“Just on Sundays. I usually don’t have time the rest of the week.” she stated.
“Always read romance?” he asked pleasantly.
“No! Not always! Just sometimes.” She grinned mischievously at him. “You know what they say. People who don’t get to have sex can at least read about it.”
After he picked his chin up off the floor, he grinned. “Point taken.”
“I’ll read just about anything. Where I grew up, we didn’t have a lot of access to libraries. So I never learned to enjoy it. After moving in here, your mom gave me some of her books to read.” She motioned with the one in her hand. “Not like this one, of course.” She smiled again.
“My mom always did love to read. She would sneak flashlights to me so I could read under the covers after my dad went to sleep.” He smiled fondly at the memory.
Lou heard the commotion of a car crunching down the gravel drive. Brody rose from the chair and leaned over the rail to check out the noise. “Looks like they’re back from church already,” he said, when Jeb’s truck stopped at the back door.
They leaned over the rail together and saw Sadie turn to help John out of the car, placing crutches in his hands. Lou gasped and covered her mouth. “What happened?” she yelled down.
Jeb looked up at them and grinned. “Damn fool was watching a woman walk by and tripped over a bush beside the sidewalk. Tumbled headfirst into the bush and broke his ankle!”
“I’ll be right down,” Lou cried, as she turned to go in the house. Brody followed her and they met the others in the kitchen.
“You should have called me! I would have come and gotten Sarah so she wouldn’t be trouble,” Lou cried when she saw them all. Sarah ran upstairs to change out of her Sunday clothes.
Sadie smiled. “She was no trouble at all. She and I went to church while Jeb took John to the hospital.”
Jeb shook his head. “Doctor says six weeks with no activity.”
“What are we going to do about getting up the hay?” John groaned. The hay season was just about to begin. This was the time of year they cut the hay in the fields, baled and stored it for the winter. John was an instrumental part of the operation, and his shoes would be tough to fill.
“We’ll just have to hire someone to replace you,” Lou replied.
“It will take four men to do the work of this one,” Jeb countered.
“Then we’ll just have to hire four,” Lou replied.
“Just hire three,” Brody broke in. “I’m here. I can help.”
“Mighty nice of you, boy. Been a long time since you put up hay.”
“I can still do it, though.”
Lou agreed. “I’ll call tomorrow and get three temp helpers.”
“So, what did she look like?” Brody surprised everyone by asking John. Was it worth it?”
“Seemed like it at the time. Would have been fine if that damn bush hadn’t jumped out in front of me,” John groaned as he raised his leg onto the pillow Sadie placed in a chair opposite him.
The room shook with laughter.
Chapter Ten
Brody wasn’t surprised at all when Jeb prayed for clear skies at the morning meal. It was a family ritual, one he had been involved in for many years before he left home. Putting up hay was a tough job, with hundreds of acres to cut. But he wasn’t afraid of hard work and actually looked forward to contributing.
Jeb was the only one allowed to rake the hay into windrows after Brody’s first attempts to drive the delivery rake. He took a good amount of ribbing for his amateurish efforts at forking the hay into clean rows. His rows turned into zigzags, which made it harder on the person driving the baler. “Yeah, yeah, yeah... Pick on the new guy.”
Brody gave up on the rake and, from that time forward, Jeb raked the hay into rows and Brody cut more pasture. As Brody finished cutting, Jeb would turn the hay and put it in neat windrows. The hay would then be left in the fields to dry and cure.
When Jeb thought the hay was dry, he would walk out the pastures and place a few stalks of hay into a small box. He added two to three tablespoons of salt and shook it wildly. If the salt stayed dry, the hay was ready to bale. John had tried to teach him new ways to test the age of the hay but Jeb’s only response to it was, “Why change what works? You young’uns and your newfangled ideas.”
Since they could only get two temps to help with the harvest, Lou was drafted to drive the baler. She drove down the neat and tidy rows of hay and the baler performed the task of firmly wrapping the hay and dropping it in square bundles on the ground. Each solid block of hay weighed about seventy-five pounds.
The crew then used flatbed trucks to move the hay from the fields to the hay barns. Lou and two hands could reasonably move five hundred bales of hay per day if they worked from dawn until dusk. Once one pasture was complete, they moved on to another.
The two temp laborers, Wes and Darrel, seemed to know very little about hay but they were eager to work. They showed up bright and early every morning, ready to get busy. Darrel was no more than thirty and had a pleasant smile and a good attitude. Wes was a little more subdued, wore a baseball cap and had a dark beard.
They showed up in time for breakfast each day and went straight to work. They doffed their hats, said amen to the prayers at mealtime and fit right in. They worked tirelessly alongside Lou, Brody, and Jeb. Everyone worked from sunup to sundown.
The days flew by and the weather stayed clear, right up until the last day. Jeb started out the day by saying, “Looks like we’ll get some rain today.”
Brody shook his head. “Not even a cloud in the sky, Jeb.”
“We’ll just see about that, won’t we?”
Brody nodded absently.
About five o’clock, the sky began to darken and thunder rolled across the horizon. Brody parked the tractor and ran out to the flatbed Lou had parked in the pasture. He carried three huge tarps with ropes attached in his hands. He saw Darrel throw the last of the hay onto the bed. Wes was nowhere to be found.
Brody screamed at Darrel on top of the wind, “Go to the house! I got this!” Lightning struck two hundred yards from them and almost immediately the thunder burst. Darrel took off across the pasture as Brody climbed on top of the flatbed and began to cover the hay with the tarps. It would keep the hay dry long enough to get the flatbed to the barn. Lou met him on the opposite side and held out her hands, motioning for him to throw one side over to her.
“Get back in the truck” he shouted.
“Just give me one side and some rope, Brody!” she shouted back.
Realizing that arguing was futile, he tossed her one side of the tarp. She pulled it tight and attached the ropes to the trailer, hoping to keep the wind from blowing the tarp away. She continued tying rope down the length of the blue plastic until the whole trailer was covered. Just as she was about to climb down, she looked over and noticed Brody frantically trying to untie a knot in the rope on his side of the trailer. This one knot prevented the tarp from adequately covering the entire rear section of hay. Lou climbed over the trailer to his side. She took the rope from his frantic hands, put it in her teeth, and pulled the knot loose. “How did you do that?” he bellowed.
She yelled back with a grin, “You try having a daughter who can’t untie shoes!”
Brody covered the remaining hay and tied the rope to hold the tarp in place. Just as he finished, the bottom dropped out of the sky.
Rain came down in a torrential downfall. They were immediately drenched and couldn’t see two feet in front of them. Lightening burst over their heads and thunder clapped in appreciation. Brody jumped off the trailer and reached up for Lou. She dropped into his outstretched hands and he caught her by the waist. He swung her down and she hit the ground with a jolt. They ran for the passenger side of the truck cab and Lou slid in.
Brody followed right behind her and slammed the door. He took a deep breath.
Lou started the truck.
“What are you doing?” Brody asked.
“What’s it look like?” Lou replied. “Those tarps are not going to keep it dry once the wind shifts. We need to get it to the hay barn or we’re going to lose it. There’s plenty of room in the south barn.”
He scoffed. “Move over, then, and let me drive.” He motioned for her to trade places.
Instead, she turned on the headlights and wipers and put the truck in gear.
“Good grief! Do you even know how to drive this thing?”
“Watch me,” she whispered.
She expertly drove the truck through the pasture gate, driving slowly because vision was poor in the rain. She turned onto the gravel drive that led to the south barn and drove straight inside. It was a barn that was open on both ends this time of the year as they put up the hay.
Brody let out a sigh of relief. “Good job,” he breathed.
“Thanks,” she said sarcastically as she cut the engine and turned off the headlights. They were now in total darkness. His hand grabbed for hers. “You scared of the dark, cowboy?” she chided.
Lou opened the glove box and pulled out a flashlight. She flicked it on and shined it in his face. He blinked and held out a hand to fend off the glare. “You’re just a laugh a minute, aren’t you?” he taunted.
Lou turned, opened the door of the truck and slid out on the ground. Brody followed out his side. Lou walked the length of the trailer and shined her flashlight on it. “Looks like the ropes held,” she said absently, as she walked toward the exit doors. “Those tarps would never have held, though, in this storm.”
“I thought it might pass quickly,” Brody said.
“You should listen to Jeb. He’s never wrong about the weather,” she flung back.
“Thanks for reminding me,” he grumbled back at her.
Rain fell from the sky in sheets. Lou looked toward the house and saw that the lights were off. “Power must be out.”
“Will Sarah be okay with no power in the middle of a storm?”
Lou shrugged. “She’s with Sadie. There’s no safer place to be.”
“I remember,” he smiled at her.
“They are probably roasting marshmallows in a candle flame, by now.”
“She still does that? She used to do that with me. It was one of my favorite things. And Jeb would make shadow puppets in the glow from a candle flame.”
“And now John tells scary stories.” Lou’s eyes met his and she sighed. “You feel like streaking to the house in this mess?”
He emphatically said, “Hell, no. Have you lost your mind? I’m staying right here.” He sat down on a bale of hay that was already stacked yet was low to the ground. Lou climbed one level above him and sat down as well.
Brody leaned back against her bale and grunted.
“Something wrong?” she asked.
“To be honest, I’m tired as hell and more sore than I have ever been in my life.” He flexed his neck muscles, trying to stretch.
“I would offer you a massage but you might take it the wrong way,” she said.
His eyes met hers in the darkness. “And just what way do you think I might take it?"”
“Never mind,” she bit out.
“Lou, if I promise to behave, can you rub my shoulders?” He formed a temple with his hands.
“Lean back.” She patted her knees and Brody scooted back on the hay bale until his back touched her shins. Unexpectedly, he pulled his shirt over his head.
“What? It was soaked.”
Lou looked down at his strong shoulders, shadowed in the moonlight. His neck and shoulders were tight and strong, just like the rest of him. She took a deep breath before her fingers lightly touched his shoulders and gently began to knead his sore muscles. He groaned low in his throat at her efforts.
“That feel good?” she asked, deepening the pressure.
“Oh, yeah,” he hissed. Her movements became stronger and faster as she worked the muscles in his neck and shoulders. He groaned and moaned for a full ten minutes, his head finally falling over in a relaxed pose. She shook out her hands and wrung them lightly together.
“Thank you,” he said as he took her hand in his. “Now your hands are sore.” He lightly brushed her leg as he reached for her hand. “And cold! Good grief! You’re freezing.” He ran his hand up her arms, feeling the goose bumps on her skin.
Brody stepped to the truck and pulled out another tarp. Motioning for her to move, he covered the area where she had been sitting. He lay down along the length of two bales. He patted the area in front of him, holding his arms open wide. “Come on. Let’s share some body heat.” I have enough to share.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Brody.” Nerves shook in her voice.
“Oh, get over it, Lou. I’m too damn tired to put the moves on you. Come on.” He patted the hay again.
Lou reluctantly let Brody pull her down onto the hay. He could probably feel her hesitation as she lay down stiffly beside him. He groaned as he tucked one hand around her waist and flipped her on her side. Her bottom was tucked into his lap like two spoons fit together in a drawer. He supported the weight of her head as his arm slipped under her head.
The long work day soon took its toll and, no matter how much she wanted to fight it. She relaxed and curled into him.
Four hours later, Brody woke to total darkness. He shifted slowly, unsure of where he was. He felt a round bottom pressed against his groin and long, dark hair tickled his nose. He shook Lou gently. “Lou?”
She came instantly awake and sat up. “What’s wrong?” she asked groggily.
“Nothing. I think it’s stopped raining.” He sat up as well and stretched. “We should probably get back to the house.”
She yawned and nodded. “I’m ready when you are.”
They walked side by side out of the barn. Lou stopped and sniffed the air. “Do you smell that?”
“What? The hay?” Brody could smell the clean scent of damp earth after a heavy rain. He watched her sniff for another scent she couldn’t recognize.
“No. It’s something else.” She sniffed again. “It’s probably nothing.” She shook her head to clear it as they walked to the house.
Neither of them recognized the smell of cherry cigar that was carried off by the breeze.
Chapter Eleven
Brody and Lou walked through the backdoor into a dark house. The power was still off. Jeb, Sadie, and John all sat around the kitchen table playing cards by candlelight. John had one leg resting on a pillow in a chair across from him. They all looked up as the door opened.
“Well, look who found their way home!” Sadie exclaimed.
Lou asked, “Is everything okay? Where’s Sarah?”
“Soon as the thunder stopped, she crawled on our bed and fell asleep,” Sadie replied. “Poor thing was tuckered out.”
John looked up and grinned. “What happened to y’all?”
“We got caught out in the rain getting in the last bed of hay. It was raining too hard to run back to the house, so we stayed put. We put the tarps over it just before the bottom dropped out of the sky, and then drove the truck into the south barn to keep it dry.”
Lou coughed loudly. “We drove the truck into the barn?” She smiled broadly.
Brody pretended to mumble, his head hung low in false dejection. “Ok, Lou drove the truck into the barn…” He patted her on the shoulder. “And did a good job with it, too,” he added for good measure.
Brody went to the pantry and took out a loaf of bread, mustard, and a jar of pickles. Then he went to the fridge and grabbed ham and cheese. Lou’s stomach growled as she realized they had missed dinner. Brody heard it and laughed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make one for you, too,” he chided.
Jeb rubbed his eyes. “I sure am glad we got all that hay up before the rain.”
“You told me this morning it would rain today and I didn’t believe you,” Brody replied, shaking his head.
“When you get to be as old as me, boy, you’ll be able to predict
the rain, too,” was his only response.
“I don’t think I’ve worked that hard in years, Jeb.” Brody sighed as he pulled two of Sadie’s prized dill pickles out of a jar and placed them on the plates beside the sandwiches.
“Speaking of working hard, those two fellas that helped with the hay did a real good job. We had two stable hands out with the flu so I asked them to stay on for another week. They will both be back on Monday and’ll work ‘til Friday,” Jeb said.
“Just so you know, the next time I see John turn around to look at a pretty lady, I’m going to deck him. So, you guys be forewarned,” Brody said with a venomous look in John’s direction.
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