Jax pulled the door open and stepped aside motioning her inside.
“I know we’re not eating with Clementine,” Joey joked. “Are we in with the pigs?”
“We have our own space today,” he said, gesturing toward the storage room.
Joey stuck her head in the door. “Oh shit,” she said.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like sandwiches?”
Joey turned around and put a hand on his chest to stop him from going through the doorway.
“Don’t freak out, okay?”
“Why would I freak out—” he heard the demonic bleat of a goat. But it wasn’t coming from Clementine’s stall. It was coming from his picnic.
He stormed through the door and took in the scene. “What the hell?”
Clementine stood on the quilt devouring the second sandwich. She’d also eaten a hole in one of the cushions, shredded the cardboard box he’d used to cart everything outside, and crapped on his damn quilt.
“I’m going to murder her,” Jax growled. Joey made a grab for him and he made a grab for the goat, but Clementine saw him coming and danced to the side.
Jax and Joey ended up in a tangle of limbs on the floor.
“You are the worst farm animal in the history of farm animals,” Jax yelled trying to extricate himself from Joey’s arms.
Clementine swooped back around and grabbed an Oreo off of one of the plates.
“Those are my cookies!” Jax yelled.
Joey was laughing so hard she still hadn’t stood back up.
“It’s not funny. This was supposed to be sweet and romantic,” he grumbled, making another grab for the goat.
That only made her laugh harder until she snorted. “Don’t be mad, Jax,” Joey giggled.
Clementine bleated in glee.
“I’m going to find a goat rescue that specializes in asshole goats and that’s where you’re going,” he told Clementine. She feinted left and when he sprang in that direction, Clementine turned to the right and ran out the door into the main barn.
Jax tripped over a bale of hay and landed face first on his ruined picnic.
“Please stop. Please,” Joey gasped. “If you move or say one more thing I’m going to pee my pants.” She took a deep breath and tried to calm the laughter. “Oh my God. Oh my God. I am never going to forget this as long as I live.”
Well, it looked like he had his own Cayuga Lake, now. At least the cops weren’t involved.
-------
Joey feltguilty enough for laughing hysterically all over Jax’s disastrous attempt at lunch that she decided to make up for it. She roasted a chicken and made mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner that night. All of which she served wearing her cozy white robe tied tight.
For dessert, she took off her robe and gave Jax an eyeful of sexy, sheer bralette and shorts. It was completely impractical as far as underwear was concerned. The set had come free with an order of the sturdy sports bras she preferred for work and she hadn’t had a use for it, until tonight.
It seemed to do the job though as Jax cheered up considerably and stopped threatening to deport Clementine to Siberia. And after a spectacular round of orgasms for them both, they ate slices of second dessert, chocolate cake with peanut butter icing, in bed.
The dogs exhausted themselves playing outside for an hour and fell asleep in a clump at the foot of the bed. Meatball, his little Beagle face resting on Valentina’s back, was snoring. Joey turned on the bedroom TV to a sitcom and snuggled deeper into the pillows. She stuffed her bare toes under Jax’s leg for warmth.
Jax pulled out his laptop and divided his time between frowning at his screen while typing furiously and sending sidelong glances at her.
“What are you working on?” Joey asked.
