Page 11 of Some Cowboys are Off-Limits

She stopped. That was a good point. Then again, she was certain that if she did, Lucas would take it as an invitation to hit on her and she knew better than to allow that to happen. When they were younger, Annabel had commented on just how forbidden it would be for any of her friends to date one of her brothers. To start a relationship with Lucas would be a nail in the coffin of their friendship. Scarlett turned toward her father and forced a smile. “Because if you ask him, he’ll know we’re serious. If I call him, then he’s going to think I just want to date him.”

That was probably the most honest she’d been with her father since she’d arrived home. There was no way she could tell him the biggest reasons of all—not yet at least. She didn’t want to guilt trip him, but she also didn’t want him to blame her. She needed to figure out what she was going to do next so he’d start believing her when she said she wanted to stay. That seemed to be the trend right now. First her father, then Annabel, but most of all, Elijah—not that she needed him to believe her. She was all about repairing the relationships with those that mattered most… and he wasn’t one of them.

“I’m going to get those eggs. Then I’ll go milk Cheddar.”

His brows lifted. “Are you certain you can do that?”

“What? Milk a cow? I might not have touched one in nearly a decade, but it’s probably like riding a bike. It was one of the first chores you gave me, if you’ll remember.”

He nodded, then turned back to the table.

Scarlett took a big bite out of her toast. She’d thought it would be so much easier to pick up where she’d left off. But she’d been wrong. This wasn’t anything like what she had hoped for. And it was already turning out to be ten times harder, too.

Scarlett grabbed the rubber boots by the front door and then the gloves she normally used so the broody hens wouldn’t peck at her. Rather than use the basket she used as a child, she pulled on the apron her mother used to wear.

For a moment she felt dizzy. It still smelled like her perfume—lavender with a hint of citrus. She hugged herself, closing her eyes for a moment and letting the feeling of comfort wash over her. If her mother were here now, they’d be heading to the coop together, laughing about whatever was the latest gossip in town. If she was here, she’d be telling Scarlett how proud she was of her for making the hard decisions in her life. She’d probably tell her that leaving Germany was a hard choice, but if it felt right, then while it might still be hard, it would be worth it.

But most of all, her mother would urge her to enjoy this new adventure.

* * *

There wasn’tmuch Scarlett couldn’t do when it came to keeping up with the farm. The goats, chickens, ducks, and cows all needed to be fed and their stalls cleaned out. She hadn’t recalled her parents getting pigs, so seeing them was new, but nothing a quick search on her phone couldn’t fix. After feeding the animals and mucking out the stalls, she set to work organizing the shelves that stored most of the hand-held tools in the barn.

By lunchtime, she was starting to run out of things she could do to stay busy. Thankfully, her father was a welcome distraction. He appeared in the barn door as casually as he used to when she was a child working side by side with her mother.

There was a funny kind of look on his face that made her take pause. “Is there something you need?”

He shook his head at first, then clarity filled his face. “Actually, yes. I’ve prepared us some lunch. It’s nothing much. I haven’t been able to get any groceries since…” He swallowed and his gaze darkened. “I made us some PB and J sandwiches. Then that Keagan boy will be stopping by so I can show him what needs to be done for the next few days.”

She gave him a pointed look. “Dad. If he’s willing to help for the season, just let him. He was the one who offered.”

“We’ll see. I’ve done this my whole life. I don’t need any extra help. It’s not like we’re one of the bigger lots anyway.”

“No, but we produce enough to make a living and you’re not getting any younger.”

For a brief moment, she thought she saw a ghost of a smile touching his lips. “Your mother used to say that.”

“Well, she wasn’t wrong.”

“No, I suppose not.” He jerked his chin over his shoulder. “How about that lunch?”

“Sounds great. I’m starving.” That piece of toast had done nothing for her. She should have known better than to believe that her diet of coffee and toast wouldn’t cut it while she was burning off calories by the bucket full. She’d need to remember her protein if she wanted to be able to stay on her feet for most of the day.

Scarlett followed her dad to the house. They ate their lunch in silence, and for once, she was happy to do so. After her encounter with the Keagans the night before, she needed to regroup and figure out how best to approach rekindling her relationship with the man seated at the table with her.

This couldn’t be as hard as she was making it out to be. Shouldn’t she just be able to tell him she loved him and that she was sorry she wasn’t here when her mother passed? It wasn’t like her mother was able to hang on very long after her accident. The time it would have taken to fly home to say goodbye had run out quicker than either of them had expected. And a video chat just wasn’t the same.

She glanced at him several times during their meal but couldn’t come up with a single word to express how she felt.

By the time they were both done eating, the only thing she could say was, “I’ll head to the grocery store after Lucas comes. I can even pick up anything you need from the hardware store.”

He grunted. That was usually how it went, so she didn’t know why she expected anything more.

“Just get me a list. And I’ll have Lucas add to it.”

Her father looked at his watch, then muttered, “He’s going to be here any minute. We should probably clean this up.”

They cleared their places and then headed out the door. She motioned toward the barn, fidgeting and unable to stand still. “Wanna see what I did? It’s a lot more organized than it was before.”

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