Page 4 of Daddy's Little Farmer

Chapter Two

Mara walked into her house after doing the chores. Her body was dragging, and all she wanted to do was sleep.

“It’s about fucking time,” Judith, her sister, said.

Mara saw that she had helped herself to the only food Mara had in the house, which was very little.

She sighed. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re going to talk about this damn house. You can’t live here and take care of everything. Just move home so we can sell the place.”

“For one thing, it’s my house, not yours, and I would rather live on the streets than go back home. Now, for the last time, get out of my house and stay out, or I’ll call the sheriff.”

Judith laughed. “Like he’d do anything. I’ve been fucking him for the last few months.”

Mara’s mouth dropped open. “But he’s married with two kids.”

Judith rolled her eyes. “So.”

Her sister was now the town whore. Wonderful. “You still can’t come in here whenever you want.”

“Sis, I can do whatever I want.”

Mara’s teeth clenched together. “Get out.”

Judith smiled. “No. We’re not done talking yet.”

Mara sighed and opened the back door. “Tiny,” she yelled.

“You fucking bitch,” Judith said and stood when her dog walked into the kitchen.

Mara petted the dog’s head. He was one of the strays that had shown up at the farm one day. Mara had instantly fallen in love. To say he was big was an understatement. The top of his head was at her waist. She had no idea what kind he was, but she guessed from the look of him he had some wolf and German shepherd in him.

The first time she laid eyes on him, she couldn’t believe the bad shape he was in. He was very thin and looked like he’d been beaten or had fought a few times. Add to that, she thought he had mange because his skin and fur were a mess. She spent hours getting him better and teaching him to trust her.

He hadn’t let her near him for a few weeks, so she had to deal with his issues from afar. She’d hidden his medicine in treats and meat she made for him. He’d let her get closer every day. When he’d finally given in, she’d struggled to get him bathed the first time to get his skin condition under control.

What had come to her emaciated and rough looking was now a large male dog with a beautiful tan and black fur. His body was strong and filled out, and he followed her most of the day. Although she wouldn’t see him for a few hours some days, he always returned to her. He was why she wasn’t afraid to stay in the house by herself anymore.

“Get out and stay out or I’ll let him have you,” Mara said. She almost smiled when Tiny growled, and Judith squeaked and raced out the front door.

Mara sank to her knees and hugged the dog for a long time. “Thank you, my friend,” she murmured.

Tiny licked her face making her giggle.

“Let’s make dinner. I’m not sure what my sister left for us to eat, but we always have eggs and milk from the cow.” She liked that she could take care of herself for the most part. She sometimes got sick of eggs, but they were a good source of protein, and she always added spices, whatever veggies she had, and cheese to make them taste better.

Mara pulled a large piece of meat from the freezer and stuck it in the microwave to thaw before she started cracking eggs in a pan.

When the microwave dinged, she unwrapped the meat and handed it to Tiny. “There you go, my friend.” At first, she’d tried cooking the meat, but he seemed to like it better, a bit frozen and raw. She was lucky to get the deer meat from the local butcher. He always gave her the bones and the meat they couldn’t use and even some of the hearts and livers of the deer, which were good for Tiny.

She set a plate down by him with some eggs before she sat at the table and ate her own. She didn’t take long to eat and wash the few dishes she used.

“I’m going to shower, and then we’ll go to bed,” she said to Tiny as he continued to gnaw on the bone.

Mara made sure to lock all the doors and windows before stripping and stepping into the shower.

Her thoughts went to her late husband. Even though they weren’t a traditional couple, she still called him that. He was much older than her and as gay as a person could get. He’d wanted to marry her for several reasons. One was to keep his reputation clean because if the town found out he was gay, he would have been crucified, tarnishing his family’s name. Even though it was the twentieth century, people tended to be old-fashioned in the country and in the middle of the Bible Belt.

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