Page 28 of Forever Endeavor

He tipped his sunglasses. “The sooner you get in, the sooner we’ll get there.”

She punched a fist on her hip. “At least tell me if I’m still getting dinner out of this.”

“Just get yo’ fine ass in the truck, woman.” He laughed, swatting her bottom.

After bouncing a few country miles out of town, they slowed down at a row of leaning mailboxes and turned down a dusty stretch of gravel road. “This is Uncle Stan’s farm,” he said as they pulled into the yard. “I practically grew up here.”

A fluffy brown and white spaniel came tearing out of nowhere, happily barking as he galloped alongside the tow truck. They came to a halt just short of a pleasant two-storey farmhouse straight out of a Currier and Ives lithograph. Billie got out and leaned down to give the panting pup a friendly scratch behind the ears. “Hey there fella, what’s your name?”

“That’s Pumpkinhead,” Sonny told her. “He’s as old as the hills but he’s still got a lot of spunk.” The dog’s tail thumped as he basked in the attention being lavished by the newcomer.

“Sonny, my boy!” An older fellow waved outside the iron-clad machine shed. Sonny and Billie walked toward him as he came up to greet them. He had a familiar, lumberjack-like build and slow gait. No facial hair other than a silvery scruff, but there was no mistaking he was definitely a Hayes man. “Good to see you.”

“How you doin’ Uncle Stan?” Sonny gripped his hand and the older man pulled him into a hug.

“As long as I’m still cutting the grass and not pushing up the daisies, I can’t complain,” Stan joked. “And who might this be?”

“This is Billie. She’s staying with us for a few days.”

“You don’t say.” He extended a hand and the smile lines around his kind eyes deepened. “It’s good to meet you, Billie.”

She met his grin as they shook hands. “Nice to meet you too.”

“I called Aunt Bernice because we’re trying to find an old picture of Cal,” Sonny explained. “She thought maybe we could look through the family albums.”

“Oh? Well, come on inside. I was just headed to the house to clean up.”

Stan led the way as Billie smiled to herself. She was warming to the Hayes family motto: work hard all day, wash up in time for dinner. And what a dinner this one promised to be, as the mouth-watering scents of pot roast, home-baked buns and creamy, comforting vanilla greeted them. “Bernice, honey?” Stan called out. “Sonny’s here with his lady friend.”Lady friend?

A smiling face, as round and inviting as pie, peeked out from the kitchen. “Welcome! Welcome! I’ll be right with you, just putting on the green beans.”

Uncle Stan excused himself and headed up the stairs as Aunt Bernice came out to properly say hello, delivering hugs to them both. “Come on in, take a load off. We can sit in the living room for a spell before dinner is ready.”

Sonny looked over at Billie and shrugged. She smiled in agreement. “Thank you for the invitation,” she said. “It smells heavenly.”

Bernice shined. “When Sonny said he was bringing you over, I couldn’t have been happier. You know, we’ve been praying that he would find himself a special lady.”

Sonny went pale. “Whoa, whoa Aunt Bernice, I told you I was bringing Billie over to look through photo albums, remember? I never said anything about her being, you know…”

Billie played it up, snaking her arm around Sonny’s waist and giving him a squeeze. “C’mon, Snookums, let’s tell her our big news.”

He glared and wiggled free from her embrace. “Now cut that out, will ya?”

Billie dropped the act and grinned. “I’m sorry, Miss Bernice, I was teasing, ma’am. There’s no big news, Sonny and I are just—”

“Acquaintances,” he interrupted.

Billie raised her eyebrows.Acquaintances? Really? After last night?“Well, I was about to say friends, but you know. Po-tay-to, po-tah-tow.”

Bernice shook her head and laughed. “Say what you will, but you two are adorable together,” she said, leading them into the living room, where she set down glasses of sweet tea on flower-crocheted coasters dotting the coffee table.

Billie sat on the sofa next to heracquaintanceand took a polite sip as she looked around, appreciating the timeless charm of the old country farmhouse. “I’m in love with your beautiful home, Miss Bernice.” Billie’s gaze landed on the bookshelf, spying her own bestsellers lined up in a neat row. “You certainly have quite a collection of romance novels, and I see you’re a big fan of Amethyst Jayde.”

“Have you read her stuff? I love it. Whenever I pick up one of her books, I can’t put it down until I’ve read it cover to cover. Makes it hard to get any chores done,” Bernice said with a chuckle. “I’ve been waiting for her next novel, but it’s been well over a year now. I’m starting to wonder if there will ever be another.”

Billie smiled. “I’ve heard that she’s working on something new right now.”

“Really? Oh, that’s wonderful!” Bernice clapped her hands. “Are you an Amethyst Jayde fan too?”

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