Chapter 2

We spent the afternoon in an antique shop in Chester, Vermont. We returned to Brattleboro going to The New England House for dinner. We ordered wine and she drank most of it through dinner, finishing off with a brandy and Benedictine. It was early and still light when we got back to our home.

Sheri had too much to drink to climb the stairs alone. I helped steady her as we slowly climbed. She giggled, "There has never been a man up here, but that is okay as I trust you. I haven't been this happy in a long, long time. I think you are good for me."

I knew Sheri wouldn't be saying this if she were sober. I also knew I wouldn't be taking advantage of her. She needed to stop in the bathroom. She told me to go into her bedroom and wait for her. She came out in a few minutes. I had waited by the door because I didn't want her to fall. I guided her to the bed where she flopped down.

"Bobby, please help me take off my leg. You have to be careful with it because the servers and sensors are fragile. They are embedded in the prostheses just below the knee joint. The battery needs to be removed. Plug it into the charger. I am just too unsteady to do it tonight and it is all your fault. You were the one to get me inebriated."

She mangled the word "inebriated" and giggled. "Oops, half a tongue on that word. Me with a half leg. I guess you could call me the half-and-half girl. Yes and I am the half here." Sheri paused there and I turned away for just a minute as if I was looking where I was to deposit the contraption I was about to remove.

"Okay for me to start now?"

I received a subdued yes."

I took the shoe off her good foot, pushed her dress up slightly and worked her slacks down. I inspected how her leg was attached to her shortened limb. As gently as I could I removed the leg. The sock came off next leaving her stump in view. Some portion of this was bare so the nerves could activate the prosthesis. The end of the stump was red and looked sore. "Ahh," she said. "That feels so good to have that gone. Thank you. You might massage the end a little. There is some lotion there on the bureau top."

I had laid the leg down on the floor, but I picked it up now and put it onto a soft pad in a long box on the bureau. It was quite heavy for the size of it. The brain and controls for the prosthesis were in this section. I examined the device and could see where the battery was installed. I took it out and put it in the charger. I now turned my attention back to Sheri. She was almost asleep. I coated my hand with the gel cream and slowly rubbed the end of the stump.

I could tell this was pleasing to her as she gave a little sigh. "Bobby, you have a beautiful gentle touch. This has been a wonderful rewarding day for me. I haven't had too many of these in the last four years. Thank you so much."

Her eyes closed now. The stump had regained all of its circulation and I knew she would sleep. I sat in the chair for ten minutes or more watching her. I heard her sigh again and then came a little snore. I laid her crutches within reach. It was a warm night so I just threw a light blanket over her.

I went to bed in my tent, lying there thinking of what I had just done. It was an intimate gesture such as a husband would do for his wife. I wondered how she would feel tomorrow morning. Then I wondered if she was testing me in some way. She certainly had put herself totally in my hands. She could not have been any more helpless. Maybe it wasn't a test of me. Maybe it was a way of seducing me. I smiled, thinking, test or seduction, I'll bet I passed.

Again, I heard the early call about coffee being almost ready. Sheri glanced at me when I came in. As she placed a plate of bacon on the table, she said, "Thank you for helping me into bed last evening. I will not get into that condition again. It was stupid of me."

"You are welcome."

I took a sip of coffee and she slid two eggs and two slices of bacon onto my plate. Sheri reached for the toast and started buttering it. She handed me a slice, but held onto it until she caught my eye. "That's it? That is all you have to say about last night?"

"Do you want to get into this? You asked me to help you. I did. The question now is why? Do you want to answer that?"

"Why? I needed help, that is why."

"No it isn't, Sheri. You are enough aware about your condition so you won't even think about drinking to excess because one fall would screw you up worse than you are. If we are going to live in the same house, we have to be open about our actions. For some reason I felt this was some kind of test. Were you outright trying to seduce me? Maybe you had to see if I could resist your charms. Which is it?"

Sheri looked long at me before answering. "Bobby, it was both. I won't try either again."

"I thought maybe. That still doesn't tell me why."

"Why? The reason goes back to Cassie when she was married to you. I was what, maybe thirteen at the time. She described you as a wonderful, loving, caring man that she was marrying. Two years later you were a complete asshole and weren't ever going anywhere in your life. She was sick of waiting for something exciting to happen. That changed after she dumped her second husband. More about how wonderful you were by the time she rid herself of her third husband. According to her, now you are god's gift to women. I had to find out the truth about you."

"Did I pass that test?"

"I'm not saying a word except I am glad I put myself in your care last night."

"Okay, I won't ask more about that subject. What about the seduction? Anything to say on that subject?"

"Do I have to explain my reason?"

"Sheri, I am asking you to bare your soul."

"You're mean."

"I know."

"Okay Bobby, this is why. I may only be a half woman, but there are parts of me who remember my marriage with satisfaction. Do you realize I haven't had a man other than doctors and rehab personnel lay their hands on me in five years? I'll leave it there and I won't say any more."

"You don't have to say more. Last night you put yourself into my care. I admit what I did for you was about the most intimate thing I have ever done for a woman. You could not have picked a better way to seduce me. That said, we have known each other for a total of three days. If we went forward with this right now, I would feel as if it was a one-night stand. I need more than a one-night stand with you."

"Okay Bobby. God, was my sister ever stupid to let you go. I just hope I can catch you."

I smiled. "I would say you have a good shot at it. Friends, anyway. Hey, let's get off this subject." I shook my head, as I actually didn't want to change. I did though. "After we get the property ownership settled we should have time to pick up some supplies to go in the house. Do you want to finish the outside or work on the inside first?"

"Let's finish the outside. If we don't finish before winter we can do the inside even if it is cold and snowy outside."

"Good thinking." I worked on the porch swing until it was time to head for town to see who actually owned this property. We took my truck. I was hoping the Leader Home Center had a door in stock that would fit the downstairs bedroom. I would bring it home with me.

We went into the municipal center and went down the hall to the Lister's Office where the property records were. Inside the door, there was a large book of maps showing every listed property in town. I looked up the map that showed the area where my property was located. There it was, property of Robert Kinsman, 10.1 surveyed acres.

The other property I looked for was also listed. The one owned by my ex-wife. It was listed to Cassandra Kinsman. Must be she hadn't changed the owner's name through the divorce and two new husbands. In one way, this was understandable, as the property was turned over to her before the divorce became final.

I asked one of the secretaries if a copy of the construction permit was on file in this office. She got up, found it in a file with other papers, and handed it to me. Sheri and I looked at it. It was signed by one Wallace Bly, agent for one Robert Kinsman. The fee for the permit was listed as paid.

In addition, there was a report where the construction had been warned. None of those abutting the property had objected. There was a detailed sketch of what the building would look like when completed. The estimated cost was there and this was what the fee was drawn from.

Everything seemed in order, except it wasn't I who ordered the work. I paid for nothing beyond the property tax. I went further. "May I see the easement for the power company that installed the poles?"

"Certainly." Again, Wallace Bly's name appeared as my agent. I didn't look at the improvement for the road, as I knew I would find the same name as agent. The secretary asked, "Is there some problem with this property?"

"I can't tell yet. Things got ahead of me and there are some surprises. In one way, things look in order. Nothing to bother the town about."

I jotted a few notes and as we exited the building, I said to Sheri, "Let's go find us a lawyer. We can leave the truck here. There is a law firm across the street near the federal building. We will try there."

We were able to get in for an initial interview. We had thirty minutes without it costing us anything. The attorney listened as I explained and he took notes. "Let me recap what you have told me. You started getting increases in your appraisal. You come up from North Carolina and find a partially built house on your lot, a new road, power to the property, and a woman you have never met before living in said building.

"Your question is, do you have to pay for these improvements? Legally, I would say no, although the person or persons who did this may sue for the cost. I doubt they would win in court if things are as you say."

"That is all correct."

"People don't do this. I am puzzled."

"I am too. Now that you have the facts, I'll go into detail a little more. Some of this is supposition, but it still doesn't answer the question why. We think this is my ex-wife who ordered the road, the power and the construction, although her name doesn't appear anywhere. We were divorced 12 years ago and we did argue over this property and another parcel nearby. The court awarded the other parcel to her in the settlement.

"I haven't talked with her for at least ten years. One more fact, this lady here beside me is my ex-wife's sister, Sheri. They were never close and I had never met Sheri until after I arrived last week. Her sister has promised Sheri my property, although there is no paperwork to that effect. Sheri and I have come to an agreement about her continuing to live on the property. We would like this agreement down on paper, signed and witnessed."

"That is no problem and won't take long or cost much."

"I will be paying for that. Also if there is any litigation, that will be billed to me as well."

"Okay, give me the facts as you see them. I will ask the lady the same."

"My ex-wife has paid for the construction of the house. I believe it is a little more than 55% complete. She also has had the septic system installed and the water system put in. I am estimating she has put up 65% of the total cost of the value when the house is completed." I turned to Sheri, "Do you think that a fair estimate?"

"More than fair."

"Good. Her sister promised Sheri the house if she would finish it. If Sheri leaves at any time for any reason after we complete the house, I will pay Sheri that percentage for the lot improvements. If Cassie complains, I will come down on the side of Sheri. Another part of the agreement is I am leasing a room to sleep in and have full use of all of the amenities while living there, much the same as she does. We will be working to complete the house together, so no money will change hands."

"Are you in agreement with this arrangement, Mrs. Turner?"

"I am, and Mr. Kinsman is being overly generous given the circumstances he found when he arrived. I still have a home and he has a place to stay."

"I'll write this up. If you are in town in a few days, say on Thursday, you can come in and I will have a first draft for you to look at."

"Great, we will be in touch." We went back across the street to the parked truck at the municipal center.

Before I started the truck I asked, "Sheri, do you want to call Cassie and get everything straightened out?"

Sheri thought for a few minutes. "Bobby, I don't want to deal with her now. I would imagine she would be contacting me soon. Our position of defense is better than if we attack."

"Good, as I'm in no hurry to confront her either."

"You may not feel that way when you see her. She has matured into a very beautiful woman."

"You ain't no slouch in the good looking department, kid."

"Leave it Bobby."

"Right." Sheri may have said to leave it, but I knew any woman would be pleased by my compliment.

I did purchase a door unit in its frame for the bedroom I would be sleeping in. When we got home, Sheri told me she would finish putting the swing together while I installed the door. The door was predrilled for the handle and the lock. Sheri spoke up when I said I could not finish installing the door because I didn't have enough tools. "I have some tools. Tell me what you need and I may have it."

I had no problem, as whoever framed the building had done an excellent job and everything was square. I soon had the unit installed. Sheri grinned at me. "I bet you feel safer now with a locked door."

"I doubt I will lock it. Do you lock your door upstairs?"

"Nope, didn't before and don't plan to now. I think I can trust you."

My bed was coming Wednesday, but it could rain tonight. I brought the air mattress inside and put it in the front room. Also tomorrow, I was going to arrange to have my household goods and tools transported from NC. For the rest of the day, we sat on the completed porch swing and I drank beer. Sheri had iced coffee. We didn't touch, but I'm sure she was aware of me as much as I was aware of her sitting at my side.

I made a call to Claremont NH at eight the next morning to the concern I had used when I had to move from my former home. Needless to say, it had been a small move. I had sold what contents Cassie had left me to a single person. All it amounted to was some furniture and appliances. Chase the Movers had been sold since that time, but Ann the bookkeeper and office girl was still there. I explained what I needed.

"We can help you. Nathan Hewes, who is the new owner, will contact you. He does have goods going to Virginia next week, so he might give you a better than standard price if he has his trucks full on the return trip." I asked if Hewes had a storage facility and she assured me he did.

I turned to Sheri, explaining that I had enough furniture to furnish our house. "I think you will like the living room furniture and I have a dining set. I have one full bed for the room upstairs, or we can move the one that is coming tomorrow up there. It will depend where I end up sleeping."

"I think I would like to have it placed upstairs. You know in case I have any trouble. I might fall or something."

This was a perfect opening for me to say something smart. I feared what I would say would be asinine, so I kept quiet. "Okay, I can do that."

That settled, I suggested we go back down to the Leader Home Center in West Brattleboro and decide what we wanted to put on the house for siding. Talking with the resident expert, we decided on fiber cement panels. We could order this to arrive from the factory painted, so we picked out a color. The vinyl standing seam roof was forest green, so we picked a brown color for contrast.

Sheri brought the house plan with us so we could order the amount needed to cover the first level and the ends of the house on the second. We went home with the rolls of fiberglass wrap for the vapor lock. I hoped we would have this on by the time the siding arrived. I wrote a check.

When we got into my pickup, Sheri said, "Can you afford this? I'll have my check in another ten days and I'll pitch in."

"I have it covered. If you start putting money in, it will just complicate who is paying for what and mess up the bookkeeping."

"But I'm not doing anything."

"You will be. I'm counting on you to fetch and carry while I'm on the ladder. I'm not particularly crazy about painting, so that can be your job."

"Okay, but I want to do my part. Don't you go babying me just because I have a mechanical leg."

"I won't. I haven't so far have I?"

"No you haven't. I like it, because I'm beginning to get some self-respect again. Before this, there was no one here to see me work so hard to accomplish some of the tasks I set for myself. You are good for me."

"Good, get me a beer."

"Screw you! Get your own beer. Better yet, bring me one too." We were getting along famously.

The bed came and was installed upstairs. I said, "Luckily, we have a spare bedroom. We will have to move the bed out when we do the floors and walls in all the rooms this winter. The same in your room."

"We could bunk in together if need be." I turned and looked at her.

"We could." I looked away and turned. I turned back, "Is that what you want?"

"I'm not averse to having sex. I don't think I am a slut either. It is just that it has been so long since I have been loved and cuddled."

"Sheri, I've been here a week. We are getting along great. What happens if you don't like sex with me? That is going to put us into a horrible position if we are living together."

"You're right. I shouldn't have said anything." I didn't agree or disagree. Nothing more was said until dinner that night.

"Bobby, is it because I only have a stump and no leg that turns you off?"

"There is absolutely nothing about you that turns me off. I wasn't ready to make love to you yet, but I can see you are. You go upstairs and I'll be up in a little while. Hell, I've wanted you since the first night I was here. I still think it is too soon, but I'll live with the consequences if you will."

I watched Sheri climb the stairs. She paused and looked down at me just before she passed from my view. I couldn't read her expression. I heard her crutches on the floor after she removed her leg. I heard the door to the walk-in shower close. It was time for me to clean up myself. I headed for the downstairs shower.

Was this a mistake? It had been a long time since I had a woman. Truth to tell, she was the first one who interested me even a little bit in a long while. I took my time and shaved real close making sure I was dry. I had no men's deodorant. Hell, she'll just have to live with me as I am. This was her idea anyway. When I heard her crutches leading back to the bedroom, I slowly climbed the stairs.

Sheri had pulled the shades in the room and it was dim when I entered. "Would you go around to the other side of the bed? I can't lie on this side. It isn't that I'm that fragile, it is just uncomfortable."

"Good, that is my side of the bed anyway."

I slid in next to her. Her shortened member was on top of her other leg as she was laying on her right side. This was weird. I paid little attention to it. I leaned to her and found her lips, kissing her gently. My hand started playing with her hair, and I would slide it down and caress her neck and her ear. She shuddered and I kissed her again.

My hands traveled up and down her arms, finding them well muscled. I took one and kissed the inside of her wrist, then up until I found her lips again. "Please lie on your back with your arms over your head."

Now my hands traveled over her torso. Her tummy was taut and flat. I was coming close to her breasts, but I was missing them. Soon though, I had to know what they felt like. Closer and closer, I came until I had one in my fingers. It was as near perfect as any man could wish. To me anyway. Still gentle, I made love to first one and then the other. Sheri was whimpering, pushing them into my lips or fingers. She indicated she wanted me to be rougher, but I continued with my light touches.

My fingers drifted down her tummy to her mound. Her legs parted and my fingers played in her thatch.

"Bobby, please no more caresses. I want the real thing. I have to warn you that I am not on any type of birth control as there has been no need. You have me so aroused I don't care what you do to me."

I laughed, saying, "Sure, leave it all up to me." I climbed from the bed and went around to the other side. I pushed her back onto her side as she was at first and got back into bed behind her. She bent, and reached through her legs to guide me. Three of my strokes later I had her climaxing.

Where my control came from, I couldn't say. Maybe it was that I was so intent on giving her pleasure, I didn't think of my own needs. Sheri went wild and I just hung on until she calmed down. "You didn't finish?"

"No not yet. I will before the night is over."

"You mean there is more?"

"I would hope so."

"I hope so too." We snuggled together. I asked her how her stump was and she said it was the same as always. She would massage it before sleeping. I offered to do it for her.

"You are treating me like a queen. I have never felt this loved in my whole life." I found the lotion and the towel for wiping the residue from your hands. This started innocently enough, and I did do the massage, but I couldn't keep my fingers from exploring high and higher. Again, we came together.

I was thinking of myself and needed release, so gentle went out the window. Sheri was screaming, now with pleasure I hoped, but I didn't care. I wanted so to erupt into her, but found the will power to withdraw into the waiting towel. Spent, Sheri turned and kissed me. "That was so wonderful. I'm sorry you had to restrain yourself and I'll take steps so you won't have to."

"You mean we are going to do this again?"

"Ha, try and get away from me." She thought a minute. "No I don't mean it that way. It is just that I have never felt so loved. I would like a future with you, but I'm in no position to demand one."

"We will work on this. I don't see any advantage to us pulling away from each other. I'm happy and you are happy. What more can two people ask for?" I paused and then asked, "Do you want me to go back to my room or stay here tonight?"

"It is up to you."

I thought a minute. "I'll go back to my own bed. If we do this again, and you want me to stay, you can say so, and I will." I leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "Goodnight, Sheri." I went down stairs to my air mattress. I lay there thinking. Damn it, what was the matter with me. I could be upstairs right now cuddled up to Sheri.

Then I decided I made the right move. I'm sure she would say if she wanted me to sleep with her. I chuckled to myself. What a change a week can make. Hell, I now had a home and there was a woman in it. It looks like I was going to have to thank Cassie, my ex-wife for both.

I got up early, showered, and climbed up to the promontory overlooking the Connecticut River valley. The sun was just coming up. I doubted if Sheri could get up here. Too difficult with a missing limb. This was such a beautiful sight, I might carry her up so she could see it.

I went back to the house and found my housemate still hadn't come down from the bedroom. I started breakfast by putting coffee on. I quietly climbed upstairs. Sheri's door was open. I stuck my head inside. She was lying on her back with her eyes open.