Kay Grave sat in the chair beside the front window staring out at her brother Scott and neighbor chopping wood. This was the first time Kay had seen her new neighbor, she couldn’t look away. His chest was broad, his skin tanned. He laughed at something Scott had said, and for the briefest of moments, Kay wished she had an excuse to be outside.
Kay was stuck inside with her soon to be sister-in-law Jenny, who had come to visit. She was prattling on about plans for her upcoming wedding, but Kay wasn’t really listening. Her focus was on the man swinging the chopping ax outside. She watched as the muscles in his arm flexed when he brought the ax down and made contact with a chunk of wood.
“I don’t think you’ve heard a word I’ve said.” Jenny’s harsh tone brought Kay's focus back to the conversation inside the house. “Honestly what are you looking at?” She got up from her chair and made her way to the window to look out.
Jenny gave a knowing smile when she discovered what had Kay’s attention. She stretched then headed back to her chair. “You like him,” she commented as she went back to work on her mending.
“Who are you talking about?” Kay tried to keep her voice casual, pretending she wasn’t staring at the stranger outside and had no idea what Jenny was talking about. She stole one last glance out the window, then picked up her sewing and began threading the needle through the fabric. She was sewing a new dress to wear for Jenny and Scott's wedding.
“As if you didn’t know. You can’t play dumb with me. I saw you staring at him.” Jenny continued on with her mending. “He lives close by, and as far as I know he isn't married,” Jenny added for good measure.
“How is it that you know so much about him, and why do you think I care?” Kay let out an exasperated sigh and threw her sewing project in the basket at her feet. She couldn't concentrate with her mind constantly drifting to the man outside chopping wood. What was his name? What did he do for a living?
“He's been assisting Scott with the new homestead and in return, Scott helped him put up some fences on his new place. The place he bought was in pretty poor shape, almost not worth fixing if you ask me. He almost froze to death this last winter.”
“Well, how is it that this is the first time I am seeing him or even hearing anything about him? Doesn’t he ever go to town?” Kay had hoped Jenny would reveal the man’s name.
“Not very often. He says he doesn’t like all the questions people ask when you’re new in town.” Jenny set her sewing down as she waited for Kay to comment.
“I can understand that. I’ve lived here my whole life, and people still talk about me as if I moved here last month. It’s almost supper time. Do you think he will be staying to eat with us?”
“I hope you don’t mind, I sort of invited him. I thought it was only polite since he was helping split wood for you.”
“I better get supper started.” Kay stood up. Scott had caught a couple of rabbits early that morning and she planned on making them into a stew. The rabbits were small and Kay was worried there wouldn't be enough to go around. She would just have to add extra vegetables and hope for the best.
“You know this house is going to be awfully lonely when you and Scott get married in a few weeks.”
Kay stepped into the kitchen and looked around. On one wall stood the cookstove with counter space on either side. Cupboards hung from the wall above the stove and counter. In the middle of the room was the wooden table with six chairs. Kay could still remember the day her father had presented the table to her mother. She stood there for a moment remembering what it was like to have a family, then with a heavy heart she went to work preparing supper.
Being twenty-five years old and still a single woman was virtually unheard of these days. Most women were married by the time they were eighteen. After her parents had died Kay just quit going out to social events. Most of the men she talked to were only interested in getting the deed to her land. They didn’t really want a relationship with her, so she decided she didn't require a man. She found a job working at the hotel in town and busied herself fixing up what she could of the run-down farm.
It was on days like this that Kay missed her parents the most, especially her father. He had taught her everything he knew about training, riding, and caring for the horses they had owned. He had a dream that one day He would have a big horse farm and people would come from all over to buy the Grave family horses. They would be the best bred and best trained horses a person could own. Now that dream was Kay’s.
Scott had met Jenny a little over a year ago and things changed around the farm. He knew the moment he met her he would marry her. He went to work on a cattle drive to earn enough money to purchase some land of his own. When He returned, he had enough money to buy the twenty-five acres of land that lay on the north side of what everyone was calling Kay’s farm. Since then he has spent every spare minute building the house that now sits in the middle of the property. It will be finished in a week or two just in time for their wedding.
Kay was already feeling alone with Scott spending most of his time on his property getting it ready to live in. At least he came home for supper and to sleep most nights soon she wouldn’t even have that comfort.
The stew had been cooking for nearly an hour. The smell from it was causing Kay’s stomach to grumble. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she had gotten a whiff of the delicious stew. Voices drifted in from the living room and then the front door shut.
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