Her Heart's Desire (8 page)

She laughed as they strode toward the
barn. “Well, it’s hard to miss a big sod building.” Mentally
chastising herself for saying something so stupid, she added,
“You’ve never been in a barn before, have you?”

“
No.”

“
Then you should be
prepared for the smell.”

“
Smell?”

“
We clean and clean the
stalls, but the horses and cows keep making some not-so-pleasant
smells.”

He nodded. “I see. So you think I
should hold my breath before I go in there?”

“
That’s an option. I
breathed through my mouth for an entire month after we built the
place. After a while, I got used to it, and now I don’t even notice
it anymore. When Ethel Mae came out here, she informed me that I
should warn people about the smell.”

As soon as she said Ethel Mae’s name,
she wondered if that was a good idea, but then she figured he was
out here because of Ethel Mae. Sooner or later, the conversation
would have to be about her friend if she didn’t want him to catch
on to what she was doing.

“
It’s a good thing I came
here after she did then,” he teased.

She grinned. “I didn’t think you joked
around.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Why
not?”

“
I don’t know. I think it’s
because you always seemed serious all the other times I’ve talked
to you.”

“
That’s probably because
I’m nervous around your friend.”

“
Oh, of course.” That was
because he was trying to make a good impression on Ethel Mae in
hopes she’d let him court her. Even though Sally should probably
want him to be equally serious around her since that would mean
he’d want to court her instead, she rather preferred the way he
could relax and tease her. “For what it’s worth, I like your sense
of humor.”

“
Thank you.”

They reached the barn, and she went in
before him. The sun was still bright enough to light the interior,
giving them a good view of the stalls.

He coughed. “I can see why Ethel Mae
told you to warn people about the smell.”

“
Yes. Barns leave a…unique
impression on newcomers. No one ever forgets what it’s like to be
inside one.”

“
I don’t doubt it.” As they
walked through the building, he added, “It’s actually not that bad.
I wouldn’t want to spend my life working in here, but it’s not as
horrible as you made it sound.”

“
Really?”

“
I thought I’d be
fainting.”

For a moment she thought he was
serious and couldn’t imagine why a man might faint, but then she
caught the sparkle in his eye and playfully swatted his arm. “Why,
you!” She giggled. “It’s a good thing you wouldn’t really faint
because I wouldn’t be able to drag you on out of here. You’re way
too heavy.”

“
You’d be fine. A farm girl
like you is smart. Just hitch me up to a horse and pull me
out.”

“
Yes, I suppose I could do
that.”

“
Exactly. It’d be no effort
at all.”

“
I’d still rather not do
it. My brothers might see the horse dragging you on out of here and
accuse me of boring you to death,” she teased.

“
I hardly doubt you’d bore
anyone to death.”

Pleased by his compliment, she
motioned to the horses. “We have four of them, one for each brother
and our pa.”

“
Don’t you have four
brothers?”

“
Yes, but he lives in town
and doesn’t own a horse. He can ride one, but he’d rather not.
Since we grew up in a crowded city, we were used to walking
wherever we needed to go.”

He nodded as she led him to the horses
and picked up a sugar cube from a nearby sack to feed it. “I know
how that is. I’m used to being in a big area, too. I can see the
appeal of the open land, as your father talks about it, but seeing
all of this makes me happier I became a judge instead of a
farmer.”

“
I don’t blame you. It’s a
lot of work, and the smell isn’t for everyone.”

He laughed, a sound she enjoyed, and
knowing she was the one who made the joke that caused the laugh
made her pulse race with excitement. Perhaps this meant he found
her likable and would start thinking of her in a more romantic
light.

She took a couple more sugar cubes
from the sack and handed one to him. “Want to give one to a
horse?”

“
I don’t think
so.”

“
Why not?” She fed another
horse one of the cubes.

“
I’m not used to
them.”

“
Well, this is a good
chance to do that,” she suggested.

“
Maybe next
time.”

Her ears perked up. Next
time?

Clearing his throat, he added, “I’m
bound to run into one in town at some point, right?”

Disappointed, she fed the other two
horses their sugar cubes and avoided eye contact with him in case
he detected how much she was hoping he meant he’d be coming out
here again. Of course, he wouldn’t. At least, he wouldn’t be
planning it. Patting the last horse with affection, she smiled at
Rick. “You ready to see the chicken coop?”

He stepped back from the horses.
“Sure.”

As they headed for the entrance, Tom
ran into the barn. “Don’t tell Joel where I’m at,” he called out as
he climbed the ladder that went to the loft.

She sighed and shot Rick a “see what I
mean about my brothers?” look. He chuckled as Tom reached the top
of the loft and hid behind a large trunk.

A second later, Joel ran into the
barn, his face red in what Sally recognized was frustration from
losing whatever fight he and Tom were having. Joel turned to Sally
and Rick. “Where’s Tom?”

Rick shrugged. “I don’t
know.”

Surprised Rick chose to play along
with whatever foolery Tom was partaking in, Sally added, “I’m sure
you’ll find him.”

Grunting, Joel threw his hat on the
barn floor. “He came in here. I saw him, and you two know where he
went.”

Sally shook her head. “Maybe this will
teach you to stop running off with Tom’s things.” Even as she said
it, she doubted it would stop Joel from doing such a thing. Her two
brothers had way too much fun messing with each other to quit their
antics, no matter how much they pretended to be upset with the
other one. “Anyway, I promised to show Rick the chicken coop, so we
have to go.”

“
Oh sure,” Joel called out
as they left the barn, “I remember how important it was for you to
get some time alone with Rick so you could show him how much he’ll
want you—”

“
Did your hat land on some
manure?” she interrupted before he could finish his
sentence.

Gasping, he picked it up and examined
it. “No.”

“
Hmm… I hope it doesn’t in
the future then.”

Seeming to understand her threat, he
plopped the hat on his head and resumed his search for
Tom.

Satisfied she’d shut him up, she
turned to Rick and laughed. “What did I tell you? My brothers love
to interfere with my life.”

As they walked to the chicken coop,
Rick looked at her. “What was that Joel was saying about you
wanting me to do something?”

Deciding to avoid the potentially
embarrassing admission that she wanted him to marry her, she
laughed and motioned to the coop which was close to the barn. “I
wanted you to tell me what you thought of my family, but I can see
how they’re acting. You’ll have some good stories to tell Ethel Mae
when you see her.” There. That should stop him from assuming she
wanted him to marry her.

“
They’re not that bad,
Sally. I can see why they bother you, but they’re just having
fun.”

“
Really? They don’t make
you want to run for town so you’ll never have to see them again?”
That’s how she often felt when Tom and Joel were chasing each other
around the property.

“
No. They’re just being
boys. They’ll grow out of it.”

“
I doubt that.”

“
You do?”

“
Yes. I think they’ll be
grown men with families of their own and still find a way to goof
off. I don’t think they’ll be able to help themselves. But enough
about them. This is the chicken coop.” She motioned to it, but her
attention went to the barn when she heard Tom’s loud laughter as
Joel yelled in frustration. She rolled her eyes but made sure to
smile when Rick looked back at her. “If you want to go back to the
porch, you can get a good view of the land.”

“
Sure, but I was wondering
about something. It has to do with the barn.”

She hid her grimace. He knew she lied
about what Joel was referring to. She just knew it! And now he was
going to expose the real reason she wanted him to be out here, and
he’d know this whole time, she never intended to help him end up
with Ethel Mae. Forcing her voice to remain chipper, she asked,
“What is it?”

“
Well, I notice your house
and the coop are made from wood. Why is the barn made of
sod?”

It took her a moment to realize he
wasn’t going to accuse her of lying to him about helping him get
Ethel Mae. Relaxing, she pressed her hand on her stomach, which was
already a jumble of nerves just from being near him, and said, “Oh,
that. We couldn’t afford enough lumber for the house and barn, but
we had enough for the house and the coop. My mother hates sod
houses.”

“
I can’t say that I blame
her.”

“
Me neither.”

“
Is there anything else I
should see?”

She glanced around the yard that led
to the fields and shrugged. “There’s nothing as exciting as what
you already saw, but if you want to get a good view of the land,
the porch is a good place to be.”

“
I got a good view of the
land as I rode in. I can appreciate the peace and quiet you enjoy
out here—”

From the barn, someone yelled and
someone else laughed in time for her father to come out of the
house and shake his head. “Just as I thought,” he said as he strode
toward the barn. “They aren’t doing any work.” He stopped in front
of Rick and shook his hand. “It was a pleasure to meet
you.”

“
Likewise, sir,” Rick
replied.

Joel darted from the barn but then
spun around to face it. “You’ll never get the best of me, Tom! You
might be older, but I’m smarter.”

As he spun back on his heels to get
ready to run toward the house, his father crossed his arms and
glared at him. “What are you doing, Joel?”

“
Uh…” Joel glanced around.
“I was looking for a rake to clean out the stalls.”

“
Outside the
barn?”

“
I didn’t see any in
there.”

“
Take another
look.”

His cheeks pink, Joel nodded and
rushed back inside where Tom laughed at him.

“
Don’t be a stranger,
Rick,” her father said with a smile before he headed for the
barn.

When her father was out of hearing
distance, Sally asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to see the land
from the porch? The sunset makes it look even better, and there’s
no better place to see it than from the porch swing.”

“
I have to return this
horse and buggy to the owner.” As Rick turned to go to the buggy,
she walked with him. “Thank you for supper and the tour. I enjoyed
both.”

Though she was disappointed, she
smiled. “Now when you see Ethel Mae, you can tell her all about
it.”

He untied the reins to the horse and
hopped into the buggy. “I’ll pay Ethel Mae a visit this week. I
think I should do that before I see you again, just to see how the
plan is working. Will you be in town soon or will you be busy out
here? You mentioned planting will start, and I don’t want to
intrude if you’re busy.”

Deciding it wouldn’t do good to appear
too eager to see him since he wasn’t showing a romantic interest in
her yet, she said, “I will be busy, especially with helping my
mother in the kitchen so we can feed my father and
brothers.”

“
I suppose they don’t take
Saturday and Sunday off like I do.”

“
No, I’m afraid they work
all day from sunup to sundown.”

“
Can I come out next
Saturday? Maybe around a time when it’s not so busy?”

“
If you want to do that, I
suggest around three. That’ll be after lunch.”

“
Alright. I’ll be out here
then, and I’ll let you know how things go with Ethel
Mae.”

Well, at least she’d be seeing him
again, and if she played her cards right, she’d be on the porch
swing so he’d have to sit with her. She made a mental note to find
another place for the two rocking chairs on the porch so he’d have
nowhere else to sit. “I’ll expect you then.” Even though she nearly
choked on the words, she added, “And good luck with Ethel
Mae.”

“
Thank you.”

He released the brake, and she waved
as he led the horse toward the dirt road that would take him to
town. Patience. She just needed to be patient. Rick would be coming
out here again, and that was a step in the right direction. The
more he came out here to see her and the less he went to see Ethel
Mae, the better. But it wouldn’t happen right away. After all, Rome
wasn’t built in a day. Comforted by this reasoning, she returned to
the house to see if there was anything she needed to
clean.