by Leah Leonard
“Sorry about yesterday,” Stephanie lamented. “You went to a lot of trouble to fix dinner, and I didn’t even bother to show up for it.”
Aunt Ellen scooped some eggs on to a plate and placed it at her seat at the table. “No apologizing. We’ve all done more than our fair share of crying lately. I can’t say I blame you. Things aren’t the same around here without your folks.”
“But I’m grateful I have you,” Stephanie’s eyes filled with tears.
“Likewise, my dear.” Ellen started to go get coffee.
“And I do think we should decorate.”
“You sure?” Ellen looked surprised.
“Yeah. Mom wouldn’t want us moping around here. She’d want us to keep the Christmas spirit alive - after we tend to the cows and chickens, that is. I thought we could do a little today, a little tomorrow, and take our time. We still have a couple weeks before Christmas.”
“Not to worry, dear. Buck already took care of that for us,” Ellen said.
“He did?”
“Yep. Go take a peek.” Ellen gestured to the living area.
Stephanie glanced into the family room. A fresh cut tree was already in the stand in the usual place.
The lights were already strung on the branches and the ornament boxes were all opened and ready like her mom always did them. The sight choked her up. Returning to the kitchen, she said, “When did he have time to do all of this?”
“Buck was up early and busy organizing everything when I got up. He finished putting the lights on the tree this morning before he went to work,” Ellen said.
“He didn’t have to do that. He works so hard already.”
“Yes he does. He knew how upset you were about the whole idea of doing the decorating without your mom. He wanted the tree to be there for you in case you wanted to get started today,” Ellen explained.
How thoughtful he was! “He’ll be a perfect husband.”
“Yes he will,” Ellen agreed.
“Although he shouldn’t have done that.”
“You’re not upset, are you?”
“No, but I really didn’t mind helping. I’ve been gone enough around here. I should help with the work. Buck doesn’t need to do it all. Neither do you.”
“He loves you, dear, and he knew you needed the sleep after your long flight.” Hearing Ellen say the word dear reminded Stephanie of the man she was trying to forget.
“I appreciate him,” Stephanie reflected. “The good news is we have more time to get the house ready for Christmas.”
Ellen sipped her coffee. “You sure? We really don’t have to if you’re not ready. We could do the tree and keep the rest in the boxes. There’s always next year.”
“No, I think mom and dad would want us to keep going in our lives. We can’t stop living just because they’re gone, don’t you think?” Stephanie bit into her eggs, ate a bite of toast and sipped her coffee. All the crying had apparently done her some good and she was feeling better now.
“I do if you do, hon’,” Ellen said.
“Yes, I do.”
After cleaning up the breakfast dishes, the two ladies went into the living room and pulled out the box that was like a sacred artifact with too many memories to count. With each ornament they removed, a new story emerged, many of which they’d told for years, but now things were different.
Normally her parents were there to share in the laughs. The feeling was strangely painful.
Slowly but surely, they managed to take out all the ornaments, put them on the tree, hang the stockings, and trim the mantle. To her chagrin, Stephanie saw her parent’s stockings in the box. No need to put them out. They wouldn’t need them anymore.
Buck always had a stocking at their house, but now, Stephanie moved it into the place where her father’s stocking normally hung, and she placed hers right next to his. This was their new family now. The sooner Stephanie acclimated to it, the better.
Once they finished with most of the decorating, she and Ellen sat by the fire. “So tell me all about your trip.”
“Wait here a minute, and I will.” Stephanie ran upstairs, grabbed the scarves, Virgin Mary metals and the little things she found in Athens and brought them downstairs. “Here, these are for you.”
“Oh my, these are beautiful!” Ellen traced her fingers over the Virgin metal and the candle, she pulled out her pashmina scarf, draping it around her shoulders. “Thank you. So you got to see everything you wanted?”
And then some… “Yes,” Stephanie said. “Thanks again for encouraging me to go.”
“I’m really happy you went.” Ellen reached forward, patted Stephanie’s hands.
“I wish you could have come.” Stephanie meant it. If Ellen had been around to keep her occupied, she never would have gone astray and into the arms of the Sheikh.
“Things happen for a reason. Why your parents died I’ll never know, but for whatever reason I was meant to be here.”
“What did I miss?” Buck asked as he stood in the doorway.
“Hi,” Stephanie greeted him. She found the second Virgin metal in the shopping bag and pulled it out, along with the coffee cup she bought in Athens. “Here. These are for you.”
Buck took the tiny metal and rubbed it between his fingers, smiled and popped it into the breast pocket on his flannel shirt. “Thanks. I’ll use it as a good luck charm.”
She kissed his cheek. “Thanks for getting the tree set up.”
“No problem. Thought it might help if you didn’t have to do that part yourself, especially after your long flight.”
“It did, thanks,” she said.
“Stephanie was just telling me about her trip,” Ellen explained.
“We saved a few ornaments for you,” Stephanie handed one to him and gestured toward the fireplace. “And we put this up.”
Buck glanced at the stocking on the mantel, and had to clear his throat. His eyes watered. “Thanks.”
Choked with emotion, Stephanie smiled. “Sure. This is it. Us three, the newly revised Simonton family.”
***
Uri got out of the town car, stood on the road in front of Stephanie’s family farm and stared at the small house at the end of the long gravel driveway behind the gates. A frigid blast of icy air hit him, waking him to the probability that his future was literally staring him in the face.
His staff did exhaustive research to find this farm. He always valued their work, but today, he realized they had indeed gone above and beyond. This must be it. He hoped anyhow, or his staff would never hear the end of it. He climbed back into the car. “Go ahead and pull up in front of that house, please.”
“As you wish, Your Highness.” His driver climbed out of the town car, walked across the road, and tried the gate, which thankfully was unlocked. He pulled the car through, ran out and closed it, out of respect, then hopped back in. “We got lucky on that gate, Sheikh.”
“Indeed we did,” Uri said, hoping luck would continue to be on his side.
The town car rattled down the rocky road for what seemed like forever. The grounds were not kept very well. Rusted farm equipment scattered throughout the property peeked out from piles of snow. A few old trucks were covered in ice. There were no cars out here. He could see why. The driveway didn’t appear to have been properly cleared in quite awhile. Ice covered everything and his driver did his best to maneuver the car without sliding into the ditches on either side.
After a few minutes, they parked in front of the old wooden two story farmhouse. The white paint looked fairly fresh, but the window screens were damaged and frayed. A step was missing from the ground level up to the large wraparound porch. An old wooden swing hung on the far end with a view of the empty land to the west. Opulent it was not.
His driver alighted from the town car and held the door. “Your Highness.”
“Thank you.” Uri stepped outside and took a look around.
There was not much to the property, other than an old pickup truck that was sorely i
n need of new paint, a few odds and ends on the porch, and off in the distance, a couple of larger trucks parked next to a decent sized red barn.
A few cattle grazed in a pasture, and a small gated cemetery off to the east had only two tombstones. Her parents, perhaps? From what Uri could tell, Stephanie was right. The farm was not big at all.
His driver bowed. “I will wait here, Sheikh.”
“Thank you.” Uri stepped toward the house, and for one of the only times in his life, he felt a little anxious. He hoped Stephanie was here and that she would welcome him. He had to find out one way or another.
He stepped to the porch and looked around for a bell, but didn’t find one. He knocked. He waited. Nobody came.
He tried to be patient, but he hadn’t come this far to be disappointed. He knew this humble farm belonged to the Simonton family, and from his research, the girl Stephanie was their daughter. The S on the gate was further evidence. He drew in a deep breath, tried to relax, and knocked again.
Still nothing.
Then, a few seconds later, he heard footsteps inside. He knocked a third time, and was about to walk away when the door swung open.
A giant of a man stood in the doorway. The behemoth scowled and looked inquisitively at Uri. “Yeah?”
Speculating on who this beast might be, Uri presumed he was the hired help and wondered why he was allowed to open the door in such a disheveled state. He cleared his throat. “I am here to see Miss Stephanie Simonton, if you please.”
Before the brute could answer, the door opened wider and the vision with the fiery red hair appeared before him. Stephanie wore a simple floral blouse and jeans. She looked like an angel. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders. Her skin was as soft and perfectly speckled as he recalled.
The moment he gazed into her emerald eyes, he knew his decision to travel to Iowa was the right one. “Darling, I am so pleased I found you.”
Twenty Seven
Stephanie stared into the dark eyes of the man who literally swept her off her feet, and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Was Uri really here? In Iowa? It seemed impossible. Her mind transported back in time to the moment she first laid eyes on him in Turkey, and how he held her close, comforted her, and captivated her like no one else ever had in her entire life. “Uri?”
“Yes.”
Clutching the last of the Christmas ornaments, Stephanie’s heart raced. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.”
Paralyzed with shock, Stephanie realized this was all her fault. She should have met Uri by the ship the other day and maybe she wouldn’t be in such an awkward situation. Now, the two most important men in her life stood in the foyer of her family home with poor Aunt Ellen as a witness.
How would she explain this to Buck? After a rough night, they were getting along great. The mood had lightened considerably. She and Ellen were talking about baking pies this afternoon, Buck wanted them to go outside and build snowmen and the three of them were discussing plans for the chickens in the spring when this happened. God what a mess! “How did you find me?”
“It was difficult, but when you have the proper resources, as you can see….” he gestured outside where Stephanie saw his familiar driver sitting behind the wheel of a luxury car. “…it is not impossible, and of course you are worth the effort.”
The image of her dream man being here in her home was so out of context, she froze and simply stared at him, not inviting him in, not saying a single word.
Buck took care of breaking the ice. “Who’s he?”
“Not that this is any of your concern, but I am a friend from overseas,” Uri interjected before Stephanie could respond.
Turning to Stephanie, Buck asked, “You mean you know this guy?”
Could anything be more awkward? Stephanie cringed. “Uh…we met in Turkey.”
Buck looked at her in disbelief, turned to Uri, then glanced back at Stephanie.
For a tense second, she worried Buck might punch Uri in the nose. Buck wasn’t violent, by any means, but he had been known to get into a scrap or two when he was younger. She hoped to God this wouldn’t be one of those times. Fortunately, without saying another word, he stormed off.
Stephanie blushed. “Sorry about that. Please come in.”
Uri crossed the threshold, removed his heavy coat. “Believe me, I understand how difficult it can be to find good help, although the man ought to be fired for such disrespect.”
Oh geez, Stephanie thought.
Before she could find the proper words, Buck stomped back into the room, fists balled, nostrils flared. “Hired help?”
“Buck…” Stephanie interjected.
He turned to Uri with fire in his eyes. “I’m her fiancé.”
“Really?” Uri asked, glancing at Stephanie.
Buck reached for her hand. “Or have you forgotten about the ring I gave you yesterday?”
Stephanie stood frozen watching the nightmare unfold before her in total disbelief. All eyes were now on her, and all she could manage to say was, “Uh…”
“Hey,” Buck demanded. “Where’s your ring?”
“Upstairs in the box.” Stephanie hated herself for taking the ring off, but she did, last night, and she hadn’t had it on since.
“Are you kidding me?” Buck glared at her and took off out the back door.
By now, Uri had already started putting his coat back on. He instinctively stepped back, and had his hand on the doorknob. “Shall we go somewhere else to talk?”
“No,” Stephanie insisted, grabbing her coat and glancing over her shoulder. “Come outside for a minute. We’ll talk here.”
They donned their jackets and walked to the porch to have some privacy. Snow flurries blew around in circles.
“What is this about a ring?” Uri demanded.
“That’s Buck,” Stephanie said. “The one I told you about?”
“Yes, I’m sorry I thought he was the farm hand.”
“He is, but he’s also...” she sighed.
“Your fiancé? Why did you not tell me?” Uri’s eyes blazed. “I thought you refused him.”
“I did. He asked me to marry him right before I left for Turkey, and I turned him down, then yesterday at the airport, he shocked me and got on one knee right in the airport.”
“I see,” Uri backed up a bit, his fists formed instinctively into balls.
“I didn’t lie, Uri. I didn’t have the ring at all when we saw each other, but yesterday, we were at the airport, there was a crowd around, I was exhausted, and I didn’t know what to do. It was so overwhelming and sudden. I didn’t want to embarrass him in front of all those people. He really didn’t give me a chance to say no.”
“Did our time together mean nothing to you?” he asked.
“Of course it did. God, I’ve missed you. Seriously I have,” she sighed, “but I never thought in a million years you would be here now or that I would ever see you again. Oh, Uri, are you crazy? Why did you come all this way? Why not send an email?”
“I thought you were mine. I wanted you to know that I want you, Stephanie. I love you. I want you to return to Turkey with me. Forever.”
“I have this farm to take care of. I told you that. It’s not much, but it was all my parents had. They loved this place. I can’t leave. I told you that.”
“And this beast you call a fiancé?” Uri asked. “What about him?”
“Buck is really a great guy. It’s always been in the plan for us to get married and take over the farm, but now that my parents are gone, I guess that time has come. This is my future. I’m sorry, Uri. He’s been a friend of our family for years and years. This is my life, and that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I’m sorry I led you to believe there was hope for us because there’s not.”
Saying the words hurt her more than she expected them to, but she was home now, and regardless of her true feelings, she owed her parents to stick with her plan, no matter what the consequences.
<
br /> “I must admit I admire your loyalty,” Uri admitted. “I have but one question.”
“What’s that?”
“Do you love him?” The black penetrating eyes bore a hole in Stephanie’s soul.
She stared at him and couldn’t offer an immediate reply.
He continued. “Do you find him attractive and stimulating? Do you enjoy being with him, spending time with him? Like what we shared together in Turkey and Greece?”
Just then, the porch door opened.
Stephanie jumped. She hoped Buck hadn’t returned to start a fight.
Luckily it was only Aunt Ellen. She stood there smiling. “I want to know the same thing, Steph. Do you? Love him?”
Stephanie nearly leapt out of her skin. “Uh Uri, this is my Aunt Ellen. Ellen, this is my… friend…Uri. He’s from Turkey.”
“Yeah,” Ellen said. “I kinda figured that.”
Uri bowed. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ellen grinned, sizing him up from head to toe. He sure is pretty, isn’t he?”
Neither of them responded.
“Well,” Ellen said, “I’ll be inside in my room if you two want to come in out of the cold. Help yourselves to some coffee, if you’d like.”
“Where’s Buck?” Stephanie asked her.
“He went to his parent’s house. Said he’ll talk to you later. He slipped out the back.”
Off in the distance, Stephanie heard the roar of Buck’s pickup speeding across the snow. “Okay. Give us a minute.”
Ellen closed the door.
“God, Uri!” Stephanie put her head in her hands. “I don’t want to hurt you, or Buck, or anybody. I just never thought anything like this would ever happen to somebody like me.”
Uri took her hands, gazed into her eyes. “Sweet Stephanie, I do apologize again for barging in, but you left me without saying goodbye.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” she said. “As you can probably see, my life here is complicated.”
He reached out and caressed her cheek. “Darling, there is nothing complicated about this.” He kissed her with the force of ten men.
