The wind kicked up and blew his neat pile of leaves all over the clean grass area he had just finished raking. This didn't upset him as it normally would have as the October afternoon was just too beautiful. The temperature was in the mid-sixties and the sun was shining bright.
Donnie stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. As he inhaled the fresh, clean air, he gazed over at the mountains on the other side town. He had intended to relax, take it easy, and not worry about anything at all this weekend. Of course, his way of relaxing was to catch up on some clean up and yard work he had neglected because of spending too much time at the office. He really thought once he'd retired from the military, the hours wouldn't be as long, he didn't know why. He knew the military retirement wasn't really a retiring from all work. It left him with a good financial foundation, a retirement check coming in already in his mid-forties, but that check was not going to pay the mortgage and send two boys off to college, too.
He also thought he would be home with Mary Ann more. But he still had a boss and now he had clients to keep happy. Sometimes that still meant a ten or twelve hour day and even a Saturday now and then. Being he dealt with several federal clients he had helped them through their fiscal year end closeout which happened every year on the thirtieth of September. But that was all done now and he could finally have a full weekend at home doing his chores and being around his beautiful, but neglected wife.
"I really do need to get a new rake." Donnie said out loud to himself as he repaired his nearly antique bamboo leaf rake, tightening the little screw down on the handle for the hundredth time. It was almost bent and the groove had smoothed he'd been repairing it for so long now.
The calm was suddenly interrupted by a sound of metal scraping pavement. He stopped raking and heard a strong collection of not quite profane, but close, phrases coming from out in the road. Donnie dropped the rake and ran around the side of the house.
To his shock, he found his lovely wife sprawled out on the pavement with her bike lying at her side.
"Are you all right?" He yelled as he ran over and knelt down beside her.
"That damn neighbor cat darted out in front of me. I braked and tried to avoid it. I guess I got his tail, then lost control and landed on my butt here." She explained as she rolled over.
"Damn, your leg, or thigh is scraped up a bit." He said as he took hold of her left arm to try and help her up. "But it doesn't look like anything too serious." He saw that the damage to her bike may not have been as minor. From first glance, it appeared the front rim and fork was bent.
He helped her inside. Then let her start getting herself cleaned up as he went back out and pulled her bike out of the road.
"You okay?" He asked coming back to the kitchen. He couldn't help but grin as he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. She looked so pitiful with dirt and gravel still down her side and her dainty hand trying to dab the scrape on her upper thigh.
"Never been better." She replied with a wince. "Just hurts when I laugh or think how stupid it must have looked."
"Hey, you couldn't help hitting that nuisance of an animal. Maybe that scare will finally keep him away."
"We couldn't be so lucky." She winced again. "Really he's a playful thing. He just doesn't know when to stay from behind cars or get out of the way of a mom on a leisurely afternoon bike ride. Poor thing."
Donnie grinned at her, knowing she had a soft spot for any animal.
"You want me to get you something? A drink or something?"
"Actually, I feel real dirty after that long bike ride and the spill. I think I'll go take a shower first before I fix us lunch."
"Sure, but don't worry about lunch. I'll fix us some sandwiches while you shower."
"Owww!" Mary Ann groaned in pain as she tried to get up out of her chair.
Donnie's eyes slit feeling her pain. "Looks like you need help."
She gingerly limped down the hall with Donnie's support.
Once in the shower Mary Ann spent some extra time directing the showerhead to rinse the scrapes on her arm and leg. She winced at every direct spray on her assaulted skin. She finally washed and turned around to get out of the shower stall.
She looked up to see her husband standing there holding her towel.
"You're such a sweetheart." She said and smiled at him at being such a good husband. That is she did until she saw he was looking not at her face but downward admiring the clear view of her bare breasts. Her smile turned to a frown as she hobbled out and immediately placed both of her hands beside his head.
"And I thought you were feeling sorry for me and had come to give me a little husbandly TLC." She righted his head to face her and gave it a firm squeeze scrunching up his cheeks. "All you wanted was a cheap peep show at my expense."
Donnie reached up and wrapped the thick terry towel around her dripping wet body. "Well, I am giving them, uh, I mean you my full attention." He cupped her breasts through the cloth.
Mary Ann grabbed his assaulting hands and pushed them away. "Do you know what pain I'm still in? Can't you think of anything besides sex when I'm naked around you?"
"I can't help myself," was his nearly choked response.
"You're supposed to make a girl feel better after a nasty accident like I had."
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" He grinned and added, "I couldn't help but notice how beautiful you are and it just overwhelmed me."
"Yea, right. Always a lightweight." Mary Ann said.
"Let me dry you off. Lift your leg up here." Donnie took her warm foot and softly dabbed her bruised skin. "I love your feet. I've always thought they were beautiful."
"Don't change the subject."
"No, really, I do."
She looked down at her foot in his hands. "Really? The nails need doing again," she said almost flatly. The varnish was a little chipped she noticed.
"I could do that," Donnie said.
"You?" Mary Ann giggled. "You've never done nails before."
He smiled back. "How hard can it be? Besides, it might be fun." He winked.
She looked at him and raised one eyebrow. "Turning doing nails into something sexy, you really do have a one track mind, you know that?"
"Hey, you never know, I may be pretty good at painting toe nails."
"You may just be." Mary Ann got a different kind of grin on her face just then.
Donnie noticed. "What?" He inquired.
"Nothing." Mary Ann looked away. "Okay, let's give you try."
She grabbed her robe off the hook on the back of the bathroom door, walked into the bedroom a ways before she finally put it on and went to her dresser to rummage through the drawer for her nail supplies.