by E. A. West
“I’m sorry, Ryan.” She walked over and gave him a hug. “Is there anything I can do to make the adjustment easier for you?”
He chuckled and stepped back. “It’s not as easy as changing the clothes you wear this time.”
Her face burned, and she ducked her head. “Basir told you about that?”
“Yes, but I’d pretty much figured it out on my own. After all, it was kind of obvious you suddenly stopped wearing shorts and tank tops.”
“Oh.” She should have realized that, but with as oblivious as he’d been to Basir liking her, she’d assumed he hadn’t notice the difference in her clothing choices either.
“That’s one of the reasons I think you and Basir are perfect for each other. Not many women would change what they wear on the off chance it would allow them to befriend a guy who’s painfully shy around them.”
“You know I like to help people if I can.”
“I do, but there’s really nothing you can do to help me adjust.” He held up his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “It’s something I have to deal with myself, in my own way. I’ve already set up an appointment with my counselor to help me work through it all.”
“OK.” The sense of helplessness frustrated her, especially since she knew her attraction to his friend was responsible for his current distress. “You’ll let me know if there’s anything I can do?”
“Of course.” He hugged her and stepped back with a smile. “You’re a good woman, Megs. Basir’s lucky to have you.”
She sighed. “I keep hoping he’ll realize something similar to that, but it’s hard to know what he’s feeling.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. He likes you, and he’s made it clear in his own way.” Ryan tugged her ponytail. “You just don’t understand romance in Afghanistan.”
“That’s because I’ve never been there, unlike some people I know.” She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, relieved to see her brother in a better mood. “I don’t suppose you’d care to give me a few pointers?”
“Keep doing whatever you’ve been doing. It seems to be working out pretty well.”
“You’re no help.”
“Of course not. I already told Basir you guys are on your own for figuring this out. I’m not about to let you turn me into a hypocrite.”
Meghan rolled her eyes. “I should get Julia to find you a date just so I can refuse to give you any pointers.”
“I don’t need any.” Ryan headed for the door but paused and glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t need Julia’s help to find a date either.”
Meghan stared after him as he left the room. That last comment sounded suspiciously like he had a girlfriend hidden somewhere or maybe just someone he was interested in. Her joking comment about finding a date sprang to mind and touched off an idea.
Basir wasn’t comfortable going on a date with her without a chaperone nearby. If Ryan already had a woman he was dating, maybe she could talk both guys into a double date. Not only would it give her the opportunity to go out with Basir, but she would also get a chance to satisfy her curiosity about her brother’s love life.
She smiled as she turned to pick up the box waiting to be shipped. “Thank You, Lord, for giving me a creative mind.”
11
Basir tossed another handful of green beans into the five-gallon bucket and looked across the garden. Ryan picked tomatoes off to the left, while Meghan plucked cucumbers from vines on the right. He glanced at the sun sinking toward the horizon. They only had an hour or two of daylight left. Thankfully, they were almost finished with harvesting. A dull headache had dogged him all afternoon, but he was grateful it hadn’t progressed to worse pain.
He picked the green beans from the last bush and lifted the mostly full bucket. After dropping it off by the trailer Ryan had hooked to Meghan’s truck earlier that afternoon, he stopped by the upside-down laundry basket resting in the shade of a tree. He removed the rock from the top and lifted the basket, revealing the month-old kitten playing beneath it.
“Hello, little one,” he said as he stroked the kitten’s body. Regular, round-the-clock feedings had given it a healthy weight and even softer fur. “Having fun?”
The kitten pounced on his hand and gave his fingers a gentle bite. Basir chuckled and pulled his hand away.
“I will take that as a yes.” He stroked the kitten one last time, and then replaced the basket and the rock.
He didn’t like keeping the little creature contained in such a way, but he still needed to keep the kitten close by for ease of feeding. In another week he would be able to leave him alone for longer periods of time. Already the kitten ate less frequently than he had at the beginning, but Basir still wasn’t comfortable leaving him alone in the house long enough to harvest.
Ignoring the kitten’s mew of complaint, he returned to the garden. Ryan carried a box of tomatoes toward the trailer, but Meghan was still picking. Basir joined her and moved to the other side of the string trellis covered with vines. As he picked a ripe cucumber, he heard Meghan stop.
“You don’t have to help,” she said. “I know you’ve been struggling with a headache this afternoon.”
“It is not too bad.” He picked another cucumber and handed both vegetables to her. “Besides, you have been out here longer than I have.”
“True, but I’m used to it. I’ve been selling at the farmer’s market since my second summer on the farm.”
He shook his head and smiled. “You are a stubborn woman, Meghan. Let me help you finish. There’s not much more.”
“If you want to pick cucumbers that badly, who am I to complain?” She set the vegetables in the box by her feet and moved down the row.
Ten minutes later, they met at the end of the trellis. Meghan took the last cucumbers from Basir, and her smile brightened the fading sunlight.
“Thanks, Basir. I appreciate the help.”
“You’re welcome.” He wanted to say more, something witty like he’d seen other men do when talking to beautiful women, but not a single thing came to mind. The full box sitting on the ground caught his attention. If he couldn’t impress her with his words, maybe he could impress her with his work ethic. “I will take this to the trailer for you.”
“All right.” She set the cucumbers she held in the box and stepped back. “Thank you.”
Basir lifted the heavy box and carried it away, feeling her gaze burning into his back. Ahead of him, Ryan stood by the trailer watching his approach. While it was nice to have a chaperone and the knowledge that Ryan approved of him for Meghan, Basir couldn’t shake the negative little voice in the back of his mind. It constantly listed all the reasons why a relationship with Meghan was a bad idea and reminded him of why he wasn’t worthy of any woman. His counselor had given him some ideas to help quiet that voice, but all he’d managed to do so far was muffle it a little. It didn’t help that the negative thoughts about himself were in his father’s and grandfather’s voices. Both men had been against him working with the Americans, but he had followed his heart. After his wife’s murder, they had said terrible things to him and about him before disowning him in an attempt to keep themselves and the rest of the family from meeting the same fate as Kashmala.
He had worked so hard to move past all of that, but it seemed that no matter what he did, those memories wouldn’t let him go. Thinking about his hope of a future with Meghan, he couldn’t help worrying what her parents would think of him. Yes, he had Ryan’s support and approval, but would that be enough to gain their father’s blessing?
Ryan took the box of cucumbers from Basir’s arms and set it with the rest of the harvest. “Surely you don’t find it that distasteful to talk to my sister.”
“What?” Basir studied him, uncertain of why he would say such a thing.
“You talked to Meghan for a minute, and now you look like you want to crawl in a hole and die. Since she looks pretty happy, I’m guessing she didn’t say anything terrible to you.”
“You’re going to have to let go of that stuff, or it’s never going to work between you and Meghan.”
“I know, and I am trying to let it go. But you know that it is not so easy to move past anything that happened in Afghanistan.”
“Yes, I do. I’m still trying to move past what I went through, and you have a lot more than I do.” Ryan shook his head and blew out a breath. “I just don’t want to see you or Meghan get hurt because of what happened in the past.”
“I will do my best to protect her.” Basir debated how much he should say, and then he decided to be completely honest for his friend’s peace of mind. “I have talked to her about some of the things in my past. It is difficult, but it has helped us become better friends.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Ryan opened his mouth as if to say more, but he closed it again as Meghan joined them.
“Hey, I have a great idea,” she said with a smile.
“What’s that?” Ryan asked.
“You guys can come up with something for dinner while I cut the herbs and store them in the fridge.”
“I have an even better idea.” Ryan grinned at Basir, and then focused on his sister. “I’ll run into town and pick up some food, and Basir can stay here and help you out.”
“That is a better idea.” Meghan’s face lit up and set Basir’s heart racing. After Ryan climbed in his car, she turned to Basir. “I am so happy right now.”
“Because I am going to help you cut the herbs?”
Her light laugh floated on the breeze. “That too, but mostly because Ryan is definitely willing to accept a relationship between us.”
“He told me the night he found out we like each other that he thinks we are perfect for each other.” Had he not talked to his sister and assured he wasn’t angry?
“He told me the same thing the next morning, but actions speak a lot louder than words. This proves he meant what he said.”
“Good point.” Basir lifted a hand toward the beds of herbs. “Shall we get to work so we can finish before it is dark?”
As they started harvesting a variety of herbs, Basir felt a spark ignite in his soul. Perhaps a future with Meghan wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Now that Ryan was blatantly encouraging them to spend time alone together, Basir could believe he would also support their relationship if his parents turned out to be against it. And Meghan’s joy at her brother’s support gave him confidence that she truly did want a relationship with him—scars, bad memories, and all.
~*~
Meghan adjusted the display of yarn at the end of one table, pleased with how quickly the booth had come together. With both Ryan and Basir assisting her with the set up, it had gone much faster than usual. All they had left to do now was relax until the farmer’s market opened and the customers arrived.
“Sorry, little one, you have to share the chair with me,” Basir said behind her, a touch of amusement in his voice.
She turned around to find him lifting his kitten from the seat of a camp chair. He had fashioned a harness and leash for it with some twine he had found in the barn, and the kitten had quickly adjusted to wearing it. Now he just seemed happy to have his human cuddling him.
“You know,” she said as she walked closer, “that little guy really needs a name. You’ve had him a little over a week already, so I think it’s pretty safe to assume he’s a permanent member of your family.”
Basir looked up at her and stroked the month-old kitten’s side. “He has a name.”
“Really? What is it?” She’d never heard him call the kitten by anything resembling a name.
“Kadwaal.”
A burst of laughter came from Ryan at the front of the booth. “Seriously? That’s what you named him?”
Basir smiled and nodded. “I thought it appropriate.”
Meghan shifted her gaze between the two men, feeling a little left out. “What does the name mean?”
“It means refugee,” Basir said and petted the kitten trying to suck on his finger. “Kadwaal was forced from his home, so in a way he is a refugee.”
“You’re right. It is appropriate.” She turned to her brother and lifted her eyebrows. “Just how much Pashto do you know?”
“Not as much as Basir, but enough to recognize some words and phrases.” Ryan sprawled in another camp chair. “He’s a good teacher, and we had plenty of time to talk.”
Meghan sat in the third chair, on the other side of Basir, and studied her brother. “I’m beginning to think I don’t really know you anymore.”
“You still know me, Megs.” Ryan leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees. “Yeah, there’s a lot you don’t know, but I’m still your brother.”
“True. I think it’s just soaking in that you and I haven’t shared everything about our lives in years.” She relaxed against the back of her chair and sighed, aware of Basir listening closely. “I kind of miss being that close to you.”
“We grew up to be different people with vastly different lives.” Ryan shrugged when she glanced at him. “If it helps, you know a lot about my life now.”
“Except for who you’re dating.”
“Who says I’m dating anyone?”
“You told me you didn’t need Julia to find you a date. Doesn’t that mean you’ve already found your own?”
“Maybe.” Ryan stood and stretched. “I’m going to walk around for a bit.”
“Are you going to tell me who she is before you go?”
“Nope.” He grinned, winked, and then walked away.
Meghan stared after him, trying to understand why her brother was still as exasperating now as he had been when they were kids.
“Her name is Sara,” Basir said.
“What?” She turned toward him.
“The woman Ryan is interested in. Her name is Sara.”
“How do you know that?”
“He told me her name before I moved into your house, and he has spoken of no other woman since.” Basir smiled and lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know if he has taken her on a date yet, but he has talked to her on the phone several times.”
“Really.” She never would have guessed that Basir would know so much about her brother’s love life, but it made sense. Who better to discuss a romantic interest with than your best friend?
Basir nodded and settled the kitten in his lap. “I think that sometimes when he leaves and is gone for hours, he meets her somewhere. He hasn’t said anything about it, but there are times he seems unusually content when he returns.”
“I’ve noticed that, but I never thought it was because he had a girlfriend.” Meghan shook her head. “I don’t know why that never occurred to me.”
“Because your brother is quite good at keeping secrets.” Humor twinkled in Basir’s eyes. “But he forgets how good my memory is and how many things he has told me.”
She laughed, almost as pleased to have inside information on her brother as she was that Basir seemed perfectly comfortable carrying on a conversation with her.
Ryan stayed gone for most of the morning, leaving Meghan and Basir to tend the customers. To Meghan’s surprise, Basir was an excellent salesman and quite knowledgeable about the produce they were selling. She longed to ask him where his experience had come from, but the market was unusually busy and prevented much conversation. Shortly after Ryan brought sandwiches for lunch, things slowed down.
“You are really good at this,” Meghan said, her gaze on Basir. “Where did you learn how to sell produce?”
“I grew up on a farm.” He shrugged and fed Kadwaal a bite of meat from his sandwich. “As a child, I went with my father to sell our produce in the market. When I was older, I sometimes went on my own.”
“I thought you came from a sheep farming family.”
“My grandfather raised the sh
eep and taught me to care for them, but my father raised vegetables and taught me that business.”
“Wow. I’m impressed.” She’d had no idea how business-savvy he was, but thinking back on the time since he had started helping her with the alpacas and the garden, she could see it. He had made several suggestions to conserve resources while increasing production, and his knowledge of sheep farming had translated remarkably well to alpaca farming. For the first time since she bought her farm, she felt as though she had a partner as invested in the operation as she was. It was a strange feeling, especially since she had no idea how long he would be living and working on her farm.
“It’s no big deal. Everyone where I come from knows at least a little about farming. It is how we feed our families and provide for them.” Despite his attempt to downplay his abilities, the warm smile he gave her indicated how much her compliment meant to him.
“So,” Ryan said, interrupting the sweet moment, “I’ve got a great idea for next weekend.”
“Oh?” Meghan remembered some of his great ideas from the past and hoped this one wasn’t like his ideas in high school.
“How would you guys like to go on your first date together?” He focused on Basir. “It would be a double date, so you’d have your chaperones.”
“A double date?” Meghan said before Basir could speak. “With who?”
“Me and my date.” The smirk on his face indicated he thought he knew more than she did.
She couldn’t resist teasing him. “Your date? You mean Sara?”
Ryan’s eyes widened. “How do you know who she is?”
“I have my ways.” She grinned as Basir covered a laugh with an unconvincing cough. “So, are you going to tell me about Sara and how long you’ve been dating her?”
“I’ve only gone out with her a few times, but I met her not too long after I moved in with you.” A sappy smile spread across his face, and he leaned back in his chair. “She works at the feed store, and she sells a few things now and then here at the farmer’s market.”
