Chapter Seven

 

Catherine parked in Elaine’s drive and scanned the expansive gap to Josef’s place. Although over three weeks had gone by, did she make a mistake in returning to the farm so soon after her aunt’s passing? Did she make a mistake taking the week off? She had a good idea about what he wanted to talk about—marriage.

“Okay, boys, let’s get those leashes on and get you tethered. Fritz, I’ll help you down.” No one had come forward for the injured dog. Darby and Fuzzy welcomed him into the house with joy and enthusiasm. The cats not so much.

She paused at the bottom step leading to the house. Staying could be a challenge with fresh memories. Her heart accelerated, and sweat beaded on her forehead, neck and chest. If she couldn’t stay at Elaine’s, she’d have to stay with Josef.

A calmness settled on her as a teasing breeze swept her shoulders. She wanted to be here. The house was open, and cool wind rushed past when she stepped through the door. She strolled through the kitchen, entered the dining room and found the windows and front door open. Josef.

As she went outside, the dogs barked, and Blondie darted across the lawn. The dog stopped for a moment of acknowledgement from Catherine before bounding to Darby and Fuzzy. She then paused to sniff Fritz. With her nose’s approval, Blondie invited Fritz to play by the old oak tree.

Of course Blondie’s owner wasn’t far behind. “I opened up the windows to get fresh air moving around.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” She opened the tailgate of the truck. “I need to get unloaded and settled.”

“Can I help with anything?” His hand rested on hers on the tailgate.

“I’ll be fine. Thanks. You’ve done enough.”

“Who’s the big dog?” He pointed toward the dogs.

“That’s Fritz. He was rushed in for emergency surgery after being struck by a car and then a truck.” She pulled the duffle bag forward, swung it onto her shoulder and grabbed a box. “No one claimed him, so he’s with me until I find him a home. A home with a lot of running space.”

“A farm would be a good home.” He followed her toward the house.

“You know of someone?”

“I’ll let ya know if someone comes to mind. Listen, can ya come for dinner this evening. We can talk then. Say six o’clock?” He held the door open for her.

“Sounds good.” Catherine stepped inside.

“I’ll see ya then.” He closed the door and at the bottom step said, “Let’s go, Blondie.” He patted his leg, and the dog bounded to his side. She never tired of his rear view.

Inside everything was gone. There wasn’t a stick of furniture in the house. Aunt Elaine’s siblings didn’t waste time removing their share of belongings. Her mother mentioned an estate sale to clear out the unwanted items.

She had some cleaning to do before going to Josef’s. Finding the dogs’ food and water bowls in the box, she set them on the counter next to the radio and hit the play button. Carrie Underwood’s latest CD belted from the speakers. Rag in one hand and cleaning solution in another, she got to work.

Once the bathroom was clean she attacked the kitchen then opened the refrigerator, which she considered an antique, and wiped the shelves. She emptied the cooler, packed with refrigerated items for her stay. With time to spare, she set the inflatable mattress up in the living room, showered and changed for dinner.

* * * *

Beautiful as a teenager, Cat got better with age. Shorts gave way to her long legs and round bottom, and the snug fitting tee shirt hugged the curves up top. No longer thin as a rail, her fat and muscles were proportioned in all the right places. She was perfect for him.

He had frozen store-bought lasagna, garlic bread from the bakery, frozen corn off the cob from his own crop last season, a pre-packaged salad and, of course, a bottle of red wine. With the corn slowly cooking on the stovetop, the lasagna in the oven and the salad ready for dressing in the bowl, he left to clean up for his special guest.

He remembered the night their universes collided. They gave in to their sexual needs. No holding back. They spent every free moment together the summer she graduated from high school and decided to try a long distance relationship when Cat started college at the University of Minnesota. By Halloween, their relationship was over.

He assumed the breakup had a lot to do with him being a farmer. He loved tending the land and watching what he planted grow, turning out a product his country needed. The land loved him back.

Now the question was—would Cat accept the proposal to be his wife?

Waiting for the guest of honor, he paced the length of the main hall between the kitchen and the master suite.

Blondie’s bark announced Cat’s arrival. Josef stepped onto the front porch. “Did you get done what ya needed to?”

“The house wasn’t bad, considering.” She tipped her head, her face etched with sorrow. “I cleaned enough for my week’s stay.” Cat bent and petted the yellow lab.

“If ya find it difficult to stay there, you’re more than welcome here.” He held the front door open and caught a whiff of the tropics as she entered the house. She wore jean shorts with multiple layers of tank tops.

“It smells wonderful. What are we having?”

“Lasagna, garlic bread, salad.” The door closed. “Why don’t ya sit down, relax, and I’ll be right back.”

“I didn’t notice before, but you have a beautiful home. I don’t remember the house looking like this when we were kids.”

“I rebuilt it about four years ago. Tore the old place down and built from the ground up the way I wanted,” he hollered from the kitchen and reappeared with two glasses of red wine. “For you.” He handed her a glass. “Dinner should be ready in about fifteen minutes.” The wine swirled around, clinging to the sides of the glass.

He contemplated whether to sit next to her or in the chair. The chair won since he didn’t want to move in on her yet. Silence hung in the air like the swirls of the wine slowly sliding down the inside of his glass.

“Any luck finding another place for the horses?”

“No, but I have to now.” She stared into the glass she held. “The land sold, and I have only forty-five days to remove the horses.”

“Are you okay?” He leaned forward and rested his hand on her bare knee.

“I’ll be fine.” She looked where his hand rested.

He stood. “Why don’t we check on dinner?” Cat followed him into the kitchen.

“Oh, my God. This is beautiful,” she exclaimed. “You live here alone yet have double ovens, a six burning stove and an industrial ‘fridge. Do you use all of this?”

“I like to cook on occasion and entertain the family. And just because I live on a farm doesn’t mean I have to cook on a wood burning stove.” They laughed as he pulled the bread from the upper oven and cut it into slices.

“I didn’t mean—”

“I know, but we farmers are modern, too, and like nice things.” He tossed the sliced bread into the basket. “Why don’t ya go ahead and dish up while I get the salad ready.”

“This looks good.” Cat scooped a section of lasagna from the foil pan. “You worked all day making it I’m sure.”

“Oh, yeah, all day,” he jabbed back as he walked to the dining room, setting the salad bowl on the table. “Me and Stouffers.” He entered the kitchen and filled his plate.

“It looks delicious, and I’m thankful. I love the counter tops. What are they made of?”

They sat at the mission style table. “Concrete. It’s amazing all the different things they can do with it.” Josef bowed his head to pray. When he lifted his head, brown eyes stared at him.

“No wonder Elaine liked you so. I remember going to church every Sunday, sitting and listening, not understanding a word of the Latin they spoke.”

“I remember that, too, but it’s all in English now.” He lifted his wine glass. “How ‘bout a toast—to Elaine and her eternal happiness.” As their glasses clinked, a tear from the corner of her eye fell, and his knuckle gently touched her cheek to swipe it away.

* * * *

Catherine placed the last of their dinner dishes on the gray and black swirled countertop.

“Go sit in the living room, and I’ll take care of this. I’ll join ya in a minute.” Josef loaded the dishwasher.

“Okay.” She retreated to the living room, sat on the sofa and surveyed the room. The living room was much more than the living room Josef referred to. It was a great room. A man’s room—leather, wood, stone and dark colors. Navy and wine throw pillows accented the deep evergreen leather sofa and chairs. The coffee table was a slab of rough-cut marble stone. Farm, hunting and health magazines littered the beautiful top. Blondie’s big dog bed lay near the TV.

“You’re smiling. That’s a good sign.”

She jumped at the sound of Josef’s voice.

“Sorry.” He sat beside her, and her heart stuttered.

“It’s okay. I scare easily. I can see someone coming, go back to whatever I was doing, and when they approach and say something, I jump. It’s stupid.”

“Funny. Not stupid. I’ll have to remember to announce myself.”

“Can I see the rest of the house?” she asked, curious to see if the upstairs was anything like the main floor—modern, yet manly.

“Sure. I can’t guarantee it’ll be clean though.” He stated with a brave smile, and she laughed.

“Would you mind if I had another glass of wine?”

“No, go ahead, and finish the bottle.”

“That’s okay,” she sashayed into the dining room, “I don’t need to drink three-quarters of a bottle.”

“There’s not much left,” he chuckled.

She lifted the bottle, looked at the amount remaining and asked, “Did we drink that much with dinner?”

Catherine stood between the archway and foyer as Josef advanced. He wore a black short-sleeved polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts. She suspected he’d made an effort to look nice for her. Her jean shorts and tank tops came up lacking.

His shirt showed off muscular arms, and his legs weren’t bad either. They weren’t tanned like his arms, but built the same, which showed he cared about his body. She wondered what lay beneath the black shirt. “How about that tour now?” Her face heated with the thoughts.

“Well, you’ve seen most of the main floor.” They cut through the dining room and crossed the hall.

His large, firm hand warmed her lower back, and her heart was at DEFCON Two—Defense Readiness Condition. Level Two—things are heating up. She pondered the earlier discussion they’d had about marriage, but quickly dismissed the thought.

“I have this office and off the kitchen there’s a guest bathroom on one side of the hall and the laundry on the other side.”

The office was a light tan color and had a futon covered with a dark brown and navy quilt.

“This is my room.” He gestured to the door at the end of the hall. “I didn’t spare anything with the master suite.”

They entered through double doors. A suite indeed. To the right a king sized bed with a table on each side commanded the center of the large room. A wide dresser stood near the foot of the bed while an upright one stood against the main wall. The far wall had two sets of French doors leading to a patio off the back of the house.

“The bathroom.” His hand swept to the left.

“Shit! This is as large as my bedroom.”

There was a walk-in shower and a whirlpool bath, big enough for two. His and her sinks in the vanity and the toilet in its own little room. Also in the bathroom were his and her closets.

She caught him kicking clothes into a closet. “This is unbelievable. You did a fantastic job with the rebuild.”

“Thanks. I’d like to think so. I’ve worked hard and plan to work harder.” He stood in the doorway to the hall, leaning against the doorframe, gazing at her as she stood by his bed. Her heart rate accelerated, now at a DEFCON One—something is going to break loose at any second.

“Maybe it’s time I see the upstairs.” With caution, she approached the doorway. Her mind and body were in a battle of wants and needs.

The stairs led to a landing, which looked out to the front yard, and continued with several more steps leading to the second floor open hallway. She stepped forward and leaned over the rail, taking in the great room below.

“The house is so big, and you live here alone.”

“Someday I’ll find the right girl, and we’ll fill the house with kids.”

“Girl, huh?” She hip-checked him with a wink.

“You know what I mean.”

“How many rooms are up here?”

“Four and two baths of sorts.”

“Of sorts?”

“You’ll see what I mean.” He led her to the left down a short hallway.

She entered a nice sized room decorated for a girl. Faery came to mind with the walls painted in lime green and varying shades of purple accents.

“Here’s the bathroom of sorts. It’s like a Jack and Jill, but not.”

The faery room had an attached room with a sink in it. They walked through a pocket door and the small room contained the toilet on one side and a shower on the other.

“I see what you mean. Not a true bathroom.” She continued through another room with a sink and into a bedroom. “This is beautiful.” The room was decorated with a feminine touch, white and pink shabby chic with a country motif.

“My sister-in-law thought it would be nice for any girl who stayed. The other side is the same but decorated for guys. Did you want to see them?”

“Yes.”

They walked across the walkway to the other side of the house and the rooms were identical in layout.

“You weren’t kidding. Makes it easy for the builder.”

The smaller room at the front of the house was set up for a boy with sports themed paint in dark blue and green. The room to the back of the house was painted a light tan/brown with shades of aqua accents.

Walking downstairs Catherine said, “Thank you for letting me see the house. You did a good job.”

At the bottom, Josef took her hand and turned her around. “Cat, have ya thought any more about the will and farm?”

She slipped her hand from his and turned to enter the great room. “Yes.”

“And?”

“I’m still undecided.”

“We’ve shared a lot in our past, Cat.” Josef sat next to her on the leather sofa. “We may not have stayed in touch, but I have with your family.” He held her hand in his. “Your great-aunt really adored you. You brought her so much happiness.” He lifted her chin, and she met his gaze. “She loved you like a daughter. You know that?”

A tear trickled down her cheek, and she swiped it away. “Yes. But I don’t understand why she didn’t give me what I needed. And why the marriage trust fund.”

“She knew about your love for animals and the need to help them. The only thing I can think of is that she thought the land would be of better use for you and the animals. More to work with. I don’t understand it either. And well, the marriage thing, I have no answer.”

She removed her hand from his. She was afraid. Afraid of what he might ask. Afraid of what she might say. Afraid of what she might do. “I don’t have anyone in my life, so how could I get married?” The tears disappeared, as she grew more upset with the situation. “I’ve never had a relationship last longer than a month.”

“We lasted longer than a month.”

“We were kids.” She looked to the wooden floor.

“No, Cat.” His fingers gently lifted her face to look at him. “I was a man, and you were a woman.”

“We used each other to satisfy a sexual need,” she said matter of factly and sat upright. “When you weren’t there, I found it elsewhere. The reason the long distance thing didn’t last.”

“Wow.” His voice was toneless as he bowed his head.

“Sorry, but you brought it up.” She fell back against the leather. “I thought you knew when I told you it wasn’t working. That we were over. I thought, well, I guess I should’ve been honest and up front with you.”

Silence filled the room.

“We’ve both grown and learned as adults, Cat.”

“It’s getting late. I should leave.” She stood and moved the short distance toward the front door. “I still have stuff to do tonight.” A lie, but the conversation had become awkward.

Josef grabbed her hand, turning her into his chest and arms. She gazed into chestnut irises tinged with green.

“I’m here now, Cat.”

Soft moist lips touched hers. She parted her lips as the kiss deepened. The sensation of his hands on her back and neck sent goose bumps across her skin as her head swirled with want.

She pulled away in an emotional fog. “I need to leave.” Her fingertips touched her lips as though she could will away the kiss, but the fingers lingered for a moment.

“The past is in the past, Cat. Think about things. We could get married.”

“I can’t think about this right now.” Catherine practically ran out the door for the old farmhouse.

Think about things? That’s all she’d been doing.