Truth be told, her mind had become clearer in the last twenty-four hours than it had been in the last nine months. The sun had felt good on her skin, and the fresh air was almost addicting. Looking back towards the house, she felt a sense of sadness, knowing her donor, Janice, was the missing link in their family. She hadn’t quite figured out the connection, but she was sure Janice was Beverly’s daughter and probably Courtney’s sister-in-law, since Beverly had described Courtney as her daughter-in-law.
Darien shrugged and went back to nailing the boards to the fence. She wasn’t quite ready to face the bitter truth.
***
Later that afternoon, Darien carried one of the five gallon buckets and two brushes out to the main road and began painting the fence, one post and one board at time. The property was nearly fifty acres, so she estimated it taking her the better part of three weeks to get the entire thing painted, give or take a few days if she were to be pulled aside for other projects, like fixing machinery or replacing broken and missing boards along the way.
She made it a point to end her day early, so she wouldn’t have to remove her sunglasses. Her new eye color was striking, and she knew it would give her away, leading to many questions that she didn’t know the answers to. She quickly cleaned out the brushes and put the paint buckets off to the side in the barn before walking towards her car. Suddenly, a backfiring sound from a tractor in the distance sent her mind straight to the frontlines of war. Darien hit the pavement, scurrying for cover as she checked her flank and reached for her automatic rifle. The fading sound of her name being called in the distance, moving closer and closer, finally brought her back to reality. She hadn’t had an episode that severe since she’d gotten her sight back; definitely not while she was awake. Most of her nights, however, were still riddled with bad dreams.
“Are you alright?” Ernie asked.
Darien turned her head, looking for the voice. “Yeah,” she sighed, seeing Ernie come into her line of sight.
“Beverly mentioned you were a veteran. I guess you were in the war, huh?”
“Something like that,” she sighed, forcing a fake smile.
“Well, have a good one. I’ll see you in the morning,” he replied, walking away.
Darien got into her rental car, pulled out of the driveway as the sun began to set over the rolling hills, and headed towards town. She wanted an ice-cold beer to calm her nerves and cool her from the hot sun, but she knew alcohol would only make her PTSD symptoms worse.
She rolled the window down, letting the fresh air in as she chuckled, thinking about how the rental car, gas, and motel stay were costing her nearly twice what she was being paid at her new job for the week. Therefore, it was actually costing her money to work at the farm. It certainly was unconventional, and completely out of the perfect box she’d built around her life, but for some unexplainable reason, being on the farm made her feel alive again.
Chapter 7
At the end of the week, Darien couldn’t remember the last time she’d done so much manual labor for a job. She was worn out, but it felt good. The physically active job was better than going to any gym. She’d only seen Courtney a couple of times since all she’d been doing was working on the fence, while Courtney and Ernie tended to the agriculture crops. Darien had noticed a young guy at the house a couple of times, talking with Courtney, and assumed he was Beverly’s son who managed the dairy side of the farm. He was also more than likely Courtney’s husband. He stood a little too close for a co-worker, and lingered too long for a friend. The plain gold band on the ring finger of her left hand was a dead giveaway. Plus, Beverly had referred to Courtney as her daughter-in-law when they’d first met. As soon as Darien came in from the field for another large bucket of paint, Beverly invited Darien inside for lunch, which she politely accepted. A platter of sandwiches was sitting on the table next to a large pitcher of lemonade.
“How was your first week?” she asked, sitting down adjacent to Darien.
“Fine. Thank you, again.”
Beverly nodded towards the plate. “Help yourself. They’re turkey and ham with a few different kinds of cheese and brown mustard.”
Darien smiled and grabbed one of the sandwiches.
“It has to be costing you more for that rental car and motel room than I’m paying you.”
“How do you—”
“This is a small town, honey. There isn’t much that gets past the folks around here,” Beverly interrupted. “Anyway, we have a little apartment above the barn. There’s not much to it—a sink, mini fridge, microwave, twin bed, stand up shower, couple of tables, and a ratty old sofa. Ernie used to rent it from us until he moved in with his girlfriend a few months ago. I think he left some dishes and utensils.” She paused. “It’s yours if you want it.”
“How much?” Darien asked.
Beverly shook her head. “No charge. I can’t pay you a higher wage, but I know how hard you work. Call it a bonus.” She shrugged.
Darien thought about it as she ate her lunch. It would save her money for sure. The living conditions weren’t exactly ideal, but she’d lived in much worse while on deployment. “Okay,” she said, nodding her head.
“Great. Check out of the motel and return your rental car this afternoon. I’ll have Ernie bring you back here.”
Darien wasn’t thrilled about having no transportation. If she decided she couldn’t handle her secret any longer, she’d need a way to the airport, but she was wasting money on the car.
“I see the gears in your head turning,” Beverly laughed softly. “Mr. Miller, down the road, has a slew of crap at his farm. He will probably sell you a vehicle if you feel the need to have one. Oh, and you can wash your clothes in our washer and dryer. There’s not one in the apartment and the closest Laundromat is in town.”
“Thanks. Do you mind if I take the rest of the day off to settle my affairs?”
“That’s not a problem. I’ll send Ernie for you in a few hours.”
“My rental is from the airport in Cedar Rapids, so I’ll return it and take a taxi back to the motel.”
“Nonsense. He’ll meet you at the airport in three hours.”
Darien nodded with a smile. “Thank you for lunch, and well, for everything.”
***
Darien’s phone didn’t get much of a signal at the farm. It was hit or miss most of the time, so she had to wait until she was back in town to call Val and give her an update. She decided to drive down to Mr. Miller’s beforehand.
“Can I help you?” an old man asked. He’d seen the little white car coming down the road before it turned into his long driveway.
“Mr. Miller?” Darien asked, stepping out.
“Who’s asking?”
Darien stuck her hand out. “Staff Sergea—” Darien cleared her throat. She still wasn’t used to dropping her military title. “Darien Hollister. I’m a farmhand at Hoffman Farm up the road. I’m looking for a vehicle, and Beverly said you may be able to help me.”
“Oh, she did?” He nodded, spitting tobacco on the ground. He looked down, noticing the recon boots on her feet. “You military?”
“Retired,” she answered, noticing the wrinkled Navy anchor tattooed on his arm.
“I might have something around here for you. Come on.”
Darien followed him as they walked around the side of his house to what Darien could only refer to as a car graveyard. Mr. Miller pointed to a large garage with five or six vehicles in it, mostly cars from the fifties and sixties with a pair of vintage, worn-out trucks in the middle.
“You can have one of those trucks for a thousand. They both run, just need a little TLC.”
Darien nodded and walked around, looking at both of them, paying careful attention to one in particular. It was a little rusty with faded blue paint.
“That’s a 1950 Ford F100. It came from the factory with a flathead V8 and a three speed column shift transmission, but my son replaced it with a straight six and four on the floor in the ‘
80s when he was driving it to high school,” he said, shaking his head.
“When’s the last time you had it running?” Darien asked.
“Oh, my grandson and I mess around out here every now and then. I think we drove that one about six months ago.”
“I’ll be back tomorrow with the cash.”
“Sounds good. I’ll get my grandson to put some fresh gas in it and air up the tires for you. He’s spending the summer here with us, so that’ll give him something to do.”
“Great. See you in the morning.”
***
Darien made it to the bank just before closing time to withdraw the cash. Then, she headed to her motel where she packed up her suitcase and checked out at the front desk. On the way to the airport, she dialed Val’s number.
“Hey, I was starting to worry about you,” Val answered.
“I’m fine. Heading to the airport at the moment actually.”
“Oh, that’s great. So, you’re heading home?”
“Not exactly. That’s why I was calling. I’ve decided to stay longer.”
“Did you meet the family?”
“I think so.”
“You think? Darien, what the hell have you been doing all week?”
Darien cleared her throat. “Working on their farm.”
“What?”
“My donor’s family owns a dairy and agriculture farm. They were hiring when I drove up and assumed that’s why I was here. I clammed up and said yes. Anyway, I’m renting an apartment over the barn and I don’t get very good cell service out there. That’s why I’m calling. You’ll need to send me letters through the snail mail, or wait until I go to town and have service to check my voicemails and emails.”
“Darien, are you sure you know what you’re doing? This isn’t like you. Working on a farm, really?”
“I don’t know, Val. But I haven’t felt whole in almost a year, and I can’t explain it. Being here just feels right.”
“Have you told your parents?”
“No. They won’t understand. I’m going to send them an email and tell them I’ve decided to travel a bit, now that I have my sight back.”
“How’s that going by the way? Do you have enough of your medication?”
“I haven’t had any vision problems, and yes, I have enough medication for six months,” Darien replied.
“I still think this is a crazy idea, but if there’s one thing I know about you, you’re all in with everything you do. Just be careful and come home at the first sign of any vision problems. Don’t forget what Dr. Norton told you.”
“I know. There could be permanent vision changes, including complete vision loss, within the first year. You don’t have to remind me, Val,” Darien stated. Then she gave her the address to the farm and hung up the phone before she pulled into the airport.
***
Darien had stopped for take-out on the way to check out of the motel, so when Ernie picked her up, she had him take her straight to the farm. As soon as he was gone, she walked up the outdoor staircase that led to the apartment and walked inside, opening the windows to air out the small room. It was about the same size as her motel room, so she found it easy to get adjusted to her new surroundings as she unpacked her clothes and toiletries. She was surprised to find a small radio under the kitchen sink. She noticed the batteries were dead when she tried to turn it on. After looking around for a few minutes, she finally found an open package of batteries with four left, which was what she’d needed. She made a mental note to get another big pack when she went into town to get groceries. Then, she turned it on and adjusted the dial, finding two country stations and a rock and roll station that advertised music from the seventies and eighties on its commercial. She left the radio tuned into the rock station and turned the volume up. If she didn’t have TV, at least she could listen to some music.
Chapter 8
The next morning, Courtney watched out the window as Darien walked down the steps on the side of the barn and headed down the driveway. She checked her watch, noticing that it was nearly eight-thirty.
“If you want to know where she’s going, all you have to do is ask her,” Beverly chided.
“What?” Courtney moved away from the curtain in haste. “I don’t care what she does. I still can’t believe you’re renting the apartment to her. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“I don’t see why not.” Beverly shrugged. “Ernie lived up there for three years.”
“Yes, but you knew Ernie.” Courtney walked into the kitchen with her cup of coffee.
“What’s really bothering you?” Beverly asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine. I’m headed to town to get a few things. Do you need anything?”
Beverly shook her head. “I’m feeling a little tired today. I think I’ll lie down for a little while.”
“I can stay. I’m not in dire need of anything. I was just going to replenish a few things that are running low.”
“No, go on. I’ll be fine,” Beverly said, waving her hand at her.
Both women turned towards the window when they heard a low rumble in the driveway. Courtney moved the curtain aside and raised an eyebrow. “What the hell?” she murmured.
Beverly stepped closer. “Looks like Mr. Miller sold Darien a truck.”
Courtney shook her head and moved away from the window quickly when Darien climbed out and headed towards the house. Beverly pulled the front door open before Darien had a chance to knock.
“Good morning,” Darien said with a smile as she stood in the doorway with her sunglasses on. Her short hair was a little messy on top, but cropped neat around her ears and collar.
“Is that a Ford you got out there?” Beverly asked.
“Yes. A 1950 to be exact.”
“Does it run okay?”
“I definitely need to give it a tune up and get some of the rust off the bed. Other than that, it’s in good shape. That’s actually why I came over. Do you know how I can get a hold of Ernie? I’m afraid the truck probably won’t make it to town in the shape that it’s in now, and I need to go to the automotive store to get the parts to work on it.”
“You’re in luck. Courtney was just about to go to town to do some shopping of her own. I’m sure she won’t mind if you tag along. She can run to Carl’s Auto. If he doesn’t have what you need, he can order it for you,” Beverly said.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose.”
Beverly looked over at Courtney with a raised eyebrow.
Courtney cleared her throat. “I don’t mind. Carl’s is on the way to the market anyway.”
“Oh, good. I need to pick up some groceries and batteries anyway, so that works out great.” Darien smiled. “I’m ready to go when you are.”
“Give me about ten minutes,” Courtney replied, before going into the kitchen to refill her coffee cup.
“Maybe tomorrow I can hear one of those stories we talked about. If you’re not too busy with the truck and everything, of course,” Beverly said.
“Sure thing,” Darien responded with a nod and walked back over towards the truck parked near the barn.
“This will give you two some time to get to know each other. Then, you’ll see she’s not the big bad scary stranger you think she is,” Beverly muttered when Courtney walked back into the living room.
Courtney made sure Beverly made it back up the stairs to her room before storming off to find the reclusive farmhand.
***
They were halfway to town before Courtney finally said something to break the ice. Darien had been content with watching the fields and pastures full of rolling hills go by through the window and wasn’t in the mood for twenty questions.
“Where are you from?” Courtney asked.
“Arizona,” Darien mumbled. Her mind was going over everything she needed to get for the truck. She remembered the large tool chest in the barn and hoped it had everything she’d need inside.
“What are you doing in Iowa?”
&
nbsp; Darien stared at the woman next to her through her sunglasses. She was young and beautiful and had stirred a mix of feelings in Darien that she forgot existed, but Courtney’s obvious discontent for Darien made her ask herself the same question.
“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t know?” Darien answered.
“It’s not my place to believe you. I don’t own the farm.”
“You don’t care for me much, do you?” Darien questioned.
Courtney shook her head. “I don’t know you.”
Darien sighed, “I can’t tell you why I’m here because I don’t know myself. I need a change of scenery and this is where I wound up.”
Courtney turned into the parts store parking lot and rolled to a stop near the front. “I have to go next door to the farm supply store, so I’ll meet you back out here when I’m finished. Then, we’ll head over to Wal-Mart. They should have everything you need for the apartment or whatever.”
***
Darien was on the lowered tailgate of Courtney’s midsize truck, with her legs crossed at her ankles and a repair manual open in her hands. Courtney couldn’t quite figure out the mysterious woman and that bothered her. The unwelcoming, intense physical attraction had also put her on edge. She had no idea why she was so drawn to this stranger.
“Are you ready?” Courtney asked.
Darien couldn’t see the woman standing nearby until she turned her head to face her head on, but she’d heard the distinct staccato of shoes on the asphalt.
“Whenever you are,” Darien answered, hopping down and closing the tailgate.
Courtney stayed silent as she drove a little further down the road to the large retail store that had become Tipton’s general store a few years back. She parked the truck and they walked inside together, separating as soon as they were inside.
Second Chance Page 4
