“I did, yes. She was only eighteen months older than me, but she always seemed so worldly to me, so keen and full of life. I looked up to her. She had a sunlight soul. You know, the kind of personality that warmed people?”
I nodded, for I did know some people like that. No one in my immediate family, obviously. “I’m kind of envious,” I confessed, not even trying to wheedle him into feeling a certain way this time. He paused in folding the well-used game board, his bittersweet gaze on me. “I have an older sibling too, but we never shared a bond like you and Cassie had.”
“I’m sure you did when you were younger,” he said.
I shook my head as I pushed to my feet. My back kinked up tightly. All that physical exertion and sitting on a hard seat for hours had knotted my lumbar.
“Ouch, stiff back,” I explained at his cocked brow. “Not really.” I picked up our sticky plates and coffee cups. A log of green wood hissed and spat in the stove. Ralph, Rufus, and Bitsy were all snoring softly, dreaming of whatever ducks, cats, and goats dreamed of. “He always had it out for me. Sibling rivalry that he never grew out of, I’ve concluded. He’s a petty man, greedy and vindictive.” I stopped dead when I realized that I’d been telling this man I was trying to convince to sign on with the family Fitzgerald and our well services all our dirty secrets. Why on earth had I done that? Sure, I felt comfortable with Acosta. He was a trusting sort, I had to assume. His neighbors seemed to call on him all the time for help. None of my neighbors even spoke to me. We were always too busy to chit-chat. Such was urban life. “Of course,” I hurried to change pace while running water on the dirty dishes, leaving them to soak in the cast iron sink, “he’s coming around.” Total lie. Big fat fib. But I had to polish the turd that was my brother and fast. “I think he’s just coming into his own now in the company and that’s helping him find his own path. He’s doing a bang-up job in production.”
Gack. That lie tastedsobad. Bang-up job, my ass. He’d purposely sabotaged my file, the prick.
“That’s good,” he said, but did not sound convinced. “We should get some sleep. You have the cow pen and goat pens to clean tomorrow.”
I crinkled my nose. He let loose one of those charming snort laughs.
After showering and brushing my teeth, I came out to find the stove stoked and the lights out. The glow of the flames through the small glass window on the woodstove lit the area with a soft, yellow glow. My back was a pretzel that defied the hot water I’d just stood under for fifteen minutes. Shuffling to bed like an old man, I sat down on the edge of the pullout, groaned softly as I lifted my legs up, and gingerly reclined, my back easing for a moment. I sighed at the respite from the pain, closed my eyes, and drew in a deep breath.
Sleep was kept at bay by the fiery pain in my lower back. Every time I tried to move, a jab of white hot pain stabbed through me. Lying on my side didn’t help, nor on my back, or on my belly. After about twenty minutes, Acosta sat up with a huff, threw back the covers, and pounded into the kitchen. I levered myself up to my elbows and then fully upward.
“Sorry,” I called softly when he appeared beside the bed, holding a yellow plastic tub in his hand. “It does this on occasion.” I reached back to rub at the knotted muscles. “Generally, when I play too much tennis but forking poop must have flared it up.”
“If you did more manual labor, your under used muscles would be used to hard work.”
I scowled as a cow lowed in the barn. A soft, tender sound. Probably they had heard Acosta talking and wanted some food or attention.
“I’m not sure if you sound more like my father or my fitness trainer,” I grumbled and then winced. “I could take a painkiller, but they knock me out. Plus, they make my head fuzzy.”
“Hmm, and that would be different how?”
“Oh, ha. Ouch. Crap.” He made a face as he twisted the lid off the yellow tub. I gave him a worried look when he tossed the lid on the bedding. “What is that?”
“It’s liniment gel. Now lie down and let me rub this into your back so I can get some damn sleep.” He jerked his scruffy chin at me.
“There’s a horse on the front. Is that horse liniment?”
The exhale through his nose was huge. “Yes, it is for animals. I use it all the time when I tweak something. Now lie down.”
“What does it smell like?”
“Seriously? I’m offering a kindness to you and—”
I pursed my lips. His eyes narrowed. “I do appreciate the offer, but if it stinks, I won’t be able to sleep. I have very delicate sinuses.” He stared at me with no small amount of aggravation. “Let me sniff.”
“Dear God.” He jammed the jar at my face. I leaned over carefully, my lower lumbar twisting tighter. I took a quick smell and another. Hmm, okay, it wasn’t terrible. Medicinal yes, but countered with a nice mint aroma. “Mm, okay, that’s fine. I can do it myself, though.”
“I highly doubt that. Just lie down so we can get this over with.”
“Thank you.” I pulled off my sweater, eased down into the rather bumpy bed, and maneuvered myself to my belly. “Did you use this on Marcus when he was here?”
“Sometimes, sure.” He sat down beside me, the bed dipping under his weight. I wet my lips, closed my eyes, and focused on the snoring goat over by the woodstove. He moved a bit, then smeared a glob of icy cold gel onto my back. A squeak escaped me. “Sorry.”
“Ah no, it’s fine,” I replied through clenched teeth as he spread the cold around with the tips of his fingers. “I bet Marcus never complained about chilly goop.”
“Not very often,” he replied, his voice stiff as he rubbed in a rather herky-jerky manner. After a few winces and gasps, he seemed to get the hint. His technique became less rigid, his fingertips working the now warming liniment into my skin, and deeper, right down into the snarled muscles.
“Oh, that’s just lovely now.” I sighed, my tight arms and legs loosening as the gnarly knot in my back began to slowly untie itself. “You have nice hands. Skilled.”
He paused for a moment, just a moment, and applied more gel, using the heel of his hand now to really start working the gel into my flesh. It was heaven. Sheer heaven!
