month girlfriends think about him with grown children.
Hover tilted his head, listening. He moved to the
living room window that faced the road. He droned, “Do you want to
know a man is dumping tree pieces by the house?”
Chapter 6
“ Tree pieces?” Elizabeth rushed to the window.
The man appeared to be about her age. Definitely a farmer from the
looks of his clothes, tan Carhartt bib overalls, heavy flannel
shirt, zippered tan jacket and green lace up knobby soled
boots.
A black Labrador dog circled her car, sniffed the
driver side back tire and peed on it. Nosing around the car, the
dog turned his attention, sniffing the tires on the beater pickup
parked beside her car.
“ That man has some nerve dumping debris this
close to the house. He parked his old blue pickup by my car. That
means he has to know someone is in here.” She rushed to the
door.
Hover followed her. “What are you going to do?”
“ I'm going to go out there and tell that man to
dump his trash somewhere else. You stay away from the window until
he's gone,” she groused.
“ You should put your coat on,” Hover
said.
“ I won't be gone that long.” Elizabeth tramped
out and down the steps. She demanded, “Who are you?”
“ Hello!” The smiling man pulled a log out of
the pickup bed and twisted toward her as he stacked the log on the
neatly arranged row. “I'm Bud Carter. I'll be done in a
minute.”
“ Stop right now. Tell me why are you dumping
this stuff here so close to the house on private property?”
Elizabeth demanded.
That got the man's attention. He put the last log on
the stack and turned to study her. “I didn't dump anything. As you
can see I made a neat rick of wood.”
The dog whipped Elizabeth's legs with his strong tail
as he raced in circles around her. She stuck a foot out and pushed
him away. “So you dump neater than most. What I want to know is why
you did it?”
The man scratched a blond sideburn as he asked. “Who
are you?”
The dog came up behind her, and licked Elizabeth's
right hand. She jerked her hand away and folded her arms over her
chest well out of reach of the dog's tongue. “Go away, dog,” she
hissed.
“ Buster, leave the lady alone. Load up!” The
farmer scolded, shaking his finger at the dog. The dog tucked his
tail between his legs and ran to the pickup. He hopped into the
back and laid down.
Elizabeth put her attention back on the farmer.
“Thank you for that. Now I asked you a question first. Why are all
these tree pieces here?”
“ All right. Fair enough I guess. The owner of
this house told me if anyone wanted to use the house in the winter
he'd pay me to deliver wood for the fireplace. That's just what I
did,” He said, pointing at the wood.
“ Oh,” Elizabeth said quietly.
“ Now who are you?”
“ I'm Elizabeth,” she stopped, thinking she
shouldn't use her father's last name. She came up with,
“Morris.”
“ Kin to Martin Winston, the owner, I take it,”
Carter said.
“ No, just a friend. Sorry I sounded so
inhospitable. I can see how wood in the fireplace might be a good
idea this time of year. This old house is a bit drafty,” Elizabeth
conceded, shivering now that she noticed the cold air buffering
her. The turtleneck wool sweater she wore wasn't enough protection
from the cold. The only warm place on her was the heated blush on
her cheeks. She whirled around to go inside.
“ How long are you and your husband going to
stay?”
Elizabeth twisted back around. “Why?” She knew she
said that too sharply when the farmer stared at her intently.
“ I just wondered,” he said lamely. “This rick
won't last long. I will have to deliver more wood if you're staying
a while.”
“ Ah, I see. Well, I can't say for sure how long
it will be,” she said.
“ That's all right. I come by here every morning
to check my cattle back in the timber pasture,” Bud said, pointing
toward the trail through the trees behind the house. “I'll keep
Hover tilted his head, listening. He moved to the
living room window that faced the road. He droned, “Do you want to
know a man is dumping tree pieces by the house?”
Chapter 6
“ Tree pieces?” Elizabeth rushed to the window.
The man appeared to be about her age. Definitely a farmer from the
looks of his clothes, tan Carhartt bib overalls, heavy flannel
shirt, zippered tan jacket and green lace up knobby soled
boots.
A black Labrador dog circled her car, sniffed the
driver side back tire and peed on it. Nosing around the car, the
dog turned his attention, sniffing the tires on the beater pickup
parked beside her car.
“ That man has some nerve dumping debris this
close to the house. He parked his old blue pickup by my car. That
means he has to know someone is in here.” She rushed to the
door.
Hover followed her. “What are you going to do?”
“ I'm going to go out there and tell that man to
dump his trash somewhere else. You stay away from the window until
he's gone,” she groused.
“ You should put your coat on,” Hover
said.
“ I won't be gone that long.” Elizabeth tramped
out and down the steps. She demanded, “Who are you?”
“ Hello!” The smiling man pulled a log out of
the pickup bed and twisted toward her as he stacked the log on the
neatly arranged row. “I'm Bud Carter. I'll be done in a
minute.”
“ Stop right now. Tell me why are you dumping
this stuff here so close to the house on private property?”
Elizabeth demanded.
That got the man's attention. He put the last log on
the stack and turned to study her. “I didn't dump anything. As you
can see I made a neat rick of wood.”
The dog whipped Elizabeth's legs with his strong tail
as he raced in circles around her. She stuck a foot out and pushed
him away. “So you dump neater than most. What I want to know is why
you did it?”
The man scratched a blond sideburn as he asked. “Who
are you?”
The dog came up behind her, and licked Elizabeth's
right hand. She jerked her hand away and folded her arms over her
chest well out of reach of the dog's tongue. “Go away, dog,” she
hissed.
“ Buster, leave the lady alone. Load up!” The
farmer scolded, shaking his finger at the dog. The dog tucked his
tail between his legs and ran to the pickup. He hopped into the
back and laid down.
Elizabeth put her attention back on the farmer.
“Thank you for that. Now I asked you a question first. Why are all
these tree pieces here?”
“ All right. Fair enough I guess. The owner of
this house told me if anyone wanted to use the house in the winter
he'd pay me to deliver wood for the fireplace. That's just what I
did,” He said, pointing at the wood.
“ Oh,” Elizabeth said quietly.
“ Now who are you?”
“ I'm Elizabeth,” she stopped, thinking she
shouldn't use her father's last name. She came up with,
“Morris.”
“ Kin to Martin Winston, the owner, I take it,”
Carter said.
“ No, just a friend. Sorry I sounded so
inhospitable. I can see how wood in the fireplace might be a good
idea this time of year. This old house is a bit drafty,” Elizabeth
conceded, shivering now that she noticed the cold air buffering
her. The turtleneck wool sweater she wore wasn't enough protection
from the cold. The only warm place on her was the heated blush on
her cheeks. She whirled around to go inside.
“ How long are you and your husband going to
stay?”
Elizabeth twisted back around. “Why?” She knew she
said that too sharply when the farmer stared at her intently.
“ I just wondered,” he said lamely. “This rick
won't last long. I will have to deliver more wood if you're staying
a while.”
“ Ah, I see. Well, I can't say for sure how long
it will be,” she said.
“ That's all right. I come by here every morning
to check my cattle back in the timber pasture,” Bud said, pointing
toward the trail through the trees behind the house. “I'll keep
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