Page 9 of Forever with the Farmer's Daughter
“Maybe so, but you've grown into a beautiful woman. He’d have to be blind not to notice you.”
I shake my head. “I’m not looking for love.”
Momma hangs her dishtowel up to dry. “I didn’t say anything about love, but a little companionship might be nice.”
“It’s too soon, and I do have friends, you know.”
“I know you do. All I’m saying is don’t close yourself off to love.” She pulls me in for a hug. “Alan would want you to be happy. You know as well as I do, we don’t get to decide when it comes back into our lives.”
I close my eyes and lay my head on her shoulder. “I know.”
She kisses my cheek. “I’m going to watch a little TV before bed, want to join me while we wait for your Dad?”
I smile softly at her. “Yeah, I’ll be in shortly.” I watch as she makes her way into the living room and takes her usual spot on the couch. Daddy will join her when he comes in from the barn, and they’ll hold hands as they watch television, the same way they have every night for as long as I can remember.
I wipe down the kitchen counter and the top of the stove before hanging the dishrag across the sink to dry. I glance out the window and watch as the lights go out in the barn one by one until the light above the barn doors is the only one competing with the moonlight.
I walk into the living room and take a seat across from Momma. Daddy steps into the room and takes his seat beside Momma on the couch. “Got everyone tucked in for the night?” I ask.
“Yep, and I’m not far behind them,” he says as he takes Momma’s hand in his and lifts it to his lips.
I smile at the love between them. “Why don’t you go on, I’ll make sure everything is locked up,” I offer.
“You sure?”
“Yeah, I have a little work to catch up on before I head to bed anyway.”
“I believe I’m going to take you up on your offer,” Daddy says as he grips the armrest of the couch and stands before helping Momma to her feet.
“Goodnight, sweet girl,” Momma says as they start for the stairs.
“Night Momma, night Daddy.”
Once they are upstairs, I check to make sure both the front and back doors are locked and turn off lights as I head to the office to pay a few bills and update payroll. When I finish, I head up to my room, slip into my nightshirt, and crawl into bed. Closing my eyes, I drift off to thoughts of hazel eyes and the sexiest smile I’ve seen in quite some time and hope I’ll see it again soon.
Cameron
My alarm goes off thenext morning, and I'm out of bed and dressed before I even hear Craig begin to stir. Sleeping in an actual bed instead of an Army issued rack is one of the comforts I've quickly become accustomed to. I pull on a pair of work boots and head downstairs to make a pot of coffee. As the coffee brews, I stare out the kitchen window as the first light of dawn begins to fill the sky. I've watched a lot of sunrises in different parts of the world, but there’s nothing like watching it in your own backyard.
When the coffee finishes brewing, I take two cups out of the cupboard and pour one for myself and one for Craig when I hear him coming down the stairs. "Morning," I say when he steps into the kitchen. I motion to the cup of coffee waiting for him on the counter. "I wasn't sure how you take it, so I left it black."
He walks over to the refrigerator and pulls out a jug of milk. "Thanks, I take it with a splash of milk."
He holds the milk up to me in offering, but I wave him off. "Just black for me. Depending on where we were, sometimes we didn't have milk, so I got used to drinking it straight."
He stirs his coffee, rinses the spoon and puts it in the sink. As he raises the cup to his lips he asks, “Did you sleep okay?”
His concerned gaze stays locked on me as he takes a cautious sip of his coffee. I’m not about to tell him about the nightmares I’ve had since the day I lost my friend and Army brother to an IED. The scene plays in my mind far too frequently, and he doesn’t need that image in his head as well. Instead, I nod. “Yeah, the bed is much more comfortable than an Army cot that’s for sure.”
We drink our coffee in silence. When Craig drains his cup, he rinses it and places it in the sink. I do the same as he claps me on the shoulder. "You ready to start the day?"
"Yep, let's get going."
We walk out to his truck, climb inside, and drive over to the barn. When we arrive, Kenny is opening up the barn. “Morning,” he says as he pushes open the barn door.
“Mornin’,” Craig and I reply in unison as we follow Kenny into the barn.
Kenny hands me a lead. “You remember how to muck a stall.”
