Page 31 of Doctor’s Surprise Twins

Derek padded over to me and finished straightening the gig line of his shirt, then sat down on the edge of the bed. He looked down at his empty hands and then back up at my face.

“Please stay with me. I’m not feeling well.” I took his hand and laced my fingers through his. Even if we were just friends, it would be okay, right? Friends sometimes took care of each other when one was sick. I pleaded with my eyes that he should stay, and he grimaced.

“I can’t, Maggie. It would be inappropriate.” He didn’t pull his hand away, but his words drew his heart from me. “You know...”

I shrank back, folding my fingers together and nodding. He left without another word, and I curled up and lay down. He would never see me as anything more than sex, and nothing I did would change that.

It was time for me to move on.

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

Derek

The straw screamedat me as the pitchfork stabbed into it. I’d sent Evan home for the day after Peter hadn’t shown up. I was too angry to deal with anyone or anything else. So I took on the chore of mucking the stalls myself. It was a steamy July day, and I’d rather have been sitting somewhere in the shade enjoying the breeze, but someone had to take care of the horses.

I heard tires on gravel but ignored them. It was likely Peter coming to work late, and when he showed his face, I’d let him have it. It was bad enough that he couldn’t get a real job and had to mooch off me, but being late to work when I was being generous enough to pay him more than double what I was paying Hammer...well, that was an insult.

The barn door creaked open, and I reeled around, ready to fire off both cannons, when I got the shock of my life. Dad stood in the doorway, holding a plate of what looked like cookies or brownies of some sort. His powder blue dress suit wasn’t exactly farming appropriate, and I almost snickered at him. I would have if he hadn’t been the last person on Earth I’d want to see. Instead, I turned my back with a mere grunt and continued hefting the soiled straw out of the stall.

“Hello, Derek.” I could tell from the swishing of material and the sound of his voice that he was moving closer to me. I didn’t look up. “I brought you some sweets here. Your mother would have scolded me if I had shown up here empty-handed.”

I slammed the straw down into the wheelbarrow, the stench wafting out of the stall. A glance at Dad revealed him covering his nose with the back of his hand in disgust. He’d never been one for hard labor, preferring to read and pray in his office day in and out. I was surprised he’d even come to the farm. He disdained the outdoors that much.

“We should talk.”

I stabbed the pitchfork into the fresh bale of straw and turned to him, wiping my hands down the front of my jeans. I didn’t have any reason to talk to him, not after the last conversation when he pretty much wrote off my concern the way he’d written Peter off.

“About?” The wheelbarrow was full, prompting me to heft it by the handles and shuttle it out to the manure pile out back. Dad followed behind me, but the sound of his footsteps told me he was hesitant.

“About Peter.”

The sun overhead was hot enough that I had worked up a sweat even in the cool barn, but the minute I pushed the wheelbarrow out the back door, it hit me just how warm it was. Dad would be sweating and ready to head out any minute.

“What about Peter, Dad? I tried to get your help with him a few weeks ago, and you told me you’d washed your hands of him, remember?” Flies swarmed around the massive pile of shit and straw. The sun baked the manure, turning it into a soupy, fly-infested mess, perfect for spreading on crops and gardens. I dumped the fresh load on the side, shaking the wheelbarrow to get the last bits out while Dad cringed and gagged.

“You do this every day?” He took a few steps back as the flies launched into the air in a flurry of activity.

“Yeah, Dad. How’s that old Proverb go? ‘There’s no shit when you have no oxen’?” I knew I had butchered it and he’d correct me, but the scowl on his face was priceless.

“It’s Proverbs 14:4.Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but increase comes by the strength of an ox.”

I retreated into the shade of the barn and set the wheelbarrow near the tack room door. “Yeah, same thing. It’s all about cleaning up after the messes of other beings if you want them in your life. Strangely enough, I was willing to put up with Peter while you stayed in your lofty castle. I shoveled the shit.”

Thirsty, I headed for the thermos of lemonade I had brought out with me when I came to work. The large jug was filled to the brim with the icy drink and calling my name. My coldness to my father hadn’t gone undetected, and his delay in following me toward the front of the barn, combined with the heavy sigh he offered, told me I was trying his patience.

“Peter has left town again. With whatever little money he scrounged up, he bought a one-way ticket to Florida and called to tell me I could sell his car and keep the money.”

I opened the thermos and had a swig, not even a little surprised to hear that Peter had disappeared again. Why Florida, I’d never know, but at least he was out of my hair.

“You’re going to listen to him?”

“Of course not. When he returns, he will just ask for money to buy a new car or to borrow mine. I’ll park it in storage, and he’ll be back like always.”

I sat down on the bale of hay behind me and shook my head as I took another swig of lemonade. “Why did you have to drive out here to tell me that? You couldn’t have just called or texted?”

His countenance fell. “Derek, I wanted to speak to you face to face because I love you. You’re my son.”

“You should have thought of that when you preached how awesome your big, giant God was. When Mom was suffering from something I could have cured with a single prescription. I had a doctor who would have prescribed it for her, even. And for three years, you let her ignore the warnings until it was too late.” My chest was tight. I didn’t want to have this conversation with him, but he’d shown up unannounced.

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