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Cultivating Love -- Scenes that didn't make the final cut. For the most part these are unedited, having been cut before even getting that
far.
A prologue that gave backstory and was unnecessary because the info ended up being revealed in the story anyway
and would have slowed the momentum of the story beginning. There were miscellaneous other scenes that, while interesting,
didn't forward the story.
Prologue
Fred put his purchases in the saddle
bags and hopped on his beloved impact blue Harley low rider. He fastened his helmet and pulled out into the town square, nodding
to Ben as he rode past the hardware store.
Driving along the familiar roads his mind wandered to the topic that had
found its way to the forefront of his thoughts lately. Ed. Nine long years had gone by since his last attempt to contact his
son. The kid would be twenty five now. Hell, hardly a kid anymore. Out on his own, he’d hopefully be away from Susan's
venomous influence, and thinking for himself. Was nine years enough to make a difference in the way Ed thought about his father?
What
form should his contact take this time? It had been too easy for Ed to give a knee jerk reaction to his last letter, nine
years ago. It would be even easier to hang up on an unexpected phone caller. But what if he showed up in person? Would that
tick Ed off or make him feel like he should at least let him have his say? What if Ed just slammed the door in his face? Maybe
he should have a letter handy to leave in case he wasn't given a chance to speak?
Fred turned onto the gravel country
road leading home to his farm and changed his thoughts to Bill. They were overdue for a vacation getaway -- long overdue.
Whatever the outcome of the situation with Ed, he was going to need a break after harvest this year. They'd had such fun on
that cruise they'd taken years ago. Maybe another cruise would be good, or an all-inclusive resort.
But for now, haying.
He needed to start the second cutting on the alfalfa field tomorrow. Then while it dried he'd help Bill with his baling.
Looking
ahead he saw the fresh pothole that had appeared after that big rainstorm last week. He swerved, cursing himself for not looking
for it sooner. The tires skidded out from beneath him. He overcompensated and found himself heading for the ditch, hoping
his leather jacket would save him from the worst of the injuries.
Cut Scene - Farm Description
Joe’s smile was wide as they walked back toward the house. The farm was very well organized
and in great shape. The section appeared to be broken out with a full half, 320 acres, devoted to soybeans as a cash crop.
Field corn took up 100 acres, which was pretty much what they needed to sustain the 300 head of cattle they had roaming another
150 acres of pasture. There were 60 acres of alfalfa overdue for a second cutting, which again, was only as much as they needed
for their own cattle and horses. The earnings for the farm would be from the sale of the soybeans and the cattle.
There
were definitely some things to catch up on, like that second hay cutting. It looked like Fred had gotten the fertilization
of the soybeans and field corn done before the accident so they could move on to cultivating the soybeans after the haying
was caught up.
The cattle were in good shape. They’d obviously been getting their supplemental corn feedings,
and their water trough had plenty of fresh water. The pasture land had a nice stream fed pond at one end. It looked like Ed
had inherited a couple of nice looking horses, two dogs and who knew how many barn cats as well.
The house and outbuildings
sat on the remaining 10 acres of the property. They hadn’t really looked over the house yet, other than to put their
groceries in the kitchen, but they’d let the horses out into the large fenced in pen attached to the barn and then inspected
the outbuildings before beginning their tour of the fields. Joe couldn’t help being impressed by the orderliness in
the barn, workshop and machine shed. The grain bin and corn crib were in good shape as well. There was even a small chicken
coop with a handful of laying chickens to produce eggs for their own use. All in all, Joe couldn’t be happier. He was
biting at the bit to get working on the farm.
He glanced over at Ed and caught him staring with a cheesy grin on his
face. “What? You look like the cat that got the cream over there.”
Cut Scene - Visit from Chrissy
Ed crossed his arms and stared
out at the barn. He wasn’t going to let Joe take on more than his fair share. He could handle the workload as well as
Joe could. He simply needed help learning what needed to be done, when, and how to do it. “The sun won’t be beating
any hotter on me than it does on you.”
“Ed?”
Ed turned to look at him. Joe looked as determined
as he felt himself. Joe reached up to cup the side of his face. “Shut up.” Then Joe’s mouth was on his.
It
was a light kiss, just nibbling at his lips. Ed couldn’t resist relaxing his stance and softening against Joe’s
lips. He heard a car crunching on the gravel drive as Joe pulled back.
“Ed, believe me when I say I look forward
to the day you can pull an equal share on baling days, but trust me when I say that your first time baling is not that day.”
Ed
let the issue go for now and nodded his head. They turned to see who was approaching. Ed didn’t recognize the woman
in the driver’s seat of the small car and wondered if she’d seen them kissing. He hoped so. It would save them
from having to make an announcement themselves. They stood up as the woman pulled to a stop in front of the porch.
Joe
looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know who it was either. They waited while she got out of the car
and then unbuckled a toddler in the back seat before approaching them.
Ed greeted her. “Good evening ma’am.
How can we help you?”
“Hello.” She smiled widely at them. “I’m Chrissy Ingalls. My husband,
Ben, runs the hardware store in town. This is our daughter Emma.” She looked at Ed. “You must be Ed,” then
turned to Joe, “and you must be Joe by default.”
Joe smiled. “Yes, ma’am. Joe Durham.”
“I’m
pleased to meet you both.” The little girl, Emma, pulled at her mother’s hand as if to drag her into the house.
Ed
smiled. “Can I get you both something to drink?”
“Oh no, thank you. I’ll just get to the point.
I’ve been doing Fred’s canning for him the past few years, in exchange for a share of the jars. I imagine it won’t
be too long before you start harvesting some of that garden. I wanted to see if you’d be interested in the same deal?”
Ed
didn’t think twice about that offer. Hell yes he was interested. Neither of them had been looking forward to the prospect
of canning. The garden obviously produced more than they’d need themselves anyway. “Oh yes, ma’am. Very
interested.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” added Joe.
Chrissy’s face relaxed. She looked relieved. “Oh, thank
you. Please, just call me Chrissy. That really helps us out a lot, too. I do this for a couple of farms and it pretty much
takes care of our canned food needs for the year.”
“Sounds like a good arrangement for all of us then.
What do you want us to do, besides harvest the vegetables?”
“Nothing else. I’ll have to bring Emma
along with me, but I’ll also bring my older daughter, Sarah. She’ll help me out snapping green beans and watching
Emma.”
“Sounds great.”
“Oh, and I can also can applesauce for you in the fall, and you
have a lot of berry bushes. I used to make preserves for Fred.”
Awesome. She seemed so eager to do the work, too. “That’ll be great, Chrissy. Shall we just call you as we harvest
each item?”
“Yes, or just drop by the store if you’re in town anyway.” They exchanged phone
numbers.
“From the looks of the garden you’ll be hearing from us in just a few weeks.”
“Thank you. I’ll
bring back the empty jars from last year when I come.”
“Great. Thank you.”
She hustled Emma
back to the car and waved as she drove off.
“Ed, this is great. Applesauce and jams on top of taking care of
the vegetables. I wondered why Fred had so much planted. Now it makes sense.”
Ed smiled. Everything was coming
together so beautifully. Life was good.
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