Neither of them recognized the smell of cherry cigar that was carried off by the breeze.
Chapter Eleven
Brody and Lou walked through the backdoor into a dark house. The power was still off. Jeb, Sadie, and John all sat around the kitchen table playing cards by candlelight. John had one leg resting on a pillow in a chair across from him. They all looked up as the door opened.
“Well, look who found their way home!” Sadie exclaimed.
Lou asked, “Is everything okay? Where’s Sarah?”
“Soon as the thunder stopped, she crawled on our bed and fell asleep,” Sadie replied. “Poor thing was tuckered out.”
John looked up and grinned. “What happened to y’all?”
“We got caught out in the rain getting in the last bed of hay. It was raining too hard to run back to the house, so we stayed put. We put the tarps over it just before the bottom dropped out of the sky, and then drove the truck into the south barn to keep it dry.”
Lou coughed loudly. “We drove the truck into the barn?” She smiled broadly.
Brody pretended to mumble, his head hung low in false dejection. “Ok, Lou drove the truck into the barn…” He patted her on the shoulder. “And did a good job with it, too,” he added for good measure.
Brody went to the pantry and took out a loaf of bread, mustard, and a jar of pickles. Then he went to the fridge and grabbed ham and cheese. Lou’s stomach growled as she realized they had missed dinner. Brody heard it and laughed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make one for you, too,” he chided.
Jeb rubbed his eyes. “I sure am glad we got all that hay up before the rain.”
“You told me this morning it would rain today and I didn’t believe you,” Brody replied, shaking his head.
“When you get to be as old as me, boy, you’ll be able to predict
the rain, too,” was his only response.
“I don’t think I’ve worked that hard in years, Jeb.” Brody sighed as he pulled two of Sadie’s prized dill pickles out of a jar and placed them on the plates beside the sandwiches.
“Speaking of working hard, those two fellas that helped with the hay did a real good job. We had two stable hands out with the flu so I asked them to stay on for another week. They will both be back on Monday and’ll work ‘til Friday,” Jeb said.
“Just so you know, the next time I see John turn around to look at a pretty lady, I’m going to deck him. So, you guys be forewarned,” Brody said with a venomous look in John’s direction.
“Brody, if you had seen her…” John began.
“Save it, John,” Brody chuckled. Then he asked, “Sadie, is Mom okay with the power out?”
“I just checked on her. Lola is sleeping in there tonight and all her machines are on battery power. She should be just fine. You could go and see her, but she would just sleep right through it.”
“I won’t bother her, then.”
“Guys, I hate to do it, but I think I’m going to get Sarah to bed and eat my sandwich upstairs. I’m tired,” Lou said as she stretched slowly. “I’ll carry her up and then I’ll come back for it.”
Brody asked, “You said she’s a deep sleeper. Will she stay asleep if I go and pick her up? If so, I’ll carry her while you carry the food and a couple of flashlights.”
Lou smiled her thanks and shrugged her aching shoulders. “If you don’t mind, that would be great. She always feels heavier when she’s asleep.”
Lou followed Brody to Jeb and Sadie’s room, guided by a flashlight, and pulled the covers back. Sarah stirred but didn’t wake. Brody picked her up gently and held her against his chest. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist as her arms encircled his neck. “She hangs on like a leech, huh?” he asked, slightly uncomfortable.
“If it’s too much trouble, I’ll carry her myself,” Lou stated, her hands on her hips.
“Don’t go getting your back up, Lou.” He grunted as he shifted her. “I got her.”
Lou brushed the dark hair from Sarah’s eyes and Sarah snuggled deeper into Brody’s chest. Brody followed Lou and the light back down the hallway. When they got to the kitchen, Lou grabbed two bottles of water, the two plates, and another flashlight.