Chapter 10: When Hubert met Jo

Jo looked around the room at her, Joshua, and Jeane's handiwork, though her sister-in-law and brother weren't there. The vixen was dressed simply in a pair of overalls and a red plaid long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The two vixens and one tod had moved the old furniture from an even older barn that was stuffed to the gills with ancient things; furniture, books, and the three were pretty sure they'd seen two Ford Model 48s, one that was a truck and one that was a convertible.

The two vixens had to keep Joshua from starting on a new project. They needed to mover furniture. Besides, he already had an old 1957 Chevy Truck in the barn they were converting into an apartment. The last thing he needed was something new to continually forget about fixing.

It took a few hours to move a bed, a nightstand, a small rug, two lamps, a desk, a wardrobe, and a chair up into the barn's loft before arranging it all in just the right spot. Once that had been done, Jo had offered to make the beds to let Joshua and Jeane grab some lunch. The yellowish-red vixen didn't mind, mostly because she was curious to see who this Hubert Hemming was.

She had just put on the comforter and pillows when she heard someone enter the barn. Slowly, Jo sauntered over to the edge of the upper loft and peered down. Her parents were there and a very familiar looking wolf. The vixen blinked a few times as she stared at Hubert. She remembered him from somewhere, but she couldn't place exactly where. Something about the silver and white letterman jacket with a big white W nagged at her memory. She'd just about given up trying to place him when it hit her.

They'd given each over a once over when she'd gone to Wolfsberg four years ago. He'd stuck out in her mind the most, probably because of just how muscular and handsome he'd been. A slow smile cracked across her lips. It was four years later, meaning that the High School age wolf was no longer High School age. Slowly, the vixen pulled away from the edge of the loft, heading right for the stairs.

"Don'tcha mind t'much in 'ere. My boys gots his prah-jikts, but he don't works on'em much n'more since it's the season," Amos said as Hubert looked around the barn. A beat up old tractor was front and center with some attachments sitting right next to it. The nice thing about this place was that it had two sets of double doors, meaning things could be brought both in and out, even if one of the sets of doors was blocked. Behind the tractor was an old truck, or at least what had been an old truck. It had been thoroughly taken apart right down to the chassis.

"Gits prudy quiet 'n yere, s'ya c'n gets lots uh rest," the old tod continued as he, Hubert, and his wife made their way towards a staircase set in the back of the barn. The wolf just kept nodding as he took in the sight. There were lots of tools strewn about, a few old boxes here and there, not to mention a layer of dust that coated a few shelves that lined the barn's walls.

The wolf thought it would be a nice place to spend the summer, and he was just about to say so when he spotted Josephine sauntering down the stairs. The young wolf started to smile a goofy grin as his tail flicked and flopped around behind him. The reddish-yellow vixen in front of him blushed and giggled as she slowly started to make her way towards him.

Amos and Betsy looked at each other, then over to Jo, then over to Hubert. They did that a few times before Amos asked, "Is I missin' summin'?"

Hubert let out an a-hyuck, "Yer jist as purdy as th'day I first seen yew."

The vixen giggled as she looked over at her father, "We'z seen one'n'nother b'fore, but we ain't never been inter-duced."

Her father tilted his head, "When?"

"Bout four years'go when Iz went down t'Wolfsberg," Jo replied before pushing out one hand towards Hubert, "I'm Josephine."

"Jo-sef-een," the wolf chirped sweetly as he took her hand, "Yous gots a purdy name."

"Thank ya, shoog. What's yer name?"

"Hubert."

The vixen smiled, "It's nice t'finally meets ya, Hubert."

"Yer so purdy," the canine giggled as his tail seemed to wag faster and faster. Jo's father coughed, "I hates t' break yaz up, but Hew-burt needs t'see 'is room."

His daughter nodded as she gently let go of Hubert's hand. "I'll sees ya at dinner, Hubert?"

The wolf's head moved up and down in quick succession, almost making him look like a bobble head doll, something that made Jo giggle more. "Don't be late."

Betsy and Amos watched as their daughter departed. "I'm gonna go talk t' Jo," the elder vixen said as she slowly departed her husband and their new farm hand. Amos looked up at Hubert, "I thinks she likes ya."

"I loves her," Hubert replied in a dreamy tone that raised Amos' eyebrows. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of a wolf courting his daughter.

Betsy slowly wandered up next to her daughter, her brown ears flicking about. "Y'ain't thinkin'bout datin' that thar wolf, is ya," the other vixen asked as she slid in beside Josephine. The younger female just shrugged her shoulder as she looked over to gaze at her mother, "Iz thought about it a few times."

Her mother's ears flicked around on the top of her head, "Ya knows wolves is trouble. We foxes has never got'long with dem wolves, and dey don't get'long wid us needer."

"Mama, that was 'long time'go. Things' different now," Jo replied as the two women made their way into the farmhouse. Betsy chuffed, "I know things' diff'rnt, but it don'ts mean he cain't hurtcha."

The daughter shook her head as she looked at her mother, "Y'ain't gonna stop me fr'm datin'im, mama."

Betsy chewed on the side of her lip. Jo was right. She couldn't exactly stop her from dating Hubert. She could try to say, "Iz yer mudder'n I forbids it," but the vixen wasn't twelve anymore, so that line of logic wouldn't work. Her husband might try it on her, but again, he would just end up sounding silly. "All right," the elder fox said with a long sigh as they made their way into the kitchen through a side door, "Jist help me gets dinner ready."

"Whatter we havin, mama," Jo said with an air of curiosity. Her mother just shrugged her shoulders as she pulled open the oven to reveal four chickens roasting. The vixen let out a soft chuckle. It was always chicken, duck, or turkey.