Chapter 2
Two weeks later, Kyle pulled up his dating account to find a message.
Hi. My name is Dawn. I saw your profile and decided to contact you. If you’d like to chat, let me know.
Kyle clicked on the picture next to the message and took a look at the woman’s profile.
Dawn Kelly. According to the information there, she lived in Dawson Springs, a small town not terribly far from Madisonville.
And she listed her occupation simply as “farmer.” Interesting, Kyle thought.
A female farmer. Maybe she’d been widowed and left with a farm to take care of.
Of course, she could farm on her own, but that wasn’t common.
She listed her hobbies as bowling and running; that meant that she was at least somewhat physically fit, which was a plus.
Kyle answered her immediately.
Hi. This is Kyle. I’d really like to chat with you.
He followed up with his phone number, plus a suggestion that she call between seven and eight in the evening. She’d been forward enough to message him. Maybe she’d be forward enough to call.
Sure enough, an unfamiliar number appeared on his phone’s screen that evening at about a quarter after seven. He finally hit ACCEPT and said, “Hello?”
“Hi. Is this Kyle?”
“Yes, it is. I assume this is Dawn?”
“Yes! Hi! How are you?” she asked, and Kyle liked her voice immediately. It was warm and clear, and she didn’t seem timid at all.
“I’m quite well! How are you?”
“Much better now that I’m not typing messages! I’m not a very good typist,” she said with a laugh.
“Me neither!” Now what? he wondered. “So I read your profile and it says you farm?”
“Yep. My dad and brothers do too,” she said.
“So you all work on the family farm?” he asked
“No.” There was silence for a few seconds before she said, “We all farm, but we have our own farms.”
“Oh! That’s cool,” Kyle said quickly. He was a little surprised. Finding a woman who had her own farm was almost unheard of—not unwelcome, just unusual. “I’d love to hear more about what you’re doing.”
“And I’d love to hear the same about you. So are you busy tomorrow night?”
She doesn’t pull any punches, Kyle told himself. “As long as my sister can watch my daughter, yes. That would be fine.”
“How ’bout you find out if she can, and we can meet. Want to come to the state park here and eat in the dining room?” Dawn asked.
Kyle smiled to himself. “Pennyrile State Park? Sounds good to me! So let’s say seven unless something happens, and I’ll let you know. Can I call and let you know tomorrow?”
“Sure. If I don’t answer, just leave me a voicemail. If we can’t meet tomorrow, then tell me when she can watch your kid and we’ll reschedule,” she said.
Something about the way she said kid gave Kyle a little pause, but he was sure he was just overreacting. “Sounds good. I’ll try her as soon as we hang up and I can shoot you a text if I get her.”
“Perfect! Well, thanks for answering my message. I’m looking forward to talking to you,” Dawn told him, almost as though she’d arranged for him to come and interview for a job.
“Same here. Goodnight,” he told her, then hit END. He shot a text to Constance immediately and hoped she got back to him.
He didn’t have to hope for long. The phone had no more than made the swish that told him the message had left when it started to ring. “Wow. You sitting on that phone?” he asked, laughing.
“No!” Constance was laughing too. “I’d been answering a text from Monica when I got yours. And yes—I’d be glad to watch her. Who is it this time?”
Kyle took a few minutes to tell her everything he knew about Dawn and finished with, “And we’re meeting at Pennyrile State Park’s dining room for dinner.”
“Oh, that’ll be fun! It’s a beautiful place. So I’ll try to get to your house by about six fifteen so you have plenty of time to get there. And maybe this one will be better,” Constance told him.
“I certainly hope so. Couldn’t get much worse,” he said, fearful that he might be wrong. There were only so many horrible evenings he could take.
As soon as he hung up with Constance, he texted Dawn. All he got in reply was a thumbs up emoticon, but at least he knew she’d seen it. The next night would tell the tale. Maybe she’d be the right person, or maybe not. But at least he could say he’d tried.
The drive to Pennyrile State Park was uneventful.
Kyle parked in the lot in front of the lodge and made his way inside.
The gift shop was already closed, but he stopped to look through the window out of curiosity.
Then he headed to the dining room, but one look around told him she wasn’t there yet, so he asked for a table for two in front of one of the big windows and waited.
He’d been a little early, and she walked in about five minutes late.
Oh, well, two people’s watches can be off five minutes from each other, he told himself and stood as she made her way across the room toward him, her shoulder-length red hair bobbing as she walked.
When she reached him, she put out a hand.
“Hi! It’s good to meet you in person, Kyle,” she said, her grip firm when he slid his hand into hers.
“Likewise! Have a seat,” he said, holding her chair. Once he’d helped her up to the table, he took his seat again. “What’s good here? I haven’t eaten here in a long, long time.”
“I like their meatloaf a lot. They also have a good Kentucky Hot Brown,” she said, picking up the menu. “Did you have a good drive?”
“Yeah. It’s an easy drive too. Not very far at all,” he said, opening his menu.
“Madisonville, right?” she asked.
“Yep. Just south of town, so it’s even closer.”
She nodded just as the server stepped up to the table. “I’m Cassie. Can I get y’all something to drink?”
“I’ll have sweet tea with lemon,” Dawn announced.
“Just water, thanks,” Kyle said. When she’d gone, he started through the menu again. In seconds, she was back with their drinks, and they both ordered.
As soon as the girl was gone, Dawn gave Kyle an odd smile, one that he found just a little unsettling, although he wasn’t sure why. “So you farm?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“How many acres?”
He was a little surprised. That was something he’d figured they’d talk about in conversation, but she was getting right down to it.
“A little over two thousand. It’s our family farm.
” Dawn had been in the process of taking a sip of tea and when Kyle answered, she seemed to choke.
“You okay?” he asked, a little concerned.
“Yeah, yeah,” she sputtered, then finally managed to get settled down. But he was shocked when she said, “I thought you were a career farmer.”
“I am.”
“With two thousand acres? Are you living in a tent?”
That truly took him aback. “Uh, no. I have a house. It’s two bedrooms, but it’s just my daughter and me, so that’s plenty.”
“Does it have indoor plumbing?” she asked with a snicker.
What the hell? Kyle was dumbstruck. “Well, of course.”
“Sorry. I’m just not used to someone trying to tell me they’re making a living on two thousand acres,” she said in a not-so-sorry tone.
That was an alarming comment. Most farms in the nation were considered large if they were just fifteen hundred acres. It was Kyle’s turn, and he was afraid of the answer to the question he would have to ask. “How many do you farm?”
“Fourteen, give or take a couple,” she answered smugly, then picked up the tea and took another sip.
“Fourteen hundred?”
She laughed loudly. “No! Fourteen thousand!”
Kyle wanted to crawl under the table. Sure, he wasn’t getting rich, but he could pay his bills and have enough left over to have some nice things.
He didn’t buy the most expensive clothes or shoes for himself or Myla, and he didn’t have a new truck, but he kept his equipment in good working condition.
He farmed clean without a lot of waste, and he tried to be as efficient and conservative as he could with what he had.
Plus he had no house payment or debt. Everything he had was his, free and clear.
All he could say was, “I’d farm that many acres if I had them, but I don’t.
” Then something went through his mind. “You farm that by yourself?”
She laughed aloud and Kyle could feel himself blushing when she said, “No. I farm it with my hands. I’ve got several employees.”
His humiliation got a break when the server brought their food. As soon as they’d started to eat, Dawn said, “Dinner tonight’s on me. I can afford it.”
Kyle went from embarrassed to totally pissed off in about two seconds. How dare she imply he couldn’t pay for their meal! “I’m more than capable of paying for our food,” he told her, trying hard to keep his temper in check.
“Yeah, but I can do you a solid. I’m guessing that between paying for meals and finding a sitter, dating has to be hard for you.
” Her voice was as condescending as anything he’d ever heard, and Kyle almost choked on the food.
He didn’t want to be rude, but he also didn’t want to sit there another minute and be talked down to.
They ate in silence until they were almost finished. Out of the blue, Dawn said, “Guys find it intimidating to be around a woman who’s a successful farmer.”
No, guys find it intimidating to be around a woman who talks to them like they’re dirt!
he wanted to bellow, but he didn’t. He’d be polite and kind, at least pay for his own meal if she wouldn’t let him pay for hers, and then he’d be on his way.
Scraping around in his head to find a response, he said, “I’m not easily intimidated.
Someone has to purpose to intimidate me. ”
She chuckled. “Are you intimidated by me?”
Kyle laid his fork down gently and looked up at her. “No, but I have to admit, I’m more than a little offended.”
She laughed. “You mean jealous.”