murmured as the semi and empty trailer rattled by and headed around to the back of the machine shed. Tomorrow the only sounds he’d hear out here would be the cattle bellowing at each other and the occasional train rumbling in the distance.
Picking his way carefully over the uneven gravel, he opened the side door and stepped into the machine shed. Joe was just finessing the truck between the wagons and the bean drill, and Brent was blowing out the feeder house with the compressor hose.
Sticking his thumb and middle finger between his lips, Hake let out a piercing whistle. When Brent looked up, Hake waved him over and then stepped outside so they didn’t have to talk over the compressor’s roar.
Brent followed him through the door, brushing corn chaff off the front of his jacket.
Squatting, he scratched Jess behind the ears with both hands.
“Mateo’s yielded one-sixty,” he reported, turning his head just enough to avoid a French kiss from the dog.
“Huh. That’s better than I thought it’d be. Half of that field was underwater for most of July.”
“Well, it dried out just fine, I guess.”
Hake nodded. “So, Royce on his way to Winner?”
“Yeah, he loaded up and headed out before dawn. May even be combining already.
The rest of the crew got down there last night.”
When Jess darted after a tabby cat slinking through the weeds along the fence, Brent rose and stepped over by the hydrant. Flipping the red handle, he picked up the hose, reminding Hake it was time to take in the sprinkler and all the hoses for the season.
7
Robin L. Rotham
Brent waited until the water ran clean before taking a long drink from the flow.
Watching his sun-browned throat work as he swallowed, Hake frowned. It was disconcerting to be checking out his own cousin, but Mandy had checked him out a few times and Hake wanted to know just what it was she found so fascinating about him.
She claimed they looked a lot alike but Hake didn’t see it.
“So what’s on your mind?” Brent asked between gulps.
Hake shifted more weight to his good leg. Mandy’d really kill him if he fell over out here. “How do you know anything’s on my mind?”
“Well, you’re lookin’ me over like a prime bull on the block,” Brent said with a grin as he shut off the hydrant and wiped his chin on his sleeve. “Figured something had to be on your mind.”
Heat crept up Hake’s neck. “Not for me, it’s not.”
“Well I’d sure as hell hope not.” Brent’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “And you can forget it. I’ve already told Mandy more than once that I’m not interested in being set up with any of her friends. When I’m ready to settle down, I will.”
“No blind dates, I promise.” Hake shifted again. Shit, this was going to be harder than he’d thought. “But you know all those stories you told me about you and Joe and those, uh, women…”
When he hesitated, Brent’s brow rose in inquiry. Looking off toward the house, Hake pulled off his cap and ran his hand through his hair before plunking it back down again.
“They’re all true?” he finally asked.
“Well, yeah. I wouldn’t have told them if they weren’t.”
“You still, uh…?”
“Once in a while.” Brent grinned. “Why? You wanna watch?”
Hake bit his lips before saying, “Maybe.”
Brent’s eyes widened. “You’re shittin’ me.”
8
Carnal Harvest
“Not really.”
“Somehow I can’t see Mandy putting up with that.”
Hake plucked off his cap again and slapped it against the leg of his jeans, searching for a way to say this without coming off like a complete loser.
“Okay, it’s like this,” he finally said. “You know Mandy’s been writing romance books for a few years, bringing in a little extra money, right?”
When Brent nodded, he continued, “Well, since Ryan went off to college, she’s been writing…sexier stories. Ones about…stuff like you do.”
Brent blinked at him. “She writes books about three-way
Picking his way carefully over the uneven gravel, he opened the side door and stepped into the machine shed. Joe was just finessing the truck between the wagons and the bean drill, and Brent was blowing out the feeder house with the compressor hose.
Sticking his thumb and middle finger between his lips, Hake let out a piercing whistle. When Brent looked up, Hake waved him over and then stepped outside so they didn’t have to talk over the compressor’s roar.
Brent followed him through the door, brushing corn chaff off the front of his jacket.
Squatting, he scratched Jess behind the ears with both hands.
“Mateo’s yielded one-sixty,” he reported, turning his head just enough to avoid a French kiss from the dog.
“Huh. That’s better than I thought it’d be. Half of that field was underwater for most of July.”
“Well, it dried out just fine, I guess.”
Hake nodded. “So, Royce on his way to Winner?”
“Yeah, he loaded up and headed out before dawn. May even be combining already.
The rest of the crew got down there last night.”
When Jess darted after a tabby cat slinking through the weeds along the fence, Brent rose and stepped over by the hydrant. Flipping the red handle, he picked up the hose, reminding Hake it was time to take in the sprinkler and all the hoses for the season.
7
Robin L. Rotham
Brent waited until the water ran clean before taking a long drink from the flow.
Watching his sun-browned throat work as he swallowed, Hake frowned. It was disconcerting to be checking out his own cousin, but Mandy had checked him out a few times and Hake wanted to know just what it was she found so fascinating about him.
She claimed they looked a lot alike but Hake didn’t see it.
“So what’s on your mind?” Brent asked between gulps.
Hake shifted more weight to his good leg. Mandy’d really kill him if he fell over out here. “How do you know anything’s on my mind?”
“Well, you’re lookin’ me over like a prime bull on the block,” Brent said with a grin as he shut off the hydrant and wiped his chin on his sleeve. “Figured something had to be on your mind.”
Heat crept up Hake’s neck. “Not for me, it’s not.”
“Well I’d sure as hell hope not.” Brent’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “And you can forget it. I’ve already told Mandy more than once that I’m not interested in being set up with any of her friends. When I’m ready to settle down, I will.”
“No blind dates, I promise.” Hake shifted again. Shit, this was going to be harder than he’d thought. “But you know all those stories you told me about you and Joe and those, uh, women…”
When he hesitated, Brent’s brow rose in inquiry. Looking off toward the house, Hake pulled off his cap and ran his hand through his hair before plunking it back down again.
“They’re all true?” he finally asked.
“Well, yeah. I wouldn’t have told them if they weren’t.”
“You still, uh…?”
“Once in a while.” Brent grinned. “Why? You wanna watch?”
Hake bit his lips before saying, “Maybe.”
Brent’s eyes widened. “You’re shittin’ me.”
8
Carnal Harvest
“Not really.”
“Somehow I can’t see Mandy putting up with that.”
Hake plucked off his cap again and slapped it against the leg of his jeans, searching for a way to say this without coming off like a complete loser.
“Okay, it’s like this,” he finally said. “You know Mandy’s been writing romance books for a few years, bringing in a little extra money, right?”
When Brent nodded, he continued, “Well, since Ryan went off to college, she’s been writing…sexier stories. Ones about…stuff like you do.”
Brent blinked at him. “She writes books about three-way
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