AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She stretched provocatively. “Don’t feel guilty, I felt the same. I couldn’t believe that at sixteen years old I’d found the man of my dreams. I was so hopelessly in love with you, and I thought we’d never be together.”
He touched her cheek with his hand. “We were too young back then. It was simply the wrong time and place, but our falling in love happened despite time, place, and age.”
She moved her head to love his hand and close her eyes.
“Why couldn’t I have been born white?” she wailed.
He shook his head and gathered her into his arm. He stared into her eyes, planting a hard kiss to her lips, then held her against him. “Lord, baby, you’ve got to know something. I wouldn’t have fallen in love with a white girl…don?
??t you see that? I never wanted anyone ‘til you came along. I wanted you…and it just didn’t matter what color you were. In fact, even Joe knows I never seen color. It was a little black girl that tied me in such knots. A little black girl that wanted me to kiss her. And despite knowing better, I couldn’t resist no matter how many times I tried to talk myself out of it. I wanted that kiss too.”
“You sure pleasured me…that day,” she cried, moving to kiss him again. “I didn’t wash my face for a week. I could still feel your lips on mine. And you pleasure me now too with your words, kisses, and body.”
He smiled against her. “That’s something I plan on doing for the rest of my life.”
“Promise?”
“Fact.”
Chapter Thirteen
A week later, Lee rode over to Mr. Harvey’s place.
“Are you sure, Mr. Harvey? I would rather you have this land than anyone,” Lee offered as his eyes scanned the horizon, landing on the just harvested fields in front of him. He pulled a blade of grass and chewed on it as Mr. Harvey seemed to think about the offer. He wished he’d reconsider.
Mr. Harvey, a lean, forty-ish man with whiskers and blonde hair smiled. “And I’d grab it in a minute if I could. But I just can’t afford to take on any more. I’m sorry. I only got one son, and we can barely manage to help bring in our own crop, much less more. I do appreciate you offering to sell it to me first…The only other person in the valley with any money is Jeffries, but I’m sure he’d jump at the chance to buy it.”
“Then I guess I have no choice but to offer it to him now.” Lee sighed. “I didn’t want to leave the valley like this though. I’d like to think all of you here could live in peace once I’m gone. That me and my family are not the cause of so much trouble for everyone else.”
Mr. Harvey nodded, his green eyes staring off into the distance. Then, after a nod, he smiled. “I guess you’re right about that. But maybe you could use this to the advantage of the entire valley.”
Lee studied him for a moment. “What do you mean? How so? I’m all ears if you got an idea.”
Mr. Harvey lit a cigar and leaned back on his wagon full of corn. He wasn’t the kind of man to speak unless he had thought about it. He glanced up at the house then back at Lee. “Well, everyone in this valley would benefit from the water rights. You know that as well as I. Now if you was to take the water rights and sell them to me, then I could probably afford that much and I would control it. It wouldn’t have to be worked like the land, so it wouldn’t be a burden to me. By selling to me you’d be unleashing those rights to the entire valley. As I would instantly open it up, by charging a small fee every year to each farmer and rancher about.”
“That sounds fair.” Lee nodded. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe this would solve the problem all the way around.”
“Only thing is, I wouldn’t be chargin’ no one but the Jeffries. I’d just tell him that everyone was payin’ and post it on the property of the charge.” Mr. Harvey laughed.
Lee laughed too. “That’s wonderful…I should have come and talked to you long ago. You could have solved this problem for me. Alright, that sounds like a good thing to me. And I tell you right now, the charge for the water rights is one dollar.”
“Are you serious?” Mr. Harvey asked. “That doesn’t begin to sound fair.”
“As a matter of fact, I am very sure. You see, Mr. Harvey, I feel a little responsible for no one havin’ the rights for so long, and everyone needin’ them. Hadn’t been for the fights with the Jeffries this might have been settled long ago. But I’m leavin’ with everything I want in life, with a dream to look forward to. A happy life, Mr. Harvey. And I’d like to leave the valley and the people here happy about it all. Even before my folks died, I considered lettin’ people have water rights for nothin’. But Jeffries always had my back up about it. Now, I can leave it to the valley and that makes me happy again.”
Mr. Harvey nodded. “But why do you want to sell the place?”
“I’m moving to Texas.”
“What are you gonna do in Texas that you can’t do here?” he asked.
“I’m marryin’ Hattie, and I can’t do that here…” he finished, casting Mr. Harvey a look to see if there was censure in his face.
Mr. Harvey’s eyes rounded on him. “Well son, you’re gonna need a lot of luck.”
“I know.”
“Tell me something, is she worth it?” Mr. Harvey asked, not being sarcastic, just curious.
