by Gayle Keo
Without waiting for an invitation, he picked up the toolkit she’d dumped on the porch and made his way to the hen house. She figured he must have seen how it used to look because he knew where each part went and within half an hour it was taking shape. When she saw a dust cloud at the end of the drive, she excused herself and ran to the van that was loaded full of the supplies she would need, or at least the ones she had anticipated.
When she turned back around Frankie was nowhere in sight and she felt a slight touch of disappointment. He’d been good company and knew his stuff when it came to patching, but if she was being honest with herself she had enjoyed his handsome face. She looked at her watch and wondered if he’d gone home for lunch, but when she stepped into the kitchen, she could hear his deep voice coming from Lee’s office.
*****
Lee had felt the urge to write before he’d even opened his eyes. Granted, the story that was bubbling to come out was not the story he’d been promising for the last couple of years. The new idea felt fresh and alive and so did he. The sun was shining, the country air smelled good and the natural sounds that bathed the farm were filled with life. He’d made some coffee and fired up the laptop.
When a large shadow had blocked the light that streamed through his open door, Lee had looked up. The man that leaned on the door frame was farm-built and wore that contented look that honest labor and plenty of sunshine gives a man. He was smiling and raised his hand in a little wave. Lee waved back and found that the smile was infectious.
“Hi, your deliveries are here,” he said.
“Oh right, are you the driver?” Lee asked.
“No, I’m your neighbor. I’ve been helping Dana with the hen house. The woman that used to live here had a lot of hens at one point but she relocated them when she started getting sick and now it needs a little fixing,” the man replied. “So, you’re a writer?”
“I’m trying to be,” Lee said. “Want some coffee?”
Lee could see Dana checking through the deliveries from the kitchen window. She was glowing. She had pink healthy cheeks and a light sheen of sweat on her brow. Country life suited her. She had the delivery driver going through the order with her and he thought that right then and there, she had the power to make the poor guy lift every item to its proper place by hand and with a smile on his face.
“Your wife looks happy,” the man said looking over his shoulder.
“She does. This has been her dream for years. My name is Lee, what’s yours?”
“Frankie,” he replied.
“Well Frankie, welcome to the new owners of Stonegate Corner,” Lee said raising his cup to chink against Frankie’s.
“May your time here be fruitful and happy,” Frankie replied grinning.
****
When Lee stopped for a break that afternoon, he sat on the porch with a glass of store bought lemonade and watched Dana and Frankie secure the fencing. He wondered briefly if he should be worried about Frankie spending time with his wife. The man was beyond handsome and had muscles that made the men at the gym back in the city look like girls. Dana looked happy working beside him and she lifted her face to smile at the things he said. He didn’t feel jealous, he felt something else. The feeling was like he’d won the lottery and now he never needed to worry anymore. He was happy.
The truck with the hens arrived bringing a cloud of dust up the driveway. He jumped up to help. The farm was Dana’s baby: he didn’t know much about animals and he’d certainly never been close to a live chicken before. When he was handed a crate with several chickens in it, he was surprised to see their little faces looked alert and interested. They had an intelligence in their eyes that he hadn’t anticipated.
“They’re adorable,” Dana said with moisture glistening in her eyes.
“I can foresee chicken being off the menu in this house,” he muttered and Frankie laughed.
When the driver had left, Lee had stayed to watch as Dana uncaged the hens. Frankie came to stand with him and they watched as the hens slowly began to peck the grass. Dana sat on the grass once all the hens were freed and let them come up to her. She giggled as they pecked the laces on her boots and when one particularly brave hen sat on her lap, she snuggled it like a baby.
“I didn’t know they could be so full of character,” Lee said shaking his head.
“Nature’s full of surprises, Lee,” Frankie replied.
Frankie reached his arm out to hug Lee’s shoulder and Lee felt the warmth travel through him. It was a natural gesture, one that he wouldn’t have been surprised to receive from a friend or brother, but the feeling it gave him had swept through his body and ended somewhere he wasn’t expecting. Lee shifted slightly as the twinge of excitement swelled his manhood. He could feel himself blushing, but he couldn’t seem to move away from the man or his embrace.
“I love it here. I love my hens,” Dana said, and he felt a slight touch of guilt.
Frankie’s arm dropped, and he entered the enclosure scooping up the nearest hen. The hen relaxed in his arms and he stroked the brown feathers. Lee wondered how such a big man could look so gentle holding the small creature.
“Stroke the chicken, Lee,” Dana called and Frankie brought it over to him.
He reached out and touched the hen’s smooth back, feeling how silky the feathers were. The bird looked up at him with her intelligent eyes and blinked.
He was feeling slightly emotional, and it was unnerving, especially in front of the alpha-male that was standing next to him. He wondered again if he should worry about leaving Frankie with Dana. How any women could look at the man and not feel the urge to swoon like in the old romance films? He had no idea. The fact that he felt the same urge was disturbing him so much that he had to make his excuses and get back to work.
He spent the rest of the afternoon writing and the flow that had been so stunted in the city was now open and free. He didn’t notice as the sun dipped or that he’d worked solidly for hours without a break. When the smell of food wafted into the room, he was sitting in the dark looking at a bright screen and his novel was well on its way.
The thought of Frankie and the tingle he’d felt when the man’s arm had pulled him close had fueled the story, adding a depth to his writing that hadn’t been there before. Frankie was his muse.
*****
Lee’s eyes were bloodshot from staring at the computer screen for hours, but he was grinning and excitable. She hadn’t seen him like this for months, if not years. She didn’t know what part of the move had picked him up, but she was pleased. When they cleared the plates away from dinner, he had grabbed her hands and pulled her into an embrace, dancing with her in the kitchen. It was something they had done often during their first few months together and it made her feel young and carefree.
“Do you remember the last time we danced?” Lee whispered into her ear tickling the soft skin there with his breath.
“No,” she replied.
“I do, it was our anniversary,” he said. “That was just over three years ago.”
“That’s too long,” she said lifting her head to be kissed.
He kissed her gently and for a long time. She felt the kiss run through her body like an electric current and she couldn’t remember why they’d stopped kissing like that. When he scooped her up and whisked her to the bedroom, she giggled and they both fell onto the bed laughing. He made love to her that night in the same way that he had when they were younger, not the hungry desperate motions of a couple desperate for release, but a slow, sensual coupling that left them feeling like they belonged to each other.
Dana couldn’t remember when things had slid into the mundane; his job had become stressful, and hers had bored her to tears. Each had brought their baggage home at the end of the day and it had slowly wheedled its way into their relationship, into their hearts. This was a fresh start for them in more ways than they had anticipated.
****
Dana woke to the sound of her hens chatting to each other in
their chicken voices. They woke with the sun as did her husband she thought, noting his absence. He was pouring coffee for them both and they sat on the porch in their pajamas enjoying the morning sun which was still hazy with moisture. It was the perfect start to a new day, and it was made more so by her husband’s hand as it found hers and squeezed gently.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you too,” she replied grinning.
Once she’d showered and dressed, she let the hens out for the day and they clucked happily around her feet. Dana was surprised to find a handful of eggs already and she couldn’t wait to scramble them for breakfast. She’d just put the frying pan on the heat when Frankie tapped on the window. Signaling for him to come in, she grabbed a couple more eggs.
“You have to eat breakfast with us, the hens have laid their first eggs,” she said showing off one of the small brown eggs.
“Wow, they settled well,” he said smiling.
“That smells good, hey Frankie,” Lee said.
Dana had noticed that the two men had instantly liked each other the day before and she was glad because Frankie was helpful and had a wealth of knowledge about the farm and animals in general. He was also strong which had come in handy several times the day before. The only thing that bothered her was her reaction to him. If she was being honest with herself, then she was attracted to Frankie and that was bad. She felt guilty, and she hoped that neither man would notice, but she could feel the blush on her cheeks when Frankie looked at her or smiled at her.
“These are fantastic,” Lee said leaning back in his chair.
“You can’t beat fresh eggs,” Frankie said scraping his plate. “Soon you’ll have too many to use and you’ll have to sell them. What were you thinking of doing?”
“I’m hoping she’s going to make me some pickled eggs,” Lee said. “They’re the best.”
“I hope to sell fresh eggs and pickled ones in the local market,” she said.
“Awesome. So, what’s on the agenda today?”
“The enclosure for the goats,” Dana said and the nervous flutter went through her stomach.
“Let me guess, you’ve never owned goats before,” Frankie said laughing.
“No,” she replied.
“I can help,” Frankie said. “Show me where you want to keep them.”
She led him out and showed him the land she’d planned to dedicate to the goats she’d picked out. Within the hour the enclosure was taking shape, and she had their pen mapped out.
As the morning heated up, she’d started to sweat and had removed her sweater and it wasn’t long after that Frankie took off his shirt. Underneath the flannel shirt was a wall of muscle and beautiful tanned skin. She tried not to stare, but the man had the cutest freckles on his shoulders that she’d ever seen and his washboard stomach was making her legs feel like they were made of rubber.
She hoped that her willpower was stronger than it felt because she loved her husband and she still craved his touch even after the stress they’d been through. But the man with the torso of Adonis that rippled in the sunlight was a distraction that even a nun couldn’t have ignored. Did he know his effect on people? Her mouth was watering so much she was becoming dehydrated.
“Are you sure you’re not going to get cold like that?” she said after losing her chain of thought three times in a row.
“Do I look cold?” he asked raising one eyebrow.
“Not really,” she replied having checked out his nipples.
She needed to make some coffee, or iced tea, or anything that required her to look away for a few minutes and compose herself. She turned her back on him and saw a shadow against the window in the kitchen. It would be just her luck to get caught ogling the neighbor’s fit body when everything else was going so well.
“I’m going to make a drink,” she said.
“Looks like Lee already has,” Frankie said.
*****
Lee placed the iced tea on the tray and carried it out to the porch. They didn’t have any furniture for the porch yet, so he set it down on the steps and sat in a sunny spot. Frankie had removed his shirt and Lee couldn’t believe how perfect the country boy’s abdominals were. Lee whipped his top off to show a slim, white expanse of skin. His hair was borderline red so he wouldn’t risk much sun, but the heat felt so good on his skin it made his body prickle.
“You must work out, Frankie,” Lee said.
“That’s what farming does to you,” Frankie said slapping his stomach.
Lee had the urge to run his hand across the ridges but he resisted. When Dana sat down she leaned against him and he kissed the top of her head before handing her a glass. He wondered what her little hands would look like on Frankie’s skin and if she would like the feel of him. It was a strange thing to think about, but he could only put it down to the book he was writing. He was just exploring things in his head. The thought came again and it sent a shiver of pleasure through him.
“Are you cold?” Dana asked.
“No, just the ice from the drink,” he said and he could feel his face heat up.
He couldn’t change the fact that his jeans were tighter now than they had been when he’d first sat down, but he wasn’t about to show it. His eyes involuntarily sought out Frankie, and he was relieved to see that the man was staring out into the distance. His traitorous brain formed a picture of his own pale hands stroking the fine hair on Frankie’s stomach and those shock waves ran through his body injecting a surge of delicious heat into his manhood. He was now stuck next to his wife thinking gay thoughts and trying to hide a raging boner.
Lee wasn’t gay. He wasn’t bisexual. He hadn’t explored much as a college student. He’d never watched gay porn or lusted over a man at any point. Why the hell was he having these feelings now?
Frankie looked at him and smiled and Lee bit his lip because the pain was the only thing keeping him in check. Something was happening to him and he didn’t know what to do with it. Had it been a woman sitting in Frankie’s place, he would have brushed it off without a second thought but Frankie was male, all male, and so very, very male.
“Are you burning already?” Dana asked.
She placed her hand on his chest to feel the heat. His skin was flushed, but it wasn’t anything to do with the sun. Her hand was soothing, and he wondered briefly if he should grab her and whisk her inside to have caveman sex with her to solidify his masculinity, but then he thought Frankie might be weirded out. Besides, Dana would want to know what had gotten into him and he didn’t have a well-crafted lie for her.
Dana stood up and took the tray inside and Lee jumped slightly when Frankie scooted closer to him. He felt his heart speed up and wondered if Frankie could hear it banging from his position just two inches away. Lee was beginning to sweat, but it didn’t make his skin look healthy like it did on Frankie’s. He was looking at Frankie’s chest again, damn it.
“You okay?” Frankie asked and Lee gulped for something to say that didn’t make him sound like an idiot.
“Yeah,” he said settling on a safe one syllable word.
“Are you okay about me helping your wife?” Frankie asked leaning closer in a conspiratorial way.
“Yes,” Lee said not able to find air to breathe. “You’re a great help.”
“Cool,” Frankie said slapping his hand on Lee’s knee.
Lee’s knee was trembling under Frankie’s large hand, but he didn’t seem to notice which was good because if he looked down he might have noticed the rock-hard boner that was straining Lee’s jeans to almost breaking point, jutting out like a homing beacon trying to reach Frankie’s hand. Lee was going to fall to pieces if Frankie didn’t move soon.
“Right, I best get moving,” Dana said, and both men looked up.
Dana had changed her t-shirt for a bikini top and was now wearing short shorts. She looked fantastic and Lee wondered again if he could get away with dragging his wife off caveman style to have some quick, wild sex. He didn’t thi
nk he’d last long because his brain was making little pictures of Frankie’s large hands on her little body.
“You look beautiful, Dana,” he said and stayed put on the step.
“Thank you, darling,” she replied and leaned over to give him a kiss.
Her cleavage bunched up in a cute busty way while his manhood wept for her. To his great relief, Frankie was on his feet and walking off with his girl. Lee watched them walk away and then escaped to the bathroom. He was a bad man, he was a very confused man and he was horny as hell. When he released his seed into a pile of waiting tissue, it wasn’t just Dana’s gorgeous body he was thinking about and he did not want to analyze what that meant.
He splashed some water over his face and went to sit at his desk once more. The words came to him like a raging river and his hands could barely keep up. He could live with having gay thoughts if it meant that writing was this easy. If he kept writing at this speed, he’d have his first draft within a month.
A dark thought snuck into his mind and he pushed it back. Dana would not run off with Frankie because Dana loved Lee. Dana could eye Frankie up all day long, but she would never leave him, he thought.
*****
Dana was enjoying the work, the hot sun on her skin and Frankie’s company. When her husband removed his top to enjoy the sun, she figured it would be okay for her after all this was her home and she was definitely working up a sweat. When Lee had run his eyes over her, appreciating her curves, she felt good. It was like she’d been asleep all those years in the city and this was her real life.
“You’re deep in thought,” Frankie said.
They were spending the afternoon arranging the rows where she would plant her crops. Frankie had given her the best advice, and he seemed to know more about plants than any of the websites she’d spent hours poring over. She needn’t have bothered with the research because he was a walking farm encyclopedia. He was more than happy to share his knowledge which made her life easier.
“I’m just wondering why I didn’t leave the city before. I love it here,” she said.