An Unlikely Place for Love

by Ruth Ann Nordin

“Georgia was Chad’s entire world,” Jeff inserted. “He was heartbroken when she died. I don’t imagine he’ll be able to love another woman.”

  Chad knew what Jeff and Tim were doing and he didn’t like it. Don’t yell at them.

  “Maybe he hasn’t found a woman worth loving again,” Kate commented. “It would be a shame for someone as kind as Chad to go through the rest of his life alone.”

  She’s too good to be true, isn’t she? She had no idea how her words affected him.

  “Yes, we think Chad’s a good boy,” Tim said, smiling. “He does a lot of good for people, and we do appreciate him.”

  He rolled his eyes. Tim and Jeff couldn’t be trusted.

  “I agree with you, Tim. I think someone who willingly takes in his new farmhand’s sister without any questions is the kind of person who does good for others too,” she said. She smiled at Chad.

  Tim and Jeff scowled at him, but he didn’t care. He was pleased that she chose to say something so nice to him. Perhaps Billy said good things about me to her.

  When she turned back to them, they were smiling.

  “We hope you’ll come out on Saturday,” Tim told her. “We would like to introduce you to the other people in town. We think you’ll like them.”

  “I’ll be there,” she decided.

  They beamed.

  Chad sighed. “Let’s call it a day.” He turned to the house and started walking to it. It was too late to start any lengthy chore anyway.

  “Will you gentlemen be coming out tomorrow?” she asked Tim and Jeff.

  “We come out every day, Monday through Friday,” Jeff assured her.

  “Then I’ll get a chance to see you tomorrow.”

  Chad frowned. Was she looking forward to seeing them? He noted that as soon as Tim and Jeff said good-bye and left, she ran after him. He reached the front door by the time she caught up with him.

  “Can I help you with dinner?” she offered.

  He didn’t hide his surprise. “You don’t have to do that. I can make something. I’m used to cooking.”

  “Then can I keep you company while you cook? With Billy sleeping, I don’t have anyone to talk to and I spent the day by myself.”

  He was pleased she wanted to talk to him but wondered if she would have preferred Tim and Jeff’s company. He pushed such thoughts aside and smiled at her. “I would like to talk to you while I cook. What do you like to eat?”

  “Oh, anything you make will be fine. I’m not picky. Besides, I’ve inconvenienced you enough. I don’t wish to be a burden.”

  “Believe me, you’re not a burden.”

  He opened the door for her. He followed her into the house and noted how wonderful she looked when she walked. No doubt, Jeff and Tim enjoyed the same view. He forced aside his irritation at the thought of those two looking at her in such a way. Then he had to wonder if he was any better than them since he was responding to her in the same way. But I wouldn’t use her and they would. There was a difference.

  She stood next to him while he got some canned items and put them on the counter. He hoped his slight shaking wasn’t showing. He was thirty-six but he was acting like a twenty year old. He really felt out of sync with the rest of the world. Being away from women for ten months definitely had an affect on him that he wasn’t aware of until he saw her that morning. It was as if he was discovering women for the first time, and it was a very pleasant sensation.

  “If you need me to do anything, just let me know,” she said. “I really don’t mind helping you.”

  Just talking to me is more than enough. He shrugged. “I don’t know what you can do. I have everything under control. It is nice to have you here to talk to.”

  She smiled at him. Her smile lit up the room. The place seemed much brighter with her there. “I did enjoy our conversation earlier today. Billy says you are a good man.”

  He tried to hide his pleasure that Billy would do that for him. “Billy’s a good man too. It’s rare to find someone who not only does his job but does his best at it. I was a little rough on him when he learned to clip wool off a sheep and trying to lasso cattle. I never did apologize for it.”

  She seemed touched by his confession. “I’m sure he knows you didn’t mean any harm in what you said.”

  He sighed. “He didn’t deserve it. I’m going to have to apologize to him next time I see him.” He unscrewed the lids that were on the cans. “I hope you don’t mind beef stew. I’ll also be adding a fruit salad.”

  “Those sound delicious.” She paused. “Do you plan to go to the potluck on Saturday?”

  “No. I don’t like to go to town.”

  “Do you mind if I ask why? Should I avoid going as well?”

  “That’s up to you. If you go, I recommend that you go with Billy. He knows his way to town and will look after your best interest.”

  “It would be more fun if you were there, but if you would rather not, then I won’t press the issue.”

  Did she enjoy being with him? “I’ll consider it,” he finally said. “In case you’re wondering, I’m not mourning over my dead wife. It’s not the way Tim and Jeff make it sound.”

  “I figured that they’re all talk. I deal with men like that all the time.”

  “Do you have the same uncanny ability to figure people out like your brother does?”

  She nodded. “I think it annoys a lot of people.”

  “Only if they have something to hide.”

  “Doesn’t everyone have something they need to keep to themselves? I mean, we can’t always be an open book.”

  “That’s true. I hadn’t considered that before.” He glanced at her. “You and your brother are a lot alike. It’s almost as if you are the same person.”

  She laughed.

  He grinned. She had a nice laugh.

  “You’d be surprised at how much alike we really are,” she replied. “I notice you do a lot of work. Do you ever take time to have fun?”

  He shrugged as he mixed the vegetables and beef into a pot of boiling water. He added some broth to the pot and stirred it together. Then he turned his attention to the canned fruits to put in a large bowl. “I do a lot of reading. There’s not much for someone to do out here. I suppose that is the attraction of the town.”

  “I don’t know. It is peaceful here. The landscape is amazing. I can see why Billy wants to see the country. It’s so different from back east.”

  “What is your home like?”

  “There are a lot of trees and mountains. I live in the valley though, so the mountains are in the distance.”

  “In California, there are mountains as well. I lived close to the Pacific Ocean.”

  “Do you wish to go back?”

  “No.”

  “Do you wish to stay here?”

  “It’s alright to be here. I like the solitude. I feel close to God out here. But I can be anywhere and be close to Him. As long as God’s in my life, it doesn’t really matter where I am. Don’t get me wrong,” he quickly added before she got the idea he didn’t want her around, “I do like to have someone nice to spend my time with.”

  “I agree. I didn’t find anyone worth being with back home. If you had been there, I wouldn’t have even bothered to track Billy down to visit him.”

  She has no idea how much her words are affecting me.

  She looked out the kitchen window. “After dinner, will you show me your fields? I am interested in seeing them but didn’t wish to go with Tim or Jeff.”

  She wants to go with me. His heart raced in his chest. It seemed to be too soon to want to kiss her. It must be the solitude catching up to me. He didn’t wish to rush things. If there’s anything to even come of her being here. He knew he would gladly follow her anywhere. She was so different from Georgia. She was sincere and real.

  “I’ll be glad to show you the place,” he responded.

  “Can I set the table?” She put her hand on his arm and looked up at him with her amazing blue eyes. “Really, I don
’t mind helping you.”

  “I don’t want to be a rude host.”

  “You aren’t. I’m asking to help you. You would be rude to say no to my request.”

  He chuckled. “The way you reason things makes it hard for me to resist you.”

  “Good. I want to please you.”

  “You’re succeeding.” He couldn’t look at her as he said it. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat.

  “You please me too,” she whispered. She quietly went to the cabinets to get the plates and glasses.

  “Will you get a plate for Billy? I don’t want him to go hungry tonight.”

  “I’ll do that. I’ll even take the plate to the barn so he can eat it when he gets up.”

  “Kate, what is your life like back home?”

  She glanced up from the dishes as she put them on the table. “I have a good life. I have many friends and a wonderful family. I’m the oldest but the only girl.”

  “You have two younger brothers?”

  She nodded. “My family is in the lumber business. With all the trees in Virginia, it’s easy to see why we do so well.”

  “I thought you were from Kentucky.”

  “Kentucky is where I was born. We moved to Virginia when I was a child. My father set up the lumber business there.” She set the utensils next to the plates. “I do a lot of reading and even decided to take over the library in town. The person who owned it before was going to tear it down, so I bought it and repaired it. I don’t make any money from it but I do enjoy doing what I can to give people a place to read. My actual job is being a secretary at Senator Tanner’s office.”

  He turned to her in interest. “Senator Tanner. I heard he was murdered.” And your brother saw it happen. Did she know that? He knew he couldn’t reveal that information to her because Billy had told him about it in confidence.

  She took a deep breath and looked back at the plates. “Yes. The murders were a shock.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t get the details of the situation. I just overheard Tim and Sam talking about it to Billy. I take it that the murderer is still loose?”

  “They are.”

  “They? The newspaper only mentioned one murderer.”

  She looked startled by his question. “I don’t think it was just one person.”

  “Do you know something more about it than what is in the newspaper?”

  “I have my suspicions.”

  He wondered if Billy told her that he witnessed the murders after all. He sighed, realizing he couldn’t ask her that since it was up to Billy to tell or not tell her what he saw. “Did you leave because it was too painful to stay there?”

  “Yes.” She quickly wiped some tears from her eyes.

  He set the bowl aside and walked over to her. “It’s been a long time since I’ve tried to comfort anyone. I’m not good at this kind of thing, but is there something I can do to help you?”

  “Would you hold me?”

  Is that all? He took her in his arms and softly held her. She felt wonderful. He didn’t ever want to let her go. He could hardly remember the last time he hugged a woman. Georgia hadn’t been very affectionate when he was courting her. He had assumed it was because she was shy, but after he married her, he soon learned that she had no desire for physical intimacy. She was relieved when he left her alone.

  So when Kate wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled closer to him, he was almost afraid of the swell of emotions that came over him. He was grateful, relieved, terrified and aroused at the same time. He feared she would turn away from him, but she didn’t. She softly cried into his shoulder and stayed with him. He closed his eyes and tightened his hold on her. He rested his cheek against her hair. She smelled wonderful. He wanted to hold her forever. He hadn’t felt close to anyone like this. Not even the few times Georgia allowed him to have sex with her was as intimate as holding Kate. He didn’t realize a simple hug could be so amazing.

  After several minutes, she reluctantly pulled away from him. “Thank you, Chad,” she whispered. She softly kissed his cheek. “I am glad I’m with you.”

  “Me too.”

  She smiled at him. “The pot is boiling over.”

  So am I. He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “I better take care of that.” He let go of her and turned his attention back to the dinner.

  After dinner, they went to the barn where he quietly saddled Reliable so they could take a ride in the fields. He didn’t wish to wake Billy up in case he was still sleeping. When he helped her on the horse, he was surprised with the ease in which she handled herself on the horse. She sat behind him and had her arms wrapped around his waist. She was familiar enough with a horse that she didn’t have to hold onto him too tightly, but he noted that she held him close anyway.

  Once they were out of hearing range of the barn so he wouldn’t wake Billy up, he asked her, “Do you ride horses often?”

  “You can tell I’m used to them?”

  “You handle riding with ease.”

  “Yes, I am good on a horse. I’ve won some ribbons and trophies in horse competitions. You do well on a horse as well. I can tell that Reliable enjoys it when you take him out.”

  He grinned. “I like him too. He’s always been a good, dependable animal.” He paused. “So, Billy isn’t the only one in your family who excels on a horse. I heard he won all the races he’s been in since he got here. He’s pretty popular.”

  “Billy’s always had a way with winning people over.”

  He had a feeling that she did too but didn’t say it.

  “I have to admit that it is beautiful out here,” she reflected.

  The sun shone brightly on the yellow and green landscape. They passed a river. He motioned to it. “If you need to take a bath, this river is a good place to do that. There’s plenty of privacy and the sun warms it up nicely during the day.”

  “I’ll be sure to remember that.”

  The ride through the fields was pleasant. He enjoyed being with her. He hadn’t realized how lonely he had been until he spent time with her. Though he liked talking to Billy, it was much nicer to be with her. After Georgia died, the last thing he wanted was another woman in his life. He was shocked when several women in town made their attraction to him known. He suspected they wanted the farm he came with, so he stopped going to town altogether and grew his own fruits and vegetables.

  He mainly lived off the land. He had plenty of cattle and sheep for meat. Travis brought him food ingredients from the grocery store in town so he could make things like bread, and he paid Travis for doing this. It was safer for him to stay in the quiet, peaceful world he carefully created. With the exception of Sam, Tim and Jeff, he didn’t have to deal with anyone. He spent most of his time working and praying or reading books, including the Bible. He had decided to hire another farmhand because his cattle and sheep had more offspring in the past year than he expected. His gardens were also doing better than anticipated, so he needed someone dependable to help him get his work done. He wondered if God had blessed him so that he would have to hire someone. Could it be that God planned to bring Kate into his life? Was she meant to be his wife?

  He took his time showing her the property, for he wanted to be with her for as long as possible. He knew that Tim, Jeff and Sam would be out the next day to hog her attention. He wondered if they would bring anyone else out to the farm. He was dreading that part of the equation.

  “Do you ever ride Star?” she asked.

  He was startled by the question. “No. I leave Star to herself. I suppose I should have let you ride Buck. I didn’t realize you were familiar with riding horses until we were already riding this one.”

  “Well, it is nice to ride on a horse together.”

  He felt his cheeks grow warm. “It is fun,” he softly admitted.

  When they returned to the barn, he unsaddled Reliable and put him back into his stall. “Do you think your brother is up yet?” he asked her. “I could make us all something to drink
. I’m sure he’d like to talk to you. You probably didn’t get much of a chance to talk to him last night.”

  She smiled at him. “You are very thoughtful. I would love to talk to him, but I do confess that I would like to have that drink alone with you. I will talk to him afterwards.”

  His heart beat faster at her words. “I’m afraid he’ll think I’m selfish with the way I’m stealing your attention from him.”

  She shrugged. “So, be selfish. I don’t mind being selfish for this reason. I’m sure that Billy will be alright with it too.”

  He nodded. “Very well. Do you like hot chocolate?”

  “I do.”

  He walked with her back into the house and had a good conversation with her for the next hour. He discovered that they shared a common love for God, reading, horses, and dancing. She asked him if he had a phonogram for playing music. Since he did, they danced to several musical pieces.

  “I didn’t realize you were a fan of Beethoven and Bach,” she said as they danced.

  He was having trouble concentrating on anything but how wonderful she felt as he held her close. “I used to dance to them a lot in California.”

  “I danced a lot to them back home as well. My parents were insistent that I learn to dance.”

  He smiled. “I had parents like that too. I have been to my share of dinner parties and dances. My life in California was a lot different from the one I have here. I grew up in a wealthy environment but had to give it up when I married Georgia. I told her that would be the case, but I don’t think she believed me until we were married and I didn’t have a dime to my name.”

  “Did that upset her?”

  He didn’t realize he had said so much about his past. It was too easy to talk to her. He decided he might as well continue. He didn’t wish to push her away. “Yes, it did. I suspect that my money was the only reason she married me. My family realized what she was like but I didn’t want to believe anything bad about her, so they told me that they would disown me if I went through with the wedding. I married her anyway and decided to go to the Dakota territory with her. I figured that she was my new family. She wasn’t pleased when she discovered I became broke because I married her.”