The next morning, being a Sunday, I sleep in like usual and awake to an empty cabin. Clem has gone on to church repenting of his sins, I think, with a smirk. I pour a cup of coffee that's still luke warm in the kettle. As I'm forcing down a swallow of the black sludge, I hear a commotion outside. It sounds like a vehicle is flying down the dirt road with the horn blaring a staccato of rapid fire honks. I stick my head out the door to see what was going on. A 1950s green Chevy Club Coupe whips into the circle drive in front of the main house and screeches to a stop. After the dust settles, I'm surprised to see that the driver is a female. She's young, close to my age, I'd guess. Her dark chocolate brown hair is pulled into a high ponytail with a yellow ribbon to match her canary yellow sun dress. Wisps of her hair frame her excited face as she jumps out of the driver's seat, yelling, "Daddy! I'm home!"
My heart beats erradically as I watch Mr. Thomas rushes out the door to engulf her in his arms. He swings her around in a circle, and she throws her head back, laughing. Even from this distance, I can see the flush of happiness color her cheeks. "Oh, Daddy, I've missed you so much!" She exclaims as she hugs him tight around the neck and then plants a kiss on his cheek. Arm in arm, they then turn to go into the house. I'm left stunned at this revelation. Mr. Thomas has a daughter? Clem never once mentioned THAT.
Suddenly conscious of my unkempt state, I decided to head to the shower. I take my time deciding to shave the stubble off my face. With a towel slung low on my hips, I exit out the bathroom to get the clothes I have laid out on the bed. I'm drying my hair roughly with a hand towel as I walk across the room when the front door bursts open. Shockingly, I'm face to face with the girl/woman. She's even more beautiful up close. She has large, dark, almond shaped eyes that are open wide in surprise. She takes in my state of undress and is quick to avert her gaze, but her cheeks turn a rosy pink against her fair complexion.
I scramble over to the bed and grab my clothes, using them as a shield to cover my bare chest with one hand while the other holds the towel securely at my waist. "Who are you, and where's Clem?" she demands while darting quick glances my way.
"My name's Mason, and Clem's at church like any other Sunday." Her face dawns with an understanding.
"Oh yeah, I forgot it's Sunday, and he won't be home yet. I was just so anxious to see him," she says, disappointed. An awkward silence falls between us. I clear my throat and say,
"Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to get dressed." Humor lights her eyes as she looks me over head to toe.
"Yes, well, that's a shame," she laughs at my shocked expression, and then just as quickly as she arrives, she is gone. I drop down to sit on the bed, pondering what just happened. Two things are certain: 1) Mr. Thomas' daughter is gorgeous, and 2) she seemed to like what she saw too.
I am sitting at our little wooden table in one of the four chairs tapping my fingers in impatience when Clem walks through the door. "Why didn't you tell me, Mr. Thomas has a daughter?" I demand before the door has time to click shut. Clem stops and looks at me in silence for a split second before saying,
"Good morning to you too." He then shuffles into the kitchen area behind me and starts pulling out the fixings to make a sandwich. I turn slowly in my chair to face him, waiting for an answer to my question. When it becomes apparent he isn't going to say more, I ask again.
"Clem, I know you heard me. Why didn't you mention that Mr. Thomas has a daughter? A gorgeous one at that." The last part comes out mumbled under my breath, but Clem must have heard because finally he does turn to face me.
"So, you noticed that, huh?" he states with a chuckle. I continue to give him a hard stare, losing my patience with him. "Alright, alright. Simmer down before your head pops off." He grabs his plate with the sandwich and comes to sit at the table with me. After he settles himself down in his seat, he looks me in the eye and states, "Honestly, I didn't think it mattered. I wasn't even sure she was gonna come back to the farm at all. She's been away all summer visiting her aunt in Frankfort. I figured once she got the taste of city life, that would be all she wrote." I blow out a long breath as I lean back in my chair.
"Well, she's back, alright. She was here a couple of hours ago looking for you. She seemed pretty disappointed when you weren't here, too." Clem smiles fondly and states,
"Did she now?" He then takes a big bite out of his sandwich.
"I don't understand. Why would the owner's daughter have any interest in seeing you?" I ask, completely flabbergasted. Clem plops the sandwich back down on his plate.
"If I was a lesser man, I'd take offense to that statement."
"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way," I mumble apologetically.
"Didn't I just tell you last night that I have been here on this farm going on fifty years? I've known that girl since she was a baby. You can say I'm like a grandpa to her." The calm of comprehension falls over me. I smile and shake my head slowly.
"All I know is I wish I had a heads up about her."
I was disappointed that Clem showed no inkling of wanting to go to the main house to see her. I had secretly hoped he would offer to properly introduce us. But it was taking every inch of self-control not to be peering out the window every couple of minutes in hope of seeing her while Clem laid sprawled across his cot snoring. His Sunday afternoon nap was another ritual of his. I was never more grateful to see Clem stirring from his slumber, but my expectation was thwarted when Clem ambled into the kitchen and asked,
"How does some red beans and rice sound?" I just nod my head in agreement.
It isn't until well after dinner is ate and the dishes put away that my hopes of seeing her fade away. Clem steps out onto the porch to smoke his bedtime cigarette. As usual, I follow him out to keep him company. We are sitting in the rocking chairs in silence, just taking in the scenery. A layer of fog was rolling in. It looked almost eerie in the light of the full moon. I'm just staring out in the direction toward the main house when I see something. I straighten up in my chair and peer even harder. Slowly, a form of a person takes shape walking thru the mist. But it is not until they step into the light cast from our porch that I'm stunned to see it is her.
"I thought you were going to quit?" She says to Clem accusingly with a hand on her hip.
"Well, I'll be! It's my Beccy, right as rain! I didn't think I'd ever see ya again."
"Well, who else would see to it that you broke that nasty habit of yours? Definitely not Daddy. He's too fond of his pipe, for that matter." She exclaims with a teasing smile. "Here, I got you something." She hops up the couple of steps onto the porch. She moves the arm she has hidden behind her back towards Clem and opens her hand. In her palm is a small but clearly expensive pocket knife.
"Now Beccy, you didn't need to get me anything . . ."
"Oh, nonsense, as soon as I saw it, I thought of you. I remember you complaining about how your old knife couldn't whittle thru butter, so now you can start back with the hobby and maybe get your mind off smoking."
"Good luck," I mumble, and both of them turn to acknowledge me for the first time.
"Beccy, this here's the new work hand, Mason," Clem states. Her large dark eyes hold mine for a moment, and then she simply states,
"Yes, we met." She then quickly returns her attention back to Clem and starts describing her trip. I'm insulted by her quick dismissal of me. Here I've spent all day wanting to be near her, and she obviously could care less. I guess she wasn't all that impressed earlier. Maybe being a work hand means I'm not worth her time. With each thought, my temper kicks up a notch, and the sound of her excited chatter with Clem becomes more than I can take. Suddenly, I stand up, and she stops mid-sentence to turn and look at me as does Clem.
"I'm going to bed," I say gruffly and head to the door.
"Sweet dreams," Clem says with a smirk. I don't reply and just quickly shut the door to block out the vision of her big doe eyes staring after me.
YOU ARE READING
Harvest of Love
RomanceWhen Mason Harper decides it's time to find his place in life, he didn't expect it to be on a tobacco farm bunking with a meddling old man or falling for the farmer's daughter who seems to only want to play with his heart. But things aren't always w...
