Straddling the Fence (5 page)

Admittedly, the house was huge, too big for one person to
live in alone, too much expensive updating and maintenance required, if it
could be done at all. He could tell she felt at home in the kitchen, peaceful
and happy, a place that held memories of precious time spent with her
grandmother. Why not everywhere else?

“It’s not as sad as it looks, Eli.” She smiled softly when
his gaze swung to her. “I can see the concern on your face, but it’s just me
here. I don’t need much more than food and a place to sleep and get clean.”

“You’ve used the fireplace?”

“A few nights ago when we had that brief dip in
temperatures. The house doesn’t have central heat or air, so the fireplace is
the only source of warmth. There’s a stack of dried wood behind the shed.”

“Snakes, Bellamy. Snakes like woodpiles, especially old ones
that haven’t been touched in years.”

She tipped her head toward the corner nearest the bed, where
an older model shotgun was propped against the wall.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“I can take care of myself,” she said. “This isn’t the first
time I’ve lived alone.”

“But I bet it’s the first time you’ve lived alone at the
back of an eighty-acre field with no neighbors and a gate that doesn’t close.
You’ll recall I walked right up to your back door today without you even
knowing I was anywhere on the property.”

He took it as a good sign when all she did was sigh instead
of telling him to mind his own damn business.

He crossed the room to the fireplace, then squatted down and
craned his neck so he could peer up the chimney. “Did you have the fireplace
checked out before you used it? Creosote can build up inside the flue over time
and cause a fire.”

“It was three small logs and a few scraps of newspaper. The
smoke went up the chimney, not out into the room.”

“That just meant you had the damper open. You probably
smoked out a few bats in the process.”

“I could’ve done without hearing that.” She shuddered,
rubbing her arms.

Eli straightened, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Was the
power ever turned off?”

“No. My mom kept it on so the house wouldn’t have to be
re-inspected by the power company.”

Because if they
did
inspect, they would’ve turned the
house down for outdated wiring. It wouldn’t have met current electrical codes.
“What about the well? Did you drain the tank before you started using the
water?”

Bellamy bit her lip, her gaze sliding away.

He brushed his hand down her arm, and even that much contact
was too much temptation, so he pulled it away and stuffed them both in his
front pockets. “I’ll stop nitpicking, but if you have questions about anything,
ask me. I’ll help, okay?”

“The place is fine. Yes, it’s a bit shabby and in need of a
lot of work, but it has good bones.” She peered around the room, an
appreciative expression on her face. “My grandpa built this house himself.”

“I’m not knocking the house, Bell. I can’t help it if the
thought of you poking around in a woodpile or falling asleep with a fire
burning makes me uneasy.”

“Would it make you feel better if I said I’ll look into
finding a chimney sweep?”

“Not looking into it—
hiring
one.” His phone chirped
from his hip. He snapped it out of the case and read the text message. It was
from Fritz. “We have another cow in labor. I gotta go check on her.”

She followed him to the back door. “I shouldn’t be long at
the Millers. If you need me, call.”

“Not that I wouldn’t like having you there, but I hope it
won’t be necessary this time around.” Some of her hair had come loose from its
clip to fall forward across her cheeks. It reminded him of crow feathers, soft
and so black it was almost blue. On impulse, he leaned over and kissed her
forehead. Her hand opened like she wanted to touch him before she curled it
against her chest. “I’ll see you soon,” he said.

Without giving her a chance to reply, he walked out the back
door.

When he reached the end of the drive, he put the truck in
Park and climbed out. Grabbing a shovel from the back, he worked the mailbox
post back and forth in its hole until he’d loosened it enough that it would
stand up straight. Then he scooped a few shovel loads of dirt around the base,
packing it down with his boot as best he could.

Satisfied for now, he tossed the shovel back into the bed of
his truck, climbed inside the cab and headed for the barn, with everything he’d
just seen weighing heavily on his mind.

In that noble, ancient goliath of a house, surrounded by few
material items but tons of memories, Bellamy still had no roots. Eli’s ran as
deep in the Georgia ground as the oak trees in her backyard.

He grinned to himself. If there was one thing Eli knew well,
it was that in order to make things grow, it never hurt to add a little
fertilizer.

Driving through downtown Serenity late Friday afternoon,
Bellamy decided she had a newfound appreciation for goat ranching and all it
entailed.

What she’d thought was going to be a simple, one-time trip
to the Millers’ farm for vaccinations the previous Saturday morning turned out
to be anything but simple. Instead of being on the verge of giving up on goats
altogether, the Millers were going to start making cheese. Every spare minute
she’d had over the past week was spent helping them evaluate the health of the
animals they owned in preparation for the new operation. Inspecting, tagging,
sorting and tailoring the vaccines to the specific needs of the herd, dictating
until she became hoarse while Mrs. Miller scribbled down notes about every buck
and doe they owned.

And each night when she’d gotten home, she broke out the
textbooks to refresh her knowledge, pouring over pages until words blurred and
she nodded off to sleep at the kitchen table.

Her body ached for a long, hot, well-deserved soak, but
first she’d earned herself a different sort of treat before she left town for
home.

She eased the truck into a parking spot in front of
Homegrown at Carters’ Corner, the cartoonish sign over the front door making
her smile like it always did. She kept meaning to ask Kai if the waving farmer
on the green tractor was meant to be Fritz, as she suspected. Hand on the door
latch, she lifted the front of her shirt to her nose for a deep whiff. Deciding
she didn’t reek of eau de goat, she checked the soles of her boots for poop.
Good there too, so she climbed out of the truck and walked inside.

Kai was bagging up a customer’s purchases at the register.
When she saw Bellamy she waved, smiling brightly, then pointed toward the café
tables near the front window of the store. Bellamy sank down in a chair, stretching
her tired legs out in front of her.

“Hard day?” Kai asked while she busied herself with
something else behind the counter once her customer left.

“Hard week.” She sat up straight, rubbed the back of her
neck with both hands then retightened her ponytail. “I think you’ve inspired
another local to try their hand at artisan production.”

“Oh yeah?”

“The Millers are going to start making goat cheese.”

“Ooh, nice,” Kai said as she breezed around the counter, a
large wooden cutting board balanced on her palm with an assortment of small,
food-filled cups atop it. She placed it on the table in front of Bellamy and
myriad delicious smells wafted up her nostrils, making her belly stir with
interest. “I’m not currently carrying any goat cheeses, but I’d like to. I wonder
if they’ll do specialty flavors.”

“Mrs. Miller said they would once they got the ball rolling.
She’s not a novice cheese maker, but they’ve never tackled production for
resale.”

Kai sat down opposite Bellamy. “Tell them I’m interested
when they’re ready.”

She nodded absently, her mind and empty stomach now focused
on the samples. “What do we have here?”

Kai went into full-on demonstration-girl mode—spine stiff,
hand sweeping over the cups, adopting a true pitchwoman’s voice. “What we have
for you today,
Miss Haile
, are four delicious new items to tempt your
refined southern palate. First, we have a rich, creamy pimento cheese. Not too
sharp, not too bland and boring. Next, we have a freshly made tomatillo salsa,
but fair warning, it’s spicy—thus the reason for the sampler of sweet peach
wine. And last, a smooth, decadent apple butter.”

Bellamy grinned, cocking an eyebrow. “Did you rehearse that
spiel, or was it totally off the cuff?”

“A little of both. Dig in.”

She’d scrubbed her hands before leaving the Millers’ place,
so Bellamy had no qualms about being germy. She shoved a chip full of pimento
cheese into her mouth. No surprise, it was indeed delicious. While she loaded
another chip, she decided to broach the subject of Eli. “Eli paid me a visit last
Saturday morning.”

Kai winced. “I hope you don’t mind that I mentioned to Fritz
where you were living. He must’ve relayed that information to Eli.”

“Of course I don’t mind. It’s not like it was some big
secret.” Bellamy tried the salsa on a tortilla chip then gulped down a swallow
of the wine to cool the fiery sting on her tongue. Both of those items were
good as well. “He used the excuse of bringing me my fee for pulling the calf.”

“Why would he need an excuse to come see you?”

Bellamy sighed, feeling in her gut that she could trust Kai.
“We slept together a little over a month ago during the rodeo in Perry.”

A sheepish look from Kai. “I already know. Eli told Fritz.
Fritz told me. But please don’t be upset with us for sharing that amongst
ourselves. It won’t go any further, I swear. And for the record, Eli didn’t
divulge any sordid details, just said the same thing you basically did, and
that he was disappointed when he came back to the room and you were gone.”

“He says he left a note, and I do believe him, but to be
honest, I didn’t look for one. When I woke up alone, I thought—”

“That he’d slunk out to avoid facing you in the morning.”

“The walk of shame, yeah.”

“Except that’s not what either of you intended,” Kai said.

“Well, I went into it with no expectations, or so I told
myself. It didn’t feel that way the next morning, though. I was disappointed
too, when he wasn’t there.”

“So now that you’ve hopefully sorted the miscommunication
part out, what’s the problem?”

“Three condoms,” Bellamy said bluntly. “I’ve never known a
man to carry three condoms around with him. One, I totally get. Two…maybe. But
three
?
Come on.”

“You think Eli’s a player?”

Bellamy frowned at the harsh word. “Not a player, no, but a
natural-born charmer? Yeah. And I know that sounds hypocritical, given the
nature of the night we spent together. I mean, I was there too, and I sure as
hell wasn’t resisting. ’Course, I can’t see how any single woman in her right
mind would push Eli away. But I just can’t help where my thoughts went. That’s
my own insecurities showing, I guess. Manifesting themselves in three used
condoms and an empty motel room after a night of mind-blowing sex.”

“I imagine it’s pretty normal to go there after thinking he
ditched you. Maybe it’s some sort of self-protective reflex kicking in. You
probably don’t make a habit out of having one-night stands.”

“I might’ve had a couple while in college, but that’s it.
And the guys never up and disappeared on me afterward.”

Kai nodded. “Try the apple butter.”

Bellamy scooped some onto a cracker and popped it into her
mouth. The flavors of apple, spices, sugar and vanilla exploded across her
taste buds. She hummed her approval and polished off the rest of the sample
with another cracker.

“I understand your worries, Bellamy, and I think they’re
merited, all things considered. But Eli is…something special.” A genuine look
of deep affection stole across Kai’s face. “He’s sweet and easygoing and
hardworking. Honestly, between him, Fritz and Sage, you won’t find better men.
Now—is he oversexed? Absolutely. And I think it’s because girls have been
throwing themselves at him since grade school.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

“A lot of how boys handle that sort of thing lies in their
personalities. Fritz is quieter and more subdued with the charm and
flirtatiousness. Sage is practically a recluse when he’s not working, yet he
still manages to get himself laid quite often, from what I hear. Eli is
outgoing and quick with the come-ons. Sexual confidence rolls off him in waves.
When the teenage hormones kicked in and the girls started responding, he ran
with it instead of shying away. Unfortunately, it makes you wonder if he knows
how to connect with someone on a deeper level. That might be what you’re
wondering—should I take a risk and trust that he’s not playing games with me?”

“That’s exactly what I’m asking myself.”

“And I can’t answer that for you, although my gut says no.
All I can tell you for sure is, I’ve
never
known him to say two words
about a girl he’s been with in the past, good
or
bad. The fact that he’s
opened up to Fritz about you speaks volumes.”

Bellamy finished the yummy peach wine then sighed. “I like
him a lot, Kai.”

“He’s a really great guy, and I’m not saying that just
because he’s my future brother-in-law. I’ve known Eli since we were kids. He’s
always been that way.”

Bellamy’s intuition told her the same thing. Now if she
could only convince her heart to listen. “Let me see your engagement ring
again.”

Kai slapped her left hand down on the table. The afternoon
sunshine streaming through the front window of the store landed like a
spotlight on the ring, sending refractions of color streaming off the stones,
creating a miniature disco ball. Set in platinum, a fat oval-shaped emerald was
the center attraction, surrounded by smaller diamonds trickling down to line
the band around her finger.

“It’s gorgeous.”

“And naturally, it had to have at least one green stone to
satisfy Fritz. I think if he could’ve found something in corn colors he
would’ve bought it.”

“There are yellow diamonds, you know.”

“But yellow diamonds paired with emeralds?” She scrunched
her nose. “Not my style.”

“Then he chose well.”

“He chose very well.” Kai stared happily at the ring for a
few more seconds. “So, what did you think of the samples?”

Bellamy straightened from her chair. “I’ll take one of each,
please.”

Kai beamed, clapping her hands. “I love customers like you.
Browse until I get you ready to go.”

While Kai wrapped each item in red-and-white checked tissue
paper, Bellamy meandered around Homegrown, perusing the fresh seasonal produce,
artisan crafts, and other items she hadn’t noticed on previous visits. “Oh, I’m
almost out of honey too.”

“With the comb or without?”

“With. I eat it on toast.”

“Got it,” Kai said, grabbing a jar off a shelf.

“Seems rather quiet in here for a Friday afternoon.”

“The kids are trick-or-treating tonight in town, so I’m sure
folks are at home getting ready for that screaming sugar-fest. The elementary
school and some of the local churches hold fall festivals to coincide with
Halloween as well.”

Bellamy picked up a handmade carving board, running her
fingers across the smooth surface. The piece was done in alternating strips of
light and dark wood, with curving handles on each end. It was pretty enough to
do double duty as kitchen art in addition to being functional. The price tag
made her eyebrows climb her forehead, so she carefully placed it back on the
shelf.

“I almost forgot this weekend is Halloween. I should carve a
pumpkin or something fun,” Bellamy mused aloud. “Although no one would see it
but me since the house sits so far back off the road.”

“You shouldn’t let that stop you, and I just happen to have
a few pumpkins left out front. I’ll even toss in a couple beeswax votive
candles for the inside once you get it carved.”

“Jesus, girlfriend. You’re really good at this retail stuff.
But yes, I’ll take a pumpkin.”

Kai just laughed and added it to the tab.

When Bellamy stepped over to the counter to pay for her
purchases, a painting on the wall behind Kai’s head caught her eye. Done in
oils or acrylics on canvas and framed in what looked to be old barn wood, it
was of a paint horse grazing in a field near a small pond. The detailing was so
precise, she could see the delineation in the muscles of the animal’s shoulder
and hip. Trees and wildflowers dotted the landscape surrounding the beautiful
animal. Wispy clouds drifting through a bright blue sky were reflected on the
surface of the water.

The paint’s markings were primarily sorrel, with splashes of
white across its barrel and neck, with more white from its knees down to its
hooves. The head was mostly dark with a blaze of white between the eyes and
ears. A tobiano pattern, if her memory served.

Looking at it made Bellamy’s heart squeeze. She’d always had
a soft spot for paint horses, and sadly, since she’d taken over her uncle’s
practice, she had yet to receive a single equine call. For Pete’s sake, didn’t
anyone in or around Serenity own a horse?

Kai stopped placing items in a bag, her gaze swinging from
Bellamy’s upturned face to the painting on the wall. “Pretty, huh?”

“It’s amazing. I’m assuming it was done by a local artist.”

“I only carry local, so yes.”

“He or she is certainly talented. If I’m any judge of skill,
I’d say that piece should be hanging in an art gallery.”

“It’s a
he
, and I’ve told him the same thing. For
right now though, he prefers to remain anonymous. And it’s not Eli, in case you
were wondering.”

“Eli doesn’t strike me as the anonymous type. Is the subject
matter local too?”

The question gave Kai pause because she had to think before
she answered. “You know, I’m not sure. He didn’t say, but I would assume so.”

“I wish I knew where. I’d love to see the horse live in that
setting.”

“The painting is for sale, the next best thing to live.” Kai
wiggled her eyebrows.

“Oh no you don’t,” Bellamy said with a laugh. “That would
bust my bank account all to hell and back, I’m sure.”

“Well, if you change your mind, I can always see if he’d be
willing to negotiate on the price, or let you break it up into a few payments.”

“Tempting, but no. Despite having copious amounts of empty
space, it would look awful lonesome hanging on my bare white walls.” Not to
mention as out of place as utters on a bull.

“Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?”

“I think said starting point should be a scrub brush and a
fresh coat of paint.”

Kai laughed and finished ringing up Bellamy’s purchases.