nightmares. But don’t ever tell him I told you that. These men on this farm, these three Rangers, have demons that haunt them daily. It’s just how well they can conceal them or how well they can suppress them,” her sister expounds.
She’s never talked with anyone in the family as far as Hannah knows about Derek this way. Derek is a proud man, and Hannah’s sure that he wouldn’t approve of Sue telling her anything about his military past. And from what she knows of John he never seemed bothered by anything. If it was some sort of non-verbal behavior, then Hannah was not ever going to be privy to it anyways. But John and Derek always seem so fun and light-hearted to be around that she never gave an ounce of thought to their dark background, and it had to be a very dark background as long as they had been enlisted in the Army before the world fell apart.
“I think you’re right, Sue,” Hannah agrees. “That is exactly how Kelly acts. He sometimes seems so withdrawn from me. Then other times he’ll actually open up and talk a little. I just care so much for him that I don’t know what to do.”
“Believe me if Kelly’s interested, then he won’t let anything stop him. I just think it’s going to take him a while to come to terms with whatever makes him hold back where you’re concerned, Hannie. And unfortunately, it’s just going to require a lot of patience on your part,” Sue imparts which Hannah returns with a soft moan of frustration. But she does nod after a moment.
“Thanks for talking with me, Sue. You’re so helpful,” Hannah tells her and turns to embrace her oldest sister in a strong hug.
“Love you, kid. And hey, don’t forget to wear some sunscreen,” she reminds Hannah as she stands and goes to the door of Hannah’s bedroom. “No guy is going to be attracted to you with a sun-burned lobster face!”
Hannah laughs with true joy at her sister’s joke and is left to quietly reflect on what they’ve discussed. She is also left to dwell on her feelings for Kelly. They’ve grown stronger, deeper every day since he’d first come to the farm. She can hardly contain them anymore. It is a task that is getting more and more difficult each time they are alone together. She knows he feels something for her, too. He’d kissed her twice already, and it had left her feeling weak-kneed and short of breath. He is all she ever thinks about anymore. Yesterday while canning peppers she had inadvertently placed a half cup of sugar in the canning jar. She’d meant to put it in a pie recipe that she was also working on. That never happens. She loves canning with Grams and never makes silly mistakes like that. Her mind had been on Kelly and his massive forearms that she’d once clung to while he kissed her. If he ever leaves this farm, she’s quite sure she’ll die of a broken heart. So being the resilient McClane he once accused her of being it is her job to make sure he never wants to.
Chapter Five
Kelly
The hour flies by as he busies himself in the barn making small repairs to loose boards, fixing a leaking water pipe and shoveling out the cattle’s cement loafing pads in the newer concreted area. He’s late getting his horse caught and saddled by fifteen minutes, and he ties her to the hitching post in front of the horse barn so that he can go and fetch Hannah. When he gets to the house, Hannah is waiting on the back porch swing like he’s picking her up for a damn date! Before he even gets up the stairs, she stands because she’s heard his approach. How she knows the different people on the farm from just their footsteps he’ll never know, but she does.
“I’m ready, Kelly,” she says brightly, bites her lower lip and holds out her hand to him. This is the first time he’s ever seen Hannah not in one of her long white dresses, and it’s shocking to say the least. She wears a short-sleeved polo shirt, slim fitting blue jeans that come to the tops of her ankles, where there
She’s never talked with anyone in the family as far as Hannah knows about Derek this way. Derek is a proud man, and Hannah’s sure that he wouldn’t approve of Sue telling her anything about his military past. And from what she knows of John he never seemed bothered by anything. If it was some sort of non-verbal behavior, then Hannah was not ever going to be privy to it anyways. But John and Derek always seem so fun and light-hearted to be around that she never gave an ounce of thought to their dark background, and it had to be a very dark background as long as they had been enlisted in the Army before the world fell apart.
“I think you’re right, Sue,” Hannah agrees. “That is exactly how Kelly acts. He sometimes seems so withdrawn from me. Then other times he’ll actually open up and talk a little. I just care so much for him that I don’t know what to do.”
“Believe me if Kelly’s interested, then he won’t let anything stop him. I just think it’s going to take him a while to come to terms with whatever makes him hold back where you’re concerned, Hannie. And unfortunately, it’s just going to require a lot of patience on your part,” Sue imparts which Hannah returns with a soft moan of frustration. But she does nod after a moment.
“Thanks for talking with me, Sue. You’re so helpful,” Hannah tells her and turns to embrace her oldest sister in a strong hug.
“Love you, kid. And hey, don’t forget to wear some sunscreen,” she reminds Hannah as she stands and goes to the door of Hannah’s bedroom. “No guy is going to be attracted to you with a sun-burned lobster face!”
Hannah laughs with true joy at her sister’s joke and is left to quietly reflect on what they’ve discussed. She is also left to dwell on her feelings for Kelly. They’ve grown stronger, deeper every day since he’d first come to the farm. She can hardly contain them anymore. It is a task that is getting more and more difficult each time they are alone together. She knows he feels something for her, too. He’d kissed her twice already, and it had left her feeling weak-kneed and short of breath. He is all she ever thinks about anymore. Yesterday while canning peppers she had inadvertently placed a half cup of sugar in the canning jar. She’d meant to put it in a pie recipe that she was also working on. That never happens. She loves canning with Grams and never makes silly mistakes like that. Her mind had been on Kelly and his massive forearms that she’d once clung to while he kissed her. If he ever leaves this farm, she’s quite sure she’ll die of a broken heart. So being the resilient McClane he once accused her of being it is her job to make sure he never wants to.
Chapter Five
Kelly
The hour flies by as he busies himself in the barn making small repairs to loose boards, fixing a leaking water pipe and shoveling out the cattle’s cement loafing pads in the newer concreted area. He’s late getting his horse caught and saddled by fifteen minutes, and he ties her to the hitching post in front of the horse barn so that he can go and fetch Hannah. When he gets to the house, Hannah is waiting on the back porch swing like he’s picking her up for a damn date! Before he even gets up the stairs, she stands because she’s heard his approach. How she knows the different people on the farm from just their footsteps he’ll never know, but she does.
“I’m ready, Kelly,” she says brightly, bites her lower lip and holds out her hand to him. This is the first time he’s ever seen Hannah not in one of her long white dresses, and it’s shocking to say the least. She wears a short-sleeved polo shirt, slim fitting blue jeans that come to the tops of her ankles, where there
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