Farm Activity
by Rae
Fifth in the Savior series:
From the outside, the cabin looked like nothing much, though the vines all over it gave it a kind of charm. Hutch was probably going to spend the whole week yakking about the flowers. There were other buildings that looked like a main house and an old barn with nameless and numerous items apparently just tossed in. Across the yard was some kind of workshop maybe. And everywhere chickens, geese, and cats.
Ruthie showed them around, unselfconscious in her extra-large cutoffs and tie-dyed T shirt. She kept shoving her hair out of her eyes with the back of one hand, until Starsky had to wonder why she didn't just tie it back. She told them the names of all the chickens, reassured them that the geese, while loud, weren't attack geese, though the moose was not to be trusted. She said they could borrow a cat for the week if they wanted and that the white bunny was a hanger-on—she didn't know where he'd come from.
Starsky, though exhausted, turned on his charm and asked what kind of geese the little ones were.
"Duck kind of geese. Muscovy."
"They look like geese."
Ruthie told him their names, too. He hoped he wasn't expected to remember them all. He hoped borrowing a cat wasn't mandatory.
A big rooster with black and white feathers suddenly ran straight at a chicken, climbed on her back, did his thing, climbed off, and sauntered away. The chicken shook herself and went back to scratching in the grass. Starsky felt a little aroused—and utterly embarassed.
"Farm Activity, we call it," Ruthie said. "You can watch. They don't mind."
Sophia was in the cabin when Ruthie ushered them in. Inside it was beautiful, light pine walls, hardwood floors, and bay windows. An amazing view of the front lawn, an apple tree, and beyond, thick woods. Above the treeline was a mountain range under a blue and white sky. Not bad, not bad at all. He forgot about the moose. But then he thought about the kid, and felt guilty for deciding to enjoy himself, even for a moment. He tried to shake it off, because Hutch would know. He always knew. It wasn't fair to him, not after all he'd done to make this work.
"Oh," Sophie said, and gave Ruthie some kind of glance that Starsky couldn't read. "Ruthie, you said two guests. I thought they were a couple. I'll just make up the other bed." She found some sheets and blankets high up in a closet.
Starsky carefully didn't look at Hutch, and was surprised and amused when he realized Ruthie had noticed, and had read his non-look just fine. He grinned at her.
She went to Sophia and took her hand. "I think it's okay," she half-whispered. She looked at Hutch. "Right?"
"It's fine," Hutch said, poker-faced. And then he grinned, too.
"You guys get settled and come up to the house later. We'll give you a snack and tell you where all the big exciting destinations are around here."
She and Sophia went through a small gate and across the yard and into the big house, heads together, arm in arm.
Hutch put down the packet of maps and folders. Starsky put down his suitcase.
"How about some Farm Activity?" he said.
Hutch laughed.
Seven Ducks ((c)1981 D.M. Starsky)
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