Jason said, “She looks beautiful. You both do!”
Andrew turned to his brother, “We haveta find a man for mom so she can dress up like that.”
Jason poked him and the two boys laughed.
Henry and Mark knocked, then walked in Polly's front door and both of them grinned and gaped at the two young women.
Mark elbowed Henry and said, "You didn't tell me she was so hot."
"You've seen her before," Henry commented. "You know how hot she is."
They laughed and Polly said, "Mark, I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Sal Kahane from Boston. She'll be your date this evening."
Mark stepped in, took Sal's right hand, lifted it and tipped his forehead to it. "I assumed a friend of Polly's would be bright and fun, but I didn't dare make the assumption she would also be stunning; that would have been too much to ask. You both look beautiful this evening." He took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm.
Polly looked Henry up and down and whistled. "Stop it woman," he said." You're making me blush."
"You look pretty good for someone who has been working outside all day," she commented. He looked wonderful, wearing a charcoal jacket over a black, high-collared shirt.
"Hey!" Mark protested.
"You look fine," she said.
Sal smiled and said, "Really fine."
"That's better."
"We should get going. I left the truck running so it would stay warm," Henry said.
Polly turned to the boys who were sitting on the sofa watching things unfold. "Thanks for taking care of the dog tonight. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
Sal and Polly grabbed coats as they walked to the hall and Polly pulled the door shut behind her.
When they got to the truck, they found that Henry had placed a step stool on the ground so the girls could easily enter the truck. "I'm sorry this isn't fancier, ladies," he said, "but I hope you will be comfortable."
Mark helped Sal get in to the back, shut her door, and moved the stool for Polly to step up into the front seat. He picked up the stool and walked around to the other side of the truck as Henry got in and waited for them to all belt in.
"We decided that no matter how fabulous you looked, we were going to Hickory Park," Henry said. "It's not often you can cause an entire restaurant to turn and gawk at your dates, so that's our plan for the evening."
Polly smiled, "Sounds good to me. Are you going to take us dancing after dinner?"
She turned around to Sal, "Mark is practically a professional dancer. His mother owns an Arthur Murray studio in the Minneapolis area and he's amazing."
"Really!" Sal said. "I might be a little intimidated by that and now I'm a little worried about my high heels."
"I'll be kind," Mark laughed. "I've danced with women in higher heels than those and managed to keep them from hurting either one of us."
Henry put his right arm on the console beside him and opened his hand. When Polly didn't do anything about it, he poked her leg and then returned his hand to the console. She looked sideways at him and grinned, but ignored the obvious invitation.
He poked her once more and she said, "What?"
Henry raised his eyebrows and waggled his fingers.
Polly crossed her arms and giggled, then turned in her seat so she could see her friends in the back and said to Sal, "Mark is the one who has been trying to teach me everything he knows about how to work with the horses. I'm awfully glad he's been around to help out while they recuperated." She turned to Mark and continued, "You know, you've never told me how it is that you love those animals so much when you grew up in the city."
Henry shook his head at her obvious attempt to ignore him and put his hand back on the wheel. As soon as he did so, Polly put her left hand on the console. Without waiting a moment, he set his on top of it and lightly squeezed her fingers.
"It was my grandpa," Mark responded. "My dad's father. He had a farm out in Watertown. It was only about a forty-five minute drive and I spent every bit of free time I could with him. As soon as school was out in the summer, I moved out to the farm with him and Grandma. When I was in high school and got my driver's license, I went out every Friday night and came home on Sundays every chance I had. I liked that way better than having a social life. I worked hard, but it was fun."
"Did your brothers and sister do the same thing?" Polly asked.
"Not really," he mused. "Mom always sent them out for a week or two in the summer, but none of them liked it as much as I did. They spent more time at the dance studio, covering for me, I guess."
Sal asked, "So, you'd rather be a country boy than a city boy?"
"Absolutely!" he said. "When I found the practice here in Bellingwood, I couldn't believe my luck. It's close enough to home that I can get there in a few hours, it's near a couple of nice cities and every day I'm surrounded by farmland. Pert' near perfect," he drawled.
"What's the strangest thing that has happened to you on a farm?" Polly asked.
"I'll tell you the most embarrassing thing, but this happened when I was still a kid.” He grinned and began his story. “So, grandpa and I were pulling pigs one spring ..."
Sal chuckled. "Why were you pulling pigs? Do you have to do that when they won't go where you want them to go?"
Everyone in the truck laughed and after Mark regained his composure, he apologized. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh. I forget that most people have no idea what some of the things I say actually mean. No. Sometimes we have to help the sow give birth."
"You what?" Sal exclaimed. "That sounds awful. Like a gynecologist?"
"Umm, sure. But, it's definitely not in a doctor's office. Anyway, I knew this poor sow had a bunch of piglets in there and she was doing everything she could, but nothing was happening. So, I did what every young man does, I stuck my hand in there to find the piglet, but then I couldn't find anything."
Polly caught Sal shuddering out of the corner of her eye. She looked at Mark and saw his eyes twinkling. However much embarrassment he had felt at the time had obviously passed and this was now a great story.
"You stuck your hand up her ..." Sal started quietly, then stopped.
"Yes. That's what you're supposed to do. Well, I finally had to call grandpa over to give me an extra hand ..."
"Because yours was stuck up this poor sow's hoo hah?" Sal giggled.
"Apparently not," he laughed.
"What?"
"Well, the reason I couldn't find any piglets in there was because I'd stuck my hands in the wrong hole. Grandpa laughed and laughed and then pulled the piglets while I tried not to think about what I had just done."
"That poor pig!" Sal exclaimed. "Not only did you assault her, but you really assaulted her! I can't imagine she liked you very much after that."
"She might have been the sow who chased me out of the pen one day.
"Is this a true story?" Sal asked.
"It sure is," he said. "It was one of my most embarrassing moments on a farm, but grandpa told me not to worry about it, those things happened."
Henry chuckled. "That's not a story you should be telling girls on a blind date, my friend."
"Probably not," Mark laughed. "But, she asked for a weird story and I don't know why it occurred to me to tell that one. I have a lot of stories from being out on the farms around here. That's one of my favorites, though. Most of the good stories are those like Polly's horses. There's nothing I love more than seeing beautiful animals return to health. Okay, and I love helping out with the births of new animal babies."
"Even after that pig experience?" Sal asked.
"Especially after that. I watched Grandpa pull those little piglets out and then watched the sow relax as they lined up to feed and it was the most beautiful sight. I still get excited when a new foal is born and the mother begins to clean it up or when I get to watch a calf come up on its wobbly legs for the first time. I have a great job. And I get to be outside all the time."
"I can't imagine having thi
s much fresh air every day," Sal laughed. "I'm pretty sure it would mess up my lungs, not to mention force me to be outside instead of under the protective cover of steel and glass."
"Have you always lived in the city?"
"I always have and I suppose I always will. It’s my natural habitat. I have to be able to get to the stores and restaurants and clubs and, well, all of that!"
"I don't miss it," Polly said quietly.
"Well, of course you don't," Sal responded. "You grew up out here and don't forget, you have Mr. Hunk over there to keep you company when things get boring."
"That's right," Henry laughed. He grinned at Polly, "She thinks I'm a hunk," and then chortled with laughter. "No one has ever called me that before, but I'll take it."
"You're alright," Polly said and winked at him, squeezing his hand. "You don't offend me."
They were laughing as he pulled into the lot of Hickory Park. He pulled up front and Mark tapped him on the shoulder, "I'll get it," he said and jumped out. He helped both Sal and Polly out of the truck and shut the doors, then escorted them to the front door of the restaurant and they waited inside for Henry to join them.
Henry had been right. As they were escorted to their booth, most of the people they passed looked up and watched them go by. They were completely overdressed and Polly was having the time of her life. She was certain that Sal garnered most of the attention, but felt pretty confident she wasn't shaming their small group. She hadn't worn heels in a while and was quite proud of herself for being able to stride along behind her friend, even if she didn't have the courage to wear, much less purchase, stilettos as high as Sal was used to wearing.
They were seated and menus brought to the table. The poor waiter couldn't keep his eyes off Sal's cleavage, but since she had her back to him, she was completely oblivious to his attention. Polly smiled. Mark and Henry enjoyed the attention and when Henry remarked that he hoped no one thought they'd purchased escorts for the evening, Polly poked him in the side with her index finger.
"Be careful," she said, "Or the entire place will know that we're on a date and I'm not making any money on this evening."
"Got it," he laughed.
The food came out and Polly tried to be dainty, but soon gave in and picked up her sandwich. "If I drop any of this in my lap, I'm going to be annoyed, but here we go!"
They laughed and told stories and just as they were ready to look at the dessert menu, Polly's phone rang in her purse.
"I should have left this at home," she muttered, but pulled it out. It was Jeff Lyndsay calling.
"Hey Jeff, what's up?"
"I'm sorry to bother you," he said, "but there is something going on out in the barn. The horses are making a lot of noise. One of the guests who was outside having a cigarette noticed it. Jason started to go out to see what was going on, but his mother wouldn't let him. What should I do?"
"Where's Eliseo?" she asked.
"Well, duh. That's a good idea. He's down in his room in the basement waiting until the reception is over."
"Just a sec," she said, then put her hand over the phone and said to Mark, "Jeff says the horses are making a lot of noise. Sylvie wouldn't let Jason go check it out and that means she thinks it is a big deal."
"Ask Jeff if either he or Eliseo would go out and see what's going on and we should probably head back to check on them."
"Jeff?"
"I have my leather shoes on, Polly. I'm not going to be happy about this, am I?"
She chuckled in spite of her concern. He had sworn to never dip those shoes in horse crap, but she knew he would help her out. "Take Eliseo with you to check it out. We're going to head back. We'll be there in less than thirty minutes."
"I'm sorry about this," he repeated.
"No worries. At least I got to eat my meal tonight."
Henry had already flagged the waiter down and asked for the check.
"One of these days we're going to make it through an entire meal here without any incident," he said.
"I'm so sorry. Jeff wouldn't have called if it wasn't a big deal," Polly apologized.
They paid for the meal and Henry brought the truck up. When they were on the road again, Polly apologized again. "I can't believe this. The last time we were at Hickory Park, I got scary phone calls about one of my guests. This time, it's my horses."
She turned to Henry, "It's takeout from now on if we want their barbecue. I'm not risking it again!"
Sal quietly said, "I was looking forward to ice cream," and then she giggled. "I'm kidding. We need to make sure everything is alright. I totally get it."
"If the horses are fine, I will make sure you have ice cream before the evening is over. How does that sound?" Mark asked her.
"That sounds nice," Sal responded.
Polly turned around. Her friend's voice had gotten lower and sultrier. If she didn't know better, she would have thought Sal was seriously flirting with Mark.
She heard him say, "Why don't I check out the horses with Polly and you go upstairs and get into something more casual and comfortable and then we can find a little something sweet. I know of a couple of places where we can wet your whistle and end the evening quite nicely."
"I'd like that. A lot." Sal said. She bent forward and asked, "You don't mind, do you?"
She was flirting with Mark! Polly tried not to think too hard about it. She'd wanted them to enjoy each other so that Sal's last evening in Bellingwood would be fun, but she wasn't sure what to do with this at all. She checked herself. Was there a hint of jealousy in her feelings? Yes, actually, there was. But that didn't make any sense. She didn't want a relationship with Mark Ogden. He wasn't her type. And if Sal could have fun with a nice guy, well, she should be fine with that. Then she decided she was absolutely fine with it. Anything else was stupid and selfish. She smiled to herself. This had the potential for disaster or fabulousness. Or it could be nothing in the long run. And besides, it was a little cute.
"Polly, do you care if we go out for a while?" Mark echoed.
"No," Polly replied. "We don't care at all. We'll hang out. No problem." She squeezed Henry's hand and he squeezed back, neither of them looking at each other. She was a little afraid of giggling until she couldn't stop herself, so she bit her lip and kept her eyes straight ahead.
When Henry pulled into the parking lot of Sycamore House, it was full, so he drove up to the front door. All of the outside lights were on, as were the lights in the barn. Mark helped Polly and Sal out and then, both men shrugged out of their jackets and headed down to the barn, while the girls ran upstairs.
Polly said, "I'm sorry about tonight, but it sounds as if you two are going to redeem it."
"I hope so! You go get changed and I'll talk to you later. Leave the light on if you want me to knock when I come in."
"Cool!" Polly laughed and ran for her door. Jason and Andrew were watching a movie when she entered.
"Hi," she said. "Do you know anything yet?"
"Eliseo told me to stay up here," Jason said. "I don't know what's going on. Are you going down? Can I come with you?"
Polly was pulling her heels off as she went into the bedroom. "Let me find out what's happening first, okay?" She shut the door, unzipped her dress and dropped it to the floor. Pulling jeans and socks on, she opened the dresser for a sweatshirt, pulled the bobby pins out of her hair and shook it out. She pushed her phone down into her back pocket, ran to the entryway, slipped into her boots and took off for the barn.
She ran through the gates and into the opened doors. Mark was in Demi's stall, checking his forelegs, Henry was standing there as if on guard and Eliseo was seated on the bench between Nan and Nat's stalls. He was bent over with his head in his hands. Jeff was sitting beside him with a stricken look on his face and his hand on the man's back.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Everything is good, Polly. The horses are alright."
"Why are you checking Demi's legs then?"
"He kicked at t
he wall and I wanted to make sure he hadn't hurt anything. He's fine. No worries."
She looked down at his shoes. They were filthy. "I might owe you a pair of shoes."
"They'll clean right up. At least they aren't leather."
Jeff looked up at her, shook his head and smiled.
"Will someone tell me what in the hell happened out here, then?" she asked.
Mark walked out into the alley of the barn and pulled the door shut behind him. "I'm no longer needed here. This is your deal. I have a gorgeous date to pick up and take away from your world. See ya."
"Be sure to have her home in plenty of time for a good night's sleep," Polly admonished.
"Yes, Ms. Giller. I'll be honorable."
"You'd better!"
He left and Polly spun on the other three men in the barn. "Okay. Now, who is going to tell me why my horses got so agitated tonight and destroyed yet another of my dates?"
Eliseo looked up at her. Misery filled his eyes. "It's my fault, ma'am."
Jeff patted his back and said, "It's not your fault. You couldn't have stopped them."
"Stopped who?" Polly gasped. "Who in the hell was in my barn tonight upsetting my horses? And why didn't you call the police?"
Ken Wallers walked out of her tack room and said, "They did, Polly. I'm afraid you've been hit."
She dashed back and looked at the room. All that was left was feed and hay. Her brand new tack was gone; the saddles, the harnesses, everything."
"Damn it," she cursed. "They actually did this when there was a party going on up at the main house? Are they nuts?"
"Apparently they thought that would help them get away. It worked out for them," Ken responded.
"And no one saw anything?"
Eliseo had come up behind her. "It’s my fault. I wasn't feeling great, so I went down to my room. I should have stayed out here tonight. I knew this was going on around town."
Polly spun around, "Stop it. I'm not blaming you. It's no one's fault but the smarmy, sneaky thieves. They're the ones who are in trouble, not you."
"Have you talked to any of the wedding guests, Ken?" she asked.
"No, not yet. I was waiting for you to get here before I interrupted their party. Would you mind doing that with me?"
Treasure Uncovered (Bellingwood #3) Page 23