Everything about my life had been dull and routine until the moment I caught sight of Asher.
Hank tugged at his heavy belt, adjustin’ himself as he peered about the farm.
“Indeed it is,” he said, smilin’ as he looked on back to me. “I heard tell you had an incident here at your farm last night, Shelby. Anythin’ for me to be concerned about?” he asked so casually.
“Just a misunderstandin’, Hank, nothin’ serious. I’m gonna go over and talk to Marcus later today.”
Hank flipped up his sunglasses and looked me over.
“I was just over there, talkin’ with ‘im. He was right worked up. That jaw of his is right messed up too,” he said, fishin’ for more.
“He was sneakin’ around in the middle of the night with a crowbar, and parked off down the road so there was no way of knowin’ it was him, not a bit. He woke up ma and she was wanderin’, and you know how that goes with her mind bein’ what it is, Hank. It’s just family stuff, nothin’ you need to trouble yourself with, I swear.”
“I figured as much Shelby,” he said, holdin’ out a hand in that calmin’ gesture. “But Marcus was worked right up, and he was sayin’ there’s this shady fella hangin’ around your place what did it to him. Said he was just over here to protect you after some suspicious activity. So in a case of assault, I gotta investigate it some, ya see?”
“Yea, I know, Hank, but ain’t nothin’ suspicious at all. I just hired on some extra help is all, I can’t do it all myself and take care of ma. So I came to an arrangement with a man in town, and he’s stayin’ here and workin’. Marcus knew I’d hire him so I don’t know why he’d be all worked up ‘cept he mentioned about the barn burning down ‘cross the way, but it isn’t like that at all.”
My accent was getting thick, I knew. It always did, talkin’ to my own folk but I was tryin’ to act more sophisticated around Asher.
“I hear ya, Shelby, and I trust ya ain’t bein’ threatened or nothin’ like Marcus said, or else you’d tell me. Whatever a fella like that could blackmail ya about, I know ya could tell me and we’d take care of it. You’re practically a daughter to me as is. If yer ma’s mind had give way any sooner, I’d have had to step in as yer godfather, after all.”
Hank was a crafty fella, able to craft his words so carefully. Came with the job, I s’pose.
“Ain’t even looked at me the wrong way, I promise it. Just did his work, ate dinner, and went up to bed, that’s all he’d done. Quietest night as any ‘til Marcus came by and ma got to wanderin’ around.”
“I understand,” he said, smilin’ at me pleasantly. “Ya think I could meet this here fella? I know how Marcus can be, and that’s why I never came tearin’ in here, sirens a blazin’. But I do gotta meet the fella, keep it all official and the like,” he said so calmly.
I had been hoping it wouldn’t have come to that and I sighed. I wasn’t no good at lying, so I nodded my head, knowin’ full well the dishes were still on the table and there wasn’t no lyin’ about him not bein’ up.
“Sure, Hank. He’s real swell, a hard worker if I ever met one.”
I led Hank on back to the house, and at first I got a lil’ worried. Asher weren’t there, and I thought he might’ve gone to hide, which would’ve only made Hank suspicious. But out he came, with a long sleeved shirt on, givin’ a nod to Hank all proper like.
“Morning Sheriff,” he said in his deep, gruff voice.
“Howdy, fella. What was the name there again?” he asked.
“It’s Asher,” he responded promptly, but Hank’s look made it clear a first name just weren’t goin’ to cut it. “Asher Quay.”
“He just started yesterday and already he’s finished off the garden, and gotten started on clearin’ out some rubbish from out back. I wouldn’t be able to do it without him, not by a long shot,” I piped up cheerfully.
Hank smiled at that and nodded.
“Big strong lookin’ fella. Certainly seems like Asher here’s the type to get the job done,” he pivoted upon his booted heels and turned his gaze back to Asher. “Should probably dress lighter’n that though, if yer gonna be workin’ on a day like today, fella. Thick, long shirt like that’ll suffocate ya.”
Nothin’ got past Hank, it seemed.
“Gotta be careful of gettin’ burned, though. If you’re not used to bein’ out in the sun all day you’ll be lookin’ like a lobster in no time,” I joked, but it felt forced.
Hank gave me a polite smile and nodded his head.
“Take care of yaself, Shelby. And know though I ain’t yer pa, you can come to me like I was,” he said, reachin’ out to rest a hand on my shoulder for just a moment. “Have a good one, you two.”
With that he began to walk off, back to his pickup, leavin’ Asher and me in the kitchen together alone once more.
I felt like his hand lifted from my shoulders and left a boulder in its place. I was weighted down from the anxiety, and I looked up at Asher.
I was afraid he was gonna go. That what I was offerin’ wasn’t gonna be worth it to him at all, and I’ll be honest, I’d never been so scared. It was silly, of course. I was a girl who’d lost her pa, and whose ma could barely remember her, so of course I’d been scared and upset before.