me sleep in just one morning?” Callan said as she collapsed back onto her pillow and tried to look exhausted with her hand to her forehead.
“Sorry, Laney,” Clay said, calling her by the pet name he’d bestowed on her when they were dating. “I couldn’t help myself. You are too fun to tease and I wanted to say goodbye before I left this morning.”
“What?” Callan asked coming wide awake and noticing Clay was fully dressed in a cotton work shirt, jeans and boots. “Where are you going?”
“To the ranch. We’re in the middle of haying, some of the cattle need to be worked and one of the balers needs repaired. Josh is coming over this afternoon to help as soon as he gets done moving gated pipe.”
“Oh,” Callan managed to say. She knew summers were busy for Clay. Although his job as dean of agriculture at the community college gave him most of the summer off from teaching, he actively worked with his dad on the family ranch.
In the twelve years they’d been married, she’d yet to see Clay sleep in on a Saturday. But he usually left without waking her up.
“What’s different this morning?” Callan asked. “Why did you wake me up to say goodbye? You are coming back, aren’t you?”
“No, I thought I’d run off with one of the cute young things Mom hired to help with the cooking and cleaning this summer,” Clay said, shooting Callan a wicked grin.
She glared at him through her sleep-fogged state.
“Yes, I’m coming back but I didn’t know if I’d see you at all today since you are having dinner out with the girls. I wanted to tell you to have a good time.”
“We will. Thanks, Clay,” Callan said, reaching over to give him a hug.
He pulled her to his chest and held her close in his strong arms. “Love you, Laney.”
“Love you, too,” Callan said giving Clay what she thought would be a quick kiss. Before she quite knew what was happening, Clay kissed her with a passion that left them both a bit rattled and breathless.
“I think I better go now or I might change my mind and stay right here all day,” he said, sliding off the bed and setting his work Stetson on his curly sandy hair. “Enjoy your day, girl.”
“You, too, Clay,” Callan said, then blew him a kiss as he backed out the bedroom door.
Unable to fall back asleep, Callan finally got up and cleaned house. She did all the laundry, filed paperwork that needed attention and baked a batch of shortbread cookies, sprinkling the tops with turbinado sugar, knowing Clay would enjoy the treat.
She was just heading outside to work in her flower beds when the phone rang.
“Matthews residence, may I help you?” she said, answering the phone.
The voice on the other end of the line did not make her happy. At all. It was her boss from the convention center and he was unable to find an important file of information that was needed to prepare for an event that evening. Callan tried to explain that wasn’t part of her job duties, she hadn’t seen the file and didn’t know where to look for it, but finally gave up.
“Yes, sir. I’ll be there right away,” Callan said, highly irritated. Arty Bierwagon couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag, let alone a file among hundreds in their busy office.
Glad she had already showered, Callan hurried to get dressed in a summer business suit. Instead of putting up her hair as she usually did, she decided today to let her waist-length auburn hair hang free. It curled and waved down her shoulders in a heavy mass. The light green suit she wore brought out the green in her eyes and the pink in her cheeks. Slipping on a pair of high-heeled sandals, she grabbed her purse, briefcase and sunglasses then rushed out the door.
Hurrying to the convention center, she was soon able to locate the file, exactly where their director of events had left it. Making a copy of all the contents, she put the file back where she found it and took a copy to Mr. Bierwagon’s office. He was dozing in his chair when she knocked on the door.
“Yes, did you need something Ms. Matthews?” he asked in his nasally tone.
“I brought you the file you needed, Mr. Bierwagon,” Callan said, placing it on his desk and turning to leave.
“Well, aren’t you staying to work on the event? That is your job, you know.”
“Actually, it isn’t, Mr. Bierwagon. My job is creative director. I place the ads, do the marketing, generate the good public relations, and help schmooze the clients as needed. Ms. Barnes is in charge of the events and she said she would be here at the usual time to oversee everything.”
“Oh, that’s right. Got you mixed up again, didn’t I.”
“It would appear that way, sir.”
“You may be excused now, Ms. Matthews.”
Callan nodded her head and left the office. She absolutely loathed Arty but decided she was not going to let him ruin her day. Looking at her watch, she determined she had time to run a few errands before her first client appointment. She was pulling out of the conference center parking lot when her phone rang.
“Hi, Clay. What’s up?” she asked, pulling back into the parking lot while she spoke on the phone.
“Are you in town?” he asked, sounding like he was on a piece of equipment for all the noise rumbling in the background.
“Yes. Why?” a sense of foreboding settled over Callan and she began to wish she hadn’t answered the phone, even if it was Clay.
/> “Can you please stop by the John Deere dealership and pick up some parts then run them out here. One of the tractors broke down and we’ve got to get it going sooner rather than later.”
“Clay, I don’t …”
“Please, Laney. I already called and ordered the parts. All you have to do is go in and ask for the parts that are in my name and sign the bill. Please?”
Callan would have to hurry, but she should be able to run the parts out to the ranch and be back into town in plenty of time for her appointments.
“Fine. I’m on my way,” she said, closing her phone and driving to the dealership.
The clerk had the parts in a greasy box ready to be picked up. Callan looked from the box to the clerk to her suit. Deciding she couldn’t take a chance on getting dirty, she gave him a warm smile and asked if someone could carry them to the car for her. He gladly agreed and she was soon on her way out to the ranch.
Pulling in at the shop, Clay came out to her car. He was covered in dirt and grease. When Callan got out he stuck a hand out toward her then pulled back before he touched her.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were dressed for your appointments. You look really nice,” Clay said, carefully leaning over to plant a kiss on her cheek, admiring her the way her hair glinted in the sun and her outfit brightened the green in her eyes. “Did you get the parts?”
“Yes, they are in the trunk,” Callan said, walking to the back of her car. Clay picked up the box of parts and went into the shop with them.
Coming back out he was trailed by one of the hired hands who had worked on the Matthews Ranch for as long as Callan had been part of the family.
“Howdy, Miss Callan. How are you?” he asked, politely.
“I’m just fine Bud. How’s life treating you?” Callan asked with a genuine smile.
The Women of Tenacity Page 2
