An Unlikely Place for Love

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Chris smiled. “So either way, I get to have a pretty woman on my arm. That hardly sounds like I’m going to lose.”

  “Then it’s a bet. You are my witnesses,” she said.

  “You can’t bet on women who aren’t here to agree to this,” Chad inserted.

  “Oh, I’m going to win,” she assured him. “There’s no way this annoying man over here can beat me on a horse. I’ve seen him ride and he’s not that great.”

  “What?” Chris looked offended. “I’m the best there is in San Francisco.”

  “Well, I’m the best there is in the country,” she told him.

  “Billy, we want to see you with Lacy,” Sam said.

  She sighed. “I keep telling you all that she and I aren’t meant to be. I refuse to be tied down to a woman. Besides, Lacy doesn’t have to marry him. She just has to spend the day with him. However, if it does work out and they marry and have a son, they can name him Billy.”

  “I’m not interested in Lacy. I’m interested in Kate,” Chris remarked.

  She laughed as if that was the funniest thing she ever heard.

  “What?” Chris was clearly upset.

  She shook her head. “She deals with men like you all the time. She can see right through you. Your motives are selfish. You’re not interested in her. You’re interested in what she can do for you.”

  “Which isn’t a whole lot,” Jeff added.

  Now Chad was upset because Jeff just put her down.

  “Are you still moping about yesterday?” she asked him.

  “I’m not moping.”

  She clearly didn’t believe him. “It’s better that you found out sooner than later. At least now, you can avoid the misery.”

  “That’s true,” Sam reluctantly admitted. “We’re much better off.”

  Tim nodded.

  Chad grabbed the bottles full of milk and took them to the basement. He wondered what she did to lose their interest. When he came back into the kitchen, they had just finished their meals.

  “So, it’s a deal,” she told Chris. “I’ll meet you at the fairgrounds on Saturday at noon. Get your dancing shoes ready for Lacy because you’ll need them.”

  As Sam, Tim and Jeff left, Chris walked over to him at the sink where Chad got ready to wash the dishes.

  “Care to sign those papers now?” Chris asked him. “I’d be willing to forfeit the race if you do.”

  “What papers?” Kate asked.

  “It’s not your concern.” He didn’t look back at her. He kept his focus on Chad. “We both know that once I get a chance to be with her without the interruption of other men fawning all over her, she’ll fall in love with me.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “I can’t wait to watch you with Lacy. You have no idea how much you two really deserve each other.” She turned to Chad. “Don’t you dare sign those papers. You have nothing to worry about. Anyone can see exactly what Chris is like.” She took a deep breath to calm down. “What would you like me to do now?”

  “Why don’t you go check on the cattle in the field?” He didn’t know if she would pick up on the hint for her to change back to her Kate persona but he hoped so. He wanted to see her as Kate.

  She nodded and left the house.

  “You don’t know what you’re up against,” Chad finally said, turning his attention back to the dishes.

  “So you’ll risk Kate?” Chris asked.

  “I’m not signing anything.” He washed the dishes without looking at his brother.

  Chris gritted his teeth and quietly left.

  Chad breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t enjoy these types of confrontations which was why he learned to keep to himself. He wanted to simply go about his life in peace and quiet. Was that too much for a man to ask?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Kate wasn’t sure if she should put on her shirt and skirt or not, but she knew she had to make an appearance as Kate or the men would get suspicious about her and wonder if she was hiding something. So she took her time in putting on her female clothing and brushed her long wavy blond hair. She had finally turned off Sam, Tim and Jeff. She wasn’t aware that men wanted sex so badly that they would easily dismiss a woman who was appalled by it. She recalled her conversation with the three men earlier that morning after she helped Chad wash the dog:

  They waved her over while she was still soaking wet.

  “Billy, is your sister aware of what sex entails?” Sam asked her.

  “What are you talking about?” she wondered, shocked at the question.

  “Two days ago, she told us that a stork named Bonnie delivered babies,” Jeff told her. “Then yesterday when we described the process to her, she panicked and ran off.”

  That was when she remembered that she had been distracted by Chad and the two other women while they were explaining how babies were conceived. She almost laughed and told them it was a big misunderstanding when it suddenly occurred to her that this repulsed them. Now that she knew for sure that Chad did care for her after all, she didn’t need to try to make him jealous.

  “You’re right,” she responded. “Mother told her about the stork so she wouldn’t be scared to get married. Kate’s always had delicate sensibilities. She came running to me late yesterday afternoon and cried about how disgusting the whole thing was and how she swore off sex altogether. Then I explained to her that Chad won’t be able to perform that particular function in a marriage, and she was very relieved. I had no idea she was offended by something so natural.”

  “What a shame,” Tim sighed. “She’s so beautiful but what good is it if no one can enjoy her?”

  “It’s better you found out now rather than later.”

  They looked disappointed but nodded.

  She was greatly relieved. Thankfully, she didn’t have to worry about them anymore. But she did have to worry about Chris. She didn’t understand what he was up to when he went to her while she was dressed as Billy and asked her all kinds of questions about Kate. He asked her about what Kate wanted in a man. She told him that Kate wanted Chad and that he had no chance with her. He wouldn’t leave her alone though. Despite her insistence that she wasn’t going to tell him anything, he wouldn’t leave her alone. Finally, she told him, “I have to do my work. If you want me to give you information, then you’ll have to grab a paintbrush. Still interested?” He cringed and finally left her alone until it was time to have lunch. That’s when she agreed to the bet with him. She didn’t know how good he was but she knew she had a good chance of winning.

  After she got dressed in her blue shirt and brown skirt, she climbed down the ladder. She wasn’t sure where Chad was. She knew he would be working somewhere. Just as she turned from the ladder, she saw him. That’s odd. How did he know I’d be right here?

  To her surprise, he didn’t say anything. He simply smiled at her and took her in his arms and kissed her. She loved the feel of his arms as he held her close to him. The thrill of his kisses made her feel lightheaded. Despite her cold appearance to the other men, she was secretly looking forward to having sex but knew that the proper time for it had to be after marriage.

  When their kiss ended, he held her close to him. “I missed you this morning,” he whispered in her ear.

  His breath both tickled and excited her at the same time. “I missed you too.”

  He smiled and reluctantly let go of her. “I need to go to the field and talk to your brother.”

  Her eyes widened. She hadn’t expected this. “Why?”

  “He made a bet that he didn’t have to.” He looked at the stalls. “Why are all the horses here? Didn’t he go check the cattle like I asked him to?”

  She quickly thought of a reason why Reliable was still waiting in his stall. “Oh. Well, Billy wanted to get some things ready before he left.”

  “Really? What things did he have to get ready?”

  “Men things. He was vague about it.” It was getting harder to lie. People could only be fooled for so long, especially
when it was someone she spent so much time with.

  “Men things?” Then he laughed and nodded. “Oh. Those things.”

  She suddenly wondered what that meant. Did men do certain things before a job that women weren’t aware of?

  Before she had time to think about it, he reached for her hand and led her to a pile of neatly stacked hay and lifted her so she sat on it. He jumped up next to her, sat and held her hand. “Did he tell you about the bet he made with my brother?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you alright with it?”

  “Sure. Chris doesn’t have a chance. He’ll be spending the day with Lacy.”

  “I don’t need your brother to bail me out of anything. I’m not going to sign those papers.”

  “What are those papers for?”

  “My father passed away a couple of years ago and my mother just passed away. She updated her will and left me half of the estate. Chris wants me to sign over my half to him. I told him I won’t do it. He’s using you as a bargaining chip.”

  She had already gathered that much information, but she couldn’t tell him that without revealing her secret. So she settled for a safe answer. “He’s not interested in me.”

  “But I am and he’s trying to use that to his advantage.”

  “He did this with Georgia?”

  “How did you know that?”

  “There was a conversation the men all had yesterday and Billy filled me in on the details.”

  “Oh.”

  “Certainly you know that you’re the one I’m interested in.”

  “The kisses have been good indicators.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m not worried about the other men. I don’t like the attention they give you but I can’t help how they react to you. But Billy needs to cancel the bet. It’s not right to bargain on a person, much less money.”

  “I’m not the one who’s really on the bargaining table. Lacy is. Billy figures once Lacy has to spend time with Chris, she’ll forget all about Billy. He doesn’t plan to lose.”

  “I can see the point to the bet, but it’s not fair to use you like this.”

  “Let him use me. I don’t mind. Really, he’s going to win.”

  “Chris is pretty good on a horse.”

  “And so is Billy.” Why were they arguing about this? Chad already knew how she felt about him.

  “I really can’t talk you out of anything you set your mind to.”

  “Billy knows what he’s doing.”

  “He’d better because I have something special I want to do with you on that day.”

  “Really? What?” She smiled.

  “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” He gave her a light kiss before he helped her back down. “I have to get back to work.”

  ***

  The next morning, she dressed up in her Billy disguise again. It was getting more and more difficult for her to remember what she said and did as Billy as opposed to what she said and did as Kate. Chad would bring something up that Billy supposedly said but she didn’t remember saying it. Then, he would mention something Kate said when she was Billy, but she didn’t remember that either. She began to wonder if switching roles as frequently as she was led her to forget little details.

  That morning as she brought eggs into the house, Chad looked at her as if he hadn’t expected her. “Where’s Kate?” he asked.

  “She’s sleeping like she does every morning,” she replied. Wasn’t he used to that by now? She handed him the eggs.

  “Yesterday evening she said she would be having breakfast with me while you slept in for a change.”

  She didn’t recall saying that. She was sure she told him she would see him after lunch. She struggled to remember their conversation from the previous evening before she went to her loft to sleep for the night.

  “Maybe she’ll be coming in soon.” Chad shrugged and cracked the eggs into the skillet. “Thank you for the eggs. I was ready to get them but you beat me to it. It’s like you can read my mind.”

  She stared out the window. Did she say she would have breakfast with him as Kate?

  “I hope you like cheese omelets,” he said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

  “Oh, yes. I do.” She couldn’t exactly run back to the barn to change into Kate. That would be too suspicious. She took a deep breath. “I don’t think Kate will be coming for breakfast. She was up late last night reading. She was reading the book you bought her before going to bed.” That much was true.

  Chad didn’t hide his disappointment. “I’m sorry to hear that. I had hoped to ask her something important.”

  Was he talking about a marriage proposal? She wished she was dressed up as Kate. “I could pass the question along to her.”

  He smiled at her. “No. This is the kind of thing you ask in person. I’d rather wait until she’s with me.”

  She sighed. She would have to wait to find out what he wanted to ask her. She turned back to the meal he was preparing. “Do you want some help?”

  “I’ve already told you that I got it covered.”

  She nodded and sat down to wait for him. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  “Well, I was thinking of working on your upper body strength. I’m going to have you carry some bags of seed and fertilizer from the shed to the vegetable garden.”

  She frowned. That sounded like heavy work. “But I’m not very strong.”

  “Which is why we need to work on that. You can’t be going to someone else’s farm unless you’re prepared for some of the tougher tasks. The other men will laugh at you.”

  She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I suppose you’re right. Are you going to help me?”

  “I won’t be able to help this morning. I have to give the horses a bath.”

  “I can do that. I love horses. I’ve given them many baths. I can even give them shots and put their shoes on.”

  “That’s nice to know for the future, but I really need to do some planting in the garden this afternoon.”

  She inwardly groaned. She didn’t know how she was going to carry those heavy bags all the way to the garden. She had seen those bags and they weighed more than things she was used to carrying. She bit her lower lip apprehensively.

  “You’ll do fine,” he assured her. “Just use the wheelbarrow and wheel the bags on over.”

  She felt better with that option. “Alright.”

  He finished making the omelets and put them on the plates.

  “I didn’t realize you knew how to make so much food.” She was impressed with his wide range of meals that he knew how to prepare.

  “It’s not a big deal. I experimented with a lot of different recipes.” He set the plates on the table and got the glasses of milk ready. “I haven’t made omelets in over three years. It’s actually nice to have them again.”

  She waited for him to sit across from her before she began eating. “This is good,” she said. She was shocked a man could cook as well as he did. He was as good as her female servant who cooked for her.

  “How do you like being a farmhand?” he asked.

  “It’s not too bad,” she honestly replied. “It’s hard work but in a way, it’s nice to do some physical labor. Of course, my favorite part is doing stuff with the horses.”

  “I’m sure you won’t have any trouble getting a farmhand job in the future.”

  She decided not to respond since she wasn’t planning on doing that. Instead, she nodded and continued to eat.

  “Do you mind if I ask what my brother wanted when he wouldn’t leave you alone yesterday?”

  She glanced at him. “I didn’t realize you noticed.”

  “I notice a lot of things that happen here.”

  “Oh, well, he was grilling me for information on Kate. I wouldn’t give in though. He’s completely wrong for her. I understand what he’s doing and he’s not going to succeed.”

  “You don’t have to get him t
o race you tomorrow. I’m not signing those papers.”

  “What are those papers for anyway?”

  “Don’t you remember?”

  She hesitated. Was this another one of those moments where she forgot what she learned as Kate or Billy. She was sure that he had told Kate about his mother’s will. “No,” she slowly responded as she searched her mind for the correct person he had told the information to.

  “You were standing right over there.” Chad pointed to the counter by the sink. “I told you yesterday after you told me not to sign them.”

  “I’m pretty sure you didn’t. I walked out after I told you not to sign them.”

  “That’s not the way I remember it.” He looked at her with great concern. “Are you feeling alright?”

  She blinked. “Of course, I am.” She was, wasn’t she?

  He sighed and shook his head. “It’s so odd that you are forgetting so many things. I hope the hay isn’t affecting your memory.”

  “Hay can’t affect memory.”

  “That’s what Burton Myer said before he forgot who he was.”

  “What?”

  “Didn’t you hear about Burton Myer?”

  She shook her head.

  “He used to farm the fields that way.” He pointed to the south. “He was as sharp as a whip and could recall any minute detail. Well, he took a liking to sleeping in the barn because the hay was comfortable. Anyway, after a couple of weeks, he began to forget little things. These things were minor. They were stuff like what color shirt he wore the day before or a simple comment he made to someone. He didn’t think anything of it at first, but after another week, he began to forget parts of his childhood and entire conversations he had with someone. Once a full month passed, he even forgot who he was. It was really sad. You should ask the other farmhands about him.”

  She didn’t like the sound of this. Could hay really affect her memory too? Was that why she was forgetting things that she had told Chad or he told her?

  “By the way,” Chad continued after he finished eating, “tell Kate that green is her color.”

  “Green?”