On Blackstone Mountain: Chapter 3
“You’re a recluse, Josie!” Aunt Rosemary exclaimed in frustration. “No one has seen hide nor hair of you since November. We had no way of knowing if you were okay up there on that infernal mountain!"
Sitting behind the wheel of her grandfather’s Bronco 4x4 staring at the gate and the dirt road that would lead her into town, Josie fought to stave off the panic threatening to consume her. Anxiety coursed hotly through her veins, turning her limbs to jelly. The pressure in her chest was suffocating and Josie clutched at the crank on the door to roll the window down, forcing herself to breathe in and out slowly and steadily.
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. Paid subscribers have full-access to the entirety of the story, including the spicy bits. If you are not a paid member, consider subscribing with this 40% discount. Pay just $30 (that equates to $2.50/month) and receive access to everything Wild Hearts & Harvests has to offer.
Previously on Blackstone Mountain…
Upon learning of her inheritance and the conditions applied to it, Josie isolated herself at Blackstone Farm for the duration of the long Maine winter. The arrival of Spring to the mountain brings the outside world to her doorstep, with a visit from her Uncle and a chance encounter that threatens to unravel the very fabric of her existence…
Chapter 3: "You're a Recluse, Josie!"
Josie would have given anything to stay hidden away on the mountain. Never leaving. Never having to face the critical and accusing gazes of the townspeople. Especially now that Gramp was gone.
Yet, the events of the week had brought the world to her door. Josie had hardly been able to eat or sleep since her Uncle's visit, and she could no longer deny the gravity of her situation. Selling the farm was out of the question, but neither had she the faintest idea how she was going to save it.
When she wasn't stressing about the farm, she found herself thinking about Ben. What a shock it had been to see him out of the blue like that! He'd looked exactly as she'd remembered him, only harder somehow. Leaner. His features more angular. Even still, she'd recognized him in an instant.
And so had her heart.
Hoping to assuage some of the negative and anxious energy, Josie did what she’d always done. She threw herself into her work—of which the farm offered a neverending supply. These last 3 days she’d pushed herself hard, working from sun-up to sun-down, mending fences, alternately planting and weeding in the garden, cleaning in the barn, and then taking the first harvest of the season.
Desperately in need of provisions for the homestead and feed for the livestock, and with the first harvest from the garden to sell, there was no putting it off any longer: Josie needed to go to town. The farm was her responsibility now and she could not disappoint her grandfather, even in death. It was high time she faced the music─and her Aunt Rosemary.
At length, when Josie was able to breathe a bit easier, she resolutely put the Bronco in gear, and─keeping the windows open─pulled out onto the road.
Thrilling to the beautiful June morning and the pleasure of a blaring radio, Josie was able to forget her fears for the duration of the drive. It was a 20-minute trek down through Carrabassett Valley into Kingfield, where Aunt Rosemary lived and did business. Maine Route-27 follows the Carrabassett River on it’s way southwards toward the Atlantic ocean, with looming mountains on either side of the road and river. It was a twisting, turning journey, making for treacherous roads in the winter, but a gorgeous drive any time of the year and one of Josie’s favorites.
By the time she pulled into the parking lot in front of her aunt’s home and business, she was feeling much improved. Bracing herself for what she knew was coming, Josie took one of the crates from the back of the Bronco and carried it up the walk.
What had begun as a buying cooperative among friends for whole and organic foods and ingredients, had grown over the years into “Rosemary’s Natural Foods”. Her aunt had converted the front portion of her home into a shop. Shelves and coolers lined the walls of the former front rooms, stocked with bulk ingredients, organic foods and products unavailable at the mainstream grocery store.
Then she’d partnered with her best friend, Rachel, to establish a commercial kitchen, bringing fresh breads and baked goods to the community. It was here that Blackstone Farm sold most of it’s produce and wares. Gramp had always had a close relationship with his sister and so did Josie.
The bell chimed and the woman in question popped up from behind the counter as as Josie came through the door.
“Here she is!” her aunt threw her arms up in exaltation, the bangles on her wrists jangling.
“Hi, Auntie,” Josie smiled ruefully.
“Don’t you ‘Hi, auntie’ me!” Rosemary scolded as she came around the counter. Rather dramatically taking the crate and passing it to Rachel so she could pull her grand-niece in for a hug. “Oh─how I’ve missed you, girl!”
Tears pricked her eyes as Josie hugged her great-aunt, “I missed you, too, Auntie.”
At this Rosemary drew back, holding Josie at arms’ length, “Do you have any idea how worried we’ve all been about you!?”
Squirming under her aunt’s hard gaze, Josie tried to find the words to explain, but there was no excuse, she knew.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Rosemary─I─” and here her voice broke, tears threatening and Josie could only shake her head, shrugging helplessly.
Rosemary softened, “I know, child. It hasn’t been easy, has it?”
Sucking in a breath, Josie dashed the tears away in frustration. Hadn’t she cried enough already?
“Why don’t you ladies go on out back for some tea?” Rachel suggested gently. She’d stood off to the side to allow aunt and niece a moment. The crate of produce stowed behind the counter to be inventoried, priced and distributed throughout the shop. “I’ll take care of these things.”
“Thank you, Rachel,” a knowing look passed between the older women and her aunt nodded.
“There are 2 more crates in the back of the truck,” Josie moved to go fetch them, but Rachel stopped her.
“I’ll take care of all that. Now you get over here and give me my hug!”
Hugging the older woman, Josie was grateful to have been missed. Grateful to be loved, even by just a few people.
“It's good to see you, kiddo.” Her aunt’s friend told her.
“Now you go along to the garden, JoJo,” Aunt Rosemary instructed. “I’ll get the tea and be with you in a few minutes.”
Obediently, Josie went through to her aunt's living quarters, passing into the garden behind the house and shop. A tall picket fence surrounded the postage-stamp sized backyard, with a patio and raised beds showcasing Aunt Rosemary’s prized collection of antique roses.
Every bush was lovingly tended, with nary a weed to be found among their blanket of mulch. A few trellising varieties climbed the fence, while another had grown to cover an arbor at the back of the garden. Aunt Rosemary had won awards for several of them.
Resplendent in the morning sun, the roses bloomed. Unabashedly, Josie buried her nose in the first flower she came to, inhaling the intoxicating fragrance with satisfaction. Touring the garden as she waited, Josie visited each rose bush as though they were old friends, stopping to smell several more blooms.
When they were younger, it had become a habit for Josie and Amie to stop by Aunt Rosemary’s after school. They’d often sat in the garden, talking and giggling as girls do. Josie was sure if plants could talk, these roses would have some stories to tell!
Beginning to wonder what was keeping her aunt, Josie turned when she came bustling through the sliding glass door with Amelie behind her.
“Amie!”
“Josie! You’re here!” Amelie rushed to her friend and the girls embraced. “Oh my goodness, I’ve missed you so much!”
Josie thanked her lucky stars for the day Amelie Danforth had come into her life. It hadn’t been long after her arrival at Blackstone Farm that Gramp’s best friend, Jebediah, came to the farm with his young granddaughter. Amelie had decided beforehand that since their grandfathers were life-long best friends, she and Josie should be, too. She’d adopted Josie on the spot, without a care for the bad attitude or cold shoulder Josie attempted to use to keep the other girl at bay.
In fact, it seemed, no matter what Josie did, Amelie had always been there for her. Countless times Josie had gone off-grid, skipping school and ditching her friend to roam the wilderness alone. Bailing on parties and girls’ night in favor of staying on the farm. And yet, Josie had never been able to tell her friend that she was secretly in love with her brother.
“What are you doing here?” Josie asked as the two women pulled apart.
“I called her,” Aunt Rosemary said sharply. “We’re concerned about you, JoJo.”
“This is an intervention, Josie...” Amelie held Josie’s hands, looking sad and distressed.
When they’d all settled themselves around the patio table and the tea had been poured, Josie asked, “But─why an intervention?”
“Because you’re a recluse, Josie!” Aunt Rosemary exclaimed, her frustration clearly evident now. “No one has seen hide nor hair of you since November. We had no way of knowing if you were okay up there on that infernal mountain. No way of knowing if you were in some kind of trouble and needing assistance. It’s not safe, it’s not healthy, and we’re worried about you!”
At the end of her little tirade, wiry old Aunt Rosemary smacked the table for emphasis.
Josie sat in stunned silence. Her aunt was right. Winters in the western Maine mountains were hard for anyone. The farm’s remote location made them downright dangerous. Any number of things could happen. Anything could go wrong that could lead to injury or fatality.
Being so far removed from civilization meant that the farm was still very much off-grid, with no electricity or telephone lines to connect them with the rest of the world. There was no way to communicate with anyone, nor call for help should the need arise.
Aunt Rosemary was justified in her worries and Josie knew it. A wave of guilt washed over her for causing her Aunt and her friend to worry needlessly. There was no denying her actions. She’d been reckless and selfish in the face of her grief, not considering how it might affect those she loved.
Every Sunday of his life, Gramp had made a trip down into the Valley. Delivering the farm’s products to local stores and local families─vegetables he’d grown, eggs or meats from the farm, furniture crafted with his own two hands. Whatever they could make and market to the community.
After the deliveries they would pick up supplies, retrieve whatever mail was to be had, and call on friends and family─no matter the season. They often stopped for tea with Aunt Rosemary, or joined the Danforths for Sunday Supper.
For most of the year, they could get the old Bronco up and down the mountain with little trouble. The day before the first significant snow-fall of the season, Gramp would always park the truck at the bottom of the mountain, where the rough and rutted Blackstone Farm Drive met Mountain Road, a town-maintained gravel road which connected them to Route 27. From November through early April, they used an old snowmobile to get up and down the mountain. Once mud-season set in, they were stranded until the road dried up enough to get up and down the mountain again.
Last fall, however, Josie had intentionally driven the Bronco up the mountain. In a fit of defiance after learning of the stipulation her grandfather had placed on her inheritance, she’d allowed the vehicle to be snowed-in, effectively cutting herself off from the rest of the world.
She hadn’t been thinking about how that choice would affect those who cared about her. She’d only been thinking of herself and how unfair it was of her grandfather to make such a demand as his marriage ultimatum.
“I’m sorry, Auntie,” Josie said somberly. “It will won’t happen again.”
“You’re darn tootin it won’t!” said Amie. She produced a brightly wrapped package and set it in front of Josie on the table.
“What’s this?” she asked.
Amie shrugged, “Open it and find out.”
Curious and apprehensive, Josie unwrapped the gift, discovering the cell-phone inside. Up till now, she’d managed to avoid the devices, much preferring to remain untethered and unreachable. She didn’t want the outside world invading her sanctuary.
“I’ve already set it up for you,” said Amie, showing Josie how to use it. “I entered all of the phone numbers of everyone I could think of that you might need to contact─me, of course, Aunt Rosemary, the ranch, Gerald’s Grocery, the corner market…”
Having a phone to connect her to the outside world would take some getting used to, but if it gave her friends and family peace of mind, she would learn.
“Now when you decide you’re going to hide yourself away up there, we can at least call to make sure you’re still alive!” her Aunt exclaimed.
Josie was overcome, tears threatening once more. “I’m so sorry, Auntie─Amie─I just miss him so much!”
Nodding and patting Josie’s hand, Aunt Rosemary murmured, “Me too, sweetie. But he wouldn’t have wanted us to stop living just because he’s gone. In fact, he wanted so much for you to be happy that he left you the family farm.”
“Yeah, but what about that marriage stipulation?” Amie asked then. “Don’t you have to get married in order to keep it?”
“Yes,” admitted Josie, fidgeting anxiously.
“And now you’ve only got 6 months left, isn't that right?” Amie and Aunt Rosemary exchanged glances.
“Yes,” sighed Josie.
“You silly girl!” chastised Aunt Rosemary. “How can we find you a man when you’re hiding yourself away up there on that godforsaken mountain?!”
Josie grimaced and said sullenly, “I don’t want a man. Men are pigs.”
“How would you even know?” protested her Aunt. “When have you ever been on a date?”
“I’ve been on a few!” Josie retorted indignantly, “They don’t want someone like me as a wife, Auntie.”
If the incident at senior prom hadn’t been enough to sour Josie on men, the few encounters she’d had since then had only reaffirmed for her that, while they may want Josie physically, men generally, were not interested in having a relationship with her. The farm was too much for them. Too remote. Too much work. Too little money. And, most of all─a capable, independent-minded woman was far too intimidating.
The memory of her last date was still uncomfortably vivid. Josie had been twenty-three at the time. The young man had scoffed when she’d told him she was a farmer. She remembered, too, how handsy he’d become in the parking lot. He’d persisted. Refusing to take her home until she’d given him what he wanted.
What her date didn’t know, however, was that─following the incident at prom─Gramp, in all his sober wisdom, had given Josie a little snub-nosed pistol and taught her to use it. Josie never went on another date without it. When she’d pulled the pistol on the guy, he was suddenly only too happy to end the date. He’d called her a “crazy bitch” as she exited the car and spun his tires as he made a hasty exit.
“There must be at least one man who tickles your fancy?” Aunt Rosemary coaxed.
Amie snorted, and laughed, “Tickles your fancy?”
“Well, how would you put it?” demanded Josie’s aunt.
“I dunno…” Amie pondered thoughtfully for a moment, then, with a mischievous glint in her amber-colored eyes, suggested, “Stirs your loins?”
At this, Josie had to laugh.
“Gets your juices flowing?” Amie added.
They all shared a laugh, and at length Josie realized both women were actually waiting for a response to the question. How could she admit to them─admit to Amie─that it was her brother, Ben, who’d held Josie’s heart since she was thirteen years old?
“There is one…” Josie murmured, not meeting either woman’s gaze. “But it can never be.”
Amie studied her friend’s face, then asked gently, “Why not? Is he married? Gay?”
“It just─can’t.”
Restless now, Josie got up from the table to clear away the tea cups and dishes. She carried the tray as the women moved inside to the kitchen to clean up after their little soiree. “I don’t know what to do! Why would Gramp do this to me?!”
“He did it because he knew you would never leave that mountain to find a man without a push,” snapped Rosemary, and again she said, “You’re a recluse, Josie.”
Josie frowned, brows drawn together in consternation, “6 months alone on the mountain and suddenly I’m a recluse?”
Aunt Rosemary whirled on Josie, pointing a long finger at the younger woman, “You’ve been hiding up there since you first arrived from New York and don’t you dare deny it! I warned Joseph he needed to practice some tough love, but he was weak where you were concerned. So he left that infernal marriage clause in his Will, and now we’ve all got to deal with it.”
“And we’ve only got 6 months left!” wailed Josie, tears threatening again.
“What did you think was going to happen when you bury your head in the sand, you silly girl!” Aunt Rosemary railed. Then she sighed, her thin shoulders sagging, and she said kindly, “You can’t spend your life hiding from your problems, child. Ignoring them only allows them to grow bigger, becoming more and more problematic. Whereas, if we face our troubles head-on, we can almost always find a way through.”
Josie nodded, sniffling and wiping her eyes before the tears had a chance to fall. “Okay, Auntie.”
“I might have some ideas,” said Amie then. “But you’ll have to resign yourself to the fact that you’re going to have to go on a few dates. It’s the only chance you have of landing a man in the 6 months we have left.”
“I’m not giving up the farm without at least trying,” said Josie firmly.
“That’s the spirit, girl!” grinned her Aunt.
Josie hesitated a moment, before admitting, “Uncle Gregor paid me a visit the other day….he─offered to buy the farm. Says it’s too much work for me, and ‘he’s not going to stand idly by and watch me run the place into the ground’.”
“Are you fricken’ kidding me!?” Amie and Aunt Rosemary cried in unison.
“You’ve been running that farm for years already!” protested Amie indignantly. “For him to say that now─”
“I know!” exclaimed Josie, indignant with the injustice of it all. The blatant sexism of the matter.
"Don’t let your Uncle get to you.” Her Aunt Rosemary said then. “He’s always hated farm-life. Said it was too much work and not enough money. He never understood that if you love what you do, it’s not work. Just like he never could quite comprehend that these lands were worth more to your grandfather than all the riches in the world.”
There was a heavy moment of silence as the three women were each consumed with their own thoughts, and then, at length, Aunt Rosemary said gravely to Josie, “You can’t let the farm fall into Gregor’s hands. He will destroy it piece by piece. Mark my words, Blackstone Mountain would be the next big ski resort before next winter rolls around.”
Josie looked at her friend, and Amie returned her gaze soberly, “Will you help me?”
“Of course!” said Amie emphatically.
“We both will.” nodded Aunt Rosemary.
The women hugged then, and Josie felt more hopeful and optimistic about her situation than she had in months. Maybe she could do this afterall…
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!