Page 8 of Daddy's Little Farmer

“Nope. His mother or father was allergic or something.”

“Why me?”

“He enjoyed talking to you.”

Her stomach tightened. She knew which one he was talking about and although the man scared her a little, she had thought he was very handsome. Tony wouldn’t let a bad man near her.

“When would he come? How long would he stay? Would he sleep in the house?”

Tony chuckled. “Okay, let me answer them one at a time. He’d come in the next week and maybe stay for a week. He would like to stay in the house, but if it makes you uncomfortable, we can find him a motel close.”

“Oh, no. I’d hate for him to spend money when I’ve got an extra bed here. The only thing is … do you really, really trust him?”

“Very much, or I wouldn’t suggest it.”

That was true. Tony was very protective of her.

“Okay, let’s do it. Call me when you find out he’ll be here so I can get groceries.”

“All right. You be careful now.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yes, sir.”

Mara continued with the chores, but her thoughts kept going back to the man that was coming. She was both excited and scared at the same time.

Tony called back the next day with the news that the man would be coming in two days. That gave her plenty of time to clean the house and get groceries.

The day he was supposed to show up, she was so jumpy she couldn’t concentrate. Her stomach gurgled when she heard a vehicle coming into the driveway.

She closed the door of the tack room and walked out. At first, she thought it was Tony because of the truck, but she knew she was wrong when the man got out. This man had over six inches on Tony. The butterflies in her stomach turned into bats, making her slightly nauseous.

“Mara, are you okay?”

Her mouth snapped closed as the man came toward her with a worried look on his face.

“I … oh … yes. I’m sorry.” Her head tilted back when he stood in front of her. “You’re very tall.”

He grinned. “And you’re very short.”

She smiled and nodded. “I’m Mara. I know we’ve seen each other before but haven’t been introduced.”

He held out his hand. “I’m Rafael. I’m your new farmhand.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. The man wore jeans, a shirt, and boots, but she could tell they were brand new. “You didn’t have any old clothes you could wear? You’re going to get dirty.”

He looked down at himself. “No, I’m sorry. What I have isn’t appropriate, so I bought these.”

“I could have found some here. You didn’t have to spend any money.”

His mouth opened and then closed. “It’s fine. I needed these anyway.”

“Okay. I can pay you for the week.”

He shook his head. “No, baby. I’ll help where I can, but you’re doing me a favor.”

A shiver raced down her spine at the endearment. She’d never had anyone call her “baby” before, and she liked it.

“Have you eaten?” she asked.

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