The Stable Boy (29 page)

This time the picture was of her and John. He had his arm around her and she had planted a big kiss on his cheek. His f
ace was all scrunched up. He had given her a bouquet of flowers for her birthday and she was thanking him for it. I remembered when she pulled away from him she saw the look on his face and smacked him for it. I took that picture. I could not stop laughing at the two of them. They always got along. Alison loved John as much as I love Bob. Being thick as thieves, we had to get along.

Turning the page again, there was a photo of John and I at the wedding of my sister. Him in his black outfit and me in a purple, puffy, chiffon dress. The bridesmaid dress from hell. That thing itched and was ugly as sin, but it was what she wanted. My brother was photo bombing us with his mug trying to come in between John and I. I am pretty sure he was just doing that so Alison would take his picture.

The next photo was of John and Mike, sitting on my porch in nothing but shorts with beers in their hands. It was definitely at one of the many parties that took place on this property. We were always socializing with our friends. Between Bob and Alison and John and I, I do not think there was a weekend when there was not some gathering until two years ago when the last gathering on this property was after John’s funeral.

The next page was blank. She smiled at me. I handed her the first frame. It was a picture of us on our wedding day. She put it off to the side. I furrowed my brow at her.

“That is the last picture we will put in here.”

“Okay,” I said, handing her another picture of the two of us on the beach. It was the day he asked me to marry him. We were vacationing in Louisiana. My mom took the picture with tears in her eyes. She adored John. She always treated him like he was one of her own from the time she first met him. My dad was a little less receptive, but what dad wants to see his little girl grow up?

The next picture I handed her was John on his horse. He did not know that I took that picture until we developed the film. The sun was setting behind him. The picture came out as a silhouette. It was the most beautiful picture. It was my favorite one.

The final picture I handed her was of the four of us hanging out. Vanessa took the picture.  We were all sitting on the porch steps laughing at something Bob said. I was sitting two steps below John and Alison was across from me. Jo
hn had his head hanging. Bob’s head was back in a roar and Alison and I were looking at each other laughing. I remember that day. Vanessa was laughing so hard. She yelled at us and tried to get us to take a serious picture. It never happened.

“How are you? Okay?”

“Yes, I think I am.”

“Good. Now, we can put the wedding picture in here,” Alison said, reaching for the picture. She closed the album and removed the picture from the frame. On the front of the album
, there was a clear pocket that was decorated with hearts and John’s name. She slid the picture into it, where it became the cover of the photo album. Tears began to form on the rims of my eyes. “It is okay, sweetheart. Let it out, if you have to.”

“I am okay. It’
s beautiful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s put it in the drawer
of your nightstand. That way it is always close by. If you miss him, then you can pull it out and relive all the great memories we had together.”

“Okay, that sounds good,” I said. She handed me the album. I sli
d the drawer out from the oak nightstand and placed the album in it.

“Ready to bring these boxes downstairs?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

We each grabbed a box of John’s clothes and took them down stairs. We placed them in the hall closet. The screen door opened as I shut the door. Alison turned to me and smiled.

Turning back to Josh she said, in a stern voice, “Get your shit.”

“Why what is going on? Claire, did I do something wrong?” he asked, in a hurried panic state. I placed my hand over my mouth to keep him from seeing the smile on my face.

“No, big boy, you did nothing wrong. You are moving upstairs,” Alison said. The laugh I was holding in escaped me.

“Thanks for scaring the shit out of me, Alison.”

“You are so very welcome. Get used to it. I am headed home. I love you, Claire.”

“I love you, too, Alison. Thank you, again, for helping me today.”

“That is no problem,” she said as she sauntered out the door. “Goodbye, Josh.”

“Bye, Alison.”

“I am sorry she did that. I knew something was up when she turned to me and smiled.”

“It is okay. I nearly had a heart attack. Was she serious?”

“Yes, I made room for you today in my bedroom. I would like to share it with you.”

“Wow, okay. I will gather my things and move it up there. If you want, we can wait until tomorrow to do it. I don’t want to rush you into having me up there right after you cleaned out your husband’s things.”

“It is okay. I am ready for it to happen. That is why I did it. I am making room for you not only in my room, but also in my heart. It is time I told you.”

“Told me what?”

“I love you, Josh. As hard as you have fallen for me, I have for you. I have known for some time, but did not want to rush this, us. I wanted to be sure before I gave you my heart, completely.”

“Claire, I love you, too,” he said, walking toward me. Wrapping his arms around me, his lips crashed into mine. “You have just made me the happiest man alive.” He ran out onto the porch. “She said she loves me. Claire Phillips loves me, Josh Jones,” he screamed. The animals stirred and gave him side glances. Shaking my head, I went out onto the porch.

“I think you have upset your girlfriend.”

“She will just have to get over it,” he said, putting his arm around my shoulder. We watched the sun begin to make its descend in the sky before we went back inside. Standing there with our arms around each other, I knew right there that listening to my heart was the only way it should have been from the beginning.

12 THE PHONE CALL

Getting the nerve up to tell my sister about Josh, proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. When I was a teenager, I did not care what she thought. There were times in John and I’s relationship that I thought she just might have been in love with him as much as I was. She truly loved my husband. Telling her about Josh scared me. She had a way about her that could potentially scare off other people. She was harsh and brazen. A very forward person that never held her tongue. She would ask him probing questions that only a person with a strong will and a truly deep love for the other person could handle. Thanksgiving had come and gone and we spent it with Bob and Alison. We laughed until our stomachs hurt. Bob now knew about us and was genuinely happy for the two of us. He had his concerns when he first found out, but saw the love in Josh’s eyes before we had gone and told him about it.

             
We had many nights with Bob and Alison after that. Having the love and support of those two meant the world to me, but it still did not give me the courage I needed to tell my sister. In two weeks, we would be back in Montana for my brother’s wedding and to spend Christmas with my family. It was now or never. With Josh sitting by my side, I dialed her number. She picked up on the second ring. It was a good thing she did, because if the phone would have rang another time, I would have hung it up.

             
“Hello,” she said.

             
“Hey, Janie.”

             
“Hey, Claire! Are you getting prepared for your trip?”

             
“Sort of,” I said, squeezing Josh’s hand until my knuckles were white. “There is something I need to talk to you about.”

             
“Please don’t tell me that you are not coming. My kids will be heartbroken, not to mention so will I, Brian and Mike.”

             
“Oh no, I will be there, but there is something else you need to know.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“I have been seeing someone,” I said, swallowing hard.

“You have? Claire that is great news. He must be the reason that you have been happier.”

“He is.”

“Good. When can I talk to him?”

“He is sitting right here if you want to talk to him now.”

“I do.”

“Okay, hang on,” I said, handing Josh the phone and mouthing the words ‘good luck.’ He smiled at me.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hello, how are you?”

“I am great, thank you for asking. How are you?”

“I am wonderful. A little uncomfortable at the moment, but doing well.”

“That is great to hear.”

“What is your name?”

“Josh.”

“Oh, are you the Josh that works for my sister?”

“Yes, ma’am. I sure am.”

“May I ask, when did you start having feelings for my sister that were not of the working relationship type?”

“From the moment I saw her.”

“Really?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay, please stop calling me ma’am. Call me Janie.”

“I will try.”

“Do you call my sister, ma’am?”

“I did when I first met her. And sometimes, I still do.”

“Okay, I guess that is the way you were brought up. Where did you grow up?”

“Well, I began my life in New York City and moved to this town when I was eight.”

“Have you always worked on a farm?”

“Yes, ma’am. I grew up on one. I learned everything there was about farming growing up. I love it. It is in my blood.”

“Okay. So, tell me about your feelings for my sister.”

“I love her. I think she is a great person with a big heart. She is gentle and kind.”

“You love her? Does she love you?”

“Yes, ma’am. She has told me she does, which is why she made this phone call.”

“Will you be joining us for Christmas and our brother’s wedding?”

“Yes, I will.”

“In that case, we will get to know each other a little better when you come up here. For now, I think I have asked all there is to. May I speak to my sister again?”

“You sure may. It was nice to talk to you. I cannot wait to meet you and your family.”

“Thank you, Josh. It was nice to talk to you, too. Thank you for answering my questions, honestly. I look forward to meeting with you, too.”

“You’re welcome. Here is Claire,” he said, handed me the phone.

“Hey Janie.”

“Hi Claire. He seems to be an alright guy. I guess I will get to know him better when you come up in two weeks.”

“Yes, you will.”

“Do you love him, Claire? Does he truly make you happy?”

“I do and he does, more than I can express to you Janie.”

“That is a good thing. You deserve to be happy and if he makes it happen, then I am okay with it. I will still get to know him better when he comes up here. I cannot wait to see you.”

“I cannot wait to see you, either. I need a sister hug and the hugs of my little angels.”

“Does Mike know you are bringing him?”

“Yes, Mike guessed about the relationship. He cannot wait to meet him.”

“Good. What do Alison and Bob think of him?”

“They adore him.”

“I trust them. I know how much they love you and would protect you. If they are okay with him, then I am sure I will be too.”

“Thank you, Janie.”

“You are welcome. I will talk to you soon. The kids just busted thr
ough the door.”

“Give them my love, I will call you soon.”

“I will. Talk to you soon, Claire.”

“Bye, Janie,” I said, hanging up the phone. “That went better than expected.”

“I don’t know why you were so scared to let me talk to her. She seems nice. I can understand her being protective. She is your older sister. It is her job to protect her loved ones.”

“I know, but she can be overbearing at times. I just did not want her to scare you off. Now, when we go up there, you may want to runaway,” I laughed.

“I will never runaway. I am here until you boot me out.”

“Good, because I don’t want you to leave, yet.”

“Yet? I see how you are,” he laughed. “On that note, I am going to go get some work done.”

“Okay, don’t forget we need to go shopping later, so you can get an outfit for my brother’s wedding.”

“Come get me when you are ready to leave.”

“I will do that.”

“Okay,” he said, planting a quick kiss on my lips. My skin tingled. He walked out the door as I watched. I needed to talk to Alison. Grabbing the receiver from its cradle, I dialed her number.

“Everett Farm,” she answered.

“Hello.”