by Zoe Adams
Royce felt much better an hour later as he watched Susanna climb from bed. Steam rolled off her body as she opened the closet. With Susanna out of sight, his physical tether to her was gone.
Something about her room energized him. He knew he should be tired, or at least hung over with some form of headache, but he found a fresh zest on the prairie.
He stretched and scratched himself. He could be content waking up in this tent-like piazza.
He found his clothes. The bottom half of his body was covered by the time Susanna joined him.
She wore a pair of blue jeans worn around the pockets and cuffs. A plain white t-shirt stretched across her chest. She was carrying socks and shoes, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
She put on low socks that left an inch of her ankles open to prying eyes. Flat-soled tennis shoes were shaken and double-checked to make sure no biters hid under the tongue, before being carefully placed and tied.
“Ready for coffee?” Susanna asked.
Royce was ready for anything, and he nodded.
They walked away from the summer house and made the L-shaped journey to the farmhouse. The sun was drying the ground of the overnight dew. It was a nice walk, and Royce enjoyed the sounds of nature and the feel of a warming day. They entered the little kitchen off the yard.
“You can use the bathroom first,” Susanna said. “I’m going to make coffee.”
Royce headed down the hall. Behind the vanity mirror, Royce found a few interesting things. Four of the exact same toothbrushes in boxes, deodorants in plastic, over the counter pain relief, and other things. She probably kept herself stocked for a year. He realized that she looked ahead real far, and saw herself here on the ranch for a while.
Royce didn’t care. He had other plans for her. She could bring her toothbrushes if she wanted. He did care how he looked, though. Royce grabbed a toothbrush and a pink razor and shut the door. He wanted to be kindly clean shaven when he kissed the hell out of her. He had a lot of future plans for her.
He joined her in the kitchen and stood beside the stove.
“I’m glad I can make breakfast on autopilot.” Susanna giggled.
“It looks pretty good,” he said and tried to get comfortable in the small space.
She had warmed up grated potatoes in a frying pan, and cooked bacon. Thick, heavy bread was sitting in a toaster. Eggs sat on the counter, beside a glass butter dish.
She looked up from the stove and smiled. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” Royce admitted and scratched the back of his neck.
“Good. You can have coffee or juice or whatever.”
He put his arms around her waist. “I will take whatever.”
Susanna shared her attention with him for a moment then turned back to the cooking. “Okay. It looks like this is almost ready. How do you like your eggs?”
“Runny middles, fried, boiled, or whatever,” he said simply.
“That’s easy. Over easy.” Susanna reached for the eggs and cracked a few into the skillet where they began sizzling.
Royce took a coffee mug from an open shelf and filled it up before sitting at the round bistro table that was in the middle of the room. From here, he was close to Susanna, and could still see out kitchen window.
She brought her coffee mug to the table. “How did you sleep?” she asked.
“Very, very, very well.” Each repetition of the word moved him closer to her.
“I slept good too.” Susanna sidestepped him and went back to the stove.
She set the silver on the table, then brought butter, silverware, and jam. She set them down carefully and nearly ran back to the stove.
“Oh good,” she exclaimed. “Just in time.”
She divvied up the food on two plates and joined Royce at the table.
“Sorry, it’s just simple food. Some days when I have more time I’ll make waffles or eggs benedict or something.” Susanna took a big bite that had a little bit of everything, then set her fork down and chewed.
“That’s all right, as long as it’s hot and fresh. It has to be like the sexy cook it came from. I know it will be delicious. I’m glad you did something simple so you can save more time for me.” Royce took two bites. One of egg, then one of bacon, and chewed them together.
Susana took a sip of coffee. “Well, I have a little work to do before I can hang out. You can watch TV, or—”
“I can help you.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said.
“I’m sure you could get done with work faster with an extra set of hands.” Royce held his hands up to show they were not a threat.
She looked at his very large and smooth hands. “All right, you can come with me, as long as I don’t have to sign a waiver for damaging such tender hands.”
Royce smiled devilishly and ate his food faster.
“And not just to have fun. You can’t be hugging and kissing on me in front of my employees.” Susanna was staring at him seriously, waiting for his response.
Royce raised one eyebrow. “Not very many people tell me what to do.”
Susanna turned adamant and repeated, “I’m serious. I work really hard, at everything. I never date, and my employees haven’t seen me with a boyfriend.”
He smiled before taking another bite of food, and she kept talking.
“It’s hard being a woman, you know. I work in a man’s world. Just the fact that I work at all and don’t just rely on them to do all the work is, well, it’s different.” Susanna looked down at her plate and chose the next bite.
Royce set his fork down. He took the time to sip coffee before speaking. “I know what you mean. I can’t take all of my friends to meet my grandma, but I’m not like that, and neither are you. Nothing will stop us from going anywhere.”
Susanna smiled, finished her coffee, and stood up. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
She left Royce at the table, and he looked around. He could tell that she did work a lot. The kitchen was clean. The light fixture above his head was shiny and dust free.
He had been serious earlier about helping her. It may have been for his own nefarious reasons, but he wanted to free up her time. He put the dishes in the sink and ran some hot water.
“You don’t have to do dishes,” Susanna said, walking up behind him several minutes later.
“That’s all right. I just got done.” He set the remaining pan on the dish rack and dried his hands.
He caught her and gave her the biggest kiss. “I might have to do this once an hour,” he said into her ear.
“You better be sneaky,” Susanna said, giving in.
He laughed and stepped back.
She pulled a thermos from the shelf and offered one to Royce. They stood at the counter and prepared their drinks.
“I like my coffee strong and sweet,” he said loudly.
“Wow, you’re fast,” Susanna commented on the mug that already had a lid.
“Only when I want to be,” Royce reassured her.
“Does everything have to have a sexual innuendo?”
“With you, yes,” he said smugly.
She could be moved easily in his arms. Her voice was a slow enunciated drawl that led Royce on. “I wonder how much work will get done with your arms around me all the time.”
“Don’t worry,” Royce soothed, “my mind has more than one track.”
They walked out the kitchen door and took a pathway that went straight to the front of the house.
“What are those for?” Royce pointed to the rows of wooden boxes.
“Those are cold frames,” she said. “I grow vegetables year round.”
“You really are a farm girl.” He grinned and moved toward her again. She sidestepped him easily.
She bent over, and a large glass door was lifted. It was anchored to a sturdy pole.
“These are just normal glass patio doors, and as you can see, I bought ten of them.”
Royce helped himself to a handle and studied th
e amount of chains attached to the metal frame of the door. “You did all of this?” He was amazed.
A half door was unlocked from the inside, and Susanna walked into the little frame. There was room for both of them, and Royce leaned over the wall as he took in the room.
“This runs completely off solar. Sunlight is stored in the water shelves, and it gives off enough heat for the plants to grow in winter.” Susanna pointed proudly.
“It’s great,” Royce said. He took advantage of the close space, and pulled her into his arms.
“Thanks. Wait, what were we talking about again?” Susanna broke the nuzzling hold. “See, this is why you holding me is bad. I get distracted and forget what I’m doing.”
“Maybe that is what I want.” Royce grinned.
She shook her head, “I wonder how long a day’s worth of chores will last with my new set of hands around.”
Royce laughed and dropped his hands. She closed up the cold frame, and they continued walking. Passing by the old, tall house, they followed a path that led toward the driveways. The dusty trail weaved through the original outbuildings and leaning clapboards. It was obvious the entire place had received a recent face-lift. With the added stability, the farm’s usefulness had been reassured throughout the next century.
The barn was still the dominant building in the backdrop. Susanna unlocked the wooden door and pushed it forward. It no longer stored hay or animals. Instead it was used as a shop for an assortment of eclectic tools.
Susanna had a stack of brand new work gloves, and she handed a pair to him. He nodded appreciatively and followed her barnyard traipse.
The work truck was relieved of its rest, and Susanna drove them down the long driveway. She jumped on the interstate and drove a mile, then turned onto another gravel road. They stopped on a hill, and Royce got a full look at what was below.
“This is your ranch?”
“This is where all of the work hands live,” Susanna explained.
Large yards were spread out in Midwestern sprawl. Different shapes and colors of houses and a few trailers were set about. A circular road tucked in the tidy neighborhood. There was an open center of community sod in the middle. Houses and shops were interspersed, and it was hard to tell the difference between some of them. The combination of both old and new made the buildings huddled across the valley look timeless.
Susanna’s voice softly moved him. “Every time I buy more land for the ranch, I move the houses here,” she said.
She pulled her truck into the community and parked under a brand-new white awning.
They walked across the gravel and loaded up the work truck. Royce knew how to keep up or out of the way, but he did it with a contented smirk plastered to his face.
“This weather is great,” he remarked.
“This is the halfway time between great snowfalls and long hot days. The moderate weather used to be called Indian summer. That name was lost to proper etiquette, but Native summer doesn’t have the same ring.” Susanna continued her mellow chanting as she raked the leaves. “Native summer, no of course, that’s not right, and American summer? Please. It sounds very patriotic, but nothing is quite like Indian summer. It’s somewhat sad to lose romantic names to our childhood. There are other names too, like Lakota and Dakota. How much better is South Lakota?”
The day continued with that kind of talk. Susanna was easy on the eyes and the ears. Royce was very near endangering himself with a hoe when he heard her laugh.
He also noted the direct route and efficiency with which she undertook her day. There was logic and ease in the transition from checking ledgers of appointments to cleaning her horse’s stall. How could anyone begrudge a boss who was not afraid to get his or her hands dirty, though Royce did see signs of lacking employee morale. It was probably because she walked in her own little world. She focused on what she was doing, and didn’t spend much time talking or commanding other people.
By the time they had circled back around to the homestead, talking stomachs were reminding them to take care of themselves, too.
Susanna’s farmhouse was still cool in the afternoon. Royce appreciated the silence and closed his eyes. He could place the feel and smell of Susanna in a much nicer house. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
Her face was closer than he had thought. She must have had been studying him silently, because she quickly said, “I get the bathroom first. Then I’ll do something for lunch.”
Royce flexed his arms, but remained passive. She turned the TV on for him and passed by him safely beyond reach.
The bathroom in the old house had only a thin wall between the shower and couch. Royce might as well have been in the same room when he shut the TV off. He heard the shower running and pictured water cascading down her body. It was a quick wash and dry. The bathroom door snapped open with a whoosh.
Susanna was already fully clothed, and Royce was there.
“Your turn,” she said and jumped out of the way.
“Excuse me.” It was a unison chorus, and a courteous shuffle was begun. Each of them tried to step aside for the other, but instead, two people were moving in the same direction along the tides of attraction that easily pulled them together. After the third attempt to let her pass by, Royce gave up and cupped her strong chin in his hands. He was ready to alter Susanna’s plans.
“Ahh...” she said. She caught her breath after the full kiss and looked at him. Her eyes were big blue saucers with unidentified needs. “I’m making some food. Do you want to take a shower?”
“I don’t know if I can put the same pair of clothes on three times and still be fresh.” Royce held up his hands guiltily.
“I’m sorry.” Susanna blushed.
“Don’t be sorry.” Royce smiled. “This way I can spend more time with you.”
Susanna pointed her index finger at his chest. “Hey, don’t go thinking it’s going to be all fun time and kisses. You might have to work, you know.”
“I know how to make a sandwich,” Royce teased.
They laughed.
In the kitchen Susanna pulled plates, bread, chips, and a pie.
“Don’t tell me you made a pie.” Royce was stacking his sandwich absently.
“Yes.” She smiled. “I’d rather bake for one day than cook every day. I usually eat fast food. Well, fast home-made food.”
“Look at this junk food. White bread, potato chips, pie, sweet sweet super sweet iced tea, these are the worst things you can eat.” Royce shook his head and looked at her. “How do you stay so healthy?”
Susanna stopped what she was doing and smiled up at him. “I’ve never had to watch what I eat. I love sugar and never buy diet or lite products, because they taste different. I also need the extra calories because I work so hard. If I were a little hundred pound waif I would blow away in the first strong wind. I need fat just as much as muscle.” She changed her expression quizzically. “Did I already tell you I’m not like most girls?”
“Yes, you did.” Royce remembered her body well. It was strong and bony where it needed to be, and soft and full where it mattered. He thought of her working so hard and being alone. He suddenly got angry and tried to curb himself brusquely. “It’s time for you to start receiving some of life’s benefits, instead of working so hard.”
Susanna shrugged. “Maybe I had to be given the benefit of a man, before I could be given the rest.”
Royce wondered the same thing.
She smiled and stepped into his arms. “Let’s save the serious conversations for later. I just want to enjoy our first couple of days together.” She stood up on her toes and kissed him quick and solid. It was a fluid movement that totally placated him.
“Ready to eat?” she asked.
Royce nodded. He carried two plates loaded down with white sandwiches, chips, and pie. He realized absently that he was carrying all white food to her all white bedroom. Susanna carried a bucket of beer, water, and tea. They went outside and began the trek to her outd
oor piazza.
“I’m starting to like how quiet it is out here.” Royce wanted to fill the open spaces of country and talked loudly.
“One of the reasons you think it’s so quiet is because I don’t use electricity outside. I don’t think this is quiet, though. Autumn is a pretty loud season. I can hear a couple of crickets, quite a few birds. The wind is ruffling trees and beating the open prairie. Silence is a couple of inches of snow. It just muffles everything. Add a fifty below wind chill, and you have a normal winter. True quiet is when the prairie is asleep and hiding from the cold.”
“I would like to see that, Susanna.” Royce let her name roll off his tongue in a lazy flow over each syllable.
The meal passed quickly with the innocence of making new friends. Royce could not remember a better meal, or companion. They had tackled the forbidden subjects of politics and religion. They were startled to find each other in similar areas of grey. The conversations between them could have kept going and going, but instead they would circle around with banter and cover many different aspects. There was plenty of sexual innuendo, but none of it held any tension. They each had a possessive streak about property and things that belonged to them. Not just ideals, but things they stood for. Royce felt like they were making incredible progress of becoming more than just friends as he began to recognize pieces of him in her. He was determined to hear her voice forever.
“Tell me about your little house on the prairie,” Royce insisted.
“This land was homesteaded by my great, great, great grandfather. I just call him my greatest grandfather. This land has been in the family for nearly one hundred and fifty years. Only men can inherit the family ranch, but I almost think of it as mine. I don’t mind building it into an empire, so long as it stays in the family. What you see around me, is my choice. I work hard for everything I have, and because it’s in the middle of nowhere, I have to work or pay twice as much. The good thing is I work really hard, so I usually fall asleep at night very easily,” she bragged.
“Would you ever leave?” The words had rolled off his tongue before he could stop them.