Mail Order Farmer (The Walker Five Book 5)

by Marie Johnston

  Ina scoffed. “People move to wintery climates all the time. Don’t let that scare you.” She sighed. “You’re not happy.”

  “No, I am.” Dalisay watched the flakes pile on the windowsill. “It’s not what I thought.”

  “Moore isn’t, or Aaron isn’t?”

  “Moore.” Aaron was all she could’ve imagined. What she saw of him other than an hour of cuddling and watching TV, or more, at night before he’d sneak back to his own room.

  “It’s not much better than staying with Peejong and marrying Michael.” Ina’s frank tone nailed it perfectly.

  “At Peejong’s I’d have something to do,” she mumbled.

  This so wasn’t Manila. And that was okay. She didn’t have to worry about the geese migrating back north mugging her. But she’d lived in Manila for five years and had grown accustomed to her freedom. Freedom to go anywhere by many means of transit. Freedom to grab a cup of coffee—on any corner. Freedom to get out and walk around.

  The half-tame barn cats were getting used to her presence, but they weren’t the best conversationalists. She’d worked at a busy internet café where she chatted with coworkers, learned about the life of some of her regulars, and talked to people.

  This house. It was so quiet.

  “You’ll find your way.” Ina’s encouragement wasn’t surprising. She didn’t expect Dalisay to give up easily. “I know you can make it work. It’s what we do.”

  “They don’t have nursing school here.” Dalisay squeezed her eyes shut. She hadn’t planned to spill that to her mom.

  Ina would probably say what Aaron had. We’ll check it out. We’ll find something. Meanwhile, he hadn’t mentioned a thing about it and she’d gotten frustrated with her research. There were no options that didn’t involve travel, and she couldn’t even get to town to buy a coffee.

  And she didn’t like coffee!

  The familiar burn of tears returned. She hadn’t broken down yet, and she wasn’t going to today.

  “There’s nothing?” Ina sounded genuinely disturbed. She’d always been Dalisay’s biggest supporter. She had gushed to relatives how her daughter was going to work in the city at a big hospital.

  Dalisay hadn’t even walked past a major hospital in years. Not very nurse-like.

  “All of it is a commute. And while the time of travel might be the same as in Manila, the distance isn’t. Neither is the weather. I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

  “What does the college in town offer?”

  “Two-year degrees, like in farm management and accounting.”

  “Well, there you go.”

  To Ina it was simple. Pivot. Plan one thing, life throws a different option. Dalisay needed to be more like her.

  “Maybe I should look into them.” She lacked conviction.

  “You’d be more satisfied.”

  Yeah. Maybe.

  An engine approached. Dalisay craned her neck to look toward the driveway, her heart skipping a beat. Was Aaron returning from Brock’s early?

  Jackson drove by.

  “I need to go, Dali. Hang in there. You can make this work. You owe it to yourself and to Aaron.”

  The feeling of failure wasn’t helping anything. If it weren’t for getting exposed to the light of day thanks to the windows, and the occasional foray to wander around the yard, she might as well curl in a blanket in the basement and watch daytime TV with Lori.

  She clicked off the phone and stared out the window.

  This place was gorgeous with its blanket of white. Between snowfalls, the banks and piles melted enough to reveal the dirty brown snow underneath, but somehow it managed to maintain a sense of tranquility. An understanding to slow down because as long as it’s there, there’s not much that can be done.

  A concept that hit home more for Dalisay every day.

  Her phone buzzed. Aaron!

  “I’m gonna be at Cash’s a little longer. Dad and I are moving snow so he won’t have to worry about it.”

  “How’s little Carter?” She would’ve like to have gone with Aaron, but while he and Timothy worked, she would’ve hovered over a new mama, wondering if she’d worn out her welcome an hour ago.

  “Cute as can be. Abbi’s napping and Cash is passed out in the recliner with Carter passed out on his chest. I guess the baby hardly sleeps at night. So don’t wait to eat or anything. I can make something for me and Dad when we get back.”

  Always courteous. Always taking care of everyone else. She’d wanted a career where she could do that, but she couldn’t even do it in her own home.

  Home. Squaring her shoulders, she said goodbye to Aaron and stood.

  She owed it to herself to make this her home. This would be her first meal without Aaron. Only Jackson and Lori were here, but she could take care of them so Aaron didn’t have to worry.

  Determination infused her movements. Time for dinner.

  ***

  Dalisay jumped when Lori came upstairs. She’d announced that the meal was ready fifteen minutes ago.

  The food was cooling and her plate was empty. She’d spent much of the time wondering if she should serve herself and get started, or if that’d be considered rude.

  Lori sat. Her pale face was creased like she’d just woken from a dead sleep smashed into a pillow. “Oh. Pork chops. And rice again. I see you’re really getting use out of the rice cooker Aaron bought.”

  “Yes, that was very considerate.” She had rice with her meals everyday even if the Walkers didn’t. Each batch, she added extra. The potatoes that the others made were good, but a taste of home each day helped her adjust.

  Lori dished her plate, not waiting for Jackson who may have muttered something about grabbing a bite in town. Dalisay served herself and they ate quietly.

  Did she try to make conversation again? She barely knew Lori well enough to ask her about anything.

  “It’s going to be quiet with Jackson gone next year.” She could kick herself, but it was something. This woman was supposed to become family, but she knew some of her café clients better than Lori.

  Lori’s small smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Time flies. One day they’re babies, the next they’re going off to college. I never would’ve thought…”

  Dalisay waited with her fork poised over her plate. Should she prompt her?

  But Lori finished. “He was such a challenging kid. Nicolas, too. Each in their own way, but so unlike Aaron.” Lori shrugged, and she sliced her pork chop. “Maybe it’s the age difference. Aaron was an only child for so long. And he was an easy kid.” Her smile this time was real. “Then the boys came one right after the other. I had them, and Aaron’s football games, chores around here. Then, oh god, baseball. Practice every night. Games were double headers and I had to suffer through them with two toddlers who wanted to eat sunflower seed shells off the floor—other people’s.”

  She fell quiet again, her expression growing tired.

  “Sounds like a challenging time,” Dalisay said. This brief glimpse into Lori said so much. The way Aaron’s mom acted had felt personal, but this conversation was promising. Lori wasn’t resentful that Aaron was getting married or that he had met his fiancée online.

  “It was. It can still be. Both the younger boys were in football and baseball, too, like Aaron. You know, small towns.”

  She didn’t. Solano was five times the size of Moore.

  “Jackson quit playing before high school. It was the ol’ playtime is based on the merits of your coach’s drinking buddies and their kids, and of course, who donated the most to the program. Jackson’s like me, doesn’t put up with the bullshit. Nicolas starts baseball again this spring. He can drive himself to practice now. I’ll still have to go to games, I suppose. Then it’s one more year of football to suffer through.”

  Dalisay’s face must’ve registered surprise. Lori elaborated. “I worry about head injuries with everything in the news, but the biggest drama are the other parents. If you don’t play their way, your kid doesn’
t play.” She waved her hand like she was shooing the topic away. “Anyway, I’m sure it’ll be different when you and Aaron have kids. Jackson tells me you were looking for nursing programs.”

  The subject changed to one that was depressing, but Lori had broached it and that was more than Dalisay expected this morning. So there was a silver lining.

  “I may have to change plans. There’s nothing close by.”

  “I imagine the thought of commuting when you have so much going on is a bit daunting.”

  That part wasn’t a problem. Dalisay had nothing going on. Her troubles were not having a car or license.

  She nodded instead of mentioning any of that. “Ina—my mother—said I should look at the other programs the school offers.”

  “It’s not the same, though, is it?”

  Dalisay popped her gaze up. The look of complete understanding staggered her. Had Lori made the same decision at one time?

  Lori inclined her head as if affirming her mental question. “I loved fashion, design—anything with fabric, I was all over it. But I met Timothy. You can guess that Moore doesn’t offer much in the way of fashion design or home interior training. I went to the college in town, then got my four-year degree online. Business.” She shrugged. “It helped the farm.”

  Dalisay’s gaze strayed to the living room. The furniture matched and was nice enough. The pictures on the wall were outdoorsy, but nothing about the place screamed I love decorating.

  Lori chuckled. “This is Aaron’s haphazard style. I didn’t want to touch it when I moved back.” She sighed. “This house isn’t mine.”

  Yeah. Dalisay knew the feeling. It was supposed to become hers, but her suitcase wasn’t even fully unpacked.

  “If you…” Lori pushed her rice around. “If you decide to change it up in here, let me know if you want some ideas. I’d show you pictures of how I had it when I lived here, but the style’s outdated by a good twenty years.”

  “Yes, I’d like that.” Her answer seemed to please Lori. She even ate some food. But it depressed Dalisay more. Was this her future? Living in a house that really wasn’t hers, buried under lost hopes and dreams?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Aaron shut the door to the pickup. His dad climbed out, too. The shop was quiet and a nice break from working in the wind. They’d moved snow the weekend before to help Cash out, then he and his cousins worked on clearing their own property and road. The one that ran past all their places wasn’t an emergency route, and the county had gotten spoiled with how well the Walkers cared for it that they never rushed after a significant snowfall.

  “I keep expecting Dalisay to open up, but she’s still so quiet.” Dad went around to the rear of the pickup and dropped the tailgate. He started unloading the supplies they’d picked up from town.

  There’d been a sale on landscape rock. Once the snow melted, the sad state of the flower beds and decorative stone would be glaring. A few more bags of river rock would bring it to life. Fingers crossed that the long-neglected flowers returned.

  “She’s shy around you guys, that’s all. She talks more around her own family, but overall, she has a calm personality.” Aaron hoped Dad didn’t notice that he was worried as well.

  Daisy was quieter than usual. Most of the nights this past week, she’d said she was tired and going to sleep. He got no invite to her room and she hadn’t asked to visit his.

  Last night, he’d taken the night off to plan their reception. The dance hall was booked, the DJ, the music picked out, but he wanted more of her input. Getting her opinions on any of it was like pulling a milk bottle away from a calf. She was fighting to keep it to herself.

  Conversations were one-sided and her answers monosyllabic until it was like talking to his mom.

  The thought stopped him in his tracks. The thump of bags of rock stacking on the pallet kept going without him. Damn, he had to help Dad before the man threw his back out. Though, he didn’t think anything would slow his dad down. He was the most active retiree in the tristate area.

  Aaron hauled the bags of supplies out. He and Dad had inventoried tools and replaced all the ones that had broken or weakened over the winter. This weekend, they planned to tackle the machinery that’d be used heavily in the summer, like the lawn mower. The duties were pretty minor. Necessary, but not critical.

  “Dad, do you mind if I take the rest of the day off? I’m getting married in a few weeks and I haven’t spent much time with my fiancée lately.”

  “Date night?”

  “Date weekend? We can pry Nicolas away from his girlfriend to help you out.”

  Dad grunted. “Good luck with that. Jackson’s in town picking out his tux. Prom’s over a month away, but you know him. Always prepared.”

  “Then I’ll finish up—”

  “Aaron.” Dad rested an arm on the box of the pickup and propped his other hand on his hip. “I was changing oil in lawn mowers before I could drive. I can handle it. Go get Daisy out of the house. It’s finally above thirty degrees today. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t be stricken with a serious case of cabin fever. Well, except your mother.”

  “Right?” When had he last run to town with Daisy?

  Was that what was going on, she was going stir crazy?

  Aaron jogged to the house. It was early afternoon on a Saturday. What was there to do in Moore?

  He trotted into the house and kicked off his boots and coat. Before spinning around the corner, he ducked back and lined his boots up and hung up his coat. His siblings had been making an effort after seeing Daisy taking some care in the mudroom.

  Padding through the house, he heard nothing but the TV from downstairs. Once he cleared the kitchen and dining room, he spotted her. She was cross-legged on the couch, her head resting in one hand while she gazed out the window. His laptop was open in her lap, but the screen had blacked out.

  Yeah, something was going on.

  “Daisy?”

  She jerked her head up. “I didn’t hear you come in.” Her hands were sucked into the sleeves of her sweater, leaving only her fingers out.

  “If you’re cold, you can turn up the heat.”

  “No, I’m fine.” She closed the computer and placed it on the floor. Then she stood and stretched. He tracked the movement of her lithe body. It’d been too long since he’d seen it. Her winter clothing swallowed her up. “Did you forget something?”

  He grinned. “Nope. I’m taking the rest of the day off. Tomorrow, too.”

  Her eyes brightened. “To do what?”

  “Want to go to town and see a movie?”

  “Yes,” she breathed. “I’ll go get ready.” And she was gone to her room.

  He peeked out the window to where she had been staring. The driveway. Must be cabin fever bothering her.

  His brothers were in town. Mom was downstairs. Otherwise the house was the quietest he’d heard it. When he was home, he was always banging around and doing stuff. Daisy had nothing to do.

  He’d have to ask her about that. All his efforts to relieve pressure for her might have left her bereft.

  She reappeared just as quietly as she left. Her hair was pulled back and she looked refreshed.

  ***

  They’d been in town for hours. Daisy had opened up more, but she still wasn’t as talkative as she had been when they’d been able to escape alone together.

  Aaron pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot. It was full, but then, it was Saturday night. He hadn’t been out for a real Saturday night date in years. This place didn’t have a band or dancing, it was for eating only. He was being both selfish and cautious—they needed to talk.

  The hostess seated them in a booth. Aaron nodded to a few people he knew, but none were close friends. They may have heard he was engaged, but it wouldn’t have spared Daisy any attention.

  Of course, her being new to town would garner plenty of attention. He hoped she wasn’t offended. The truth was, if they hadn’t met, he’d have ogled with each step she
took. She was striking, sexy, and her mellow attitude made her seem attainable.

  Daisy cruised the menu and asked for recommendations. She settled on a simple sirloin despite him pushing the filet mignon. The price difference scared her off. He ordered sirloin tips and settled back.

  “So, want to tell me what’s going on?” He kept any lightness out of his voice. His question was serious.

  “I’m sorry?” She fiddled with her napkin, stretching it out, folding it, straightening it again, and rolling it around her finger.

  “I feel like the longer you’re here, the more miserable you are.”

  “I’m not miserable.”

  Where was the passion?

  “Yes, you are.”

  She shook her head, her eyes full of determination. “I’m not. You have a wonderful house and your family is pleasant.”

  Not exactly resounding compliments. He switched tactics. “What about college? What have you found out?”

  Her expression shut down. It wasn’t blank, but it was guarded. “Nothing really. I’ve been researching the programs offered by MCC.”

  She was calling Moore Community College by its acronym. That had to be a good sign. Like a form of acceptance, right?

  “What program are you interested in?”

  “Um… Probably accounting, or something.”

  Aaron clenched his jaw. Could her tone have been any deader? She wasn’t being honest with him. He asked as much as he could think of about MCC and she answered. No enthusiasm sparked in her eyes.

  Their meal arrived, and Daisy’s eyes widened. “That’s a lot of food.”

  “The dog likes leftovers. Or you can get a to-go box and have the rest tomorrow.”

  He waited for her reaction over the food. Because of the weather and getting wrapped up in work, this was her first night out. She’d been in Moore for over a month and he hadn’t taken her on a proper date.

  “We’ll go out again, tomorrow,” he blurted. “And get dessert tonight.”