Touch the Sky

Chapter 8

Delilah wasn't sure if it was because they were traveling downhill. Or if the mountain was just in a hurry to get rid of her. Either way, the trip back down to her farmhouse only took a few hours. Since Asa was the only one of the two men that had any experience with horses, she put him on her smaller horse, choosing to ride double with Hasil on her larger horse. Sitting behind her didn't seem to deter the young man from enjoying his first horse riding experience. And Delilah took pleasure in Hasil's company and the funny way he had of blurting out exactly what was on his mind at any and every given moment. His banter distracted her from the thoughts of the man she'd left behind on the mountain. She was used to missing her husband. But longing for a man that was alive and well and only a days ride away was a unique kind of torture. She tried her best to convince herself that her memory of Foster would fade in time. But the further she rode, the more her chest ached.

The daily farm chores had been neglected during Delilah's absence. Her animals needed to be fed and released into the pastures. The cows and the goats needed to be milked. Her gardens needed to be watered. And the fresh vegetables needed to be picked before they rotted on the vine or became food for the local wildlife. It was too much for one person to get done in a single afternoon. But she was almost glad for the distraction the hard work would give her from her melancholy thoughts. And luckily, Asa and Hasil were more than happy to stay and help with the chores in exchange for a chicken dinner.

It was Delilah that first noticed Hasil's absence. The chores were done. She and Asa were sitting on her back porch swing drinking sweet iced tea. She thought Hasil was planning to join them. But instead, the young man was suddenly missing. And so was her truck. The little shit borrowed it without permission and drove it into town.

"He'll bring it back won't he?," Delilah asked, taking another swig of her tea as she glanced at Asa.

"Probably," he replied with a shrug. Delilah laughed at his honesty, leaning to bump her shoulder into his. She was more amused than annoyed with Asa's younger cousin. And she figured she wasn't going to worry about the young man or her vehicle until it started getting dark. She was honestly more curious than anything as to what business Hasil had in town that was so important he needed to steal her truck to tend to it.

After a little more iced tea and a lot of conversation about the company that was invested in the planned development projects on Shay Mountain, Delilah and Asa headed inside to get dinner started. She put some music on. And they switched out their tea glasses for bottles of beer as they worked, shucking the fresh sweetcorn and peeling potatoes. Even though they hadn't seen each other in years, it was easy for them to fall back into the close friendship they once had. Their lives were different now. But they were still the same people.

"If things don't work out back home," Delilah said, smiling as she stripped the last bit of peel off a small yellow potato, "...you're always welcome here." Asa knew her offer wasn't made lightly. And he felt the emotion swelling inside him as he wrapped his arm around Delilah and hugged her against his side.

"I think fate has other plans in store for me," he admitted. No matter how far or how fast he ran, he couldn't outrun his dreams. And they'd been relentlessly calling him back home since he left all those years ago. Over the last year, the dreams had become more intense. More violent. They almost drove him to suicide. Asa wasn't surprised when the eviction notice to vacate the mountain arrived. He'd been called away from home because there were things he needed to learn from the low-landers. And now he was being called back so he could put those lessons to use in order to save his family's home. Once that battle was done, maybe he could finally leave the mountain with a clear conscience. Or maybe fate had other plans. Plans that he secretly hoped might involve a certain redhead.

Hasil leaned against the truck he borrowed from Delilah, nervously smoothing his hair down with his hands. He wasn't stupid enough to enter the store without his cousins around. Low-lander jail was not a place he had any desire to experience. But he was brave enough to risk a few peeks in through the door. And he'd managed to spot her inside, the girl with two first names and hair like sparkling wool. She was the most beautiful woman Hasil had ever laid eyes on. And he was willing to wait outside the store all day if it meant he'd get a chance to talk to her again. When she finally emerged, he practically jumped to his feet as he called out her name.

"Sally Ann!," he exclaimed. She stopped, turning in his direction and giving him a startled glance before she turned and began to head quickly in the opposite direction.

"Sally Ann," he repeated, "...where you goin'?"

Hasil knew that wasn't the best way to start a conversation, but to be fair his experience starting conversations with women outside his clan were extremely limited. Delilah was the first one he'd ever really said more than a few words to. And he didn't think that really even counted since she was technically kin even if she didn't grow up on the mountain.

"Home," Sally Ann replied. Instead of looking nervous, now she was starting to look annoyed. Hasil wasn't sure if that was an improvement or not. But at least she stopped walking in the opposite direction.

"Wanna do something?," he asked.

She raised a curious brow at him. "Now?," she asked. He was quick to nod his head. He'd be happy to spend time with her anytime she was willing. But now seemed like the best time. Now meant not having to wait to see her later.

"Yeah," he replied, giving her a big smile. "Why not?"

"Like what?," she asked, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"Uh," Hasil said, trying to think up something as fast as he could. He had no idea what a woman might like to do on a date. He'd never been on one. But Sally Ann just got out of work. So he guessed she might be hungry. "My cousin lives down here. She invited me over for dinner at her house. She's making fried chicken," Hasil said. "We could go there…"

Hasil wasn't sure what he said wrong. But suddenly, Sally Ann was spinning on her heel and stomping away towards her car again. She stopped after a few steps and turned to favor him with an angry glare.

"You think you're funny?," she announced, narrowing her eyes at him. "Fried chicken? Really? You're an ass!"

"Hey!," Hasil exclaimed, rushing forward and stepping between Sally Ann and her car. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I said wrong. If you don't like chicken, we can do something else. Anything you want…"

Sally Ann was still looking like she was thinking about punching him square in the mouth. But after a little more angry glaring, her expression finally softened. "You really don't have any idea why I'm upset, do you?," she asked. Hasil shook his head. She was angry about chicken for some strange reason. He had no idea what the reason was. But he was going to be certain never to bring up that particular animal to her again. Ever.

"Alright," Sally Ann finally said. "...who's your cousin?"

"Her name's Delilah," Hasil exclaimed. His face was lit with a big smile. One that Sally Ann was having a hard time not responding to. She'd never seen a man so happy to have dinner with her in all her life. Even if he was weird, his attention was still flattering even if it was also sort of overwhelming at the same time. He was handsome enough to make her heart beat faster just by looking at him.

Hasil pointed in the direction of Delilah's farm. "She lives on a farm over that way. In a big white house."

"Wait," Sally Ann said, "...are you talking about the Tate place? Your cousin is Delilah Whitaker… I mean Delilah Tate?"

Sally Ann didn't know the woman personally. But she knew who Delilah was. Everyone knew who she was. Blackburg was a small town. And Delilah was an attractive woman that just inherited a lot of land and money. She was older than Sally Ann, closer to her brother's age. They'd gone to school together. Most of the boys in their class, including James, had their eye on her. It caused quite a stir in Blackburg when she married Jonathan Tate. He was not only nearly twice Delilah's age, he was rich by Blackburg standards and lost his first wife to cancer less than a year before they were wed.

"Yeah," Hasil confirmed. "That's her. You wanna go?"

Delilah was pulling the biscuits out of the oven when Remy darted through the kitchen, heading for the front door. Since she assumed the fuss was just over Hasil arriving back, Delilah wasn't concerned with the large dog's sudden interest in the front door until she heard an unfamiliar feminine voice.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to just walk in here without knocking?"

The question was followed by a high pitched shriek and the sound of Remy's nails scraping against the hardwood floor. Delilah set the pan down on the counter with a clang and bolted for the front door. She started to laugh at the scene that was unfolding in her entryway. Hasil was wrestling Remy to the floor while a young black woman looked on in pure terror.

"Remy!," Delilah called, snapping her fingers at the dog. Remy was in no hurry to stop what appeared to be great fun for the dog. But he removed himself reluctantly from Hasil's grasp and trudged out onto the back porch when Delilah called to him a second time. Delilah clicked the screen door shut, hoping that might make the young woman feel more comfortable.

"I'm sorry, he didn't jump on you did he?," she asked. The young woman shook her head. And then they both glanced at Hasil, waiting to see if he planned to make some sort of introduction between them. It didn't really surprise Delilah when he just stood there staring back at them.

"Hasil, who's your friend?," Delilah finally asked him, trying to hide her grin. Hasil's absolute lack of manners was funny. But it was the lovesick expression on his face as he stared at the young woman next to him that was really hitting her funny bone.

"Oh!," Hasil exclaimed, glancing over like he'd totally forgotten Delilah was standing there. "This is Sally Ann."

"Hi," Delilah said, stepping forward and offering the other woman her hand. "I'm Delilah." Sally Ann took her hand, giving it a nervous shake.

"I know you," she said, "...you went to school with my older brother James." Delilah nodded, racking her brain to remember the man. There weren't many black people in Blackburg. But there was one in her grade. He was a football star until he broke his leg halfway through senior year. Delilah would have been hard pressed to remember his name all these years later but she guessed he must be the brother Sally Ann was referring to.

"He played football didn't he?," Delilah asked. Sally Ann nodded. Her brother did play football. And he was good. He earned himself an athletic scholarship to a good college out of state. But then he got hurt and couldn't play anymore. He'd been bitter and angry about it ever since.

"Well, I hope you're hungry. Because we made enough freaking chicken to feed an army," Delilah said, quickly changing the subject. One look at Sally Ann's face and she knew her brother's sports career was not a subject the young woman wanted to discuss.

Sally Ann thanked Delilah for the dinner invite and followed her into the kitchen. There was another man present. And he was introduced to her by only his first name, which was Asa. Delilah looked him over, wondering if he was a Farrell like Hasil or just a friend of Delilah's. All the Farrell's she'd seen had long hair. And this one didn't. But he still had that wild mountain look to him. Whoever he was, the man seemed amused by her presence at Hasil's side, though he didn't comment on it.

Dinner was good. Despite the hard time she'd given Hasil over fried chicken, it was actually delicious. And so was everything else. The last time Sally Ann could remember having a real home cooked meal was before her parents died. Her brother always made sure there was food on the table. But he wasn't much of a cook. And the limits of her culinary expertise was making boxed macaroni and cheese without burning it.

The dinner conversation flowed less awkwardly than Sally Ann expected. Delilah and Asa talked a little about the new coal company. And Delilah welcomed Sally Ann's opinions on the desperately needed jobs the company was promising to bring in. When they got done eating, Delilah offered to show Sally Ann around the farm. The big cows made her a little nervous. But she liked the rest of the animals.

"With my husband gone, I've been looking for someone to help me out around the farm," Delilah said. "It's really too much for one person to keep up with. If you're interested, I'll double whatever Lester is paying you to ring groceries."

Sally Ann protested a little. She didn't know anything about farm work. But Delilah assured her that it was easy to learn. And all she asked was that Sally Ann consider her offer. She didn't expect an answer right that moment. Though it only took one look towards the wild man next to her for Sally Ann to reconsider her initial refusal. It would be much easier for her to spend time with Hasil here on Delilah's farm than it would be while she was working at the grocery store. Sally Ann smoothed the wild bits of her hair down. She didn't want to count her chickens before they hatched. She wasn't even sure if Hasil wanted to see her again. Or if it would be wise for her to even involve herself in such a relationship even if he did. She had no idea what a future between them would even begin to look like.

"There's a hayloft in the horse barn," Delilah said, pointing towards the large red building. "If you open the hay door, there's a great view of the sunset."

Hasil immediately perked up at her suggestion, grasping Sally Ann's hand and leading her away towards the barn before she could object. Delilah held her giggles in until she was sure they were out of earshot. Asa wasn't laughing. But he was leaning against the fence with an amused grin on his face.

"How do you know what the view from the hayloft looks like?," he asked, smirking at her.

"It really does have a nice view," Delilah insisted. "A lot of magic happens up there," she added with another quiet laugh. The first time she made love to her husband was up in that loft. And for a moment, she was just happy to be able to think of the man without being consumed by grief.

"Maybe you should take Lil' Foster up there next time he comes calling," Asa teased.

Delilah raised her brow at him. Not that the thought of it wasn't appealing. But she was quite sure she'd never see Foster again, let alone take him up into the hayloft with her.

"Foster risked his life to get home to his kin," Delilah countered. "He's not coming back here."

Asa flashed his cheshire cat smile at her once more before he spoke. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."