Country Heaven

by Vicki Green

  “The horses are put away. Clancy ate an apple earlier,” Mac speaks out. Thank God. I was wondering if he’d ever come around. After Pa died, I really worried about him. He used to follow Pa around everywhere, never letting him outta his sight. I swear, I think sometimes animals are more like humans than some humans.

  “Good to hear. How’s Frisky? She about ready to deliver?” I pick up a piece of chicken and almost moan with the taste. Damn, Mable can cook! I’d starve if I had to cook myself. Never did get quite the hang of that.

  “Nah. Still a bit to go, but she’s doing well. Hopin’ she’ll have that calf soon,” he replies as he shoves a roll in his mouth.

  The front door opens, and I lift my head. I watch Sadie start to walk down the hall, her head turns, and she stares right into my eyes. “Come eat,” I state simply and go back to eating. It isn’t long before I hear her footsteps coming closer, her presence thick in the room. I look up when she sits down at the other end of the table, her eyes looking around the room. She places her hands in her lap and looks at me. She looks tense, anxious, and maybe a little nervous.

  “Mac Ford, pleasure. You better eat up, girl. You’ll be wishing you did come tomorrow.” Mac looks at her and then goes back to dragging his roll through the gravy on his plate.

  She looks at him and scrunches up her nose. “I’m not hungry,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting back.

  “I’m Dallis Gott, Miss. You may not be hungry now but you’ll be come morning. Even though they feed us a right good breakfast, the work is hard, and you’ll be wishing you had somethin’ in your stomach.” Dallis winks at her then looks at me and smiles.

  She sits up, reaches over and takes the smallest piece of chicken, takes a bite then sets it on her plate. “That there is the best chicken. Came right from this farm and the best cook fried it up,” Mac states and I see the look of horror on her face.

  “WHAT?” She shrieks and looks at her plate disgustingly, grabbing her napkin and covering her mouth.

  Mac chuckles along with Dallis. “Where do you think store bought chicken comes from?” Dallis asks with a smirk.

  “I don’t know! The store! Ugh! I’ll never eat that again as long as I live!” I watch her push her chair back, quietly walk out of the room and then out the front door.

  “Sassy, little thang, ain’t she?” Mac says, givin’ me a smirk.

  I sop up some gravy with my last bite of roll and look up. “You’re tellin’ me. Yeah, well, something needs to knock that sass right outta her.” They both nod and hum as I look at the front door. I just hope when that happens that she doesn’t bolt right on outta here.

  Sadie

  I’m so mad right now I could spew fire from my eyes. I hate Daddy! I hate everything about this place and especially that Memphis guy. I walk from the main house to where I’ll be staying, hopefully for a very short time. When I get to my room, I lock the door and throw myself on the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, I think back to earlier. Okay, when I first laid eyes on Memphis, I admit I thought he was HOT. Still do. Damn he has a sexy body. Scruff on his face and those brown bedroom eyes. His hair is shaved so it’s shorter than I would have imagined a cowboy to have, but it’s very sexy. Now, his personality is pissing me off and enforcing Daddy’s punishment is not helping me like him at all. But I’d do him. Yeah, I would. That reminds me. It’s been four days since I’ve had any kind of relief using my vibrator. Shit! That just makes me madder.

  That horrible night I was taken to the station, they took my phone, my purse, and my lipstick! Then after Daddy bailed me out and we got home he took my laptop and iPad too. The only thing he let me keep was my iPod. I look around the room and sigh. No TV and no phone. Nothing to entertain me. What in the hell am I supposed to do for fun?

  “This isn’t about fun, Sadie. This is gonna be hard work and something that I should have done a long time ago. Your mother would be so disappointed in both of us. You, for turning out the way you did and me, for letting you. I blame myself, but I blame you even more. You’re old enough to know better. I’m done with you!”

  I feel something foreign slide down the side of my face and into my hair and quickly wipe it away. I don’t have room for tears, dammit! I just want to go home but worse yet, I want my mother. I can’t believe she left me when I was seven. We were so close. Damn, cancer! Then Daddy pretty much didn’t know what to do with me except give me things and leave me alone. But that’s not what I needed. I needed love, support, probably some discipline. Okay, yeah, I needed a lot of discipline. I guess over the years I’ve gotten a little outta control but now, it’s all I know. I lay here thinking of Mom, her beautiful hair that I loved to brush. My eyes start growing heavy.

  “Girl! You better get yourself up now!” Banging on the door jars me awake and I bolt up into a sitting position. “You need to be downstairs in fifteen minutes to get your breakfast or you’ll go hungry until lunch.” The gruff voice leaves and I hear heavy footsteps going down the stairs. What the fuck was that?

  I lay back down with a bounce and sigh. I haven’t eaten breakfast since I was a kid. Not gonna start now. Besides, for some reason, my stomach is tied up in knots. That’s weird. I take my time taking a shower, putting on my makeup and then get dressed in some jeans and a tank top. My long hair cascades down my back and over my breasts. Perfect. Not knowing where to go, I walk downstairs finding the small house empty, so I head out the front door and over to the main house. The cool brisk air hits me immediately as I look around, not seeing much in the dark. Who in the hell gets up at four in the morning to work? This just adds to the list of things I hate. I open the front door slowly, feeling a little weird just walking in. When I close it behind me, I hear voices in the dining room and walk there. All the same people are sitting in the same seats as last night, the aroma of food hitting me hard. Okay, maybe I am a little hungry.

  “See if you can fix the leak in the barn roof this morning, Dallis. Much obliged. Mac, the fence in the north forty needs to be fixed, I’ll get on that pretty quick then you can let the cows out.”

  The low and rough voice of Memphis sends chills down my spine. What the hell? I’ve been with plenty guys. Most were okay but nothing special. Why should I tie myself down to just one guy when I can have anyone I want? Yeah, so most want me for not only my body but my money. None wanting me for my brain or heart. That’s okay. I’m too young to settle down with just one guy. I walk into the room, sitting down in the same chair as last night and my stomach growls embarrassingly loud. “Better get you some grub. You have a long day ahead.” Memphis’ voice makes my eyes snap to him. I watch the fork move into his mouth, his lips cover around it. Lucky fork. I watch his firm jaw move as he chews. Damn, that was sexy.

  My stomach growls again. I sigh and spoon out some scrambled eggs onto my plate and grab a biscuit. I put a little butter on it and then take a bite, closing my eyes, and I swear I hear a moan leave my mouth. I hear a low chuckle and open my eyes and smirk at Memphis.

  Mac and Dallis stand, one by one, head out of the room and out the front door. “Better hurry up, girl. Time’s a-wastin’. You’ll need to get to the barn.” Memphis stands, grabs his cowboy hat from a small table in the corner behind him, places it on his head and turns back to me. “I’d suggest you change your top to a long sleeved shirt. The work is pretty hard and you’ll need something that….” His eyes scan down my body and then back up and into my eyes. “Covers you better.” He puts his hand up on the rim of his hat, tips it, and then walks out.

  I sigh again as I watch him leave and finish eating my biscuit. I then shovel the eggs in my mouth. I begin to stand when a woman walks into the room and starts picking up dishes. “You’d better change your shirt, girl. I have something if you don’t. It’ll be too big for you but better than that thing.” My brows crease and anger swells.

  “Who the hell are you? I’m fine with what I’m wearing.” I scowl.

  She stops, looks at me, and smiles. “I�
��m the cook. Mable’s the name.” She starts picking up more dishes and laughs. “Yeah, wear that and you’ll find out. Have a good day, Sadie.” She continues to laugh as she walks back into the kitchen, and I growl.

  I walk out of the house and down the front porch steps and then make my way around the side of the house and to the barn. My mood changes from annoyance to anger in seconds.

  Chapter Two

  Memphis

  I rub Buster’s nose while feeding him an apple. My head turns when I hear footsteps walking into the barn. The sound of crunching rocks and hay beneath those footsteps. The look on Sadie’s face is full of disgust when she walks in and I chuckle looking down at Buster grabbing the last bite from my hand. “Time to get some exercise, buddy.” I smile as I pat his nose again and grab his reins. I climb up on his saddle, tug on his reins and he walks us out of his stall. I stop, looking down at Sadie’s shoes and laugh. “Girl, gonna be hard to maneuver in those. Got any boots? Something with no heel on ‘em?” She smirks and shakes her head, crossing her arms around her waist and moving her breasts up a hitch. “I’ll take you into town tomorrow to do a little shoppin’.” I bow my head, shaking. “Never gonna make it in that get-up.” I click my tongue and Buster walks past her. I take one last look at her and shake my head again.

  “There’s nothing wrong with what I’m WEARING!” she yells as I ride Buster outta the barn. I laugh again. She’s a feisty one, learnin’ the hard way. Whelp, that’s kinda what I did growin’ up. She’ll find out. I get out in the open and gently kick my heels. Buster takes off, and the cool breeze of mornin’ hits me. I love the feeling of freedom I get when I ride. I take him out to the broken fence line and pull the reins, stopping him. Then I slide off and let him eat some grass as I take the tools needed from the saddle bag. In an hour, I’m sweatin’ and climbing back on his back, feeling great about what I’ve already accomplished.

  We head back to the fenced in area by the barn. I climb off and remove his saddle, givin’ him a little pat to go graze. When I get closer to the barn, I hear a squeal and loud yelling. My walking becomes a little faster until I walk into the barn and stop cold.

  “I don’t give a shit! I’m not doing that. Who the fuck would want to touch that! I don’t care that you can put on gloves!” She shrieks.

  I can’t help but lower my head and chuckle. Yeah, this is gonna be a tough one to get through. Thick head and stubborn. Kinda like that about her though.

  “Sorry, boss. Stubborn here won’t learn how to milk Bessie,” Mac speaks as I walk closer to Bessie’s stall.

  She puts her plastic gloved hands on her hips and smirks at him. “What did you call me? What the hell? I am not stubborn! I’m just…. Just….”

  “Stubborn,” he mumbles as he winks as he walks passed me and leaves the barn.

  She turns around, glaring at him, then moves her hatred gaze at me. “I’m not milking a freaking cow!” She stomps over to a bale of hay and sits down, crossing her legs and folds her arms around her middle. I look down and see she has a pair of boots on. An extra pair of Mable’s, no doubt. Dang, she makes it hard to do anything with a straight face.

  I walk over to Bessie’s stall, pull out the stool, grab the bucket beside her, and put it underneath her. She grumbles, probably feeling like she’s gonna explode at this point, so I give her a couple of rubs getting her to relax and get to business. I hear her footsteps, feel her, and smell her perfume as she comes closer. Or is that just her unique scent? I clamp Bessie’s udder off with my thumb and the palm of my hand and start squeezin’. Good ole Bessie turns her head and gives me a loud moo, lookin’ like I’m crazy. I give her a smirk and keep pumpin’, tryin’ not to look over my shoulder at Sadie.

  “That doesn’t look so tough.” I smile as I keep goin’. “I can do that. Move.” I stop and back up off the stool and lean back against the stall fence as I watch her take my place. I cross one boot over the other and place my arms over my chest. She places her hand just like I did and starts pumping some milk. Guess she did watch me. Smarter than I figured. I watch her for a bit but feel the need to get some more chores done. I turn and start to walk out of the stall when her voice stops me. “Uh, wait! How will I know when she’s done?”

  My head turns and I wink. “Nothing more will come out. Then you can move on to Marsie over there.” Her eyes move over to the stall I’m pointin’ at and she opens her mouth but nothing comes out. I lower my head, chuckle and then walk away. Not gonna tell her just yet that Pa had invested in five electronic milking machines. I think I’ll tell her after she’s learned how to milk ‘em really well first.

  When I walk out the barn doors and turn my head to the right, I see Dallis strugglin’ to push up the wall he finished. I jog over and help him until we have it up against the other two sides. “Hammer ‘em in, Dallis. I’ve got this,” I yell. He’s really been doing so much. Once he gets the walls finished then the roof, he can start tearin’ down the inside wall. The barn expansion will help so much. Pa would be proud. And the horses will love the extra room.

  It’s a long hard day, and I’m a sweaty, dirty mess by the time I walk into the house. The smell of home cookin’ makes my stomach growl, but I need to clean up first. Ain’t nobody need to smell me right now. After cleaning up, I head downstairs and find everyone already seated. My eyes widen as I walk into the room and see Sadie sitting in her spot at the head of the table and I take my seat. I bow my head, foldin’ my hands, but my eyes snap up when I hear the clanging of silverware against a plate. Sadie’s fillin’ her mouth like there’s no tomorrow. I have a hard time hidin’ my smile but finally clear my throat, loudly. She stops, mid bite with the fork in her mouth and gives me a surprised look. I lower my eyes and try not to laugh out loud.

  “Lord, we thank you for this food and the honor of you gracin’ our table. We appreciate allowin’ us to open our eyes once again today and makin’ the most of this beautiful day. Amen.” I look up as everyone else starts to fix their plates and see Sadie’s hands are down by her plate watchin’ me. I clear my throat again and start scoopin’ out some mashed taters on mine. Supper is fairly quiet except for the sounds of everyone eating. Soon after, Mable brings in an apple pie she made and some ice cream then starts clearin’ the dirty dishes from the table. Sadie pushes her chair back and I look up holdin’ my plate next to the pie and get a big piece. She doesn’t speak, barely looks at me, and then walks out of the room. I’m glad to see she at least ate quite a bit. Must have worked up an appetite. Good. After dessert, my stomach is so full I could burst. I say goodnight to Mac and Dallis and walk to my small office across the entryway. I boot up my computer and check some emails, surprised at one I pull up.

  Mr. Johnson,

  My name is Jagger Roland, Jag to my friends. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been in some trouble but I’ve been clean for six months. I’m twenty two, hardworking and would give anything to come work for you. I can fix stuff, help out where needed. Don’t know much about animals but am a quick learner. Please consider. It wouldn’t be but a couple of hours trip by train for me.

  Thanks,

  Jag

  I sigh. Another one wantin’ some help. I look up at the ceiling and sigh. “Pa? What do I do now? Could use some more help but twenty two? Young and close to Sadie’s age. Do I take the chance?” A weird feelin’ flows through me.

  A knock comes on the door and I turn. “Uh, Memphis? The horses got out. Gonna go get them gathered. A storm’s comin’,” Mac says.

  I nod. “On my way.” He nods back and leaves. I look back up at the ceiling and smile. “Thanks, Pa.” I reply to the email that he would be welcome and to let me know when his train will get in, and I’d come pick him up. Lord help me.

  Sadie

  Oh, my God! Every muscle in my body hurts clear down to my toes. Mable’s boots were too small and after milking six cows, I can barely make a fist. I think he’s trying to kill me. I struggle to remove my clothes leaving them in a heap on the floor and wa
lk into the bathroom turning on the water in the tub. Thank God it’s a tub shower. I need to lay down and soak for a day, or longer. It kills me to bend over but I do and look in the cabinets under the sink. Towels, wash clothes and ohhh, lilac salts. Perfect. I shake some into the water and pull my hair up tying it with a cloth tie I got from my makeup case. Stepping into the hot water, I sit down and almost moan. I lay back, my head hitting the tile, and sigh. I was one of those lucky girls and never had to work out, not on a regular basis. I was always active, well, out partying and only did light eating, so I kept off the weight. But this? This is pure torture! I’m sure it doesn’t bother people who are used to this but the muscles on my muscles hurt, even my skin! I close my eyes and visions of Memphis appear. No wonder his arms are so big, his waist so slim and his thighs? Damn! My mind wanders, and I feel an ache down deep when I visualize his firm butt. I could just see me lying in bed, him between my legs, and my feet rubbing and pushing on that fine bottom. Shit! I’m horny!

  Once the water cooled, I let it out and climb out slowly. Damn, that didn’t help as much as I’d hoped. I walk into the bedroom and dig through my suitcase, finding my white silky robe, loving the feel against my damp skin. I notice the double doors to the right of my bed, walk over, and open them. The cool breeze feels good but a little chilly after the heat of my bath. I walk out onto a small deck and put my hands on the railing. My face tilts up to the sky and I take a deep breath. I look around, the moon shining bright, lighting up the area a little. Stars glitter in the sky. I don’t think I’m in the city anymore. The barns outside lights are on, but nothing is stirring except for the leaves on the trees all around. This is actually kind of nice, too slow and laid back for my taste but sort of serene.