Chapter 34
“For you.” Tanner steps onto the shady front porch and hands me a cup of coffee. Under his other arm and propped against his hip is the basket of our now clean, damp clothes and it is obscenely provocative.
He steps over to the clothesline off the far side of the porch and hangs our clothes. His shirts, my panties, his jeans, my dress, his socks, his boxers. It’s another image I commit to memory. Both him hanging the clothes, and our clothes themselves on the line together.
I sit in the rocking chair in his flannel and sip my coffee, breath the morning air, and listen to the sheep and chickens rustle around. The late July heat is growing more humid and thick, but I’ll happily sweat in his flannel for this view.
Before I can beg him to come over so I can sit on his lap, the sound of tires on gravel mutes me.
Rhett’s truck appears up the drive, followed by Tanner’s behind it with Lauren at the wheel.
They park and jump out of their respective trucks and smile at me as they approach, then at each other, then at Tanner and then at me again.
“Have you gotten the eggs yet this morning?” Rhett asks Tanner, fighting a shit eating grin.
Tanner simply tips his head for Rhett to follow him to the coop.
“Holy shit,” Lauren says, strolling over.
“Language,” I scold as if Winnie were around to hear her.
“Hannah. You’re wearing his clothes, sitting in his chair on his porch. Don’t tell me you just showed up this morning. And wait.” She pauses. “You’ve been here all weekend haven’t you?”
“Lauren.”
“Does this mean you’re staying, staying?”
“For now,” I tell her and she nearly squeals. “You two just showed up this early to drop off his truck?”
She shrugs. “Tanner hasn’t come back for his beloved ugly green truck. Also, it’s been two nights. So, we checked your place first, but neither of you were there, so this was our second stop.”
“You’re both ridiculous.”
“And you’re smitten.” She shakes her head. “Look at you. Where are your clothes anyway?”
I nod over at the clothesline.
“I had a feeling that dress would land you in a situation like this.”
“Oh my God, I am going to put a tracker on you and make sure you never know where I am ever again.”
“Was it good?” she asks in a terrible hushed tone. “Like did you just do it last night? Or at your—”
I pull in my lips and shake my head. “Absolutely not. I am not telling you.”
“Please, please, please,” she begs as the guys begin to walk back up to us. “Just like scratch your head if it was good and scratch with your right hand if it was a lot of times.”
“You’re insane,” I tell her, but it’s only halfhearted.
“For your troubles.” Tanner drops a few eggs right into Lauren’s hands.
“No carton?” she asks and he shakes his head.
“A phone call would have warranted a carton. Showing up unannounced is a no carton situation.”
“We did call,” Rhett says. “We’ve called you twice this morning and a couple times last night. But you’ve been occupied. I get it, those Dorada girls are something else.” He shakes his head with his own devilish smirk and now it’s Lauren’s turn to flush.
“Okay. We’re going.” Lauren stands. “Love you both. Be safe. Use protection. Or don’t! Our babies can be close in age!”
Rhett all but forces her into the truck, and just before she gets in, I scratch my head with my right hand and Lauren’s jaw drops.
How many? she mouths.
“More than my soccer number,” I call out to her, and the boys exchange a confused glance.
“Holy. Shit.” She shakes her head and climbs into the passenger seat.
“What was your soccer number? And why did you say that?” Tanner asks.
“Eight. My soccer number was eight.” I smile and wave Rhett and a jaw-dropped Lauren away.
Tanner sits in the rocking chair and lets out a dramatic sigh.
“Okay, old man.”
“Hey, I am getting old.” He shrugs.
“I’m older than you,” I point out. “By a few years too.”
“What can I say. I like ‘em older.” He pats his thigh for me to sit.
“I really think you should open this place up.” I crawl into his lap, letting his arms wrap around me. “It’s so beautiful and you’re so proud of it. You could make a good living off this. I mean unless you don’t want people by your house.”
He shakes his head. “No, I love the idea. I just don’t know if anyone else will. I’ve thought about it before, but I don’t know. It’s a big risk.”
“Yeah, well. Sometimes you just need to take the risk,” I tell him and his eyes drift back from his land to me. “What was your dream job as a kid?”
“Farmer,” he says. “We lived on that big farm, and I couldn’t believe my parents didn’t run it like one. I pictured myself buying it off them and fixing it all up and making it an actual farm.”
“The house they have now?”
“Yeah. I’d love to buy it one day. But Dollie gave me this land for next to nothing. I couldn’t pass it up.”
“What a lady.” I shake my head.
“Speaking of. I should take her some eggs, are you coming with?”
“My dress is still wet,” I point out but he shrugs.
“Mayben has clothes in the spare closet.”
“You’re just now telling me?”
“I’d much rather have you in my clothes than hers. I mean you’re welcome to come wearing just that.”
“No sir.” I stand from his lap and help him up.
I slip on a pair of Mayben’s shorts that are a bit too small, a tank top, and without a bra, I decide to keep Tanner’s flannel on top. This way, Ms. Dollie doesn’t have to completely question my character and so Tanner keeps his eyes on the road.
“Damn.” He shakes his head as I come down the stairs.
He reaches for the button of the shorts when I am two steps from the bottom, but I swat his hands away. “Eggs for Dollie. Stay focused.”
“Oh, come on. Really quick.” He tugs me into him, kissing me as he continues to tug at the button. With the wobble of my knees, I almost give in.
“Nope. Not working,” I lie, buttoning the shorts back up. “Come on.”
I make it to the coffee pot before he has me up on the counter with his teeth on my neck. We don’t make it to Dollie’s until late afternoon.
We take two ceramic mugs full of reheated coffee in the car with us, which I almost regret when we hit the bumpy dirt road, but we pull up to Dollie’s house without major incident. Dollie is out front on her porch and the look of understanding at the sight of me brings a smile to her face.
“Well good afternoon you two.” She waves at us. “What brings you down to me?”
“Eggs.” Tanner holds up a carton. “Wanted to bring some by.”
“Oh, you are too sweet. Come in, come in. Bring your coffee and come sit with me.” She insists and hobbles to her door.
“Oh Ms. Dollie, we shouldn’t—” Tanner begins to say as I drag him along.
“We would love to,” I tell her.
Her home is neat and tidy and looks like it has been decorated the same way for decades.
The couch is short and has a plastic cover.
Her oversized recliner sits facing the T.V.
as QVC plays. There are framed quotes covering every inch of the walls, some are bible verses, some are about family, some are cross-stitched.
The kitchen cabinets and flooring look original and outdated but lightly used.
I let my eyes linger over to the little hutch up against the wall. It’s too formal for the room, but it suits the space. There are white doilies under picture frames with faces I don’t know. Happy people, grumpy children, long limbed teenagers. But there’s one in the back that catches my eye.
“How’s the apartment treating you?” Dollie asks and I spin around like I got caught doing something I shouldn’t have. Or seeing something I shouldn’t have.
“It’s wonderful,” I chirp. “And actually, I was wondering if it is available for a couple months in the fall too. I’m thinking of extending my trip.”
She flicks her eyes over at Tanner then back to me, and smiles. “It’s all yours if you want it.”
“You have to let me pay you rent. I have money, plenty of it—”
“So do I.” She shakes her head. “It’s sitting empty otherwise and it means more to me that it’s being used than sitting empty. Here, let’s sit at the table. Tell me, how are those sheep doing?”
Tanner laughs. “Well, that farm vet guy came out and said everything is looking good. He thinks there’s only one lamb.”
“I called Colleen and told her, and she said she had no idea it was a male. They were both rescues and she paid someone else to shear them, so she never got close enough to know better,” Dollie tells us. “She has a cow she’s looking to re-home as well if you’re interested.”
“Oh yes!” I say so quickly it almost startles Tanner.
“Yes?” he laughs. “Are you signing me up to get a cow?”
“Why not? We could make butter and sell it and then you could really start your business.”
“Colleen actually already reached out,” he admits. “And I told her we’ll take the cow. There’s a little pasture spot where it can go once I mend the fence.”
“And you didn’t tell me yet?” I press.
“I was going to surprise you and Winnie with it once she got back.” He rubs the back of his neck, almost looking shy. “I already bought a big bow to put on her for you guys.”
The landline begins to ring making Dollie stand and shuffle to the wall mounted receiver. My eyes drift back over to the hutch.
“That picture over there,” I whisper to Tanner. “The pink frame in the back. It looks like the one of you and your father. Not Daniel. Richard.”
Tanner’s eyebrows scrunch together as he looks over his shoulder. And he must spot it because he stands and picks it up but doesn’t move for a long moment.
“Sorry, that was just one of those survey callers.” Dollie shakes her head as she returns, but she comes to a halt at the sight of Tanner holding the framed photo.
“Dollie.” His voice is almost an echo as he turns the frame to her. “This is my father.”
She doesn’t say anything. She just stands there, hands clasped together, and her deep-set eyes now look on the verge of tears.
“Dollie?” Tanner’s voice is questioning and fragile, and I want to do something. Say something. But neither Dollie or I do. “Why do you have a Mother’s Day frame with a picture of you and my father in it?”