The Swear Jar (5 page)

“Isn’t Maple Tree Farm right by
Duncan’s house?” Tom turned to Lucy.

“Yes, I visited Brenda when she was
ill.  I had to pass right by there.”

“Duncan knows where it is,” said
Tom.  “I think he should escort you there.”

“Right.  Get those two out of the
library,” replied Lucy.  “That could work.”

“How long will they be in there?”
asked Anne.  “I want to get some books and movies.”

“You have time.  Why don’t you go
browse?” Lucy said.

Anne trotted off to the Youth
Services Department.  Tom and Lucy exchanged looks.

“Should we tell Anne Maple Tree
Farm has a petting zoo?” asked Lucy.

“No, let her find out for herself. 
She needs to have fun too,” Tom chuckled.  “With Anne to play chaperone, Duncan
and Meara can’t get into too much trouble.”

Thirty minutes later, Duncan’s door
opened.  Meara was smiling shyly.  Duncan was beaming happily.  Anne returned
with an armload of books and DVDs.  Tom checked them out for Anne.

“That’s quite a collection.  How
long will those last you?” asked Duncan.

“Probably until next week,” Anne
replied.  “Aunt Meara, I got ‘Robin Hood’ on DVD for you.”

“Do you like swashbuckling heroes,
Miss Meara?” teased Tom.

“No, she likes Sir Guy,” Anne said.

“Ah, bad boys!” said Tom.

“I don’t like bad boys.  Sir Guy is
not a true bad boy.  He loved Maid Marian, at least at first.  But she didn’t
love him, so he turned bad.  I wonder if Sir Guy would have been different if
Maid Marian had loved him.  About half way through the movie, I don’t like him
anymore,” said Meara, shaking her head.

Duncan listened to her intently. 
If she wanted a knight in shining armor that treated her like a lady, he wanted
a shot at being that knight.

“Hi, everyone!” came a voice from
behind Meara.

Meara turned to see a blonde woman
waving.  She was a little taller than Meara, petite and fit.  She had merry
green eyes and an infectious smile.  Meara couldn’t guess her age, but the woman
wasn’t much older than Meara.  Meara smiled back at this friendly woman,
instantly liking her.

Chapter Five

“Sherrie!  I thought you weren’t
coming back until Monday!” Lucy said.

“I heard we were getting a new
employee.  I thought I’d pop in and see if I could meet her.  And I know the
paychecks are here,” Sherrie said, laughing.

“Sherrie, meet Meara, the new Head
of Youth Services.  Meara, meet Sherrie, Circulation Assistant extraordinaire,”
said Duncan.

“I hope you’ll like working here,
Meara.  Duncan, Tom and Lucy are the greatest people.  And who is this?” asked
Sherrie.

“This is Anne, Meara’s niece, and
unofficial staff member,” Duncan said.

Sherrie was attractive, outgoing,
friendly and slightly closer to Duncan’s age.  Meara couldn’t tell if she wore
a wedding ring.  Her smile faded.  She felt stupid thinking Duncan would be
interested in her.  It was more likely he was interested in Sherrie.  If he was
watching Sherrie, she would know she was an idiot.  She slowly turned in his
direction, meeting Tom’s gaze first.  He slowly shook his head, winked and
smiled.

“Sherrie, you never said how your
vacation went.  Did Dave get to use his camping gear?  He was so excited about
it.  That husband of yours is a real outdoorsman!  Did he do any fishing?”  Tom
asked.

Meara shyly turned towards Duncan. 
He had been watching her the whole time.  She smiled at him, turning slightly
pink.  He smiled back, oblivious of the conversation going on around him.  Her
butterflies fluttered and his heart skipped a beat.

“Anne, what do you have planned for
this afternoon?” asked Lucy.

“I want Aunt Meara to take me to
Maple Tree Farm for plants, but she’s too chicken.”  Anne threw out the challenge.

“I’m still learning the roads
around here.  If we get lost, we’ll be lost for good,” Meara replied.

“Say, Duncan, isn’t Maple Tree Farm
out by you?” asked Lucy, gently prompting him.

Duncan replied, “Yes, it is.  I’d
be happy to give you good directions, guaranteed not to get you lost.”

Tom and Lucy shook their heads. 
Sherrie could tell they were up to something.  She wasn’t sure what was going
on between Duncan and Meara.  Sherrie was intrigued.

“Even with directions, she gets
lost.  For years, she visited this one library where her girlfriend worked and
she got lost every time,” Anne said, throwing up her hands.

“Thank you for the vote of
confidence,” replied Meara, sighing.

“Duncan, it’s Friday and it’s not
busy.  Why don’t you take Meara and Anne to the farm yourself?” asked Sherrie,
starting to understand the situation.

Tom, Lucy and Anne nodded
approval.  Meara blushed.  Duncan saw his chance to be her knight.

“Lady Meara, it would be my
pleasure to escort you and Princess Anne to Maple Tree Farm.”  Duncan placed a
hand over his heart, giving a slight bow.

“That’s very kind of you, Sir
Duncan.  Are you sure?” asked Meara.  “I don’t want to take you away from work
if you’re busy.”

“Please do take him!  The mice want
to play a little this afternoon,” chuckled Tom.

“I can spare the time.  I wouldn’t
want you to be missing on Monday,” replied Duncan.

“Then Sir Duncan, I humbly accept
your offer.”  Meara gave a slight curtsy.  “Is that acceptable to you, PRINCESS
Anne?”

“Let’s go!” chirped Anne.

Duncan, Meara and Anne said goodbye
to everyone and headed out to the parking lot.  Sherrie turned to Tom and
Lucy.  She had her hands on her hips.

“Spill,” Sherrie said.  “What’s the
deal with those two?  I’ve never seen Duncan like that.  My boss is mooning
over a pretty girl?  I like her.”

Out in the parking lot, the first
obstacle to their road trip emerged.  They looked at each other and shrugged.

“One car or two?” asked Anne.  “It
doesn’t make sense to use two cars.  She can’t follow people.”

“Mr. Phillips, I hate to say it,
but she’s right.  My following skills are as bad as my direction skills.”

“We’ve spoken about parameters,
Miss Meara.  Here is my first parameter.  When we are inside the library, I’m
Mr. Phillips and you’re Miss Meara.  Outside of the library, I’m Duncan and
you’re Meara.  Agreed?”

“Agreed.”  Her dimple deepened.

Aching to touch that dimple, he
tried to focus.  “I can drive us.”

“I’d feel guilty about the mess
we’d make with the plants.  Let’s compromise, Sir Duncan.  I’ll drive the Jeep,
you navigate and Princess Anne can give the royal wave from the backseat.  Does
that sound good to you?”

“Sounds good, Lady Meara,” Duncan
laughed.

Once they were on the road, he gave
directions.  The road had a few tricky turns, but soon they were close to the
farm.  He instructed her to turn right into the parking lot.  Suddenly, there
was a squeal of delight from the backseat.  Meara tensed at the wheel.  Duncan
chuckled.  The squeal turned into a long moan as they pulled into a parking
spot.

“What’s wrong with you, Anne? 
You’re freaking me out!” Meara chided.  “Oh, now I see.”

Maple Tree Farm was not only a plant
nursery, a farm stand and a bakery, but also a petting zoo.  Anne was tapping
the windows.  She was also patting Meara on the shoulder.

Anne bounced on the backseat.  “We
have to visit the animals!  Please!  Please!  Please!  Can we?”

Meara shook her head.  “Anne,
Duncan was nice enough to bring us here.  We shouldn’t wear out his kindness by
dragging him all over the place.  We get plants and go, understood?”

Duncan was lost in his own
thoughts.  He hadn’t been to Maple Tree in a long time.  He and Brenda used to
come here before she got sick.  Brenda liked feeding the animals in the petting
zoo.  Anne’s enthusiasm reminded him of Brenda.

“I don’t mind.  I’m all yours, Lady
Meara.  Let Princess Anne loose to meet the animals!” he proclaimed.

“Let me go on record as saying I
warned you, Sir Duncan.  Anne can be more of a fire-breathing dragon than a
princess when she sets her mind on something.  They might send out a search
party for us anyway.”  She smiled at him.  “Okay, Anne.  Go for it.”

“Yippee!  Thank you, Sir Duncan!” 
Anne exploded out of the Jeep.

She was at the first pen before
Meara and Duncan opened their doors.  She ran back and forth, squealing
happily.  Meara shook her head.

“She loves animals.”  When Meara
laughed, it sounded like music to him.

“I can see.”  He found it difficult
to concentrate.

He wanted to hold her hand and pull
her close as they strolled to the first pen.  He restrained himself as she
pointed to the wobbly lambs and their mothers in the pen.  The lambs stayed
close to their mothers.  Outside the pen was a food pellet dispenser.

“I wonder if Anne has figured out
she’ll need change for the pellets,” Meara mused.  “Three.  Two.  One.”

“Aunt Meara!” Anne ran over.  “Do
you have any change?”

“Why didn’t you bring money with
you?” Meara failed miserably at keeping a straight face.

“You’ve got change in the Jeep. 
Can I have your keys?  Please?  Pretty please?  You can’t let me stand here and
not feed the animals!”

Meara folded her arms while Anne
pleaded.  Duncan was fascinated with the dynamic between aunt and niece.  They
bickered affectionately.

“If you think I’m giving you my
keys, you’re crazy.  I’ll unlock the doors remotely and you have one minute. 
Got it?  Now go!”  She unlocked the Jeep.

Anne ran like her life depended on
it.  Duncan laughed to see Anne’s braids flying as she made the mad dash to the
Jeep.

“Are you going to time her?” he
asked.

“No, but she doesn’t know that,”
she replied.

“Would you like to feed the
animals?” he asked shyly.

“I would, but I don’t have any
change on me.  I’ll have to see what Anne digs up.”

“I still have the quarter from the
day we met.  You can have it, if you want.”

“You still have it?  Sir Duncan, it
warms my heart to know chivalry is not dead.  I thank you for the opportunity
to right a wrong I made that fateful day.  This time, as a damsel in distress,
I’ll accept your token, since that adorable lamb over there is calling me. 
Thank you, kind Sir Duncan,” Meara curtsied with her hand over her heart.

“You’re most humbly welcome, Lady
Meara.  That lamb is adorable and he looks hungry.  Would you like to put the
quarter in the machine or do you want me to do it?”

“You put the quarter in and I’ll
catch the pellets.”

When she had a handful of pellets,
she asked, “Do you want some?  Put your hands under mine.”

He cupped his hands.  He couldn’t
resist touching hers for a brief moment.  They were small and warm compared to
his.   Her hands trembled slightly.  She let half the pellets fall into his
hands.  She blushed slightly.  They looked into each other’s eyes.  A thrill of
pleasure went through him.  He could kiss her right now, but he knew a knight
would not take advantage of a lady.  They needed to be friends first.  He liked
looking into those beautiful blue eyes.

“What are you two waiting for? 
There are animals to feed!” Anne exclaimed.  “I’ve got lots of change.  Let’s
go!”

The spell was broken.  Duncan and
Meara smiled shyly at each other.  She liked the feel of his hands against
hers.  His green eyes danced with laughter.  She wanted him to kiss her.  She
shook her head in disbelief.  She didn’t know what had gotten into her.  Being
so close to him made her mind wander.

“Sir Duncan, lambs first?” she
asked.

“Sounds like a plan, Lady Meara,”
he answered.

“You two are weird,” Anne replied.

“The best people are,” chuckled
Duncan.

For the next thirty minutes, they
fed the animals.  When Meara and Anne ran out of pellets, they raced to the
dispenser for more.  Meara would return to Duncan and give him half her pellets. 
He watched her as she cooed over the animals.  She was so gentle and patient. 
He was enchanted by her.  On the farm, there was a horse and pony paddock not
open to the public, but he and Brenda had gotten to know the owner, Bob. 
Duncan wanted to show Meara the paddock.

He wanted to share part of his life
he had filed away, like an old book on the shelf.  He wanted to feel a little
of the happiness he had felt with Brenda.  He wondered what Meara’s reaction
would be to sharing something with her he had only shared with Brenda.  While
he was thinking about this, they finally ran out of change.  With the last
animal fed, Anne looked terribly disappointed.  Meara shook her head and pointed
to the plants across the road.

“Anne, the party’s over,” said Meara. 
“Let’s pick out some plants.  Is that all right with you, Duncan?”

“There’s a place I’d like to show
you,” said Duncan, before he could chicken out.  “I hope you’ll like it.”

“I’m intrigued, Sir Duncan,”
replied Meara.  “Lead the way.”

He led them to the horse paddock. 
There were horses and ponies of different colors in the field.  As luck would
have it, Bob was coming out of the barn with a small bucket.

“Hello, Bob!” waved Duncan.

“Hello, Duncan!” Bob waved back. 
“I haven’t seen you in a long time.  How have you been?”

“Fine.  Just fine.  And you?”

“Couldn’t be better.  Who’s this
with you?”

“This is Meara and her niece,
Anne.  If it’s all right, I thought I would show them the horses and ponies.”

“Hello ladies, it’s nice to meet
you.  Any friend of Duncan’s is a friend of mine.  But Duncan, you know the rules,
this place is off limits.”

Anne looked longingly at the horses
and ponies.  She sighed and waved at the horses.  Disappointed, she slowly
turned to go back the way they had come.

Bob chuckled.  “Unless I put you to
work.  Anne, do you think you could feed the horses some apples and carrots?”

Duncan appreciated Bob’s easygoing
sense of humor.  When Duncan and Brenda had found the paddock, Bob had said the
same thing to them.  Anne took the bucket Bob held out.

“I’d love to!  What should I do?”
Anne asked.  “What can I give each horse or pony?”

“They can get a little greedy, so
give each horse or pony only one apple and one carrot apiece,” Bob replied.

Bob locked eyes with Duncan, subtly
nodding his head.  Anne squirmed uncontrollably.  Bob started to walk back to
the barn, but not until Anne showed her appreciation.

“Thank you, Mr. Bob!” Anne
squealed.  “Sir Duncan, you’re awesome!  Thank you!  Here are two apples and
two carrots.  Can you and Aunt Meara feed the ponies?”

Duncan chuckled, looking down at
the apples and carrots in his hands.  “I guess we have our job assignment, Lady
Meara.”

“I’m glad she remembered to thank
you and Bob,” replied Meara.  “I wanted to thank you too.  It’s peaceful here. 
The horses are beautiful.  How did you find this place?”

“My wife, Brenda, and I used to
come here.  Bob put us to work too.  It’s a special place for me, not sad, but
quiet.  After she passed away, I used to watch the horses.  Bob wanted me to
feed them, but I only watched.”

“I’m sorry about Brenda.  I’m glad
you have happy memories of this place.  I’m glad it helped you cope after she
passed,” she said softly.

“I knew you’d understand how I
felt.”  Duncan sighed.

“It’s not a club anyone wants to
join, but we have to stick together.  I’m glad I met you, Duncan.”  She lightly
touched his arm.

“I’m glad I met you too, Meara. 
Want to feed some ponies?”  He held out the apples and carrots to her.

“Do you mean go in there and feed
them?”  She waved her hands.  “I’m not sure I want to do that.”

“Are you afraid of ponies?”  He
grinned with disbelief.

“I had a bad experience with a
nipping pony.  How about I follow you?”

He wasn’t sure what to do.  Brenda
would have run off and fed the ponies.  He would have followed Brenda.  Now
Meara wanted him to take the lead.