Chapter four:
I slept in the guest room, still feeling that I was lonely, but happy knowing that William was down the hall. That really seemed to matter to me. I slept like a baby, until I felt somebody shaking me awake. I opened my eyes very slowly to see him already dressed and ready to go and do the daily chores. “I know that you’re not a stranger to hard work. Why don’t you join me and see if this brings back some memories.” I almost threw back the covers, but then realized I was completely naked. It was more freeing that way and I was able to get to sleep easier in the buff.
“I know that it seems like we’ve known each other a long time, but I would rather not show you my naked body. If it’s all the same to you, I will be down stairs in a few minutes. I won’t need several hours to get ready and I just need to throw on a dress.” I didn’t have much to begin with. He shrugged his shoulders like he wasn’t bothered by my hesitation to let him see me naked. “No offense, but we barely know each other. I do like what I have seen and heard, except for the fact that you felt that it was necessary to lie to me.” He backed away with his hands up in a form of self defeat.
I didn’t want to make him think that this was something that I couldn’t get over. The fact remained that he had lied to me about this and if he could like to me about this, then he could lie to me about other things. I was cautious, but I was cautiously optimistic.
I put on a pair of jeans, thinking that it was better suited for the chores at hand. It was a pair of my husband’s and made me feel like I was still a part of his life. It was a little loose, but the suspenders over top of them made them more secure. I put on one of his shirts, smelling his scent and closing my eyes to the memory of having him kiss me deeply and with a passion that was undeniable.
I came downstairs and I stopped short to see that he was staring at me with his mouth a gape. “I’ve never seen a woman in a pair of jeans before. I think that we’re going to have to make that part of your regular attire.” I felt flattered that he noticed. I did a turn to let him see everything from every angle. The appreciative whistle made me blush, but not in a bad way. I didn’t think that he was objectifying. He was just showing his pleasure at seeing my curves on display.
I followed him outside, looking at his posterior and trying with my mind to make those pants disappear. I was not the type of girl that would sleep with a man that I didn’t feel that there was a connection or some kind of commitment coming my way.
“I’ll start you off small by collecting the eggs from the chickens in the coop.” He motioned with his finger and I looked over and was barely able to discern that the coop was even there. It was still almost pitch black, but the first sign of a new day arriving was streaming through the trees. It made me stop and fully appreciate the sunrise. The dancing lights in between the trees made for a colorful display that was hard to take my eyes away from.
I suddenly felt that I was not alone and then his hands were around my waist holding me close to his own body. There was no need for words. We just stood there and watched this spectacular show that Mother Nature was putting on. If I didn’t know any better, I would say that Mother Nature was doing it just for us. I held his arms with my hands, leaning back against him and hearing his heart beating a little faster than normal. It made my heart sing with the knowledge that I had given him that effect.
“The one thing that I never get used to is seeing that every morning. I’ve always got too caught up in myself to realize the beauty all around. Losing my fortune had certainly put things into perspective. I’m not destitute and I do have funds that I can dip into for emergencies. I don’t want you to think that I can’t take care of you, because I can. I just find living off the land more conducive to where I want my life to be going.”
I began to cry, sniveling like a little girl. He didn’t say anything and allowed me to let it out gracefully. “I think that I could find happiness here with you. I can’t do that without telling you the real reason that I had to get away. You know that I’m a widower. I told you that my husband died cleaning his gun.” I thought that he was going to jump in and say something, but he did not try to force any kind of explanation.
“I can see that this is hard on you. You take all the time that you need.” Like I said, he was a man of few words, but the words that he spoke more poignant.
“My husband did not tell me that we were in trouble and decided to ride out the storm on his own. It weighed heavily on him and the final straw was when he found out that he was losing everything. He was not cleaning his gun.” The realization of what I was trying to say finally dawned on him. He squeezed me a little bit tighter and told me how sorry he was for my loss.
“You had to know that he was doing that for you. He didn’t want you to worry and maybe that was not his decision to make, but he thought that it was. He sounds like a man that has a strong moral fiber. You shouldn’t fault him for leaving you out of it. I don’t think it was necessary for him to take that sort of step, but he must have felt like he was in a losing battle.” He was being kind and I could swear that he knew my husband better than I did. “I’ve been knocked down plenty of times, but it’s not how hard you fall. It’s how hard you fight to stand back up.” He kissed my neck and I felt an instant attraction that went beyond that of the grief that I was feeling for the man that I thought that I was going to find happiness with.
“I just thought that I should tell you everything. You had your secret about your loss of fortune and I had mine. Maybe now we can start fresh.” He was nuzzling my neck, but not in a creepy way. It was more of a comforting gesture, but it was certainly making me sweat.
We went about doing the daily chores, but this time we did them together. It felt nice to have somebody that I could laugh and talk with. By letting go of that secret, I was opening myself up to a new romance.
We were going back to the house, when he stepped on the ground and plucked a daisy. He placed it behind my ear and lightly moved my hair out of the way. I looked into his blue eyes and I felt this overwhelming need to try and kiss him. He didn’t move away and I had to push myself up on my toes to reach him.
It was 2 hours of hard work, but I couldn’t have been happier. I was actually smiling and feeling that my heart was slowly coming alive. “I do want you, but I can wait for however long it takes you to come around. I’ve been holding onto a ring. I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to present it to you yet.” I moved my finger across his lips and I bit my tongue with the anticipation for a new experience.
“You have this way about you that makes it impossible for me to hang onto the grief that has been holding me back.” I ran my nails along the back of his neck, making him squint and bend down in front of me. I planted my lips on his. It was soft and demanding. I enjoyed the pleasure that his hand was now inflicting by stroking my spine down to the small of my back. I bent at an angle with him dipping me and making me feel like I was weightless.
“Ahem.” I opened my eyes and upside down I could see that Harry was now standing with his arms crossed. He looked a little peeved. “If you two are through playing kissy face, I would really like to have some breakfast with those eggs that you are carrying.” He didn’t give me a chance to say anything, before snatching the basket from my hand and storming back into the house.