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Joy rippled off her as she pulled her dad forward. “Daddy, you won’t believe it. It is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!”
I tucked my hands into my pockets and followed the duo into the barn, where Duck was making an absolute mess of his water.
Wyatt squatted beside Penny. “Hey, you’re pretty cute.”
Penny looked at me with wide, hopeful eyes. “Can I go inside, Uncle Duke?”
“Yep.” I hoisted her under her arms and lifted her over the small fence into the pen. “He seems pretty friendly, but a little scared of the farm equipment.”
“Aww...” Penny clucked her tongue. She gently stroked his head, and Duck leaned into her. “Look at him. He’s so cute. Can we keep him?”
Wyatt laughed and shook his head. “Sorry, Pickle. He doesn’t belong to us.”
Undeterred, she looked back at the duckling. “Come on. Come on, little duck.”
Penny moved through the end of the enclosure toward the opening that led to outside, flapping her wings in hopes Duck would follow her. Sure as shit that cute little bastard started quacking happily and following behind Penny.
Wyatt stood and laughed. “Well, you’re gonna have a hard time getting rid of her now.”
I rocked back on my heels. “I think she’s all right. It’s nice having someone around.”
Wyatt shot me a sidelong glance. “Oh? Maybe the impenetrable Duke does get a little bit lonely.”
I nudged his arm with my elbow. “Shut the fuck up.”
Wyatt laughed. “I like this side of you.” He leaned against a support beam and looked me over. “You know, it’s good to be back. So Penny can have all of this.”
I grumbled and looked over my younger brother. “I think Lark is rubbing off on you.”
Wyatt laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, I think you’re probably right.”
“You going to be able to hold down that job of yours, or are they going to be transferring you somewhere else?”
Wyatt crossed his arms. I knew that determined look in his eye. “This season is shaping up to be a good one. I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
I liked that. I liked it a lot.
“Kids are back on campus this week, so my schedule gets busier, but with Penny starting school soon, it’ll be good to gether into a routine. My kid is smart as hell, but man does she love to stir up trouble.”
I laughed as I watched Penny lift Duck in her arms, climb over the outside gate, and hoist herself onto the driver side of my side-by-side. With Duck still nestled in the nook of her arm, she flashed me a wicked grin.
“Yeah.” I clamped my hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. “Yeah, she does.”
I strolled toward the side-by-side and held my arms out for the duckling. After handing Duck off to Wyatt, I scooched Penny over to the passenger side for a joyride.
Once we were out from under her father’s watchful eye, I pulled down a row of blueberry bushes and got out. “Scoot over.”
Her eyes went wide in disbelief. Out of the back, I pulled out a pint-size helmet and plunked it on her head. Penny gripped the steering wheel in anticipation as I buckled the strap beneath her chin. Her little body was itching to go.
I looked her in the eye. “We’ll start off slow and easy.”
She nodded. I climbed into the passenger seat and gave her a brief lesson on how to drive the side-by-side.
After making sure she was securely buckled, I settled into the passenger seat. “All right, easy does it. Ease into the gas pedal.”
Without warning, the side-by-side lurched forward as Penny let out a tiny battle cry. My own laughter exploded from my chest as I gripped the frame and used my left hand to help her steer down the path. Once she regulated her speed, we cruised and bounced through the fields toward the west pasture. Before coming to the small bumps of sand, Penny looked at me with anxious eyes.
I lifted a shoulder. “Up to you.”
