The Stable Boy (2 page)

“It’s okay,” I said with my back to him. I needed to wipe away the fresh tears that stung my eyes. “I knew you would get around to asking. He was a do it yourself kind of guy. The roof of the barn was leaking. Instead of calling a roofer, he tried to fix it himself. It had rained the night before. He slipped on a portion of the roof that was slick. He fell off the roof head first, crushing the vertebrae in his neck. I saw it happen. One of the farmhands called the ambulance immediately. I could not bare the thought of going over to him. He was gone. They said he died on impact.”

“I am so sorry,” he said, as I heard the chair scrape across the linoleum floor. I felt his hand on my back. “Come here.”

I turned around. He wrapped his arms around me. I buried my head in his shoulder and let the tears fall freely. I needed to have that cry. I had not cried in front of anyone before. I just kept it to myself until I was alone at night. It was a release of the emotions I had been pushing back since John’s passing. I had to remain strong and keep the farm running. For some reason, Joshua made me feel like I no longer needed to keep my feelings hidden. He reminded me so much of John. The coffee kettle whistled. I pulled away from him.

“I’
m so sorry you had to see me like that,” I said. “I normally wait until I am alone to cry like that.”

“There is no need to apologize to me,” he said. “I should be apologizing for asking you about your husband.”

“No, you shouldn’t. I would have eventually told you,” I said, taking a deep breath. I poured the coffee and plated the pie. “I need to tell you something.”

“Okay,” he said, grabbing the ice cream scoop and placing a scoop on each piece of pie.

“Do you take cream or milk, or sugar?”

“No, I like mine straight up.

“Just like, John,” I said with a smile.

“Was that your husband’s name?”

“Yes, it was,” I said, taking another deep breath. “Before you asked me about my husband, I was contemplating asking you not to come back.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No, it is just the memory of my husband was stirred up when you walked my horse back. You have the same walk and confidence.”

“I will try to walk differently tomorrow, if you let me comeback,” he said with a big grin.

I laughed. “You don’t have to walk differently. You are more than welcomed to come back tomorrow.”

“Great,” he said.

“Do you want to take some of this chicken or pie home with you?”

“No thanks, but I wouldn’
t mind eating it again for lunch tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

We finished our pie and coffee.

“Let me help you with the dishes.”

“Thanks, but my husband was nice enough to install a dishwasher. He said I worked too hard cooking the meal. I did not need to work just as hard to clean up after it.”

“I agree,” he said. “He sounds like he was a good man.”

“He was a very good man,” I said.

“Well, on that note, I am going to head back to
the Everett farm.”

“Okay, I will see you in the morning, Joshua.”

“I will see you first thing. Please call me Josh.”

“Okay, I will. Have a good night,” I said as I walked him to the door. He stopped at the door and turned around.

“I believe my truck is still at the Everett farm.”

“Oh my God,” I said with a chuckle. “I think you are right. Let me give you a ride to get it.” I grabbed the keys to my truck off the carved wooden key holder by the door. John had carved it our first year of marriage. I was always forgetting where I put my keys. He said I could never lose them this way. It was a pair of angel wings with gold metal hooks at the bottom. He told me he made angel wings to go with my angel eyes. He always called me “angel eyes,” from the time we began dating.

I looked up to see Josh staring at me.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, sorry, just memories.”

He smiled. “It is good to have memories. It keeps the person alive in our hearts.”

“Yes, it does,” I said with a smile of my own. He opened the driver’s side door for me. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He went around to the passenger side and climbed in. We drove over to the Everett farm in silence.

“Which is your truck?”

“That beat up jalopy.”

I pulled up next to the rusty, white Ford F150. He hopped out.

“I will see you first thing in the morning.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

We both looked toward the screen door opening on the Everett’s porch. Bob and Alison Everett came out and over to us.

“Do you think he is going to work out for you?” asked Bob.

“Yeah, it seems he might.”

“Good, I sent him over there with your horse. I knew your last guy left and you needed the help. I know if I called you, you would have just refused. He did not know my intentions when I sent him there. I simply do not have enough work to keep him busy here. He is a real hard worker.”

“He seems to be. Thanks Bob.”

“You’re mighty welcome, Claire.”

“How have you been holding
up, sweetheart?” asked Alison.

“Doing the best I can, I suppose,” I answered.

“You know I am just a phone call away, if you need someone to talk to.”

“I know, thank you, Alison.”

“You’re welcome.”

Josh climbed in his truck and pulled up to the barn. I left. Back at home, I went inside. Closing the door behind me, I locked it. I was putting the dishes in the dishwasher when there was a knock. I looked out the window to see Josh standing by the door.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked as I opened the door.

“Um, nothing,” he said rubbing his neck. “I was just kind of wandering if I could, maybe, sleep in the barn?”

“Why would you want to sleep in the barn? Do you not have a home?”

“No, not really, I just, kind of, always slept in my truck on the farm or in the barn.”

“Josh, why didn’t you tell me that? Come in. I have four bedrooms in this house; you can sleep in one of them.”

“I don’t want to be a bother. The barn will be just fine.”

“You are not going to bother me. You can have the bedroom on this floor.”

“Thank you, I really do appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.”

I went to the back of the house to make the bed up, while he finished loading the dishwasher. I was almost finished when he walked in the room.

“I’m sorry. I thought that maybe Mr. Everett told you my situation when we were over there.”

“No, he did not. What happened?”

“I have no family. My momma and daddy where killed in a car wreck when I was a kid. My grandparents raised me. They have both since passed away. The bank took the house for back taxes my grandfather owed. I didn’t know anything about it.”

“There was no life insurance?”

“No, they could barely afford to feed the three of us.”

“I am sorry to hear that. There you go. The bed is all made. You already know where the bathroom is. Do you have clothes?’

“Yes, I brought them in from my truck.”

“There is plenty of closet space in this room and there is an empty dresser.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I am going to head to bed.”

“Okay, have a good night’s sleep.”

“You, too,” I said as I brushed passed him. I had a feeling that I was going to regret having him in this house. He smiled and watched me walk down the hallway. I ran up the stairs. I walked down the hallway to the last door on the right. I closed my bedroom door and began to get undressed. My bathroom was attached to my bedroom. I grabbed my red robe from the back of my bedroom door. I turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up. Undressing, I took a hot shower. Letting the water run over my body, I recounted the day. I could not believe what was taking place. I was going to have to speak to Bob Everett about this situation, but it could wait until tomorrow. Tonight, I was too tired.

2 THE NEXT DAY

I had restless sleep all night that night. I kept listening to see if he was moving around downstairs. It had been a long time since there was another person in this house. Finally, I woke up at 5:30am and stayed awake. I got ready to begin the day and went quietly down the stairs. I thought Josh was still asleep. I was wrong. I went to gather the eggs from the chickens and he was already out there feeding the horses. ‘Bob was right about this kid’ was all I could think. I gathered the eggs.

“Good morning, Claire,” I heard from behind me.

“Good morning, Josh,” I said. “How do you like your eggs?”

“Over easy or in an omelet,” he replied.

“Do you like fresh vegetables in your omelet or would you prefer ham and cheese?”

“Either one would be fine, thanks for asking.”

“You’re welcome. Breakfast will be ready in an hour. I will let you know when it is finished.”

“Okay.”

I went into the house. I could feel his eyes on me. I made the right turn into the kitchen
where I grabbed my cutting board and chef’s knife to start cutting vegetables up for the omelets. After I gathered the onion, peppers, tomatoes, and cheese from the refrigerator, I picked up the receiver to my land line. I dialed Bob Everett’s farm. Alison answered on the first ring. She must have been in her kitchen preparing breakfast, too.

“Good morning, Everett farm,” she said.

“Good morning, Alison.”

“Oh, hey, Claire, how are you this morning?”

“Not too good. I did not sleep well last night after I received a house guest I was not expecting.”

“Oh, we thought maybe he would have told you last night before you got here. That is why we didn’t say anything.”

“He did not. We barely talked all day.”

“I am very sorry. Did you let him sleep in your barn? He seems to be real comfortable sleeping there or in his truck.”

“I could not in good conscience do that to someone. I gave him the downstairs guest room. What do you know about this guy? Please tell me you checked him out before he began working for you.”

“We did. He grew up here after his parents passed away. Remember old man Jones, the one that used to always be at the general store selling his delicious homemade pickles.”

“Yes.”

“That is or was his grandfather.”

“Oh, he was always so nice.”

“Yes, he was. Josh has a lot of his traits. He has never been in trouble. He just likes working and is a hard worker. He loves being a part of a farm. It is what he grew up doing and knows what he is doing.”

“Okay, I feel better about him being here, now. Thank you for obliging me.”

“You’re welcome. What are you doing over there? I can hear you cutting things up.”

“Cutting up vegetables for omelets, I am going to guess that you are making breakfast, too.”

“Yes, I am. How did you guess?”

“You picked up on the first ring.”

“That is always an indication, isn’t it?” she laughed.

“Yes, it is,” I said as I placed the vegetables in the skillet. The loud sizzle told me the skillet was preheated to the right temperature. I lowered the heat and let them simmer. I began peeling the potatoes to make home fries.

“I know these past two years have been really rough on you, but I think it is about time we got together for dinner. What do you say?”

“I’d like that. When do you want to do it?”

“How about you and Josh come over this weekend, say Saturday. We can have a cookout.”

“I will talk to him about it, but I would be up for it. What would you like for me to bring?”

“Your famous pasta salad would be great. You know how much I love that stuff.”

“You got it,” I said with a smile.

“Great, I will let Bob know. Do you need me to ease your mind about anything else?”

“No, I think I am all set. I will see you on Saturday.”

“Okay, honey. You try and have a better day than your night. We will see you, Saturday.”

“Good bye, Alison.”

“Good bye,” she said with an audible click.

I hung up the receiver, cut the potatoes and placed them in another skillet. I cracked eight eggs and beat them. I poured them over the vegetables and waited until it was time to flip the omelet. My mind was still racing over the situation I had gotten myself into or been put in. I peeked out the window to see that Josh was working with the colt. He had removed his plaid shirt to reveal a white tank top underneath. His skin glistened with sweat, giving his muscular body more definition. I stared so long I nearly burnt breakfast. I flipped the omelet and pulled the potatoes off the burner.

“Josh, it is
almost time to eat,” I said out the window. “Do you want toast?”

“Is there any more of those biscuits from last night?”

“Yes.”

“Can I get two of those heated up just a bit?”

“I can do that.” I heated up two biscuits for him and made myself some rye toast. “Time to eat, Josh.”

He came in the house putting his shirt back on. ‘Thank God he is covering himself up or I may not be able to eat,’ I thought to myself. I smiled at him as he sat down.

“Do you want coffee? I just brewed it.”

“That would be great,” he said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I said as I poured him a cup. “Did you sleep okay last night?”

“Yes, the bed is very comfortable. It is definitely a change from my truck or the barn floor.”

“I don’t know how you could sleep in either of those two places.”

“You get used to it. I have been doing it for the past eight years.”

“I am sorry to hear that.”

“It is okay. It is the life I chose to live.”

“We do some strange things for the life we want to live.”

“Yes, we do. I don’t want to upset you again, but I would like to know more about you.”

“Well, if we are going to be house mates, I think you deserve to ask any questions you would like to have answers to.”

“Okay,” he said
, shaking his head yes. “How old were you when you met your husband?”

“I was 11 and he was 13. We went to school together in Montana.”

“Wow,” he responded with wide eyes. “Did you begin dating then?”

“No, we became fast friends. We did not begin dating until two years later. We dated through junior high and high school.
Right after high school we got married, packed up and moved here. We got jobs and saved up enough money to put a down payment on this farm. We have lived here since I was 23.”

“I know this is not a polite thing to ask, but how old are you now?”

“It’s okay. I just turned 40 a week ago.”

“I would have never guessed that. You look like you are still in your 20s.”

“Thank you,” I said casting my eyes down to attempt to save myself from blushing. “How old are you?”

“As of three months ago, I am 28.”

“Wow,” I said. “You lost everyone at such a young age.”

“Yes, I did, but I know that they taught me all they could before they passed away.”

“Where your parents and grandparents from this area,” I asked like I already did not know.

“My grandparents live
d here their entire lives. I was born in New York. My parents met while my mother was attending college in New York. My father was New York born and raised. My mother went to medical school at Cornell University. They met when my mother went to see a band play in the meat packing district. Dad was in that band. They fell head over heals for each other and were married right after mom graduated. I was born two years later. My dad’s parents had both pasted away before I was born. Mom’s parents took me in and raised me from the time I was eight. My grandfather taught me how to do everything there was on the farm. He used to sell homemade pickles down at the general store.”

“That was your grandfather? I loved those pickles.”

“I know the recipe by heart. I see that you have cucumbers in your garden, I can show you the recipe.”

“That will be great. I can already taste them. We were invited to the Everett’s for a cook out on Saturday, if you are interested in going.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe we can bring them some pickles.”

“I think that would shock them. Alison asked me to bring my famous pasta salad.”

“Famous pasta salad, I can’t wait to taste it,” he said with a wink.

I suddenly felt hot. I knew my face was flushed by the smirk on his face. “It is Alison’s favorite thing I make,” I said trying to save myself.

“Really?” he said still grinning. “Will you show me how to make it?”

“Yes, while you are showing me how to make the pickles, I will show you how I make my pasta salad.”

“Sounds like a plan. How about I see if those cucumbers are ready enough for me to pick this afternoon, then I will go to the store for the ingredients later. Before we go to bed, I can show you how to make the pickles.”

“Sounds like a plan, because I am going to need the ingredients to make the pasta salad and it is always better if it sits for a day or two.”

“Great, now I need to get back to work. I may need your assistance again later if I find more places in the fences that need fixing.”

“Okay, just let me know. I will be in here working on some things. Do you have any laundry that needs washing? I will be doing mine.”

“No, not at the moment, Mrs. Everett did mine yesterday.”

“Okay.”

He pushed his chair back and walked his dishes to the sink. I followed. He left the house, returning to the colt. I stood at the sink rinsing the dishes, staring at him. Why did he make me blush so much? Was I that lonely? Or was it that he was that good looking. This 28 year old kid with the ice blue eyes, light, brown hair, muscles, and tight jeans was going to get me in trouble. I could see it.

A few hours later he came in for lunch. I was in my office working on transcribing the local doctor’s notes. Our town doctor wrote everything by hand. He was very old school. His son, who also worked for him, had taken up his practices. Eight years ago, I began working from home for them. Once a week, I would go into town and get the notes they had taken and type them up for each patient’s files. When I was finished, I would return them and pick up the new set. It did not pay much, but it was something I could really wrap my head around. I offered to do it in the office, but they agreed that taking my time and doing them at home was a better idea. He came up the stairs and peeked in the first door on the right. I was so engrossed in my work that he startled me. He had forgotten to put either shirt on this time.

“Hey,” he said. “Are you ready for lunch?”

“Um,” I said looking up. “Yeah, I’ll be down in a minute, just let me finish this last sentence.”

“Okay,” he said, turning to leave.

I sat back, fanning myself with a stack of papers. I pushed my office chair back and went down stairs. He had begun to heat up the chicken from last night.

“Boy is it hot out there,” he said as I approached.

“Are you sure that you want that chicken? I do have sandwich meat if you prefer something cold to eat.”

“I really like that chicken, thank you though.”

“You’re welcome. Have a seat. Do you want sweet tea, water, or soda?”

“Sweet tea, please,” he responded.

I put some ice in a glass, pouring the tea over it. “You should really take a jug of water or tea with you while you are out working. I have one that has a spout on it.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said as the microwave beeped. “Did you get a chance to check on the cucumbers?”

“Yes, they are perfect. When were you thinking of going to the store?”

“As soon as I finish that small stack of papers I will want to go. This way I can pick up more work while I am there.”

“Okay, sounds good to me.”

“Great, I should be done in about two hours,” I said sitting down across the table.

“Okay, the rest of the fence where the colt was seems in pretty good shape. I would like to put him back in there and work with him, if you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t mind. If you feel you can work with him better in his own paddock, then please do so.”

“Great, I will do it when we are done here. Now, the barbed wire around the cow pasture has seen better days. While we are in town, can we stop and pick more up or would you rather me change it to wood, since there is quite a bit stacked in the barn. I can use the same posts that are there.”

“Which do you feel would be better for the cows in the long run?”

“Definitely the wood,” he said.

“Okay, then feel free to change it out.”

“I will do that.”

We finished our lunches. He got up and left the house. I emptied the dishwasher and put our lunch
and breakfast dishes in. Going back upstairs to finish my work, I decided that a cold shower was necessary after staring at him shirtless for the past half an hour. I finished my work. I went down stairs. I heard the shower running at the back of the house. Looking down the hallway, I could see the bathroom door open. The shower turned off. I went halfway up the stairs. He came out of the bathroom in just a towel.