Page 5 of Something More

“But it’s hot,” Jack whined.

“You’re gonna be hot a lot for farm life. It’s not easy, but you’ll get used to it and the heat won’t bother you. Boots for all work.” He shooed Jack away.

“Look in the closet in the hall,” I called. “There’s old boots in there.” I laughed as Mom nodded. Some things around here hadn’t changed.

A few minutes later Jack appeared in a pair of muck boots. They were a little big and flopped when he walked, but the smile on his face made up for it. I watched as my dad walked along beside him, hand on his shoulder, making their way to the chicken coop. My son was the son my dad never had, and my dad was the male figure that Jack needed right now. He was at the age when having a man in his life was important. So many things would be happening in the coming years, and I was glad we’d come back. I knew my son would get what he needed, and hopefully in time, I would too.

Chapter 3

Dakota

I spent the morning making calls to see where our things were. They were supposed to arrive early, but nothing about this move has happened the way it was supposed to. I was told the truck was still several hours away and would hopefully arrive in the evening. I called the cable company to get cable turned on for the next day, and I switched the power and water over to my name. The guesthouse was technically my father’s, but I was going to make monthly rent payments from what I earned as the new accountant. Dad had insisted that he pay me, so I compromised with a reduced rent. I know if I let him have things his way, I’d be living in the big house and following his rules like I was sixteen again.

I helped Mom clean up from breakfast, and then I got the water truck ready. It was a sweltering ninety-eight degrees today with high humidity. It felt like being wrapped in a hot, wet blanket when you went outdoors. I did not miss this heat one bit. I never really noticed how bad it was until I moved away to a cooler climate. “I’ll be back in a little bit. Gonna take water to the guys,” I called over my shoulder as I slipped on some boots and made my way down to the barn. The water truck was an old Ford pick-up that had been modified to hold a giant tank on the back. We didn’t fill it until we were ready to deliver the water so it would stay cold. I placed the water hose inside and turned it on. While the tank filled, I wandered around the barn. Not much had changed over the years. The office was still a cluttered mess, and tack hung on the far wall past the stables.

The horses stayed out in the fields in the summer, grazing. We only used the barn for birthing in the summer, otherwise it was used to store things like the water truck. Once cold weather moved in, the horses would too.

When the tank was finally filled, I climbed in and cranked the engine. I rolled down the windows since the AC didn’t work and attempted to turn the radio to something resembling music. The clutch stuck on this beast, so it jerked as I put it in gear and started to roll out of the barn. I bounced all the way down to the south field. I could hear the water sloshing in the back. When I crested the hill, I could see them in the distance. The tractor was inching along, two men were stacking bales on the trailer while the rest of the crew walked along tossing them up on the trailer. They were all glistening with sweat, their skin tanned from days in the sun. I paused for a moment to watch. I couldn’t help it. When I was younger, I’d come out here and stare at Hank. Watching his arms flex as he’d toss bales turned me on. When he’d finish for the day, I’d meet him on the edge of the woods, and we’d make out.

I shook myself out of the daydream and drove down to meet them. When Jeff saw me, he stopped the tractor and signaled for the guys to take a break. “Water time!” he yelled as he climbed down and came over behind me.

“Thought you guys might be a little warm.” I smiled as I pulled a sleeve of cups out of the cab. One by one, the guys filled cups of water and tossed them back, then Hank came over.

“Thanks,” He smiled softly. “You might want to back up a little,” He motioned to the spout on the tank. When I stepped back, he leaned forward, opened the spout and stuck his head underneath, letting water spill out over his head and neck. He released the spout, backed up, and flung his head back, sending water droplets flying through the air. “Much better.” He grinned as he helped himself to another cupful.

I don’t know how they did it. It was so hot out, and most of the guys were in jeans, a few even had on long sleeves. They stood around for a few minutes gulping down more water before Jeff signaled that it was time to get back to work. Some of theyounger ones groaned, but the guys who had been doing this for years knew that when it was time to put up hay, they were grueling hours. You worked until it was finished because rain could ruin it all.

“Boss man will have my head if that storm that’s comin’ in gets here ‘for we’re done.” Jeff climbed back on the tractor.

“Get ‘er done, boys!” Hank hollered. A few grunts and groans filtered through the air, but they moved along. “Thanks for the water, Codie.” Hank tipped his hat like a true gentleman.

“You’re welcome.” I waved before climbing back in. I bounced my way back to the barn, daydreaming along the way about how things used to be. My face heated as visions of Hank fluttered through my mind. We were older now, supposed to be more mature, but I felt like a school girl.

*****

Hank

This was hard, harder than I ever thought it would be. She looked the same. Her blonde hair was tied back in a braid hanging down her back, a few wispy pieces loose by her face. She’d pulled a ball cap onto her head, partially shielding her eyes, but I knew the brown orbs hidden in the shadows would be smiling. A few more crinkles were visible along the sides due to the thirteen years that had passed, but still smiling as always.

When we were kids, she’d meet me after work, and we’d work ourselves into a frenzy before supper, but now, I just wanted to hug her. I wanted to tell her I was sorry to hear that her husband was gone. I wanted to ask if there was anything I could do to make things easier. I wanted to see if deep down we could be friends. I just wasn’t sure how to do this.

I watched her stand there awkwardly, watching as we all cooled ourselves with the water she’d brought down. I wondered what she was thinking when she climbed out of the truck. Was she bombarded with memories like I was?

“Let’s go, boys!” Jeff waved his arm to signal that break time was over. A few groans sounded, but I knew the sooner we got back to work, the sooner we’d finish. Stacking hay was my least favorite chore on the farm, mostly because it needed to be done during the hottest part of summer, but it also brought some of the best memories.

“Quit your bitchin’,” Andy called as he slipped his hat back on. We can cool off in the creek when we finish. Andy’s been here almost as long as I have. He understands what this life is like, whereas some of the younger ones are still learning what the expectations are and the difficulty in completing them.

Those of us who were walking in the field switched with those who were stacking. We finished the south field by late afternoon, and when we made our way back up to the big house, I was exhausted. Codie’s son was out in the yard tossing a baseball in the air and catching it. He paused and stared as we all hopped off the hay trailer. “Hey, little man,” Jeff called.

“I ain’t little. I’m ten.” He frowned.

“Ten is practically grown,” I scolded Jeff with a grin on my face.

“My mistake.” He laughed. “Where is everyone?”

“Mom is helping Grandma cook dinner. I didn’t want to do that, being a girlie job and all.” He scrunched his nose as if cooking was the worst thing in the world.

I couldn’t help it. I started laughing. “We’re going swimming at the creek. Wanna come with us?”

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