Chapter 10 – Arkansas

As they pulled out of the car rental place, Dean explained to Amanda "Mother won't let me take any of her cars on this trip because she really doesn't like that I go and since I can't take the Ferrari, I decided to rent a car this year. Usually we would use Dad's car and he never seemed to mind but..." Dean droned off as he thought about making the drive with his Dad out to the cabin each year.

Amanda could see that it was affecting him so she lightly touched his arm and said "Sweetheart, it is okay to be sad. I still get sad when I see things that remind me of my dad. He loved going kayaking and canoeing so those activities always make me think of him. I know he is happy that I still do them though."

Dean smiled at Amanda gratefully for understanding and turned back to telling her about how great the cabin was and how beautiful their spot was for catching fish.

Dean didn't like stopping to take breaks so Amanda had to gently remind him after 6 hours that she really needed to have a rest stop and that they both should have a sandwich out of her picnic basket. He reluctantly agreed and they stopped at a rest area and had a nice lunch using one of the picnic tables.

Amanda "So Dean, why do you wear plaid so much?"

"Why are you asking me that Amanda? Does that mean you don't like my outfits?"

Amanda hesitated while wondering how to tactfully get out of this one while looking at Dean's face to judge how upset he is.

Suddenly Dean began laughing and said "I'm just teasing. I do it to upset my Mother".

"What?"

"I know it sounds childish and not at all like me but Mother has these ideas of how I should dress in public and when I was a child, I always had to be wearing a suit and tie if I was going outside the house for any reason. Once I was old enough to make my own decisions, I decided to begin wearing jeans and t-shirts so that I would fit in with normal people. Mother was all upset about it and tried to make me feel guilty about my attire and told me that I looked like a homeless person so I warned her that I could find much worse things to wear. She didn't believe me and wouldn't leave me alone about it so I went shopping one day and found these plaid shirts. I didn't stop there though, I even bought these ridiculous looking hats. You know, the ones that have flaps to cover the ears. Oh man, you should have seen her face. So now, I don't have anything else to wear and I'm stuck wearing plaid most of the time. I have actually grown fond of it because it makes me laugh knowing that for once I have the upper hand against her."

Amanda busted out laughing at the image. "That's funny Dean. You do have a great sense of humor when you decide to use it. You should use it more often"

Dean Smiled. He found himself smiling a lot more than he used to these days.

Amanda cleaned up from their picnic and Dean carried the basket back to the rental car while Amanda used the Rest Room. They then headed back out on the road and both found that they were comfortable in the silence with their thoughts. Amanda soon dozed off as Dean continued to the cabin where he had spent so many summers. As he turned onto the road that led to the cabin, he gently shook Amanda awake. He didn't want her to miss out on the scenic road. Amanda rubbed her eyes and asked if they were almost there and he told her it was at the end of this road. She couldn't believe how lovely it was. There were Spruce and Maple trees bordering both sides of the road with what appeared to be Blueberry Bushes among them. Since Amanda hadn't been to the country in several years, she forgot how peaceful it was. Dean pulled into the driveway of a beautiful rustic log cabin. It had 2 stories and someone had taken time to put in flowers all around the yard. Amanda noticed that there were apple trees full of apples in several spots near the cabin. It took her breath away and she immediately realized why Dean and his Dad had loved it there so much.

"This is so beautiful Dean. I had no idea that it would look like this. I'm really glad I came."

"Wait until you see our fishing area." Dean said.

Dean still didn't help Amanda in or out of cars but he did grab their luggage and carry it into the cabin. Amanda followed him and her mouth must have stayed open for at least a minute. It wasn't like any cabin she had ever seen. There were fancy drapes on the windows, the dining room had a china cabinet complete with the most stunning china and all the pictures on the wall were replicas of some of the most famous artwork in the world. As much as the outside had a rustic look, the inside was very modern looking and even the kitchen had all the conveniences including a microwave and dishwasher. In fact, the cabin was almost double the size of Amanda's whole house. Dean carried Amanda's suitcases up the stairs and she followed behind him. He quickly showed her his room and then brought her to the room where she would sleep which was across the hall. It was a huge room measuring around 500SF and had a beautiful blue Berber rug on the floor along with an amazing canopy bed in the center of the room. The dresser looked like an antique and Monet's artwork graced the walls. There was a private bathroom attached to the room which had a tub and shower along with a Jacuzzi tub. Amanda had never been so spoiled and secretly couldn't wait to try out the Jacuzzi. Dean put her luggage down and suggested that she freshen up and then meet him downstairs as he had brought some chicken to cook on the grill and a nice bottle of wine.

After Dean left the room, Amanda sat down on the bed and could tell right away that she was going to sleep in comfort during her stay. She quickly freshened up and then headed down the Stunning Mahogany Staircase to meet back up with Dean. He had already poured them both a glass of wine and handed one to her as she entered the kitchen.

"Wow Dean, this is really good. The chicken smells amazing. I didn't know you knew how to cook?"

"Well Dad taught me when we stayed up here. Since there are no servants here, we had to take care of things ourselves. I actually love cooking but my Mother would never allow it at the house. She says that Men are not supposed to cook because it is women's work."

"I don't know about that, even Joe liked to cook. Since we didn't have a lot of money, none of the meals were really extravagant but he could cook a juicy burger on the grill for sure."

"Mother is very old fashioned and since she hates to cook, the Chef does all the cooking anyway."

Amanda gave Dean a quick hug and said "I'm so glad you had your dad in your life, even shortly, so you could experience life like a normal person at least a couple of weeks a year"

Dean had gotten used to Amanda's hugs so he quickly hugged her back and then released her and said that he was thankful his dad had stayed in his life too.

Dean had started a fire in the fireplace and they took their meal into the Family room so they could sit on the floor in front of the fireplace and enjoy their meal together. Amanda complimented Dean on how good everything was. They sat for a long time after dinner just quietly with their own thoughts while staring at the fire. Dean wondered what Amanda was thinking while he couldn't help but again feel blessed that such a wonderful woman had come into his life. Soon he noticed that she seemed to be falling asleep so he suggested they go get some sleep so they could be up early in the morning to go fishing.

As soon as Dean crawled into bed, he was sound asleep. In no time, his alarm told him that it was 6 am and he crawled out of bed so he could first take a shower and then go prepare breakfast. However, when he got downstairs, he discovered that Amanda had already made a wonderful breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup and blueberries along with some home fries and sausage. Dean took the cup of coffee she offered as he came into the kitchen and told her how good everything smelled. Amanda smiled because she was slowly getting Dean to give compliments at least once in a while. They quickly devoured breakfast and then packed their gear to go fishing. Amanda teased Dean to watch for snakes along the way and he laughed.

Dean was absolutely right about how amazing the area was. Amanda found herself looking all around her and at one point, they both paused to watch a Doe walk near them with a young fawn. They both looked at each other and smiled. When they got to the right area, Dean went into the water and began casting his line while Amanda stayed on the shore and cast hers. She was just enjoying the day. As she sat on the bank, she thought about Dean. He had grown on her over the past few months. She still didn't feel any sparks when they did touch and sometimes she wished that he wouldn't talk so much about the weather but then she would think of the positives. Dean wasn't a bad looking man. He had a well-paying job which meant he was financially stable. He also was very dependable and responsible and though he lacked in being attentive to her emotionally, he was there for her in other ways. Her car had broken down a couple of weeks ago and Dean insisted on taking it to a mechanic he knew and he took care of the bill because he knew she didn't really have the money to get the car fixed. She hated letting him help her financially but he told her that friends help out friends. She was very grateful for him doing that because she really needed her car. Another time, he had stopped at the grocery store and purchased a couple of bags full of groceries for her family. He really was a good man and Amanda realized she could do far worse. She just wished he was a little more exciting. She wasn't sure what she expected from him but after Joe, she just wanted something that made her tingle at least a little.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a shout and a splash. She looked over the see that Dean had fallen into the river but was still reeling in a huge fish.

"Oh my Gosh Dean, wow, that is a huge fish. I had no idea you could catch something that big here." He finally reeled it in and as he stood up, he screamed in pain. Dean had twisted his ankle as he fell into the water trying to land the fish. Amanda rushed to his side and asked if he was okay and he said he was but would be limping back to the cabin. That was when she noticed how burnt he was. "Dean, didn't you put on any sunscreen?"

Dean looked down at the ground and then pulled his eyes up to meet hers and admitted that he was really bad about remembering and that his dad had always reminded him. He asked her how bad it was and she said it looked really bad. She got him to stand up and put his arm around her shoulder so she could help him back to the cabin. It was a long trek but they managed to do it together. Before he would go in though, he insisted Amanda run and get her camera so he could have a picture of himself holding that huge fish. When Amanda came back with the camera, he told her that he was going to hold the fish in front of his face so that no one would realize he had been so burnt by the sun. She agreed that it was a good idea and took the picture that way.

Since Dean was in a lot of pain, they decided that he would sleep on the couch instead of trying to go up the stairs. Amanda readied the couch and then had him lay back as she put moisturizer over the exposed parts of his body. She ended up giving him an amazing massage and he told her how wonderful it felt. After making sure she had all his kinks out, Amanda took care of cleaning and preparing the fish for dinner and they enjoyed a quiet dinner with fish and rice and some more of the wine from the night before.

The next day, Dean was miserable and so Amanda let him sleep. By the afternoon, he was beginning to feel more like himself and asked Amanda to help him outside so he could enjoy being out in the scenic back yard. As he sat enjoying the serenity of the area, he realized that he really wanted to get to know Amanda and her family better because he really intended to marry her someday.

The rest of the week seemed to fly by. Unfortunately Dean never did really feel up to fishing anymore but Amanda pampered him the whole time including giving him massages and helping to ice his foot. When it was time to make the long drive back, Dean's sunburn had mostly cleared up and was beginning to peel and he could walk on his foot again.

On the drive back, Dean decided it was time to have a really serious conversation.

"Amanda, we have been seeing each other for a few months now. I think it is time for me to meet your boys and begin spending some time with them, don't you?"

Amanda was silent for a few moments and then said "Okay, Dean, give me a couple of days to tell them about you. After all, they only recently lost their father so I don't want them to think that I'm expecting them to let you take his place"

"I don't want that either. I just think it is time for me to get to know them"

"Sweetheart, I couldn't agree more. We just have to do this right"

"Okay, I trust your judgement"

The rest of the drive was a quiet one. Amanda felt extremely tired from tending to Dean all week so she found herself again falling asleep and slept a good portion of the trip back.

When they reached her house, Dean gave her a quick hug and promised to call in a few days. As soon as Amanda stepped into her house, her Mother descended on her and asked her how the trip was. Amanda found that as she was telling the story, she suddenly had the giggles. It seemed that poor Dean just had the worse luck with fishing lately and she wondered if maybe he should stop going.

TBC