XXPMDS**

Part 8

Preparing dinner was something that came naturally to Della. When she babysat, she fixed the children their lunches knowing that one day her cooking skills would come in handy. Sarah moved about on the front steps where the two dogs had settled down by the porch swing. Della continued with her task, slicing the lemons and pressing them as their juices emptied into the glass jar. She pitched the spent lemons into a basket and made a full jar of freshly squeezed lemonade. Taking the pitcher to the fridge and placing it on the top rack, she watched Aunt Fay prepare the chicken. As Fay was putting her ingredients into the mixing bowl for the cake, Della noticed the green beans needed to be snapped. They kept a small garden, and it had yielded quite a harvest of vegetables this season including a bushel of corn.

"Della, could you be a dear and help with snapping the green beans. I need them to fit my pot." The older woman declared.

"Yes, sure," Della said took the bowl from her and sat down at the kitchen table.

"So, how long have you been seeing Perry? What are you studying?"

"We just met at the law school this year. Well, he saw me on campus and we just started talking. The rest is history." Della snapped a green bean and worked on another.

"Seems like he's known you his whole life, my dear. I noticed how you two are around each other. I've never seen anything like that since my husband and I were engaged to be married," she chuckled and looked over her shoulder.

"We are not engaged." Della sighed.

"Well, Perry has dated off and on. He's very knowledgeable of what he's looking for and once he's found it, he's not letting go. I've seen how he looks at you, and he's not been this happy in a very long time. I can tell that one day, he's going to propose. I just have a gut feeling it will happen, especially now that's he's found someone who makes him happy." She gave her soft smile and looked out the kitchen window.

Sarah walked in and interrupted their conversation when Della finished preparing the green beans. "Did I overhear someone getting married? When? Who is it?" She prodded.

"Sarah, we were talking about Perry. Della and I were just making small talk. Marriage was my idea not hers." Her mother simply stated.

"Did Perry propose, Della?" Sarah sat down beside her at the table and picked up some green beans from the bowl.

"No, not yet. I just came out of an engagement. I don't want to rush into anything just yet, but my feelings towards Perry are getting stronger every minute of the day. It's just that marriage never came up between us."

"It'll happen Della. I can promise you that, if Perry lets you slip between his fingers and don't realize what he's lost, that'll be on him. Whatever makes you happy my dear is all that matters. If you are not happy, what's the point in being miserable all your life. I know if I was miserable, you better believe I'd get out quick," she told Della. Della thought about what she told her of being happy and thinking back in her life, she couldn't think when she was this happier either even when she was with Michael.

The hot sun was high in the sky as Perry held out his hand to block the sun's unrelenting rays while catching sight of a hawk flying and circling for its prey. The tractor trudged along cutting the last bit of remaining hay. Turning the tractor around and raising the cutting bar, he returned to the big barn and unhitched the cutter, dropping it off in the barn. The tedder was on the far end of the barn so now he had to hook up that and then return to the field to rake up the hay.

Finally, after all the hay was raked, he had a few hours to bale it. He made his way back to the barn, parking the tractor outside to let it cool down. Della had heard the tractor from afar as it echoed through the valley. Finishing up in the kitchen with his aunt, she walked out onto the porch. The dogs watched her but never growled nor barked at her. Then Sarah came from the side of the house with a can of paint and some brushes catching Della as she stood looking out into the distance.

"Perry will be back soon." Sarah sat down the paint bucket and brushes on the porch steps, looking out in the same direction.

"Oh, sorry I was just thinking." Della turned and faced her taking a clean paintbrush in her hand. Sarah looked in her pocket but not finding anything to open the can. She returned back to the garage to get a screwdriver to open the lid.

The noise of the tractor had got louder as it came closer into view. Perry unhitched the tedder and wiped his forehead with the cotton shirt that was now completely unbuttoned. Della saw that he looked exhausted and went back into the kitchen retrieving a glass of lemonade and adding a few ice cubes in the glass.

"Perry, make it back yet?" Aunt Fay asked her with a smile when Della paused mid-step almost making it out the door.

"Yes, I thought he'd like a glass of lemonade," Della said before leaving the kitchen. Aunt Fay knew what was going on between her nephew and the young lady. It was crystal clear what was happening, remembering back when her husband first starting courting her. Della had strolled out past his car while the female dog had followed closely behind her. The male stood guard at his car waiting patiently laying down observing where his mate was going. As Della walked slowly towards Perry, she noticed he was bent over hitching up the huge baler. Della put a hand on his back startled him out of his task dropping the pin into the hole and fastened the bolt into the hitch.

"Looks like your all hot and bothered. Care for a cold glass of lemonade?" Della stood in front of him holding the tumbler as the condensation ran down the glass as the heat of the day starting melting the ice cubes.

"Hot and bothered is not even the term I would use," Perry turned wiped his brow with his cotton shirt again, and took the glass from her hand, drinking the freshly made drink. Not finishing the drink, he held the glass in his hand.

"Are you done yet, Perry?" Della stepped into his space fingering the buttons on the shirt that had exposed his vast broad chest. Sweating profusely, he quickly shed his shirt in front of her and she grabbed it from his hand, taking it wiping it down his chest and giving it back to him. He then put it in his back pocket as it hung loosely out from his jeans.

"I got two hours to wait on the drying out. I'm not done just yet though with the field. Thank you for taking care of me. I sure needed that refreshing cool lemonade, but you standing here in front of me, just got me all hot and bothered again." He pulled her flush against him kissing her. As sweat dripped off his face onto her cheek, and she giggled into his mouth pulling him further into a heated kiss. Withdrawing from her immediately, making her gasp as he put the cold glass against her skin. Making a hissing sound, she quickly grabbed it from him wanting to return the favor. She drank the remaining lemonade as two ice cubs clinked at the bottom of the glass.

"I might have the remedy for your current situation." Della tipped the glass as one of the ice cubes fell into her hand. She took the cube and placed it on his heated flesh from his neck making wet trails as it melted against his skin causing him to jump slightly as the cold water cooled against his skin.

"Two can play at this game." He teased her taking the glass from her grip and turned the glass upside down revealing a slightly melted ice cube, dropping into his large hand. Picking it up he quickly traced her lips with the cool cube, down her neck before reaching the barrier of her dress. The cube was rapidly melting against her heated flesh as he traced the length of her arms and returning back to her lips, slipping it into her mouth. Coming to reality, she looked at him with pure desire, stepping forward again into his space, placing chaste kisses against his chest, slowly inching up, capturing his lips again as he held on to her waist. Gasping for breath and dropped her forehead on his chest. He kissed her cheek and stepped back slightly holding her hands in his.

"I'm almost done out there, Della. I have to wait now for a couple of hours before I go back out there," Perry reminded her while he looked back at the house to see his cousin watching the two of them. The female dog came out from the shadows followed by a barn cat that looked heavily pregnant. "Oh, my goodness it looks like she's about to have kittens any day now," Della knelt as the dog and cat greeted them. The cat purred loudly and meowed excitedly at her while the female dog looked on. The cat laid down in front of them purring and being restless she got back up wandered back inside the barn. The dog looked on hesitated before staying by Della's side and waited on her next move. They turned together slowly walking back to the house when he stopped by the car and reached into the glove compartment pulling out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter.

"You know Perry, that's a bad habit." Della scolded him.

"I know it is. But you're also a bad habit too," he arched his eyebrows at her, smiling before lighting his cigarette.