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The day flies by. In the afternoon when my energy is lagging, Ruby comes walking out in the pasture with Dolly.
“Will it bother you if I play some music?” she asks.
“No.”
Even though I’m prepared for it, I startle when I hear the music boom through the speakers. Dolly takes off like a shot and Ruby follows after her, Dolly’s manic dance next to Ruby’s graceful leaps are a sight to behold. I laugh until my stomach hurts and I watch spellbound, as they move across the field. Delphine and Irene stand next to me, watching too.
“What do you think of those two?” I ask them.
Irene harrumphs and Delphine burrows her head into my pocket, nuzzling my side.
“Yep, agreed,” I say, giving them both a treat. “You said it better than I ever could.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SMALL TALK
RUBY
“How’d you ever do this without me?” I ask Callum, as we pack up the displays for the farmer’s market.
We sold out of everything, and there was a long line the entire day.
“After today, I’m not sure,” he admits. “It’s usually busy, but that was nonstop. You were a huge help.”
“Your haircut seems to be a big hittoo,” I say slyly.
He gives me the side-eye before walking to the truck. “I think you’ve found your new vocation.”
“Not even close. You’re just good material to work with.”
“You make me sound like a piece of wood.” His ears turn pink and I love that I can see when that happens now, thanks to his haircut.
“Here we are, talking about your wood again,” I tease.
His chuckle is low and makes me squeeze my legs together. My own cheeks turn pink with my boldness and I turn away so he can’t see how flustered I am.
I check under our area to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything and nearly run into Callum when I turn back around.
“Oh, ‘scuse me,” I whisper. “Thought you were by the truck.”
His gaze sweeps over my face, pausing on my lips and then back to my eyes. “You up for Sunny Side with everyone? I let Pierre pick the place since he doesn’t get to many restaurants besides his own.”
“I’ve never been. I’m excited. I really want to try The Gnarly Vine and The Pink Ski too. I love all these cute names. At home, we had Frankie’s and Diner K…which are fine, but they don’t have the same pizazz as Sunny Side and all the others. Sunny Side is my favorite for obvious reasons.” I do jazz hands every time I saySunny Sideand he chuckles.
That low, raspy chuckle has become my favorite sound. It’s like an instant flood of endorphins every time I hear it.
We start walking to the truck and when I get in, I shiver. Callum looks at me as he turns the ignition. We had little heaters outside, but there were times when my hands were still chilly.
“You’re cold.” He frowns. “If you’re with me next time, I’ll bring another heater.” He pushes the button to turn on my seat warmer.
“I’m okay. I wasn’t cold while it was happening. Now that the rush is over, I’m noticing it, but I was fine.”
He nods. “Okay, good. You’d like Tiptop too,” Callum says. “Not as cutesy a name for a restaurant around here, but that’s because my friend Blake named it instead of his wife Camilla. She would’ve been more creative if she’d been around when he first opened.”
“I haven’t heard about that one yet. I guess now that I’ve been here for two weeks, it’s time to branch out a little.”
“You mean I can’t keep you all to myself anymore?” he asks, glancing at me.
