Touch Me Boss: A Single Dad Office Romance

by Aria Ford

  Carl went back out to the wagon to unload the rest of the supplies he had bought while in town. Mary Jane wandered from room to room inspecting her new surroundings. There was a dining room with a large wooden table, a sideboard that leaned against the outside wall, a large kitchen with more amenities than she had in the mountains, three large bedrooms, and a bath closet. She was pleased to find the temperature inside the house much more to her liking. She had noticed that the house was built in a grove of trees and it remained shaded from the blistering sun. When she looked around she saw a house that was built with love. Carl’s mother’s touch was everywhere from the delicate curtains on the windows to the braided rugs that were placed on the floor. She said a silent prayer that she and Carl would be just as happy here as his parents had been.

  “Well, the wagon is unloaded and I am going to take the horses to the barn. I have some catching up to do so just make yourself at home,” Carl said. “It will probably be several hours before I return. I have always used the bedroom at the rear of the house, but if it is not to your liking you can change it. I use it because it is the largest and the coolest.”

  Mary Jane walked out onto the front porch and watched as Carl got back on the wagon and headed in the direction of the barn. She almost pinched herself to make sure she was not having some kind of dream. This place was fantastic and she could envision many happy years here with Carl and maybe a couple of children one day.

  Chapter 6

  Mary Jane wandered from room to room inspecting her new living digs. She took her bags to the rear bedroom and found a large closet that was partially filled with Carl’s clothes. She unpacked her belongings and placed them on the shelf next to his. She eyed the large bed and decided that it looked very inviting, but first she wanted to at least wash up and get the dirt and grime off her body before getting into the bed. She went into the bath closet and found a stack of soft wash cloths and a stack of soap. She had brought some of her own soap from Tennessee, but for now she would just use what was at hand. She peeled off her dirty dress and placed it in a basket on the floor.

  A short time later Mary Jane was feeling much better. She had on clean clothes and her skin was free of the dirt and grime of the trail. She went back to the large bed and lay down just to check out its comfort. Surprisingly it was even more comfortable than the one she had shared with Carl at the hotel. She closed her eyes and decided to catch a quick nap before Carl returned.

  Mary Jane awoke from her nap feeling refreshed and hungry. She had remembered that Carl had told her there was a garden at the rear of the house. She decided to venture out and see what she could find. Surely Carl would be home soon and she assumed he would be hungry too.

  To her delight, the garden was large and apparently very productive. There was an abundance of corn, green beans, large butter beans, carrots, onions, and several vines that she assumed was potatoes. She decided that corn and carrots would be the quickest to clean so she went about picking enough for her and Carl’s dinner.

  Pleased with her harvest, Mary Jane started towards the rear porch. Just as she started up the first step she felt something cold and wet touch the back of her leg. Catching her off guard she let out a yelp, tripped on the step, and corn and carrots went flying through the air. She turned around to find a large brown dog standing there wagging his tail.

  Carl had walked into the house to discover Mary Jane was not there. He walked to the rear door and opened it just in time to see corn and carrots go airborne and Mary Jane falling up the stairs.

  “I see you have met Butch,” Carl laughed.

  “He about scared me to death,” she exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me that you had a dog?”

  “Mary Jane, this is a farm. We have several animals here,” he said. “I didn’t expect Butch to be so taken with your shapely legs.”

  Mary Jane glared at him with that look he had learned meant that she was displeased with what had just happened. He grinned and held out his hand to help her up.

  “Why don’t you go on into the house and I will clean up this mess,” he said. “I assure you that Butch is not attracted to me.”

  Mary Jane huffed and walked into the kitchen. Why did she always make such a fool of herself when Carl was around? He much think that he had married some bumbling idiot who couldn’t stand on her own two feet.

  A few minutes later Carl walked in the kitchen with shucked corn and carrots and Butch in tow. The dog stopped and gave her a brief look before walking to the other side of the kitchen and laying down.

  “Butch spends a lot of time in the house,” Carl said. “He prefers the cooler temperatures I guess. You don’t have to be afraid of him for he is quite friendly.”

  “Yes, I found that out the hard way,” she said. “Now if you will give me a little assistance I will fix us something to eat. I assume that you have meat stored somewhere.”

  “The meat is in a cellar located under the house,” he said. “I will go grab us a couple of steaks while you prepare the vegetables.”

  Mary Jane eyed the sleeping dog as she started cutting the corn off the cob. She had never owned a dog before, but she supposed that he would keep her company during the day while Carl was working. She made a mental note to guard her backside while the dog was around.

  Dinner turned out to be quite tasty in spite of the unexpected trip the vegetables took. Mary Jane was delighted to find that Carl’s kitchen was well stocked with cooking utensils, dishes, dried herbs, and a large stove that would allow her to cook several dishes at the same time. She couldn’t help but notice that Butch sat in the floor on Carl’s side of the table. As soon as Carl cut the meat off the bone he handed the bone to Butch who happily trotted off with his fresh treat.

  “We don’t have a lot of leftovers around here,” Carl said. “Butch is always waiting for whatever tidbit we have left, just make sure that you never give him chicken bones.”

  Mary Jane took in the scene around her. She had a great home, a husband who truly seemed to appreciate her presence, and now a dog that seemed to be quite content with the new addition to his family. She felt a sense of contentment unlike any she had ever felt before.

  Chapter 7

  It did not take Mary Jane long to adjust to life on the farm. She delighted in the fresh vegetables from the garden, fresh eggs each morning, and the newly born calves trying to find their first legs. Each evening before they retired to bed Carl would read from the Bible to her. They would end their day with prayers of thanks for the life God had provided for them. Carl promised her they would attend church on Sunday once he had gotten everything caught up from their trip. It was something that Mary Jane looked forward to with delight. She wanted to meet her neighbors and get acquainted with Carl’s friends.

  Butch quickly became her best friend. He followed her around the house while she cleaned and cooked, and he always stood guard while she was in the garden. When she sat down he would place his head on her knee waiting for that friendly pat before laying down for his nap. On this particular morning he ran off while she had been working in the garden. She looked up to see where he was, but he was nowhere in sight.

  Figuring that Butch was out getting some exercise, Mary Jane went on with her gardening. Suddenly she felt something tugging on the bottom of her dress and when she looked down Butch was there trying to pull her away.

  “Let go you crazy dog,” she said. “You are about to tear my dress!”

  Butch continued to pull as if he wanted her to follow him. She finally realized that something might be wrong and followed him in the direction of the pasture closest to the barn. When they arrived at the pasture Butch began barking wildly. Mary Jane looked around and discovered one of the pregnant cows was laying on the ground and seemed to be in distress. She climbed over the fence and ran over to see if she could detect a problem.

  The cow was clearly in distress but Mary Jane had no idea what might be wrong. She started screaming as loud as she could, hoping that Carl or one
of the other workers would hear her.

  Carl was working with some cattle in a nearby pasture when he heard a loud scream and feared something was wrong with Mary Jane. He jumped on his horse and whipped it into a fast run, praying all of the way that nothing was seriously wrong. When he topped the hill he saw Mary Jane in the pasture keeling on the ground by one of the cows. Butch was pacing back and forth beside her. He pulled up his horse and ran to the spot where his wife trying to console a cow who was in obvious pain.

  “What is wrong,” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “Butch pulled me over here and I found this cow laying on the ground. She seems to be in distress but I don’t know what to do for her.”

  Mary Jane watched as Carl leaned down to examine the cow. He started rubbing the cow’s stomach, making strong movements down the entire length. Soon Mary Jane spotted a couple of feet appear before Carl reached and pulled the new calf to safety.

  Carl realized that the calf was not breathing so he quickly started working on it, trying to stimulate it enough to get it to breathe. Mary Jane watched as the newborn calf seemed to heave and all of a sudden it opened its eyes and started breathing on its own. The mother was standing on her feet watching while Carl ministered to the new calf.

  “That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen,” Mary Jane said. “I have never seen a cow give birth before!”

  “Well, that was not the ideal way,” he said. “Usually the mother can give birth on her own, but somehow this one was not able to expel the calf on her own. Another five minutes and we would probably have lost them both.”

  “Butch knew something was wrong. He grabbed hold of my dress and nearly ripped it off me before I finally followed him,” Mary Jane said. “I had no idea what was wrong, or what to do. I am glad you were able to get here on time. I may just want to adopt this new baby for myself. Do you think the mother would mind?”

  “I am sure the mother is thankful to you for getting her help in time,” Carl said with a smile. “She will probably allow you daily visits, but raising the young calf will be totally up to her.”

  “Then I want to name it Lucy,” Mary Jane said. “I will check on her every morning to make sure she is doing okay.”

  “Well, right now I need to get back to work and Lucy needs to eat,” he said. “Take Butch and go back to the house so that these two can bond in private. I’ll come home for some lunch in a couple of hours.”

  Carl watched Mary Jane as she walked back toward the house with Butch in tow. He had never imagined that he could be so happy with a woman who came to him through the mail. The best he had hoped for was a woman who could cook, clean, and keep him company at night when he was at home. He looked toward the sky and thanked God for sending him somebody as wonderful as Mary Jane.

  Chapter 8

  On Saturday Carl announced that the church where he attended was having a dinner-on-the-ground and if Mary Jane wanted to, they would attend.

  “I would love to,” she exclaimed. “I have been wanting to meet other people in the area, and I have missed getting to attend church on a regular basis.”

  “Well, the church is about an hour’s ride from here, and since we will be staying for a meal after services we will need to take food,” he said. “Why don’t you cook some of those fresh vegetables out of the garden and I will get one of the hams out of the cellar.”

  For the remainder of the day Mary Jane nearly danced through her chores. She was so excited to finally get to meet some of the other farmers and their families. She broke green beans, pealed carrots, and adjusted the oven so that the ham would cook slowly. The oven made the temperature in the house rise, but she could handle it if it meant getting to attend church. She was still so excited when she went to bed she had a hard time falling asleep.

  The following morning Mary Jane was up and getting ready to leave long before it was time. Carl laughed at her excitement and told her they still needed to think about breakfast.

  “Oh, I had forgotten about that,” she said. “I still have some rolls that were left over from last night. Perhaps I could fry up a couple of pieces of that beef loin, and we still have some jelly that you brought from town.”

  “That sounds good,” he said. “Why don’t you allow me to fix our breakfast and you can have the luxury of taking a bath.”

  Mary Jane threw her arms around his shoulders and planted a firm kiss on his lips. This man was so good to her and she wondered how she ever lived without him. The thought went through her head briefly that she almost turned down his marriage invitation.

  Mary Jane washed up quickly, not wanting to miss a minute of the day’s activities. She chose one of her more practical dresses because she assumed the church would be hot. She packed up the food she had cooked and was ready to leave when Carl pulled the wagon to the front of the house. Thankfully Carl had remembered to grab a quilt for them to sit on, and dishes for them to eat out of.

  When the small white church came into sight Mary Jane felt her heart start beating faster. It was the typical type of building that one would expect from a small country church. There was a tall steeple on the roof, large double doors at the front of the building, and plenty of shade for the horses while church was going on. Carl maneuvered the horses to a large tree and hopped down to secure them before turning to assist Mary Jane.

  Mary Jane watched as several people made their way to Carl’s wagon. She just assumed that they were coming to speak to Carl, but the truth was they had all heard about her and they wanted to meet her.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce you to my wife, Mary Jane Summers,” Carl said. “I will let you women introduce yourself to her because I know she has been anxious to meet all of you.”

  Suddenly Mary Jane found herself surrounded by women who were throwing names at her. She heard Martha, Kate, and Debra, but she was unable to remember everybody at once. The woman called Martha took her by the arm and told her not to worry about remembering everybody. That would come in time.

  “We have all heard about this woman that Carl sent for through the mail,” Martha said. “We have all been wanting to meet you, but we figured that in time you would come to church with Carl. We are so glad to have you here.”

  “I have been wanting to come to church too, but Carl was behind on his farming chores when we first got home from Cheyenne. I hope that we will be able to attend on a regular basis from now on,” Mary Jane said.

  Martha led her to the front of the church where Carl was waiting at the top of the stairs.

  “Looks like you have a good one, Carl,” Martha said.

  “Yes mam,” Carl answered. “Maybe you and Bill will consider coming for a visit some weekend. I’m sure that Mary Jane would enjoy some female company for a change. I fear I have kept her all to myself since we have been home.”

  Mary Jane listened to the exchange between Carl and Martha. She had taken an instant liking to Martha and she would indeed enjoy having a friend in the area.

  The preacher preached a sermon on being thankful for the many blessings that are experienced each day. It was a sermon that Mary Jane could closely relate to because she was very thankful that Carl had come into her life. It almost seemed if he was the other half of her, and together they made each other complete. She had not expected to find love in a mail order marriage, but she realized that was exactly what she had found. She bowed her head and smiled at the memory of stepping off the train and practically running over Carl. He must have thought her to be some kind of klutz, always tripping over her own two feet, but he always laughed and made some kind of joke.

  As soon as church was over, the church occupants poured out the door and started to set up the meal. Mary Jane couldn’t remember ever seeing so much food in one place. The women of the church had really gone all out to make sure that nobody left there hungry. There were several different kinds of cakes, pies, homemade bread, vegetables of every variety, and any kind of meat anybody could wish
for. With so much food, Mary Jane didn’t know where to start.

  Carl found a shady spot beneath one of the trees to spread out their quilt. Martha and Bill Collins spread their quilt on the ground next to them. They were the closest neighbors to Carl’s farm, and Bill often stopped by and offered to lend him a hand. He enjoyed his relationship with Bill, and now it seemed that his wife was also going to enjoy a relationship with Martha.

  When all four had filled their plates and were seating on their quilts, Carl made a request for them to join hands in prayer for such a good meal and a perfect day. Mary Jane bowed her head and listened to her husband give thanks to God for bringing them together.

  “God, you always know what is best for us, and you have certainly given me the best in Mary Jane. Please give me the strength and wisdom each day to live my life for You, and to lead my house in the ways of Your will. Thank you for this abundance of food, and for the friends you have given us to share it with,” Carl prayed.

  Mary Jane felt a tear slip from her eye and roll down her cheek. She was happier than she had ever allowed herself to expect, and she couldn’t wait to find out what life had in store for her in the future.

  As soon as the prayer was over, the four of them dug into their plates with gusto. Most all of the farmers in the area had plenty to eat, but they didn’t get to eat like this on a regular basis. If they did Carl was sure they would all grow old and fat, useless for anything except the rocking chair.

  “Well, while you two were off getting married, Bill and I have gotten some pretty big news as well,” Martha said. “God willing, we will be welcoming the first new member to our family in about seven months!”

  “Martha, that is wonderful news,” Mary Jane said. “Oh, I hope I can come over for a visit when the time comes. Right now my daily entertainment is a crotchety old dog named Butch, and a newborn calf that I named Lucy.”