Chapter 5

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CHRISTINA

Standing there in her towel, Christina couldn't tell who was more shocked. Oh, she was expecting a roommate all right. She and Daphne had been hinted at it several times and flat out told today, but she never imagined it would be a man nor did she picture him like this. When Jill and Houghton left, she immediately went to soak once more in the luxurious bath while there was privacy. It was her favorite thing to do each evening, and she knew that when the other person got here, that enjoyment would come to an abrupt halt. She certainly didn't expect the couple to return so quickly… or this.

He was staring at her like a man spotting an oasis in the middle of the Sahara. His dark eyes must have looked her up and down at least twenty times like he was searching for a pattern, an answer, or some clue as to what to do next, and he was huge. I mean, not like Fabio-huge on the weathered and worn romance novels you saw at thrift stores and garage sales for a nickel, but this man certainly filled the doorway.

A stranger was filling the doorway to her cabin – and she was here in a towel. This was insane and a heck of a greeting, and she froze. This was a greeting, right? Not some weirdo who snuck onto the property and took a wild guess at her name, or was about to attack her.

"Who are you?"

"Gideon Beck – and your roommate."

"You're a guy."

"You're definitely a woman."

That husky timbre of his voice made her pause as her hand holding the knife at him trembled. Oh yes, he was certainly noticing her, and she was well aware of him.

He had a presence to him, some sort of energy that made her stop. This man was all business, looked like he didn't smile much, or was a complete sourpuss when it came to life, and that seemed like a shame. Even for someone as driven and dedicated as her toward her degree, she always took time to hollow out a few moments to just be ‘real,' to allow herself to be normal, relaxed, feminine, or downright girly – which was why she was pampering herself in the bath.

"You stay here," she ordered bluntly, wagging the knife at him. "Don't move…"

"Oh, I'm not – and not because of that little ‘sticker' you're shaking at me."

"Huh?"

"You think you can hurt me with that thing?"

"I could slow you down."

"Christina, you'd barely scratch me with that knife," he uttered softly, almost as if he was daring her and relishing the sound of her name. "But if you want to try – I'm game."

"Stop it," she snapped. "Wait outside while I get dressed."

"You told me to stay here."

"Fine. Whatever. Turn around."

"That would require me moving," he said simply – and his lips twitched. The blasted man was toying with her and thought this was funny. Seeing the humor flick across his face along with a light in his eyes, well, that only made him more attractive, and he was already a problem

"Shut up," she growled in frustration.

"I'm not saying anything."

"But you did – and you're laughing at me."

"This is quite an amusing situation we find ourselves in," he said simply, hesitating and pointing at himself. "Am I overdressed for this meet and greet?"

"Arggghhh," she growled, tossing the knife onto the counter and flinging her hands in the air as she walked off, yelling at him. "Stay there!"

"As you wish," he called out, frustrating her. "Can I move two feet to the right and sit in the recliner?"

"Sure. Whatever," she muttered, grabbing her clothing from the counter where she'd put it to change. So much for thinking she had privacy for a little while longer and enjoying a cup of coffee. This was a nightmare, and she was going to have to talk to Houghton or Jill about this – and quickly.

"Christina?"

"Chrisssss…" she drawled pointedly, interrupting him.

"I'm not calling you by a man's name because you are anything but that – and I'm trying to be a perfect gentleman when I say that you should probably move to the left about a foot."

Christina froze. She leaned sideways, peering out the opening into the cabin where her new ‘roommate' was located. Gideon was sitting there in the recliner, with his eyes closed and his face turned away like a gentleman?

At least there was that,she mused in frustration, wondering if he'd seen anything. For some reason, there were no doors in the house because of the extra-large openings making it almost handicap accessible. There were railings in the bathrooms and a bench seat near the tub that was affixed to the floor. She just used it to hold her towel and thought nothing of it – until now.

Now, all of this was a problem. The doors, the single cabin, the fact that he was a guy, and she hesitated. There was only one bed.

"We need to talk…" Christina started almost in alarm and was tucking her T-shirt into her jeans as quickly as possible, walking out – only to see that the recliner was empty. He'd left his bag and the cabin. Where could he have gone?

Opening the door, she looked to see if she could spot him and didn't see the man anywhere in sight. Maybe he went to the main cabin also to protest them sharing a cabin, because she was certainly headed there now! Just as she shut the door behind her, turned, and started toward the main cabin… she paused, seeing Jill headed her way.

"We need to talk," Christina repeated those same words to Jill – and kept looking around for Gideon, almost warily. She was wondering if he'd pop out of nowhere once again surprising her, especially after the towel incident.

"We do," Jill nodded, smiling. "Shall we have some coffee?"

"Probably not a good idea, considering I'm wide awake and slightly on edge," Christina said openly, feeling full of vinegar right now as she looked over her shoulder again, and still not seeing the unexpected ‘resident.' "We need to talk because I cannot share a cabin with a man."

"Did he do or say something?"

"No… but that's not the point."

"Was he rude, or did he make advances?"

"No, are you defending him?"

"Of course not. You were here first, and if you want him out, then I will kick him out," Jill said simply, starting a fresh cup of coffee since her other one had gotten cold. Her back was toward Christina, causing her to circle around so she could see the woman's face. "If you want him out, I'll have my sweet Babe take the man on crutches straight to a bus depot."

"I'm not that mean…" Christina hesitated because it was getting close to dark soon, and she didn't want to be cruel about things. It was just intolerable to expect her to share a cabin with him. "I just think he should be in a cabin of his own."

"Then should I kick out Daphne, who has nowhere to go… or Lena, the young lady who just arrived and needed a safe place to clean up her act? Maybe I should send her back home and tell her to ‘be strong' when her druggie friends come around again." Jill turned and looked at her with knowing gentle eyes. "It's a hard decision, but if you need me to remove someone from the property. I understand."

"Can't Daphne and Lena bunk together?"

"No, there are two more occupants expected."

"Males?"

"Actually – yes," the woman said calmly, not blinking an eye. "We have three females on the property and will have three males here. The first arrived and was scheduled to stay with you. The next is staying with Lena – and then Daphne."

"And you don't see something wrong with this?"

"Well, no, but you should have told me if you have uncontrollable urges toward men and cannot act properly," Jill began, her face eerily calm as she stared at Christina. "If this is the case, I should probably warn the others just like we did regarding Lena's weakness toward pills."

"I'm only having one uncontrollable urge right now," Christina gritted between her teeth. "And it's not toward a man."

"Oh, then you most certainly cannot pair with Daphne or Lena," Jill sputtered, looking shocked to her core. "No. No. No, that would not do at all, and Logan should have said something to us."

"I'm not…" Christina hesitated, shaking her head. "We're not having this conversation, okay?! I'm very much into men, not women. That man you've paired me with is absolutely ringing every bell in my system and utterly gorgeous, which is part of the reason he cannot stay with me. Jill, there's one bed, for Pete's sake!"

"Wear pajamas."

Christina's mouth dropped open.

"That's your solution?!"

"He's right behind you," Jill said simply – and Christina flew around expecting to see Gideon… only to hesitate as a faint tinkling laughter sounded in the silence behind her, just as a hand touched her shoulder. "Sweetie, relax. Gideon needs to heal, and you are here for the cows, remember? He'll be a perfect gentleman toward you, and I'm willing to bet the ranch on that. He was a former Army Ranger, he's injured, and the man has ethics oozing from his pores. I promise he will do nothing untoward or act inappropriately."

"Does his wife know about this… arrangement?"

Jill raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

"What?" Christina said defensively. "It's a legit question. Don't give me that look. I just want to make sure that someone's not going to show up and misconstrue something going on."

"He's not married, sweetie."

"I see."

"Me too," Jill smiled softly. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"I have a feeling you're going to anyhow just to get your way with this…" she grumbled in frustration, her mind racing.

"Years ago, a na?ve woman put her heart out there when she met a man who was a stranger. Things might be different. We might have met under strange conditions, but whether it's friendship or more depends on two people – not the simple fact that you are sharing a ten-by-ten cabin."

Jill paused, looking at her.

"No one is saying anything has to happen," she whispered knowingly. "Sometimes lifelong friendships blossom – other times you let these moments go and shrug them off. The only person who decides what happens for you, is you."

"I know, but it"s strange… weird."

"It's different, but we are all adults. That man is in no condition to attack, molest, or touch you. You might have to deal with a little snoring, someone hogging the covers, or knocking down the pillow wall – if you so choose – but remember, he needs a place to heal while he figures out what to do after his discharge from the Army."

Christina didn't say anything. She couldn't. According to what Jill implied and didn't say in so many words, is that Gideon has no place to go. The man needs a helping hand, understanding, and empathy for the abrupt changes he was facing.

Friendship, trust, and understandingshe thought and looked at Jill.

"You knew I wouldn't be comfortable with this."

"I've been in your shoes."

"Houghton?"

The woman smiled softly – and nodded.

"Be a friend, offer trust instead of expecting to be wronged, and try to understand that there is more behind each person's story that they are sharing… just like you," Jill smiled and handed her the cup of coffee. "I think you might need this more than me – and I believe my sweet Babe is showing Gideon the horses he'll be caring for."

"How's he going to do that on crutches?"

Jill gave her an evasive smile – and shrugged.

"See you at dinner."

Christina watched in stunned silence as the woman left her alone, holding a cup of coffee, and full of so many questions. As she left the cabin, Christina saw Houghton walking up to her from the barn and hesitated. Was Gideon out there with the horses – and her cows?

Marching toward the barn, almost protectively, she stepped through the open door, her coffee sloshing as her eyes got accustomed to the gentle, massive can lights from above. She was surprised that Houghton had those because they put off heat, but that was the reason he'd used them. The barn was equipped with both LED for brightness and the old-fashioned filament bulbs that had to cost a fortune to replace when they went out… and they were currently on.

She could hear strains of Duran Duran in the background, and a man softly singing the words to the song that was currently playing. Part of her thesis was documenting how music affected the output of milk, and she left certain playlists running all the time. For the next forty-eight hours, six albums were on repeat for the bovine audience.

Stunned, she peered around the wall that served as a windbreak to the other stalls and hesitated. Gideon was standing in the pen with Larry the Cow, brushing the heifer gently and singing to her.

He was singing to her cow.

Staring, she stood there motionless, listening. Her new roommate had a beautiful deep voice that kinda cracked when he got to some of the lead singer's higher notes, but that didn't dissuade him. If anything, it made him more real, more down-to-earth to her. Maybe Jill was right, and she needed to give the former soldier a chance to act up before shunning him automatically.

"All right Elsie, let's milk you, sweetie. You look miserable…"

Hold up? Her data!

"Don't milk my cow," she blurted out and saw Gideon nearly topple over with his crutches, catching himself. "You can't milk them. I'm doing a science experiment, and you have to be very specific."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

"Why didn't you say something?"

"And interrupt you in the middle of the chorus to ‘New Moon On Monday'? Puh-lease, you were belting it out and obviously a fan because you got the words right," she hesitated, moving toward the cabinet where she had the scale and beaker.

Christina could feel Gideon's eyes on her as she moved, picking up the items and moving them over to the table nearby along the southernmost wall of the barn. Picking up a stool, she walked toward him where he was standing in the stall and looked at his cast.

"How do you plan on milking Larry?"

"Boy cows don't produce milk," he chuckled, looking thoroughly amused. "Everyone knows that."

"Yeah, I didn't name them – Jill did – and you didn't answer my question. How would you get down on a milking stool to do this?"

"I'd figure it out."

"Have you ever milked a cow?"

"I'd figure it out," he repeated, his lips twitching as he looked at her. There was something about his expression that made her relax slightly as she stood there. "It can't be that hard, can it?"

"You don't want to make her more uncomfortable nor waste your time."

"And you've milked a cow before?"

"Several times."

"Are you a farmer when you're not… here?" Gideon paused to shrug as if waving his hands idly and looking at her. "Wherever ‘here' is?"

"You are about twenty minutes outside of Laramie," she began and hesitated. "We are west of the city. How come you didn't know that?"

"Pain killers, a wing, and a prayer…?" he replied glibly and leaned back against the wall of the stall. "It was this, or head back to my parents' house to rest and heal. I knew if I went home, my mother would coddle me to death. I just needed a break to figure out my next steps."

"I understand," she said quietly, kind of grateful that they were talking. "I can't believe the Army kicked you out for a broken leg."

Christina set down the pail and sat down on the small stool opposite where Gideon stood nearby, putting her almost out of sight unless she looked up. Squeezing and pulling gently, she began to hear the spray of milk hitting the pail under the cow.

She adored Larry the Cow. A jersey cross cow gives a lot of cream, producing a lot of butter, cream cheese, and other goods after the milk has a chance to separate. Because of the cows and the working farm, she was pleasantly surprised to see that Jill had quite a setup already in process. Sterilized jars, oiled and cheese cloths, and was even allowing some of the milk to clabber, making wonderful starters for so much more.

… Mid-thought, she realized Gideon wasn't answering her question. Craning her neck, she saw him standing there, his expression pained. His profile was looking away, and there was a muscle ticking in his jaw.

"There was more to your injury, wasn't there?" she said softly, pausing… except instead of answering her, he moved his crutches under his arms, leaving the barn – and her there. Obviously, it was a touchy subject with him, but if something was wrong and they were sharing a living space, shouldn't she know in case something happened?

Sighing heavily, she immediately turned back to the cow that had her attention, milking the patient animal quickly. Taking her measurements, documenting them on a graph on her phone, and then carrying the pail to the kitchen, it was now dark out and she knew it would be close to dinner time. Everything would need to be washed carefully as she put the raw milk into a jar in the fridge to keep it from spoiling.

Entering the house, she saw Gideon speaking with Houghton near the fireplace. Looking away from them, she silently went into the kitchen where Lena, Daphne, and Jill were working on serving the food and setting the table nearby.

"Don't you ever get tired of those cows?"

"Nope," Christina said easily, smiling at the women. "They are wonderful to me. A bunch of big, gentle giants with pretty black eyes, and they provide so much in so many ways. I mean, you get milk, butter, cheese, ghee, clabber, yogurt, not to mention the meat and…" she paused, seeing their knowing smiles as they looked at each other. Yes, she tended to ramble about her cows. "I just love everything about them."

"We know," Jill smiled, patting her on the upper back gently. "Why don't you wash up, and I'll put these away."

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all."

Christina already had her data and gratefully turned over the clear jar full of liquid gold to the other woman before slipping out of the warm kitchen. She stepped into the hallway and went to the bathroom, shutting the door. Looking in the mirror, she scrutinized her appearance and then sighed heavily before turning on the water. No, she didn't need to worry about how she looked because she wasn't here to impress anyone. She was getting data for her doctorate – and that was it.

She stared at her reflection once more. Maybe she would get out her pink lip gloss just to look a little more feminine or at least attempt to look somewhat decent. She knew she was extremely critical of herself, and sometimes, it was just better not to pay attention. Her hair was wispy, and her eyes were deep-set with brows a little too dark compared to her blonde hair, making it almost look fake.

Her teeth were another thing. In the past, she'd been made fun of a few times because her teeth were ‘too big,' and her nickname all through school was ‘Chiclet' like the gum, referring to her teeth. Yeah, kids could be so cruel, but then again, not really anyone went out of their way to say something differently, nor did she try to even enter the dating pool. Nope, she was firmly on the banks, looking at everyone else.

Christina sighed again.

Turning off the water, she dried her hands on the little finger towel that Jill had folded on a wooden shelf before dropping it into the tiny laundry basket to be laundered and put away. Opening the door, she let out a yelp nervously as Gideon was standing there.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I was going to wash up too."

"Look," she began quietly, taking the opportunity to apologize. "I didn't mean to press you or cross a line asking about your injury. I was just making small talk and thought it might be pertinent if we are going to be sharing a cabin."

"Nerve damage," he admitted quietly, nodding. "When they got me up to try walking, my foot flopped when trying to hold it upward. They said it might go away with time, or it might flare up again. When I landed, I shattered my femur in a few places, have a few pins in me, and a few bulging discs in my lower back."

"Are you in pain now?"

"No, I have exercises they gave me to alleviate some of the pressure if it starts to create shooting pain down my leg." They both stood there for a moment, and she nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. She was blocking the way, almost like him blocking the door.

"Thank you for sharing with me," she said softly.

"I'm sorry I walked in on you earlier, starting us off on the wrong foot."

"That's the beauty of meeting people," she smiled gingerly, meeting his eyes. She hadn't been expecting an apology from him, but the fact that he gave it so easily and looked contrite – combined with Jill's words – really hit home. Maybe he was sorry and trying to be kind after all. "You can start a friendship anytime. Can't you?"

"Friends, huh…"

"Of course, roomie," she hesitated. "We do have to discuss a few things about the cabin, but like Jill says – a little trust and understanding go a long way. If we can share a barn, we can share a cabin."

And finally, Gideon chuckled, smiling at her, and her heart caught in her throat. His nose was angular, and his eyes were a little small for his face, with a dusting of growth along his chin. His features were hard, and nothing stood out, but when you put it all together, there was something just so appealing about him. He was a man, not one of those skinny, waif-like, modern boys you saw on television or in magazines. This man was masculine and sexy in a guttural, appealing way.

Paul Bunyan, eat your heart out,she thought idly.

"Friends… and barn buddies?"

"Exactly," she smiled.

"Meet you under the sheets in ten minutes?"

"Uh, no? Friends, remember?"

He started to extend his hand toward her and hesitated. She did the same and paused. She'd just washed her hands, and he was here to clean his own. Both awkwardly stood there, looked at each other, with their hands out but not touching because neither wanted to ‘contaminate' the other… and chuckled nervously.

"Elbow bump?" she grinned, holding up her elbow to him and treasuring his nervous laugh as he bumped his elbow against hers, somehow managing to hang onto his crutches. "I'll see you at the table."

"Save me a spot," he smirked.

"I will – and I think you'll like it here."

"I think so too," Gideon nodded, stepping into the bathroom she'd just left, moving into the hallway, and giving him a nervous little wave. As he shut the door, she looked at her hand aloft where she'd been wiggling her fingers.

Oh my gosh, Chris, you are such a dork,she thought painfully, wincing at her stupidity and moving to take her seat at the table.