Page 46 of A Shared Mind

My smile could have lit up the night sky. “I love you, too. Thank you for your beautiful gift to me, sweetheart. I’ll never forget it.”

Clay sat up. “You damn well better not. You’re mine.” He kissed my lips before settling back into my body. It seemed like it took less than a minute for his breathing to even out.

Feeling his warm breath on my chest put me at ease. Clay was a continuous surprise to me. He didn’t hide his feelings, even though I knew he’d been gutted when he lost his fiancé. For him to so freely declare his love for me wasn’t anything I expected. I would cherish him and the memory of my first time for the rest of my life.

The next morning, Clay took me on the ATV for a more detailed tour around the farm. He showed me the sorghum fields, which were beautiful, and the empty fields where crops had already been harvested. It was all amazing.

I dropped him at the machine shed where he was going to get the combine harvester to take to the sorghum field. Then, I drove back to his house to make Clay’s apple pie.

As I was peeling the fruit, there was a knock at the back door. I grabbed a dishtowel and went out to the mudroom to see Pansy standing at the door wearing a straw sun hat and a jumpsuit. She was carrying a basket of vegetables and a loaf of bread.

“Hi, Miss Pansy. You should just come inside like you do when I’m not here. This used to be your home.” I held the door open for her to come inside just as the buzzer sounded in the kitchen where I’d been sautéing apples with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla paste.

“Oh, my goodness, it smells fantastic in here. Where’s my son gone off to now?”

I went to the stove to stir the apples. “I dropped him at the machine shed so he could get the combine. He’s going to start the sorghum harvest. Is there anything I can do to offer him assistance?”

“Well, when Nathan used to harvest, I’d make us a picnic and go meet him in the field to make sure he took a break. They are similar in that they get caught up in the task and forget about eating."

I used a fork to taste a slice of apple, happy that it tasted exactly as I wanted—still crisp with a hint of vanilla to tame the tartness of the Granny Smith apples. I grabbed a clean fork and offered it to Pansy. “What do they need?”

Pansy dipped into the pan and grabbed a chunk, blowing on it twice before she popped it into her mouth. After she chewed, she smiled. “Delicious. Maybe a pinch of salt, otherwise, they’re perfect. Did you buy crust at the store?”

I walked to the fridge and pulled out the dough I’d made that morning while I made Clay’s breakfast. We made love again when he woke up, and I was riding a high afterward. I made him a vegetable omelet and cinnamon toast. He actually dipped me with a passionate kiss as we cleaned the kitchen. It was absolutely dreamlike.

“I made my crust this morning. Problem is, Clay has no pie pans. I was thinking about making an apple tarte on a baking sheet. Or I could make hand pies. That might be easier for Clay on a tractor, right?”

Pansy took the plastic wrap off the dough and pinched off a piece, popping it into her mouth. After a minute, she smiled. “Oh, that’s delicious. What’s that spice?”

“Allspice. My mother used to add it to her apple pie crust.”

Pansy smiled. “Oh, that’s genius. I’ll tell you a secret. I’ve added shredded cheddar cheese to my apple pie crusts before. I like to keep people surprised.”

“Good strategy. So, how are your sales going at the gallery in KC?”

“Oh, you know about that? Well, of course you do. They’re going fine, I guess. I mean, I wasn’t keen on selling the pieces at all, but as you know from our tour of the studio, I have a lot of pottery out there.”

I felt guilty because I hadn’t gone to the gallery to check out her pottery, but everything was happening so fast. I had no idea that after a few weeks of meeting Clay Fines, I’d be head over heels in love with the man and entertaining his mother in his home.

“Can you tell me about Clay’s father?” Why I asked I wasn’t sure, but I wanted to know. Clay was such a great man, so his father had to have been the same.

Pansy giggled. “Nate was an amazing man. He and I met at a wedding, of all places. We dated for a short time, and then Nate proposed. It was a whirlwind, but I don’t think I’d have done it any other way.”

The beautiful woman was glowing as she talked about her engagement to Clay’s father. “So, you settled into life on the farm?”

“It wasn’t easy at first. I was an artist at heart, but with Nate as my partner, we worked it out. Before Clay came along, Nathan would take me with him so I could learn about the farm, and those were some of the best days we spent together.”

The way she described their life sounded wonderful to me. Could I have a life like that? Did I want a life like that?

I drove the ATV out to the sorghum field with Pansy’s picnic basket next to me. She and I had a nice visit—she loved my crust—and she gave me some ideas about things Clay would like for meals and treats.

When I saw that massive piece of machinery being followed by a wagon coming through the field toward where I stopped in an already cut section, my heart skipped a beat. Clay was singing something and I could see he was in his happy place. It was cute to see his bright smile.

The massive piece of mechanical engineering ambled toward me. Clay waved and slowed down. The glowing smile on his face took my breath as I watched him. When he stopped, I pulled the ATV closer and killed the engine. I grabbed the basket and walked up to the large combine harvester.

Clay opened the door and stepped down the ladder. “Hey, darlin’. I’m damn sure happy to see you. What have you got there?” He pointed to the basket in my hand.

I smiled. “I made us lunch. Pansy gave me some insight into what you might like, so I put together a basket. Where would you like to eat?”