Author's Note: I want to thank everyone who responded to the Review Essay submission I made about how to end The Perfect Pussy, both on the site and through Feedback. To be honest, it was a mixed bag so I did some writing and doodling and tried a bunch of idea, what I came up with can be found in this and in the What If I wrote called Mistaken Identity. I hope it answers questions and I promise, there will be more adventures of the Barnes, and James Families, not to mention a few folks from the town of Crossroads, Oklahoma.
As I was pondering what to do about the tales from here on out, I also came up with an idea of another series of stories called the Crossroads Chronicles. This will be the first in them, but expect one set in Oregon soon. Sorry to say none of them will feature any of the Characters from this series, or then again, maybe they will...who knows...because I sure don't...
Peace darkstone57.
5/2008
*
Harley pulled his shirt on and flexed his right bicep as he looked at Keni. Damn that felt good, his arm and shoulder felt like a ten ton weight had been taken off it. His body had one more scar, but it didn't bother him. Instead, he just felt better to be free of that damn cast and back to where he should be. Keni was watching him with a smile and he was tempted to jump on her the minute he had finished buttoning up the shirt. Instead he knelt on the bed and moved so he could rest on her easily. "Hmm, I hate the idea of going to work today, I'd much rather stay here and spend the day in bed with you."
"You were the one who said we needed the money Harley, and Scooter does need your help; Maggie said he is totally behind on his work." She coiled her arms around his neck. "We need to get back to normal around here Harley, it's bad enough knowing Waylon is out on the loose somewhere out there and now with the wedding so close, both Heather and your mom are in a state of total shock."
He knew she was right, but it didn't make the idea of leaving her for more then a few minutes seem any more appealing. "Well, you know if you need anything all you have to do is call and I'll be home in a flash; your mom having to leave so abruptly didn't help either."
"No, but I understand...her job is important to her and this crisis is just what she needs to get her own head together. Plus dad was missing her more then he cared to admit. So, now let me up so I can go make you breakfast and give Kate a break from the twins for a while. She's been going non stop the past couple days."
He moved but reluctantly. Throwing back the bedding, he watched with hungry eyes as she got up and moved to the bathroom with an unconcern that her body was totally nude. They had spent half the night making up for the lack of serious love play between them for the last six weeks and while they had tried to be as quiet as possible, they had still gotten a little loud more then once. As she closed the bathroom door, cutting off his view, he lay back on the bed, and inhaled their scents. God, he was in love with that woman. She knew all the right buttons to push and when she did, he was sure he had died and gone to heaven.
Going down to the kitchen he found Dean sitting at the table, a cup of coffee in front of him and the local paper open to the want ads. Getting a cup and filling it with the coffee he needed, Harley sat down. "Going to do it huh?" His brother had been talking about this since the twins had arrived, and Harley knew he couldn't blame Dean for even considering it.
Dean nodded. "I admit, I don't want to, but the harvest was the worse we've had in the last ten years and now with the hospital bills and the twins, we need the money. Hell Harley, we barely cleared enough to pay the taxes and carry us through the winter. If it wasn't for Keni tapping into her college fund..." He stopped short. "Forget I said that, you never heard me say that..."
Harley shook his head, this was the first he had heard of her having a college fund, or that she had even been thinking of going to college. "Not going to happen, what was that about a college fund...?"
His brother sighed. "Its money Keni's folks have been paying into for years. Kate and John both had one too. She's been tapping into it, helping with the bills and such...Kate and I didn't want to take it, figuring you two might have another use for it, but she insisted...are you going to yell at her?" There was worry in his voice that Harley might let his tempter and pride get the better of him again.
Harley considered doing just that; instead, he knew she had her reasons, and with all that had been happening, she would have wanted him to not have to worry about things. "No, I can't...she's done what she thinks we needed to do. Just not sure if I like being supported by a woman and not taking care of her the way I should be...do her folks know?" If Janie and John had been putting this money in, it was clear they had intended her to go to college like her sister and brother.
Dean nodded. "Janie arranged to have money transferred right after she got here. She and John argued with her over it, but you know how stubborn Keni can be, and she even said that she has no intention of ever using that money for school."
As if on cue, Keni came into the kitchen, catching the last of the conversation. "And I don't, you told him huh?" Her voice didn't sound happy, "Dean, you got a big mouth at times."
Harley saw his brother's look, it was clear that Dean wasn't any happier about her using her money to help out then he was himself. "It just slipped out Keni, I didn't mean..."
She sighed. "I know, Kate was wondering if you come give her a hand a minute." When he was gone, she went to the fridge and took out eggs and a package of bacon. "Are you going to yell at me?"
Shaking his head, he got up to get more coffee. "No, I guess I should, but I know you did it to help out. So how much did your mom transfer, and how pissed are they?"
"Ten thousand, I had twenty five in it. So we still have a fifteen thousand cushion, and truthfully once I explained things, they were pretty reasonable about it." She seemed intent on what she was doing and Harley knew she was still nervous. Sitting down his coffee so he wouldn't burn her, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "I should have told you Harley..."
Nuzzling her neck, he found her ear, and nipped at the lobe. "No, that isn't something we needed to decide on together, but I wish I had known how bad things were around here. That shit of being down for six weeks put me out of the loop." He decided it was better to change the subject. "Dean's looking for a job in town besides working the farm."
Keni nodded. "I know, Kate told me last night, she wishes he wouldn't, but they've worked so hard to build this place up Harley..."
"I know, this place means a lot to you too doesn't it?" There was something in her tone that he hadn't heard before, he knew that like Kate; she liked the area and the town but he'd often wondered if Keni wouldn't be happier back in Portland.
Her voice improved as she answered him. "I love it here, and the farm is great. I admit I wasn't sure how to handle being on a farm the first couple times I was here, but those summers I spent here, they were some of the happiest times of my life. It got so I hated the idea of leaving. I remember this time a couple years ago, I was up in the hayloft helping Dean do something and Waylon came up and he was teasing me how good I looked as a farm girl. He said that maybe this was where I belonged same as Kate. I joked with him that I had to find a man as good looking as Dean and he said..."
Harley looked at her as her voice dropped off. "Keni honey, you okay?"
"He...he said that maybe he would be that man, and we all laughed, but now that I think about it, I just wonder if he wasn't serious..." She swallowed hard. "Harley, he...he tried to kiss me a couple times that summer, but I thought he was just teasing me...what if he wasn't, what if..."
He saw where her mind was headed and he had to admit it was a possibility, but this wasn't the time for her to be thinking it was her fault again. "Honey, it doesn't matter, if he did want you for himself back then, well, he should have said something, given you a chance to make a choice. But he didn't, he let it fester inside him, he shouldn't have. He should have let you know some how. Now it's too late, I have you and that is that. So just let it go..."
She looked doubtful, but as he ate breakfast, he knew that in time she would do as he asked. He had one complaint with her; she worried too much at times about what was and what might have been. That was okay, she would outgrow it eventually, and if not, well it was just one of those little things that a husband put up with.
* * *
Dean came back down with Maggie and warmed up a bottle while he leaned against the counter. "You need the truck today Keni? I...I need to make a run to town." That tone was back, telling them both that Dean didn't want to do what he knew he had to. The farm had been in the family for a long time, and while he wanted to support his family, he was too ingrained in the earth to ever be happy to do anything but farm.
She shook her head. "No, but I'll give you a list of what we need at the store, Kate feeding John?"
"Yeah, though I don't think he's eating as good as his uncle. Going somewhere Harley...?"
"Scooter needs some help. He's behind and I need to make some money, I don't mind my wife supporting me, but it would be nice if I at least helped out." He held out his coffee cup so Keni could refill it. "Thanks babe, so you decide when the wedding day is yet?" He grinned as he asked that. "You know you're going to need set a day sometime..."
She nodded. "I know: I just want to be sure that things are a little more back to normal, and there is Heather and Mike's wedding to consider, I don't want to steal their spotlight..."
Dean interrupted. "Setting a date is not stealing the spotlight Keni, and you might as well give in, he's not going to stop until you do, that's what I did to Kate or didn't she tell you that? At least he has an advantage over me. He got to spend more time with your folks then I did before the wedding, and can be sure Janie and John like him, other wise you wouldn't be here."