“Why don’t you go ahead in Foster? I am almost done with things out here.”
“Well I will help you put the horse up at least.”
“Are you afraid of him?”
She made an undignified sound. “Of course not. Why would you ask such a thing?”
Karen smiled at her. “Why won’t you go in without me?”
Foster knew she had to. The older woman had basically challenged her and there was no way that she could not go in now. “I was just trying to help Karen. That’s all.”
“You have done enough today. Go sit down and rest. I will be in the house in a minute.”
There was nothing she could say, so Foster moved back towards the house that stood by the road. There was light glowing from the inside that was inviting. She didn’t know what to expect, not much more than a few pieces of furniture. He was so quiet that she couldn’t see him decorating any louder than he was. What she wasn’t expecting was the bright colors on the walls in the form of art work, mixed in with cow skulls that seemed to be a popular décor in the area. It didn’t fit, but the man was a walking contradiction anyways so it somehow did.
She walked through the house to where she heard his voice. He had called her in when she had knocked, but she felt out of sorts with all of the dashes of color against the white-washed walls. There wasn’t a reason that her nerves were bad, but she was trembling inside. “Trent?”
“In here Foster. Just come on in. I was about to start dinner if you would like to stay for a while.”
“Thanks, but Karen is almost ready and we will be going.”
“I can always take you home.”
“Well aren’t you so helpful.”
“Not really, it is selfish reasons that I ask you to stay.”
“And what reason is that?”
“I hate to eat alone and it has been a while since I have had any real company. Besides, you are new to the town and everyone is gossiping about you, so I would love to know the truth.”
Foster sighed and sat down. “I never got the whole small town gossip thing until I moved her. It seems like everyone knows a little bit about everyone else.”
“Except you.” Trent handed her a glass with some tea in it and she thanked him. He didn’t have his hat on that time and she could see his face more clearly. It was more disturbing when she could see more of him. His eyes missed nothing and with them directed at her, she blanched at the intensity.
“There isn’t much to know.”
“I find that hard to imagine Foster. A woman like you has many secrets to tell.”
He was leaning in and she did to out of habit. The action surprised her and she moved back away from him. “Yes, well what are your secrets?”
“Better left unsaid.”
“You want to be a mystery then?”
“Makes it more interesting, don’t you think?”
She agreed. “Well then I guess we are at an impasse, too worried about keeping are secrets close to our chest.”
His eyes strayed to her front, unable to stop himself. “Well if you share one, I will share one with you.”
She was breathing hard from his proximity. He leaned back towards his seat and she sighed a little. “I am sure that my secrets aren’t even worth knowing.”
“Try me.”
There were many, she had so many of them and not very many did she want to say out loud. Especially not to a man like Trent that already seen far more in her than anyone else did.
“Why don’t you tell me why you are here?”
The moment was gone, her mind back on the very question he had asked her before. The one she still wasn’t sure how to answer. “I came here with someone who was dying. We were traveling and this is where we had to stop. When they died, I just stayed here. Kind of lame, huh?”
He shook his head and asked her who it was. There was a similar reaction from before. She didn’t want to talk about it.
“No, I have told you one of my secrets. Now tell me one of yours.”
Trent was quiet for a minute and was about to say something when Karen came in. He went back to the stove and then the fridge to pour her a glass. “So how is she looking Karen?”
“She’s fine. Just needs a little antibiotic to help her fight off whatever she has. She should be good as new in a week. Give her a couple of days until you start working with her again, but she will be ready soon.”
Karen took the glass and then took a drink. Her brown hair was sticking out everywhere from her bun. It had been a long day for the woman and even though she was used to the work, there was something to be said about her age. She was getting old and hoped that she would be able to retire one day. “Why don’t you sit down, have something to eat?”
“No, I need to get back. Lawrence hasn’t been feeling very well lately. But you should stay Foster. He is a really good cook.”
Foster could feel her being pushed towards him and she wondered why. There was something to be said about the way he made her feel, but she wondered why Karen was pushing her towards him. Was it that clear to her boss that she was desperately alone and in need of something?
“Yes Karen is right. I will take you back later.”
There seemed to be a consensus that she was not privy to. “Okay, well then it sounds like I don’t have much of a choice. I will see you in the morning Karen.”
She watched the woman leave and looked back over at Trent. “So why is she pushing up together?”
He grinned for a minute. “Because Karen is a hopeless romantic and she must think that we have something in common.”
Foster felt like it was more than that, but like many of his answers, he was still pretty vague. “So what is it that you are cooking?”
“Some stew. If you are not from here, you have probably never tried it.”
She tilted her chair to look at the pot on the stove better. There were many ingredients and she had never seen anything like it. She didn’t want to ask what all was in there. “It looks, interesting. So a man that can cook, how does that come about?”
“Many years doing it myself.”
Foster wanted to ask more, like if he was single and how long. It had been too long since she had been with a man, the reality no more clear than when he was looking at her in that way. “Must be your personality then, because I can’t see you being short on admirers. I think if Karen was a bit older she would be in line. Many women in town feel the same way.”
She blushed at the way he looked at her. “And how would you know that?”
“Well I worked at the diner for several months and everyone talks. This is a small town after all.”
He nodded, but wasn’t sure if he agreed with the sentiment. Trent could date if he wanted to, but he wanted more than just a few dates. If he didn’t see it going anywhere, it just seemed like a waste of time. And since it seemed impossible to find that, there had been a long time since he was able to do more than just have a few moments of shared pleasure with a woman.
“I am just taking a break, or was.”
She caught the wording, but avoided his gaze. “A break huh?”
“Yeah, what about you? I hear that you have turned down some of Cross Junction’s finest.”
She had to giggle a little. “Have you been gossiping up at the diner?”
“Guilty.”
“Well I would hope that the men that have asked me out here are not your town’s finest. Merle was half drunk when he asked me and that man from Jefferson’s Farm was not very diplomatic when he offered me money to say yes. This town maybe small, but it is filled with pervs more than anything.”
“Kyle. His name is Kyle at old Jefferson’s. You have to understand that you have a way about you. The way you look at a man can make him go a little crazy inside.”
“So it’s my fault? You seem to be still sane.”
“Just barely.”