The Girl from the Ouachita Ch. 06

Trey assured her, "Oh, I'm sure you would have kicked his butt, Tiger, but we came as your backup, just in case." Then he hugged her tightly, and she beamed. The men and women around her expressed their agreement and support for her martial abilities, but many winked at Chris.

He didn't tell them that he had been vigilant long before Sandy spoke up. He had learned the hard way that Jo's looks were always going to attract men of all ilk, including treacherous and dangerous men, and charlatans like Robert. Knowing that, he made it his practice to be well aware of her and her situation when he was around.

Still, she thought of herself as independent and strong, which she was and he encouraged, so he was never obvious in surveilling her.

****

After busting their collective asses working on the barn Saturday, Chris gathered his girlfriend in his arms and insisted on a work stoppage. "We have tonight, tomorrow, and Monday to be together before I go back to work and you go back to class, and I don't intend to spend it in work clothes and gloves, covered in sweat.

"We're at a stopping point here, and, honestly, I have no need for this barn anytime soon. Let's go out on the town tonight, sleep late, go to church, and take a ride Sunday afternoon. I want to show you the lake property we talked about. Dad and I drove out to meet and negotiate with the owners when we 'went fishing' last Saturday.

"They have until June 10 to decide, but I'm pretty sure they are going to accept, so I want you to see it."

"I love everything you talked about doing, but I do have a concern, Chris. Is this new property going to keep you as tied up as this house? 'Cause if it is, you're never going to finish the outbuildings and grounds!"

"No, Jo, it won't. Dad and Trey already worked out a plan for the 'new build', which is easier and faster than a renovation. I really don't have a role, beyond planning and designing the house, wharf, boathouse, and a sandy beach. Come with me tomorrow and see what I mean!"

****

They joined John, Mary, Don, and Lynn downtown that night, and they walked and danced so much and so long they almost slept through church. Jo was again recruited by the choir director and priest, and again put them off with tales of her harried life.

They decided to put together a picnic from Chicken Express, and made the ninety-minute journey to the west side of Lake Whitney. They made a courtesy stop at the old ranch house, where Jo charmed the elderly owners. "Nanny" showed Jo around her house, "Grampa Ed" showed Chris around the barn and grounds, and then they shared a homemade coffee cake complete with crumbles, and a cup of coffee.

Nanny and Grampa Ed took the dirty dishes to the kitchen while their guests finished their coffee. Chris could hear them the murmur of them talking, even with Jo describing the deliciousness of the coffee cake.

When they returned, Ed said they were more than pleased to approve the exploration of the land in question, and, then a smiling Nanny told them, "Having you two here helped move us off high center. After meeting Chris and Dan we were leaning this way, but after meeting Jo and getting to know Chris better, we decided that you are exactly the kind of neighbors we want!

"We'll tell our lawyer Tuesday, and your dad should get something from him a day or two after. You kids treat that land like you already own it, and all we ask is that you drop by and visit from time to time!"

"I have two sisters and a mom that will likely be over here more than you want, but I promise we'll be good neighbors and friends," Chris promised.

They drove away after hugs, and Chris called his dad from the site of the planned lake house. "Answer your phone if you get a call from Meridian, Texas next week, Dad. Jo charmed them so much today they decided to accept our offer!"

"Why does that not surprise me? Heck, we'd have gotten this done much earlier if we'd sent the women and stayed away ourselves! Something to remember in the future.

"And Son, after watching them take over at your new home, I'm going to tell them and let them get involved. Otherwise, the builders are going to have a slew of change orders to deal with, and we're going to be in hot water!"

Chris brought a ground tarp and several blankets. Laid over the thick grass on the hilltop, they made a wonderful bed for a naked sprite and her lover. Chris had seen her unclothed enough to know what he was unwrapping, but he'd never seen her lying nude in the sunshine on a warm day on blankets surrounded by greenery.

He scrambled to his pants, grabbed his phone, and took dozens of pictures in dozens of poses, "To keep me warm on those cold Colorado nights." Jo enthusiastically obliged him, but she was beginning to doubt he should be all alone on those cold Colorado nights.

How, she wondered, as she looked back over her shoulder at the cameraman while laying on her belly and lazily kicking her little feet in the air, could she convince TCU to let her go to school at CU for a year and regain her scholarships upon her return?

She pondered that thought on and off until they were making love for the third time, under the stars, with the moonshine illuminating her heavenly body.