He lifted his face, his breathing heavy, but he didn’t remove his hands from her. She looked up at him. The force she saw there made her inner thighs tremble.
More raindrops fell until they were bombarded.
She grabbed his hand and together they raced for the farmhouse.
They closed the door behind them and erupted into laughter. A strike of lightning nearby made her jump.
“Are you kids okay?” Pedora came bounding through, wiping her hands on her apron. “Angels are up there moving furniture,” she looked up and said a whispered prayer.
The scent of yeast and mint filled the air.
“We’re fine. Sorry. We didn’t get very far on the barn.” Then it struck her. “Oh no, I forgot to close the lid on the paint.” She’d been so wrapped up in the kiss that she’d forgotten everything.
“Don’t worry. I placed the lid on the can. Mother nature’s rinsing out the brushes.” Bear winked. Then he leaned in and said next to her ear, “The forecast wasn’t calling for a chance of a storm. Must have been that kiss.”
Aasia’s toes curled in her boots. The kiss had been amazing. One of a kind.
“The barn’s not going anywhere. You two come into the kitchen. I’ll make you some hot cocoa,” Pedora said as she hustled back into the kitchen.
“I guess we should go into the kitchen so we don’t disappoint her.” Aasia looked up into Bear’s grin.
He wound a damp tendril of her hair around his knuckle. “There’ll come a time when we’re not interrupted. Think you can handle things getting heated?” His eyes sparked.
“I guess we’ll just have to find out when that time comes, won’t we?’
Apple hung in the air of the kitchen from the freshly cut up slices in a bowl. They were covered in cinnamon, and glops of butter and sugar. Aasia used to love sitting nearby watching Pedora cook and testing everything.
“The apple trees overdid themselves this year. I’ve made applesauce. Apple tarts. Apple jam. If you name it, I’ve made it.” Pedora took down a glass jar of her homemade cocoa powder. Whenever there was trouble or bad weather Pedora would make her famous hot cocoa with a sprinkle of fresh mint.
The petite woman moved slowly, her joints cracking and protesting. She’d decided to allow her hair to go natural so her dark color was threaded with thick stripes of silver. She always wore loose fitting jeans and flannels that were buttoned to her throat and worn work boots.
She put water in a beaten and tarnished pot then went to finish peeling an apple. She did it with such ease that the red skin came off in one long, thin strip that could probably win her a contest at a country festival.
“I wanted to thank you two for starting on the barn. That old thing hasn’t been painted since ninety-nine. That happened to be a memorable year. The snow had come here in Texas like never before.” She gave a small laugh. “Texans thought the end of the world had come. I’ve never seen the likes of it. The shelves in the stores were wiped out. Gas tanks were emptied. Everything closed. My barn took a beating, so it had to be painted. Didn’t get a goldarned flower come up that spring.” She shook her head in despair.
The rolling boil of the water made her lay the apple and knife aside and tend to pouring the chipped cups full.
When Pedora set the cup in front of Bear her gaze narrowed and her mouth twisted. “I’m as blind as an old bat but you look different, young man. I think I know what it is.”
“What’s that?” Bear asked.
“You’re not carrying the weight of the world in those eyes of yours.”
“Nice to see you again, Pedora,” he said in a low rumble.
“You’re always a sight for sore eyes.” Her thin lips swirled into a grin. “I think we need some music.” She went to the battered radio sitting in the kitchen window and turned on a hymn, barely audible with the storm outside. Pedora’s grey eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s as she gathered up the apple peel and threw it in a container to throw out into the field later. “We don’t get much company like we used to. Just the storms. The dust. And the tax man.”
“When was the last time the tax man visited?” Aasia hid her smile. She felt a soft caress on her leg. The kitten looked up at her as if wanting to be a part of all the chatter. Swiping him up he gave her a meow in greeting.
With a hollow snort, Pedora shrugged. “Beats me. Anyway, I have enough apples to see me through for years. I’ve got a cellar full of canned beans and tomatoes.” She continued. “A person doesn’t really need much more. Sally’s been laying eggs again after her dry spell.”
Aasia glanced over at Bear who seemed to be listening intently to Pedora.
“You two make a charming couple,” Pedora said with a sly smile.
“Oh…we’re not a couple,” Aasia blurted, but felt some resistant in her gut.What was she and Bear exactly?
With curious grey eyes, Pedora didn’t seem convinced. “Could have fooled me.” One corner of her mouth hitched.
