The agent arranged the documents on the table for Lisa to sign. “Mrs. Brown. If you please, we need you to sign these statements that will release us of any complications that might occur if perhaps a pregnancy may occur during our intervention.”
Lisa appeared a little surprised but reluctantly explained. “Oh. No. That’s not going to happen.” She swallowed hard as she looked at the men. Jeb reached out for her hand.
“I’m taking something for that.”
The agent looked up at her and across at Jeb who was holding her hand under the table. “Um. That’s perfectly fine, Mrs. Brown. I understand. We still need you to sign these documents, please.”
Lisa hesitantly and reluctantly picked up the ink pen and glanced over the papers that were laid out in front of her.
“These documents refer to both of us! Do you mean that my husband is sleeping with this woman?”
“Please. Mrs. Brown. You must understand the circumstances we are in here. Please sign the papers so we can move on with this. I have a few other things to explain.”
Lisa signed the documents as fast as she could and slid them across the table. The agent took them and put them in his brief case along with the photograph of the redhead.
“Mrs. Brown. I think you should know that Hilda is the current Mrs. Stone. You must understand this is something we needed to do for George’s protection.”
Lisa could only hope that this ordeal would end soon but the agent couldn’t give her a time frame. They promised to keep her informed as much as possible the next few weeks. Phil went out on the porch while the head agent spoke to Lisa. Jeb had gone out to see what the man was up to.
The man lit a cigarette and tossed the match onto the ground and walked over to Jeb and reached his hand out to shake his. Jeb didn’t budge but just starred at the man while he smiled at Jeb.
“Hey. I was only trying to be more friendly. I just didn’t think you had it in you to nail that woman. You might as well take full advantage of the situation now that her old man is hooked up!”
Jeb just stood starring at Phil. His eyes were so intensively piercing at him that it appeared that Jeb would slug him at any moment.
“I saw the way her neck looked in there. Apparently she likes that chocolate stick you have between your legs.”
Jeb’s hand made a fist as he started to walk toward the man. “Hey. Wait! I’m sorry I said that, I meant that to be a compliment to you! You have everything you need out here in the sticks and the perfect situation. All I meant was that I think your doing a good job protecting her.”
Jeb’s body was tense as he listened reluctantly to this man. “She must think a lot of you to be stuck out here alone in the sticks. She problebly feels safe and protected with you.”
Before Phil had a chance to say anything further, the other agents walked out onto the porch and maybe just in time before Jeb would have taken a swing at that man.
“We’ll be in touch with you, Mrs. Brown.”
Jeb was glad they were leaving. The car made a trail of dust as it drove out the long winding road.
Lisa couldn’t get that woman’s face out of her mind knowing that she was somewhere with George. It had been a month since those agents had come out with that information. She was preparing dinner while Jeb worked out behind the barn.
Jeb was walking through the corn field checking on the crops and decided to walk back to the lake before heading back to the house. As Jeb approached the water, he could hear water splashing behind the trees and slowly walked toward the edge of the lake and looked in that direction.
Jeb was surprised to see someone in the water apparently taking a bath. He couldn’t see much with the tree limbs in the way and walked down a tiny path until he was standing in a clearing.
It was a woman and she had her back facing Jeb. She was using a cloth to wipe her legs. She was bent over and Jeb could see her full breasts hanging down as she wiped her legs. Jeb’s foot hit a tree limb and startled the woman as she turned to see what it was and saw Jeb standing at the shore starring at her.
She appeared very frightened and backed into the water as she tried to conceal her breasts with her hands. She had long red hair and Jeb noticed that she resembled the woman in the picture those agents had brought out with them.
Jeb reached down on the ground and picked up a towel she must have put there and motioned to her to catch it.
Jeb turned his head until she wrapped the towel around herself and heard the water splashing as she walked out of the water and starred at Jeb.
“You’re the woman that’s with, Mr. Stone. Aren’t you?”
She starred at him a moment then held out her hand to him and in an Eastern European accent replied. “My name is Hilda. George has told me all about you.”
She tightened the towel around her waist as she leaned down to pick up her clothes.
“Where is Mr. Stone?”
“He had to walk into town to get us some food. He should be back shortly.”
“Where are you staying? How long have you been here?”
“We live inside your barn. I see you come in all the time. We hide, you know. In the straw!”
Jeb’s mind was wondering as he thought about the bed being messed and the door being open at times and wondered if perhaps George was the one they saw peeping into the house at night.
Jeb turned around while she got dressed. She had put on a pair of slacks and had fastened her bra and was slipping her arms into a shirt when Jeb turned around and saw her belly. She was very much pregnant.
He kept starring at her belly as she buttoned her shirt. It was very obvious that she was very far along in her pregnancy.
“I see you noticed my tummy! We’re going to have a baby soon!”
Jeb just stood starring at her finishing the buttons on her shirt.
“When are you going to have your baby?”
“Oh, maybe a month. I don’t keep track of the day but very soon!”
She picked up the towel and started to walk down the narrow trail toward the cornfield. She turned and starred at Jeb. “You don’t tell your wife we are here. We’ll be sleeping inside your barn. It is safe there.”
They walked back to the barn and Hilda showed Jeb where they were hiding under the straw. There was a hidden loft under the straw area for cleaning out that section of the barn. Jeb seldom went down there unless he needs tools. They had put clothing and other things against the wall.
“How long have you and George, were staying here?”
“Oh. I don’t really remember. It may have been three or maybe four months now.”
She walked up to Jeb and put her hands on his arms and starred into his eyes. “You must not say anything to your wife. We must keep this a secret. We have to remain hidden here for a while longer.”
“When will George be back?”
“He should be back shortly. You must go back into the house before your wife comes out here looking for you and finds us here.”
Jeb stepped back away from Hilda. “You tell George that I will bring you food and anything else you need here.”
“Good! I’ll tell him when he returns! Now go before you get caught!”
Jeb left her standing there and walked back to the house where Lisa had dinner waiting on the table for him.
“Oh. Jeb. I was just about ready to come out there to get you. Dinner has been ready for a while. You better sit down before it gets cold. I fixed your favorite beef!”
Jeb sat down at the end of the table and quietly ate his meal. He was thinking on a way that he would bring food out to George and that woman. He ate while wondering if he should tell Lisa that George was back. What would she do if she saw that woman’s belly?