An Unlikely Place for Love

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “Billy, you’ve been holding out on us,” Sam greeted as he slapped Billy on the back. “We had no idea you had such a good looking sister.”

  “I didn’t know she was even coming until she woke me up in the middle of the night,” she replied. “Our brother brought her out here. I’m very protective of her. I don’t tolerate anyone mistreating her.”

  “Oh we wouldn’t do that,” Tim assured her.

  She didn’t believe them for a minute. But she also knew they had no chance with her, so she wasn’t worried about it.

  “We brought Lacy out,” Sam said. “We thought you might like to talk to her.”

  “This is a work day,” Chad reminded him.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll fill in for Billy here.”

  “Well, I was hoping to learn to milk the cows today,” she remarked. “Lacy can watch if she wants.” She forced herself to smile at the younger woman who blushed. This is going to be a long day. The last thing she wanted to do was spend time alone with the woman.

  Kate noticed the slight grimace on Chad’s face at the thought of Lacy joining them. She was secretly relieved that he really did not like the woman. It gave her a better chance with him.

  “I don’t mind watching,” Lacy cooed. “In fact, I’ve milked a few cows in my time. I can probably help.”

  “Fine,” Chad replied. Turning to Kate, he said, “If you need any help, let me know. I’ll be doing something else. Remember what I told you.”

  Kate was disappointed as he walked out of the barn. She wished she could spend the day with him, even if she were pretending to be Billy, but she would have to play her part.

  “There goes Chad, running off again,” Sam commented. “He was the same way when Georgia was alive, so don’t take it personally. He’s just no good with company.”

  “When are you going to bring Kate out to town?” Jeff asked her. “We can all have a potluck and dance at the fairgrounds.”

  “Tell me when you’ll do it and I’ll pass along the invite,” Kate replied.

  “Or we can invite her. Is she out of the outhouse yet?”

  “Oh yes. She already went to the house to rest. Didn’t any of you see her?” She pretended to be bewildered that they had missed her.

  Sam frowned. “No, we didn’t.”

  “Hmm...Guess you all are slipping.” She breathed a sigh of relief that they bought it. She looked around the barn. “Where is the milk pail?”

  “Over here.” He led the way to the other barn where several cows waited in their stalls to be milked.

  She noticed that Lacy was on her heels. She wasn’t sure what she should do about Lacy, but she had to stay true to her character as the laid back, easy going man who was charming but polite. She slowed down and waited for the shorter woman to walk beside her before continuing to walk. “So, how come a pretty lady such as yourself isn’t married yet?”

  Lacy wore a nice pink dress, which only intensified the pink color in her cheeks as she blushed. She shrugged. “I haven’t met the right man yet, I suppose.”

  “Well, I’m a hobo. I travel from place to place and do odd jobs to support my free lifestyle. I won’t be settling down for a long time.” She wished to put a stop to any fantasies Lacy might be entertaining.

  It seemed to work for Lacy frowned.

  They entered the second barn which housed the milking cows. Sam grabbed a pail from the shelf in the corner of the place and brought it to her. She took it.

  “You know,” Sam began, “Lacy’s always wanted to see the country. She would be a good traveling companion.”

  At this announcement, Lacy’s eyes lit back up again. “I won’t be any trouble either. I can cook and clean anything, no matter where I am.”

  Kate hid her horror. Instead, she said, “We’ll see.” It was time to disgust the younger woman, so Kate let out a big burp before asking Sam, “Can you show me how to milk her?” She pointed at the cow closest to them.

  Both Sam and Lacy looked stunned.

  “What?” Kate asked.

  “Well...ah...nothing, I guess,” he slowly replied.

  Kate simply nodded. “So, are you going to show me how to milk her?”

  “Alright.” He led Kate to the stall and set down a short stool for her to sit on. He placed the pail under the cow’s udder. “Pull on the teats to get the milk out.”

  “It’s easy once you get the hang of it,” Lacy added. “I could demonstrate if you want.”

  “No, that’s alright,” Kate confidently stated. “I can pull on these things. It’s kind of like grabbing onto a very long nipple on a woman. Am I right, Sam?” She chuckled as if she was the most clever person in the world.

  He hesitated to answer.

  “That’s one way of putting it,” Lacy awkwardly replied.

  Kate involuntarily gagged as she touched the teats with her hands. She quickly pretended to cough to cover up her repulsion to the feel of the animal. She had never felt anything like it before and she hoped she wouldn’t again. How did Chad do this every day? She pulled on one of the teats and the cow mooed as the teat squirted milk at her feet.

  Sam laughed. “I hope your aim is better when you pee.”

  She laughed with him. “Don’t worry. I can write my full name in the snow with the best of them.” She glanced at Lacy. “Do women ever try to write their names when they pee?” She already knew the answer was no but wanted to be gross.

  “Well, we aren’t built like men, so we can’t,” she told her.

  “Really? I wonder what my sister was using all those years when she wrote out her name?” She said this for Sam’s benefit.

  “Kate fooled you into believing something like that?” he asked.

  Kate frowned when she realized he was impressed.

  “Try to get milk out again,” Lacy encouraged her. “Just aim the teat at the pail this time.”

  Kate sighed and pulled on it again. She gagged again at the sensation of the milk flowing out of it.

  “Are you sick?” Sam asked.

  “A little. I must have drunk a little too much last night. I drink a lot. So does Kate. She’s so much like a man though she dresses like a lady.”

  “It doesn’t matter how she acts. She’s a good looker.”

  Kate frowned.

  “And we see nothing wrong with having some fun with alcohol,” Lacy added. “We may be religious, but we’re not fanatical like Chad is.”

  Kate sighed in dismay.

  “Right,” Sam agreed. “Chad is a real killjoy. He takes the Bible to the extreme. Sometimes, he gets all preachy at us but we don’t pay him any mind, and you shouldn’t either. If you want to drink and make bets, go for it. Life’s too short to live miserably.”

  “That’s my philosophy!” Kate quickly spoke up. “Speaking of which, are any of you going to the bar this Friday? I was thinking of checking out the action. I was thinking of taking a couple of luscious ladies to the woods for a little fun, if you know what I mean.” She winked at Sam.

  He shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.

  “I suppose a man needs to sow his wild oats,” Lacy softly replied. “It probably makes him a better lover in the long run.”

  Kate rolled her eyes. What was wrong with Lacy? Kate would never go out with someone so crude. She turned back to the cow and tried not to gag as she milked it. When she was finally done, she breathed a sigh of relief. Hoping to further turn Lacy off, she allowed herself to fart. It wasn’t something she did in front of anyone before, so her face grew bright red from embarrassment. Thankfully, the beard hid this fact. “Oops. Those beans do a number on the digestive system,” she explained. “I better run to the outhouse before more comes out!”

  She eagerly left the two siblings and ran out of the barn. She was glad to get away from them. She wondered where Chad was. She saw Tim and Jeff lounging on their horses in the field. They were given the task of cleaning the horses but didn’t mind taking their time. She went to the other barn where the lo
ft was and was happy to see Chad working on the door to the other end of the barn.

  “Give me a job that requires me to be alone,” she insisted as she ran up to him.

  Chad looked startled to see her.

  “Lacy and Sam are relentless,” she complained. “I’ve been downright disgusting and they are still talking as if I’m going to marry her.”

  He shook his head. “What did I tell you? They have curve balls they’ll throw your way.”

  “I have a plan but I can’t go through with it yet. I just need a temporary escape.”

  “You better make sure you’re careful.”

  “I am.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Do you have anything for me to do?”

  He thought for a moment. “You could practice lassoing the cattle. I won’t mention where you went.”

  “Thanks. I owe you one.” She quickly ran to Reliable and saddled him up. She ran him out of the barn before Sam or Lacy had time to track her down.

  ***

  While she was out, she made a quick trip into town and bought more dresses. Now that Chad knew Kate existed, she would be showing up as Kate more often and needed more dresses and skirts. She also bought a redheaded long wig. She might need to disguise herself as another woman for her plan to ward off Lacy to work. When she returned to the farm, she hid the bags of clothes and the wig on the corner of the property so no one would find them. She would retrieve them after dinner when everyone but Chad was gone. She would figure out some excuse to get away from Chad. Billy and Kate would be busy with something. She could think up her excuses later.

  She reluctantly went to lunch in the kitchen. She knew she had to make an appearance there. Chad was out doing some chores, as usual, while the farmhands ate their sandwiches. Lacy sat and ate with them. Kate took a deep breath and got ready for her encounter with Lacy. She made sure everyone saw her enter the house before she scratched her crotch. She hoped Lacy would find it as repulsive as she found it when she saw men do it.

  “Where did you run off to?” Tim wondered.

  “Oh, boss sent me on a mission to lasso cattle,” she replied. She sat at the only seat that was available, and that happened to be between Lacy and Jeff.

  “We looked all over for you,” Sam told her. “We were beginning to think you ran off to the next state you plan to check out.”

  She laughed. “Would you hunt me down and drag me back if I did?” she joked.

  They chuckled.

  She took a big bite into her sandwich and chewed with her mouth open.

  “We asked Chad where you were, but he said he didn’t know,” Jeff informed her. “I don’t know why he was secretive about your whereabouts.”

  She was glad that Chad protected her. He really was a good man. She wondered what he thought of her as a woman. She wasn’t sure if he would tell her in her Billy disguise. She turned her attention back to the conversation at the table.

  “I suppose Chad doesn’t want anyone to get close to Lacy,” Jeff commented.

  She glanced at Lacy. “Is he interested in you?”

  “He did get romantic with me five years ago,” Lacy said. “I wouldn’t betray my sister so I told him no.”

  Kate didn’t believe the woman but acted as if she did. “Does he try to pursue you now that Georgia is gone?”

  “No,” she replied.

  “We taught him a lesson on being loyal to Georgia,” Sam said. “We agree with you, Billy. We don’t tolerate anyone misbehaving with our sisters. We can appreciate your need for protection. That’s why we wouldn’t dream of harming Kate.”

  Kate still didn’t trust them, nor did she trust Lacy. But she did trust Chad. She needed to get Lacy off her back as soon as possible. She loudly sniffed and wiped her nose. She took a big gulp of milk, hoping it would produce a large burp in the near future. “My allergies sometimes act up,” she quickly explained. For added measure, she wiped her eyes. “Today seems to be worse than usual. It really hit me after I went out to the fields.”

  “You should tell Chad. He might keep you around the barn more if you do,” Tim stated.

  “I do love riding the horse though. I hate to give up the freedom of going through the fields.”

  “With the way you are on a horse, I can’t say that I blame you.”

  “You were magnificent,” Lacy gushed. “I can’t believe you won the race against Nick.”

  “Oh yes,” Kate bragged. “There’s no horse I can’t handle.”

  “How did you learn to ride so well?”

  She didn’t like the way Lacy was looking at her as if she adored her. She purposely sneezed all over Lacy’s food, making sure to spray some saliva everywhere while she was at it. She quickly wiped her hand over her nose and reached for her second sandwich. “I’m sorry, Lacy. Would you like my sandwich since I sneezed on yours?”

  Lacy quickly shook her head. “No thank you.”

  For added measure, Kate let out a big burp. “Excuse me.” She pretended to look shocked. “I don’t know what’s going on with my body today. It’s as if it has a mind of its own. I don’t wish to be gross in front of you.”

  “It’s alright. I have two brothers and many male cousins. I know what men are like.”

  She sighed, disappointed. The woman was relentless.

  “Billy’s a good old boy,” Sam told Lacy.

  This was getting worse by the minute.

  “Unfortunately, I got to take her back to town. Mother wants to cook dinner with her,” Sam told Kate.

  Kate breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about Lacy for awhile.

  Chad entered the kitchen, and as usual, he ignored everyone while he put the pail of milk on the counter. He got out the glass bottles and filled them up.

  He’s stable and consistent. He can be relied upon to keep his word. He’s also honest. He was the man Kate had been looking for her entire life. She forced herself not to run over to him and hug him. Instead, she turned her attention back to the table.

  “So Billy,” Tim began as he finished his meal, “tell us a little bit about Kate. What is she like?”

  “She enjoys the big city,” she honestly stated. “She wouldn’t be happy to live here. She’s only here to visit me.”

  “Surely, she can adjust to the small town life.”

  “No, she really can’t. She would get bored.”

  “Perhaps she just needs the right kind of man to bring her the excitement she’s looking for.”

  “Well, she’s very particular about who she will marry.” You three have absolutely no chance with me. “She’s thirty and though she’s had offers, she hasn’t found anyone who meets her standards.”

  “What are those?”

  She sighed. She knew where this was going. “Actually, she’s into a man who knows his Bible. She’s an old fashioned type of woman.”

  “The kind of woman who would make a good mother,” Sam reflected.

  Her jaw dropped. She had expected the comment about being into the Bible to turn the men off. “She also wants a man who’s taller than her. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s tall for a woman.”

  “Height is a small issue.” Tim waved his hand.

  “Would you be willing to leave this place to go back to her home? She wouldn’t live here.”

  “I’m sure that could be worked out.”

  Not in a minute! She didn’t like the way they easily dismissed her wishes. Chad finished filling the bottles and went down the steps. She wondered if he would be willing to leave this place to go back to Virginia with her. He didn’t seem to be eager to stick around here if he had somewhere else to go.

  “She sure is a good looker,” Sam commented.

  Lacy frowned. No one else seemed to notice it but Kate did. It was her gift to notice subtle details. That’s what enabled her to pick up so much of what was going on.

  “Lacy, do you have any feelings for Chad?” She would never ask the question when Chad was in hearing distance.

>   “No!” she quickly replied. “He came onto me. I didn’t ask for his affection.”

  She’s lying. Kate nodded, as if she believed the raven haired woman. “Just wanted to see if I had some competition,” she quickly covered her tracks.

  Chad returned to the kitchen and shut the basement door.

  She picked up her empty plate and glass. “I better get back to work. I don’t want to upset the boss.”

  “When is Kate going to wake up?” Tim asked her.

  She shrugged. “She was worn out. It could be awhile yet. She’s a night person by nature.”

  “We hope we don’t have to wait until the potluck to see her again.”

  “Well, I’d love to stay and chat but I’m eager to get back to work. The fresh air and warm sun make me energetic.” She quickly washed her plate and glass and set it out to dry.

  While the other men and Lacy continued their discussion, Chad quietly asked her, “Didn’t Kate tell you that I saved some breakfast for you down in the basement?”

  She blinked. “Oh, yes. I forgot all about it with Lacy glued to me. Thanks for not saying anything so I could get a much needed break from her. She’ll be going home after lunch, so I can spend the rest of my day focused on my work. What would you like me to do next?”

  He thought for a moment. “The animals need to be fed.”

  “I’ll get right on it, boss.” She happily said good-bye to Lacy and ran out of the house.

  ***

  Once she finished feeding the animals and confirmed that Sam had taken Lacy back to town, she breathed a sigh of relief. Tim and Jeff pretended to work on setting up a couple of shelves in the shed. She would have gone with them to make sure they did their job but wanted to talk to Chad for a moment. She found him repairing a section of the cattle fence.

  “Good afternoon, boss,” she called out as she walked up to him.

  Chad looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. “Hi, Billy.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You’re no longer calling me Bob?”

  He shrugged. “Billy seems to fit better.” He turned back to the fence.

  “Do you need any help?”

  “No. I got it. Did you need more work to do?”