“Noice!Thank you for your service.You know where the basket is.”They rushed off with one of the staff to get the job done, while Grier turned to the others still in the group.“Who wants to assist with the ponies in the south pasture?”
Eight hands flew up.She laughed and sent them on their way with two staff members and three parents.
“Who can I count on to muck the stalls?”
No hands.All eyes fell on me, including hers.I mentally groaned but gave her my most charming smile.“It will be my pleasure, Miss Grier.”
“I’ll help the sheriff,” one of the teens offered.Bryon was a quiet kid.He stayed out of trouble.A lot of the younger boys went to him if they got bullied because they could count on him for help.
Because he helped them every Saturday when he volunteered alongside them.
“Yeah, me too,” his friend said with a grimace.Joey followed where Bryon led, which wasn’t a bad thing.On his own, Joey got into mischief.
“Perfect.I need my strongest guys to take care of those stalls.Thank you all for assisting.Your hard work will not go unnoticed, boys.”
“Anything for you, Miss Grier,” Bryon said, his ears turning red.
“I’m keeping my eye on you, kid,” I warned, only half joking, causing Joey to snort out a laugh.
“We have better game than you any day, Sheriff.”
“One hundred percent,” Grier said with a little smirk as they fist-bumped her on their way to gear up.“Now, who is going to help me give Waffles a bath?”
A chorus of groans sounded behind us.
Finn
“I don’t carewhat anyone says.I’ll take cleaning crap out of stalls over wrestling that donkey every time,” Bryon said as he pushed a wheelbarrow toward the far row of stalls.
“We definitely got the better job,” Joey agreed.“Plus, we get to watch Sheriff Davis shovel cow shit.”
“Language, boys,” I warned.“We don’t disrespect Miss Grier with those words.”
It wasn’t just about how protective Grier’s uncle was of her, as well as her sister and her best friend.Grier censored herself and disliked anyone using profanity on the farm.Children of every age volunteered here, and she wanted to be a good role model for them.Whether she realized it or not, she was exactly what most of those kids needed.
She was what the whole town needed, in more ways than one.Even my grandmother, Raven, adored her.With Grier, she used that soft tone she only reserved for a handful of people.Affection and love mixed in with respect.
“Yes, sir,” Bryon responded instantly.“Besides, Joey, if Luca Thornton happens to hear you say things like that around Miss Grier, you’re cooked.I saw some dude pass out right into a pile of fresh cow poop.He said a mouthful of filth right in front of Miss Grier, which caused Luca to growl.It was a vicious sound too, more like a bear than a human.The guy took one look at Luca’s face, and I swear his soul left his body.One minute, he was laughing and saying crude things.The next, he was facedown in the cow pie.It was hilarious.”
“What happened to the guy?”Joey asked, his gaze flitting around the barn like he was making sure Luca wasn’t there.
Bryon shrugged.“Dunno.Never saw him again.He wasn’t a local.”
Joey gulped.“I didn’t mean no offense.”
“Don’t stay stuff like that, and you won’t have to worry.Miss Grier is a nice lady.She doesn’t deserve that kind of disrespect around her or her babies.”Bryon handed his friend a pitchfork.“I’m taking this stall.”
For more hours than I wanted to count, I cleaned stall after stall.Lifting hay covered in animal excrement and putting down fresh straw, working around animals that didn’t want me in their space and some who didn’t want me to leave.
Sweat soaked through my shirt by the time I was done.And my reward, a cold bottle of water and the biggest smile I’d ever seen on Grier’s face.
“Good work, boys,” she said as she held up a plate with cookies on it.“These are from my mom.She stopped by with my aunt Vi earlier.”She lowered her voice.“Don’t tell anyone, but they were a bribe.My mom is always extorting favors out of me with baked goods.”
“What kind of favor?”Joey asked before shoving an entire cookie into his mouth and groaning.“Whatever it was, do it, Miss Grier.Wait, can I do the favor for her instead?I’d work for these cookies every day.”
“Right?Those dang cookies are that good.Moms!”she said with a sigh, taking a bite of one before shoving the rest into my face.“Eat this before I make more carb mistakes today.I already had two.And now she wants me to help with a thing at WomanLand.”
I chewed the cookie, watching the frustration play over her face.“What kind of thing?”
