by E. A. West
He led the two women down the hall and into Meghan’s workshop. She looked up from the drop spindle she was fiddling with and smiled.
“Ah! The rest of my students! Have a seat here at the table, and we’ll get started.” She laid the spindle on the table and focused on Ryan and Basir. “Are you guys going to join the class?”
Basir glanced at Ryan, uncertain of how to answer. Did she want him there, or was she asking to be polite? Or maybe she asked simply as a way to prompt them to leave. Before he could decide which route would be best, the women in the room spoke up.
“Yes! You should stay.”
“It would be so fun to have men in the class.”
“The more the merrier, I always say.”
The encouragement continued until Ryan blew out a breath. “All right! We’ll stay. But I’ll warn you. I already know how to use a drop spindle.”
“If you get too bored, I can always turn you into an assistant.” Meghan laughed. “Now, if you two will find places at the table, I’ll get you some wool.”
Basir took a seat at the end of the table and watched her gather the necessary supplies for two more students. He wasn’t sure how to feel being in a class full of women, but at least he wasn’t alone. Ryan was there to offer moral support and guidance if he needed it. Besides, he couldn’t wait to see the woman he loved teaching others to do the craft she adored.
Once everyone had the necessary wool and equipment, Meghan stepped in front of the table. “In case you haven’t already guessed, I’m Meghan Carpenter, owner of Carpenter Alpacas. Why don’t you all introduce yourselves? We’ll start with you.”
The young woman at the end of the table gave the group a shy smile. “Hi. I’m Lila Porter.”
The older woman with similar features sitting beside her spoke next. “I’m Lila’s mother, Jane Porter.”
Peggy Wallace came next, followed by Amanda Moore, Emily Kincaid, Heather Kline, and Kate Jackson. Ryan was next in line, and he leaned back in his chair as he spoke.
“I’m Meghan’s brother, Ryan.”
“My name is Basir.” He tried not to notice the looks the women exchanged when he spoke, but it was impossible. Nearly every new person he had met in town had done the same thing the first time they heard his accent.
The kitten jumped on his lap and then onto the table and let out a loud meow. All the women laughed, and Basir smiled as he picked up his furry friend. “This is Kadwaal. He likes to be in the middle of everything.”
He set the offended kitten on the floor and focused on Meghan as she started describing the process of preparing raw wool for spinning. The tools in front of him caught his attention and took him back to his childhood. Although his experience was with sheep wool, he had helped wash, pick, and card countless pounds of wool. The wool in front of him now had already been washed, according to Meghan, so he grabbed a glob of it and began to pick through it, loosening the fibers and removing any bits of debris that remained. He noticed Ryan doing the same thing as Meghan demonstrated the process for the others.
When Basir finished picking the wool, he grabbed one of the pin-filled paddles and carefully loaded some wool in an even layer. Then he picked up the matching carder and drew it across the wool-filled one, carding the wool so the fibers lined up with each other. As he worked, he caught Meghan watching him while she demonstrated the process he was already performing.
When he set aside the first carded bat of wool, she paused her lesson and turned toward him. “Has Ryan been teaching you how to do this in his spare time?”
“No, my mother taught me when I was a child.” He didn’t look at her as he added the next glob of wool to the carders. “My grandfather raised sheep, remember?”
“I do remember that. Do you know how to spin yarn too?”
“With a spinning wheel? No. With a drop spindle? Yes. That is how we spun all our yarn.” He gave her a sheepish smile, uncomfortably aware that everyone was listening with rapt attention. “It has been a long time since I spun wool, so I may not be very good at it anymore.”
“I’m sure you’ll pick it up again in no time.” Meghan’s smile warmed him clear through, and then she returned her attention to her students.
Basir made quick work of carding the rest of his pile of wool. He wasn’t surprised at how easily he fell into the rhythm of carding again. Kashmala had put him to work carding wool during the long winter so that she could focus on spinning yarn. He shoved aside the memory and focused on the task at hand. A quick glance to his right showed Ryan keeping pace with him. The women in the group weren’t quite as fast, but it was clear none of them had experience working with wool.
By the time the female students had finished carding their small supply of wool, Basir and Ryan had moved on to spinning. Although rusty from years of not spinning, he soon picked up the skill again and created an even strand of yarn. Ryan started out spinning with the same ease as his sister, but he soon laid his spindle aside and went to help one of the women who was struggling. Meghan was working with the mother-daughter pair. Most of the others were doing all right, but the eldest woman in the group, Peggy, couldn’t seem to get her yarn started.
After a moment of debate, Basir decided to use his newfound freedom from the old ways and stood. Meghan glanced at him as he stopped beside Peggy, and her smile gave him the courage he needed to speak.
“Would you like some help?”
“Oh, yes, please.” She held up her spindle and a strip of carded wool. “I think this is on a mission to drive me batty.”
“No, it just takes patience and practice.” He demonstrated how to attach the wool to the starter string on the drop spindle. “Now you try it.”
She did so with him guiding her through the process. When she finally managed to successfully spin her first few inches of yarn, she gave him a big smile. “You’re an excellent teacher.”
“Thank you.” He returned to his seat and picked up his spinning where he had left off.
The repetitive motion soothed his nerves. Even though he was more comfortable interacting with women, mostly thanks to Meghan’s patient encouragement, he still couldn’t relax as completely as Ryan. Perhaps one day, but helping Peggy with her spindle reminded him that he still had a long way to go.
~*~
Once the last student had paid for her purchase and left, Meghan breathed a sigh of relief. She loved teaching classes, but they always wore her out. The students inevitably asked dozens of questions about the yarn, the wool, the alpacas, and spinning in general as though they wanted to cram years of experience into just a few hours. At least this time, Ryan and Basir had been there to help with the spinning lesson and the brief tour of the farm. Having to answer every question herself was exhausting.
When she returned to her workshop, Basir was inside tidying up. Ryan had left for his job right after the tour. She watched Basir work for a moment, loving the way he seemed so at ease in her world. Most men had no clue what she did or how she did it, even after she explained it to them.
“Thank you,” she said as she stepped further into the room. “I didn’t expect you to help out today, but I’m glad you did.”
He snapped the lid on a box of yarn. “You looked like you needed help, and I knew enough to be able to provide it.”
She rested her hips against the edge of the table. “You know, Ryan was right when he said you’re a good teacher. The way you helped Peggy was admirable.”
He shrugged and joined her, leaning back against the table beside her. “You are an excellent teacher yourself.”
“It wears me out, but I love it.” She sighed and brushed her shoulder against his, pleased when he didn’t move away. “I also love being able to include you in what I do around here. Not everyone gets it.”
“I come from farmers and sheep farmers. What you do is so similar to the life I had before that it would be hard not to understand what you do.” He slowly put his arm around her, almost as though he was afraid she would be upset.
“But life here is not so hard. You do this because you want to, because you enjoy it, not because it is the only way to survive.”
“True. If I failed at farming or my yarn business, I could always go get a job somewhere and still be able to support myself.”
“But you would not be as happy as you are here.”
“Also true.” She leaned against him, and awareness raced through her as he held her closer. “What do you say to going out for dinner tonight? I really don’t want to cook.”
His sudden tension made her want to cry. She stepped out from under his arm and turned to face him.
“Basir, it’s not a date or anything. Just two hungry people getting food.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He combed his fingers through his thick hair. “Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere with food I don’t have to prepare.” She laughed, hoping to lighten his mood.
He cracked a smile, but his tension remained. “Can we go somewhere other than the café downtown?”
“Sure. There’s the pizza place at the edge of town, if that sounds good.”
“Pizza is always good.”
As they headed for her truck a little while later, she glanced at Basir, unable to contain her curiosity any longer. “Why don’t you want to go to the café?”
“Ryan and I have gone there a few times. There is one woman who works there that is afraid of me. I don’t want to deal with that tonight.”
“Oh, I’m sure she’s not afraid of you.”
“She always hides in the kitchen while I am there.”
“OK. Maybe she is scared of you.” Meghan laid a hand on his shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much if I were you. Small towns have their share of quirky people.”
“I know, and I am not worried about it. I just feel uncomfortable when she hides.”
“I don’t blame you. So, let’s go get some pizza and forget all our troubles.”
Papa Marvin’s Pizzeria was busier than Meghan had expected. She found an empty space in the crowded lot and prayed Basir would be able to enjoy his dinner. Memories of how nervous he always seemed in groups made her hesitate before climbing out of the truck.
“Since there are so many people here, would you rather order the pizza to go instead of eating here?”
“No.” He looked toward the crowded restaurant and sighed. “This is a part of normal life. I want to be able to relax as much as you or Ryan in a situation like this, but I will never be able to do it if I avoid crowds.”
“Good point.” She reached over and gave his forearm a gentle squeeze, feeling the tension in his lean muscles. “I’ll let you choose where we sit, and we’ll leave any time you want to.”
He turned toward her and placed his right hand over his heart in a gesture she hadn’t seen in a while. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She smiled and opened her door.
Basir met her at the front of the truck and walked beside her toward the restaurant’s entrance. He made no move to reach for her hand or do anything else to show they were more than just friends. The lack of affection stung a little, but she comforted herself with a reminder that he was going to dinner with her in a crowded restaurant. With most people, it wouldn’t be that big a deal, but Basir wasn’t most people. Appearing with her in public without her brother or anyone else to act as a chaperone was huge.
Once they were seated at a small, out-of-the-way table that offered a clear view of the restaurant and had given their orders to the teenaged waitress, Basir leaned back in his chair and briefly met Meghan’s gaze.
“It is hard to believe I am here with you.”
“Why is that?”
“A few weeks ago, coming here even just as two hungry people getting food was too much for me to consider.” He smiled and warmth filled his eyes. “Now I am here with the woman I love, in public, without a chaperone. Even though I still feel like someone is going to come and punish us, being here with you is very freeing.”
“You’ve come a long way.” She wanted to reach across the table and touch his hand or arm, but she had a feeling that would be too much for him. She settled for a smile and putting as much emotion into her eyes as she could. “I’m proud of you.”
He shifted in his seat and looked away, leaving her uncertain. Had she said the wrong thing? Sent the wrong signal with her expression?
The waitress arrived before she had an answer. Basir didn’t look at Meghan as he picked up a slice of the pepperoni pizza. She nibbled at a slice of her own as she waited for him to say something, but he seemed more interested in ignoring her existence than conversation. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. She set her pizza on her plate and fought back tears.
“Basir, I’m sorry.”
His gaze darted to her, and his eyebrows shot up. “Why? What did you do?”
“I don’t know.” She twisted the paper napkin in her lap and prayed for the strength and wisdom she needed. “I must have done something, though, because you’re acting like I’m not even here. Whatever I did to make you mad, I’m sorry.”
“I am not mad at you.” He ducked his head and spoke so softly she barely heard him. “I am attracted to you.”
More confusion piled on top of what already existed. “I know that. You told me a while ago. But what does that have to do with you suddenly not talking to me or looking anywhere near me?”
“Meghan...”
His struggle showed on his face, but she couldn’t figure out what he was struggling with. Hadn’t they already overcome everything that got in the way of their friendship?
He sighed and grabbed his glass of cola. After taking a long drink, he finally looked at her. The heat smoldering in his eyes surprised her and sent tingles chasing along her spine.
“The way you looked at me when you told me you are proud of me...” He blew out a breath and looked away again. “You are a beautiful woman, and I love you. But we are not married. We are not even engaged. I must remember that, no matter how difficult it may be at times.”
Her heart skipped a beat as his mention of marriage, but she couldn’t focus on that. “So, I made you uncomfortable?”
“Yes, but it was not exactly bad.” His cheeks turned a ruddy color, leaving her to wonder just what had gone through his mind.
Since he had specifically mentioned needing to remember they weren’t married, perhaps it was better if she didn’t know.
As she searched for a way to change the topic to something light, Julia stopped by their table.
“Meghan, Basir, it’s good to see you!” Her smile grew wider as she turned to Meghan. “Enjoying a cozy dinner, I see.”
Basir looked as if he wanted to sink beneath the table, but Meghan wouldn’t give Julia the satisfaction of such a reaction. She laughed lightly and shook her head. “I think you need to look around. This place is hardly cozy.”
“The place may be crowded, but I notice your brother isn’t with you.” Julia sent a pointed look at the two plates on the table.
“He’s at work.” Meghan could feel the discomfort rolling off Basir in waves and decided to take pity on him. “So, are you here with your husband?”
“Yes. Henry is waiting for our order.” Julia patted Meghan’s shoulder. “But I saw you and just had to come say hi.”
“Well, it was good to see you.”
Julia didn’t take the hint. “Oh! You had a spinning class today, didn’t you? How did that go?”
“We had a lot of fun. Ryan and Basir joined in and helped out. They both did a great job when several of my students had trouble at the same time.”
“Really? I knew you taught your brother to use a drop spindle, but I hadn’t realized you taught Basir as well.”
“I didn’t. His mom did when he was a kid.”
“How fascinating.” Julia turned to Basir, who had managed to regain his usual impassive expression. “You must have the most interesting tales to tell, being from Afghanistan and all.”
Basir shrugged and didn’t look at her. “My only tales are just life where I come from.”
“True, but I’m sure life over there is quite different from life here.”
“It is.” He fell silent, but the look he sent Meghan left no doubt in her mind that he was ready for the conversation to end.
Before she could find a graceful way to tell Julia to go elsewhere, her husband called to her from near the entrance. She waved a hand in his direction. Then she focused on Meghan and sighed.
“That’s my cue to leave. You two enjoy the rest of your dinner. I’ll see you around!”
As soon as she walked away, Basir released a breath. Meghan studied him, wondering what had made him so uncomfortable. Tired of wondering all the time and receiving very few explanations, she decided to take a risk.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.” His gaze grew intense, and she felt as though she was the only person in the room with him.
Warmth filled her heart. “I could tell you were really uncomfortable with Julia stopping to talk. What caused that? I mean, is it just that whole men not talking to women thing, or the fact that she found the two of us in public alone, or...?”
“It is a little of both. There are many things I am still trying to adjust to, and tonight has brought several of them in front of me.” He picked up his glass, but he didn’t drink from it. Instead, he appeared to study the contents as he spoke quietly. “Now that someone close to you has seen us together in public without a chaperone, there is no chance of keeping our relationship a secret.”
“Is that so bad?” She tried not to let his words hurt her feelings, but it was a difficult task.
“No. Not at all.” He returned his glass to the table and met her gaze. “It’s just that I have not talked to your father yet. I don’t know if he will approve of me, and I can’t help thinking he will be angry that I developed a relationship with you before talking to him.”
Her heart broke for him. How difficult must life be to live under the constant worry of doing the wrong thing and offending someone? “Basir, you have nothing to worry about. My dad is a nice guy, like Ryan. And Ryan knows you better than anyone. He’ll tell our dad that you’re a good man.”
