Whispers of the Falls: Book one (Twelve Oaks Farm Series 1) (3 page)

Hearing his name, the dog began to squirm. Grant stroked his head to calm him down in the confines of the truck. His tongue lolled to the side and drool dripped to the seat.

“Do you have a vehicle to drive on the weekends or to church?”

“No, this is it. I don’t go into town much. I attend a small country church not even five miles from here. Old Blue suffices.” Nina thought of the red sports car her father had bought her as a gift for high school graduation and her heart sank. To pay the bills she had sold it and her mother’s fancy, black Lincoln.

She adored her mother, but she had not been good with money. Any money that wasn’t put toward college went for her wardrobe. Her mother had maxed out several credit cards living a lavish lifestyle. She loved to hang out at the country club with her friends while her father worked the farm.

Once a district attorney in Raleigh, her father made enough money to keep her mother in the luxury she had grown accustomed. But then the stress became too much and he left the high paying position and prestige behind. He bought the farm and never looked back. For years the farm sustained them until law school for Beth and veterinarian school for her pretty much wiped out her parents’ funds. Both she and Beth planned to pay back every cent when they started their dream business. Beth, her own law firm, and she planned to buy a truck and make farm calls treating large animals. Then the tragedy of losing their parents changed everything. At least her younger sister Lacy had received a full scholarship to Duke University.

To change the subject, Nina replied, “I like your car. Sixty-five right?”

“Yes, it was my father’s car. I don’t drive much since I’m usually deployed.” He shifted in his seat as if uneasy. “My mom drove it once in a while.”

“What happened to your father?”

“He was killed in a mission.”

She could hear the sorrow in his voice. “Are you a career Marine?”

Silence followed for several seconds. “I haven’t decided yet. Things got pretty rough this time.”

“I cannot begin to fathom what you’ve been going through.” Curious, she wanted to ask what happened, but got the feeling he didn’t want to talk about it. People came to Twelve Oaks Farm to get back to nature, rest, or just get away from the rat race for a while. For some reason she felt Grant Wilson was here to get over a tragedy. She had heard it in his voice when he called to make reservations for two weeks. Something terrible happened and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

“Here we are.” She pulled up and expertly backed the truck under an awning.

****

Grant opened the door and jumped to the ground. He held the door for Shadow to jump out of the vehicle. It was the most relaxed he had been in quite a long time. He felt comfortable with Nina even though she didn’t have much to say.

People milled from vendor to vendor. Baskets of various vegetables and fruits were on display. No one seemed to be in a particular hurry. They were enjoying the sunny day. Life was slow here. The sounds the colors all had a calming effect on him.

By the time he stepped to the back of the truck to unload the baskets someone was already taking care of the chore. A tall man with light brown hair smiled and greeted Nina before hefting one of the baskets of corn off the tailgate and carried it to one of the tables already full of vegetables. Grant lifted a bushel basket of tomatoes and followed.

When Nina nimbly climbed onto the tailgate, the man hurried back and offered, “I’ll get that, Nina.” He picked up one of the tomatoes and replied, “You grow the biggest, prettiest tomatoes around. I’ll have these sold by the end of the day.” He hefted the bushel basket off the truck with little effort. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to notice the man had a huge crush on Nina. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

“Jerry, this is Grant Wilson, one of my guests. He’s staying at Twelve Oaks Farm for a couple of weeks.”

Only because manners demanded it, Jerry offered him his hand after he placed the basket on the cement floor of his stand. Grant got the feeling he didn’t much care for him to be with Nina. “Nice to meet you.”

Jerry replied, “Are you in the service?”

That morning when Grant dressed for the day he chose a simple green tee shirt and brown shorts so he wouldn’t look like a Marine. But then it was difficult to hide the military bearing after nine years. “Yes, I’m on leave.”

Jerry turned his attention back to Nina. Most people asked him questions, some even thanked him for fighting for their country, but he only had eyes for Nina. As if he wasn’t even there, they conducted their business. After the truck load of crops was unloaded, Jerry took out his wallet and paid Nina. Hopeful eyes peered at her. “How about I come over after I finish here today and help you?”

“Juan’s going to help me after he gets home from school.” The disappointment showed on Jerry’s face. The man watched intently as she stepped to the driver’s side door. “We’d better get going. I still have to muck out the stalls. I’ll see you on Thursday.” She opened the door for Shadow to jump into the cab and then she crawled behind the wheel.

Just before she revved the engine, Grant replied, “How about some homemade ice cream? I haven’t had homemade in years.” When it looked as if she was about to say no, he offered, “My treat.”

How could she deny a man that had been in one of the worst places on earth anything? She cut the engine and peered up at the sign at the very last booth in bright red letters ‘Homemade Ice Cream’. “Why not?”

Grant climbed from the seat of the old truck and bought two cups of peach ice cream. He would love to have a waffle cone, but in the heat figured the ice cream would melt faster than he could eat it. As he walked back to the truck, he wondered what Nina was thinking. She looked extremely somber as she peered at him. Still he felt he had made some progress today getting her to warm up to him. He handed her a cup of ice cream and hoisted himself into the seat of the truck. He took a bite of ice cream and moaned. “Delicious. Best I think I’ve ever had.”

Eyes clear as lake water met his stare. She smiled. “Baker’s does make some great ice cream. They pick the peaches themselves.”

“I hope you don’t mind peach. I forgot to ask what your favorite kind might be.”

“My favorite is black cherry, but peach is just fine. It’ll cool us off.” She scooped some into her spoon and lifted it to her soft pink lips. His heart flipped in his chest when she closed her mouth over the spoon.

On the drive back to Nina’s farm Grant had trouble keeping his attention on the scenery and off her long, lean legs. Every time she changed gears she had to maneuver the clutch and her movements were driving him crazy. For the trip to the farmer’s market she had changed out of her boots and socks and now wore flip flops. Her toenails were painted bright red and all he could think about was how sexy her feet looked. From the time she spent in the sun she had a nice tan which added to her healthy appearance. His eyes moved up to her thighs and then her flat stomach. Imagining what she looked like naked gave him one of the most intense hard ons he had ever encountered. Hell, he had been with beautiful women before. He just couldn’t understand why she seemed to be different from the rest. Why did he feel this strong attraction for a woman who might be a drug dealer? Suddenly, she looked away from the road and peered into his eyes. As if he had been caught doing something wrong, he quickly looked out the window.

Neither said a word as they sped along the back roads toward her farm, wind blowing their hair. He took several deep breaths to control his lust. His uncle asked him to get to know her to gain information. Only a low down scoundrel would sleep with her. No, making love with Nina would be a big mistake.

Their progress slowed when they got behind a big, yellow school bus. Orange flashers blinked before the stop sign arm came into view. The doors swung open letting a young boy about twelve years old exit the bus. He crossed the road and waited for the blue truck. Even before Nina told Grant the young boy was Juan Rodriguez, he knew the identity of the child. He knew the Hispanic boy and his mother, Maria, had lived with Nina for the past few months. Their story was almost as tragic as Nina’s. The boy’s father had been killed when two intruders broke into their home demanding money. One of the two men put a gun to his forehead and pulled the trigger when Jesus Rodriguez told them there wasn’t any money. Both Mrs. Rodriguez and Juan witnessed the horrific crime. The detectives covering the case had not been able to discover who had killed him so the case remained unsolved.

Destitute with no way to support herself or her son, Mrs. Rodriguez had moved in with Nina and became her housekeeper and cook.

Juan smiled and waved to Nina. He looked at Grant with interest. “Need a ride?” The boy threw his book bag into the truck bed, climbed on the back, and sat with his back against the window.

Grant wondered if the boy’s father might have been involved with drugs and that was the real reason he had been shot. Could be Nina took them in because he had worked for her. That would be the only logical reason for how they had come to know each other. The information he had on Nina didn’t divulge how they knew each other before she moved into the house.

The house came into view and Maria Rodriguez stood on the front porch waiting for her son. Petite and thin, she looked like a small pixy with her long black hair and almond shaped eyes. Juan jumped off the back of the truck and raced to his mother’s side. “Did you have a good day at school?” She draped her arm over his shoulder. 

Juan rolled his eyes as if embarrassed at her show of affection. “Yes, Mama.”

“Go do your homework so you can help Nina with the chores before supper.” With a loud groan, he looked at his mother with pleading eyes. She nudged him toward the door. “Don’t argue with your mother. Education first my son. One day when you are a doctor you can look after me.”

Grant stepped forward and offered Maria his hand. “I’m Grant Wilson.”

“I’m Maria, Nina’s cook and housekeeper.”

“You have a well-mannered son.”

Her face beamed with pride. “He is a good boy.”

“When Juan finishes his homework, tell him I’ll be in the barn.” Nina turned and headed toward the barn. Grant shadowed behind even though he wasn’t sure his presence was welcomed. He had to find a way to get her talking. He would have to turn on the charm. If that didn’t work, he’d take off his shirt.

Without saying a word, she grabbed a wide, flat shovel and tossed it inside a rusty, old wheelbarrow and pushed it into one of the stalls. She scooped up a pile of horse manure and dumped it into the wheelbarrow.

“Do you have another shovel?”

She placed her elbow on the top of the shovel and glared at Grant. “You are a paying guest. You shouldn’t be shoveling manure.” She shifted her weight to her right leg. “You should be fishing or something.” She waved her hand toward the huge pond on the other side of the pasture.

“If I do enough manual labor, maybe I can sleep tonight.” He didn’t mean to say anything about his insomnia. It just slipped out.

Her face softened as did her voice. “What happened in Iraq?”

“It was Iran and I don’t think I’m ready to talk about what happened. Maybe in a few days I’ll cry on your shoulder.”

“I’ll listen when you’re ready.” With a jerk of her head, she replied, “There’s a shovel hanging up in the tack room.”

Together they worked in companionable silence. Four stalls had been mucked out by the time Juan arrived. He fetched a shovel and as the young boy filled the wheelbarrow with manure, he asked a million questions. Very inquisitive, Juan wanted to know all about the war. Grant did his best to appease the boy’s curiosity without conveying how frustrated he was with the Marines. The questions continued until the dirty deed of mucking out stalls was finished. Six stalls were now free of manure. At least the smell of horse manure was not as pungent as other animals. Since they only ate grass and feed it wasn’t so bad.

They washed the ten gallon tubs and filled them with fresh water. “Why don’t you get self watering tubs?”

Nina took her hat off and wiped the sweat from her brow. Her blond hair was wet and matted to her head. “They cost a lot of money. Money I don’t have.”

Of course he knew she had taken a leave of absence from school to look after the farm after her parents’ death. It seemed like a lost cause to him. Every cent she made, she turned right around and spent on the animals or upkeep of the house or barn. What wasn’t spent on the farm was spent on her sister’s education. If she was getting a cut of the drugs being grown on her land, she wouldn’t be working so hard. But then she could be holding onto the money to keep people from becoming suspicious.

Maria stepped onto the porch of the house and yelled, “Dinner’s ready!”

Juan tucked his arm into Grant’s. “Come and eat with us.”

He peered at Nina. She nodded her head that it would be okay.

Grant ruffled the boy’s thick, black hair. “I’ll get a shower.”

Chapter Three

Less than thirty minutes later, Grant stood at the front door with his hand raised in the air to knock. Suddenly the door swung open and Juan replied with a huge smile on his face, “Come on in.”

Juan seemed eager for one so young. He was small for his age but had jumped right in to help with the cleaning of the stalls without one complaint. It had to be difficult growing up without a father. He kind of understood because his father was deployed most of the time. But then his Uncle Tate had spent a lot of time with him and his brother. It wasn’t like his childhood hadn’t been pleasant. He had a great mother who made sure they had a busy, full childhood.

The living room looked as if an interior decorator had been hired to give it an elegant flair. Beautiful black and white portraits of Nina, her sister Beth, and Lacy covered one wall. One of her mother’s hobbies had been photography and she had a good eye. A huge brick fireplace centered the wall facing the entrance with a thick mahogany mantel that held blown glass vases of various colors. The dog stretched out on the white leather sofa almost looked comical in such an elegant room.

“Nina said you are staying for two weeks.”

“Yes, son I am.”

His face lit up when he announced proudly, “I plan on joining the Marines when I graduate from high school.”

Grant laughed. “I think your mother has other plans for you. Get your education and go to college son.” The way he felt at the moment he wouldn’t encourage anyone to join the service. He felt like he had been let down.

In the next room Grant could hear soft music and hushed voices. He followed the sound, Juan at his side. He entered the huge dining room to find Nina and Maria setting the table. He shifted his gaze around the room. It was as fancy as the living room. Everything was white and sparkly. He felt he should have left his shoes on the porch.

“Something smells great.”

His heart skipped a beat when Nina turned and smiled at him, something he felt she rarely did. It was the first time he saw her in something other than cut off jeans and tank shirts. She wore a simple sundress with yellow flowers, her feet were bare. Even without makeup, her complexion was perfect. Her hair still damp clung to her shoulders. Slow and steady the warmth of passion stole into his body. He clenched his teeth together to control the lust he felt for the unusual woman.

Grant waited until everyone was seated before he took the chair next to Nina. Maria and Juan sat across from them. He wondered why Nina didn’t sit at the head of the table and felt it might have something to do with her father. The chair at the end had been his so it sat vacant.

“Juan, would you like to say Grace?”

Grant bowed his head while Juan blessed the food. When he finished, Juan asked as he spooned some mashed potatoes onto his plate. “Where do you live, Grant?”

“Richmond, Virginia when I’m not in Iraq.” Grant swallowed a mouthful of pork tenderloin drenched in gravy. The flavors melted on his tongue and he fought the urge to moan. Instead, he closed his eyes and chewed slowly savoring each bite. “Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Juan. This is delicious. Your mom is quite a cook.”

So he would not cause suspicion, he asked Maria, “Where is your husband?”

Maria dabbed at her eye with her napkin. “He was killed last year during a home invasion.”

“I’m sorry.”

Her expression full of gratitude, she gazed at Nina. “Nina gave us work. Since we didn’t have any place to go she allowed us to live here. I don’t know what we would have done without her generosity.”

Nina reached across the table and took Maria’s hand. “Please, I don’t know what I’d do without the two of you. Juan helps with the chores and I’m afraid I wouldn’t stop and eat a nutritious meal if I didn’t have someone to do the cooking.”

“How did the two of you meet?” Grant leaned back in his chair and peered at Nina.

She placed her fork in her plate. “I was in the grocery store and overheard Maria ask the manager if they needed any cashiers. I had to let the housekeeper go that my mother had hired because I couldn’t afford her. I waited until she left and followed her. I explained I couldn’t afford to pay her much, but she could live at Twelve Oaks Farm rent free. This big old house needed someone like them.” Her eyes strayed to Maria. “I think it worked out well for both of us.”

As the conversation turned to farming, Grant noticed they did seem to be a close knit group. Again, he hoped Nina wasn’t involved with the evil taking place on her land. Usually a good judge of character, he felt she was caring and giving. But then a pretty face could be deceiving.

****

It was barely light when Grant crawled out of bed. Gone was his plan to rest and relax on a Saturday morning. If he were going to get any information from Nina, he had to shovel manure for it. He stretched out the kinks in his back and rubbed his achy shoulder. The wound hurt like a son of a bitch first thing of a morning. A little shovel action would help to relieve the soreness. He jerked up his shorts, pulled a tee shirt over his head and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and splash cool water on his face.

He grabbed a breakfast bar and devoured it in three bites, then washed it down with water from the tap. Time to get to work.

The sun was just making an appearance when he turned the corner of the barn to find Nina and Juan already had a wheelbarrow full of cow manure. “Here let me do that.” Grant rushed forward and took the handles of the wheelbarrow.

Nina pointed to the middle of the pasture. “Push it over there and dump it so I can spread it with the tractor.”

After he had empted the smelly load, he pushed the wheelbarrow to the outside hose and rinsed out the manure where Nina waited for him. She removed her gloves and asked, “Did you sleep well.”

“I did.” He turned off the water to the hose. “What’s on the agenda today?”

Nina gave him a warm smile. “As I’ve told you before, you don’t need to help us. We can handle the work.”

“I want to help. Now tell me how I can help. What are your plans?”

“Pick tomatoes, corn, and green beans.”

He forced a smile to his lips. “Sounds like fun.”

Juan joined them and they climbed into the beat up old Ford, Nina and Grant in the front seat, Juan and Shadow the back. It bounced and bumped along the road leading to the fields behind the pasture. “Do you ever get tired of doing the same thing day after day?”

“No, I enjoy the farming. I have to admit it’s a lot to handle by myself. Juan is great but he is at school most of the time.”

“Why do you do it? Why not sale the place?”

Her eyes locked with his. “Not an option. I plan to live here the rest of my life. I won’t be able to plant as many crops as I did this year, but I hope to keep it going.”

He wanted to ask about her sisters, but she had not spoken of them so he couldn’t very well ask questions pertaining to them. Would they also be living on the farm with her? She stopped the truck at the end of the rows and they got out.

Juan handed the bushel baskets over the side of the truck when Grant moved to the side. “Have you ever picked tomatoes before?”

Grant took the baskets and sat them down at the end of the row. “Sure I have. My mother gardened and my brother and I helped.” He gazed at the long rows of tomatoes. “I have to admit it was nothing like this. We had a little back yard garden with maybe ten plants. I’d call this a mega garden.”

“Nina grows the biggest tomatoes around. She uses cow manure to fertilize them.”

Nina placed her hand on Juan’s shoulder. “Don’t give away our gardening secrets.”

Juan laughed and picked the first tomato and carefully placed it in the basket. He acted like a normal kid. He was resilient despite having witnessed his own father’s murder. Grant picked a tomato on the same row with Juan. Nina moved to the next row and began picking. “What was Iraq like?”

“Hot, dry and miserable. You have no idea how lucky you are to grow up in such a beautiful place. The children are poor and most are uneducated. Many of them are at the end of their ropes. Life will never get better there no matter how much we try to help.” Ashamed of his depressing description of Iraq he added, “They live their lives the best they can. Family is important. Faith is also a big part of their life and that is why they never give up hope.”

His aspirations had been to change things while he was there. In the beginning he was optimistic and hopeful that America would make a difference. It didn’t take him long to realize he was beating his head against a rock. Too much bureaucracy kept them from making progress. No one would listen to the people doing the fighting. Soldiers would eliminate an area of the Taliban and move on to another area only to have the territory they just cleaned up infested with the Taliban again. It was an unending circle of death. A lot of tax payer money was being wasted, not to mention the men that gave their lives.

“How long have you been a Marine?” Juan sat back on his haunches and looked Grant in the eye.

“Nine years. I was signed up and ready to go the day I graduated from high school.”

Grant wiped the sweat from his brow and peered at Nina. She had her backside toward him bent over gathering tomatoes from the vines. A stab of desire shot through him. Long bare thighs and a delectable backside held his attention. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her. Hard work and sunshine had her looking healthy and fit.

He had to draw his attention back to Juan who was still asking a million questions. “How long you staying?”

At this rate, Grant would never get close to Nina. Secluded on the farm with only two females, the boy was starving for male attention. “Two weeks.”

“You going back to Iraq?”

Nina admonished, “Juan, stop asking so many questions.” It was the first time she had spoken since they started gathering the tomatoes. “I think he came here to forget the war for a while. Let’s not keep reminding him.”

“It’s okay, Nina. I don’t mind.” In the distance Grant could hear Shadow barking. It sounded like he was in pursuit of something. “What’s Shadow chasing?”

She stood, stuffed her hands into her back pockets, and listened for a few seconds. Again his eyes drifted to her tempting, round derriere. “There’s no telling. He chases squirrels, rabbits, about anything that he comes across in the woods.” At that moment she turned around and caught him staring. Pink color tinged her cheeks. It was obvious he made her nervous.

Ashamed to be caught looking at her with lust, he knelt to the ground, reached for a tomato, and placed it in the basket which was already just about full. After adding a few more, he hefted it to his shoulder and placed it on the back of the truck. He lingered by the truck for a few minutes sipping on a bottle of water. He needed to get a handle on his emotions. If he kept gazing at Nina as if he would devour her, he would scare her away. He would have to use finesse and not come on like some sex starved soldier.

He grabbed two more bottles of water from the cooler on the back of the truck and made his way to where Nina and Juan had moved to the middle of the row. He handed Nina one and replied, “It’s hot. You’d better keep hydrated.”

She took the bottle being careful not to touch his hand. “Thank you.” She unscrewed the cap and took a deep swallow. Sensual lips touched the top of the bottle and he wondered how they would taste.

Eyes glued on Nina, he flinched when he felt a tug on the other bottle of water still in his hand. Juan smiled when he took the bottle from Grant. “I have a baseball game Monday after school. Why don’t you come watch me play?”

He shifted his attention to Juan and answered, “Sure, sounds like fun.” Maybe Nina and Maria would be going to the game. He could search the house for any evidence that might implicate her to the drugs being grown on her land. Guilt slid over him. Here he was acting as if he cared about them but in reality he was being friendly to gain information. He wondered how undercover cops got close to their suspects without becoming emotionally involved. Already he liked Nina a little too much and felt that was clouding his judgment.

****

Grant had just stepped out of the shower and dried off when he heard a knock at his bedroom door. He wrapped the towel around his hips and cracked the door to find Juan on the other side. “Hey, Juan. How was school today?” By his sour expression, Grant knew something was wrong.

“Can I talk to you for a few minutes?”

“Sure, let me get dressed and I’ll be right out.”

Grant hurriedly threw on some clothes and entered the living area of the barn and plopped onto the sofa beside Juan. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your game?”

Juan eyed him steadily. “I have a few minutes.”

“Did something happen at school today?”

The young boy chewed on his bottom lip. A few seconds of silence followed before he told Grant what was bothering him. “Three boys at school are bullying me. They call me wetback and Chico. When we are changing clothes during gym class they shove me around.”

Rage consumed him. The last few days of working beside Juan he had come to admire him. He had the urge to protect him but Juan wasn’t his responsibility. “You need to tell your mother.”

He gripped his hands into fists. “Mama will go to school to talk to the principal and then everyone will call me a snitch.” Dark, sad eyes peered up at him. “I’m between a rock and a hard place.”