Chapter 36
After returning to the main house, Harm and Mac washed their hands and then sat next to each other at the kitchen table while Sarah Rabb poured three bowls of homemade vegetable soup.
"I always say grace before I eat. Heavenly Father, thank you for allowing my grandson and Mac to visit me today. Let the simple food that I have prepared nourish and strengthen their bodies so that they may continue in their good health. Amen."
"Amen," Harm and Mac replied in unison.
Sarah Rabb said, "Let's not let our soup get cold," and everyone dug in.
The vegetable soup was remarkable; the best that Mac had ever tasted, and she said so.
"Thank you, dear. My brothers would tease me by saying that it was a good thing I could cook, because I'd never get a man with just my looks."
Following the soup, Sarah Rabb removed a beautiful cheese soufflé from the oven which she served to Harm, accompanied by a sweet salad and homemade buttermilk biscuits.
"Thank you, Grams," Harm said in appreciation.
"It was no trouble at all," said Sarah Rabb knowing that this was her grandson's favorite lunch.
Sarah Rabb's and Mac's lunch was a hot roast beef sandwich with brown gravy, mashed potatoes and buttered green beans.
"This is more than I normally have for dinner," said Mac, who couldn't find the bread for the pile of meat.
"Afternoon meals on a farm are always the heaviest of the day. Supper will be a vegetarian meal, but if you prefer, I can make you something else."
"The vegetarian meal will be fine," answered Mac, who was eyeing Harm's cheese soufflé with surprising envy.
In the meantime, Harm, who had been concerned about topics for conversation during lunch sat back and ate his soufflé while Mac peppered his grandmother with questions about the farm, various crop yields, and which crops might bring government subsidies.
Sarah Rabb was thrilled by Mac's interest in the farm, and eagerly answered the questions as best she could.
"I still have some of my father in laws records from when the farm was fully active. I'd be happy to let you review them."
"If it's not too much trouble"
"It's no bother at all, dear."
It had not escaped Harm's attention that this was the second time his grandmother had addressed Mac as dear.
Having eaten almost nothing at breakfast, Mac was ravenous. She cleaned her plate to the last green bean, which thrilled Sarah Rabb.
"I like to see a young woman with a healthy appetite. I hope you left room for dessert."
"Always."
"You and Harmon can relax in the living room. After I clear the table I'll bring in dessert."
"I can help you," said Mac.
"Nonsense. No guest in my house lifts a finger."
"I'll help you, Grams," said Harm.
"You've always been such a good boy, Harmon."
While Harm and his grandmother cleared the table and tided up the kitchen, Mac went into the living room with its comfortable sofa, coffee table, and a big overstuffed chair with a side table.
The large fireplace with its oak mantle dominated the room. Mac spotted a double barrel shotgun above the mantle. Thanks to her Marine Corps weapons training, and her growing knowledge of Sarah Harmon Rabb, Mac took if for granted that the shotgun was loaded.
There were three large framed photos resting on the mantle. The first showed Harm Jr. in a flight suit and standing next to an F-14 Tomcat. Harm had the same cocksure expression on his face that Mac had seen (all too often) in the courtroom when Harm knew that he had beaten her.
The second photo was of Harm Senior. Big Harm was wearing full flight kit and standing with Sweet Sarah, his F-4 Phantom. The aircraft was fully armed, so Mac guessed that the photo had been taken on Yankee Station abroad USS Ticonderoga.
In Mac's opinion the Phantom was not a good looking aircraft, but Harm Sr. was certainly a good looking man: tall, handsome, and with his classic Vietnam-era fighter pilot mustache, Big Harm looked as though he'd stepped out of a US Navy recruiting poster.
It's no wonder that Trish accepted his marriage proposal on their second date. My God, what woman wouldn't want to marry him?
The third photo was of LTJG Warren Rabb, who was seated in the cockpit of a Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter.
Warren Rabb was a handsome man- by now Mac took it for granted that all Rabb men were handsome. Wearing a leather flight helmet with googles, as well as a leather flight jacket worn over a neatly creased uniform shirt, complete with tie, Warren Rabb appeared the quintessential prewar naval aviator.
A fighter pilot wearing a shirt wearing a tie? They really were officers and gentlemen back then, Mac thought.
Harm and his grandmother came into the living room with spice cake and a pot of hot coffee.
"I was admiring the photos on your mantle. I'm sure that they bring back wonderful memories," Mac told Sarah Harmon Rabb.
"Their faces are always fresh in my mind. I display the photos of my husband, my son, and my grandson out of respect for the things they stood for, and for everything that they have fought to defend."
"I appreciate that, Grams. And I know that my father and my grandfather would feel the same way," said Harm.
Mac took another look at the photos. Despite Sarah Rabb's unbridled patriotism, she had paid a heavy price. Naval aviation had claimed her husband, her only child, and had nearly taken the life of her her grandson.
Thank god Harm is out of the cockpit of a Tomcat and behind a desk.
After serving Mac her cake, Harm sat beside her on the sofa while Sarah Rabb poured their coffee.
The flavorful spice cake snapped Mac out of her solemn mood. "This cake is amazing. I can see why Harm raves about it."
"It's my grandmother's recipe. Everyone likes it, including my farther in law, Peter Rabb. I prepared it on the first day I arrived in this house"
"When was that?" Mac asked.
"August 30, 1938, five days after Warren and I were married. My own father, David Harmon, joked that I was leaving a farm in South Dakota for a farm in Pennsylvania," said Sarah Rabb, who was delighted when Mac accepted a second piece of cake.
"With Warren here in Pennsylvania, and you living in South Dakota, how on earth did the two of you meet?"
"I love this story," said Harm, who also accepted a second piece of cake.
"Warren was studying agricultural engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and was awarded an internship by the US Department of Agriculture to study soil erosion the Dakotas. One fine Thursday morning in August 1938, Mr. Nickels, our County Agent, brought Warren to my father's farm."
Timing is everything, thought Mac, who was praying that right now she and Harm were in the right place, and at the right time.
"I had never seen a man as handsome as Warren Rabb, but there I was, standing on our porch wearing a simple print dress, with my hair pinned up, and looking as plain as dirt. After taking the soil samples, Poppa invited Warren to join us for supper that evening. I prayed that Warren would say yes. When he did, Warren smiled at me. I swear that I went weak at the knees."
Rabb smiles have that effect.
"I went into a frenzy. We weren't expecting company, so I didn't have the ingredients to make anything fancy for supper, just chicken and dumplings, peas and carrots, buttermilk biscuits, and a spice cake for dessert. Before Warren arrived at the house I put on my best dress and combed out my hair. I didn't have any sort of makeup, and since I wasn't an especially pretty girl, that was the extent of what I could do."
"Don't believe her, Mac," Harm interrupted. "My grandmother was very pretty. I've seen her photos."
"Once we were seated at the table, Mama emphasized that I had prepared the entire meal myself. When Warren asked for a second helping of chicken and dumplings I was thrilled. Later, when he praised my spice cake as the best dessert he'd ever tasted, I nearly swooned. My three brothers found it all very funny. Mac, do you have brothers and sisters?"
Oh god, here come the questions about my family.
"No, I'm an only child," answered Mac.
Sarah Rabb sighed. "Just like my son and grandson. After supper, we had our coffee in the sitting room. When Warren began talking about Pennsylvania, all of us were hanging on his every word. Poppa was the only member of our family who had been to the East Coast, and only when he was leaving for France to fight in the Great War."
Harm spoke up. "Corporal David Harmon, 196th Infantry Regiment, South Dakota National Guard. Corporal Harmon was awarded a Bronze Star for action during the Second Battle of the Marne and subsequently promoted to sergeant."
Sarah Rabb smiled. "I'm proud of you remembering the Harmon family history."
"What happened at the end of the evening?" asked Mac, who passed up the offer of a third piece of cake.
"By now I knew that I was in love with Warren, but he was a college man from the Northeast, and I was just a farm girl whose family had arrived in South Dakota as Homesteaders. What chance did I have?"
I'm guessing a good one, Mac thought.
"Poppa invited Warren to join us for supper on the following night, and he said yes. Warren was quiet during most of that meal, which worried me. Following supper, Warren asked to speak to Poppa privately. When they stepped outside, Warren asked Poppa's permission to marry me."
Mac's eyes went wide. Another Rabb proposing on the second date! What the hell is the matter with my Rabb?
"Poppa said it was my decision, and of course I said yes. Mama cried, and my brothers couldn't stop slapping Warren on the back. I remember my oldest brother Clarence telling Warren, 'You don't know what you're getting into.'."
"I'm sure it was hard for your father to let you go."
"Poppa wanted what was best for me. The country was just getting out of the Great Depression, but South Dakota was lagging far behind the rest of the nation. Pennsylvania sounded like the Promise Land. Even so, it was hard for me to say goodbye to my family, and the only life I'd ever known."
"When were you and Warren actually married?"
"Warren took the train back home the next morning and began to arrange things here in Pennsylvania. When Warren returned to our farm three weeks later, he was accompanied by his father, Peter Rabb. In the meantime my mother had made me a beautiful wedding dress. Warren and I were married in the same Methodist church where I was christened."
"Remarkable," said Mac.
Sarah Rabb held up her left hand. "When Warren slipped this gold band onto my finger I swore to him that I'd never take it off. August would have been our 60th wedding anniversary. During those six decades, I have never completely removed this ring."
"That was an amazing story," said Mac who couldn't imagine a woman maintaining such love and devotion to a man who died over 55 years ago.
"Now, I'm looking forward to seeing Warren in Heaven. Well, you've listen to this old woman drone on long enough about ancient history. Why don't you tell me about yourself and your family. Where did you grow up?"
Mac sat frozen. "That lunch was filling. I'm actually a bit tired. Would you mind if I went upstairs and laid down?"
"Of course not, dear."
Once Mac had made a speedy exit, Sarah Rabb looked over at Harm. "Mac is a sweet girl, though frankly, I had expected someone more outspoken...more like a Marine."
"Trust me, Mac is every bit the Marine, and she is quite outspoken." Harm finished his coffee and set down his cup. "Mac was raised in a dysfunctional household. Her father is a hopeless alcoholic and he was abusive. On top of that, Mac's mother abandoned her."
"I'm dreadfully sorry I asked about her family."
"It's not your fault. But understand that when Mac finds herself in a setting like this, she's embarrassed because she knows nothing at all about family life."
Sarah Rabb nodded. "I must say that despite her difficult childhood, she has achieved quite a bit."
"I don't know of anyone who has worked harder to achieve the things that Mac has done."
"You've worked equally hard," Sarah insisted.
"I had the love and constant support from you and mom and Frank. Nothing has come easy for Mac."
Sarah nodded. "I admire her hard work and determination. Too many young people would have given up."
"Mac is not a quitter. In any case, she was very nervous about meeting you."
"I'm often told that people are nervous around me. Tell me the truth, Harmon. Am I that difficult to get along with?"
Harm broke into a smile. "Of course not. It's only that you're not shy about speaking your mind. I wish I could do that. I take after my mother and keep things bottled up."
"I often regret that your mother and I got off to a bad start, though certainly nowhere near as bad as my relationship with my own mother in law, Mary Warren Rabb."
"You and great grandma didn't get along?"
"Mary Rabb was a difficult women. She was obstinate, always insisting on having everything her own way, and she spoiled your father rotten."
Hard exploded in laughter. "You don't say?"
Sarah Rabb grinned. "Harmon, you have the same laugh as your great grandfather Peter, and of course you have the same smile as your father and your grandfather. Every time I look at you, I see all three of those wonderful men."
"I consider that to be quite a compliment."
Sarah Rabb refilled Harm's coffee cup. "While Mac is resting, this would be a good time for the two of us to discuss your father."
Harm's heart skipped a beat. As promised, he had sent his grandmother a copy of the fabricated Mortuary Affairs report, despite knowing that his grandmother would discover the same flaws in the report as Tom Boone.
Harm waited for the other shoe to drop...it didn't.
"As I understand, the choices for your father's memorial are Arlington or Fort Rosecrans," Sarah said matter of fact.
"I've reconsidered," said Harm, who now outlined his current plan.
Sarah kissed Harm on the cheek. "Nothing would make me happier. I have an idea. After Mac has rested, why don't the three of us walk over and have a look around the grounds."
"That's a long walk. We should drive," Harm suggested.
"If you feel that the walk might be tiresome for Mac."
"Mac can walk for 20 miles in bare feet. I'm thinking about you."
"I may be old, but I'm neither frail nor am I feeble...but it is a bit chilly. Perhaps driving would be better."
"On the way we can give Mac a tour of the town."
"That shouldn't take long," Sarah half-joked. "I must say that I was surprised by Mac's interest in the day to day running of the farm. Is she interested in agriculture?"
"Mac likes getting involved in other peoples business." Harm paused. "I'm sorry that I said that. While I was planning my dad's service, Mac was at my side the entire time. I wouldn't have been able to reach my decision without her advice."
"I like her."
"I'm glad, because if things go as planned, you'll be seeing a lot more of Mac."
"What do you have in mind, Harmon?"
"You always say not to put the cart before the horse. Even so, keep your fingers crossed tonight."
Sarah Rabb gave her grandson a sly smile. "If that's the case, I suppose I'll turn in early."
Upstairs in the second bedroom, Mac had removed her boots and was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Mac felt horrible about excusing herself from the conversation, but how could she begin to explain her own family life to Harm's grandmother? Anything she would have said would have been a half-truth, or an out and out lie.
Mac respected Sarah Harmon Rabb too much to do that.
Mac shifted her attention back to farm, which, along with the house and the art gallery in La Jolla, would someday belong to Harm.
Sarah McKenzie held no expectations of inheriting anything of substance. Her father was indigent, her mother had vanished, and the US government had seized all of her Uncle Matt's assets, including the property at Red Rock Mesa.
Even so, Mac was not a gold digger. She had seen through Dalton Lowne's lavish gifts, along with Clayton Webb inviting her to parties at his mother's estate.
Webb's money is so old, I'll bet his mother hired a maid just to dust it.
Sarah MacKenzie could not be bought. The Marine Corps provided Mac with all that she needed, and she'd busted her ass to get it.
But what about her long term future? and Harm's?
Inside the barn, Harm had said that he wasn't happy with the way his naval career was progressing. He had also said that he'd like to come back here to live.
A luxurious life in La Jolla running the art gallery and spending her afternoons at the spa with Trish didn't appeal to Mac at all.
The farm was something else entirely.
Generations of Rabb's have lived here. Harm and I could put down roots, build our own life, and pass it down to our children.
On the subject of building a life: last week, Mac had received an engagement announcement from Amanda Jones; Mac's roommate at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. Jonesy's fiancée was an Annapolis graduate, and the couple were going to be married in the Naval Academy Chapel in June.
Mac found it ironic that Amanda Jones, who had felt herself plain and unattractive, and who had considered Mac to be the epitome of female beauty, would marry first.
Mac imagined marrying Harm in the Academy Chapel.
Lets see Kate Pike top that!
Even so, Mac was still waiting for a commitment from Harm, and that commitment seemed further away than ever.
Mac was equally frustrated by her own lack of action. She thought back to her fitness reports at The Basic School at Quantico:
LT MacKenzie has a bias for action. Instead of waiting for the perfect sight picture or direction from higher authority, she seizes the initiative, acting with boldness and determination. Once engaged, LT MacKenzie possesses the self-discipline to push past preconceived limits and will ignore any obstacles to mission accomplishment. Mentally strong and physically tough, LT MacKenzie is a warfighter who embraces the Corps' warrior ethos.
MacKenzie, you were ready to go toe to toe with any of the men in the training platoon. Why can't you say so much as a word to Harm about our future?
Mac laid down on the bed and closed her eyes.
This bed really is comfortable.
Mac had prepared breakfast for her children and then sent them off to school in the town. That was the easy part of her morning.
Now she had to go upstairs and wake up Harm.
Pittsburgh, and its law firms, was over an hour away. Harm returned home every evening exhausted from the commute and not wanting the same long nights of passionate sex that Mac craved.
Never mind money, why not open a small law office here in Beallsville?
Although the town didn't appear to be much to speak of, there were numerous outlaying areas around Washington County where people would need legal assistance.
Mac had a new vision of their future.
With the kids sent off to school, she went into their bedroom where Harm was still sleeping.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Get up or you'll be late to the office."
Harm stretched. "Have the kids left for school?"
"Of course they have."
Harm reach out and untied Mac's housecoat. "You have a beautiful body," he said.
"Don't joke. I've had four children."
"And you still look great." Harm took Mac into his strong arms and then pulled her into bed with him.
"What about the office?" Mac asked.
"I'll go in after lunch."
"Take me, Harm. Take me now!" Mac moaned.
