On Blackstone Mountain: Chapter 10
Even after she’d accepted his proposal, it hadn’t been easy to get Josie to agree to his moving into the farmhouse right away...
“Here you are!” Ben joined his grandfather on the back patio, passing the older man a bottle of hard cider.
Even after she’d accepted his proposal, it hadn’t been easy to get Josie to agree to his moving into the farmhouse right away. Predictably she’d balked at the suggestion, but after learning of the dangers surrounding her, there was no way he was going to let her continue to stay up there on the mountain alone. In the end, he’d had to gravely vow to keep to his own room, swearing to be the perfect gentleman until they were ready to take things to “the next level”—as Josie had called it.
With relatively few personal possessions to his name, packing them up and closing the cabin was a no-brainer. Before he went off to Blackstone Farm, however, he needed a word with his grandfather. Not to mention the fact that his mother would have his hide if he didn’t include them in the good news, he thought wryly.
This is a type of romance novel which I call “farm-smut” and features sex and love on the homestead, farm, or off-grid Maine location. To follow along with the story, receiving new chapters directly to your inbox, please subscribe.
Previously on Blackstone Mountain…
In Chapter 8 of On Blackstone Mountain, we saw Uncle Gregor return to the farm with a sales contract. He becomes fairly irate when Josie turns down his offer and she actually kicks him out of the house. Her Uncle’s threats, however, push Josie to accept Ben’s marriage proposal with the hope of protecting the farm and her grandfather’s legacy.
Chapter 10: Ben Moves to the Farm
He passed a frosty bottle of hard cider, chiding, “It’s not as good as your recipe, I’m afraid. Picked them up at Doug’s Convenience on my way over.”
“Oh yeah?” Pap eyed him shrewdly. “And what do you know about my recipe?”
“I know it was a joint effort between you and Grampa-Joe.” Ben stated. “Josie has a stash and I’ve tried it. Damn good stuff, Pap!”
Pap’s features softened at the mention of the girl. “And how is Jo-Jo these days?” he asked slyly before taking a sip from the proffered bottle.
Never one to beat about the bush, Ben came right out with it.
“You knew about the terms of her inheritance, didn’t you?” he asked his grandfather. “But—how did you know she’d be on the pond that morning when you sent me fishing?”
The corners of his mouth curving, Pap gave a little shrug, “Happened to run into Gregor in the hardware store that day buying a pair of bolt-cutters… I knew Josie had chained and padlocked the gate for the access road up to the farm, so it didn’t take a genius to figure out she’d be getting a visit from her Uncle.”
“And how does that translate to fishing?” Ben pressed, trying to understand his grandfather’s logic.
“Josie’s fairly predictable once you get to know her.” the old man stated mildly. “The pond was Joe’s favorite place. He loved fishing. I had a hunch she might be there after an encounter with her Uncle.”
Both men fell silent, lost in their own thoughts until Pap eventually admitted, “Joe told me of his intentions before he died—regarding the inheritance...”
Ben cast a glance at his grandfather’s profile as the old man gazed unseeingly out across the backyard, the gardens and the field beyond.
“I tried to reason with him…” Pap sighed. “I did—but, he was convinced this was the only way Josie would overcome her past to embrace a future. Said she was ‘stuck in survival mode’…”
It struck Ben that this was the second time members of his family had brought up Josie’s past, reaffirming how little he really knew about Josie’s life before Grampa-Joe brought her home to Maine.
Just as he opened his mouth to ask his grandfather about it, however, his father came to join them. Picking up on the somber and tense atmosphere, Jebediah looked from his son to his father, “What’d I miss?”
Pap waved a bony hand dismissively, “We were just discussing little Jo-Jo and that whole mess surrounding Blackstone Farm.”
“Yes-well—about that—“ Ben began, suddenly feeling awkward and clearing his throat. “I’ve asked Josie to accept my hand in marriage and she’s agreed.”
“Yes!” His father clapped his hands together, grinning from ear to ear. “That’s real good news, son! I have to admit, we were hoping one of you boys would take an interest in Josie, but I think she’s been too close to the family for most of you to look at her as anything other than a sister.”
“Well, I’ve been gone a long time,” Ben murmured, catching the gleam of satisfaction in his grandfather’s eyes.
“Your mother will be so relieved. The way Josie locked herself away up there this past winter really scared us. We’ll feel so much better knowing you’re up there looking after her.” He got to his feet eagerly, “Let me go tell her the good news!”
Driving up through the meadow toward the farmhouse, Ben spied Josie working in the garden across the way.
Mercifully, he’d stopped by the ranch too early in the afternoon for any of his siblings to be hanging around, else the Danforth’s joyous celebration over his engagement might have lasted well into the night. As it was, Ben had been eager to make his way to Blackstone Farm. To get settled in there—and to see Josie again.
Nevertheless, it was already nearing supper-time as he made to depart, so he opted to snag a pizza on his way out of town. The smell of it had intoxicated his senses all the way up the mountain as it sat on the passenger’s seat next to him.
But that was nothing compared to the way seeing Josie in her overalls made him salivate!
Her arms and shoulders bare in the golden glow of the evening’s sunshine, he could tell even from this distance that she was only wearing a sports bra beneath the Carhartt overalls. Hair braided into a single plait, hung down her back, and a ballcap on her head kept the sun and flies from her eyes.
Ben thought she was the cutest thing he’d ever seen.
He parked the truck and was just slinging his duffel over one shoulder as she joined him in the yard.
Upon closer inspection, Josie was covered in a sheen of sweat and grime, her overalls filthy and a smudge of (was that mud?) on her cheek. Her hair was frizzy from the combination of humidity and exertion, and Ben was curious to know how long she’d been at it.
“You got a minute to show me to my room?”
He watched patiently as she looked from the duffel to the boxes in the back of the truck. Though she said nothing, in her eyes he saw fear and panic followed by a flaring of hope before sadness and resignation crept in.
What had she been thinking? he wondered. Josie Greene was an enigma and Ben found he wanted to know all her secrets.
“Are you hungry?” Reaching into the cab he drew out the box. “I brought pizza.”
She hesitated briefly and then capitulated, “Oh-my-gawd—I’m so hungry! Thank you!”
Before Ben could react, she snatched the pizza box and cracked it open on the hood of the truck to get a slice.
“You’re very welcome, Josie.” he said, unable to stop the smile that spread across his face as he watched her cram several large bites into her mouth at once.
Coloring vividly—and quite adorably—when she caught him staring and smiling, Josie gathered up the pizza box and lead the way across the yard toward the house.
“I—forgot to eat breakfast this morning,” she told him as he held the screened door for her to pass into the house.
He held up his hands, “Hey, no judgement, Josie—you look like you’ve worked up an appetite.”
She nodded and placed the box on the counter in the kitchen, bringing the slice in her hand and taking another big bite as she went up the stairs to the second floor.
The room she took him to was on the front side of the house, looking out over the farm and the meadow, and the western mountains all splayed out across the horizon. It was large, probably the master suite, with a full-sized mattress and sparse—but stout—furnishings. Much like the rest of the house and like Joe Greene himself—may he rest in peace. There was an emphasis in quality over quantity that Ben recognized and valued.
“Is this okay?” she asked quietly from the doorway.
“Most definitely.”
Snapping out of his dazed reverie, he dropped the duffel on the bed and made to go fetch another armful of his belongings from the truck.
“Okay…and you know we don’t have indoor plumbing or electricity—right?” she asked skeptically. “Gramp got us a composting toilet when I turned sixteen, but that’s as close to modern amenities as we’ve got.”
“I didn’t have those things at the cabin, either.” he pointed out.
“Oh—right…” she trailed behind him. “Okay, well, I should get back to work—”
“You’re not going to join me for dinner? Help me get settled in?” he asked hopefully.
Already striking out for the garden like she was in a hurry to get away from him, Josie threw over her shoulder, “I need to finish this project. Thanks for the pizza, though.”
Predictably, he didn’t see her slip into the house later that evening,
and by the time Ben got up the following morning (which wasn’t late at all), Josie was already outside tending the livestock. Watching from the vantage point of his bedroom window, he studied her as she doted over the sheep and the big draft horse. She seemed to be having various conversations with the animals, and he opened the window in hopes of catching some of it.
Unaware she was being watched, Josie was uninhibited and carefree. She smiled and laughed, sang little bits of songs and cracked jokes. It was a side of her he’d never seen before and Ben was enchanted.
He wondered how to get Josie to open up to him that way.
Hell, just getting close to her was going to be a challenge—even now they were living together.
“Here,” he said a while later, holding the breakfast sandwich out to Josie.
It was just egg and cheese between two slices of her homemade bread, toasted and wrapped in parchment, but he was coming to see that the only way she would stop to eat was if he put the food in her hand.
Looking at him dubiously, Josie hesitated for a moment before accepting the sandwich.
“Come on, now.” he prompted. “You need to eat.”
Obediently, Josie took a bite and began chewing.
“Good girl,” Ben nodded. “Now—what are you working on today and what can I do to help?”
Almost choking, Josie coughed and sputtered, “You—want to work?”
“I’m not some freeloader, Josie,” he told her, somewhat affronted that she could think he’d sit around the house while she busted ass outside. “I meant it when I said I wanted to work with you. I want to help you keep this place going—and I want to learn, too. I never took much interest in the garden when I was younger. That was my mother’s thing. But I’d like to learn how to grow food and how to process it to store for the winter. I’m interested in all that stuff.”
Her green gaze pierced him, making Ben’s insides squirm until she lowered her lashes, an enduring blush creeping across her cheekbones as she murmured, “I guess I didn’t realize... I’m sorry, Ben.”
Unable to resist touching her, he tipped her chin up with just a finger so that he could look into her eyes once more, “I think we both have a lot to learn about each other, don’t you? Thankfully, we’ve given ourselves the chance.”
Hope flared in her eyes, quickly snuffed by an ebbing fear that swirled in the depths of her gaze. Ben watched the play of emotion with fascination, the desire to kiss her growing inside him until at last she lowered her lashes and stepped away.
He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and said lightly, “You’d better eat that.”
She did, all the while casting furtive glances at Ben, which he pretended not to notice as he leaned against the fence and observed the livestock.
At length, she said to him (around a mouthful of breakfast sandwich), “Actually, I was thinking about paying another visit to that logging site I found—to see what’s going on.”
“You said you went to the wardens’, right?” he scratched his jaw thoughtfully.
“Yes—two weeks ago,” she told him. “But that’s a long time and a lot of trees…”
Ben nodded in agreement, “It sure is. I think we’d better go see what we can see.”
“We could go in the Bronco,” she offered. “They’re coming in from the Long Falls Dam Road. Probably five miles from the bottom of the mountain.”
He shook his head, “It’ll be better if we can observe them without their knowing. Then, maybe we can see who we’re dealing with. And I wouldn’t mind a hike anyway.”
“But—what about your leg?” she hedged, her eyes filled with concern.
Scowling, Ben grumbled, “My leg is fine. I hardly even limp anymore.”
She twisted her hands together, her eyes not meeting his. He could see her distress even without her having to voice it and Ben couldn’t help but wonder if Josie thought less of him because of his injury. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t give a shit, but because it was Josie—it mattered. A lot.
“Okay, well I’ll just grab some provisions and we’ll be off then.” she said brightly, moving off toward the house.
Ben breathed a sigh of relief. He’d prove to Josie that he was more than capable. And he’d earn her trust. It would take time, but something inside him told Ben that he and Josie would have a good life together.
Thank you for reading and following along with my debut novel: On Blackstone Mountain. Please feel free to leave your questions and feedback in the comments. Much love to you and yours, my friends!
Sam
