always. I’ll see you at dinnertime. I figure, after a few hours playing in the snow, I’ll be packing an appetite.”
Sierra followed Josh from the room, while the others hurried off to their own chores.
C HAPTER N INE
T his is our equipment barn.” Josh rolled open the huge doors to the building and snapped on lights, revealing row after row of vehicles. Tractors. Earth movers. Giant trucks.
Sierra stared around in amazement. “Your family actually owns all these? They’re—” it seemed she couldn’t take it all in “—so big. Like something I’d expect to see on a construction site, or in the fleet of some big city.”
“In a way, I guess we’re like a city. We’ve got thousands of acres of land that we have to maintain.”
Josh could see her digesting this information, and trying to imagine thousands of acres.
“We’re responsible for keeping all the roads and trails clear if we want to keep things operating efficiently.” He moved along a wall of keys, each one clearly marked, until he found the one he was looking for. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to Big Bertha.”
Sierra trailed him between hulking vehicles until he slapped his hand against the tire of a giant yellow monster.
“Do you give all these things a name?”
He laughed. “Only those I love. And I’m crazy about this one. She’s a front-end loader, with a backhoe.”
He pointed, and Sierra could see the giant scoop on one end, the big claw on the other. “How do you know which way to drive it?”
“Inside the cab, the seat swivels 180 degrees. Want to come aboard?”
He climbed up, reached a hand down to Sierra, and pulled her up beside him. The two of them could just fit inside the small glass cab.
Josh patted the seat. “Come on. There’s room for two.”
She sat beside him as he inserted the key, and the big rig rumbled to life. Once the cab door was closed, the sound of the engine was muffled. While she watched in amazement, Josh maneuvered the vehicle past the others and out into the snow-covered yard.
Behind them, Big Jim rumbled by, at the wheel of a snowplow, leaving in its wake mounds of snow pushed to one side.
Josh pressed a button, and the cab grew warm enough that he could shed his parka. Sierra followed suit.
With a shift of gears they were crawling along at a snail’s pace, with Josh handling the controls that had the giant front end scraping up the mounds of snow. When the scoop was filled to overflowing, he drove Big Bertha to a spot at the rear of the barn, where he deposited the load.
Within a couple of hours, a mountain of snow had formed behind the equipment barn.
As they deposited yet another load, Josh sat back with a contented sigh that had Sierra laughing.
He looked over. “What’s so funny?”
“You. You’re so happy doing this. It’s obvious that you love it.”
“What’s not to love? It has wheels and big jaws and all this power.”
“That’s what I mean. It’s such…” She shook her head. “It’s such a guy thing. Driving a big old machine, and moving a mountain of snow. And all the while you manage to look so sexy, as though…”
She saw the flare of heat in his eyes and stopped. “What’s wrong?”
“I look sexy?”
“Is that what I said? I meant to say goofy.”
“Uh-huh.” He managed a smooth, easy grin. “If you think this is sexy, you should see me dig ditches during an ice jam.”
She touched a hand to her heart. “I’m not sure I could take it.”
He gave her a long, slow look, and she almost see the wheels turning in his mind. “Now what?”
“It’s your turn.” In one smooth motion he managed to lift her up, slide over into her spot while holding her on his lap, and then deposit her ever so gently in the middle of the driver’s seat.
“Pretty smooth, cowboy.”
He winked. “Didn’t you notice? I’m a smooth operator.” He pointed. “Push that lever.”
She did as he told her and the big machine began lumbering forward. As they
Sierra followed Josh from the room, while the others hurried off to their own chores.
C HAPTER N INE
T his is our equipment barn.” Josh rolled open the huge doors to the building and snapped on lights, revealing row after row of vehicles. Tractors. Earth movers. Giant trucks.
Sierra stared around in amazement. “Your family actually owns all these? They’re—” it seemed she couldn’t take it all in “—so big. Like something I’d expect to see on a construction site, or in the fleet of some big city.”
“In a way, I guess we’re like a city. We’ve got thousands of acres of land that we have to maintain.”
Josh could see her digesting this information, and trying to imagine thousands of acres.
“We’re responsible for keeping all the roads and trails clear if we want to keep things operating efficiently.” He moved along a wall of keys, each one clearly marked, until he found the one he was looking for. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to Big Bertha.”
Sierra trailed him between hulking vehicles until he slapped his hand against the tire of a giant yellow monster.
“Do you give all these things a name?”
He laughed. “Only those I love. And I’m crazy about this one. She’s a front-end loader, with a backhoe.”
He pointed, and Sierra could see the giant scoop on one end, the big claw on the other. “How do you know which way to drive it?”
“Inside the cab, the seat swivels 180 degrees. Want to come aboard?”
He climbed up, reached a hand down to Sierra, and pulled her up beside him. The two of them could just fit inside the small glass cab.
Josh patted the seat. “Come on. There’s room for two.”
She sat beside him as he inserted the key, and the big rig rumbled to life. Once the cab door was closed, the sound of the engine was muffled. While she watched in amazement, Josh maneuvered the vehicle past the others and out into the snow-covered yard.
Behind them, Big Jim rumbled by, at the wheel of a snowplow, leaving in its wake mounds of snow pushed to one side.
Josh pressed a button, and the cab grew warm enough that he could shed his parka. Sierra followed suit.
With a shift of gears they were crawling along at a snail’s pace, with Josh handling the controls that had the giant front end scraping up the mounds of snow. When the scoop was filled to overflowing, he drove Big Bertha to a spot at the rear of the barn, where he deposited the load.
Within a couple of hours, a mountain of snow had formed behind the equipment barn.
As they deposited yet another load, Josh sat back with a contented sigh that had Sierra laughing.
He looked over. “What’s so funny?”
“You. You’re so happy doing this. It’s obvious that you love it.”
“What’s not to love? It has wheels and big jaws and all this power.”
“That’s what I mean. It’s such…” She shook her head. “It’s such a guy thing. Driving a big old machine, and moving a mountain of snow. And all the while you manage to look so sexy, as though…”
She saw the flare of heat in his eyes and stopped. “What’s wrong?”
“I look sexy?”
“Is that what I said? I meant to say goofy.”
“Uh-huh.” He managed a smooth, easy grin. “If you think this is sexy, you should see me dig ditches during an ice jam.”
She touched a hand to her heart. “I’m not sure I could take it.”
He gave her a long, slow look, and she almost see the wheels turning in his mind. “Now what?”
“It’s your turn.” In one smooth motion he managed to lift her up, slide over into her spot while holding her on his lap, and then deposit her ever so gently in the middle of the driver’s seat.
“Pretty smooth, cowboy.”
He winked. “Didn’t you notice? I’m a smooth operator.” He pointed. “Push that lever.”
She did as he told her and the big machine began lumbering forward. As they
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