Chapter Eighteen
Ira watched her hurry away. Why had he rushed her? What was he thinking? He scraped his hands through his hair and scratched his chin. He snorted in amusement at himself. He was thinking, no he knew, he was ready for more with Honey. Maybe a lot more.
Learning about the loss of her parents, her entire family, had given him insight into her waitressing career. She had a point and it was the same one Sue had made. Her being happy was enough. Between her two jobs, she seemed to have enough to live comfortably on. Why did her career matter?
Abruptly, he realized it didn’t. Honey was who she was, and he liked her the way she was. Pretty, kind, intelligent, outgoing, observant. She was so many things all rolled up into one delicious package. In a nutshell, it was why he’d blurted out his clean bill of health.
He picked up their empty glasses and followed her inside. He’d check on her and then put some potatoes on the barbecue. Potatoes, corn on the cob, and chicken breasts. Maybe a salad. He’d feed her in exchange for fixing his computer. He knew better than to offer money.
He was wrapping the potatoes in foil when she came into the kitchen.
“It looks good. I’ve started the second scrub program. This one will go faster. It’ll only take about half an hour. One more after that. Then a clean and defrag of your hard drive and you’ll be as good as new. And, I’ve had a clean bill of health too.”
She blushed adorably.
“Good to know. Thanks for telling me. Did you want to help make a salad while the potatoes bake? Or would you rather take a walk?”
“Don’t the potatoes need to be rotated on the barbecue?”
“Nope.” He pulled a basket from under the sink. “I’ve got this specialty adaptor for my rotisserie. An army buddy designed it. The spit goes through here and a potato on each side. I close it and clip it shut. Now, I’m free to do whatever I want. We won’t go far. I don’t like to leave it totally unattended. Maybe a stroll down to the creek. I’ve got a swimming hole.” He waggled he eyebrows.
“I’d love to take a walk. Your land is beautiful.”
“Are you sure. You did work all morning. Your feet aren’t too sore?”
“Not at all. I only worked four hours. Short shift today. I’ve been sitting since I arrived. Honestly, a walk will be ideal. Not sure about swimming though.”
“Great. Just let me hook this up and grab a leash for Bill. He’s pretty well trained, but I don’t want him running off after squirrels.”
“Lead me to your creek,” she teased with a mock salute.
“Wrong hand, girl. But I’ll let it go this time.” He kissed the tip of her nose and grasped her hand. “Come on, let’s walk.”
They walked across the lawn toward an opening in the trees. At the edge of the trees, he paused to open a gate in the white, three rail fence to let her pass through.
Beyond the gate, the trees towered above them. She could see through them easily. “Where’s the underbrush?”
“It’s all cow mowed. This whole area is actually pasture. Cows eat all the underbrush and low-level leaves,” he explained. “The main yard is fenced off, but the rest of the land, which includes some great clearings and the stream, was used for cattle. The cows are gone now, sold off when I bought the place. I’ll get my own herd. Eventually.”
“From soldier to gentleman farmer. I like the transition.”
“Me too.” He reached over and grasped her hand and gently tugged her to his side. She came without resistance. “It’s not far to the creek. And on a hot day like today, we might want to dangle our feet in.”
“Oh look,” she whispered and pointed to the left. A doe and two older fawns grazed nearby. “Why aren’t they running away?”
“Mule deer aren’t as flighty as White Tails. Last week, I left the gate open by mistake and I had a herd of ten in the yard. They didn’t even twitch when I brought my breakfast outside. I watched them for an hour.”
“Incredible.” She sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder.
He slipped his arm around her waist, content to be with her and watch the deer in the silence of mother nature’s forest. He felt…blessed. This must be how Honey felt when she sought the good in everything. He smiled. He could get used to this feeling.
Ten minutes later, he led her through a break in the trees. They opened into a clearing where a small stream ran into a deep waterhole. Lush green grass with several large rocks scattered on it surrounded the waterhole.
“Oh, it’s beautiful. What a great place for a picnic. How deep is the water?” she called over her shoulder as she abandoned him to rush toward the bank.
“Knee deep around the edges, but it gets deep in the middle; about four feet or more. The former owners had it dug for their kids. The bottom is fine gravel. I think they had it brought in. The rocks where the water comes in and goes out are much larger.”
Honey kicked off her sandals and hurried to the edge. She dipped her toe into the water. “Oh, it’s not too cold at all.” She edged her way deeper until she was past her knees, the water level rising dangerously close to the bottom of her skirt. “Aren’t you going to join me?”
