It was getting late. The light outside my kitchen window was fading into indigo as I threw the pasta in the boiling water.
The sauce was just about perfect. I added a little more oregano as I stirred, then I turned down the heat-just enough to keep it warm.
I'd noticed the longer and longer pauses between hammer blows from the barn and knew this was my chance. I shrugged into my jacket and hurried outside.
"Robin? What are you still doing here?"
She looked tired and fragile kneeling there in the straw, working on the barn expansion. The lamp's glow illuminated an elfin face that was ruddy from the cold.
I helped her to her feet and she staggered, unsteady. I caught her, and she leaned into me for an all-too-brief moment before she gathered her strength and lightly pushed away to stand on her own.
"Whoah now, are you all right?" I asked, my concern apparent in my voice.
She nodded with a strained smile. "Sure, I'm fine. There's a lot of work left to do." She pushed a stray lock of hair back behind her ear.
"You don't have to kill yourself so my cows can have a luxurious loft apartment. You look exhausted. You should have gone home hours ago."
"I'd rather work than go home." She hastily added, "I mean, we really need the money for Maru's college fund."
I nodded and said, "Well, the barn can wait. And you're frozen, poor thing."
"I can't work in a big heavy coat. It just gets in the way."
"Come on back to the house for a few minutes and warm up, then you can walk home. I'm not going to leave you like this."
She hesitated a moment, then nodded. "All right, just for a few minutes. I am pretty tired. And cold."
I put a friendly hand on her back to support her in case she fell, and we walked back to the farmhouse through the snow in the yard. Earlier I had set up a good-sized fire, and a big warm blanket on the couch.
Robin walked over to the fireplace and stood in front of it, shivering, her hands out to the flames. "Oh, that feels good," she moaned.
"Here, let me take that," I said, and helped her out of her jacket. She smiled wearily. After hanging the coat up, I grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her, relishing the brief feel of my arms around her.
"Go on, sit and relax for a few," I said. She nodded and sat down on the couch.
"Oh shoot, I need to check on the sauce and noodles," I said.
"It smells wonderful. What are you making?" she called as I walked into the kitchen.
"Spaghetti," I yelled back.
"Oh wow, that's my favorite," I barely heard her say to herself from the other room.
I know, I thought. I tasted the sauce again and it was perfect this time. The oven was warmed up, so I threw in the garlic bread and set the timer.
"Are you hungry?" I walked back into the living room wiping my hands on a dish towel. "Did you want some? I made way too much, as usual."
"I really couldn't impose-" she started to protest.
"Not at all! I would love the company. It gets lonely out here with just the cows and void chickens to talk to. Besides, I need someone to test it on who's not already immune to my bad cooking."
She grinned and closed her eyes, enjoying the heat from the fireplace.
"Well, if you insist," she said, and bit her lip shyly, like a little girl. "I really like spaghetti!"
"Oh really?" I feigned surprise. "I make it all the time. It's easy."
"I don't get it very often. Demetrius doesn't care for it."
"This is a perfect opportunity, then. I've actually got enough here for a couple days, so you can come back tomorrow and help me finish off the leftovers. Otherwise I'll just end up having to throw some away."
"I'll, uh, I'll think about it," she said. She looked up at me and we locked eyes for a long moment, then she looked away again, a brief look of confusion and uncertainty on her face.
"Okay, I hope you do. Dinner's ready by the way, come on into the kitchen. I hope you're hungry."
"I wasn't before, but after sitting here smelling that sauce, I'm starving!"
I escorted Robin into the kitchen. "Don't want you to fall down again," I joked.
"I'm feeling a lot better now," she said. She put her hand on my arm for a moment and said, "But thanks for your concern."
"Sit, sit," I said. I pushed her chair in for her.
"Jeeze, you're doing all the work. I feel bad," she said from her seat by the window.
"Not at all, I relish the opportunity to play host, especially to a lovely hard-working woman like yourself."
I was getting the dishes and silverware together for the table, but I noticed her blush out of the corner of my eye.
The timer went off just as I finished ladling the sauce onto our plates. "That would be the garlic bread," I said. I put the tray of bread on the table and opened the refrigerator.
"Do you like goat cheese? I have a fresh batch and I wanted to get your opinion. We can try it on the bread."
"Oh my gosh, goat cheese?"
I returned to the table with the small tub of cheese in my hand and said, "Oh, you don't care for it?" I put on a dejected face.
"No, no," she touched my hand briefly, "I love goat cheese!" Her touch was fire. She immediately jerked her hand back like she'd touched a live wire, and looked down at her plate with another confused look.
"I don't have much of choice in the way of beverages. I have some bottles of cranberry wine from last season that's not too bad if I do say so myself."
"That sounds wonderful."
"Coming right up." I filled our glasses and sat down at the table. "Cheers," I said, "to good company." She smiled and pushed that stray lock of hair back again.
We ate, and talked.
"So how is the farm doing? I mean, I know it's winter so you can't grow anything," she said.
"Most everything is dormant, but I've got the greenhouse going, and I've got to take care of the animals of course. I need to pick up some heating units from Marnie. That will make your job easier as well, I'm thinking."
She slurped up a noodle, then grinned. "Maybe. January in the Valley is a bit chilly. But I'll have to install them for you. More work for me!"
"Shucks, you'd have to spend more time on my farm. That's a real shame!" I winked. She had a delightful blush reflex.
I cleared my throat. "I wish Pierre would stock the Spring seeds earlier, but there's nothing I can do about that. I can't even lay down fertilizer until the snows are gone."
"So you keep pretty busy even in the winter?"
"My days are pretty full, even if my nights are empty," I quipped.
She laughed and murmured ruefully, "I know how that is."
"Sorry?" I said, as if I hadn't heard her.
"Nothing." She blushed again and hid behind a sip of wine.
The food was really good, so we ate in silence for few minutes. I knew she had to be physically strong from the carpentry and other work she did, but after watching her I could tell she was also graceful, precise.
"This is all delicious, by the way. You should open a restaurant," she said. "You said you made the cheese yourself?"
"Thanks. It's pretty easy, actually. I could teach you how to do it."
"My family doesn't like goat cheese either," she sighed.
"That's too bad. Well you're welcome to stop by anytime."
"Assuming I have work to do on your farm."
"This farm needs a lot of work. My grandfather left it to me in a sorry state. When I first arrived, it was overgrown with weeds and debris was everywhere."
She nodded. "It's been vacant for a long time. We've been hoping someone would move in and we'd have neighbors again. I'm glad it was you," she said.
"Me too." I refilled our glasses and we toasted again. "To good neighbors."
A little while later, when our plates were empty, Robin said, "I can't believe I ate all that, but I just couldn't help myself. It was *so* good."
"I'm really happy you liked it." We walked slowly back into the living room and stood by the fireplace.
"I probably shouldn't have had the wine, though. I'm super sleepy now." Her eyes were half-closed and she was a little unsteady on her feet.
I guided her to the couch. She sat back down and pulled the blanket over herself. "I can make you a coffee," I said.
"No, that's okay. I just need a minute to gather some willpower for the walk home." She stared at the fire wistfully. I sat down in my easy chair.
"Do you want me to call Demetrius to come get you?" I asked.
"No!" she said, a little too loudly. Then quieter she said, "I mean, no, he's either asleep or working hard in the lab. That's usually how it goes." A little bitterness in that last part.
"Either way, I'd rather not bother him."
I said, "Bother? But won't he-"
"No, he won't, it's fine. I just need to stay a few more minutes."
"Of course. Stay as long as you want." I waited a few moments, then said, "You know, you're welcome to take a nap. That couch is pretty comfy."
"Sure. I doubt I'd be missed," she said in a low voice.
Ouch. I kept my mouth shut. The fire burned low. I got up and tended to it a few minutes later.
I noticed Robin's eyes were closed. I got a pillow from the linen closet.
I put my hand on her shoulder. "Hey," I said softly.
"Hmm?"
"Go on and lie down." I nudged her shoulder. "It's all right."
"Okay," she murmured sleepily, her eyes drooping closed. She put her head on the pillow and I covered her up with the blanket.
"Oh, you got a little schmutz…" I went to wipe a bit of sauce off of her cheek with my thumb.
She made a little noise and rubbed her cheek against my hand. My heart was pounding.
She didn't move for a minute, so I sat back down in my chair and watched her sleep for a bit. After a while, I turned off the lights and went to bed.
Despite my pounding heart, the wine helped me relax and fall asleep.
Sometime near dawn, a warm body wormed its way under the covers. I thought I was still dreaming as she wrapped her warm arms around me and snuggled up against my back.
"What-" I started to say, groggy and half asleep.
"Shh," she said, running her strong hands across my chest. She kissed my back. "I want you," she whispered. "I want this."
I rolled over and put my arms around her. We kissed, gently at first, but then her hot mouth pressed against mine and I felt her tongue delicately tease my lips open. Our tongues touched, quested. I ran my arm down her back, feeling her exquisite silky skin. I squeezed her buttock, round with smooth muscle.
She roughly pushed me onto my back. Robin was stronger than her slight form suggested. She grinned at my surprised look, then she swung her leg over and got on top of me.
...
I woke up later when I heard the familiar sound of a hammer in the barn. I grinned to myself, the satisfaction of a rake's job well done.
I started a pot of coffee, then I jumped in the shower. I put together a big breakfast for two: hash browns, fresh-squeezed tomato juice, and the ingredients for cheese omelettes. I cut up a leftover baguette for toasting and started cracking eggs. One of the eggs was oddly larger than the rest, but I shrugged and whisked it in with the others.
When everything was close to being done, I threw on my jacket and made my way out to the barn, boots crunching on fresh snow.
"Good morning, ma'am," I said, a wicked and self-satisfied smile on my face. "You're up early." She had changed her clothes.
"You were up early, too," she chuckled. "I dunno, I just felt oddly energized this morning. I don't know *what* got into me."
"I do," I leered. I got up behind her and nuzzled her neck, and I could smell soap and her fresh natural scent. She shivered.
"I'm glad you took the time to freshen up after all that hard work yesterday. You probably smelled like a barn." I joked.
"Oh hush, you're incorrigible. Besides, part of that 'hard work' was this morning, slacker. Did you just get up?"
"Would you forgive these lazy bones if I brewed you some fresh coffee and made you a complete country breakfast?"
"Hmm, that does sound good. It would definitely improve my opinion of your work ethic."
"If it wasn't so cold, the kitchen windows would be open and you'd smell how good. Take a break, hon."
She blushed at the new term of endearment I'd used, but she nodded and put down her tools. She turned around and I put my arms around her slender waist, under her jacket where it was nice and warm.
She looked embarrassed but happy at the same time. I noticed that stray lock of hair over her ear again, and slowly brushed it back for her. Her eyes gleamed.