“Yes, and thank you again for the supplies.”
“You’re welcome.” Beverly watched her grab the chair and bring it closer to the bed. “The sun will be going down soon,” she sighed, looking through the opened curtains out the window.
Darien nodded, realizing she’d lost track of time, something that never happens. “I think the days go by faster the older I get.” She smiled.
“Oh, you’re still a spring chicken. Wait until you get to be my age, you’re just glad to see each new one arrive,” Beverly laughed.
Darien smiled again and shook her head. “So, where did I leave off last time?”
“I think it was the end of your first three years after you were in Hawaii.”
“Oh, right. I’d just been promoted to Corporal and was taking on more leadership responsibilities as a junior NCO.”
“Pardon my interruption,” Beverly said. “I know you wear those glasses because of the prescription, but would you mind taking them off, just this once?”
Darien stiffened. Then, she took a deep breath and lowered her head as she pulled the dark sunglasses away. She set them on the nightstand next to her before slowly raising her eyes to Beverly.
Beverly inhaled sharply. She’d caught a glimpse of Darien’s eyes once before when she’d first come to the house, but she wasn’t at all prepared for the blow she felt as Darien’s turquoise blue eyes locked onto hers.
“Are you okay?” Darien asked.
“Yes. I’m a little light-headed.”
“Do you need me to get Courtney?”
The look of concern on Darien’s face made Beverly smile. “No, dear. I’m fine.” She sat up a little straighter. “I think I’d like to tell you a story today. If you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all,” Darien replied.
“I told you Boyd and I had two wonderful children. You’ve met my son, Jason. That picture over there is my daughter, Janice. She was a hard-working woman, a good daughter, and a loving wife.” Beverly wiped a tear from her cheek. “This past October, Janice went to town to run errands one afternoon, something she did quite often. I was in the kitchen making biscuits to go with our dinner that evening and Courtney was out in the back pasture with a couple of young mini horses that we were boarding.” She paused to take a breath, then added,” We haven’t done any boarding this year.” She looked up at Darien’s eyes.
“Anyway, the tornado alarm wailed loudly, and I rushed out of the house towards the cellar. Ernie helped Courtney secure the animals in the barn, then we all rushed down inside together. We listened to the weather radio as they reported the twister touching down near SR 38 heading east. Then, it turned and went up Monroe for almost five miles, destroying Pickett Farm, before lifting up again. The report had it touching down two more times before disappearing out of our zone. Courtney and I climbed out of the cellar, thankful that the twister hadn’t gotten close enough to cause any damage to our property. I went back inside to finish the biscuits, while Courtney fed all of the animals and Ernie continued seeding the new crops.”
She paused to wipe another lone tear. “We’d forgotten all about Janice going to town earlier that day until a deputy from the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office pulled into the drive. He said Janice’s truck had been found twisted and mangled on the Pickett Farm. Eyewitness reports showed her vehicle traveling northbound on Monroe, presumably heading home from town, when the tornado warning sounded. She’d more than likely pulled off the road but had no way of knowing that she was in the direct path of the twister. The Picketts had come out of their cellar to a mass of destruction with a mangled, white vehicle in the middle of it.”
Darien grabbed Beverly’s hand.
“Mr. Pickett found Janice still inside the truck and badly injured. His neighbor had come over to make sure everyone was okay. The two of them got her out of the truck and drove towards town where an ambulance met them halfway. She was transferred to the ambulance, but the nearest trauma hospital was in Iowa City and she would never make it with the severity of her injuries. The ambulance met up with the Lifesaver helicopter a few miles down the road, and they transported her to Iowa City.”
Darien held back her own tears. She’d known Janice had died, but she had no idea how tragic her death had been. She stared at the floor as Beverly finished.
“The deputy led the way as Courtney and I drove to Iowa City. When we arrived a half hour later, she’d already passed away on the operating table.”
“Beverly, I’m so sorry,” Darien murmured.
“Thank you. Courtney and I haven’t had an easy time over the past seven months, but life goes on. I truly believe Janice is always here with us and you’ve shown me that. You remind me a lot of her with your dedication and work ethic. I think you and she would’ve been friends.” She smiled and patted Darien’s hand.
“I think you’re right,” Darien murmured, feeling closer to Janice and her family than ever before as the walls of her deceit began closing in on her. She was told by the therapists that any little thing could trigger her PTSD, making her feel suffocated.
“That’s the first time I’ve ever told that story to anyone. I think it wore me out,” she sighed, closing her eyes.
“Thank you for telling me,” Darien whispered before leaving the room quickly with her sunglasses in her hand.
She took the stairs two at a time, rushing to get out of the house so she could breathe again. She looked up towards the door across the living room as she neared the bottom. Courtney caught sight of the familiar, bright eyes looking back at her and dropped the glass she was holding, which shattered to pieces on the hardwood floor. Darien rushed to clean up the glass.
Courtney stepped back and sat in a nearby chair for a second to collect herself. She felt like she’d just seen a ghost. After a few long breaths to calm her racing heart and settle the shock she’d just endured, she bent down to help Darien with the mess on the floor.
“You—” Courtney stared at the eyes looking back at her. “Your eyes…they’re the same color as Janice’s,” she said softly.
“I know,” Darien murmured, seeing the pain on her face.
Courtney furled her brow, looking slightly stunned.
“I saw the picture in Beverly’s room. She told me it was her daughter, Janice,” Darien stated as she finished cleaning up the glass.
Courtney watched her walk away without saying another word. Her mind was still reeling from the kiss they’d shared, and this was nearly enough to make her think she was losing her mind. She wondered how much Beverly had told Darien about Janice, or about any of them for that matter.
Chapter 13
Darien spent the next few days painting the white trim on the brown barn. She’d just about finished all of it by Wednesday and hadn’t seen Courtney once since the broken glass on Sunday. Truth be told, she was glad she hadn’t. She had mixed feelings when it came to Courtney. The younger woman was beautiful, but Darien was starting to feel much more than a simple physical attraction to her and that was a bad thing.
Darien walked into the barn to clean the paint brushes and put everything away, when she heard a noise like someone clearing her throat. She didn’t see anyone since her peripherals were blacked out, so she turned her head in the direction of the sound.
Courtney was leaning against one of the posts with her hands shoved down into the pockets of her cut-off jean shorts and her booted feet crossed at the ankles. She was wearing a dark blue tank top and had her hair up in a makeshift bun with tendrils falling down.
“Can we talk?” Courtney asked, pushing off the post and looking up towards the apartment above the barn.
“I’m sorry. It was—” Darien set the stuff she was holding on the nearby bench. “I never meant for that kiss to happen. I—”
Darien was cut off by the rumble of a vehicle in the driveway.
“Courtney!” a male voice hollered.
“Jason?” Courtney murmured as she walked out of the barn.
“Hey, I figured you were out in the field,” he said, walking over to her. “You want to go out with me tonight? I have two tickets to the rodeo,” he added, throwing his arm around her shoulder.
“Jason, I can’t. I’m sorry.”
He followed the path of Courtney’s eyes towards the barn when she stepped away.
“It’s because of that farmhand, isn’t it? I knew she was trouble,” he spat as she stomped off towards the barn in search of Darien. He found her standing near the sink, washing out the paint brushes.
“What gives you the right to think you’re a part of this family? You’re a god damn farmhand,” Jason yelled at her.
“Excuse me?” she replied, drying her hands on a nearby rag. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but—”
“I want you out of here. You’re fired as of right now. Go pack your shit and get off my property,” he yelled.
Beverly had heard the commotion of him racing up the gravel driveway and calling out for Courtney, so she opened the front door to see what was going on.
“Now wait just a damn minute,” Beverly shouted at him, stepping further outside. “How dare you talk to her like that,” she continued. “First of all, I don’t ever want to hear you talk to anyone that way again! Second, you have some respect for women. Your daddy raised you better than that. I’ll smack your mouth! Darien is as much a part of this family as you are and don’t you forget that! I still own this farm and she’s not going anywhere!” she added, yelling louder as she started getting winded.
He stormed off to his truck, mumbling under his breath.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, boy,” Beverly panted. “But, it…ends…now,” she gasped, starting to collapse in the barn as he drove away.
Courtney and Darien rushed to her side together.
“She needs her medicine,” Courtney said.
“I’ll get her inside,” Darien replied, as she bent down and picked up the frail woman.
As soon as Darien got her into the house, Courtney had Beverly’s medicine waiting for her. She took it and started to relax a little bit as her blood pressure began to go back down and her constricted airway started to open up. Darien and Courtney waited a couple of minutes for the medicine to work, then they helped her up the stairs and into her bed. Darien walked away as soon as she was settled. When Courtney made her way back down the stairs, Darien was gone.
***
Darien was sitting on the couch in the apartment, trying to gather her thoughts when she heard a knock at the door. She’d known something was ailing Beverly, but she didn’t know how bad it actually was until she witnessed the episode in the barn.
“Can I come in?” Courtney asked when Darien pulled the door open.
Darien nodded and moved to the side. Courtney walked in and sat down on the couch.
“Thank you for helping me with Beverly. She’s…it’s not easy sometimes,” Courtney said softly.
Darien sat down next to her on the small sofa. “It’s no problem. She’s a special person. I’d do anything for her.”
“She has Lupus,” Courtney sighed. “It’s effecting her heart and lungs more than anything, and it keeps progressing. A year ago, she was still working in the field for a few hours every day, but now, she’s so tired she can barely walk up and down the stairs anymore.”
Darien held back the tears that were burning her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.
“Thank you. We take it one day at a time. Losing Janice really sent her downhill, but I’ve seen happiness in her eyes again since you arrived.”
“She’s brought a little happiness back into my life too. Like I said, she’s a very special person.”
“I’m sorry for trying to stop the stories. She’s fragile and I’d do anything to protect her.”
Darien nodded.
Courtney looked around. “I meant to tell you the other day, I like what you’ve done with the place. Ernie sort of threw stuff wherever and however,” she added, changing the subject.
“Blame it on the military.” Darien grinned.
“Actually, about the other day—”
“I’m sorry about that. The kiss was a simple misunderstanding and I apologize.”
Courtney shook her head. “First of all, we were both involved. That kiss wasn’t one-sided,” she sighed, putting her hand on Darien’s cheek. “There’s no need to apologize.” She squeezed her eyes closed and pulled her hand away as she stood to leave. She needed to go check on Beverly before her racing libido got the best of her. She was finding it harder and harder to control herself around the farmhand.
Darien got up to walk her out. “I know you’re married, and I don’t want to cause anymore problems. If you want, I’ll go talk to Jason myself and clear things up,” she said, holding the door as Courtney walked out onto the stairs.
Courtney looked back at her. “Don’t worry about Jason, he’s a pompous ass,” she replied, shaking her head as she walked down the stairs.
Darien stood there with a questioning look on her face, watching Courtney’s long hair blow in the wind and her ass sway under the cut-off shorts as she crossed the driveway towards the house.
***
The next morning, Courtney asked Darien to help Ernie tend to the crops so she could take Beverly into town to see her doctor. The older woman was still very weak from the day before and was having a hard time getting around. Darien had helped Courtney get Beverly into the truck, then she watched them drive away before heading out to the field, spending the rest of her day picking vegetables.
Chapter 14
The doctor made an adjustment to Beverly’s medication and it had taken her the better part of two days to gather enough strength to get around on her own again. Each time her disease kicked in full-force, she had a setback and never fully recovered to the point she was at before the attack. Courtney hated watching her wither away, but she was happy to see a smile on her face again.
“What would you like for breakfast?” Courtney asked.
“Oh, I don’t care. The doctor said I need to eat more oatmeal, but between you and me, it gives me the shits.”
Courtney laughed. “Alright, how about an egg white omelet? I can throw in some fresh veggies and low-fat cheese.”
“That sounds delicious,” Beverly replied, moving to get out of her bed.
“Do you think you’re strong enough to tackle the stairs?”
Beverly thought about it for a second. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Exercise is good for me.”
“Okay.” Courtney nodded.
“Will you please ask Darien to come see me when you head outside for the day?”
“Sure. I’ll bring your breakfast up in a bit.”
***
When Courtney found Darien, she was working on her latest job assignment, digging the trench for the irrigation piping in the new section Courtney and Ernie had added to the crop field.
“Beverly is feeling a lot better today. She wants to see you,” Courtney said.
“That’s good. I’ll go up when I finish this line,” Darien replied, removing her sunglasses to wipe the sweat from her face.
Courtney stole a quick glance at those beautiful, familiar eyes before shaking her head and walking away to start her own work for the day. She still couldn’t get past Darien and Janice having the same eye color, but that was the only area where they were similar. In fact, both women were nearly the exact opposite of each other, which was why Courtney couldn’t figure out why she was so attracted to Darien. She barely knew the woman because she avoided talking to her on most occasions, but they didn’t need to talk to communicate. She was pretty sure their bodies had a language of their own with the long looks they’d exchanged and the way she felt Darien’s presence without having to see her.
***
True to her word, Darien finished what she was doing and went to the barn to wash up. She didn’t have to turn around to see Courtney watching her walk away, she felt her eyes boring into her. She’d be
en on the farm almost two months and was starting to wonder if staying had been the best idea.
Darien entered the house and took the steps two at a time. Beverly was sitting up in her bed, reading a magazine when Darien walked in.
“I hear someone’s ready for another story,” Darien said with a smile as she pulled the chair near.
“Actually, I wanted to thank you for helping Courtney with me,” Beverly said, grabbed her hand. “I also need to apologize for my son’s embarrassing behavior.”
“It’s okay.” Darien nodded.
“That boy hasn’t been the same since Boyd died. He runs around here like a rooster looking for a fight, but trust me, he’s all bark and no bite.” Beverly shook her head. “He thinks this farm is his and everything on it, including Courtney.”
Darien furrowed her brow in question. “I don’t understand. I thought he and Courtney were married.”
Beverly laughed. “I think Courtney would rather till the field by hand than be married to my son.” She shook her head. “No. Courtney was married to my daughter, Janice, for nearly five years before Janice passed away. They were together for about three years before that.”
Darien’s chest tightened in shock. She could barely breathe as she tried to force a smile on her face. The last thing she wanted to do was get involved with her donor’s wife. If she’d known Janice and Courtney were married, she never would’ve stayed.
“Are you okay?” Beverly asked.
Darien coughed as she tried to get some air into her lungs. “Yeah…I think I inhaled some dirt in the field.”
“Get a bottle of cold water out of my mini-fridge,” Beverly said, pointing towards the small refrigerator.
“Thanks,” Darien replied as she walked over and retrieved a bottle. She drank a long swallow, chilling her racing nerves as she peeked through the open curtains. She sighed audibly when she saw Courtney in the distance, standing in the field full of crops. “I should probably get back to work,” Darien muttered as she turned away from the window.
Second Chance Page 7
