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“I thought you might be hungry.” She held up a thermal bag in each hand. “I’d love to say I made it all myself, but then you wouldn’t want to eat any of it.”
“This is a nice surprise.” He couldn’t have stopped the bright smile that took over his face if he wanted to. “Not complaining, but shouldn’t you be working?”
“Yes.” She set the bags down. “But I wasn’t getting much done. Too distracted. Besides, what good is it to be the boss if I can’t come and go as I please?”
“Good point.” He reached for the bags. “What have we got here?”
“I looked for food easy to eat in a barn.”
That made him chuckle. “I didn’t realize there was such a thing as barn cuisine.”
“There is now.” Eve waved at one bag. “That’s got cool drinks in it. I figured you wouldn’t want wine or beer while working.”
He nodded. “Good call.”
“If you want warm, there’s fried chicken and meatballs and corn on the cob. If you want cold, there’s a Reuben sandwich, an Italian combo, and a small cheese platter. Oh, and baked potato chips. Both regular and mesquite barbecue.”
If the old adagethe way to a man’s heart was through his stomachwas true, then Eve Baron had his heart completely wrapped around her little finger. “Wow.”
The way her smile bloomed at his reaction gave his heart an extra kick. He really did like seeing her smile, but more so, he liked knowing he was the one who put the smile on her face in the first place. He liked it a lot. Way more than he should. As a matter of fact, he’d like to be around to make her smile like that all the time. “Are you free for dinner tonight?”
Her eyes widened. “We haven’t even had lunch and you’re already thinking dinner?”
“I’m a growing boy.” He carried the bags to just outside the stall where the cow was being kept. “Let me get us a small table.”
“No need.” She pulled an old quilt out of her backpack. “This way you can stay close to mama.”
“A woman who thinks of everything.” It only took a few minutes to spread the blanket out on some clean hay and settle themselves in for a picnic lunch.
Legs crossed, Eve sat in front of him, pulling out napkins, paper plates, and plastic cutlery. “I didn’t know which you’d prefer so I figured a little of everything was easiest.”
“It all looks delicious.” He reached for a piece of fried chicken and a meatball. “What do you say we cut the sandwiches in half then we can each have both.”
The way one eyebrow shot up high on her forehead, anyone would think he’d suggested a game of strip poker after lunch. “I’ve been told I have a healthy appetite, but not that healthy.”
Great job. Open mouth, insert foot. “All I meant was—”
She smiled and raised her hand. “I know what you meant. I’m just used to sparring with brothers who love to tease.”
All he did was nod. He was afraid anything he said might work against him. Instead, he took a bite of his chicken and tried not to dribble crisp fried crumbles. “This is great. I think it’s better than Mary’s. Where did you get it?”
“That smokehouse off the freeway. They have everything from frozen venison to hand dipped caramel apples. I really should stop in more often.”
He was going to have to make note to do the same next time he needed a quick bite while on the road.
“So what’s the story with mama cow?”
“First time mama. Labor stalled. The vet gave her a shot to move things along but had an emergency across the county he had to get to. He promises me there’s room enough in her pelvis to deliver, so now it’s just wait and watch.”
“Poor thing must be so confused.” She broke off a piece of bread from the end of the Italian combo sandwich and popped it into her mouth.
“First baby is always more work for mom.”
“Ain’t that the truth. One of my best friends from college had her first baby last year. Thirty-two hours in labor. Talk about a labor of love.”
“My mother has never let me forget that she was in labor with me for three days.” He reached for a napkin. “That particular memory is often brought up when my plans don’t quite align with Mom’s.”
“Oh, I bet.” She giggled. “If I’d been in labor with you for three days, I’d remind you at every cross word.”
