Cooper yelled from the other side of the barbed-wire fence.
Abby spun around just in time to see him put a hand on one of the fence posts and clear the wire by several inches when he jumped over it. He’d changed into a stained work coat and faded jeans that fit tightly over his butt.
Her heart pitched in an extra beat when he got close enough she could see his face clearly beneath his black cowboy hat. He removed his coat and went right to work. The sleeves of his brown-and-yellow plaid flannel shirt strained at the seams when he picked up one of the biggest logs on the ground. She remembered well the way she’d felt when he slipped those arms around her waist—excited, protected, safe—even when they were tumbling off the sofa . . .
God, she needed a bite of chocolate or a butterscotch candy, but her pockets were empty. The s’mores makings were in a bag in the front seat of the truck, but she couldn’t dip into those.
Suddenly, the only noise was the chirping of a few birds going to roost and a lonesome old coyote howling in the far distance. The tractor had stopped and Bonnie bailed out, went to the front, and started messing with the attachment in the front.
“Okay, time to change the blade to the plow. Pay attention,” Rusty said.
“Will we be tested?” Shiloh asked.
“No test, but you only get one lesson, so learn it well,” Rusty said.
“Yes, sir.” Abby saluted smartly.
“You do that again and I won’t teach you jack shit,” Rusty said.
“Why?” Bonnie took a step forward.
“Because she’s being insolent just like Ezra, and believe me that was one of the things I didn’t like about him. I hated it when he talked down to me,” Rusty said. “Understand?”
Abby’s head bobbed up and down. If she’d been that pissy to any one of her training officers in the military, she’d have spent time cleaning the bathrooms with a toothbrush. She deserved the dressing-down, even in front of the other two, but it didn’t make it sting any less.
“You’re right, Rusty. That was rude and disrespectful. It won’t happen again,” she said.
“I’ll show them how to get things changed,” Cooper said. “Want me to plow a couple of circles around the fire?”
“No, I want Abby to do that,” Rusty said.
“Punishment,” Shiloh said under her breath as they headed toward the tractor.
“I deserve it,” Abby said.
“Then I’ll ride with her and teach her the method.” Cooper jogged ahead of them.
“You’ve done this before, haven’t you, Bonnie?” he said when he reached the tractor.
“Couple of times on an older tractor. Not much difference, though.”
“It’s pretty simple. Just unhitch, push the blade out of the way. Here, Abby, help me,” he said.
“How much does this thing weigh?” she asked.
“Somewhere around a hundred and fifty pounds. Too heavy for you?”
“No, I can do it.” She bent her knees and on Cooper’s count to three, they picked it up and moved it a few feet away from the tractor.
Cooper was close enough that every burst of breeze brought the remnants of his shaving lotion to her, but not so close that their bodies or hands touched. Still, the air crackled around them like it does just before a storm and she had to remind herself that he was there to help as a neighbor and Rusty’s friend. He hadn’t jumped the fence for her.
“Now, Bonnie, hop back in that tractor seat, turn it around, and back it right up to the plow attachment beside the truck,” he said.
Without a word she scrambled back up into the tractor and eased it toward the plow. Cooper jogged over in that direction and motioned with his hand until she was close enough, then he put up a palm.
“Good job,” he said. “Abby, we’ll have to get it lined up, but she did well enough that we’ll only have to move it about six inches to the left. It weighs a little less than the box blade.”
Abby picked up one end and he got a hold of the other and together they lined it up
Abby spun around just in time to see him put a hand on one of the fence posts and clear the wire by several inches when he jumped over it. He’d changed into a stained work coat and faded jeans that fit tightly over his butt.
Her heart pitched in an extra beat when he got close enough she could see his face clearly beneath his black cowboy hat. He removed his coat and went right to work. The sleeves of his brown-and-yellow plaid flannel shirt strained at the seams when he picked up one of the biggest logs on the ground. She remembered well the way she’d felt when he slipped those arms around her waist—excited, protected, safe—even when they were tumbling off the sofa . . .
God, she needed a bite of chocolate or a butterscotch candy, but her pockets were empty. The s’mores makings were in a bag in the front seat of the truck, but she couldn’t dip into those.
Suddenly, the only noise was the chirping of a few birds going to roost and a lonesome old coyote howling in the far distance. The tractor had stopped and Bonnie bailed out, went to the front, and started messing with the attachment in the front.
“Okay, time to change the blade to the plow. Pay attention,” Rusty said.
“Will we be tested?” Shiloh asked.
“No test, but you only get one lesson, so learn it well,” Rusty said.
“Yes, sir.” Abby saluted smartly.
“You do that again and I won’t teach you jack shit,” Rusty said.
“Why?” Bonnie took a step forward.
“Because she’s being insolent just like Ezra, and believe me that was one of the things I didn’t like about him. I hated it when he talked down to me,” Rusty said. “Understand?”
Abby’s head bobbed up and down. If she’d been that pissy to any one of her training officers in the military, she’d have spent time cleaning the bathrooms with a toothbrush. She deserved the dressing-down, even in front of the other two, but it didn’t make it sting any less.
“You’re right, Rusty. That was rude and disrespectful. It won’t happen again,” she said.
“I’ll show them how to get things changed,” Cooper said. “Want me to plow a couple of circles around the fire?”
“No, I want Abby to do that,” Rusty said.
“Punishment,” Shiloh said under her breath as they headed toward the tractor.
“I deserve it,” Abby said.
“Then I’ll ride with her and teach her the method.” Cooper jogged ahead of them.
“You’ve done this before, haven’t you, Bonnie?” he said when he reached the tractor.
“Couple of times on an older tractor. Not much difference, though.”
“It’s pretty simple. Just unhitch, push the blade out of the way. Here, Abby, help me,” he said.
“How much does this thing weigh?” she asked.
“Somewhere around a hundred and fifty pounds. Too heavy for you?”
“No, I can do it.” She bent her knees and on Cooper’s count to three, they picked it up and moved it a few feet away from the tractor.
Cooper was close enough that every burst of breeze brought the remnants of his shaving lotion to her, but not so close that their bodies or hands touched. Still, the air crackled around them like it does just before a storm and she had to remind herself that he was there to help as a neighbor and Rusty’s friend. He hadn’t jumped the fence for her.
“Now, Bonnie, hop back in that tractor seat, turn it around, and back it right up to the plow attachment beside the truck,” he said.
Without a word she scrambled back up into the tractor and eased it toward the plow. Cooper jogged over in that direction and motioned with his hand until she was close enough, then he put up a palm.
“Good job,” he said. “Abby, we’ll have to get it lined up, but she did well enough that we’ll only have to move it about six inches to the left. It weighs a little less than the box blade.”
Abby picked up one end and he got a hold of the other and together they lined it up
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