The Forever Man(3)

       
           



       

She watched him, unwilling to break the silence. The man had invaded her  territory, so to speak. Let him make the first move. Yet a twinge of  curiosity piqued her interest as she waited. What had he said? He was  looking to invest in a piece of property. Probably wanting to buy her  out. But no … that hadn't been it, either.

"Miss Johanna, would you be willing to listen to what this gentleman is  here to speak of?" Theodore Hughes spoke anxiously from behind Mr.  Montgomery, his own hat held before him, his fingers moving against the  felt surface with barely concealed agitation.

Johanna nodded, her gaze moving from the parson to the man sitting at  her kitchen table. "I can't see that it will do any harm," she allowed,  clipping the words tightly. She felt invaded. The very moment he entered  the room, she'd sensed his presence, inhaling his subtle scent, that  musky, male, outdoor aroma some men carried. Unwillingly she'd been  drawn by it, long-suppressed memories coming to life as she faced his  imposing presence across the blue checked oilcloth.

"I'm Tate Montgomery, lately of southern Ohio. You've met my sons.  They're the only family I have. My wife is dead." He paused, his gaze  resting on her hands as she entwined her fingers on the table before  her.

"I decided my sons needed a fresh start, away from some bad memories.  We've been on the road for several weeks, stopping here and there,  looking for the right place to settle."

Johanna watched his mouth as he spoke, catching a glimpse of white, even  teeth between full lips. A faint white line touched his top lip, an old  scar. Not nearly as noticeable as the newer one he wore. The one that  should have detracted from his masculine appeal. But didn't.

"And you think this is the right place?" Spoken without inflection, her query reached his ears.

Tate sensed her reluctance, had made note of it from the first, when she  trudged through tall grass from the orchard toward his wagon. Now it  was in full bloom between them, that feminine need for self-preservation  that kept her from accepting him at face value. He couldn't begrudge  her the feeling. But the urge to press his advantage, now that he was  inside the house, was uppermost in his mind.

There had been a feeling of homecoming as he drove up the lane toward  the farmhouse. The two-story dwelling, shabby around the edges, but  nevertheless graceful in its design, had drawn him with an urgency he'd  not felt in any other place. The tall maple trees, towering over the  house in a protective fashion, their leaves turning color, had bidden  him welcome. Not like the woman, who had greeted him with little  patience for his coming.

She'd scanned him and his belongings with a wary eye, only warming a bit  when the two boys came under her gaze. She'd been more than generous  with them, offering milk and sugar cookies, the sight of which had made  his own mouth water. She was sturdy but slender around the middle, her  apron emphasizing the narrow lines of her waist. Full-breasted. Womanly,  might be the right word to describe her form. Johanna Patterson. A  sensible name. He could only hope the woman would be as reasonable as a  female in her circumstances should be.

Bristly and faintly belligerent described her attitude toward him, he  decided with a wry twist of his mouth. Perhaps she wouldn't be the  smallest bit receptive to his proposal. And that was the only word he  could come up with for the bargain he was about to lay on the table  before her.

"You grow apples, Miss Patterson," he began, nodding toward the brimming  bowl on her cupboard. The ruddy skin of the snow variety glistened in  the sunlight that cascaded through the window.

"I pick them," she corrected quietly. "They grow all by themselves, with a little help from the Lord."

His mouth moved, one corner twisting again, in amusement. "I agree. Most  farmers consider themselves to be in partnership with the Almighty,  I've found. Although sometimes he doesn't appear to tend to business,  what with the dry spell we had this year."

"Farming's a gamble," Johanna answered. "Apples are a pretty sure thing.  Provide them with a beehive in the vicinity and they pretty much tend  to themselves, once the blossoms fall and the fruit starts to grow."                       
       
           



       

"You don't do much with crops?"

She shrugged. "The hay is about ready for a last cutting. Mr. Jones at  the mill made arrangements for shares for me, last time around. I'll do  the same this time, I expect. I've got eighty-six acres here, fifty  acres of pasture for the cattle. I've been keeping some of them pretty  close to the barn lately. My father fenced off a ten-acre piece, and I  feel better having them close at hand, with winter coming on."

"How many head are you running?" he asked.

"Not many left in the far pasture, besides the bull. I sold off the young steers last month."

He shook his head. "'Not many' doesn't tell me much."

"I'm only milking six cows right now," she said, exasperation apparent  in her tone. "There are more of them dry, with calves due in the spring.  Why do you ask?"

"I want to offer you a proposition, Miss Patterson."

She waited, noting the faint furrow between his eyebrows, the twitch of  his left eyelid as he leaned back in his chair. His arms folded across  his chest in a gesture she sensed was automatic with him. As if he set  up a guard around himself. She sat up straighter in her chair and  nodded, unwilling to give him verbal encouragement.

"I've been on the lookout for a farm to invest in. It must be a special  situation in order for it to work to my advantage, though. I'd thought  to hire a woman to live in, tend to my boys and run the house for me."  He lifted one shoulder in a shrug that spoke of his lack of success thus  far.

"When your minister told me of your place, I thought it would bear  investigation. Then he told me you were not willing to move from here or  sell out your interest in the farm."

Johanna nodded once. Apparently she'd finally gotten it across to folks  in town that she was planning on living out her life here. At least the  preacher had gotten the message, she thought A chuckle rose within her,  and she ducked her head, swallowing the sound before it could be born.

Tate Montgomery rose from his chair and paced to the cookstove, lifting  the lid on the covered iron pan with Johanna's pot holder to peer  within. Steam billowed up, and he inhaled quickly as the succulent scent  of simmering chicken tempted his nostrils. He clapped the lid down and  cast her a sidelong glance.

"You enjoy cookin'?" Not waiting for a reply, he paced to the doorway,  looking out at his sons on the porch, then returned to where she sat.

His lips flattened, and he pushed the lower one forward a bit, as if he  were considering what he would say next. "Have you thought of getting  married, Miss Patterson?"

Her eyebrows lifted, and her eyes widened. If she'd thought herself  immune to surprise, he'd just this minute effectively shot that theory  all to small bits. "Not lately." It was an understatement, to say the  least. Not at all might be more to the point. At least not in the past  ten years.

"What I have in mind is a business arrangement," he said quietly,  stepping back to where his chair was sitting at an angle to the table.  He straightened it with one quick movement and planted himself on the  seat, his hands braced against his thighs. "I would be willing to pay  off your mortgage-"

"What makes you think I have one?" she asked, interrupting him.

He looked at her, noting the swift color staining her cheeks. "I'm  sorry. I'm afraid I quizzed your minister last evening at great length.  When he spoke of your place here, telling me of the situation you're in,  I asked a lot of questions. Apparently, the townspeople are aware of  your circumstances, the hardship caused by the death of your father and  the need for help to run this place. There was no secret made of your  father's-"

Her cheeks were bright with outrage and embarrassment, and she cut him  off with a wave of her hand. "You had no right to pry into my business.  You don't even know me." She swung to face the minister, who had taken  up residence in the corner of the kitchen, near the window. "And you!  You had no right to tell my problems to anyone. And especially not a  total stranger! How could you be so … so … "                       
       
           



       

Her voice cracked, almost wobbling with her distress as she faced the man of the cloth who had betrayed her.