candies and the outdoors.
“I think you can call me George now that you’re thirty.”
“No offense, but that would just be weird. How do you like retirement?”
“It has its perks, but I miss being out in the woods.”
Nadya didn’t have a chance to get another word in because the boys tumbled into the room, and Billy was talking up a storm telling them all about Auntie Nad. Hunter just jumped up and down and shouted for attention.
Bill and Mary Ellen were nowhere in sight. Cowards.
“George, why don’t you take the boys out while I help get dinner together?”
“That’s just an excuse to hog Nadya all to yourself.”
“Do you want to scrub potatoes?”
“Come on, boys, let’s see how high you can swing.” Mr. Farley gathered the boys and they trooped out the back door.
“Now that we can hear ourselves think, I want you to tell all about your life in New York. Do you go see shows on Broadway? Have you seen anyone famous? Do you have lunches in Central Park? What about all the art galleries and museums? I bet you’re just drenched in culture up there.”
Before she knew how it happened, Nadya was sitting at the table with a glass of wine in her hands, and Mrs. Farley was taking over the salad making.
“I really don’t get out that much. I work a lot of hours, and when I have time off I’m usually either too tired to go do all the touristy things or I need to do stuff like laundry and grocery shopping.” Nadya took another sip of her wine.
“But you can’t work all the time? Don’t you date? Go out with friends?”
“Sometimes we’ll grab a drink after work. And I dated a little, but nothing serious.”
“What is wrong with those boys up there? Any man with a lick of gumption would snatch you up and give you a reason to take some time off work.”
“It’s a different world.”
“I’ll say, when they don’t go after a pretty thing like you. I hear you haven’t had that problem since you’ve come home. Mary Ellen tells me J.T. set his sights on you and zeroed right in.”
“Mary Ellen talks too much.”
“You try to keep a secret from Mama,” Mary Ellen called from the laundry room.
“Now, don’t get upset, honey. I was just so happy to hear you were back I wanted to know everything. And I can’t say as it did my heart any ill to hear you and J.T. were stepping out together. I always did like that boy.”
“Which boy is this?” Mr. Farley asked, helping himself to a glass of water.
“Jefferson Thomas. He and Nadya are dating.”
“Really?” He puffed up a bit. “I might just need to have a talk with him. See what his intentions are.”
“Please don’t.” Embarrassment warred with love as she watched him get so protective. The last thing she wanted was for Mr. Farley to have the talk with J.T., but the fact that he wanted to was endearing.
“Now, Nadya, you appreciate what you work for. If he knows there’s someone looking over his shoulder, he’ll know you’re not to be trifled with.”
“I’m thirty years old. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.”
“Humph, doesn’t mean I can’t say a word or two to that boy.”
Nadya searched for something to distract him. “Do you still go hunting?” she asked.
Mary Ellen came in and checked the potatoes in the oven. At Nadya’s question, she raised an eyebrow and mouthed the word, “Weak,” at her.
“Not as much as I used to. These old bones can’t take sleeping out in the woods like they used to. I find I like a hot meal and a warm bed a little too much these days.”
“Mary Ellen was telling me you used to lead hunting groups way back before we were born.”
“Oh, yeah. Those were high-cotton days for sure. A bunch of city folk would come in wearing their brand-new gear and toting their shiny rifles and go home with nothing but blisters and backaches. I remember one time there was a group up at the Hornblower camp. Fools came in wearing cowboy boots. Cowboy boots! Like we were going to rustle cattle or something.”
“Wait, did you say Hornblower had a camp in Dale too?”
“Yup, out behind your place. His family had that for years. Why do you think he moved here instead down to Florida or some such when he retired?”
“If I showed you a map, could you show me where his camp was?”
“Maybe. It’s all changed