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“Right.” Bill slapped him affectionately on his back. “The truck is around here. I’ll get Travis and the boys over to help round up the herd and we’ll follow you out.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Not much, honestly. The team’s prepped and ready. Just hang out here and I’ll holler if I need you.”
“Sounds good. Just so you know, we’re heading to my place first and I’ll call Travis when we’re ready to move ’em down the canyon so I don’t bug you before your big day.”
“You’re the best.”
Bill jogged off, shouting orders and pointing where each of his guys should go.
Bennett leaned against the side of the barn and tipped his head toward the sun. It was warmer in the late afternoons and the lingering heat felt good on his cheeks. A melody washed over him, something familiar and calming and well, beautiful. The singer had some chops, that was for sure. He smiled. It was the song he and Maggie had first danced to, the one about second chances and hope and all that. He couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but the barn most likely.
A crash of metal interrupted the song, and Bennett’s eyes popped open.
He ran into the barn. “Everyone okay?”
“Fine, just wrestling with this lug nut and losing.” Maggie came around the corner, a scowl on her face that turned to an open mouth of surprise when she looked up.
So much for giving her space; Deer Creek was too small for that. And so much for forgetting the magnetic hold she had over him. Standing there, messy curls framing her dirt-stained face and in clothes that looked like she’d wrestled with a pig on the pig’s turf, she was prettier than she’d been in the stunning red get-up from last night.
“Hey, Maggie.”
“Hi, Bennett.” She wiped the back of her hand across her cheek, leaving a grease smear. “What are you doing here?”
“I was gonna ask you the same thing.”
The corner of her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. Goddamn, would he ever not want this woman?
“I’m helping Bill fix up his old tractor to sell since his replacement got here from Steel Born. I just can’t seem to get the darn tire off, and without my impact drill, it’s not going anywhere.”
“I’ve got one in my truck. Come with me.”
“You sure? I don’t want to inconvenience you.”
Well, too bad. That’s all you’ve been doing since you got home.
“It’s fine. I was just waiting on Bill anyway.”
He led the way to his truck in awkward silence. They’d had a good time last night—or at least he had. And he understood her need for space and time to heal. But was it too much to hope for friendship to bloom where love had once been?
“Did you hear any news about the bear?” she asked.
He opened the tailgate and grabbed the bag with his impact driver. “She’s fine. They pushed her back into the woods where her cubs were hiding out. But it won’t last. She’s fighting for the same limited resources as the rest of us, and she won’t use critical thinking like we would to get herself out of a tough situation.”
“You’re worried for her,” Maggie said. Her voice had softened toward him.
He focused on the drill in his hands so he wouldn’t have to think about the conflict in her eyes. She’d asked for time to heal and thought he couldn’t give much, he could give her that.
“I am. If she comes close to town again and someone else finds her, she might not be as lucky.”
“Is there anything we can do?”
“Pray for rain.” Bennett handed over the drill, careful not to let his fingers graze hers. “Uh, I can help with that lug nut if you want.”
“Grab that hammer and help me bang the crap out of this tire.”
He chuckled. “Bill should just scrap this for parts.”
