Zeus is barking loudly, baring his teeth to Damon. "Zeus, heel," she scolds him.
"Come in, Damon," Elena shakes his hand, "his bark is worse than his bite."
He nods and lets the dog sniff him.
Elena steps aside, allowing him to enter. After snapping the door closed, she invites him to join her in the kitchen for a cup of coffee. She quickly brews a fresh pot while he takes a seat.
"You're interested in being a ranch hand? Do you have any experience with this kind of work? It's a lot of manual labor, heavy lifting, sometimes long hours," she hands him a mug then sits down opposite of him.
"I like working with my hands, being outside. You have my word that I'll do a good job."
"How old are you? What grade?"
"I'm 17, I'll be a senior when school starts again."
"You're definitely old enough then," Elena smiles at him, her breath catches and an unexpected surge of warmth rushes through her when he returns the gesture.
"I am," Damon nods and takes a swallow of coffee.
"Well, I'm willing to give you a try. When you're done," she points at his mug, "I'll show you around the place," she gets up to put her mug in the sink and turns off the coffee maker.
Damon gets up to hand her his cup, accidentally brushing against her when she turns, his heart pounds in his chest when she locks eyes with his. They're like hot chocolate on a cold, winter night that wrap around you like a blanket; engulfs you in its warmth and makes you feel at home.
"Excuse me," he takes a step back, trying to swallow past the lump in his throat.
"No need," Elena reaches for a paper towel to wipe her hands. "Why don't we go outside, I will give you a tour?"
"I'd like that," Damon nods and follows her outside, his heart still thundering in his chest...
Elena considers him as he's looking around the barn. Damon has all the height of a man his age. There are muscles under his shirt, but not the big, bulky kind men can get from years of weight lifting. From behind he could be anywhere in his late teens to early thirties, but when he turns that face is all boy, a beautiful one at that. He lights up with the grin boys wear when they have something mischievous planned.
His dark hair flops over his eyes in a sexy sort of way and on his wrist are bracelets in woven leather. Elena hands him a pair of leather gloves and two of them lift hay bales to feed the animals. When they finish in the barn, she takes him for a walk along the fence line to view the property. Damon is amazed at the size of it.
The farm grows up out of the pale green hills as if it had always been part of the scenery. The house itself is a beautiful brick, the colors being the hues of the land itself, rustic brown striations on grey rock.
"The countryside is beautiful, Ms. Gilbert," Damon shields his eyes as he scans the panorama.
"Please call me Elena and thank you; I love it out here."
"How have you managed by yourself till now?" he looks at her, his eyes brimming with curiosity.
"I keep busy that's for sure. And I have friends..." she looks up when she hears the sound of a truck's engine.
Vincent stops his pickup, jumps out and approaches Elena and Damon.
"Damon, this is my good friend and neighbor Vincent Griffith. He looks out for me," Elena winks at him.
"Damon, how are you?" Vincent shakes his hand.
"I'm good, excited to be working here," Damon eyes dart from him to Elena and back.
"So, you followed my advice?" Vincent chuckles.
"I told you I would," Elena rolls her eyes and turns away to hide the flush that fills her cheeks. As soon as she regains her composure, she turns back. "He's been nagging me forever to hire someone to help me out. I only agreed so he'd shut his mouth."
"I'm a hard worker, I won't let you down," Damon says firmly, jumping back suddenly when he sees the brown coils of a garter snake curled tightly underneath itself. Its tongue flicks in and out as it watches him with beady, abyss-like eyes.
"I hate snakes, I hate them." Damon shudders, a little embarrassed.
"I'm not fond of them either," Vincent agrees. "I'm need to get going. I'll give you a call, Elena."
"Supper Sunday evening?"
"I'll see you then," he waves his arm through the open window as he drives away.
"You'll have to excuse him. He's a great friend, a really nice guy but he has no filters," Elena grins. "Well I suppose we should get back. If you want, there's some wood that needs to be split. I always start early to get a supply ready for winter. I have a lean to shed that I store it in. There's a fire pit outside by the pool that I use it for too. Are you handy with an ax?"
"Yes, absolutely. My brother and I help chop wood down and sell it during the winter for spending money, Christmas gifts, things like that."
"Good to know," Elena leads him to the woods behind the house. There's a clearing with an ax stuck in a tree trunk, she points to the lean to and tell him to stack it up in there. When he picks it up, she watches his technique. He raises it high above his head before slamming it down powerfully, easily splitting the log. The sound reverberates and rings loudly in her ears.
"When you're done or need a break, come inside for a glass of lemonade," she calls over her shoulder as she goes inside through the back door.
An hour later Damon enters the house. He takes a deep breath when he catches a glimpse of her running down the hall wearing only a towel. Turning around to straighten his pants, he stands in the foyer to wait for her.
A few minutes later, she comes out wearing a tee shirt and a pair of jean shorts, her wet hair in a high ponytail. "Have a seat, Damon," her eyes rake over his chest muscles firm under his damp tee shirt and his firm biceps. Goosebumps erupt on her body at the sight. "I'll get you that lemonade."
Moments later, she returns, handing him a glass filled with ice cubes and the tarte drink. "It's good," he almost swallows the entire thing in one pull.
"I'm glad you like it," Elena takes a seat on the rocker, situated to his right.
"Is that your husband?" Damon points to a picture on top of the fireplace mantel.
She bobs her head. "That was Aaron. We married right out of high school. I was 17, he had joined the military. We spent two years in California when he was stationed at Travis Airforce Base. After that he was assigned to Kirtland AFB in New Mexico for his last two years. He considered being staying in for his twenty years to get full retirement but decided against it. After he served his time, we moved here to the ranch. He wasn't the best farmer but he liked being outdoors too. He liked to fishing, hunting, the outdoors in general," she pauses a moment when her emotions start to rise. "He drowned in a boating accident."
"I'm sorry," Damon voice trails off.
"Don't apologize, it's been two years already. He was a good man," Elena looks up at the picture, it's like Aaron's watching her and she hates it. She's been tempted to pack that picture up but it's easier to leave it there than face the onslaught of questions and scathing looks from his mother.
The two of them aren't on the best of terms since almost the beginning. Elena wanted to keep Gilbert as her last name, Aaron surprisingly didn't have an issue with it, his mother however was apoplectic.
"Tell me a little about yourself? You're 17, an almost senior. Do you play sports? Girlfriend?"
"No girlfriend, not right now. I play football, run track. I'm not tall enough for basketball. I have an older sister, Katherine and a younger brother Stefan. My parents are Giuseppe and Lillian Salvatore, you probably know my dad's an attorney in town, my mom owns the 'Copperfield and Twist' bookstore."
"Yes, I know it. I don't know if I've met your mom though? Mrs. Flowers has always checked me out."
"Yeah, she works part time..."
Elena takes a swallow of her glass while Damon simply watches her. He finds her the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. The warm browns of her hair are so vibrant - like the sunrise is melting into the chocolate strands. And when she smiles, the corners of her fudge-colored eyes luster radiance in soft twinkles.
"I have a younger brother. Jeremy and his wife Anna have a little boy named Micah. That's them up there, she points to the picture on the right of the fireplace," she turns to look at Damon. For a half second, they both stare at each other. It isn't just the color of his eyes that's so breathtaking, it's what's inside them - the blue-gray of stormy skies that drown you in the rain to come. Her pulse pounds in her throat till the cat jumps on her lap, startling her. She squeaks, breaking the intensity of the moment.
"Sorry," Elena can feel the heat growing in her cheeks. "This is Mischa, I love her to pieces but she's a character."
"Pretty cat," Damon stands up to pet her, his eyes again meeting Elena's. He suppresses a smile. Her cheeks are kissed pink like a spring rose, the blooming color so cute against her lightly freckled skin.
When the Mischa nips at him, he steps back. "Do you have anything else for me to do...?"
"No," she shakes her head, just as flustered inside as he is. "You can go home."
"What time do you want me here tomorrow?" he follows her when she walks him towards the door.
"Why don't you be here at 9, we'll discuss your pay and everything then too, I'm sorry I didn't even think about it."
"It's fine," he follows her outside and climbs into his car. He waves as he pulls out of the driveway and gifts her with a smile.
The deep curve on his lips as he drives away makes the world stop around her...
Huge thanks to all of you and to Eva.
Chapter title: 'Two Silhouettes' from Disney's 'Make Mine Music'.
We do have another story -different plot - in a similar vein - Elena is a mid 30's emergency room MD with a 17 year old son and Damon is a 24 year old construction worker. 'Nothing Left to Fear' was posted in 2016.
I hope to post another chapter tomorrow or Saturday barring anything unforeseen. Hope you all have a fabulous day and/or evening.