by J. Darling
“Sure, I’ll be here for an hour or so,” Jules answered, grinning from ear to ear. “Then I need to get over to the creamery and turn some cheese.”
Dani, turned and looked back and forth between all of them skeptically. “What’s on the north side of the property?”
Standing up, Kris held out his hand for her. “Just a little something.” Looking at Jules, he said, “We’ll be back by then, promise.”
“You know I hate surprises.”
He grinned. “Mmhmm. Let’s go, Chicken Little, come on.”
CHAPTER 12
Stepping outside and squinting from the midday sun, Kris reached over and took Dani’s hand. “They love you, I hope you know that.”
Staring ahead into the distance, Dani answered, “Yeah, it scares the hell out of me. What do you want to show me?”
He had a feeling. “Let’s talk about that. Why does it scare you?”
She looked all around, studying their surroundings. “I, I don’t want to disappoint them. What is it, tell me?”
Kris shook his head and ignored the question. “You won’t, and even if you did, they’d still love you and it would be okay. Take me for example, I’ve been a bear to live with for a while now, and the sleeping around really made my dad mad, but they’ve stuck with me through it all and I realize now how fortunate I am to have them. A month ago, not so much, it was all about me, me, me, and I was a real ass at times.” He pulled her closer and put his arm around her as they walked along the trail past the barn. He heard her take a deep breath and let it out on a sigh.
“You have a nice family. I like them. I’ve never really been around women, so it’s interesting to see Linnie and Jules together. I don’t know how to act a lot of the time.”
That made sense, he thought. “Linnie had mom all the years growing up, and a few girlfriends, but no one real, real close till she met Jules about seven years ago, and Jules’s parents died when she was an infant. She was raised by her grandma and was so shy she didn’t have any close friends either. When she met Linnie, they were two peas in a pod, having forged a strong friendship. They understand what it means to be on the outside looking in, and they’ve made it abundantly clear, in the way women always do if you know what I mean, that they’d like to make it three peas in a pod.”
She looked down and smiled trying not to laugh, then turned and stared at a tractor as they walked by. “I’m fortunate, the two of them have helped me a lot. So, we’ve walked past the barn and the creamery, and now the garden, where are we going?”
“Just over the hill, then you’ll see what I want to show you.”
Topping the hill, she stopped and blinked, then blinked again. Then her eyebrows dropped low over her eyes, as she stared in confusion. “What is it?”
He laughed. “Now you’re the one who needs glasses. It’s our house.”
She turned and looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language. “What?”
He laughed some more, getting a kick out of her reaction. “Our house, I hope you like it.”
Slowly turning her head back, she looked at the house like it was some figment of her imagination. “It’s...It’s…grand,” she said in astonishment.
Moving to stand behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her. “I figured I’d just drive through the farmyard to get to it, but now I’ll probably put in a road leading out to 150th.”
Turning her head a little, she looked at him, dazed and confused. “Why? When you can drive through the yard to get there.”
Squeezing her tight and kissing her cheek, he said, “Too long for the school bus, and too long for the kids to walk.”
Getting the picture, the reality setting in, she stood taller. “Kris…we…I…maybe we should…well…umm…”
He had a feeling she would react this way. Anything that sparked of permanence or commitment scared the hell out of her and he knew it was because she didn’t want to love something only to have it taken from her later. “Trust me beautiful, this is real and it’s ours.”
“But…how?” she asked incredulously.
“I plowed a lot of snow, drove a lot of bus, and milked a lot of cows to be able to afford it. Then with the help of my brothers and several handy friends, I’ve done much of the work on it by myself. I’ll need to return the favor.”
Her mouth fell open. “Seriously? I mean, well, look at that fireplace. Wow!”
Kissing her cheek again, he gave her another squeeze. “That you like it means a lot to me. You want to see our new house?”
She started dragging him along at a clip, “Come on, show me your house.”
Tugging back on her arm, he pulled her to him and said firmly, “Our house. I’m glad you like the fireplace. I gathered the stones over the years from the fields I plowed.”
She gasped. “No way!”
Damn she was cute. “Yeah, way,” he answered with a laugh.
Yanking on his arm again, she pulled and pulled. “Come on pokey, I want to see this house!”
He was relieved she was so excited. Soon they were walking up the stairs to the front door. “When the inside’s done, and we have the money saved, I’m putting a deck out front here and these stairs will be gone.” Opening the door, he stepped aside for her to enter and prayed she liked it enough to want to be here forever.
A few steps in, she stopped and stared, then said “Oh my God…this is extraordinary…” Her voice trailed off and she swallowed. Slipping off her shoes, she stepped onto the carpet and stopped, looking down. “It’s, it’s so soft.” Walking in further, she turned and looked in all different directions appearing lost.
Stepping towards her, he said, “This is obviously the living room, I was thinking a couch here in front of the fireplace, then a chair on each side. Over here a dining table with chairs. We have room for a bigger one as you can see. I didn’t know what to do in the kitchen, so Jules helped me out. I hope you like what she did.”
Stepping to the sink, she looked around and touched the surface. Turning, she walked to the fridge and opened the doors, then to the cooktop, complete with a grill on the island counter. Looking over she noticed the dishwasher she’d missed and walked to it, opening the door and staring inside.
“Can I show you the rest of the place?”
She turned to him and stared speechless. Smiling, he reached for her and took her hand. Walking down the hall, he pointed out the main floor bathroom, and then they stopped at the end of the hall and he opened the two bedroom doors, one room a soft lemon yellow, the other a gentle, light shade of green. “Junie said her favorite color was yellow, and I picked green because…well, because I hope we can have a child, and one can never be sure if it will be a boy or a girl.”
When she didn’t say anything, he started to become nervous. Taking her hand again, he said, let me show you the upstairs. Back in the living room they went up some stairs, turned at the landing and went up a few more, then stepped into the loft. “This part here, I was planning on making a reading area, maybe a little couch, chair, some books, a reading lamp, but we could do whatever really.”
Stepping to the railing, she looked down onto the living area below, then up to the fan hanging from the peaked ceiling. Standing next to her, he waited, then taking her hand, he led her to the door on the back wall. “This is the master bedroom.” Opening the door, he let her step past him and waited.
She stopped and stared. It was a huge room, with a large window on the opposite wall. “I, ahh, had the window put up a little higher as I was planning on putting a king sized bed under it. Imbedded in the walls, here on the sides—he demonstrated—are little doors that open to a crawl space for storage.” Standing he looked at her, then pointed, “Over there is the master bath.”
Turning, she walked to the room he’d had done in a crisp white, complete with a large skylight and whirlpool tub. She stepped inside, and he stood at the door watching her. Walking over to the hexagonal shaped window on the wall, she stood and
stared out at the scene. He knew she could see the whole farm from this vantage point, and for whatever reason, he felt it was one of the best parts of the house.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and stepped up to the sink. Looking into the mirror, she shifted her eyes to his in the reflection and he saw her ambivalence. “Tell me what’s wrong and we’ll fix it.”
Shaking her head, she looked down as she gently touched the surface of the sink. “It’s perfect, it’s absolutely perfect. It’s stunning, and wonderful, and you deserve this so much. I am happy for you, so very, very happy for you.”
Damn it, he wanted to punch a hole in the wall. She still didn’t believe in them. “You don’t see yourself here, do you? Why not?” he damn near snapped and struggled to rein in his anger.
She shook her head. “I want to, boy do I want to,” she said looking all around. “This is but a dream for me, a big beautiful dream. Kris I’m going to have to go back to Wyoming. Once Sarah from child protection realizes my mother’s gone and they can’t find Junie, they’re going to start looking for her, and they’re going to start by looking for me.”
Refusing to accept it, he shook his head stubbornly. “No, even if you have to return there, you’ll be coming back. They’ll see the truth for what it is, because we will show them. They’ll see that Junie is better off with us. She will not be taken from us, it’s not going to happen. It’s not. I can feel it, here—he thumped his chest with his fist—right here. It’s a done deal. Believe me when I tell you, you two are not going back to Wyoming. Wisconsin is your home now, so get used to it and help me make this house into a home.”
Smiling at the strength of his conviction and subsequent ultimatum, she took a deep breath and let it out. “You’re getting a little bossy and I really shouldn’t let you get away with that.”
Walking up to her, he took her face in his hands and kissed her gently. “You bring your rope?”
Laughing, she shook her head a little.
“Then I’m safe.” Leaning in, he kissed her softly and with tenderness to start, then more passionately. “I want you,” he said in her ear, “and I’m not going to stop till I have you. Let me make love to you.”
Looking up at him, she stared into his eyes. “You’re sexy as hell, you know that?” Reaching up she put her arms around his neck pulling them closer. “Love me Kris, love me like there’s no tomorrow.”
Picking her up, he carried her to their bedroom.
*****
Four days later, Dani was in the barn in the early morning hours. Grabbing a shovel and her sledgehammer, along with a couple of posts, she headed out into the yard just as Kris came out of the ranch house.
“Hey beautiful, you’re up early. What are you doing?”
She sure was, unable to fall asleep after waking and needing to use the bathroom again, her mind galloped and leaped all over the place until she couldn’t take it and had to get up and do something. “Getting ready for your family to come over for the barbecue.”
“Let me help you.” He took the tools from her hands, kissed her good morning and smiled at her. “What are we doing?”
Stopping and looking at him, she suddenly felt waspish. “I can do it.” She really was tired.
Putting an arm around her, he said, “I have no doubt, but please tell me what we’re doing and I’ll help.”
Grrrr, her discontent was prevalent. “Making a horseshoe court.”
“Nice!” he said, ignoring her mood and patting her bottom before giving it a squeeze. “That’ll be fun, I can’t say I’ve ever played horseshoes. Where we setting up?”
Walking to the spot, she pointed to the areas she’d marked with spray paint. “Here.”
“Alright.” Dropping the hammer, he headed for one of the outlined squares with the shovel in hand. “I’m guessing you want this dug up?”
Watching him, she answered, “I can do it?”
“I know, how deep?”
She stood staring at him. He did not want her digging.
Taking off the layer of sod, he looked at her, then charmed her by pursing his lips and blowing her a kiss. “How deep?”
He was placating her. “Six to eight inches.”
“Where do the posts go?”
“Ahh, gee, in the center,” she answered as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Alright,” he chirped, not buying into her latent sarcasm. “I can do this if you have something else you need to do. Jules had me bring the watermelon yesterday, you could cut that up.”
Women’s work, she thought. “Mmhmm.” Dropping the posts, she headed for the back of her pickup. This will draw him out and tell her if she was right. Opening the tailgate, she hefted a fifty pound bag of play sand onto her shoulder and made her way over to him. She damn near lost the bag when she laughed at the shocked look on his face.
Dropping the shovel, he dashed over to her and took the sand from her. “You all right? You scared me.”
“You’re not being very subtle you know,” she said, pinching his butt.
“Indulge me.”
“No,” she answered crossly.
Scowling, he turned and walked to the spot he was digging and dropped the bag of sand.
Why did he have to be so protective? Okay, fine, he didn’t want her lifting or digging, she’d show him. Going in the barn, she picked up the handles to the wheelbarrow and steered it to the back of the pickup. Sliding the remaining two bags of sand into it, she steered it over to him and dumped them with a huff. “We don’t even know if I’m pregnant.”
“You haven’t gotten your period.”
Crossing her arms over her chest again, she answered him. “It’s probably stress. In the past, when I’ve been under a lot of stress, I’ve missed a monthly or they’ve come late. So what, no big deal.”
Digging, he started shoveling the dirt into the wheelbarrow. “I bought a pregnancy test. It’s in the nightstand drawer next to the condoms.”
She snorted. This was just her luck. “Does it come with pictures? If not, forget it.”
“Pee in the cup, dip the stick quick, take it out, wait, one line not pregnant, two lines you are.”
Turning, she glanced towards the house. She should check on Junie, see if she was awake. Linnie’s car turned down the drive to Dani’s relief. Perfect, a diversion, she liked the state of denial. Walking towards the house, she waited as Jules came to a stop. Walking up to the car, she opened the back door and started grabbing bags of groceries.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Jules said excitedly as she hopped out of the car, “but I bought myself a new vehicle.”
Dani’s eyes opened wide and she smiled. “Really? By yourself, or does Jake know?”
“By myself, thank you very much,” she said smugly. “He’d want me to get a pickup and I didn’t want one, so I went to St. Croix and talked with Matt at Johnson’s. He’s the only one the Albrecht’s will deal with, so if you need a new vehicle he’s the one to talk to, and if you’re having trouble with the one you’ve got, Jose’s team in service is who they have work on their stuff.”
Walking to the house, Dani opened the door. “Good to know. When are you picking it up?”
“I’m not, they’re bringing it here. It’s a surprise for Father’s Day.”
Unloading a bag, Dani looked at Jules perplexed. “A surprise for Karl then?”
Jules laughed. “Jake, and I suppose Karl. Jake’s been after me to get a vehicle now that I know how to drive. I told him I would when I needed a car seat.”
Dani gasped and her heart leapt wildly. “Are you pregnant?”
Jules nodded her head rapidly and they both squealed in delight as they threw their arms around one another.
Hell, Dani felt like one of the girls. “I’m so happy for you! When?” This was great! If she was pregnant they could go through things together, because if she were honest, she would have to admit she was scared to death. Somehow, with Jules pregnant, the concept seemed less daunting.
“You are not,” Dani answered quickly, then seeing Jules holding her shirt flat against her stomach, said, “Well, maybe a little. This will be such a nice Christmas for you all, two new babies. How exciting. I remember when Junie was a baby, it was a special time. Does Linnie know?”
Jules shook her head. “Just you, so don’t tell. I want to surprise them all.”
Wow, the two were like best of friends and yet Jules told her first. She felt, well, honored. “Mums the word,” she answered, pulling out the watermelon and a knife. “When do we need to start the coals?”
“Soon, the ribs need to slow cook.”
Walking to the door, Dani said, “I’ll be right back, I’ll put Kris on it, he’s wanting to be extra useful.”
Turning, Jules looked her way in confusion. “Ahh, really, that’s so unlike him. He generally takes off when there’s women’s work to be done. Interesting, before you know it you’ll have him trained.”
Dani laughed as she walked out of the house. Damn straight she would. Walking over to Kris, she started picking up the empty sand bags.
“You do it?”
Annoyed, she answered. “No, your sister-in-law is here.”
“So,” he responded with irritation. Reaching, he snapped up the tools.
Ignoring him, she went about her business. “We need you to start the grill, or am I allowed to do it?”
“Quit being a brat!”
Turning, she responded happily as she walked away, “Fine, I’ll do it.”
Dropping the tools, he followed her. “Dani—
“Cuckoo doodle doo, Kristopher Karl Albrecht. No arguing today and I mean it.”
He scowled. “You’re so damn stubborn.”
“Ditto, right back at you. I love you too.”
A few hours later, and several spins around the quarter in Jules’s brand new SUV, they all sat eating and talking, when Junie let out a yelp and quickly crawled form Kris’s lap onto Dani’s and proceeded to burst into tears. Dani looked up to find two sheriff’s vehicles coming down the driveway. Great. Trying to console Junie, she passed her off to Kris. “Hold her would you. I’ll deal with this.”