Cowboy, Stay with Me

Chapter Thirty-Two: Country Living

It was unseasonably warm that spring and the crops were all ripening much faster than they ought. A surplus of corn needed to be harvested, months ahead of schedule.

Normally a crisis like this would cause a real inconvenience in the community indeed, but Flora Davenport was on the city Board of Directors and it was her savvy thinking that saved the day.

Instead of lamenting the loss of the corn, she proposed that they host a festival to celebrate the early harvest.

It was Flora's suggestion that they hold a corn shucking festival like they used to in the olden days. The door charge was to help make back some of the profit that the farmers had lost.

It took everyone pitching in, but the community wholly supported the idea and soon the event had evolved into something much bigger than a mere corn shucking festival.

Held at the local fairgrounds, the festival now included a full potluck complete with chili competitions and eating competitions, as well as a myriad of animal showings such as the largest county hog competition.

Lucy threw herself gladly into helping her grandmother and sisters organize the event, eager to keep herself distracted. As elated as she was by the news that she was carrying twins, it was significantly dampened by Sean's continued absence from her life.

It was just one of those things that she was going to have to learn to accept, she kept sternly telling herself.

"Lucille? Honey, you okay?" Grandma Flora lightly touched her arm and she flinched.

"What? Yeah, Grandma, I'm okay. I was just thinking what an amazing job you've done! Everyone's really enjoying the festival."

Her grandma gave her a look that told her that she knew better than to believe her. "Everyone except you, that is." She pointed out in her dependable blunt way.

"That's not true!" Lucy protested, looking over at the stage as the next local band began to play a rollicking bluegrass song that soon had couples crowding the dance floor.

Outside, hay wagon rides were being given to loads of children, as well as a plethora of other yard games.

"You need some fun in your life." Her grandmother announced and firmly steered her over to the corn shucking circle. "Go, I insist you participate! You helped make this event happen, now your job is to enjoy it."

"No, Grandma, I couldn't possibly-" Lucy blushed when she saw that Jake was sitting in the circle, laughing with Damaris as they shucked corn together.

Lucy found herself sitting in a seat on the other side of the massive corn pile from Jake, so things weren't so bad, she supposed.

They could certainly be worse.

Shucking corn was oddly therapeutic and Lucy soon found herself having a good time as she chatted with the woman sitting next to her. Susan was single and Lucy couldn't help but notice how she kept shooting furtive glances Jake's way.

Jake didn't seem to notice, however, he was too busy shooting his own furtive looks at Lucy.

###

An hour or so had passed and a dent had barely even been made in the huge corn pile.

Amanda stopped by to sit in the free seat on Lucy's other side to chat for a bit.

"Amanda, you're a married woman!" Lucy teased her as her sister picked up an ear of corn and began peeling back the fuzzy green husk. "This was how the corn shucking festival got banned in the first place; married people shouldn't be allowed to play!"

Amanda rolled her eyes. "I'll just donate my kiss to you, don't worry."

Lucy pulled a face at her sister, dropping her regular corn cob into a bin off to the side. The corn was to be prepared and cooked at the big feast later that night. What couldn't be eaten would be packaged and sold at market; this all due to Flora's coordination and imagination.

Amanda would gasp dramatically each time she wrenched back a husk to reveal the kernels within, making Lucy giggle.

They were looking for a wild corn; the one who shucked a tri-colored ear of corn won the right to kiss anyone in the shucking circle.

"Maybe there is no wild corn this time and Grandma's just tricking us into shucking all this corn for her!" Lucy whispered to Amanda and Susan and they all shared a laugh.

It was nice to just have a relaxed family event, Lucy pointed out to herself. No Sean stress, no drama...

"Oh no!" Amanda suddenly leaned against her to whisper directly in her ear. "Don't look now, but You-Know-Who just walked in!"

###

Of course Lucy had to look.

And there he was, in the flesh, looking as handsome as ever in a crisp white shirt and jeans with boots.

She caught the scent of his aftershave from across the indoor stadium. She could sense his presence searing her skin even with the all the space that separated them.

He was her man and instantly all of the atoms in her body ached and called out for him now that he was near.

She needed him, in all the ways a woman can need a man.

"Sean." His name murmured thoughtlessly off her lips, but it was as if he heard her, in some impossible way.

He turned and met her eyes from across the room.

Lucy sucked in a breath sharply.

She couldn't believe he was here! He had some nerve, showing his face at a time like this.

"Lucy?" Amanda questioned with poorly veiled concern. "I'm sure everyone would understand if you wanted to leave early."

"Leave?" Lucy scoffed, deliberately looking away from Sean and picking up another ear of corn from the pile. "No, I'm not leaving! He should leave."

Amanda pursed her lips, full of many ripe opinions, Lucy was sure. She wisely kept them to herself, however.

~  ~  ~

I'm from the country and I'm damn proud of it! Raised mostly in North Dakota, I also lived for about four years in Oklahoma. I also had a horse named Hopalong Cassidy, just a fun fact for your Friday!

Hey, thanks for reading and bein' great and stuff!

(Please don't forget to vote!) :)

HRH