Jud

A few weeks later, Jud walked in and sat at the head of the table, still getting used to his new position.

"I made beef stew again," Laurey chirped from the kitchen.

"Again? Make any more and my insides will turn to beef stew." Eller grumbled.

"Jud asked for it; said it's his favorite." Laurey kissed his cheek as she set the plate down in front of him.

"Oughta start harvestin' the corn soon. Almost September." Eller suggested after a brief silence, as though he were still a hired hand who still worked for her. Like she wasn't just his wife's aunt who should be grateful he let her live on his farm with them.

"Need more time. Gonna wait a couple weeks."

"You sure? I think—"

"I'm sure"

"That'll be excitin'!" Laurey chimed in, trying to dispel the tension. She sat down and squeezed his hand under the table. He squeezed back, having long ago noticed the little pout she gave when he didn't. "It's been such a good year so far. Jud, what'd you tell me the other day? That compared to last year at this time, we made—oh!" She whirled her head around and stared out the window, unblinking, the way she still did sometimes. "Sorry, I thought I saw somethin' move…it was nothin', I guess, just me bein' silly."

"I can check for you" Jud offered, always willing to be her hero. Since she still wouldn't let him be her lover in the proper way, he sometimes liked to remind her of what she owed him, of why she married him.

"That's all right, I really don't think it was anythin'; your food would get cold all for nothin'. 'Sides, you locked the door behind you, right? So, ain't like someone can get in"

Eller patted Laurey's hand. "Might be a good idea to get a guard dog, somethin' to warn you if there's actually anythin' out there. Scare away anyone who…might be around. Won't jump at shadows so much that way."

Laurey smiled, but Jud spoke up before she could say anything. "Nah, dogs make too much noise, just make her more jumpy. Ain't that right, darlin'?"

"Maybe at first, but I like dogs, so I'm sure after a while I'd get used to it, or train it not to bark so much. Could get a little puppy and it'd follow me around everywhere. Then when it was bigger it'd be able to keep me safe."

Jud shook his head. "Barn cat just had a couple kittens. Should be old enough to leave their mama by now. Get you a stripey orange one to keep in the house." He'd toyed with the idea of getting a cat to keep in the smokehouse, but always decided against it. It wasn't a big enough space for a cat to spend its whole life there, and he wouldn't want a cat that belonged to him to be able to roam outside where it could get hurt or decide not to come back. Besides, a cat couldn't keep Laurey safe; she'd still need him for that.

"I don't like cats very much. Cat scratched me real bad once when I was little, and I dunno if I'd want one in the house all the time."

"You was probably bein' a little rough with it, that's all, darlin'. I'll get you a friendly one and you can put a bow on it; that'd be cute. Cat's a better pet for a girl anyhow."

"Okay, Jud" she smiled at him, and he squeezed her hand under the table. "That does sound awful cute."