Page 33 of More Than Falling in Love

“All fun and no work means the chores don’t get done.”She leans over the bale and grabs the wires.

“Lift with your knees.”I demonstrate a second time.“Like this.”

She waits until I’m beside her to speak.“Got it.The first time I was too busy watching the muscles in your arms.”After a wink, she lifts the hay.

It’s obvious she’s struggling, and I hover close, resisting the urge to take it from her.

After a few steps, she drops it.“Yeah, I’m not doing that.That’s heavy.”

“Guess you have to go back to watching.”

She walks toward the trailer and climbs on.“Definitely.”

I’m not sure how Parker talks to his female friends, but this is different than I expected.But because I know we’re on the same page, the flirty comments don’t bother me.Not a bit.Well, I don’t mind as long as Mason doesn’t pick up on the flirting.But he’s six.

I load bales onto the trailer, and Poppy helps Mason shove them into place.

By the time the hay is loaded, her arms are red, and pieces of hay are stuck to her.

Mason jumps down from the trailer and yanks off his gloves.“Thanks for the help, Poppy.”

She climbs down and looks around.“What’s next?”

“Now we climb into the tractor and drive out to the pasture to feed it to the cows.”I pull a straw of hay out of her hair and realize that seating will be an issue.“It’ll be tight.”

Mason grabs her hand and tugs her toward the cab.“I get in first and let Dad sit down.”

She hangs back as he climbs in.“How will this work?There’s not much room in there.”

“We can make it work.”I step up and settle into the only seat.Then, like every other Sunday morning, Mason perches on my knee.

After holding Poppy’s gaze a second, I glance at my other knee.“Like I said, it’s a bit tight.”

She climbs up and closes the door.“Will you be able to drive if I…”

“Yep.”I pat my leg.“You’ll be fine.”

She eases onto my knee.“Tell me if I’m too heavy.”

“It’s all good.”I’m glad the other guys aren’t out and about yet.Because if they see us sharing one seat, I’ll never hear the end of it.

Mason grins.“After we feed the cows, we check the water tanks.”

“So y’all do this every morning?”Poppy rubs a hand on her arm.

I’ll have to find her something for the itch.“Someone does.We handle Sundays.”I shift into gear, then take hold of Mason’s shirt as the tractor starts rolling.I nudge Poppy with my elbow as I’m steering.“Hang onto me if you need to.”

She lets out a nervous laugh and puts a hand on my shoulder.“I can’t believe I’m riding in a tractor.”

The trip to the pasture is longer in this thing, and it doesn’t take much concentration to keep the wheels on the path, which is good because with Poppy sitting on my leg, my concentration is shot.

As we roll along, Mason points, telling Poppy about the ranch.He’s soaked up every word I’ve told him about this place, and I smile at how much he sounds like me.It’s only been a little over a year since I learned I had a son, and now, I can’t imagine life without him.Not harboring ill feelings toward my ex for keeping him from me is still a struggle, but seeing what a great kid he is helps me slowly forgive.

We hit a small bump, and the tractor jostles.Poppy grabs a fistful of my shirt and leans in closer.This is the longest and shortest trip to the pasture ever.

“Mason, it must be so cool growing up on a ranch.”Her fingers relax a bit, but she doesn’t sit up again.

“The best.And when I’m a little bit older, Dad will let me drive the tractor, right?”

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