While Owen fed the rabbits, Cal stood back and observed his own property. It had been a sanctuary more than anything. This land was a place where his heart had healed, slowly but surely, where he had been able to protect his son from the cruelty of life.
For so long, that had been Cal’s only concern, protecting Owen. He’d never considered whether he might be overprotective of him. Maybe having a few house calls from a nurse or two wouldn’t be the worst thing. This April woman wasn’t the worst person to be the first visitor he had ever had at his cabin in the woods, he decided. And then he started imagining her arrival.
He glanced around the property, wondering what the first thing she would notice was going to be. She would enjoy the trees for sure, but there was a stack of wood too close to the house, separate from the main stack. It was next to the chopping stump, and Cal had decided he would move it later after he’d finished chopping it. He’d been tired, and it had seemed like a reasonable decision at the time. Now it seemed like evidence of his laziness.
While his son offered carrots to the rabbits, Cal started moving the pile. The work was not easy, but it was worth doing, he told himself. He’d have to do it at some point anyway. May as well start now.
Owen finished with Georgie and wandered over toward Cal. “Can I help?” he asked.
“You’re still under the weather,” Cal said. “You need to rest.”
Owen pouted. Helping Cal with whatever he was doing was Owen’s favorite activity, and Cal hated to deny him. “Just the little ones?” Owen asked.
Cal sighed and shook his head. “OK. Just the little ones, though. And if you feel tired, I want you to sit down.” He couldn’t say no for long, not when Owen was looking up at him with those big, green eyes. “The winner is the one who finds the smallest piece,” he said, trying to hack into Owen’s insatiable desire for competition. It was a ridiculous idea for a game, especially considering he wouldn’t really be playing it. But it was the best way to ensure Owen didn’t try to carry anything too big. Usually, the smaller pieces went into a separate kindling pile, but this time, neatness was more important than usefulness, although Cal would hesitate to admit it.
He let Owen help him for a little while, the boy carrying one small branch at a time and gently laying them on the pile. Eventually, before the chore was completely done, Cal said they were finished. His intention was to complete the chore that night, after Owen had gone to sleep.
The following day,Owen was looking a little brighter. There was more color in his cheeks, and Cal breathed a sigh of relief. The medicine was working. Taking him into town to the clinic had been the right choice. He kept it together as Owen shuffled across the cabin to climb into a chair at the dining table. “What do you want for breakfast?” Cal asked him.
Owen thought a moment and came to a very important conclusion. “Waffles.”
“Waffles it is.” Cal smiled and started making the batter. They had a cast-iron waffle maker that was heated on the stove. One benefit Cal found to living the way they did was that his cooking had drastically improved. He could whip up a delicious mealwith only a wood stove at his disposal. And his waffles were second to none.
Cal gave his son the waffles and then started cleaning up the dishes he’d used. He took extra time on them, scrubbing every stain he found on the sink and counter. He even brought out the scouring pad and made his cooking station shine. It took a good hour to clean. Before he was quite done, Owen had finished his waffles, and Cal took his plate to clean, too.
The kitchen looked perfect. Cal stood back to admire the fruits of his labor. Unfortunately, all that did was let him see how the freshly cleaned kitchen contrasted with the rest of the cabin. All of it needed to be cleaned.
Cal took the drapes down and threw them in the wash with the throw blankets. He dusted all the windowsills along with every other horizontal surface in the cabin. He even dusted some surfaces that were not strictly horizontal. It wasn’t just about cleanliness. He wanted the place to smell inviting. One thing he knew about women was that they’d clock the smell of a place before almost anything else.
He started clearing clutter from the table, putting books back on the shelves. Then he reorganized the books according to size and color, carefully adjusting them until they looked satisfactory. He straightened all the pictures on the walls, adjusted the copper cookware until each looked suitably attractive in its position. He swept and mopped the floors, moving the furniture out of the way as he did. Finally, he stood back and wondered whether there might be time enough to refinish the dining table. All the while, his son watched him, occasionally bursting into laughter but mostly snickering under his breath.
“What’s so funny, eh?” Cal demanded of the boy.
Owen shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Come on,” Cal insisted. “You can tell me. I won’t be mad.”
Owen scrunched up his nose in thought and finally decided to spill the truth. “I know why you’re cleaning everything.”
“Oh, you do, do you?” Cal said, taking a moment to buff out a smudge he’d found on one of the windows.
Owen nodded, a small smile creeping onto his face. “Because April’s coming, that’s why. You’re cleaning for her.”
“Maybe I am,” Cal admitted. “So, what’s the big deal about that?”
“Because you like her,” Owen said. “You’re getting the house all cleaned up because you like her.” He grinned. “It’s OK. I like her, too. She was nice.”
Cal wanted to deny it, but he knew it was no good. His son was one of the most intuitive kids he’d ever come across in his life. There was no hiding anything from Owen, that was for sure. Cal shrugged and asked, “Do you want to help me fluff the throw pillows?”
While Owen went around picking up pillows and throwing them down again, Cal found a tablecloth and laid it out on the table. It looked homey and inviting. He pushed in the chairs, stood back, crossed his arms, and nodded. The place had never looked so good. Even so, he found his stomach twisting into tight knots. The anticipation he felt was giving him second thoughts about having agreed to April’s visit. Owen looked like he was doing so much better. Maybe Cal could cancel the house call and explain that Owen was as healthy as he’d ever been. But every time he imagined how he would word the cancellation, italways sounded suspicious. There was no good reason to cancel a friendly house call from a beautiful nurse.
And she was beautiful. He recalled her golden hair, bright blue eyes, and warm smile. Everything about her, including her personality, seemed perfectly soft and inviting. It would be amusing to have her around. Regardless, as much as his brain shouted at him to avoid the whole situation, his heart couldn’t wait to hear her voice again.
CHAPTER 5
APRIL
One thing April hadn’t expected—though she probably should have—when she thought about going to the house call she had arranged, was the roads. In what world did she think she’d be traveling well-paved roads all the way up the mountain to a cabin in the woods? It seemed so obvious, now that she thought of it. She could only hope her poor, little sedan could handle the dirt roads and steep inclines.
