Page 18 of His Wilde Little
“Is that all?”
“You’re kind,” I added. “And a little adorable when you’re scared around Mary.”
“Adorable isn’t a word I’d like to go by,” he said, scowling, but the scowl eased. He was lying to me. He absolutely wanted to be adorable, and by denying it, it only made me want to push that button a little more.
“Ok, cowboy, let me know what you like to go by.”
“Strong, kind is a good one, funny, creative, amazing baker,” he said, listing out on one hand while also teasing me with the thermos with his other hand.
“You mean a master baker?”
“Yep, I’m a master baker,” he said, nodding with a smile before it faded, realizing what he’d said, and what it sounded like. “Wait. Did you—”
“It’s a little fun to say, isn’t it?”
“In that case, yes, I am a master baker, and I master bake all the time,” he said with the most adorable giggle like punctuation to his words. “I’m gonna remember that.”
The kissing broke the ice between us, as did the joking, and now, sharing the coffee as I got to know which goats I could milk, and which ones would sooner break my shins than bemilked. Even the cats came down as we sat on bales of hay, they stroked the sides against us, and no more hissing was heard.
“They’ll get used to you,” he said. “And I’ll get used to you as well.”
“In what way?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out.”
I nodded. I was still trying to figure me out as well. I was adamant about not wanting to start something romantic, but my actions seemed to have said otherwise, and I couldn’t take back any of those kisses. I don’t think I would even if that was an option. Those kisses were like sunbeams parting heavy gray clouds in my mind, and I was far too uncomfortable asking him for anymore. He’d done all that heavy lifting himself.
We milked the goats, opened the barn up for them to go out onto the grassy pastures that weren’t too wet for them. And then we headed to the coop. The chickens hadn’t come out, but the rabbits had left their hutches, hopping around in the grass now they didn’t have to contend with the hens. It was still surprising to see the dynamic all the animals had with each other. A lot of fun, but surprising.
Shortly after collecting the eggs in, my phone rang.
“Lolo, it’s Tom, just got a call off the transport, they’re about thirty minutes out,”he said. “If you and Jace could make it to the stables and finish preparing everything, we’ll be able to get these horses rehomed in their new stalls.”
“Of course, sir,” I said. “We’ll head up right away. Do you know what physical state they’re in? With the weather, we might need to get some weighted blankets and heaters around. Sometimes when they’re too thin, they can’t regulate their body temperature.”
“Right, well, I’m not certain on that, but ask Jace, he’ll show you to the shed. We’ve got plenty of supplies.”
I nodded and before I could respond, the call was cut.
Jace stared at me. “Almost here?”
“Yeah, I still think we’re biting off more than we can chew,” I mumbled. “Anyway, your dad said you’d show me to the shed for supplies.”
He groaned. “The shed. I hate that place. It’s where things go to die.” He shuddered.
“Color me intrigued, we need to go and see about some space heaters and weighted blankets or just blankets. I know some horses find the weights soothing, especially those with anxiety.”
“I don’t know about those, but there’s plenty of blankets.”
“Good, great, well, it’s go time.”
Jace rolled his eyes and groaned a little louder.
“Come on now, no more of that. Tell me how excited you are.”
He bit his bottom lip and nodded, as if taking my orders. “I’m very excited to meet three new horses that will also scare the life out of me.”
“Or they’ll love you for taking care of them,” I told him. “Same reasons I don’t see the goats ram you or the hens peck you when you go for their eggs, you’re taking care of them, they trust you.”
