Byrds of Paradise

Squick alert: Contains sibling incest.

Time for the standard disclaimers...

This is a work of erotic fiction. The persons and events described are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, and/or events is coincidental and totally unintentional.

All characters engaging in sexual activities are over the age of eighteen.

The Midwest has been referred to as "flyover country" for a very long time. Some folks wouldn't have it any other way...

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"Get up."

The gruff command was followed by a second sharp poke to my left kidney. The first jab woke me up, the second one got my undivided attention.

I rolled over onto my back and looked up. The first thing my eyes focused on was the business end of what looked like a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. The second thing was the face of a pissed off farmer behind it.

"Okay, okay." I kept my hands where he could see them. His face scrunched up when he caught a nose full of week-old body odor and he stepped back toward the door. I made it to my feet and he motioned me outside.

"What the hell are you doing on my property?" The shotgun never wavered. Neither did his gaze.

"Passing through. It looked like it was going to storm so I took shelter. Guess I fell asleep." I mentally kicked myself for not being more careful.

"You don't break in other people's buildings. You people --"

I raised my hand to cut him off and his finger over the trigger twitched. "It was unlocked, I swear. The lock was just hanging there. Like I said, I was going to wait out the rain and then move on."

The shotgun never moved as he looked at the door hasp. The large Master lock swung gently, just like I had found it.

"Still, this is private property." The barrel drifted down to point at my feet.

"Yes, sir. I was only looking for a place to stay dry and then be on my way. Not looking for trouble."

"Kind of far from the interstate, ain't you?" My eyes now adjusted to the bright daylight, the farmer could have been anywhere from forty to sixty. He was about my height but probably had me by a few pounds.

I didn't have an answer to that question. I nodded.

"You got a name, son?" The barrel now pointed at the ground roughly halfway between us.

"Cale."

I could tell from his reaction that I had hesitated a split second too long to answer. The barrel pointed at my midsection.

"You in trouble with the law?"

"Not exactly." That sounded better than "It's complicated."

"Not exactly?" His laugh wasn't an amused one. "What the hell does that mean?"

"They might be looking for me for something, maybe shoplifting, but I didn't hurt anybody." Again, close enough to the truth.

"Stealing is still stealing," he paused, "Cale."

"I never said I was proud of it."

"Do me a favor, take off your shirt." Between the motion of the barrel and the change in his tone, arguing would have been stupid. I carefully pulled the T-shirt over my head.

"Turn around." It dawned on me that he was looking for a weapon.

"Got a knife in my pocket." I motioned carefully to my right front pocket.

"Take it out." I pulled out the little knife I had, maybe a three-inch blade, and tossed it at his feet. Without taking his eyes off of me, he picked it up, flicked his wrist to open it, and examined it. He closed it against his leg and tossed it back to me. "Needs cleaning and sharpening. You can put your shirt back on."

I pulled the T-shirt over my head and almost gagged. The farmer laughed. "Little ripe, huh?"

"Kinda." I had let the knife land in front of me. I bent down, picked it up, and tucked it in my pocket.

The farmer lowered the shotgun, pointing the barrel at the ground between us. "Just passing through?"

"Yes, sir. Heading north."

I could tell from his expression that he didn't believe that, either. "Where to?"

I thought about it for a moment and realized I didn't know what was north of here. "It's probably better you don't know."

The man nodded but didn't point the 12-gauge at me again. "When did you eat last?"

"Couple of days ago."

"Jesus. Climb in the back and we'll get you some food. We got a place in the barn you can get cleaned up and grab some sleep if you want."

I weighed my options. Any food would be good, I was down to my last protein bar. The chance to rinse out clothes and at least take a cold shower would work. Sleep was a foreign concept by now, last night being an exception and not the rule.

"What's the catch?" Life on the run taught me that nothing is free pretty quick. Anybody else would have pointed me toward the road and invited me to leave immediately.

"I need a hand for the season. I can't afford to pay the going rate for help. Room, board, and one-fifty a week cash. No questions asked. You ever work a farm?"

"No, sir. I can learn, though." How hard could sitting around watching things grow really be?

"Famous last words. Get on up there, stay the hell away from the window." The farmer waved in the direction of the truck.

"Thank you, Mister?"

"Buchanan. Seth Buchanan."

"Thank you, Mr. Buchanan. I appreciate it."

Mr. Buchanan laughed. "We'll see about that."

I moved slowly back to the pump shed and collected my backpack. The sun was starting to get hot now and the humidity was becoming oppressive. I tossed the pack into the bed and climbed over the tailgate while he closed and locked the shed. I didn't miss his long look at the lock, either.

It was a short drive to the house I had taken care to avoid last night. Houses around here usually had dogs, and dogs aren't generally fond of strangers. Sure enough, there was a large one hanging out on the front porch as Mr. Buchanan pulled up.

A woman I took to be Mrs. Buchanan stepped out on the porch as the dog got to its feet and stretched. "What did you forget this time, Seth?"

"Nothing." Mr. Buchanan climbed out of the truck and waved his arm in my direction. "Found a hand."

The dog had spotted me and sat down next to Mrs. Buchanan's leg. I wasn't about to try to get out of the truck until we had been properly introduced. I'd seen dogs like this before.

They even had an ominous nickname. Maligator. Smart, fast, and single-minded as fuck. Technically, they were known as Belgian Malinois, used in law enforcement and security work for their talents. This one's eyes never left me.

Mrs. Buchanan looked me over from the porch without saying anything. Mr. Buchanan said something to the dog, who jumped down off the porch and came over to the truck.

"Need your hand." Mr. Buchanan's face was expressionless.

I slowly draped my left hand over the side of the truck bed, he spoke to the dog again, who sniffed my hand briefly. A quick word and he was back on the porch with Mrs. Buchanan.

"That's King. You can climb down from there now." All three of them watched me climb over the tailgate and drop to the dirt from the bumper.

"I'm going to take him to the loft. He could use a sandwich when he's cleaned up a little."

Mrs. Buchanon nodded. "What's your name?"

"Cale, ma'am."

"Just 'Cale'?" I couldn't figure out her expression, either.

"Yes, ma'am." The corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

"You allergic to anything, Cale?" The inflection of her voice told me she didn't believe that was my name, either.

"No, ma'am."

"You get cleaned up and we'll bring something over. You start after lunch." Mr. Buchanan pointed toward the barn. King parked himself in front of the door after the Buchanans went inside.

Walking to the barn was the longest trip of my young life. I was half expecting King to come flying off the porch to take me out of this world. He never moved, just watched me.

The loft was easy enough to identify. It was unlocked and the door opened quietly. It was furnished, an unusual mix of armchair, small dining set, a couple of end tables, and a couple of lamps. A small window air conditioner and a fake fireplace that doubled as a heater rounded out the collection. A sink, two burner stove, mini refrigerator, and microwave populated the kitchenette.

The bathroom was as bare-bones as the rest of the place. Sink, john, and a shower stall barely big enough for one.

The bedroom was small. Twin bed, dresser, and a beat-up wardrobe left barely enough room to turn around. Throw rugs were scattered around the place.

The closet in the kitchenette wasn't a pantry, it held one of those RV washer/dryer combination units. I dumped my pack on the living room floor, found jeans and a shirt that weren't too dirty, and took a quick cold shower.

I figured out how to start the machine and threw a couple of pairs of jeans, what underwear I could salvage, and a couple of T-shirts inside. I cleaned up the debris from the floor.

Mr. Buchanan knocked as I was pushing the fridge back into place after plugging it in.

"I see you found everything."

"Not where the hot water is." A hot shower would have been nice but I wasn't about to be picky. I was at least clean.

"Yeah, the water heater is downstairs. I'll get that turned on. I'll show you where the generator is, too. We're supposed to get more storms all this week. Amy made you lunch. You can keep the plate and utensils here." He set the plate on the table, then pointed to a little cube plugged into the wall. "That's a weather radio. I'd keep it turned on if I were you."

He moved a switch and a computerized voice announced it was station WXM35 in Hayes, Kansas and began announcing the current weather observations. "I'd turn on the weather alerts on your phone, too."

"Don't have a phone." I would have killed for a camera, though. His expression was priceless.

"What?"

"I don't have a phone. Lost it." Once more, it was close enough to the truth.

"You're going to need to get you one, then. In case we need to get a hold of you." He seemed to be still trying to process my lack of a phone.

"No ID. Lost my wallet, too." The same way I "lost" my phone.

I almost laughed out loud as his eyebrows climbed close to his hairline. "You don't say."

I shrugged. "You can't trust anybody these days. Somebody stole it while I was sleeping."

"How the hell am I supposed to pay you then?" He was still puzzling out how I could not have a phone or ID.

That was a great question and I didn't have an answer. "Let me think about it."

"You manage to keep a watch?"

"Actually, no. I sold that."

"There should be an alarm clock on the dresser. Go set it." I found it and set it for the time. I almost had to ask him how to wind it, I'd never held one like this before. I figured it out by accident.

He had his phone out and was tapping away on it when I returned from putting the clock back in the bedroom.

"Making a list of stuff you're going to need. Go ahead and eat, figure out what personal stuff you're going to need, and we're going to need your clothes sizes. I'll be downstairs getting the hot water heater turned on and checking the generator."

He disappeared down the stairs, shaking his head and muttering something to himself.

I ate quickly, not because I was in a hurry but because I was hungry. He had brought two huge sandwiches and a few bottles of water. I put one of the sandwiches away for later and all but two bottles in the fridge.

I found Mr. Buchanan checking the output meter on the generator. "Damn, that was fast."

"Only ate one. Didn't want to eat too much all at once." I wanted to save something to eat in case that was supposed to be my dinner, too.

"Okay." He then started with teaching me how to switch back and forth between utility power and the generator. Satisfied I could do it without killing myself, he started with a tour of the barn, explaining what the equipment did.

Next was the generator location for the main house. Same procedure for switching back and forth. We spent the afternoon doing little chores, making small repairs, cleaning things, all stuff that I would eventually be responsible for when I had time.

I quickly learned what I called the first law of farming: You will always have more things to do than daylight to do them.

I needed to be ready to work at five every morning, Sunday included. I was welcome to join them for church, if I chose. I respectfully declined and he didn't seem the least bit surprised. I planned on using that time for my chores, laundry and cleaning the loft.

The afternoon went by quickly. I didn't see King at all and assumed he was in the house guarding Mrs. Buchanan.

I didn't really notice that it had clouded up again until we broke for dinner. Mr. Buchanan checked his phone as we loaded some equipment back into the truck.

"We're done for today. Storm will be here before dark." He turned the phone to show me a weather radar image. A large blob of green and yellow with patches of red was headed right toward the little blue dot in the center of the screen.

"Another reason to have a phone. No telling when a twister's gonna drop." I had been shown the shelter next to the barn. There was a similar one near the house. As he spoke, a yellow box popped up on the screen as the image refreshed. "They just issued a watch. Time to get back." Right on cue, the alert sounded on his phone.

The ride back to the house was silent. I headed upstairs to the loft after we unloaded the truck and put everything away. Mrs. Buchanan had left a plate wrapped in foil with heating instructions and a cardboard box with things like bars of soap, toothpaste and a couple of toothbrushes, toilet paper, a large bottle of lotion with aloe vera, first aid stuff, a pad of paper, and a couple of pens.

I took a long, hot shower and warmed up dinner. I didn't realize how tired I was until I sat down in the chair. I couldn't stay awake.

The rain had started not long after I got out of the shower. There was an occasional flash of lightning and dull rumbling of thunder, but the worst of it missed us. The cube squawked like clockwork, reminding me of the tornado watch. I wasn't going to sleep through that sound.

I went to bed early. It was a good thing I did because the next day was the blueprint for the days that followed. If I thought I was tired the first day, I was sorely mistaken, literally.

The days soon blurred together. At some point, I started being given tasks without supervision.

The day after I started, Mrs. Buchanan went into Russell and bought a basic smartphone for me to use. She also picked up some clothes and proper boots. Mr. Buchanan showed me how to break them in.

Paying me was a question that was answered by deciding that we would keep a running tab of items I asked for and we would settle up at the end of the season.

Outside of personal care items and additional clothing, the only luxury I asked for was a small Bluetooth speaker. They offered to add me to their streaming services but I declined. I preferred to listen to music, anyway. At least, when I wasn't listening to the weather.

The first couple of weeks of working with Mr. Buchanan, he would slip in the occasional personal question. I avoided answering them directly, especially the family ones. "Not really," got a lot of mileage. Every so often, Mrs. Buchanan would remind me that I was welcome to eat with them and I always respectfully declined. They weren't offended by that either, surprisingly.

It had nothing to do with them directly. It would be too easy to let something slip that I shouldn't. After the first time I saw my face on television, I shaved off my beard and mustache, wearing sunglasses whenever possible. The young woman working the register at the truck stop was too busy texting to notice me when I bought the stuff to do that.

I also let my hair grow out. By the time I hit the Buchanan's place, it was just starting to touch the top of my ears. I looked nothing like my old self now. Clean-shaven, tanned, and leaner than I had ever been, I sometimes didn't recognize my own reflection first thing in the morning.

It was roughly about six weeks in that I had my first scare. The two of us had been working on replacing a leaky gasket on one of the pumps. It was hotter than hell inside the shed as I scraped the old, dried gasket off the base. Mr. Buchanan had stepped outside to talk to his wife on the phone.

I didn't think much of it, they talked back and forth quite a bit during the day. I heard somebody pull up and a strange voice.

"Mornin', Seth. It's been a while."

"Deputy Heyworth. How are you?" From the sound of it, they were on friendly terms.

"Same old. The Jessups are missing a trailer, the green one. You haven't happened to see it going by, have you?"

"No, can't say that I have. Cale!" Shit. As I put down my tool and got to my feet, I heard him continue. "My help. Maybe he saw something."

I took my time walking out, using one hand to shield my eyes from the sun and my face from the deputy until I put my sunglasses on. Mr. Buchanan repeated the deputy's question.

"No, sir. I was down the other side of the field yesterday." I wouldn't have heard anybody driving by, let alone see them from where I was.

"Cale, this is Deputy Heyworth. Deputy, my help, Cale."

The deputy started to stick his hand out and stopped. I was pretty much mud all over, especially my hands. My jeans weren't much cleaner. "New around here?"

"Yes, sir." My heart was pounding so hard I was surprised he didn't hear it.

The deputy looked me up and down. "At least he ain't afraid to get dirty. If you see it, give me a holler. Nice to see you, Seth. You take care."

"Will do, Bill. Say hello to the sheriff for me. Stay safe."

The deputy nodded and climbed back into his four wheel drive, turned it around, and headed out the way he came in a cloud of dust.

"I bet that old bastard forgot he sold it and is trying to claim the insurance," Mr. Buchanan laughed. "Let's get this finished, it's too damn hot out here and we need to get some water on this field."

Ninety minutes later, I was stretched out in the bed of the truck as Mr. Buchanan hauled ass down the blacktop toward the house and an early lunch. I was headed for a shower and a nap, I only had a couple of light chores that could wait until after supper.

Passing in front of the house, there was a dark blue GMC parked next to Mrs. Buchanan's Excursion. I knew immediately it wasn't one of the neighbors, it was way too fancy and undented to be from around here. People back home would have referred to it as a "pavement princess." It wasn't intended to be a work truck.

A boy and a girl leapt off the stairs and followed the truck to the barn. King loped along behind them. Up close, they appeared to be in their early teens.

A man and woman walked with Mrs. Buchanan, following the two children.

"Hi, Grandpa!" Both kids hugged him tightly at the same time. The old man was practically beaming as he hugged them back. The three adults were all smiling as well.

The kids made way for the younger woman. Given her resemblance to Mrs. Buchanan, I guessed it was their daughter. The heartfelt "Hi, Daddy," confirmed it as they hugged.

"Hi, sweetheart." It sure sounded like Mr. Buchanan was starting to choke up. That was my cue to make myself scarce. It was starting to feel like I was getting something in my eyes, too.

"I'll take care of this stuff, Mr. Buchanan." It would give me something to do besides dwell on the feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Hey, Dad." The two men exchanged a hug and back slaps. "I can give you a hand."

"Thanks, Dale. Good to see you, son. Appreciate the help." Mr. Buchanan turned to me. "Cale, this is Dale and Cindy, our kids. Those two hellions are Haley and Colt, my grandchildren.

"Kids, this is Cale. He's helping me out this year." We exchanged the usual pleasantries. As I dropped the tailgate, Dale motioned Colt over and the four of us had the truck unloaded in a few minutes. The six then headed back toward the house while I cleaned the tools we had used and straightened up before heading upstairs.

I didn't take my cap or sunglasses off until I was inside the loft and had the door locked. From the moment I saw him, his mannerisms screamed "cop." I had been around enough of them to know. Two in one day was two too many.

After a lukewarm shower, I dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Mrs. Buchanan would be along shortly with lunch, I would wash the muddy clothes I took off, clean up a little, and probably take a nap after I ate. The heat index was supposed to reach 120 plus this afternoon, too hot and too dangerous for sustained labor.

The knock on the door made me jump, it was much different than either Mr. or Mrs. Buchanan's. I dropped the clothes into the washer and called out, "It's open."

Dale opened the door slowly. As he stepped inside, his eyes swept the room, and I was now certain he was a cop. Fuck it, I had a good run while it lasted.

"Mom asked me to bring this up and tell you we were going into Russell for dinner and ice cream. You're more than welcome to join us." His gaze settled on me and I tried to stay calm. He set the plate on the table.

"I've still got some straightening up to do around here and I'm sure you all want to catch up. I don't want to be in the way. Appreciate the offer, though." There wasn't any way to avoid looking him in the eye. I didn't see any sign he recognized me.

"No problem. We'll let you know when we're leaving in case you change your mind." Dale turned to leave, pausing at the door. "It's Cale, right?"

Oh, shit, here we go. "Yeah."

"First or last?"

I had been expecting that question since the day I met the Buchanans. I chose one. "Last."

The corner of his mouth twitched, although the rest of his face stayed relaxed. "Any relation to J. J.?"

"Not really." Time to shut this shit down.

Dale laughed. I guessed they had already told him about that little quirk. "If you change your mind, come along with us." He closed the door behind him and I heard him go down the stairs.

I sat down to eat but I didn't really taste it. I couldn't be absolutely certain Dale didn't recognize me. He was also a cop, I was sure of that, and he wouldn't give himself away if he did. Besides, the truck had Missouri plates so this wasn't his jurisdiction anyway.

If the locals showed up, I'd have my answer. Looking at the calendar on my phone, it was going on eight weeks since I had walked away from my old life. That was seven weeks and six days longer than I expected to make it.

The thought struck me as particularly funny. Was I really that disappointed that I hadn't been recognized already? Or was I relieved I wasn't that big a deal after all? I settled on the second option. The old man pretty much predicated his whole business career on "out of sight, out of mind." People only remember what they keep seeing.

By the time the Buchanans loaded up, I had calmed down. Mrs. Buchanan texted me that they were ready to go and I texted back I was going to finish up some things here. She answered back that they would be home about eight or so.

I watched them climb into Dale's GMC and head out. I had spent the afternoon trying to decide whether to stay or run. The problems with running were that I wouldn't get very far in a couple of hours, there were a limited number of escape routes, and a lot of unfamiliar ground beyond the immediate area.

If the sheriff was coming to get me, I wasn't going to be hard to find. The oil in the quad needed to be changed, anyway.

I was still awake when they returned. This time, the strange knock on the door didn't surprise me. I called out, "It's open," and Cindy came in, carrying an insulated bag.

"We brought you some ice cream." She popped open the door to the freezer like she had been doing it for years and put the container of ice cream inside. "I hope chocolate is okay."

"Just about any ice cream is good, to be honest. Thank you." I hadn't had any in a while. Chocolate wasn't the worst choice.

"You're welcome. Good night, Cale."

"Good night, ma'am." It was a reflex and it popped out.

Cindy gave me a funny look, almost as if she couldn't decide if she wanted to get mad or laugh. "I prefer Cindy."

"Yes," I paused deliberately, "ma'am." I wasn't trying to pick a fight, just set a boundary. I was the hired help and they were a member of my employer's family. Familiarity was the last thing I wanted.

That got a slight smile before she turned toward the door. "See you tomorrow."

"See you." She closed the door behind her and made her way down the stairs. I turned out the lights and went to bed.

Cindy had seemed a little relieved I was still here when she dropped the ice cream off. I wasn't sure why but as long as the cops and the press weren't here, I was good with it. I couldn't see Dale giving me a few hours' headstart, so my secret was still safe.

They stayed for three weeks. Most days, I did my thing while Mr. Buchanan and Dale worked together. I had been checking irrigation equipment and gotten myself and the quad covered with mud in the process. I hooked up the pressure washer and started hosing the quad and trailer down.

When I looked up, Haley was sitting next to the pressure washer. I looked over toward the house, where Cindy and Mrs. Buchanan were airing out blankets and bed covers. She was sitting where her mother and grandmother could easily see her.

"I don't think you're supposed to be here." This was making me uncomfortable.

"They can see me. You gonna give me a lecture on ladylike behavior, too?" Haley had her hair pulled back in a ponytail that gently swung as she talked.

"Do I need to?" I started hosing the trailer off.

Haley waited until I stopped spraying before speaking. "You could try."

"Maybe they ain't wrong. Just sayin'."

I started spraying the quad down, paying attention to the frame. Haley again waited until I stopped so I could change sides.

"Why are you here?"

"Helping your grandfather."

"That's 'what', I asked 'why'." She had developed some of her mother's and grandmother's mannerisms. She had the raised eyebrow down.

"That's personal. I'm here and your grandfather doesn't seem to have a problem with it." I cut off her reply on purpose with the sprayer. If I wouldn't discuss it with adults, I damn sure wasn't getting into it with a fourteen-year-old.

"Doesn't answer the question --"

"You know what? I'm not going to lecture you about being ladylike, I'm going to give you one on manners. When somebody politely tells you something is none of your business, you drop it. I get you're young and and you don't think the rules of basic common courtesy apply to you, but they do. It's none of your business. If you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

Haley started to say something but I cut her off again. "Run along now." I went back to washing the quad. She stood up and stalked off in the direction of the house, ponytail swinging violently.

I heard the screen door slam, followed by Cindy's "Haley!" I wiped the quad down and then topped it off before heading up to the loft to clean up. I was expecting a visitor.

By the knock, it was Cindy. After my "It's open," Haley entered first, followed by her mother.

"Cale, I'm sorry I was rude this morning." Said as only a teenage girl who wasn't sorry and didn't think she was being rude could say it. Cindy rolled her eyes behind her daughter. I bit the insides of my cheeks to keep from smiling.

"Apology accepted." I mentally counted to three. "As long as it doesn't happen again." Haley did not like that at all. I stuck out my hand and she reluctantly shook it. That battle was over and she had lost. The war would no doubt continue.

"Thank you." Her expression made it clear there was supposed to be a different word in front of "you."

"You're welcome." Judging from her new expression, she knew I meant, "Same to you and the horse you rode in on."

Nothing beats the drama of teenage girls and Haley put on a show. The slow turn to face Cindy was classic. Cindy silently tilted her head in the direction of the door. Haley walked past her mother, turned to give me a look that screamed we weren't done by a long shot, and then made it sound like she fell down the stairs instead of walked down.

Cindy shrugged her shoulders helplessly. "She's going through a phase and thinks you have some deep, dark secret. She isn't going to let manners get in the way of finding out what it is." She stopped at the door on her way out. "None of my business, I know, but you seem to have some experience dealing with that attitude."

I tried not to smile at the memories. "Let's just say that wasn't my first time in the lion's cage." Haley had a long way to go to surpass the master.

"I'd invite you to dinner but I think you two need some space for a couple of days. We'll try to keep her out of your hair."

"That might be good." I couldn't help but start to like the little shit. That would be a dangerously stupid mistake to make.

The rest of the day was quiet. I was expecting Dale or Mr. Buchanan to bring dinner over but Mrs. Buchanan did the honors.

"Haley can be a bit headstrong. I'm sorry she crossed the line." She set the plate on the counter.

"She's young. From what I remember about girls her age, given the choice between Hell and the middle of nowhere, they'd choose Hell every time. At least there would be something to do. I could have handled it better so it's not all her fault."

"That's also true. She won't be bothering you again. Goodnight, Cale."

"Goodnight, ma'am."

As much as I had hoped she was right, I wasn't surprised when Haley turned up at the pressure washer the next day, Colt in tow. He was not happy about it, either.

"You shouldn't be here." I hosed the trailer off slowly.

"I know." Haley glared at Colt when he started to agree.

"Look, I know you're bored but my business is none of yours. I'm here to do a job. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Nobody just shows up in this," Haley paused, searching for an appropriate description but coming up empty, "place without a reason. Especially somebody like you."

"You're gonna have to work harder than that." She was fishing and I let her know I knew.

"Let's go, Ding-Dong. Mom said to leave him alone." Colt pushed Haley to her feet.

Haley turned on him, her face red. "Don't call me that, you little asshole."

"Stop being stupid and I'll think about it." Colt shoved her in the direction of the house. He may have been younger but he was already taller and he could have easily picked her up and carried her. That boy was going to be huge when he filled out.

Haley gave me another death glare before disappearing into the barn. Colt hung back for a couple of seconds, looking like he had a question but decided against asking it, and followed his sister into the barn.

I finished washing the quad and trailer. After taking care of a couple of other small tasks, I headed upstairs for lunch. On my way up the steps, I could hear Mr. Buchanan's truck pull up in front of the house.

I was expecting a visit but one never materialized. I finished up around dinner and headed upstairs for the night. After a shower and dinner, I sat down to check out the extended weather forecast online.

The National Weather Service was expecting the high pressure system to stick around for a few more days before giving way to a storm system from the west.

It was still way too early to tell how severe the weather would be but the crops could definitely use the rain. Us humans could use a break from the heat. We still had time to get the wheat and first cut of hay in.

It was still kind of early and a little too warm to try to sleep, so I opened up the news app. I scrolled through the list and one entry caught my attention.

It was just a short blurb from CNN following up on my "disappearance." There was the usual rundown of the basic facts and a quote by the Director of the Idaho State Police that they were exhausting every lead in their investigation.

The portrait staring back at me on the screen looked vaguely familiar. My hair was a little longer and lighter, my face was thinner and clean shaven. My skin was now a healthy tan and I had gone from a tight thirty-six inch waist to a loose thirty-four. I wasn't ripped but I wasn't flabby now, either.

Gone were the tailored suits, silk ties, and imported leather shoes. Now I wore jeans, cotton shirts, and simple ropers.

Also gone? The newest AMG SL55, replaced by a Polaris quad UTV. The huge family condo not far from the state capitol building was now a little space barely big enough to turn around in.

I really didn't miss any of it. Just like I didn't miss the bouts of insomnia and the stomach problems I always seemed to have.

There was only one thing I missed. It hadn't taken long to learn that working my ass off until I was too tired to do anything besides sleep kept me from thinking about her. Until Haley.

I missed my sister Katie. What made it painful was that she was the reason I left in the first place. I had to. The pain I felt was nothing compared to what staying would have caused.

Haley was so much like her that there wasn't any way to avoid thinking of Katie. Nobody could get a rise out of me quicker and then make me laugh about it.

Fortunately, Haley would be back in Missouri in a few days and I could go back to my usual routine. But tonight, I could guarantee I would dream about Katie. Tomorrow, I would need to avoid people because I wasn't going to be in a good mood.

I slept much better than I thought I would. After a quick morning rinse off in the shower, and the usual brushing of teeth and hair combing, I was down in the barn, double-checking the tractor and mower before heading out.

Dale and Mr. Buchanan arrived a few minutes later, checking the combine and the grain cart before heading out themselves. After topping off, I set out for the far hayfields to see how much I could get done today.

I followed the plan Mr. Buchanan had laid out the night before. Two days to mow, third day and fourth days to haul the windrower, and start baling on day five, moisture permitting. He or Dale would be out to check and we would adjust accordingly. When we started baling, Colt would be driving the tractor while I stacked.

Meanwhile, Mr. Buchanan and Dale would harvest the wheat and haul it to the co-op, then till the field, have the fertilizer and fungicide applied, then seed the soybeans. When they finished, they would help us get the remaining hay in.

Dawn to dusk, four days straight. Surprisingly, the weather held and the plan worked out. Day Five started out normally, Colt helped attach the baler and the wagon to the tractor, I pulled out, headed toward the field with Colt following in the quad with a second trailer.

I didn't pay too much attention to the quad, only making sure he was still behind me. When we got to the field, I lined up the rig to turn it over, and got a surprise.

Haley had tagged along. In fairness, her brother didn't look all that happy about it, either. At least she was dressed in jeans, boots, and a long sleeve shirt for working.

"Don't say it." Smug didn't begin to describe her expression.

"Okay, I won't. I'll ask it. You know you're not supposed to be here, right?"

Haley repeated my question with her patented mocking tone. "Duh. What are you going to do, send me back with the quad? You've got too much to do to send Colt back. So let's get this party started already."

She was right. I pulled out my phone and texted Mrs. Buchanan that Haley had come out with Colt so she would know where her granddaughter was. Haley's face clouded. "What are you doing?"

"Letting your grandmother know where you are. See if she wants to come and get you."

I took some satisfaction in seeing she hadn't accounted for that. I took even more satisfaction in watching the blood drain from her face when my phone rang.

"I give up. If it's a problem, I'll come get her." Cindy sounded more amused than frustrated. I could hear Mrs. Buchanan in the background telling her Haley was just like her mother.

"That seems a little drastic." I pointed in the direction of the house and made a walking motion with my fingers. Haley's eyes grew wide. Colt looked concerned.

"I think I can manage. I'll send her back," I paused for dramatic effect, "if she gives me any trouble." Both of them visibly relaxed.

I disconnected and pointed at the rig. "Saddle up, we're burning daylight." This wasn't Colt's first time behind the wheel so we made good time. Haley pulled the bales off the belt while I stacked them. Colt kept a steady speed and we made decent progress.

When Haley started to tire, I had them switch. We worked until lunch, where both of them wolfed down their sandwiches. After lunch, Haley again drove while Colt pulled and I stacked.

At one point during lunch, Colt called his sister Ding-Dong again and she really didn't like it. I waited until we were underway and the baler would drown out our conversation.

"Colt, you mind if I give you some advice?"

"Go ahead, am I doing something wrong?" He seemed concerned.

"No, you're doing great. It's just that you shouldn't be calling your sister names in front of other people. If you do it, people think it's okay if they do it too. That's not right. In private, sure, fight all you want.

"Basically, if you won't say it about or to your mother in public, don't do it to Haley. It sends the wrong message."

Colt thought that over for a few bales. "Dale says we should always have each other's back, even if they're wrong. I guess that's part of it huh?"

"Yeah. We both know her mouth is going to get her into trouble, she needs to know you'll help get her out."

"I'll try. She's good at making it really hard sometimes."

"I've heard sisters are like that." The conversation drifted to other topics after that.

When he started slowing down about mid-afternoon, we switched again. We were on a pace to finish about where we should be. My arms ached but neither one had the strength or stamina to do the stacking.

Haley's questions were all about my experiences and impressions about working for her grandparents. Not one personal question at all.

When we filled the second trailer, we called it a day. Dale arrived with Mr. Buchanan's truck to pull the first trailer back while I pulled the second. Haley rode back with Dale, but it wasn't voluntarily. Colt followed me back to the barn on the quad.

It took the four of us a little while to stack the hay in the barn, clean up the equipment, and get it ready for tomorrow. I was exhausted by the time we finished. I ate, showered, and collapsed on the bed.

The next morning, there had been just enough dew to force us to wait until the sun had burned it off before we could start. We were probably going to finish today since Mr. Buchanan and Dale had gotten the soybeans in the ground yesterday.

We followed the same plan as yesterday, Colt steering, Haley pulling from the baler, and I stacked. Mr. Buchanan had made arrangements for extra trailers, giving us five total. When the first two were full, he hauled them back to the barn while Haley switched over to steer for Dale.

Mr. Buchanan brought back lunch, which Haley shuttled over on the quad. We ate quickly, hoping one final push would get us in before it got too dark.

Like the day before, Colt worked the hottest part of the day while Haley steered. Even though the temperature was a few degrees cooler today, he was running on fumes after a couple of hours.

Haley waited until we were rolling and Colt couldn't hear us over the tractor and baler. "What did you say to him yesterday?"

"About what?"

"After we ate lunch. It looked serious."

It took me a minute to remember. "Oh, yeah, that. I suggested that he not be disrespectful to family in front of other people. It wasn't a good look."

Haley pulled a couple of bales before speaking again. "He likes you. You just showed up in the middle of a Kansas farm out of nowhere, you say smart things, and you're good at making me mad. He literally thinks you're Superman."

I laughed. "Not Superman, sorry. I'm just as human as anybody else."

"I don't know. You don't go anywhere or talk to anybody. That's just weird and not in a good way." Haley continued to pull the bales from the belt.

"That's just my business." I hadn't expected her to give up and she didn't disappoint me.

"So what are you going to do when winter comes?" She was learning, change subjects quickly before someone gets bent out of shape. This time, it didn't work.

"I'll deal with that when the time comes." Truth was I didn't have a plan. There wouldn't be a lot for me to do to justify keeping me on. Eventually, somebody would notice and start asking questions.

"You could always go home." God damn, she wasn't going to give that up.

"No, Haley, I can't. Why is none of your business. Let. It. Go." I was hot and tired, and I snapped. "No more."

It wasn't hard to figure out she wasn't happy, the way her ponytail swung back and forth. The occasional cheek wipes were also a giveaway.

We were done about two hours later, just as the sun started to set. Dale, Colt, and Haley had an animated hushed conversation before Haley dramatically climbed into Mr. Buchanan's truck and slammed the door. The glare she leveled at her brother didn't seem to faze him, though.

Mr. Buchanan elected to leave the hay on the trailers for the night, we would stack it tomorrow instead. I headed upstairs to shower.

I knew who it was before she knocked on the door. Cindy opened the door slowly and stuck her head in. "I came alone."

I waved her in. She set the covered plate on the table. "Colt said the two of you got into it again. Scared the hell out of him."

"She wouldn't let it go, I was hot and tired, and I lost it. I'll apologize tomorrow. She's young and stubborn, but that's no excuse to be rude."

"I think she got the message. Colt's afraid you might leave." It looked like he wasn't the only one. Cindy looked pretty tense.

"No, there's still a lot of year left. I wouldn't do that to your father." Harvesting the size fields Mr. Buchanan had would be impossible for one man.

Cindy visibly relaxed. "She's grounded until we leave so you'll have some peace. Grandma has plenty of boring things for her to do."

She turned to leave and caught herself. "I'm supposed to give you this. You can let Colt or Dale know tomorrow. Sleep on it tonight." She set the folded slip of paper down on the table next to the covered plate.

I waited until the door closed and I heard her footsteps go down the stairs. The plate was still warm enough that I ate without reheating it. I actually would have eaten it stone cold, I was that hungry.

"Cale" was written on the outside flap of the note in the overly large style young girls seem to favor. The note inside was an invitation to her birthday dinner in a couple of days. She had underlined "please" several times at the bottom. The intertwined initials "HB" graced the very bottom of the note.

I was torn between the chance to use it as an olive branch, especially after today, and the concern we were only going to make things worse. Like Katie, Haley had a way of getting under my skin and she knew it.

At least it would be in a somewhat controlled environment. I could always excuse myself if things started getting out of control and her mother or grandparents couldn't rein her in. I decided to sleep on it anyway. Just in case my subconscious had any objections.

We were back at it early the next day. Mr. Buchanan had a couple of buyers coming for a truckload of hay and we needed to get it off the wagons to make room for the driver to back his trailer in and have room for his loader to maneuver.

With that done, I spent the remainder of the morning washing the tractors and the combine with Colt's help. Afterward, we tested the battery backups for the storm shelters. The front was supposed to come through late tomorrow night and there was a potential for tornadoes. Just to be on the safe side, we fired up the generators as well and checked the output voltages and current readings.

Dealing with the sheer number of people I came in contact with in my previous life, I developed the ability to tell when someone had a favor to ask long before they got around to asking it. Colt had been telegraphing it all morning.

"Cale, can I ask you a question?" It was pretty obvious he knew it would be a personal one.

"I suppose." I drew it out a little.

"How do I learn to piss Haley off like you do?"

"Practice. Twist what she says. Answer the question without answering the question. Be deliberately vague. Then stand your ground no matter what. Even if she guesses right, admit nothing. Basically, do to her what she does to you." I thought about it for a minute before continuing, "Try not to get mad, it works better that way."

"Awesome." Colt was practically beaming.

"Just something to keep in mind, she won't always be like that. She will mellow out some as she gets older. She won't ever stop doing it, she'll pick her spots better."

I didn't have the heart to tell him things were going to get so much worse for him shortly. I had only noticed it the last couple of days but his voice was starting to deepen here and there. It wouldn't be long before his voice started cracking. No self-respecting sister would let that pass without inflicting as much torture as she could. And there would be nothing he could do but take it.

After lunch, I had my chores to myself. Mrs. Buchanan and Cindy took the kids into Russell for the afternoon. Dale and Mr. Buchanan were making sure the pump sheds were secured and the irrigation equipment wasn't going anywhere.

The clouds started building mid-afternoon and the breeze began to pick up out of the west. It was a welcome break from the heat dome that had hung around. The women and children returned around five, Cindy honking the horn to announce their arrival.

Mr. Buchanan and Dale helped unload the Excursion. While everyone else headed inside, Haley took a seat on the porch, King curled up in front of her.

I walked over to the foot of the steps. "Hey, I'm sorry I lost my temper yesterday. I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings."

"I'm sorry, too."

It was obvious that was all the apology I was going to get out of her today. Haley examined her new manicure. "You going to come to dinner tomorrow night?"

"Do you want me to?" I wasn't sure that she hadn't been coerced into inviting me so I gave her an out.

She acted like she was thinking about it. "Yeah, I guess." Haley shifted her attention to her other hand.

"Then yeah, I guess I'll be there."

Try as she might, she couldn't hide the slight upturn at the corners of her mouth. "I'd better get inside before you get me grounded for life."

"Don't threaten me with a good time."

Haley scratched the bridge of her nose with her middle finger nice and slow so I wouldn't miss it. "See ya later, Cale."

"See ya, Haley." She disappeared into the house, King on her heels.

I had been hoping she changed her mind or was looking for a way to avoid me but she hadn't. I pulled out one of the nicer shirts I had and ran it through the dryer with a damp cloth to get rid of some of the wrinkles. I didn't have an iron, not that I knew how to iron a shirt anyway. I didn't go anywhere where I needed an ironed shirt these days.

Cindy brought over the plate again tonight. Setting it down next to the microwave, she picked up the invitation from where I had put it down earlier.

"You've been accepted, I see." She waved the invitation.

"Accepted?"

"HB. Hell's Belle. As far as I know, nobody outside the family even knows about that nickname. My dad and Dale call her that because she can be a real challenge sometimes."

"I never would have guessed." We both laughed. "I told her I would go. I'll try to behave."

"It's not you I'm worried about. My daughter is a little too good at springing traps. Dad told us about the deal you made but she sees things as black or white. I don't want her to run you off."

"Understood." Haley was going to be Haley. The irresistible force versus the immovable object. Just like my Katie.

"We'll be eating around six." Cindy slid an envelope from under the plate. "We picked up a card for you." She set it down next to the plate with the invitation on top.

"Thanks, I wouldn't know what to get anyway." It was more than likely I would have broken down in the birthday card section, this sounded better in my head.

I still wasn't entirely convinced that I was doing the smart thing. The Buchanan family had done right by me since Day One. They had mostly kept their word, especially after I made it clear I wasn't answering questions about my past. Every so often, I would be reminded I could join them for meals or a trip into Russell or Hays. They never got bent out of shape when I declined.

In return, I busted my ass. It hadn't taken me long to realize that he was fighting a losing battle on his own. There were just too many things for one man to do, even one half his age.

Altruism had very little to do with it. The first night after I walked away was the first night I actually slept in recent memory. It didn't matter that it was in the sleeper of a Kenworth bound for San Diego. Here, barring a weather alert, I slept all night like a rock. I ate without feeling like I needed to barf right after. Before, there were days when I just couldn't eat at all. As a result, there were no more episodes of not shitting for a week.

I don't believe it was an understatement to say my previous life was killing me, slowly and painfully.

Here, my purpose was crystal clear. There were no ulterior motives to figure out, no quid pro quo to dread, no looking at myself in the mirror and asking Why?

I had deliberately kept my distance because it was the only way to keep my secret. I also felt guilty about hurting her feelings. Yeah, she pushed my buttons but still, I'm supposed to be the adult. It wasn't her fault I ended up here.

Besides, it was for her birthday. What could possibly happen?

The leading edge of the storm system arrived just after midnight. It was still raining at five when I took the quad to check the culvert at the end of the driveway. Fortunately, it wasn't a hard rain so the fields would soak up a lot of it.

After clearing out the dead brush and a live snake, I headed back to the barn with the sign that said Buchanan Farms. Today would be a good day to sand the old paint off, fill a couple of bullet holes some jackass put in it, and repaint it.

Since I had everything out, I touched up some of the tools and the quad trailer while the sign dried. A check of the radar showed the rain wouldn't be ending any time soon so I wouldn't need the trailer until tomorrow.

The four of us sat around most of the afternoon and watched the tractor tech work. The big tractor we used to pull the tiller and seeder had been running a little rough but he had it running smoothly before he left. He updated the software on the harvester while he was here. He also updated Mr. Buchanan on the latest gossip from the surrounding farms.

All told, it rained nearly an inch and a quarter throughout the day, at a rate where it had a chance to soak in and not run off, taking topsoil with it. Earl the tractor tech, that was really his name, left just in time for me to be able to get cleaned up for Haley's birthday dinner without having to rush.

It didn't take long to shower and change. There was a break in the rain so I didn't get my boots too muddy getting across to the house. I made sure to get the soles dry before knocking, I had heard Mrs. Buchanan giving her husband hell for tracking mud on her floor.

I knocked and Cindy answered the door. I could hear Mrs. Buchanan behind her. "I told him he doesn't have to do that."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry." Technically, this was the fourth time I had ever been inside the house. It would be the first time I would be in any of the other rooms. King padded in, gave me the once over, and went back to wherever he had been.

The aroma from the food was incredible. I guessed we were having something Italian, since I could pick out the scent of garlic bread. Mrs. Buchanan had yet to make something I didn't like. She wasn't a fancy cook, her style was more rustic than anything else, but it was always great.

Cindy escorted me to the living room, where Mr. Buchanan, Dale, and Colt were watching the Royals game. Haley was curled up on the far end of the couch, pretending to read something on a tablet. She was just as invested in the game as everyone else, I caught her grimacing as one of the Royals' hitters looked foolish swinging at a pitch way outside.

Dale had been in the middle of explaining something to his father when I walked in. After we exchanged the usual greetings, he continued. It didn't take long to figure out he had gotten a new job, transitioning from the Missouri State Highway Patrol to personal security.

It also didn't take long to see that Colt was none too happy about it. On the other hand, Haley didn't seem bothered by it at all. You had to be blind not to see that Colt idolized his grandfather and uncle, and I assumed he considered Dale's move a negative step.

Mr. Buchanan didn't seem to think so. Given that the man didn't have much of a filter when it came to his opinion, it probably wasn't all bad. I was relieved. No badge, no threat to my freedom any longer.

When Mrs. Buchanan announced that dinner was ready, we filed into the dining room and found our seats. I found myself seated next to Cindy and across from Haley.

Dinner was homemade lasagna with garlic bread and a salad. It smelled incredible and tasted even better. It was exactly what I would expect from Mrs. Buchanan, simple and substantial.

The four Buchanan adults and Haley kept the conversation going through dinner and the birthday cake. Colt was obviously not having a good time but nobody got on his case about it. He picked at his dinner and the cake. Having seen this kid inhale lunch many times, I figured he had something on his mind. He did.

We had done the whole singing "Happy Birthday", blow out candles, eat the cake, and open cards and presents. While the adults talked and I listened, Haley examined her haul while Colt continued to toy with his piece of cake.

Cindy mentioned seeing a flyer or something at the store that a country band they had seen in Kansas City would be playing in Hays tomorrow night.

"Maybe Cale can take you, Mom." That sentence doubled the amount of words Colt had said all night.

The silence was uncomfortable. It was Haley, of all people, who spoke first. "He has to get up early. Besides, Mom's the boss' daughter. That's bad."

"Why? Mom and Grandma said he's a good looking guy and you said it yourself that a lot of guys check Mom out, so she's definitely an absolute MILF --"

Haley was fast but not fast enough. Her hand clamped over Colt's mouth one word too late. He pulled it down and continued while he still had the element of surprise. "Why can't she go out and have a good time?"

"We'll talk about it later, okay?" Dale recovered first.

"No, it's not okay. You're going to be moving --"

"I told you we were going to stay in KC."

Cindy's face was red as she stood quickly and left the room. I could hear her run up the stairs.

Colt glared at Dale. "Everybody I know whose mom or dad got a promotion or another job moved. All of them. What happens when you get married? Who's going to help Mom then?"

"Colton, that's enough. We'll discuss it later." Mr. Buchanan was surprisingly gentle.

"No, Grandpa, you'll tell me how it's going to be. I don't get a say." Colt got up and followed Cindy out of the room and up the stairs.

Haley sat and stared at her plate, her face redder than Cindy's. Mrs. Buchanan just stared at her husband and son, her lips a tight line across her face. She wordlessly pushed back from the table and went upstairs.

Haley and Dale began collecting plates and utensils from the table. I started to help but Mr. Buchanan waved me back into my chair. Dale returned briefly, carrying three small glasses and a bottle of whiskey.

Mr. Buchanan poured out three glasses while Dale returned to the kitchen. The two of us sat wordlessly, I was trying to think of a polite exit, while water ran and dishes clinked in the kitchen. I could hear the murmur of their voices.

When they finished, Haley came out, thanked us for the cards and gifts, and went upstairs quietly.

Dale sat down and took a large sip. Mr. Buchanan examined his glass for a minute before speaking. "What the hell is a MILF?"

I choked on my drink and managed to keep from laughing out loud. Dale explained it as delicately as he could. Mr. Buchanan was not impressed.

I heard a clock strike eight in another room and it gave me the excuse I was looking for. "Four in the morning comes early. Thank you for having me. I'll thank Haley tomorrow."

"Thanks for coming. I know she appreciated it. Goodnight, Cale." Dale looked both relieved and resigned. Mr. Buchanan just nodded.

"Goodnight, Cale. See you in the morning."

The heavy storms started a little after midnight. When I got up at four, they were just starting to die out. We weren't going to get much of a break, the next wave looked to be on its way.

Mrs. Buchanan met me at the kitchen door with the plate. She was her usual self this morning. I thanked her for dinner last night and raved about the lasagna. I tried to stay as normal as possible.

It was one of those rare days where there wasn't an awful lot to do inside so I was back in the loft by mid-morning. I was stretched out on the bed, listening to the rain hit the window when I heard light footsteps on the stairs.

I waited until they stopped on the landing. "It's open."

The door opened and Haley stuck her head in. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, leave the door open, please." No sense in courting trouble. "Aren't you supposed to be in lockdown?"

Haley came in and sat down at the table, setting my lunch in the center. I flopped down in the padded chair. "I got permission. I wanted to apologize for what happened last night."

"Not really your fault. Colt's going through some stuff and it can be hard." I didn't really blame him. It had to be really difficult, having everything he knew start changing on him without a lot of warning.

Haley nodded. "Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for asking me. I had a pretty good time overall."

Haley sat quietly, playing with her hands. "Last night, I went to apologize to Mom about calling her a MILF. I didn't think he would repeat it but I guess he didn't think about it before he said it. Anyway, I was going to knock on the door but I could hear her arguing with Dale." She shifted nervously. "We never knew anything about our father, everybody would just say it could wait until we were old enough to understand. Dale thinks we will, Mom's afraid we won't."

I nodded to indicate I was still listening. Haley continued. "I found out who our real father is. I don't know if I should tell her I know and it's okay, I get why they didn't want to tell us. I don't know if I should tell Colt. I think he'd understand, too, but I'm not real sure. I think my grandparents know, too." The Haley sitting at the table wasn't the smug, self-assured Haley I was used to.

I gave it some thought. "I'd talk to your mom and Dale first. Make sure you have your facts straight. Let them tell Colt when they think he's ready to hear it. Same for your grandparents. I wouldn't assume they already know."

I wasn't going to push for details. Especially since I had lost my shit a little when she did it before. Besides, it really wasn't any of my business.

"I guess that makes sense. Can we keep this just between us?"

"I'm not going to lie. I won't volunteer it but if somebody asks, I need to be honest. It would be better if you told them you asked me for advice and what I suggested. If it's something they object to, I'm sure they'll let me know."

Haley nodded and got up from the table. "Thanks, Cale. Enjoy your lunch." She let a slight grin steal across her face. "I made it myself." She flounced out the door, pulling it shut behind her before skipping down the stairs. I laughed out loud. No idea whether she did anything to them or not, the sandwiches were excellent. But I did wonder before the first bite.

The storms hung around for another day before moving further east. We didn't see any tornadoes, although it did drop a couple in Missouri after it passed over us.

Dale, Cindy, and the kids left a few days later. Mr. Buchanan was grumpy for a few days after that, not that I was surprised. Both the elder Buchanans clearly enjoyed having their family here. It was definitely quieter around here now, though.

My life quickly fell back into a familiar routine. There were a handful of storm scares but nothing serious happened. Mostly, it was day after day of eat, sleep, and work.

We started the second cutting of hay the first part of August. Dale, Cindy, and the kids came to visit again so Dale and Colt could help out, it would take less time with the four of us. Haley still managed to tag along.

It was clear that whatever issues Colt had been having with Dale's new job had pretty much disappeared. Haley and Colt still got along like brother and sister, sometimes requiring separation until they cooled off.

We also started preparing for the fall harvest. The corn and soybeans appeared to be about where they should be. We spent a lot of time making sure the equipment was ready when it was time. The timing would be tight as it was.

Haley managed to behave herself during their stay. Make no mistake, she could still be annoying when she wanted to be but she didn't try to pry information out of me, either. Colt was just happy to be one of the guys.

Mr. Buchanan was satisfied with the results. Projecting through the third cutting, he would have enough stored to get through the winter. Last year, demand had outstripped supply but it wasn't looking like that was going to be a problem.

I still had no answer to what happens after we finished the fall harvest. I couldn't just pack up and leave. I also couldn't walk around with a wad of cash in my pocket.

There weren't a lot of options. I could head for a smaller city, wait out the winter in a shelter, and either try to come back or move on in the spring. The problem with that was I would probably be recognized. I wouldn't be able to isolate myself like I could here.

I could always do what Haley suggested and go home. That was the least acceptable choice. My father would likely find a couple of doctors who would attest that I was a danger to myself, have me placed under a guardianship, and I would spend my days medicated to oblivion in some out of the way "hospital."

Even if he didn't and I was somehow allowed to resume my old life, I didn't want to. The thought of going back made my gut hurt.

It wasn't just the endless cycle of meetings about meetings regarding even more meetings, only interrupted by pointless tours of facilities that were designed to show how accomplished they were at staging dog and pony shows.

Like a number of my peers, I drank too much too often. I did it to escape, mostly. It let me dream of a life doing something I thought was worthwhile and being with someone I loved heart and soul.

Until one night in April, when I almost did the unforgivable. Twelve hours later, I was gone.

The only workable alternative I could come up with was to offer to work for room and board only during the winter. I didn't really need the money, I didn't go anywhere. I could spend down what they owed me and still have enough left over to last until summer.

I tended to spend a lot of time thinking about how to spin my offer so it didn't sound like I was desperate. I wasn't kidding myself, it had taken on a sense of life and death for me. I couldn't go back and moving on meant almost certain discovery eventually, which was just as bad.

Harvest time was a two week plus blur. Being October, Haley and Colt were now in school. I was surprised when the four of them showed up at the end of September.

From what I overheard from conversations between Mr. Buchanan and his son and daughter, they had been able to enroll the kids in a private school that allowed for virtual attendance. I wasn't clear on all the details but it seemed that the kids liked it well enough.

Cindy teamed up with Mr. Buchanan while I worked with Dale. The weather cooperated, the combine only broke down once, and the wait time for trucks to unload at the co-op wasn't too bad. All in all, the boss felt that it had been a good year.

We had tilled the fields, gotten the winter wheat planted, and started on getting the equipment stored for winter. Mrs. Buchanan had kept her grandchildren out of our hair with schoolwork so I hadn't seen much of Colt and Haley.

"Hey." The voice seemed to come from out of nowhere and surprised the shit out of me. I had been sweeping up around the tractors, thinking about the best time to approach Mr. Buchanan.

I turned to find Haley leaning against the small tractor. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Hi to you, too." Haley gave me a defiant look. "You have very poor people skills, you know that, right?"

"Only when I'm ambushed. Is there something I can help you with?"

"You missed a spot," Haley pointed to a nonexistent spot on the floor, where I had just swept. "Grandpa and Dale need some help moving something, if you have time."

I made an exaggerated sweeping motion in her direction in the area she had pointed out. "Thanks for noticing. I got time, since all I'm doing is talking to you. Tell them I'll be right there."

Haley stuck her tongue out at me before leaving. It seemed like every time I talked to her, she reminded me more and more of Katie. I wondered if that little ache would ever go away.

I grabbed the dustpan and collected what I had swept up so far. I could finish it when I was done with whatever task I had waiting in the house.

Climbing the stairs to the back porch, I noticed the inner kitchen door was open. Since I was expected, I didn't knock before going inside. The kitchen was empty, there were some things on the counter that looked like lunch. Two laptops sat side by side on the island.

"In here." There was something different about Mr. Buchanan's voice that I hadn't completely registered when I made it to the living room.

My first impression was that there were way too many people here. Four too many, to be exact. I didn't recognize the three facing me. One of the men I initially took to be Colt's father, he had to be at least six-five. The woman standing next to him must have been his wife, she had the bluest eyes I had ever seen. The second man was Dale's height but more muscular.

The woman facing away from me I recognized immediately. I didn't need to see her face or hear her voice.

Katelyn Byrd. Katie. My sister.

I swore I could hear my own heartbeat in the silence. I felt lightheaded and my legs didn't want to work right.

"You shouldn't be here." It took a second for me to realize that was my voice.

Katie turned, her face a mix of emotions. She took a shaky step toward me, then stopped.

"He always says that." All the Buchanans had been smiling until Haley spoke. I watched as their smiles faded, including Haley's. I locked eyes with her as I slowly shook my head. You had no right. Her eyes began to well up.

I looked at Katie. Tears had started down her cheeks as she struggled to say something.

My initial shock was starting to wear off. It was over. My stomach began to cramp as if I had been kicked in the balls. I pulled my cellphone out of my back pocket and set it down on the closest table. I finally got my legs to work as I headed back through the kitchen, heading for the loft. I should at least straighten the place up before I left.

"Nolan --"

I ignored it. I stiff-armed the screen door and it slammed shut behind me. I heard it pop open again as my feet hit the packed gravel of the driveway and then something slammed into my back, driving me to my knees and then face first into the ground.

Stunned, my first thought was King and I wondered if bleeding out hurt very much. I felt myself being rolled onto my back and Katie's face hovered above mine as she kept repeating, "No."

Katie's face disappeared, replaced by the blonde woman's. "I need a wet cloth, please." I recognized the taste of blood and my chin was beginning to sting a little. The cloth materialized and she dabbed spots on my face gently.

I heard a strange male voice. "That's gonna leave a bruise." Mr. Buchanan's snicker was the only one I recognized.

The blonde looked up and glared, "That's enough, Billy."

Hands grabbed my arms and I was lifted to my feet. I was pretty sure neither one of the strangers strained much doing it. They continued to prop me up until they were sure I could stand on my own.

My senses were beginning to clear up and the last of the mental shock was wearing off. I directed my question at the blond woman, since she seemed to be in charge. "Do I have time to collect my things?"

"Of course. We're not on a timetable." She flashed a slight smile. "In fact, you don't have to come with us at all but I think you should talk to Katelyn before you make that decision."

I nodded and headed for the loft to start packing. Nobody brings that kind of muscle unless they anticipated having to use it. I didn't have much so it wouldn't take long to pack my clothes and personal stuff into my pack.

I closed the door behind me. Grabbing the first aid stuff, I looked in the bathroom mirror at the damage. The only open wounds were my lip and my chin. The ones on my nose, cheek, and forehead were superficial.

I was just starting to clean the blood from around the cut on my chin when I heard the door open. I knew who it was.

"You shouldn't be here."

Katie appeared in the bathroom door. She looked exhausted and pissed off. "Yeah, you said that already."

"Now what?"

"Why, Nolan?" Katie gathered the first aid kit and my arm, and sat me at the table. Her hands shook a little as she started cleaning the wounds on my face.

"I'd had enough. It was killing me and I needed to get away." Not exactly a lie but not exactly the truth, either.

Katie tilted my head up to look into my eyes. I couldn't hold her gaze. "Don't lie to me. Why, Nolan?"

"I told you. I couldn't take it any more. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and I drank too much. I was killing myself one day at a time."

Katie applied a bandage to my chin and started on my cheek. "I remember the night before you left. Whatever it was, it had been eating at you for a while. I was so intent on getting it out of you, I didn't pay enough attention to what was going inside of you. We were standing in front of the picture window, you were so close to finally telling me what was going on with you, and you got sick."

Katie switched to a spot on the other cheek. "Just so you know, I can still see it. Running away didn't solve whatever it is, you just pushed it down. You can't drown it and you can't hide from it. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's really bothering you."

"Katie, I just told you." I hadn't and I wasn't going to tell her the truth. Even if I could, she wouldn't understand.

"No, Nolan, you haven't. Stop lying to me and yourself." Katie pulled out the other chair and sat down across from me.

"I'm not lying." My protest sounded weak even to me. I repeated it, trying to sound more convincing.

"Bullshit. I know what it is, Nolan. I've known for a long time. I didn't want to believe it at first but the longer it went on and the worse you got, I had no choice." Katie took a deep breath. "I wanted you to face it, say it out loud, drag it out into the light where we could deal with it. I thought we were so close to that. Except you ran."

Katie grabbed my hand in hers. "It's just us now. You can't run, you can't hide from it. Give it a name, Nolan. Say it."

"I can't." I barely mumbled that.

"Bullshit. It's just like you to think that you're the only person who's ever had this bullshit little problem, that nobody understands it or you, and the world's going to end because of it. You're a grown ass man, you need to fucking act like it." Katie was as pissed as I had ever seen her, the mocking tone of her voice stung.

I knew what she was doing. Baiting me into doing something I didn't want to do, even if it was in my best interest to do it. Unfortunately, she was right. Running didn't change anything. I had only been fooling myself.

"Nolan, please." Katie's eyes began to tear up. "Just say what you need to say. We'll figure it out, I promise."

I looked around the little loft I had called home for the last six months. My cocoon, where I could pretend I wasn't the sick bastard I really was. It was all gone now.

"Once upon a time, I read somewhere that we don't get a choice about who we're attracted to, only about what we do about it. I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. I know I shouldn't be, I can't be, but I am." I struggled to meet her gaze from across the table.

"That's the reason I left. I didn't want to hurt you. It was getting harder and harder to hide it. Eventually, I was going to say or do something inappropriate and the shit would hit the fan. It almost happened that night."

Katie began tearing up again and I regretted opening my mouth. I was doing the very thing I had wanted to avoid.

"You're not the only one with a secret. I feel the same way about you. I was never sure if you felt that way or I was only seeing what I wanted to see. I only knew for sure that our relationship was a lot different than most people's." Katie covered my hands with hers.

My brain took its damn sweet time processing Katie's admission. She had continued talking but I didn't hear any of it. She stopped and was looking at me expectantly.

"Huh?"

"I asked if you were okay."

"Yeah, I think so. It's a lot to take in." Katie's hand were soft and warm. I interlaced my fingers with hers and she squeezed gently. It wasn't the first time we had held hands but it had never felt this intimate.

"I was saying that it didn't occur to me that people not in love don't spend that much time together until those kids in Nevada --"

"What kids?"

Katie looked surprised. "The ones that tried to extort five million out of Dad by claiming you were dead and they knew where your body was."

"What the fuck?" I hadn't known about that. "When was this?"

Katie covered the highlights quickly. About two weeks after I left, two teens from Laughlin tried to collect five million dollars by claiming they had accidentally killed me one night coming home from a party while I was walking alongside the highway. In return for the money, they would give the exact location where they buried my body. They produced a picture of a backpack that was similar to mine as proof.

Until that time, the Idaho State Police had ruled my disappearance a "voluntary elopement," leaving it open but not actively investigating it. After the first contact, ISP brought in the FBI.

It didn't take long for the feds to catch up with the two idiots. In the course of their investigation, they started re-interviewing people, which got the attention of one of the network true crime programs.

That episode aired about a week ago. Two days ago, Katie had been contacted by an old college friend, who introduced her to Nita Davenport, the head of Briggs-Davenport Personal Services.

Ms. Davenport had provided video proof that I was indeed alive and living on a farm in Kansas. In return for strict confidentiality, she arranged to fly Katie to Hays, where they spent the night. The four then drove to the farm this morning while I was busy doing chores.

"Still leaves the question of what's next." I hadn't ever considered the possibility that Katie would share the same feelings. Not that it would matter much in the end. The idea of spending the rest of our lives in a twisted unconsummated love affair felt like a special kind of hell.

"You mean after I'm done yelling at you? That depends on what you want."

What I wanted was a good question. "I'm not sure what I want."

"While you figure that out, I'm going to get mad." Which she did, loud and long. I didn't bother trying to defend what I did, I thought I was protecting her. Katie wasn't having it, though.

"I'm sorry. At the time, it seemed like the only way. I wasn't trying to hurt anybody."

"That was the one thing you managed to do. We were afraid you were dead. ISP and the FBI said there was every indication you walked away voluntarily, no note, no signs of duress or mental health emergency. They couldn't justify assigning the manpower. I've been losing my mind for the last six months. Dad and Didi have been losing theirs." Katie had just about run down.

"Speaking of Dad and Didi, do they know?" Our mother died when we were very young. Didi had been Dad's secretary slash executive assistant for years and they had slowly but surely drifted into a personal relationship. We both adored her.

As for Dad, well, let's just say I wasn't a chip off the old block. Don't get me wrong, we didn't hate each other. The family had a long tradition of meeting or exceeding expectations. I wasn't, we all knew it, and it was putting a strain on our relationship.

"Yes. They're glad you're alive and healthy."

"And deeply disappointed that I don't own half the state by now."

Katie slapped the back of my hand hard. "Don't start with that. I wasn't lying, Nolan. Dad knows he's partially responsible for creating the situation. He wants to sit down and talk when you're ready."

"Just so you know, I'm not going back." There was no chance in hell of that happening. Whatever I spent the rest of my life doing, it would not involve an executive office.

Katie gave me an evil smile as she squeezed my hand until it hurt. "We know. Just so you know," another painful squeeze, "the next time we have to hunt you down will be the last. You scared me and I can't do that again."

I lifted our hands up and kissed the back of her hand. "Nope. Not doing it again." I felt a warm trickle on my lip and Katie grabbed a tissue to hold it against my lip.

"It'll stop bleeding in a bit." She dabbed at it gently.

A gentle knock on the door sounded before I could respond to her comment. "It's open."

Cindy cracked the door open far enough to stick her head around it. "Mom is expecting your visitor for lunch," I learned where Haley took drama lessons as she paused, "Cale."

"Sounds like an offer we can't refuse." Katie tried to stifle her giggle as I nodded.

"You could, if you think today's a good day to die." Cindy quietly closed the door, but not before dropping her gaze to the table, where Katie still had a tight grip on my hand, and smiling to herself.

"We need to get you presentable. You got a clean shirt?" Katie stepped into the bedroom and rummaged through the small wardrobe until she found one she liked.

I pulled the clean shirt on and Katie helped me button it. Somehow, our arms wound up around each other and she hugged me tightly. She sniffled and I pulled away slightly. "Hey, I just put this on."

"Sorry. I wasn't sure I would ever get to do that again." Katie pulled herself back into me and held me.

I had to admit that it felt different hugging Katie now. I didn't have to be careful about how much pressure I should use. Using the side of my mouth that wouldn't bleed, I kissed her forehead in acknowledgement.

Katie untangled herself and straightened her clothes out. "We shouldn't keep Amy waiting."

"You've been here just a few hours and you're already on a first name basis? That was quick." Circling my thumb and index finger, I twisted the indentation on the tip of my nose, giving her the "brownnoser" handsign.

Katie pinched my back hard enough to make me yelp. Great, another bruise probably. "She offered, I accepted. Unlike some stuck up trust fund baby --"

I swatted her on the ass and she gasped in shock. Wide-eyed, she stared at me and I gently and carefully kissed her. She returned the kiss just as carefully, our tongues dancing gently. It left me feeling lightheaded, it was that incredible. Going by Katie's expression, she enjoyed it, too. Enough to kiss me again, just to validate her findings.

"We'd better get going. She doesn't like to be kept waiting." We straightened our clothes out and took a moment to collect ourselves before heading to the house.

Katie had the screen door open before I could knock. Everyone was milling around in the kitchen, either making themselves a sandwich or getting something to drink. We joined the line and made our way into the dining room.

More formal introductions were made during lunch. As I had suspected after talking to Katie, the blonde woman was Nita Davenport. The taller man was William Everett and the other man was David Lilly, Dale's new boss.

The conversation that had started before my reunion with Katie continued on, but it wasn't hard to catch up. When the conversation hit a lull, my curiosity got the better of me.

"When did you figure it out?" I directed the question toward Dale and Haley began fidgeting in her chair next to Katie. I guessed from the first day.

"I didn't." Dale nodded toward Haley, "she did."

Haley's face was turning pink as Mrs. Buchanan stared her down. "Do tell."

During their second summer visit, she had taken a few pictures of me without anybody catching on. She knew that Dale had access to software that his job used for identification but she hadn't been sure the pictures were good enough for an ID.

When the extortion story broke, followed by the news program follow up, there had been a discussion in class about it so she watched the program. While recounting the Byrd family history, they had shown a picture of my maternal grandfather when he was roughly my age. She couldn't believe the resemblance.

Haley being Haley, she decided to do her own research. She waited until Dale was working on another matter, certain he would probably get a call or something, leaving his computer unlocked. It took a couple of days but she made the most of the opportunity when it presented itself.

Haley had no sooner uploaded the picture that it returned the result she knew it would. Proof in hand, she confronted Dale. She couldn't understand why he hadn't done any background on me at all. Dale tried to explain the agreement that her grandfather had with me. He needed the help and Dale wasn't about to do anything to ruin that.

On top of being unhappy about having her little investigation shut down, she also ended up grounded for using Dale's computer without permission.

Haley finally spoke up, "I was mad. You could see his family was worried sick about him. If it was me, I would want to know. So I called Nita. It wasn't right."

"I didn't know until David calls me the next day, asking about Cale. I explained what I knew and what Dad had told me. I thought I was going to get fired, honestly." Dale gave Haley a stern look, which didn't seem to bother her.

Nita took over from that point. "It took a little convincing but we finally agreed that the family needed to know but given that Nolan wasn't in any danger, it could wait until everything was in. When we had a good idea about the timeline, we reached out privately to Katelyn, believing they would want to keep it out of the news for now."

That was a sobering reminder that actions had consequences and mine were serious. I wasn't worried about legal issues, I hadn't faked my death or anything like that. If you added up the little bit I shoplifted, it might come to twenty dollars total.

Being removed from the trust would be inconvenient. I had money, it wasn't that, but I would have to pay for things like rent and insurance myself. Not insurmountable but definitely inconvenient.

I had broken one of the commandments of the family. Probably the biggest one.

Don't do stupid shit that attracts media attention.

It wasn't going to matter that I hadn't done it to get attention, that it was a poorly thought out knee jerk response to a situation I had created. It pointed a spotlight on a family hellbent on avoiding it.

"So what's next?" It was the question I kept asking myself with no answer, maybe Nita had one.

Nita glanced at Katie before speaking. "Ideally, you'll come to Dallas with us. Our facility is high security and we have staff who can help prepare you for the publicity surrounding your return."

"Before you get yourself worked up, it's not a hospital, Nolan. You're not going to be held prisoner. There are going to be questions and we want to make sure you have the right answers." Katie tried to be reassuring.

"If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck --"

"If we really wanted you in Dallas, we wouldn't be here right now." Mr. Everett's tone was calm but the meaning was clear. I might have been in the best physical shape of my life but I was no match for any of them.

"Nolan, I assure you that there are no media leaks in this company. Our very existence depends upon it. I can see that you are still overwhelmed at the moment so we're not asking you to commit to anything right now." Nita was trying a conciliatory approach. "Take all the time you need, talk it over with Katelyn, sleep on it. I'd like the opportunity to sit down and discuss it with you later, when you're ready."

"Let's go take a walk. I want to know what you've been doing for the last six months," Katie pulled me to my feet. "It will help clear your head."

Things already seemed pretty clear. I was going to Dallas, whether I wanted to or not. I would be analyzed, diagnosed, coached, and medicated until I said the right things at the right time.

We stepped out onto the front porch and I realized this was the first time I had actually been on it in the time I had been here. To be honest, it felt weird to be standing there, like I was out of place. I headed down the steps and Katie followed.

I started toward the loft to get something for the aches I was starting to feel from Katie's tackle. I figured I would start cleaning up the place, wash the sheets, and give the bathroom a once over.

Katie was still on my heels as I opened the door to the loft. I found the bottle I wanted and shook out two, washing them down with the open bottle of water I had on the counter. Katie sat in the armchair, watching me.

"If you've got something to say, say it." I knew the look she had.

"You're being an ass." Katie picked at imaginary lint from her jeans.

"I don't think so," I leaned back against the sink. "My little adventure is over. I'm not happy about it."

"Tell me again why you left, Nolan." Once again, I recognized the tone of her voice.

"I shouldn't have told you the first time."

"Bullshit. We finally have it out in the open and we need to deal with it."

"There is no dealing with it, Katie. What are we going to do, really? Go back to Boise and pretend? How long do you really think that's going to last before one of them figures it out or we fuck up and get caught? I don't think they're that stupid."

I pulled another bottle of water from the refrigerator. "We can't be together. It's wrong to begin with, it's impossible to get away with for very long around Dad and Didi --"

"They know." Katie got up and stood in front of me. "Didi's suspected for a while."

"Jesus --" I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Calm down." Katie fussed with the front of my shirt. "Apparently, neither of us is particularly good at hiding things."

"Dad?"

"He is, in Didi's words, resigned. He told her the same thing you told me, you don't get to choose who you fall in love with." Katie's arms made their way around my neck. Mine developed a mind of their own and went around her waist.

"He did say we both could do a lot worse."

My arms tightened around her waist as she pulled herself into me. I thought our first kisses were incredible but this was far beyond any kiss I had had before. It wasn't just the tingly feeling I had all over, I was lightheaded from either the lack of oxygen or the lack of blood flow, since her slow writhing against me was giving me a hard-on.

We eventually had to stop, both of us breathless. Without a word, Katie backed me into what passed for the bedroom, where we began kissing again with the same result.

We undressed each other slowly, one piece at a time, until I had only my boxer briefs and Katie was in a sheer lacy bra and panties. I had seen her many times over the years in various swimsuits, some barely there, but she was the most beautiful I had ever seen her.

As I took in the view in front of me, Katie reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. She let the straps slide off her shoulders slowly, allowing gravity to perform the first part of the great reveal. I tried to maintain eye contact, I swear. I didn't make it ten seconds.

Her nipples were the perfect shade of pink and proud as hell. Her teeth caught her lower lip as she lightly brushed her hands over her breasts and I felt a surge of precum as my cock twitched in response.

We removed the last piece of clothing we had on at the same time. As I straightened up, Katie pushed me playfully onto my back and climbed on top of me. I could feel how turned on she was as she slid up and down on my cock trapped between us.

We stared into each other's eyes without saying anything. I felt Katie's hand slide down as I held her hips. She wiggled a little to line up the head with her entrance, making sure it was lubricated with our fluids.

I can't begin to describe how it felt as we joined together. I simply didn't have the words. Nothing I've done before or since has ever felt as right as that moment.

Both of us teared up as we just lay there, eyes locked. Katie began slowly riding me, doing something with the walls of her pussy that was quickly pushing me to the breaking point.

I tried to guide her more back and forth, I really wanted her to cum but she was determined to have it her way. "I want you to make me yours, baby. I want to feel it."

I was definitely feeling it. My last ditch effort at trying to slow her pace even more only made her increase her hip rotation. That was more than I could bear. My orgasm ripped through me, my hands pulling her down onto me as my back arched, trying to get as deeply inside her as I could.

When I came back to my senses, Katie was still mounted on me, her hands on my forearms as I held her waist. Her head was tilted back, eyes closed, with a look of complete contentment.

She leaned forward and we kissed slowly and gently. When we broke apart, we both whispered "I love you" at the same time. The whole world might think we were wrong but there wasn't anything that felt more right to me.

I hadn't softened much, for whatever reason, so I guided her right hand between us in the direction of our joined crotches and whispered in her ear, "Be a good girl and cum for me."

I just wanted her to have her own release. I found out that her nipples became super sensitive the more aroused she was, she really liked being told she's a good girl, and she really, really liked when I watched her masturbate.

We fell asleep at some point, being awakened by the sound of her phone hitting the floor after it vibrated itself off the table. Cindy had texted that Katie's suitcase and my phone were outside the door to the loft. There was something else that made her blush but she wouldn't say what it was.

I brought them in while Katie started the shower. After having gotten the pent up frustration out, I got a long, appreciative look at my sister. In my totally unbiased opinion, she was the most beautiful woman I had ever known. Her boobs were perfect, her ass was perfect, every little scar was perfect.

Katie had put her case with her bath stuff on the table, since there wasn't any room for it in the bathroom. She pulled out a razor and a bottle of something, blushing a little as she started to ask, "Should I --"

"Not if you don't want to." She kept herself trimmed in a neat little strip, which suited me just perfectly. However she wanted it was fine with me.

"We'll see. You coming or just going to perv?" She stepped into the shower but left the curtain open.

"I don't know. Am I cumming?" I gave her my best leer.

Katie crooked a finger at me as her other hand slid over her mound. "I am. Whether or not you do is up to you." Turns out the answer was yes. I had to stand outside the shower while she was bent over holding the handrail, but it worked for us. The floor wasn't that hard to dry.

Drying off and staying clean were a little more difficult than planned. We did manage to get and stay dressed eventually. It seemed that every time we let each other go, we wanted our arms back around each other and our lips kissing some part of the other's body.

The armchair was a little wider than what I was used to seeing but it worked nicely for cuddling. We could squeeze in together and she had her legs draped over mine. Katie worked on prioritizing her emails and replying to the occasional text while I sat and watched her, sometimes nuzzling her hair.

Katie sighed, "I could get used to this very easily."

I murmured into her hair, "I already am."

She twisted to be able to kiss me nice and slow. When we were forced to come up for air, she whispered back, "You damn well better be."

As Katie's lips melted into mine again, my phone chimed. She handed it to me and I opened the text app. Dinner, no delivery. Mrs. Buchanan kept it short and sweet.

We reluctantly got up and straightened ourselves out in the mirror. Katie did a quick but light makeup application. She really didn't need it, I thought she looked great as-is but she insisted.

We climbed the steps to the back porch and, once again, Katie had the door open before I could knock. "We don't have to do that, Nolan."

"Habit." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Lose it." Katie kissed my cheek. "You'll always be welcome here."

My first thought to that was that they wouldn't if they knew what we spent our afternoon doing. "I lied to them."

"They understand you had your reasons. You treated them with respect and you lived up to your word. That means something here, too."

I stopped just inside the door, in the little area Mrs. Buchanan called the mud room. "We also --"

Katie put her finger over my lips, "I know. Just act normal. We'll be okay."

I thought she was being awfully calm about it. I instantly wasn't. This wasn't the same as coming home tipsy after some underage drinking at a party you weren't supposed to be at. I was still riding a hormone high that not even paranoia could kill.

Katie pulled me into the kitchen, where almost everyone had congregated. Nita and the two men had left, they would be staying in Russell for now. Mrs. Buchanan pointed Katie in the direction of Cindy, who had been pulling a roast from the oven. The males were enlisted to carry the serving dishes into the dining room as they were ready.

Cindy said something too low to make out through the background noise, but Katie turned bright pink and looked down guiltily. Mrs. Buchanan said something else to her daughter, who feigned innocence.

What surprised me was when Mrs. Buchanan leaned over and said something else to Katie that turned my sister's face a brighter shade of pink and made Cindy exclaim "Mom!" loud enough to get everybody's attention.

Mrs. Buchanan ignored the attention and finished with getting everything on the table. Haley had claimed the spot between Katie and her grandmother and happily talked her new friend's ear off throughout dinner.

It was a group clean up, Colt and Haley were tasked with loading the dishwasher and washing the cookware. Mr. Buchanan had headed for the den earlier and Mrs. Buchanan followed him after giving the kids last minute instructions.

She had no sooner disappeared than Dale pulled a six-pack from the back of the refrigerator and motioned toward the door. Cindy pulled some blankets from a drawer under the little bench and handed part of them to me.

We followed Dale around to the side of the house away from the barn and all the lights. We walked out into the field for about ten minutes before Dale stopped and spread out one of the blankets.

I followed suit. The full moon had come up shortly before sundown and had climbed far enough into the sky that we didn't need any other light. It had been a warm day for October so the current temperature was still quite comfortable. It would start to get chilly in a while, though.

While Cindy fluffed out a second blanket, Dale sat down, pulled out a couple of beers and handed them to me. Cindy draped the blanket she had just shaken out around Dale's shoulders while Katie sat down next to me.

I had to do a double take when Cindy sat down between her brother's outstretched legs and leaned back. Dale's arms went around her and Cindy quickly took the offered bottle.

"What?" Cindy pretended to be outraged, only her smile gave it away. She twisted the cap off and took a pull from the bottle.

"I don't think he knows," Katie leaned into me to pick up one of the bottles. I opened it and she took a sip.

"Know what?" I was very confused, to say the least.

"Here, you're probably going to need this." Katie handed me the other bottle. I twisted it open and took a swallow.

"Know what?" I repeated the question.

Dale took a long drink from his bottle. "I'm Haley and Colt's father." He nibbled on Cindy's ear while she tried to twist away.

"Say what?" He couldn't be serious. Could he?

"He's Haley and Colt's father," Katie helpfully repeated.

"Yeah, I heard him the first time." The three of them laughed. "Do your folks know?"

Cindy nodded. Dale took another drink. "It came as quite a shock to them, too." That made Cindy snort beer through her nose.

While Dale started to tell their story, Katie threw the spare blanket over my shoulders and stretched out similar to Cindy, pulling the ends of the blanket around us.

Their relationship growing up was much like ours. They had friends but just seemed to prefer their own company more. After high school, both of them enrolled at the Kansas State campus in Salina, a little over seventy miles to the east of Russell on Interstate 70.

While not that far away geographically, it was light years from what they had experienced growing up. They reverted to the ways they were used to, eating together, studying together, and hanging out together.

While they did have friends, most of their time was spent together. As Dale accurately described it, "It didn't take long for the lines to get blurred."

They had come home the first weekend of September to pick up some things. Dale spent his days helping his father with chores while Cindy helped her mother with the outside bookkeeping she did for steady income.

Evenings after dinner were spent hanging out in one room or the other after their parents went to bed. Dale said it was Friday, Cindy swore it was Saturday, but they had fallen asleep in Dale's room watching some movie.

They were awakened by a loud moan. Then another. The realization sunk in that their parents were having sex, enthusiastically. Cindy had changed into her usual sleep outfit, as had Dale, before the movie.

Cindy was spooned into Dale and could feel his erection cradled in the crack of her ass. "As stupid as it sounds, that's when I knew. I wanted to hold him while he made love to me."

Dale was less delicate. "I wanted to hear her moaning my name while I fucked her brains out." Cindy hit his leg hard enough to make him yelp in pain while the rest of us laughed.

"Seriously, I knew I loved her. When she rolled over to look me in the eyes, we both knew. Mom and Dad were still going at it and we're staring at each other because that was the first naked body of the opposite sex we'd seen in person. It was awesome."

Dale rubbed his thigh where Cindy had punched him. "Fun fact for you. Mom likes it from behind, like a bull mounting a heifer." Cindy giggled.

"That's what she called him, Bull." They broke up laughing. I groaned at the mental image that evoked while Katie laughed along with them.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, staring at the stars. Cindy's low voice surprised me. "To finish the story, I ended up getting pregnant. It wasn't until we came home for Christmas that they found out about that. Dad being Dad, he expected the boy to do right by me, so he went to see a lawyer to make it happen."

Dale opened another beer and handed it to her. "I couldn't answer their questions. Of course, they got pissed off. They were yelling at me and getting madder by the minute."

"Cindy started crying and I fessed up. Dad wouldn't even look at us, just told us to get out, and he left. Mom sat and cried." Dale took the beer from his sister and took a sip.

"We went back to Salina that day. The night she went into labor was the first time we spoke to each other since that day. I don't even know why I called, really. I just felt like they should know. They were there when Haley was born, though. It took a long time and another grandbaby to get where we are now."

Cindy handed Katie the last beer from the six-pack. "We don't go around telling this to everybody. We want you to know we understand, Cale. Nobody here is going to judge you. It's a lot to take in, we know."

We sat for a while, looking at the sky. "I don't remember when I first realized how I felt. I knew it was wrong and I felt like a freak, but I couldn't help it. Between that and the whole living up to the Byrd family name thing, I couldn't cope. So I drank."

I drained the last of my beer and Katie opened the last one and handed it to me. "We had gone out to dinner the night before I took off and I had way too much. We went back to the apartment, she was standing looking out the window at the lights, and I wanted to put my arms around her, kiss her, and tell her how I felt. I almost did."

"I would have let you," Katie pulled my arms around her tighter.

"The thing that stopped me was all the pain it would cause. Not to me, to her and the rest of the family. I had almost blown it and the thought made me sick to my stomach. I had to get away and stay away from her."

I told them about packing what I could into the backpack, driving to Walmart for a couple of things, and tossing the keys, wallet, and cellphone into the trunk of the Mercedes before walking away.

I walked to the truck stop, where an older man gave me some helpful advice. I caught a ride to Salt Lake City that night. From there, a trucker headed to San Diego got me to Bakersfield. I hung out a couple of days before another independent trucker took me to just outside El Paso.

I caught another ride from there to Denver. It was in the coffee shop that I got to talking to an older trucker who mentioned that he had grown up on a farm outside Russell and that might be a good place to start over.

I had adopted the suddenly unemployed tech worker cover story in Bakersfield, since it was obvious I wasn't an experienced transient and I didn't want people thinking I was some sort of serial killer.

Although it was getting late in the spring, he thought that there would be someone who needed labor, it would give me some money and I wouldn't be sleeping in truck stops. I rode with him to the north end of town, where he wished me luck and we parted ways.

Two days later, I was headed to a place my last stop had suggested when the oncoming storm forced me to take cover in an unlocked shed. I had run out of money, had an old protein bar that I had swiped, and it had been about a week since my last shower. I had no clean clothes and what I did have wasn't in good shape. I came up with the name Cale after J. J. Cale, who had written "Call Me the Breeze," which was one of my favorite songs.

"Dad said you were in pretty bad shape when he found you." Dale laughed, "He could tell you weren't the usual vagrant or addict. Too soft and no tats."

"Surprised the hell out of me when he offered me work." I had always wondered about that.

"You didn't freak out about the shotgun and you weren't faking manners. He thought he might get a couple of days' work out of you before you quit, if King didn't alert on you first and he let you go." Turns out King was a medically retired narcotics K-9, he had gotten shot on a raid a couple of years ago.

I finished the story more for Katie's benefit. Cindy and Dale had been around for the rest of it. "None of us understood how he could stay holed up here. He hasn't left this farm to go anywhere since he got here." Cindy snuggled back into Dale, pulling the blanket around them.

"No ID, I didn't want to have someone recognize me out of the blue, and I really didn't want to run into Deputy Heyworth and have him start asking a lot of questions." That one time had been unnerving enough.

"Being honest, a huge part was that I felt like a sick creep. I was doing okay until you guys showed up." I nuzzled Katie's hair, "Haley reminded me of you when you were that age."

"Speaking of Hell's Belle, she would like a moment of your time tomorrow. Or she can track you down herself. Your choice." Dale drank from the beer bottle and handed it to Cindy.

"That ain't much of a choice."

"No, it's not," Cindy polished off the last of the bottle and dropped it into the holder. "She's funny that way."

"So what's your story, Katie? You've been awful quiet." Dale asked.

Katie squeezed my hands. "I wasn't sure that he felt the same way. I knew he was struggling with something, I thought it was the business. I could feel something was off when I came home. I tried calling and texting, nothing. I called Dad, maybe he knew where he was but it was news to him.

"We called the police the next morning. An off-duty officer noticed the car in the store parking lot that night. I had a spare set of keys so I unlocked it and we found his stuff. They got the security footage from the store and some other places around there. They ran a story on the news and one of the cashiers at the truck stop recognized him."

Katie took a long sip from our bottle. "That's when they brought in the state police. After a couple of weeks, they decided that Nolan was doing this of his own free will and since there wasn't any evidence of a crime, they couldn't justify the manhours. They left it open, just in case."

Katie paused and when she continued, her voice was hoarse. "Our mother died when I was six. I remember at the funeral, I was heartbroken and crying, and Nolan promised me he would never leave me. Except he did. I could barely function. Didi, our step-mom, suspected something was going on with us, because she asked me point-blank if something had happened between us. I told her there hadn't. She tried to reassure me, saying he would turn up eventually."

Katie took another sip. "Dad didn't want to tell me about the email from those fucking idiots. That day took years off my life. The state police called in the FBI. We stalled them long enough for the feds to arrest them. A couple of stoners who wanted to go to Thailand. Assholes."

Katie collected herself, "When my friend Ellie called to introduce Nita, I couldn't help but think 'here we go again.' I literally asked Nita how much before she had a chance to say a word. She just handed me a tablet with the video all ready to play. No sales pitch, no threats, nothing. I didn't need to ask, she told me exactly where he was."

"Let me guess. The 'Nita Experience'?" Dale laughed while Cindy swatted his leg.

"What is that?" Katie's laughing along with Dale and Cindy made me curious.

"I had been assigned to an extortion case. The victim was a client of Briggs-Davenport, there were certain accusations being made, and pictures had been provided. We had no choice but to investigate. David had flown in to work as a liaison between us and the family. Let's just say that a lot of my colleagues were not that motivated, the pictures were very convincing."

Dale shifted so that Cindy could lean her head back on his other shoulder. "The company had analyzed the pictures and determined they had been faked. When my bosses refused to have the FBI take an official look at them, somebody made a phone call. The pictures were sent, with the same conclusion."

Katie shifted so she could stretch out her legs while Dale continued. "The other investigators still weren't convinced that the accusations were totally false. This was my first big case and I wanted to do it right so I kept working it. We eventually figured out who it was but we never found him.

"Not long after that, I got a call from David. The people he worked for had been impressed with my dedication to doing my job and they had an opportunity they wanted to offer me. I figured it couldn't hurt to listen so I said sure, why not."

Cindy continued the story. "Dale had told me a little about the case, it was kept very quiet for good reason. When he told me about what David had said, I wasn't thrilled. We hadn't been in KC a year yet, the kids were just starting to get settled, and I didn't want to move any further away from Mom and Dad.

"I said okay because he was right, it wouldn't hurt to listen." Dale's arms shot up in victory before Cindy smacked his leg again. "Dale took a day off during the week so we could do it while the kids were in school.

"Nita and Chris showed up right on time. It started out normally, they described the company and explained why they were interested in hiring Dale. After that, it got a little crazy."

Dale laughed. "Yeah, they kept talking around the type of clients I would be working with. When I really pressed Nita on it, she dropped her bomb. She knew we were together. Of course, we denied it. She then detailed how she knew. They needed associates that could work with their 'special' clients. People like us."

Katie gripped my hands tightly and I knew what she was going to say before she said it. "She knows, Nolan. It's why she got involved. I denied it, too, but she didn't believe me."

"That's just fucking great." I tried to get up but Katie managed to keep me seated.

"It's not how you think. They have a plan, a way for everyone to get what they want. They're like us, Nolan. They want to live and love in peace. They can help us. Just listen to what Nita has to say."

Cindy chimed in, "Nita understands why you left. That's why we're talking to you first. You're smart to be cautious, we all were, but this is for real. I hope you know we would never, ever jeopardize our kids or our parents. We owe you for everything you've done here. Let us help."

Even though I had serious reservations about Nita's motives, I believed Cindy when she said they would never hurt their children or parents.

"Just think it over. That's all anybody is asking right now." Dale's voice was calm. "You can decide in the morning what you want to do."

We fell silent for a while, each couple wrapped in a blanket and their thoughts. When Katie shivered a little, we began collecting our stuff, Dale and Cindy followed suit, and we headed back to the house.

While we helped Cindy shake out and fold the blankets, Dale took out the garbage along with our now empty six pack. We said our goodnights and they closed the door behind us as we headed for the loft, Katie's hand firmly in mine, leaning against my arm as we walked.

I followed her up the stairs, watching her hips sway as she took her time going up. Katie's ass was always stare-worthy but this amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

Once inside the loft, the boots came off and we stood face to face. Katie draped her arms around my neck and murmured in a low, husky voice, "Six months ago, you were going to start something." Her pause lasted a few seconds before she continued. "I'm here to finish it, once and for all."

"I was afraid it would end us. I couldn't handle that." Mindful of my lip, we kissed gently. I wanted to pull her body inside mine, no matter how tightly I held her, it wasn't enough. Katie's arms around my neck were just as tight, her body moved against mine insistently.

Soon, belts, buttons, and snaps were undone on our way to the bed. The outer layer of clothing was soon on the floor, followed by my underwear and her bra. Katie backed me up until my legs were against the side of the bed and I had no choice but to sit down.

I slowly pulled the impossibly lacy bikini style panties down and she stepped out of them. As she took them from me, she knelt between my legs. "I've heard that some brothers like watching their little sister suck their cock."

Katie's right hand wrapped around the shaft and a large drop of precum seeped out. I started to say something about her not having to do that and she stuck the panties in my mouth to silence me. "Quietly."

Her tongue swirled around the head, sending me into a state of horniness I didn't know even existed. Katie's mouth slid over the head and down the shaft before withdrawing and teasing me with her tongue. I felt another pulse as her tongue teased the underside of the head. She was absolutely right, this brother liked watching his little sister just a little too much.

I leaned forward enough to get my hands under her arms and I lifted gently. "The only way I'm going to be quiet is for you to get up here and turn around."

My favorite fantasy was about to come true. The one thing I had always wanted to do was about to become reality. It came from an offhand comment one night a few years ago. Something Katie had said about it being a shame guys didn't put as much effort into giving good head as girls do.

I had laughed it off but the remark stuck with me. Every time I went down on a woman after that, in my mind she was Katie, deserving of the best orgasm I could give.

Katie climbed up onto the bed, swinging her leg over me and settling into the perfect position as I kissed her inner thighs before gently teasing her outer lips with my tongue. That led to exploring her inner folds, hot, slick, and intoxicating.

She moaned as I slipped my tongue inside her, gently probing in between the long slow passes from her entrance, around her clit, and back inside her. I couldn't tell you when she had stopped sucking me, I was completely lost in her wonderland.

It was everything I dreamed it would be and more. When she began pushing back every time my tongue slid inside her and she began mumbling, "Please, yes," and moaning as my tongue teased her clit, I lightly began to suck on her clit, careful to be gentle. My left hand began to tease her nipple and that was pretty much all it took.

Katie's body stiffened as she pushed her ass back, pinning my head between her and the bed. The only sound she made as she came was a strangled moan before she collapsed on top of me.

I rolled her to the side so I could get her some water and clean my face. When I returned, Katie was sitting up, waiting for me. Once she finished the water bottle, we stretched out together and I quickly drifted off to sleep.

I was awakened by a warm tongue teasing my nipples and a soft hand wrapped around my cock. Whispered "Good morning" was followed by a long, loving kiss. Katie rose up high enough to aim my cock before slowly settling down onto it.

She threw a little bit of a tantrum when I moved her right hand to her pussy and instructed her, "Be a good girl and show me how you cum." I played with her nipples and whispered encouragement while she lost herself. She did not disappoint. She came, her back and neck arched, fingers frantically rubbing herself as I pinched her nipples.

I came soon after as she began riding me slowly and sensually. I loved watching her as she leaned forward, hands on my chest, and tried to kill me with the walls of her pussy. There was something about the look on her face, the way she would close her eyes and smile, when I began to cum.

Katie lowered herself on top of me, slightly shifting for comfort. I held her quietly while we caught our breath.

I knew what was coming. Some time between last night and this morning, my decision had been made. Consequences would have to be faced. It needed to be done.

"Nolan --"

"Yeah."

Katie turned her head so her chin was resting on my chest and looked at me questioningly.

"I want us to be together. I'm going back, I'll deal with the fallout, and I'll do everything I have to so we can stay together."

Katie shifted so we could kiss deeply. "It's going to be okay. We'll make it work, just like we always have."

For once, I was certain, too. We would find a way to make it work out.

My stomach rumbled in the silence, complaining that it wanted food. Katie patted it, "Calm down, buddy. Amy said nine-thirty. We need a shower first."

Since it was only a little after eight, we could take our time. We spent twice as much time, if not more, making out in the shower than actually bathing.

We even had time to pack before heading to the house for breakfast. The SUV Katie had arrived in was back, parked next to Dale's GMC.

We went in through the back door. You could smell the food just climbing the steps to the porch. As usual, the kitchen was chaotic, Mrs. Buchanan trying to maintain some kind of order but not having much success.

While Katie made toast and bacon, I made a giant omelet. That was one of the few things I knew how to cook. Once we had accomplished that, we headed for the table.

Nita and Mr. Buchanan were deep in conversation at his end of the table. When she looked over, I nodded and she smiled briefly before returning to her conversation. David Lilly and Colt were discussing whose team had the better shortstop, Texas or Kansas City. Dale, Cindy, and Haley sat together quietly. Haley didn't look happy at all.

Katie collected the plates and brought them to the kitchen, where the women seemed to have congregated. I headed through the back door to collect our bags to load into the SUV. On my way back down the stairs, I reminded myself to come back and throw our sheets into the machine.

Fortunately, the SUV was unlocked and I put the bags in the back. I closed the doors and headed toward the front porch when Haley surprised the shit out of me.

"Hey." She was seated directly in the center of the stairs.

"You really need to stop doing that."

Haley ignored the remark. "I'm supposed to apologize. I'm," she paused, "not going to do that."

"I expected no less. I'm not saying thank you."

"Wasn't counting on it."

"You got lucky this time. The next time, you may not be." I was serious now. "People don't like other people playing around in their lives."

"I wasn't guessing. I knew. Just like I know you don't want to leave." Haley picked at an imaginary spot on her jeans, "Nita says I have a gift. Intuitive empathy or something like that. I can read people, most of the time. I knew there was something off about you. When I saw Katie and how she acted around you in the video they showed and how she was when they talked to her, I knew."

"You still need to be careful, Haley. You could get hurt."

"Nita's going to help me, teach me. She said there are a lot of people who would love to take advantage of what I can do."

"There are." Too fucking many, to tell you the truth.

"You'd better get inside, Nita said something about wanting to leave soon." Haley stood up and disappeared inside.

I took a moment to look around. I vividly remembered the day I came to Buchanan Farms. I stared up at the sky, that shade of blue that existed nowhere else but Kansas. I had no idea if I would ever be back to see it again. I would miss the quiet sounds of the breeze rustling through the crops, the smell of cut hay and the soil after a good rain, and the sun on my skin.

Just as there were times I had missed Idaho, I would miss Paradise, Kansas just as much.

"Nolan," Katie stuck her head through the doorway. "Come say goodbye."

I would be lying to say I wasn't having second thoughts about leaving. However, I had given Katie my word. I wasn't about to break it a second time.

Colt was first, simply saying, "See you later." I hoped he was right.

Cindy and Dale both thanked me for everything before we exchanged hugs. We were invited to visit them anytime.

Mrs. Buchanan hugged me and whispered, "Take good care of each other."

"Thank you for everything," I was having a really hard time seeing and talking now, "Amy." I thought she was going to break a couple of ribs before she let go of me.

Mr. Buchanan just stuck out his hand. I shook it firmly and we hugged. I don't think either of us could talk.

Haley was standing by the doorway to the kitchen. I didn't need to be an empath to see she was fighting tears with everything she had. I walked over to her and held out my arms. She sobbed quietly as she hugged me. I kissed the top of her head lightly and told her, in my worst Armold Schwarzenegger imitation, "I'll be back."

"You'd better."

"Thank you."

"I'm still not sorry."

"Of course not." We went out through the front door and down to the SUV. The Buchanans gathered on the front porch and waved as we drove off.

It wasn't until we had been driving for about twenty minutes that I remembered I hadn't pulled the dirty sheets off the bed. I swore under my breath. Haley's ambush had distracted me and I simply forgot.

Katie looked at me, confused, and I explained in a low voice what had happened.

"Cindy said not to worry about it, they'd straighten up the loft." Katie's face was a little flushed as she spoke.

"We should have done it before we left." Katie was usually really good about remembering things like that.

"She said there was no point in doing it twice." Katie had that look in her eye that I recognized. Cindy and Dale were planning on sneaking up there for a little private time. I nodded wisely and let it drop.

David took the scenic route to the airport in Hays. It wasn't long before we were in the air on our way to Dallas. By nightfall, we were at the building we would be staying at.

We spent a week in Dallas, which flew by in a blur. The reunion was awkward at first but everyone adjusted by the third day.

My return wasn't news in Boise for long. A vaguely worded announcement was met with a collective yawn for the most part. The ISP and the FBI had some questions, most of which were answered. I refused to give up the Buchanans, they had done nothing really wrong.

The extended family was told only what they needed to know. If anybody suspected anything about our new sibling relationship, they kept it to themselves. Besides, there was that saying about people living in glass houses throwing stones.

Thanksgiving and Christmas passed quietly. I knew my status in the family business was going to change, I had been replaced in my old position, she had settled in nicely and didn't deserve to have it taken away from her.

Officially, they called it an indefinite leave of absence. In the beginning, it felt more like purgatory. Rather than drink and ruminate, I started working out. We spent a lot of time at the cabin up north, so I had plenty of wood to chop and things to do.

President's Day weekend, Katie dragged me up to the cabin for a getaway. Things had been hectic for her, several organizational changes had been decreed and she was exhausted. She had been uncharacteristically close-mouthed about what was going on but I kind of expected that was the new normal around me.

I had just finished restocking the firewood in the den and master bedroom when I heard the chirp from the alarm. Katie was in the kitchen, trying to decide what she wanted for dinner so I went to see who it was.

Dad and Didi were knocking snow off their boots when I found them. Katie didn't seem surprised to see them, either. We headed for the den, where I had already started a fire.

Didi blushed a little as I quickly folded up blankets from where we had spent the better part of the afternoon making love and napping. That wet spot was kind of obvious. Dad pretended not to notice.

After the usual small talk, we had just seen them a couple of days ago before coming up here, Dad leaned forward.

"There's something we need to discuss, Nolan." I didn't like the sound of that. At all.

"Okay. What's up?" I looked over at Katie but she had her best poker face going. Didi wasn't giving anything away, either.

"It's about time you started pulling your weight around here." I could tell from his posture that he was being serious. I was definitely not liking this.

"Okay, doing what?" There really wasn't any way to disguise my discomfort.

"Before you get too far ahead of yourself, hear me out." Dad smiled. "Let me give you a little background first. Last year, we acquired this company..."

The sun was starting to set as I turned off the highway at the familiar sign and rolled to a stop next to a GMC with Kansas plates. We climbed the stairs to the front porch a little stiffly. Travel on Interstate 80 in the early spring can be an adventure and I had had to push to make it on time. Katie grabbed my right hand and squeezed as I rang the doorbell.

I heard a familiar bark and Amy opened the door. She had quick hugs for both of us and then put her finger to her lips. "Seth! It's some man looking for work. Says his name's Cale --"

"CALE!" I was certain Haley never touched a single stair on her way down. She flew through the doorway and slammed into me, spinning us around. A quick hug followed, then she stood back and demanded, "Where is she?"

I nodded behind her, where Katie wiggled her fingers hello. Haley squealed happily and physically dragged Katie into the house, talking a mile a minute.

After handshakes and hugs with Cindy, Dale, and Colt, we headed inside to the den. Seth was parked in his recliner, his left knee obviously bandaged under his jeans. He got up cautiously and we exchanged backslapping hugs.

"I was wondering what took so long. I was beginning to think they left me here to die."

I had heard about his fall. He had slipped on a slick kitchen floor and required surgery. It went very well and he was expected to make a full recovery.

"I-80 in the spring. You gonna be ready for planting?"

It was a rhetorical question. While Seth couldn't physically do much, it didn't stop him from planning out a course of action.

A lot had happened since I left to clean up the mess I had created. Old Man Jessup decided to call it quits after the fall harvest, he was getting too old and none of his children were interested in taking over.

As it happened, Byrd Industries had acquired an agricultural seed supplier last year as part of a takeover deal. Dad had originally intended to sell it off when the market seemed right.

A small agricultural equipment manufacturer, whose owners were clients of Briggs-Davenport, were looking for a site to establish a testing facility for a new line of equipment aimed at small farm operations.

The partnership came together fairly quickly. The biggest hurdle had been Seth, who had insisted I head Byrd's arm. Understandably, the board had objections to that. They weren't happy with the alternative suggested but reluctantly agreed.

Katie would run the operation as CEO and Seth agreed to having me named Director of Operations for Product Testing and Development. Dad said Seth's argument pretty much settled the discussion over whether farmers would accept a woman CEO.

"I'm a farmer and I don't give a shit if Marvin the Martian is running this circus as long as I can afford your seeds and they do what you say."

The acquisition of the Jessup fields wasn't well received in the beginning but after hearing the concept, a lot of the opposition died down. Not all of it, as the half-dozen or so bullet holes in the sign out front could attest.

Seth's old barn had been converted into offices and a prefabricated facility was being constructed down the road for the equipment. Another, smaller building was being built behind the old barn. Nobody really talked about that, though. Billy Everett, David Lilly, and Dale spent a lot of time supervising its construction.

Three contiguous bedrooms on the second floor of the house were turned into a small apartment for us. The other side of the hall was done for Dale, Cindy and the kids.

Best of all, the old loft was turned into a "playroom." What happened in there, stayed in there...

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This is my nineteenth story for Lit, kicking off my third year here. Words can't express my gratitude for Laurel and Manu allowing me to put my stories up here and for all y'all who read, rate, and tell me what you think.

Thank you.

FD25