Page 31 of The Breakdown

Vaughn kept walking, looking ahead. “I do when it’s called for.”

“And it’s not called for now?”

Vaughn finally glanced at her. “What would you like me to say?”

“I don’t know. I’m just trying to make conversation. But I get it. You don’t know me well at all, so why share?”

They came to the chicken coop and slowed as Diablo, Vaughn’s small, red rooster jumped up onto the fence and began to crow. The little guy was loud and he was putting his whole body into it. It made Natalie laugh and Vaughn couldn’t help but smile.

“That’s Diablo,” she said.

“Devil.” Natalie chuckled. “Does he live up to his name?”

“He does.”

“I sure hope he likes me.”

“Walk in there with confidence and you’ll be fine. The only reason he doesn’t like Gram is because she once had to chase him out of the coop and keep him away from the chickens.”

“Oh.”

“Gram will sure appreciate you getting the eggs for her.”

“I’m here to help.” She smiled softly at her. “You know, I finished the web site last night.”

“Oh?”

“I just need your permission to have it go live.”

“You have it.”

“You sure you don’t want to look at it first?”

“I trust you.”

Natalie seemed surprised at the statement. “Thanks. I hope it does you proud.”

“I’m sure it will.”

Natalie hesitated at the gate to the coop, as if she was going to say something more. Vaughn waited, but she must’ve changed her mind because she gave a little wave and walked inside, leaving Vaughn behind.

Vaughn watched her go, making sure Diablo didn’t give her any trouble, and then headed off sipping her water. She entered the stables, turned on the lights, and walked down to the very last stall to begin her work.

After she mucked the first row of stalls and spoke briefly to the boys who’d arrived shortly after she’d started, she heard Gram ring the bell for breakfast. Vaughn leaned the hay fork up against the wall and headed for the house. When she came to the corral, she was surprised to see Natalie grooming one of the horses the boys had let out.

“Am I doing it right?” she asked, brushing down Charlie.

“Looks pretty good to me,” Vaughn said. Her gaze traveled over Natalie’s lithe body, shown off perfectly in the tight jeans and short-sleeved shirt she had on. She moved with grace and ease and Vaughn caught herself staring and forced her eyes to refocus on Charlie. But her mind kept replaying the vision of Natalie moving, the way her muscles in her sinewy arms shifted as she brushed, the delicate flare of her hips, and the way her shirt lifted slightly when she stretched, exposing her smooth, pale torso. Vaughn cleared her tightening throat.

“You can finish that after breakfast,” she said, walking on. She needed to escape, to clear her head for a moment. Natalie was off limits, for more reasons than one, and she couldn’t afford to get caught up in an attraction to her, even if she kept that attraction to herself. She had very important things to focus on, and rolling in the hay, or even dreaming about rolling in the hay with Natalie, was not among them.

“Hey, wait up.” Natalie set down the brush and hurried out of the corral to join her. “You want to take a peek at the website after breakfast? I haven’t been back in to publish it yet.”

“Why not?” Vaughn had thought for sure she’d told her to go ahead.

“I got caught up in doing chores.”

Vaughn didn’t speak, just clenched her jaw. She really needed that website up and running. “Fine.”

---