But hey, when there's just the two of ya around on a farm, you get used to bein' casual. At least, I was, that day Uncle John was starin' a little differently than usual. Or maybe it was just me lookin' back on it.
"Yeah, everythin's fine Lucy," he said in that deep, husky voice of his, so calm and reassuring. "I wanted to thank ya for breakfast this mornin'," he said, which made me smile. He never failed to thank me for the lil' things, no matter how often I did it.
"Aw, sure ain't nothin'," I said, and though I weren't aware of it at the time, apparently I was lettin' a bit of a nip slip then, catchin' his eyes. "I enjoy makin' ya a hearty meal. Just like ma used to for pa," I said proudly.
Uncle John smiled and nodded his head.
"Yeah well, here's a thing about that," he began, licking his lips a little anxiously. Now that right there was a gesture I never saw on sturdy ol' Uncle John, that tall, dark and handsome man who never seemed shook. "I got a lil' somethin' in store for us this evenin', so I don't want you peekin' none. Y'hear?" He said, with that fatherly tone to his voice, a little stern but always with light humour.
"What kinda surprise?" I asked, ever anxious for what new or interesting might occur. Farm life was pretty regular after all.
"You'll see. But come supper time, stay outta the house. Oh," he started to turn his broad, strong body but paused, "I got some special ingredients in the kitchen for supper. Prepare 'em, but don't go steppin' foot elsewhere in the house until I gives the say so! Y'hear?" He shot a crooked smile at me, all full of mischief.
I couldn't help but grin back at him. Uncle John was my caretaker and my best friend, two of us were thick as thieves these days. So if he had a surprise in store... I reckoned it was gonna be a doozy.
"Alright, if'n you say so Uncle John, I'll be a good girl," I said, sat there, legs splayed, top hangin' loose as I continued to pump my hands along Bessy's teats.
"Ya always are," he said with a wink back at me.
I didn't understand it none then, but Uncle John always had such a way of makin' me squirm.
* * *
By rights, at my age the farm was passed to me, Uncle John was caretaker until I was ready, but that time came and went and neither of us wanted a thing to change. I couldn't very well run a farm on my lonesome anyhow, and I needed a man like Uncle John around who actually knew all the ins and outs was what kept us going so well.
Who'd wanna cast out their best friend anyhow? Besides, just watchin' Uncle John work the farm, I felt like he was boss of it. And he belonged like it. Gave me a warm feelin' in my belly knowin' he was looking after not just the property, but me too.
That warm feelin' got all the stronger when he took off his shirt just before midday.
I brought him out a basket full of food, unable to take my eyes offa him as I smiled. His thick forearms were browned from the sun, while his rocky chest was a lighter shade. He ran a hand back through that thick, dark hair of his and I couldn't help but skip a few steps towards him.
"Lunch call!" I said chipperly as he stood by the tractor, all manly and glistening in the sun from the sweat that'd built up after a hard morning's labour.
"What's the lunchlady packin' today?" he asked, smile on his face as I tossed him a towel and he caught it, using it to sponge the sweat from his brow.
"Couple jugs a fresh milk, seein' as how thirsty you get," I remarked cheekily, spreadin' out a blanket on the grass and starting to take out the lunch items. "Ham sandwiches with cheese, and some thick, juicy sausage to go with the man of the land," I said, always knowin' to pack more for Uncle John. Took a lot of food to fuel all that hard muscle of his. "And a lil' blueberry muffin as a treat. Baked 'em just now," I declared proudly.
"Mmm-mmm!" he said, sounding as excited as ever for my cooking. Uncle John was a real treat to tend to, 'cause he always appreciated it, and was always excited for it. "You spoil me somethin' fierce, Lucy," he said as he sat down there with me on the blanket, my eyes unable to tear themselves away from the sight of his stomach rippling with those stony abs of his.
"Ain't nothin'," I said a lil' bashfully, a blush come to my cheeks as I handed him the last of his meal.
But he wouldn't let that go unchallenged. He reached over, placed his hard, strong hand upon my bare thigh right beneath my cut-off jeans, rubbed his fingers over the point where the tan met my milky skin beneath.
"Nah, it's everythin'," he said with such certainty. "The way you look after me, and I look after you... it's what life was made fer," he stated with such authority, drawing my eyes up even as I flushed full and felt the burning down low. "I really appreciate it, Lucy," he said again, smilin' at me so warmly as I stared at his handsome face.
He was making me feel funny, like my head was light and my body was too warm under the sun, like I wanted to rip off my clothes to get some cool air on my skin. He always had a way of doing that to me, though, wasn’t so unusual.
I squirmed under his hand, nudging my butt a bit closer to him as I picked up a sandwich and handed it to him.
“I’m dyin’ for my surprise,” I said eagerly. Some blonde hair blew into my face from the light breeze and I blew it away from my tanned cheeks and blue eyes. Wouldn’t do no good to have a hair stab me in the eyeball and ruin the moment.
Uncle John took
the sandwich from me, then right as he chomped a big bite right out of it, he put his arm about me. That thick, muscled limb rested against my shoulder blades as he chewed and smiled over at me. The two of us sat there in the midday sun, enjoying each other's company.
He was right, of course. It was all those moments that made life worth livin'. That made the pain of my ma and pa's passin' but a distant memory. Uncle John took care of me, and I of him. I was just too naive then to realize what more there was to it.
"You'll see," he responded at last, rubbing his fingers and thumb into my shoulder, makin' me moan just a bit from how he relieved that tension. His hands were so hard, so strong, but he could use 'em so precisely to make me feel so good. To rub out all the aches and tension, even when I didn't know none existed.