Red Dead Revelation I: A Good Thing (ArthurXEliza)

Chapter Twenty-One: The Handyman and a Revolver

It wasn't long before Mr. Summers appeared again. He was tentative, weary that she might drive him away, but she didn't. Instead, she put him to work. She had to give him something to do, but she didn't want him to take over her homestead. It is her home. In the past three days, she has learned that he is a traveling man–going from place to place, finding work helping strangers. He's 27, so not much older than her, not that it matters.

Today, Eliza has put him to the task of repairing one of the barn doors. The winds from the winter storms have finally worn it down. While he works, Eliza keeps to herself, tending to the animals and her garden. She has hesitated to go back to the hotel and work; she still doesn't trust Mr. Summers. She finds this ironic, as the whole purpose was for her to work longer hours in town.

Isaac sticks close to Eliza and watches the stranger like a hawk. As she works to tending the tomato plants, Eliza feels a tug on her skirt. She looks to her left and sees Isaac standing there.

"Yes, my love?"

Isaac lowers his voice. "What if Daddy comes?"

Eliza's smile falls. That is a good question. What if he comes? That question means many different things, and she only hopes that they don't ever find out.

Still, she attempts to reassure her son. "Well, Mr. Summers is only here for two months. Then it will be the end of the summer, and things will go back to the way they were."

Isaac looks away, watching Mr. Summers cutting wood with a saw.

She isn't sure if he believes her, but she doesn't blame him. She can hardly reassure herself.

***

It's been a couple of weeks, and I'm getting the feeling that Mr. Summers is sweet on me. He tries to find reasons to linger after a job is done. He keeps trying to engage Isaac—like other men have. I don't know if he picks up on it or not, but Isaac seems disinterested.

Good boy.

Only three more weeks and he'll be out of town and away from here.

***

Mr. Summers chops the last piece of wood and wipes his brow. In the two months that he has helped the widowed Mrs. Bloom, he has built a wood and wire fence surrounding her garden to keep pests away, repaired a barn door, chopped wood, and cleared the old wheat field that grows on its own every year. He always has appreciated the work, even though he hardly has anything to do this time around.

But he gets to see Eliza every day. He has tried to get her to warm up to him. When Dr. Tate said he'd be helping a widow, it sounded like he'd be helping an old, lonely woman do odds and ends. But she was young, beautiful, and had an amazing kid. He felt himself drawn to her and was not deterred by her standoffish demeanor. He just needed to reach her heart.

But he has run out of time. Today is the last day of the contract. He is hoping that MRs. Bloom would be so impressed with his work and see how he was with her son, that she would extend the contract. The day is halfway gone, and she hasn't said anything.

Eliza is impressed with his work, that much is true, but she doesn't want him to stay any longer than he has to. Still, she wanted to thank him.

She harvested plenty of potatoes from her garden. After plucking a chicken, she has been letting it roast with herbs for almost an hour. Potatoes are boiling in a large pot.

After ensuring the potatoes won't boil over, she steps outside. Isaac watches her go and reopens the front door. He sees her walk over to Mr. Summers is stacking the wood that she just chopped.