Page 14 of Sean

“Perfect. Here you go.” Kelly handed her a cooler, and Julia had the distinct feeling that she was being manipulated, but she couldn’t argue. If it helped Kelly for her to do this task, then she would do it. And if it happened to throw her together with Sean, that was fine, too.

When she was back outside, cooler in hand, she couldn’t help enjoying the fresh air and the sense of freedom that being on the farm gave her. It might be a false sense of security, but it was the best she’d felt in weeks. She put the Gator in gear and started down the road she’d seen Sean take earlier. She breathed in the scent of pine and horses. It was reassuring.

Or maybe that was him, she thought as Sean came into view. He looked mighty fine with his shirt pulling tight across his shoulders as he worked. He stopped, swinging his gaze toward her as she came to a stop nearby.

“I brought lunch.” She held up the cooler as she got out of the Gator.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said, walking toward her.

“Your mom asked me to,” she confessed.

“Ah.” The single syllable spoke volumes.

“She’s your mom. She worries about you.” She put the cooler down in the grass and spread out the blanket that Kelly had packed, too. “Family does that, you know.”

“I know.” Sean threw himself down on the ground and reached for the cooler. He neatly unpacked its contents—enough food to feed four.

She wanted to ask about his family after what Kelly had told her, but he seemed to want to remain silent. Coming to the farm at all was likely a huge step for him, so she’d let it rest. But they couldn’t just sit in silence. After she ate half a chicken salad sandwich and wrapped up the rest, she couldn’t stop herself from commenting. “This is such a beautiful place. I’ve traveled for my work and seen some amazing sights, but this is special. It’s got a kind of serenity that I’ve only felt in a few locations.”

“Yeah.” He glanced around him as if noticing where they were for the first time. “I’d forgotten that about the ranch.”

“Was it tough coming back here?” she asked gently, not knowing if he’d respond. He didn’t for a long moment.

“Having you and the kids with me made it easier.” He wasn’t looking at her as he spoke, but his voice was serious. Then, he suddenly laughed. “Mom has someone else to focus on. Takes the pressure off me. I should have thought of that long ago.”

“What, would you have posted an ad on Craigslist? Paid someone to come along and be a buffer?” she teased him.

“Don’t forget, I know a lot of actors,” he shot back. “Bet I could have hired someone—had them treat it like a method acting assignment.” His grin was playful. She’d seen a few smiles from him, but this was different, and she liked this side of him.

“Let me finish this job and we’ll head back together.”

“You want me to stay with you?”

He shot her a grin. “Works for me.”

Was that as a buffer as she’d suggested or because he wanted her company? Since she couldn’t ask that, she went for a different question. “Can I help?”

“Ever done this before?” he asked.

“No, but I pick things up quickly.” She prided herself on being self-sufficient. She’d had to be for most of her life. “How long’s it been since you fixed a fence?”

“Lot of years, but it’s not something I’d forget. Here, hold this in place.”

She knew that she was capable of more than just holding stuff steady. Julia enjoyed seeing the quick flash of shock that passed over Sean’s face as she hoisted one of the unwieldy beams into position.

“Well, look at you,” he huffed as he maneuvered the post into the hole in the ground, his shoulders straining from the exertion. “Didn’t know you had muscles.”

Julia laughed. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

Sean’s expression went tight for a moment, but she chalked that up to the difficult job. They worked in silence until the fence was repaired.

“That’ll do it,” he said. “Let’s head back.” He carried the tools to the truck and put them in the bed.

“See you there.” She had just sat down on the seat of the Gator when a child’s scream split the air.

“That’s from down near the creek,” Sean yelled. Before she could respond, he’d grabbed a rifle from the truck and took off on foot.

She was frozen in place for a split second before running after him, her heart in her throat.

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