Page 12 of Temel

He smiled at her and turned back to the road. Her daughter clearly wanted to argue, but after glaring at the back of Temel’shead for a moment, she decided to keep her mouth shut and Ida breathed a sigh of relief.

The feeling of relief increased as they left the wooded area next to the creek and climbed a slight rise before following the hillside around to the old Johnson farm. She’d never heard anybody say anything nice about the previous owner, although his wealth had been a frequent topic of discussion. A wealth that was reflected in the peaceful, prosperous farm laid out before them. It wasn’t until they drew closer that she saw some evidence of damage from the storm along with a few indications of delayed maintenance.

They passed an empty pasture, then a small herd of shaggy red cattle in the field behind the barn. The animals looked up curiously as the horse walked past, and she caught a glimpse of a brown furred tail as something scurried between the barn and a shed. Next came a large but sadly neglected kitchen garden.

The back porch of the sprawling white house overlooked the garden, and Temel brought the horse to a halt at the bottom of the porch steps, tying the reins loosely to the railing. He lifted Tommy down, then reached for her. The dizzying ease with which he swung her to the ground made her stomach flutter again, especially combined with those big warm hands on her waist. They lingered for a fraction of a second longer than necessary before he let her go.

He made no attempt to help Dora down and once again her daughter handed her Angel before gracefully dismounting. To Ida’s surprise, Dora didn’t immediately reach for the baby again, frowning around at the quiet farm.

“Where are the others?”

“I’m not positive, but Kalpar was going to mend fences and I believe Naffon was going to work on the barn roof.”

Dora’s gaze shot up to the peak of the huge two-story building, her eyes widening.

“That’s a long way up.”

“Heights don’t bother Naffon.”

Although Temel spoke calmly, there was something in his voice which made her give him a quick look. Why did he look so worried? Before she could ask, he was urging them up the steps and into a large, farmhouse kitchen.

The kitchen must have been attractive at one time. A row of windows along the back wall looked out across the porch to the garden and the fields beyond, and sturdy white cabinets were topped with thick wooden counters. Unfortunately the counters, along with every other surface, were hidden beneath a miscellaneous assortment of dishes, tools, and food supplies. It wasn’t exactly dirty but the clutter and the lack of organization made her fingers twitch.

Temel cast a somewhat helpless glance at the stove, a huge, gleaming piece of equipment that stood in pristine contrast to the rest of the kitchen.

“I’m not really sure about the food situation…”

“I think we’d prefer to get out of these wet clothes first,” she said firmly as Angel began to whimper. “We can worry about food later.”

He couldn’t quite conceal his expression of relief.

“Yes, of course. This way.”

He opened a door at the back of the kitchen to reveal a hallway leading to two small bedrooms, each equipped with twin beds, a laundry room, and a compact but thankfully neat bathroom. She suspected the area had been designed for servants, but it was warm and clean and that was all she cared about.

Dora took Angel and quickly disappeared into one of the bedrooms, leaving her and Tommy alone with Temel.

“Is there anything I can get for you? We don’t have any female clothing in the house, but perhaps you would care to borrow something?”

His eyes skated down over her damp clothing as he spoke, changing from navy to silver, and her body responded to that heated look, her nipples thrusting against the damp, clinging fabric.

“It’s probably easier just to put them in the dryer. That is, if you don’t mind?”

“Of course not. My house is your house.”

The last words were said in a slightly stilted voice before he bowed his head and vanished back into the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

“He’s a real alien, Mama,” Tommy said, clearly awed. “I knew we was going to see one.”

“We were going to see one,” she corrected as she ushered him into the bathroom and turned on the water. “Let’s get you into a hot bath while I dry your clothes.”

He didn’t argue, splashing happily in the rub as she picked up his abandoned clothing. After a quick glance at the mud streakingthem, she decided a wash was also in order. Leaving him using the soap to imitate a spaceship, she went to find Dora.

Angel was nursing sleepily while Dora stared absently out the window, and she stroked the baby’s cheek affectionately before turning to her daughter.

“I’m going to wash Tommy’s clothes. Do you want me to put your dress in as well?”

“No, it’s not that bad.”

---