Chapter 5: Supper and a Sunset

Supper and a Sunset

When Angie's hand closed on Scott's, he felt a happiness he had never known. He wasn't sure that it was love but it felt better than anything he had felt before. After Scott showed Angie around the summer kitchen they started some water to boil for pasta. Every time they touched it felt electric. The simple act of making spaghetti turned into a slow dance of two people in love for the first time. Scott opened a bottle of wine. They laughed all through supper. Sitting side by side they watched the sun as it sank behind the hills west of the ranch house. Scott lit a kerosene lamp and they sat and talked as they finished the wine. Scott marvelled at Angie's beauty in the pale yellow light of the lamp. As he gazed at her he could see the lamp's flame reflected in her eyes. He reached and caressed her face with the back of his hand, afraid to touch her beauty with his rough, callused palms. They sat and stared at each other as a full moon rose. Their faces moved closer and closer until finally their lips met. The kiss started out as a light friendly kiss but quickly evolved into a hot, passion filled kiss of long lost lovers. Scott moved his hand up and ran his fingers through Angie's short silky hair. He broke the kiss still holding her head with his hand. Now he knew this feeling for what it was. Scott looked at Angie and said, "I love you."

Angie heard the three little words and her heart felt like it would explode. "I love you too Scott." In her head she knew this was crazy but in her heart she knew that Scott was the one. Now he had told her that he felt the same and she was very, very happy.

Things were going pretty fast and Scott thought that he should slow down at least a little. The one thing that he was sure of right now was that he didn't want to do anything to jeopardise having a relationship with this beautiful woman. Scott looked at Angie and asked, "Would you like to go for a walk?" Angie, thinking that doing anything with Scott was all she would ever want to do, simply nodded her head. Scott stood up and offered her his hand. They walked out of the screened in area of the summer kitchen and down the moon lit road to the foot bridge that his father and he had built over the spring fed creek. When they got to the bridge they stood in the middle of it and just held each other. It was close to midnight when the two lovers realised how late it had become. Still not rushing it they walked hand in hand back to the ranch house.

Once inside the house Scott lit one of the many coal oil lamps. Then picking up Angie's suitcase he led her to the guest bedroom.

"I hope this will be all right." Scott started, "Maria just cleaned it last week and I've had it closed up since then."

"It's fine, though it looks like a boy's room." She commented.

"Yea, it was mine till my folks... ," Scott's voice faded and his eyes searched the floor for something to focus on.

Stan had told Angie that Scott's parents had been killed in a car wreck. It was obvious that he still grieved for them. Angie reached up taking Scott's head in her hands, "It's OK, I understand."

Scott set the bag on the floor, "Do you need anything else?"

"Would you have a flashlight I could borrow?" Angie smiled.

"Sure, just a sec." Scott went down the hall to his bedroom and returned with a small flashlight. "I just put new batteries in it a couple a days ago." Scott turned and started back to his bedroom then stopped. He turned and walked back and took Angie in his arms. "I can't believe you're here. It's been a dream, you being here, and me holding you like this."

Angie looked up at Scott and sighed, "If it is a dream, I never want to wake up."

Scott found himself once again getting lost as the lamp light reflected in her eyes. "I hate for this night to end." He pulled her into a tight embrace, inhaling the scent of her hair. "The only reason I can bear it is so I can spend tomorrow with you." He leaned down and kissed her goodnight. It wasn't the first time he had kissed her tonight but it was the goodnight kiss he had dreamed of since that night he first saw her. He was kissing his Hummingbird and absolutely nothing in this life or the next could be better.

The next morning started just like every morning on the ranch. Scott was up and dressed a little after 5:30 a.m. He went to the house kitchen and started some water for his cup of tea. Tea was a habit he'd picked up from his mother since neither of them could stand the taste of coffee. While preparing his tea, Scott paused a moment to wonder if Angie would want breakfast and, if so, what. He was still wondering when Angie walked into the kitchen dressed in jeans, boots and a long sleeved shirt looking more like she was ready to work than date. "I don't have any coffee. Sorry. I just don't drink it."

"What's in the cup then?" said Angie, grinning, "I don't drink it either."

"It's tea. I always drink tea in the morning. Would you like some?" Scott was a little more at ease around Angie but not much.

"Sure I'd love some."

Scott fixed Angie a cup of tea and asked, "What would you like for breakfast?"

"What were you having?"

"I usually have a big breakfast because I don't always eat lunch." Scott wasn't sure what they were going to do today. There weren't any pressing jobs to do on the ranch, although a ride to the windmill in the southeast section would be a good idea. "Do you want to stay here for a few days or did you want me to take you back to town?"

Angie put a faked hurt look on her face as she replied, "Are you trying to get rid of me already?"

"No! No, I ... I didn't meant that at all. I meant we could go eat in town if you wanted." Scott was so flustered he didn't know which way to turn.

"Kinda a long way to town and back just for breakfast, don't you think?" Angie had to smile just so she could let Scott off the hook.

Scott swallowed nervously, "What did you want to do today?"

Angie set her tea down of the table. Stepped over to Scott and took his tea cup and set it beside hers. Then she wrapped her arms around Scott's waist and looked into his eyes. "I want to spend the next three days getting to know you."

"Do you have to go back to Lubbock then?" Scott was dreading the thought of Angie leaving.

"No, Silly, I'd stay right here from now on except I told Samantha I'd run the Café for her Tuesday. She has to go to Del Rio on business. That and the fact I only brought clothes for overnight." Angie grinned. There were a few minutes of silence as they both stared into each others faces. The Lubbock question brought up something that Angie hadn't told Scott. As she thought about it the grin began to fade from her face. "There's something I do need to tell you Scott." He started to interrupt her so she placed her finger over his mouth to stop him. "No I need to tell you this. I should have last night. I ... I just ... well let me just tell you. When I left Lubbock I moved to Sanderson ... well that's not exactly right. You see I was kicked out of the place where I was living and there was nothing there for me. Silvia and Stan convinced me to come down here. They said they could find me a job and a place to stay." Scott tried again to speak. "I have to tell you this. Please! I didn't come here to force myself on you. We were just going to come out for the day and I would get to meet you. It wasn't supposed to be this way."

Scott would stay quiet no longer, "I don't care why you're here. You're here and that is all that matters. I'm glad they left you here. I was coming to Lubbock to find you, to ... get you. How? Well I'm glad it didn't come to that. Angie I fell in love with you that night. I told myself you were too young, you'd never want me but I had to find out. I love you Angie. I'll always love you." Scott turned his head and tried to look away. He could feel his eyes misting over. The last thing Scott wanted was for Angie to see him tear up and cry.

Angie reached up with both hands and turned his face towards hers. When she saw Scott's eyes she started crying. "Oh Scott I love you, too It's crazy I know but when I saw you that night I knew you were the one, the one that ... Oh Scott don't you see we were meant to be together. I've never felt this way about anyone." Their faces moved closer and closer together until their lips met in a kiss that was tentative at first, their lips just touching then retreating while their eyes traded the love they held for each other. Finally their lips crushed against each other with the passion normally reserved for old lovers. Seconds later their tongues met and traded back and forth until by some unknown signal the kiss ended. Scott and Angie held each other for a few more minutes. The distant nickering of a horse brought them back to the real world.

"We better get some breakfast so I can go feed," Scott told her. They broke their embrace but Scott held on to Angie's hand as they went to the summer kitchen and fixed a pile of scrambled eggs, sausage, and fried potatoes. After eating all they wanted, Scott got out some flour tortillas and made some burritos for later and stuck them in the fridge.

"I need to go feed the horses. I'll be back in just a little bit." Scott explained

"Let's go," Angie shot back, "I told you last night I was raised on my dad's ranch. I know you have work to do and I want to help you with it."

Scott couldn't have been more pleased. His first wife wouldn't have helped on the ranch if her life depended on it. They went into the house so Scott could get his hat; Angie disappeared into her room and came out with a khaki coloured cap with some seed company logo on it.

"Sorry, I left my other hats in Sanderson." Angie smiled "You know things didn't work out quite like we planned it yesterday."

Scott busted out laughing, grabbed Angie and lifted her from the floor and spun her around. "It's not my fault. In fact it's all your fault."

"My fault? How can it be my fault?" Angie squealed.

Scott smiled, put his nose right up against Angie's and said, "You made me fall in love."

"I made you? How did I make you fall in love?" Angie shot back

Scott got the impish grin that warned anyone who knew him that something ornery was about to transpire. "Oh, I'd say it was that third bowl of salsa." He gave Angie a quick kiss and bolted to the door.

Angie took off right on his heels yelling "I'll get you for that."

Scott and Angie fed the horses and took care of the other chores around the house. As they were walking back into the house Angie asked, "Can I see the rest of the house?

Scott led Angie from room to room of the place that had been the home of the Miles family for over a hundred years. The original adobe house built by Ebb Miles in 1882 had been added on to until it formed a square with an open courtyard in the centre. A porch surrounded the house and between the porch and the pecan, oak and ash trees most of the house was kept in shade. They walked through the summer kitchen into the house kitchen. From the house kitchen Scott showed her the dinning room. It was the first time that she had really looked at the room. She had passed through the room twice that morning but it had been dark both times. Now sun light filtered into the large rectangular room through the lace curtains on the double French doors. The table and chairs were beautiful examples of Victorian wood working. But the thing that caught Angie's eye was the ornately carved china cabinet. The china cabinet was filled with the most beautiful china.