His Country Heart

by Reggi Allder

  The thought of financial security sounded good. Maybe Wyatt was right to pursue the extra work even if it kept him away from home longer than she wanted. Even so, she longed for him to be home every night. Was that too much to ask?

  “Amy, I thought I’d find you up here in the orchard.” Dressed in blue jeans, a navy corduroy shirt and black work boots, Wyatt walked up to her.

  “I’m checking the soil. It’s been days since we’ve had rain and I’m beginning to think the unthinkable—drought.”

  “Honey, what is it you always tell Bobby?”

  “Think positive. It’s not as easy to do as it is to say. Water is so expensive. I…”

  He kissed her open mouth and she leaned on him as his strong arms circled her.

  “I’m concerned too, Amy. But whatever happens we’ll work it out together, right?”

  “Yeah.” She let her head rest on his chest and breathed in his masculine scent. “Thanks.”

  “Let’s get back to the house. I’ve got a lunch and we can take the horses out to the meadow and have a picnic. Might as well take advantage of the good weather.”

  “I didn’t know you cooked,” she teased him.

  “Well, after I stopped to place an order at the feed store, I picked up turkey sandwiches and potato salad at the deli on Main Street. But I can make you breakfast sometime.”

  “It’s a deal.” She laughed, being near him sent her spirits rising.

  ***

  As their horses grazed, Amy and Wyatt sat on a blanket under the ancient oak tree and ate the food he brought. Then she leaned back sighed. “I’m glad you thought of a picnic and especially this spot. Do you remember the first time we came here?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I was nervous. I was attracted to you, but I was angry with you too. I thought you wanted to take the farm from Bobby and me.”

  “I recall you telling me to get the hell out of your way.”

  “Wyatt, I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It was a long time ago and you were fighting for your family.”

  “I misjudged you.”

  He shrugged. “Hey, tell me about the wedding plans.”

  She detailed the flower arrangements and the food for the reception. She had a caterer coming from Sacramento. But it was lucky the local Swiss baker could make a multilayer princess cake for the wedding reception and he also had a recipe for gluten free cookies for Bobby.

  To save money, she and Vanna planned to decorate the room next to the barn for the reception. It was used for a cafeteria for the farm workers in the nineteen fifties, so there was a kitchen. Last year she’d used the room for her sales floor during the pumpkin patch and the Christmas fair.

  “We can hang yards of tulle from the ceiling and huge silver bells hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Vanna is very creative and has lots ideas. She ought to run her own event planning service.”

  “You don’t want to go to the hotel, I’m willing to spring for the cost?”

  “No. I love the chance to celebrate our marriage here on Granny’s farm. It’s almost like having her with us.”

  “Okay. I just want you to be happy. It’s fine by me, if that’s what you want.”

  “It is.” She paused. “I have an idea on how to bring in more money. Follow me and I’ll show you the place where we can grow daffodils to sell.”

  They walked together leading the horses to another part of the meadow.

  “Right here, I did some research and this is the perfect place to plant the bulbs. Imagine the field all yellow with the flowers.”

  “You’re pretty excited about this, aren’t you?”

  She stood surveying the dry field before her. “Yeah. But the planting all depends on having enough rain.” She took his hand and held it to her. “I love you and I adore living on Granny’s land. It’s a dream come true. Thanks for helping me make it happen.”

  “No need to thank me. Amy, this farm is important to me too. Remember I’ve been coming here since I was a teen helping your grandmother.”

  “I used to watch you, Wyatt. You’re older than me, so I don’t think you saw me. I thought you had to be the most handsome guy I’d ever seen.”

  “No. I didn’t notice a ten year old kid.”

  “And you a big man of fourteen.” She giggled.

  “Darn right.” He hugged her and kissed her on the top of head as if she were still a preteen.

  “Let’s ride out to the Christmas trees and I’ll show you where we’re going to plant the Noble Firs.” She mounted her horse. “I’ll race you.” She laughed and sent Sol, a gelding, into a gallop knowing she had no chance of winning against Wyatt’s stallion, Spirit.

  Breathless, she came to a stop with Wyatt on her heels. “You let me win.” She pretended to frown, but couldn’t prevent the corners of her mouth from turning up.

  “Not just you, Sol needed to come in first. He’s always eating Spirit’s dust.”

  They both chuckled and she leaned forward to tell her stocky American quarter horse what a good job he did against Wyatt’s taller, thinner and more agile steed.

  “Guess Sol needs to win at least once,” she agreed.

  “Yep, everybody does.” He paused. “Show me where the firs are going.”

  They walked to an area ready to be planted.

  “I remember coming up here to pick out our Christmas tree with Grandpa. It was so cold and rainy that year. I was soaked by the time we got back to the house with the “perfect” tree.”

  “Amy, the rain will come.”

  “It better or—never mind.” She breathed in the pine scented air and tried to relax. “It’s so beautiful out here.”

  They wandered to a path near the trees. She noted the plants that seemed big enough for next year’s cutting. Then she found the rock outcropping she used to sit on as a kid.

  “Wyatt, come sit with me.”

  He climbed on the rock and sat behind her. She leaned back against him.

  “It is nice here, like there isn’t a problem in the world,” he said.

  “Yeah, if only…” She sat up and twisted to admire his strong profile as he observed the landscape. “What’s been on your mind, Wyatt? What about the mill?”

  “Not much to say at this point.” He pulled her back into his arms. “Manny and I are waiting for a report detailing the condition of the mill’s equipment.” He kissed the nape of her neck. “The buildings are old and if the equipment is too ancient, we might have to rethink our offer to buy it.”

  “When will you know?” She felt his breath on the back of her neck and a shiver of longing though her.

  “We have an expert in the lumber industry coming from Seattle to take a look and tell us what he finds. We’ve been promised a preliminary report in about a week or so. If everything pans out, he’s promised to join us and invest in the project. His name is Ben Wong, a friend. I’ve known him for years.”

  “That’s great. I’d think the town’s people would be grateful if the mill was running. It’s sad people I went to high school with have to leave town because there’s no work in Sierra Creek.”

  “Yeah, it’s tough.”

  They sat in silence as the wind rustled the evergreens.

  “When I was a kid living with my mom, we tried to make ends meet with very little cash. The people in town helped us. No questions asked.” He stopped as if lost in the recollection of those days.

  “That’s when Granny saw you sleeping in the park. Your mom had a gentleman at home.”

  “She needed the couch to entertain him, but it was my bed,” he said without obvious emotion. Just a fact he’d grown up with.

  She wanted to hug him, but knew he didn’t want a fuss over something that had happened years earlier.

  “When I think back, I realize how much the town’s people gave my mom and me,” he continued. “Slipping extra food in our grocery bag at the store without charging us and letting mom miss a month’s rent now and then when she couldn’t
make the payment.” He paused. “If I got the mill running, I’d make a difference, pay back something of what I owe the townspeople.” He hesitated. “It’s a nice dream, but it’s not a slam dunk.”

  “Maybe it’s a goal now, but I believe in you. It’ll happen.”

  “We’ll see.” He shrugged.

  By his expression, he had doubts.

  “Amy, it’d mean long hours away from you and Bobby.”

  She had hoped if he left the rodeo circuit, the many hours away from home would end. But she wouldn’t ask the man she loved to change his long-held dream. “Still, you could come home to us at night.” She squeezed his hand.

  “Yeah—I could. Come on, Amy, let’s get Bobby. I want to spend time with him before I have to leave again.” He mounted Spirit. “I’ll race you back and this time no help.”

  As soon as she was in the saddle, he grinned and was gone before she could say anything to Sol.

  ***

  Two weeks went by without any major incidents. Bobby was thriving in school He’d made friends with a couple of older boys that had teased him when he first started school.

  Her column and blog was well received and her ideas for planting on the farm had been firmed up. Employees at Manny’s gardening business were ready to do the job when she said the word. Mr. Cameron was better and was taking his medication as the doctor directed. She and Wyatt still hadn’t heard from Wes, but that was all right with her. She didn’t need his aggravating personality getting in the way of their wedding plans.

  Wyatt was back on the rodeo circuit, but he Skyped most nights, making sure he did it early enough to see Bobby before her son went to bed. It wasn’t like having Wyatt home at night, but there was the sense of connection. And she came to realize family meant as much to him as it did to her. She reminded herself that every day he was gone was a day closer to having enough funds to make the necessary improvements to the mill. Then he could work in Sierra Creek and come home at night.

  Last evening she’d learned the assessment of the mill had come back with positive information concerning the equipment. Though the buildings were old the machinery had been recently updated. Wyatt had breathed a sigh of relief when he told her he’d read the report and he and Manny had completed the offer to buy the place. If things continued to go well, Wyatt would be off the circuit and working in town.

  If only it’d rain. Before they bought the new roof, she’d prayed the rain would stop. Now she hoped for a downpour. Some might say she was never satisfied.

  Chapter 9

  Amy and Vanna entered the bakery on Main Street and the aroma of fresh bread greeted them. Amy took a deep breath and remembered as a little girl going there with Granny to buy a loaf of pumpernickel. Back then the owner, Klaus Muller, always gave her a free cookie.

  “Hi Klaus,” she said when she saw him standing behind the counter wearing his white chef’s hat, white tunic, and big smile. His brown hair was now flecked with gray, but otherwise he was as she remembered.

  He brushed the baking flour from his hands and shook her extended hand. “Come in. Come in.” He paused. “So, you’re back in our little village,” he said, more a statement than a question.

  “Yeah, looks like I’m here to stay.”

  “Good. Good.” He grinned.

  She smiled recalling he always said everything twice.

  “Come and sit. Sit. I have samples of the cakes you needed. Since you weren’t sure what filling you wanted, I’ve prepared lemon and raspberry samples. Then you can tell me your choice.”

  She took a seat at a table against the wall facing a glass display cabinet filled with cookies and cakes.

  “I can’t believe I have an excuse to eat cake.” Vanna giggled and slid into the chair next to her. “In LA when I was trying to be hired as an actor, I wouldn’t let sugar touch my lips. Everyone is razor thin, but now I can relax.”

  “You’ve always been slim.”

  “Well, apparently in movies and TV you can’t be too thin.”

  Mr. Mueller brought them two huge pieces of princess cake and four forks. “The one with the yellow flower is lemon and the red flower is raspberry. I can make the marzipan frosting white rather than the usual green. If you prefer. Lemon, raspberry.” He pointed again and left.

  He came back with an amazing slice of cake. “If you want something different, this is my own recipe. I call it Swiss Dream. It’s made with the best Swiss chocolate.” He set a giant piece of the chocolate dessert in front of Amy.

  “Looks wonderful.” She licked her lips.

  “Ja and you’d be surprised how many chocoholics there are in this town.” He paused. “Take your time and let me know what you decide.”

  Vanna took a bite of cake. “Yum. OMG, this raspberry is fantastic.” She took another taste.

  “Well, it’s a tough job, Vanna, but we have to do it.” Amy winked.

  “The things I do for my friend.” Vanna laughed, took a clean fork and tasted a bite of the lemon filled cake. “Yummy.”

  Amy dug into the raspberry filled cake. “Wow. The raspberry is amazing, but I do like the lemon too. Not quite as sweet.” She wiped frosting from her mouth. “Why are the little decisions the hardest to make?” She laughed. “Which one, Vanna?”

  “I bet the chocolate is amazing too. She reached for a piece of it.

  “Delicious. Taste.”

  “Whoa.”

  “Vanna, which one?”

  “It’s your wedding; you should choose. I love them all.”

  Amy speared another piece of the berry filling. “Well, if I have to choose only one, it has to be the raspberry. It goes the best with the whipping cream.”

  “It is amazing.” Vanna agreed her mouth full of chocolate cake.

  “Are you going old school and having a plastic bride and groom on the top of the cake?”

  “I actually thought of doing that. Well, almost. Klaus suggested three layers of cake, larger on the bottom and a medium and a small cake on top with real flowers. Maybe roses to match my bouquet.”

  “Nice.”

  Amy cut into the chocolate cake. “I have to give this a try. I don’t want to hurt his feelings.” She wiped cake from her chin. “Wow, maybe I should get a quarter sheet of this too—Vanna, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

  “Manny’s here.” Her face turned white. “What’s he doing in in the bakery?”

  Amy looked up to see him heading toward their table. Tall and handsome with his dark Latin good looks, his hair was longer than it had been the last time she’d seen him. Amy smiled and he grinned.

  “Hey, you two,” he said, but his eyes never left Vanna. “I missed you the other night.”

  “I never promised.” Vanna froze in place. “I just said I’d think about it.”

  “What brings you to the bakery?” Amy asked to break the tension.

  Still staring at Vanna, he said, “It’s my mother’s birthday. I’m picking up her cake.”

  “Wish her Happy Birthday for me.”

  Vanna remained quiet.

  “I will, Amy.” He paused staring at her friend. Could he be hoping she might start a conversation with him? He looked away. “Better go. Don’t want to be late.”

  She watched Vanna track Manny with her eyes as he grabbed the boxed cake and left the store without looking back at them.

  “What’s with you two?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Answering a question with a question isn’t going to work. Something’s up.”

  “All right. He asked me to meet him for dinner last Friday like I said before.” She hesitated. “I didn’t show.”

  “Oh.”

  “Amy, don’t look at me like that. I never told him I’d be there.” She took a big bite of the chocolate cake. “You going to get this too or not?”

  “Don’t change the subject. I’ve known you since first grade. I can see you’re attracted to him.”

  “Okay. You got me. But our families don’t like eac
h other and for good reason; his father killed my dad.”

  Amy cringed hearing it stated so bluntly and her heart went out to her friend. “It was an accident. You and Manny didn’t have anything to do with it.”

  “I know, but I’m not looking for trouble. With my mom and his family feuding, that’s all I’d have, problems.” She swallowed.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You didn’t have anything to do with it.”

  “What color flowers should be on the cake?” Amy asked to change the subject. But she could still see the in longing her friend’s eyes as she stared out the window in the same direction Manny had walked.

  Would life be so cruel as to keep them apart forever? It was obvious they wanted to be together—and they were such nice people.

  Was it selfish to wonder if Vanna’s mother and Manny could be in the church together and hold their peace until her wedding ceremony was over?

  Would they even show up for the nuptials?

  ***

  Classic country western music filled the kitchen and the aroma of baking apple pies floated from the oven. Amy danced to the stove to check on the baked goods, humming to as she did.

  Wyatt would be home early tonight. A truck engine revved and she ran to the window. She rushed into his arms when he entered the kitchen.

  “Honey, is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m just glad you’re home.” She held him close for a minute and enjoyed the flex of his strong arms and the scent of his body.

  “Vanna and I ordered the wedding cake,” she said still in his embrace. “A three-layer princess cake with raspberry filling and real roses on top.”

  “Wow, sounds great.” He hurriedly kissed her and checked the stove, lifting the lid on a stock pot. “Yum, chicken soup.” He set the lid back on the container and grinned.

  “You hungry?”

  “Yeah, but I can wait until it’s done.”

  “Manny was at the bakery buying a cake for his mom’s birthday.” She paused. “I feel bad for Vanna. It’s so obvious she cares for him. I think he’s interested in her too. You should’ve seen them staring at each other.”

  “They dated in high school. That was a long time ago. Amy, don’t worry about him. He has more dates than he can handle.” He filled a glass with apple juice took a gulp. “I don’t know about Vanna, but heard she did all right when she was in L.A.”