The Dairy

Chapter 1 - Gus

"Thirsty?' A timid voice asked behind me. It was light and more gentle than either of the two spinsters who owned the dairy. With my interest piqued, I looked up from where I'd been hunched over the old tractor's motor. I'd volunteered to help get the damn thing running when I'd bumped into Edda Osbourne at the mercantile last week, which is how I'd found myself on the neighboring property today.

Squinting into the midday sun, I saw a goddess haloed in light standing before me. Aubrun hair in a Peggy Moran-style wave kissed her supple shoulders. She had an hour-glass figure with soft, healthy curves. My gaze briefly lingered on her robust hips, before drifting up to her very ample chest. When our eyes met her plump ruby lips curved up into a tentative smile. She was holding a large glass of fresh milk, the virginal white liquid rivaled her fair complexion. I knew immediately from her smooth skin and polite mannerisms, this beautiful stranger was not from around here.

I dipped my head in a slight nod and she stretched her arm out toward me, extending the glass. I wiped my greasy hands on a nearby rag and accepted the offering. She kept her distance but watched as I took a long sip of the milk. I studied her as I drank.

Beyond her physical beauty, she was young. I reckon she couldn't be more than seventeen. Her cheeks still had the cherubic curve of youth. She looked polished with proper posture and tidy manicured nails. Despite standing in a barn, her saddle shoes were clean. Her dress was plain but of quality cotton. I could see that it was straining, perhaps a bit too snug around the middle.

"Thank you," I said after a long swallow. "You, uh, work for the Osbourne sisters or something?"

She shook her head and eyed my half finished milk. "I'm their niece, Lana Gladwyne."

I nodded. I remembered the sisters telling me that they had another sibling. A younger sister, who, unlike them, had married and started a family in the city. Guess Lana here was one of their sister's little brats all grown up. This girl certainly didn't look like the spinsters. Lana was delicate and soft, like a French dessert. While Edda and Hilda were tough and worn, like a pair of old work boots.

I drained my glass and handed it back to the shy young woman. "Well, I appreciate it. I better be getting back to work," I said but she didn't immediately turn back towards the house to leave. Instead, much to my amusement, Lana sat back on the edge of a nearby hay bail and peered over the edge of the tractor.

"Are you a mechanic, mister?" She asked after a few minutes of watching me work.

I shrugged. "Gus. You don't gotta call me, mister. We're practically the same age I bet. I'm twenty-two."

"I'll be eighteen in a few months," she said.

"Well, Happy Birthday. I guess I'll tell you now, seeing as I doubt you'll be spending it out here in the middle of nowhere with your aunts," I replied.

Lana laughed. "Oh, I'll be sticking around for a while," she answered and she dropped a hand to her stomach.

My eyebrows furrowed but then I started to put it all together. A proper young woman from a well-off family is suddenly visiting her spinster aunts on their remote farm upstate. I sucked my teeth and nodded.

"When're you due?" I asked casually without looking up from my work.

"End of December," she shrugged.

"Just like the baby Jesus," I laughed.

Lana rubbed her hand on her stomach. "Well, this was no immaculate conception," she replied.

"And the father?" I asked.

She laughed sadly. "Not interested in being one."

I nodded. "Well, Lana, since you're going to be around for the next six months or so I have a feeling that we're going to become very good friends," I said straightening up. "We're neighbors. I live on that farm, right over there," I said pointing out past the pasture behind us. Lana strained to look but smiled when she made out the outline of my house.

"I've lived there all alone since the war. So, I'd be mighty appreciative if you came by to visit me from time to time. Seeing as you and I are probably the only two people under the age of fifty living in these parts. Maybe you could even bring me some of this delicious milk?"

She smiled. "Sure. But you don't... mind? I mean, this," she said gesturing to the slight curve of her stomach.

I shook my head. "Nah. I think you're pretty and I like talking to you."

Her smile widened and I could see a light blush coming to the apples of her cheeks. "Say, you know anything about cooking?" I asked.

She nodded vigorously. "I was Mrs. Gilmore's star pupil in home economics," she beamed with pride.

I chuckled slightly. She was pretty cute when she got all worked up. "Great. Just great. You think your aunts would mind if I borrowed you from time to time? See I live all alone and I'm a lousy cook."

Lana practically jumped up from her seat with excitement. "Oh, I'm sure they won't mind. I'd love to help you. I'm practically climbing the walls here with boredom," she replied eagerly.

"Swell. Then come by tomorrow," I said.

This was going to be the beginning of a very fruitful six months.