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“Perfect,” Bec replied.
“All right, I’ll leave you to it,” Ashton said, looking uncomfortable as he glanced at Lily. “If you need anything, I’ll be out the back working on the pig pen. The little beasts got out last night.”
“Pigs?” Bec asked.
Ashton nodded. “There’s a litter of piglets. They’re getting a bit bigger and more adventurous now, and they somehow managed to escape overnight. It was a major undertaking to get them all back in the pen. They’re so fast.”
Bec giggled. “I’d like to see them,” she said.
“Sure. Come with me and you can look.”
Bec turned to Lily. “Is that all right?” she asked.
“Sure,” Lily replied. “I’ll just start figuring out how we’re going to set things up in here.”
A few minutes later, Bec was back.
“Those little piggies are so cute,” she gushed. “Ashton caught one and let me cuddle it. It squealed at first, and then it allowed me to pet it.”
“You cuddled a pig?” Lily asked in disbelief.
Bec nodded happily. “Oh, you should’ve had a cuddle, too, Lil. They don’t even smell.”
Lily thought her friend had gone crazy. “I don’t believe that,” she said.
“It’s true,” Bec insisted. “The piglets have been in the pasture, and they’re clean and not muddy at all. Ashton says they don’t usually smell unless they’ve been in the small pig pen with mud to roll in.”
“Well, I’m sure I don’t need to cuddle a pig to feel that my life’s experiences are complete,” Lily said.
“You don’t know what you’re missing out on,” Bec grinned. “Come on. I’ll help you unload the van.”
4
“I’m going to the party!” Tyler exclaimed as he and Ashton met at their parents’ front door. “I got hired for extra help with serving. Jesse asked me yesterday. So I don’t have to grovel for a job from you to be there.”
Ashton chuckled. “That’s bad news. I’ve been awake half the night planning all the things I could get you to do for me. Now I can’t put you to work.”
Tyler punched him in the shoulder. “You weren’t. Don’t lie. You were sound asleep. Everyone knows that even an air raid siren wouldn’t wake you up once you close your eyes.”
“True,” Ashton admitted cheerfully. “I do sleep rather well.”
“Mmm, that smells good, Mom,” Tyler said, kissing his mother on the cheek.
“It’s not quite ready yet,” she replied. “Why don’t you sit down for a few minutes until I call you?”
The brothers wandered out to the living room and sat down on the two couches.
“So, what did you get up to today?” Tyler asked. “Manure, mud and flies as usual?”
“Don’t be so disparaging,” Ashton said with a grin. “Farm life isn’t all bad, you know.”
Tyler pulled a face. “But it’s not that good, either,” he said.
“And just for your information, no, I wasn’t buried up to my neck in mud and manure today. I was actually cleaning out the barn for Jesse’s party.” He took a deep breath. “And then Lily turned up.”
“Lily? You mean the beautiful Lily that you used to date before you called her a mean old cow or something like that?”
Ashton felt a blush rising up his neck. “Yes, that Lily.” He paused. “She did take exception to Mom saying something about her sister’s choice of college studies. Mom didn’t mean anything by it, but Lily took it the wrong way and got offended, and I called her out on it, remember?”
