what womenwere truly like. Maybe that was why he and Ashley hadn’t been able to stay together.
“The winter wheat looks good,” Harry offered as a means to change the subject. “After the heavy snow coverage we had this winter, I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t turn out to be a bumper crop.”
“I love the color of it when it’s about ankle high,” Mattie said, bringing the cake to the table. She cut a generous slice for Harry and a smaller one for herself. “It’s such a bright emerald color and the fields look so soft you just want to run barefooted through it.”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do that to my wheat,” Harry chided. He took the offered plate and fork and immediately dug into the treat. “Mmm, good as always.”
“You know, I could teach you to make it.”
Harry looked at her almost indignantly. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Never,” replied Mattie with the slightest shake of her head. “I cherish the company. But, you know, Sarah will probably want to keep you close to home. At least these first few years. I suppose I could just share the recipe with her.”
Harry’s expression changed again, and this time he looked almost perplexed. “I suppose.”
“What is it, Harry?” Mattie asked in a motherly fashion. “Every time I mention the wedding or Sarah, you look like you just swallowed a June bug. Are you getting cold feet?”
“I don’t know if it’s cold feet or not, but I guess that’s as good a thing to call it as any,” he admitted. He took a long drink of the steaming coffee before continuing. “I guess it’s just all a bit overwhelming. I’ve got my mind on getting the crops in and she’s throwing brochures about trips to the Bahamas in my face.”
“I take it you don’t want to go to the Bahamas?”
He shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter. You know me. I don’t mind traveling a bit—in fact, I enjoy it a great deal. I guess I just didn’t expect to be flying off that far away.”
“Poor Harry.”
“Aw, don’t go throwing pity at me, Mattie. I’ll be fine,” he said casually, as though the matter meant nothing to him. He finished off the cake and waved her away when Mattie offered him seconds. “Nah, I have to get going. I didn’t realize it was getting so late.”
“Trying to duck out before you have to deal with us?” Connie asked as she bounded into the room.
She had tied a pink robe around her, and without her makeup and perfectly styled hair, Mattie thought she looked like a teenager again. “I was beginning to wonder if you girls were going to sleep away the entire day.”
“Oh, Grammy, it’s only eight-thirty. Even I wouldn’t be up if it weren’t for the way my internal clock runs. I guess it’s part of being a gym teacher. I’m trained to the clock.” She plopped down on a kitchen chair and smiled at Harry. “So how are the affairs of the Kansas farmer these days? Wheat selling for a good price? Drought worries cleared up?”
Harry gave her a kind of lopsided smile. “You know farming as well as most.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Now, Harry, you know full well that things have perked up a bit,” Mattie threw in as she poured Connie a cup of coffee.
“What’s perked up?” Deirdre asked, yawning sleepily.
“Well, it certainly isn’t you,” Connie teased. “We were just discussing the future of farming in Kansas.”
Deirdre yawned again and took a seat beside Connie. “Dave says the days of individual farms are pretty much passé. Corporations are buying up farmland and making business ventures out of it. Did you know that Arabs own a good portion of land in Kansas?”
“I can’t say that it surprises me,” Harry admitted. “And you’re right. Individual farms are having a tough go these days.”
“So why do you do it?” Deirdre questioned.
“That’s easy. I love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Harry admitted.
“I thought I heard voices,” Erica said, bounding
“The winter wheat looks good,” Harry offered as a means to change the subject. “After the heavy snow coverage we had this winter, I wouldn’t be surprised if it didn’t turn out to be a bumper crop.”
“I love the color of it when it’s about ankle high,” Mattie said, bringing the cake to the table. She cut a generous slice for Harry and a smaller one for herself. “It’s such a bright emerald color and the fields look so soft you just want to run barefooted through it.”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do that to my wheat,” Harry chided. He took the offered plate and fork and immediately dug into the treat. “Mmm, good as always.”
“You know, I could teach you to make it.”
Harry looked at her almost indignantly. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Never,” replied Mattie with the slightest shake of her head. “I cherish the company. But, you know, Sarah will probably want to keep you close to home. At least these first few years. I suppose I could just share the recipe with her.”
Harry’s expression changed again, and this time he looked almost perplexed. “I suppose.”
“What is it, Harry?” Mattie asked in a motherly fashion. “Every time I mention the wedding or Sarah, you look like you just swallowed a June bug. Are you getting cold feet?”
“I don’t know if it’s cold feet or not, but I guess that’s as good a thing to call it as any,” he admitted. He took a long drink of the steaming coffee before continuing. “I guess it’s just all a bit overwhelming. I’ve got my mind on getting the crops in and she’s throwing brochures about trips to the Bahamas in my face.”
“I take it you don’t want to go to the Bahamas?”
He shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t matter. You know me. I don’t mind traveling a bit—in fact, I enjoy it a great deal. I guess I just didn’t expect to be flying off that far away.”
“Poor Harry.”
“Aw, don’t go throwing pity at me, Mattie. I’ll be fine,” he said casually, as though the matter meant nothing to him. He finished off the cake and waved her away when Mattie offered him seconds. “Nah, I have to get going. I didn’t realize it was getting so late.”
“Trying to duck out before you have to deal with us?” Connie asked as she bounded into the room.
She had tied a pink robe around her, and without her makeup and perfectly styled hair, Mattie thought she looked like a teenager again. “I was beginning to wonder if you girls were going to sleep away the entire day.”
“Oh, Grammy, it’s only eight-thirty. Even I wouldn’t be up if it weren’t for the way my internal clock runs. I guess it’s part of being a gym teacher. I’m trained to the clock.” She plopped down on a kitchen chair and smiled at Harry. “So how are the affairs of the Kansas farmer these days? Wheat selling for a good price? Drought worries cleared up?”
Harry gave her a kind of lopsided smile. “You know farming as well as most.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Now, Harry, you know full well that things have perked up a bit,” Mattie threw in as she poured Connie a cup of coffee.
“What’s perked up?” Deirdre asked, yawning sleepily.
“Well, it certainly isn’t you,” Connie teased. “We were just discussing the future of farming in Kansas.”
Deirdre yawned again and took a seat beside Connie. “Dave says the days of individual farms are pretty much passé. Corporations are buying up farmland and making business ventures out of it. Did you know that Arabs own a good portion of land in Kansas?”
“I can’t say that it surprises me,” Harry admitted. “And you’re right. Individual farms are having a tough go these days.”
“So why do you do it?” Deirdre questioned.
“That’s easy. I love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else,” Harry admitted.
“I thought I heard voices,” Erica said, bounding
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