Chapter 23
Piper observedher daddy and Ian at dinner.Here we go again, she thought.Making nice over some fried chicken while these two exchange silent signals like smoke rings rising over the dinner table. A raised eyebrow here. A slight head shake there. Some fingers drumming lightly on the polished table.
"How's the plane coming along?" Matt asked.
"I got Jack Sanders to bring his Chevy diesel and tow it over to your barn." Ian laughed. "We had a few close calls on the highway. I forgot to get in touch with Sheriff Carter about blocking it while we moved the plane and a few people got stuck waiting for us to get out of the way."
Mat frowned. "I'm glad you didn't have any bigger trouble than a few inconvenienced motorists. If you'd gotten stuck, the Sheriff would have had your hide. As it is, I'm surprised he hasn't already been looking for you to issue a citation."
Ian shrugged, eying the fried chicken as though calculating whether or not to eat another piece. "Well. It's done now. Besides, he probably doesn’t know about it."
Piper laughed, handing him the platter holding the fried chicken so he could get another piece. "You're forgetting where you are, Ian. I bet he knew about it while you were still blocking the road and just decided to let it go since you were already out there."
Ian's ear reddened. "No doubt you're right." He turned to her daddy. "I got the engine working. It's a bit persnickety. Turns over sometimes and sometimes not. I haven't tried to take it up yet. I'm waiting till it cranks every time."
Piper saw Ham peeking around the doorframe, hoping for some table scraps. A habit she hadn't been able to break him from. "Go on, Ham. You know better."
The dog's ears went from perky to dejected and he eyed Ian as though the man was at fault for the lack of treats. With a deep sigh and sad eyes to Piper, he turned away.
"Was that German I heard you speaking the other night out in the yard?" Ian asked.
"Yes." She said. "I use German commands because then he knows I'm talking directly to him. If I use English he could get confused about it."
"I'm not sure I follow what you mean." Ian said.
"For example, if I say 'sit', to you as a gesture of courtesy in my home, Ham might get confused because I’m not talking to him, but I'm saying a word he knows is something he should do."
Ian forked up some mashed potatoes, then pinto beans. "That makes sense. I just never heard of it before."
"I learned it at the rescue group. It’s a group of really wonderful people. Almost all of them are volunteers."
Matt sighed from the head of the table. "Now you've done it. We'll be heard about the rescue group for the rest of the night."
She could tell he was teasing her, though, from the twinkle in his eyes and big grin on his face. He'd been very supportive of her work with the group.
He seemed a bit more friendly to Ian, too. As though he'd come to some kind of internal decision not to be so abrasive around him. Almost as though hearing her thoughts, her daddy pushed back from the table.
"I've got to run into town to see an old friend. I won't be gone very long, but it needs to be done. You two go on with any plans you may have."
Her heart leapt at the thought of time alone with Ian. Happy. Scared. Happy. Scared.
The two of them cleared the table again.Just like an old married couple, she thought to herself. Then shook her head.
"Penny for your thoughts." Ian said.
She tapped him lightly on the arm and smiled. "They're worth a lot more than that."
She watched him look around the kitchen. Their work here was done. Dishes washed, dried and put away. Counters and stove wiped down. In the dying sun of the late summer evening, light slanted through the big double windows over the farmhouse sink that had replaced the old fifties model sink from her childhood. Dust motes danced in the beams, making her smile.
Ian smiled back at her. No doubt thinking the smile was meant for him. He put an arm loosely around her shoulders.
"How about we go sit in the summer house for a while? I think it's cooling off now that the sun is going down. Is it still covered in those thick vines with the purple flowers?"
"Wisteria." She answered. "And, yes, it is."
Taking his hand, she led him out the back door and along the stone walkway to the fragrant little open air house.
Ham bounded ahead of them down the path.
