Emily loved the feel of the wind in her short, red hair. The Harley sauntered down the western Kansas two lane as the sun passed a June mid afternoon. A few clouds hovered on the northern horizon, but otherwise everything was bathed in sunlight. Traffic was light, and half of it were farm vehicles.
"Turn right in 'bout another mile, Emily, and you'll have a straight shot," a scratchy old man's voice came over her bluetooth headset. "You should get here in about 15 minutes. You good?"
"Yeah," she replied in a low contralto. "So far, so good."
"I'll stick around the house, if you need me, so holler if you get lost."
"Right."
It was tough to find the landmark of the side road; the Great Plains rolled almost unbroken from horizon to horizon, and she was almost past her turn before she saw it. It would be another 10 miles to Graham's house between fields of tall wheat a month short of harvest. Emily wondered for a moment what it would be like to roll around naked in the green field. Once while camping in the Swiss Alps, she woke up just before dawn and spent several minutes embracing the springy turf, but this would be different: she could get lost in there.
A bug hit her goggles, and she flicked off the smudge with her gloved hand. She wore a leather riding suit that fit her like a glove, and her helmet was strapped to the back of her bike. She knew it was safer to have it on, and where she came from it was required. Riding around her hometown in western Tennessee she did without the head to toe outfit, but longer trips at higher speeds taught her it was better to be covered. However, she was riding where the law didn't make her, and she loved the feel of wind in her hair.
Once again, she almost passed her turn, but she caught herself just in time to spin into a narrow lane leading to a simple two story 19th century farmhouse. It looked to be no more than 4 rooms, and a small bulge around the corner hinted at a root cellar or storm shelter. No barn was in view, but a 2 door metal garage showed a classic Buick on one side and a legion of tools and gadgets on the other.
Graham strolled out his front door to greet her as she roared into his yard. He wore bib overalls, a blue t-shirt, cowboy boots and a Denver Broncos baseball cap. A large man, he towered over Emily, his white hair and beard showing a few hints of darkness: he could be a thinnish Santa on summer break. His face was large and friendly, his eyebrows two bushy caterpillars and his eyes were two points of blue fire. Six puppies barked and frolicked at his feet; they sought her attention as she bent over for a moment to pet them. "Glad you found your way here," he rumbled as he gave her a brief hug in greeting. "Nervous?"
Emily nodded. "Yeah. Skype talks and a visit in Sturgis are one thing, but just to be here, so close. . ."
"I understand. Get comfortable and we'll sit on the front porch a little. Lydia's bringing chicken for dinner. You can have the front bedroom." An expansive gesture of his hand indicated the front door. "Turn right when you get in. Bathroom's off your room, pretty obvious."
She swung her travel bag over her shoulder and in ten minutes was in cutoffs, flip flops, and a Tennessee Titans t-shirt. He was waiting for her on a porch swing with a glass of sweet tea and a broad smile. "Here, this'll cool you off. We don't have AC out here, it was tough enough to get electricity 40 years ago. Have a set, relax. You're safe as you want to be here."
"Thanks, Graham. This is nice." The lawn chair creaked a little as she sat down, and a rumble from the north made her try to peek around the corner.
"Don't worry, we're not gettin' any of that. Storms around here usually go southwest to northeast. That's just a little bit of rain that'll make my neighbors up north happy. How's the job hunt goin'? "
"Kinda slow right now. Got the resumes out, got listed on a few services. Lots of guys looking right now, the field's crowded. Don't have to worry about money for a while, but I'm kinda bored."
"I noticed. Time runs on a different pace here, so just go with it. I've got WiFi, so you can keep in touch." Another rumble punctuated the conversation, and they sipped their tea in silence. He sat back and watched the waving wheat while she looked around. "Just have a couple of acres around the house for a garden and living space. Need to keep most of the farm in production, even though I can't do much anymore."
"Do you drive the tractors yourself?"
"Till a couple of years ago," he nodded. "My back won't let me anymore. I can do small stuff around the house, keep the machinery going if it's not a major overhaul, run the tiller out back with the four wheeler. You didn't come out here to find out what farm life is like, did you?" She shook her head nervously. "No, I didn't think so. Let's stop the small talk for now and get right to the gut, then you can really let go and discover what's around you. So why are you here?"
"You let me come."
"Of course, we met when you sent me a note about how much you liked my story and started talking long distance. We hit it off and we think we can trust each other. So why are you here?"
"That story, that story was so wicked, so daring. I never thought anyone would like something like that. . ."
"Pain as pleasure, right?"
"Yes, pain as pleasure. I could just see you out back with your woman, doing those awful things to her, and I thought it would be nice to watch, to help you a little bit, maybe."
"Maybe. How old are you?"
"Twenty four, you know that."
"How old am I?"
"Fifty two."
"Fifty seven. I've seen a bit more life than you have, seen and done a few more things. Tonight it's gonna happen, but there's a price to pay. Are you willing to pay that price?"
She shuddered. "You aren't going to hurt me, are you?"