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Yes, just one more night here and then I’d be gone.
My eyes flew back to the door as Reece came back in, a friendly smile on his face as he held up two plates, one with a sandwich for each of us.
Tomorrow I’d be gone, but tonight…
Well, tonight was a night to fly.
I worked hard all day on the bunkhouse trailer, fairly nonstop. Reece was in and out throughout the day between working on the plumbing and checking on the pregnant cows to see if any more were “dropping calves,” as he put it. By sunset, he’d replaced the entire toilet and carried out several bags of trash from the bathroom and back room—they’d smelled so badly I’d had to hold my nose while he went by.
And apparently the ranch had two new baby calves, born without complications this time. I thought they would put the mother and baby calves up in the barn, but over dinner I was informed differently. They just let the mothers give birth to the calves wherever they happen to be out at pasture. Apparently, it was less stressful and cleaner than having them all penned up where it could get swampy with manure.
They talked about manure a shocking amount over the dining room table, that was something I was coming to find. But then again, it seemed no topic was off limits.
“Well, that’s a good start to the season,” Ruth said when Reece mentioned the second calf of the day he’d tagged just before coming in for dinner. “Three already. I saw the bottle calf running around outside so it looks like he’s gonna make it after all.”
“She,” I corrected. “Her name’s Bessie.” Reece and I had both showered—me in the main house and him in the bunkhouse bathroom. Apparently the shower was passable enough to use. I glanced across the table at Reece, wondering if he was even single. Maybe he had a girl back in—where was it he’d said he and his brother had just moved from—Wyoming? Maybe he had a girl back in Wyoming and she just hadn’t had a chance to move here yet.
Ruth lifted her eyebrows. “Don’t go and start naming them now. They all end up at the beef processing plant sooner or later.”
“First of the season always gets a name,” Reece countered. “For luck.”
Ruth rolled her eyes. “Sentimental.”
I glanced across the table at Reece, wondering if he was even single. Reece just grinned and shoved a buttered roll in his mouth. I watched in fascination. How did he even make eating a roll look sexy? Maybe he had a girl back in—where was it he’d said he and his brother had just moved from—Wyoming? Maybe he had a girl back in Wyoming and she just hadn’t had a chance to move here yet.
Blinking, I yanked my gaze away from his mouth. His lips in particular. They were full and wide, much fuller than I’d expect for a man.
I licked my own lips and then reached for my lemonade. Was the heat set a little high in here? I took a long drink. I was likely overcompensating. This was all a way to avoid thinking about trauma, right? Getting distracted by a good looking man? Giving in to the feelings he made twist in my stomach.
And then a rebellious streak inside me asked, so what? What if it was?
When I looked back at the table, it was to find Reece watching me. He looked immediately away, like he was the one embarrassed to be caught looking at me.
Which made my cheeks flush and my stomach do a little swoop.
Conversation swirled on around the table. Jeremiah started grilling Ruth about when the cows had last been vaccinated and where was the best place to get equipment they’d need to start reseeding grasses.
I tucked into the food, meatloaf Ruth had made for everyone, and enjoyed the laidback atmosphere of being around people. It had been so long since I’d been in a room anything like this. With conversation that was by turns easy, occasionally contentious between Jeremiah and Ruth, but always real. With real people talking about real things.
Was this what it could be like? Wherever I actually landed, when I got friends of my own, anyway. I swigged the overly sweet lemonade, another treat Jeff never would have allowed, and wondered when I’d stop comparing everything to my life with him, if ever.
After dinner everyone went their separate ways and I settled onto the bed in the room Reece had given up for me.
I was tired after the day of cleaning and scrubbing, it was true. But being tired after a day of actually using my body was so different from being tired from a day of tense muscles and dread of what might come when Jeff came home.
I felt exhilarated, flushed, and unable to sleep.
And the absurd, ridiculous impulse I’d had earlier in the day while watching Reece flitted back through my mind.
I turned off the light, got in bed, and tried to sleep.
Hours later, I was still trying.
I pulled the pillow over my head. God, no. It was ridiculous! I was Penelope Chambers, I couldn’t…
But even thinking that name had me sitting up in revolt.
No.
