CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The days and nights turned into another week. One more week of backbreaking farm work. One more week of bringing smiles to the Wheelers’ faces. One more week of having more fun than Henry thought possible.
Who could have thought taking on the responsibilities of this farm and this family could make him…
Not happy, Henry thought, panicked. He was not a responsible kind of guy, but he took satisfaction in knowing he hadn’t screwed up too badly.
Yet.
Henry stood on the bank of the river with Elisabeth, where water for the irrigation system was drawn. The Willamette Valley skies had darkened to an ominous gray, and rain fell. The weather matched the storm raging inside him.
The line between Henry the fairy godfather and Henry the man blurred.
He wanted to blame Elisabeth, but she couldn’t help being so open and honest and nurturing.
Not to mention beautiful. He’d had the urge to kiss her so badly the night they’d danced beneath the stars in the front yard.
But he’d been trying to fulfill her wish, not his own.
Henry had to remind himself of that whenever they were alone.
Like now. He tried keeping their interactions light, friendly, and completely nonphysical.
No touching, no swinging on the porch together, nothing to put himself near her.
It hadn’t been easy, not when he thought about her each night before bed and every morning when he woke up.
He also felt himself growing attached to the kids. Sam, Abby, and Caitlin had become happy, delightful children who were a pleasure to be around. Laughter had become as contagious as smiles this past week as they made Halloween costumes. That was exactly what Henry had hoped to accomplish.
But there was a problem.
He was beginning to want to be a Wheeler himself.
He no longer minded living on the farm. Sleeping in was a luxury he could live without.
Eating out wasn’t as good as staying in for a home-cooked meal.
Using his credit card wasn’t as rewarding as spending hard-earned cash.
He didn’t even miss champagne all that much.
Though he still hated having to clean up after himself.
It didn’t take an IQ the size of Abby’s to realize he was in over his head—way over and about to drown if he wasn’t careful. Leaving the farm was the best option, but Manny hadn’t returned yet. Henry couldn’t leave Elisabeth and the kids alone.
He wasn’t about to shirk his responsibility.
This was the one time he wouldn’t pack up and hop on his private jet as usual.
Down at the river, Elisabeth pointed out the irrigation equipment they needed to pull out.
“I can’t believe I didn’t remove the irrigation pump before Manny left.
But we need to do it today. See the electrical wiring up there?
A heavy rain could cause the water to swell, which would ruin the electrical system, and we’d need to replace it. ”
That would cost money they didn’t have, and it was already raining hard. They’d better get to work. Henry adjusted his gloves.
The Wheelers were barely scraping by. He didn’t see any way for Elisabeth’s life to improve if she continued with the berry farm.
Farming was a lose-lose situation, with prices set for harvests, payments from canneries spread out over months, and intense competition from foreign produce importers.
The fact he’d learned that stuff in the past couple of weeks blew him away as did watching Elisabeth refuse to give up despite the odds.
Not even money would help make a difference.
Sure, money would make the family more comfortable and less dependent on the land, but nothing would change the weather or the crop yields or the other uncertainties she faced every single day working on the farm.
There was no control. No stability. Only responsibility.
He hated that and wanted no part of it. But he had to help Elisabeth. He couldn’t let her down.
She placed a pair of hip waders on the tractor. “Ready?”
Staring at the mucky water, he nodded. “I’ll go in the water.” Better him than her.
She drew her brows together. “Are you sure?”
No.
“Yes,” he said, but she didn’t look convinced. “You’re better with the tractor.”
“Not by much.” She grinned. “You’ve really caught on.”
Henry wished her compliment didn’t mean so much to him. “Thanks. I had a good teacher.”
Lately, everything Elisabeth said or did seemed important. Too important.
That was because she was his friend. But would a friend’s opinion matter so much?
Knowing this wasn’t the time to ponder that question, he snatched the hip waders and shoved his feet into them.
She handed him a screwdriver. “Use this to pry open the foot valve on the suction pipe. Make sure the valve is in the down position. Once the water drains, we can pull out the pipe. Any questions?”
About a million. He gripped the screwdriver. “None.”
“Be careful.”
He was more afraid of disappointing her than of the water.
With a nod, Henry waded to the center of the lake.
He held the screwdriver in his teeth and lifted the pipe.
It was heavier than he thought it would be.
He struggled to get a good grip. It was wet and slimy and kept slipping.
Using the screwdriver, he pried the valve open.
Warm stinky water burst out, a poor man’s version of Old Faithful, right onto his face.
It tasted worse than it smelled. He clamped his mouth closed and squeezed his eyes shut.
Make sure the valve is in the down position.
He’d forgotten. At least the water was draining. Goal accomplished. So what if he got blasted in the face? He’d gotten the job done. A satisfied feeling settled in the center of his chest. A feeling he’d only found working on the farm. He hoped he could take it with him when he left.
“Are you okay?” Elisabeth shouted.
He nodded and hoped she could see him.
She attached the pipe to the tractor, hopped into the seat, and started the engine. As the tractor moved forward on the wet ground, it heaved and slid toward the water.
It was going to roll.
Adrenaline surged. Henry took a step toward the shore but couldn’t move farther because of the suction pipe in his hands. If he let go, it could seal the fate of the tractor and…
“Elisabeth.”
Fear clawed at him. He’d never felt so useless, so helpless in his life. If she got hurt, it would be his fault. The drizzle turned into a downpour. Rain bombarded him and blurred the sight in front of him.
The engine revved, then almost stalled, but she didn’t give up.
“You can do it,” he yelled.
The water level rose, inch by inch. The continuous revving of the tractor engine prevented it from slipping again and rolling. Kept it from killing them.
A louder roar erupted when the tractor lurched forward and pulled the pipe. Henry waded to shore with it, flashed her a thumbs-up, and returned to the irrigation equipment. They weren’t finished yet. But the rest of the equipment came out easier.
As Elisabeth jumped out of the tractor, Henry climbed the muddy bank toward her. “You did it,” he said.
A smile erupted on her face. “We did it.”
Pride shot through him.
Elisabeth made her way to him. Her clothes were drenched and clinging to her.
Her gaze met his. Only falling rain and wet clothing separated them.
Henry took her into his arms, the way he’d been dreaming of doing for days, and kissed her. Long and hard. They were wet and muddy and sweaty. She’d never tasted so warm, so sweet.
He shouldn’t be kissing her. Logically, that might be true, but only his mind told him to stop. His heart wanted to kiss her forever.
Forever?
No, for right now.
Elisabeth kissed him back with the same enthusiasm as she did everything else.
Holding her in his arms and kissing her was the best thing he’d done in a long while.
Well, at least since he’d first kissed her.
But this…this was better than that kiss.
Everything about Elisabeth kept getting better.
He wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to spend every minute with her.
He wanted to keep kissing her like this. He loved it.
Loved…
Henry tore his mouth away and stepped back. Elisabeth’s flushed cheeks and swollen lips made him want to kiss her again and again. He stared into her eyes, eyes filled with desire and longing for him. She was perfect in every sense of the word.
The rain continued to fall on them. Drops ran down her face, resembling tears.
Reality came crashing back.
Henry wasn’t looking for perfect. He wasn’t looking for forever. He wasn’t even looking for right now.
But if he were, he’d found it at the berry farm.
* * *
The following day, Elisabeth dragged herself out of the Suburban.
Two shifts at the bistro had worn her out.
She wanted to shower and go to bed, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Henry had picked up the kids from school and watched them for her.
She appreciated his help, but she had no doubt that total chaos would await her inside.
Standing with her hand on the back doorknob, she tried to muster an extra ounce of energy. Her night was only beginning. She would have to clean up the kitchen, straighten up the living room, stick a load of laundry in, and…
Her shoulders slumped. She didn’t want to think about everything she needed to do.
She opened the door and stepped inside. No food spills on the sparkling linoleum. No dishes on the gleaming countertops. Nothing out of place. The empty sink shone. Even the dish towels looked freshly washed.
This looked like her kitchen. No, this was cleaner than her kitchen.
She saw some clutter on the table. Thank goodness, or she would have thought she’d been transported to the twilight zone. A second glance showed her it wasn’t a mess but decorations. A sign reading Happy Unbirthday, Elisabeth sat next to a very small pink-iced cake.
She placed her purse and jacket on a chair and walked into the living room. It was clean, too. All the toys had been picked up and books straightened. Sam sat on the couch. The television wasn’t on, but music played from the old CD player in the corner.
He glanced up from the book on his lap and smiled. A smile? “Hi, Sis.”
“Hey.” She didn’t know what else to say. “What are you reading?”
“Some stupid book.”
“And you’re reading it because…”
“Homework. I have to.”
Except he didn’t read. Not all his assignments, anyway. It was a constant complaint from his teachers that a boy as bright as Sam didn’t always try.
“Oh, well, that’s good,” she said, trying not to show her surprise.
“Actually, it’s not that bad.” He twisted the book so she could read the title on the cover. The Phantom Tollbooth. “Henry said he read it when he was my age.”
Henry. Of course.
“You had to work longer, so you missed the party,” Sam said, changing the subject.
“I saw,” she said. “Did you have fun?”
Sam shrugged. “It was okay. Abby and Caitlin had fun. We saved you a cake.”
“Thank you.”
“It was Henry’s idea.”
Elisabeth had figured that out. Everything good that happened around here turned out to be Henry’s idea. She smiled.
“He’s cool,” Sam said. “I hope he sticks around.”
Me, too. And that concerned her. They were all too attached to Henry. Elisabeth sighed. “Where are Henry and the girls?”
“Upstairs.” Sam returned to his book. Homework, she corrected.
She heard a male voice coming from her room. She peeked in. Caitlin lay on the queen-size bed while Abby and Henry sat on the edge, reading.
“And the prince kissed the princess. The two moved to his castle on the hill and lived happily ever after. The end.”
Henry closed the book and placed it on the nightstand. He tucked the blankets around Caitlin and kissed her forehead. “Good night, princess.”
Caitlin giggled. “Good night, fairy daddy.”
Holding her breath, Elisabeth waited for Henry to say something. He didn’t. He merely ruffled Caitlin’s curls.
Elisabeth exhaled slowly. Henry was such a natural with children. No doubt about it, he was definite father material. Surely, he could feel it. No one could pretend the kind of affection he showed the kids.
Thanks to him, her brother and sisters had become happy children. The way they’d been before their parents’ deaths. Henry had taught them, and her, how to laugh and live again. And Elisabeth knew then what she had been fighting all along—she was falling for him.
Who was she kidding? She’d fallen, headfirst, and was sinking deeper.
She loved Henry.
Elisabeth never thought she could feel this way about anyone, not after Toby. She hadn’t wanted it to happen. She hadn’t been looking for love but found it with Henry.
He made everything in her life seem brighter. Better. He showed her how much she had been missing out on by keeping herself closed off. He’d unlocked her heart and her soul.
So many changes. Good changes.
She didn’t know what the future held, but she knew she didn’t want to return to how things had been before Henry came to the farm. She couldn’t, and neither could the kids.
He placed his arm around Abby. “Let’s practice world capitals before your bedtime.”
“I know them all.”
“But I don’t.”
Elisabeth moved out of the doorway and waited for them in the hall. Waited and hoped. Perhaps he would want her and the kids. They deserved to be happy as much as anyone else.
Henry greeted her with a smile. “You’re home.”
Elisabeth nodded. “To a clean house. How did that happen?”
“We helped Henry,” Abby said. “He didn’t think you should come home to chores.”
“Thanks.”
“And we had a party like they had in Alice in Wonderland.” Her eyes twinkled with excitement. “Did you see your unbirthday cake?”
“I did,” Elisabeth said. “I like the pink icing.”
“That was my idea. And Caitlin’s.” Abby grinned. “We used my Easy-Bake Oven to cook them.”
“I had Sam standing by with a fire extinguisher just in case,” Henry joked.
Elisabeth laughed.
“Oh, and Manny called,” Abby said, heading into her bedroom.
“Manny said his mother is doing better,” Henry said.
“That’s great.” Elisabeth was happy for Manny and his family but also confused at the mixed emotions churning inside her. She was relieved to finally hear the news she’d been waiting for and guilty for hoping he would stay away longer. “Did he say anything else?”
“Manny will be back next week.”
Next week?
That was so soon. For her and the kids and Henry… What would he do? She started to ask but stopped herself. The answer was written in his eyes.
Henry hadn’t said the words, but she had no doubt he would be leaving the farm. Just as she knew he would but had hoped with all her heart that he wouldn’t.