Desire and a Bottle of Merlot: (Like Sisters Series Book 5) Chick Lit: A Romantic Comedy Read Free Page B

showing close-up detail. The white paint on the trees had been clearly visible.
    Elton had sat with his mouth agape, trying to grasp that type of modern technology. His only words had been, “Well, I’ll be.”
    Mario pulled into the driveway and parked. “I don’t see any cars. They must be gone.”
    “Seriously, dork… they drive horse and buggies. C’mon. Let’s bang on the door.”
    Mario followed Karen around to the back of the small house. A much larger, two-story farmhouse stood right next to it. The squeaky sound of a hinge signaled the screen door was opening. A woman grinning from ear to ear stood in the entryway. She wore a simple light-blue dress that fell to midcalf, thick black stockings, and Croc clogs. The white apron tied around her waist showed traces of food that had been wiped on it and had deep pockets stitched into the sides. The white head-covering she wore was starched and pleated with the ties hanging straight down and covered every inch of her hair. She was slight in frame and probably in her mid-forties but looked older. She stood, holding a tiny barking dog, waiting for them to reach the door.
    “Welcome, Karen! How did we get so lucky to see you this soon again? Come on in… Elton, Karen’s here.”
    “Well, I’ll be. Good to see you, and you’re just in time for dinner.” He pulled himself out of the simple brown stuffed chair and adjusted his suspenders.
    Karen and Mario entered the house through the enclosed back porch.
    “Dinner?” Mario asked in a whisper.
    “That means lunch in the Midwest.”
    ***
    They entered the kitchen, and Karen made the introductions, explaining that Mario was a dear friend. A lunchtime bounty filled the table. Irene had already set two more place settings as the men discussed the weather. Mario looked around, surprised to see the house appeared the same as anyone else’s other than the walls being void of family portraits. He followed the pipes with his eyes, seeing how they led to lighting fixtures and the appliances.
    Irene noticed him looking. “It’s propane gas lines. We have some creature comforts too. Elton, go fetch Rose. She’ll be so excited to see Karen again.”
    Elton’s pants, full of patches, were dirty from the morning chores. He slapped at the ground-in soil, laughed at his own disarray, and disappeared out the screen door.
    “Sit, sit. There’s plenty of food. Help yourselves.”
    The lunch menu consisted of fried chicken, a macaroni casserole, carrots, and potato salad. A loaf of white bread and a stick of butter sat in the center of the table. Mario noticed two fruit pies cooling on the countertop.
    “Ice water, anyone?”
    “Sure. Thanks, Irene,” Karen said.
    Elton returned with Rose—his daughter—and three children under seven. Rose and her family lived in the large farmhouse with peeling white paint next door. A lively conversation continued throughout lunch until the screen door swung open and Jacob and David walked in. More introductions were made. David was Irene and Elton’s middle son, and Jacob was Rose’s husband. Today was the day they planned to castrate the six new calves, born just two weeks ago.
    Mario listened intently. “If you don’t mind me asking, how and why do you do that?”
    The boisterous laughter coming from the three men intimidated Mario for a second. He wondered if he’d spoken out of turn. David explained how the young bulls needed to be castrated to keep them calm, plus they were meant to be sold to a slaughterhouse before they reached a year old.
    “So, how’s it done?”
    Jacob responded for everyone. “Well, it’s called banding. The younger they are when it’s done, the faster they recover and the less pain they go through.”
    “What does banding mean? Sorry—I lived in New York most of my life, in the city. This is actually the first farm I’ve ever been to.”
    A wide grin spreading across his face gave away what David was thinking. He pulled off his straw hat,