He catches up with me, his stride matching my own. “And what do you mean by what did Kelly tell me? She just said shewas taking Logan home this morning and that she’d be back in time for lunch. What’s the big damn secret here?”
Every word just further pisses me off as I yank open the barn door and go about starting chores. “Don’t worry about my brother. And don’t worry about me and my life. Just keep your head down, do your chores, and shut your mouth.”
“You’re such a goddamn dick.”
I don’t argue with that. There’s really no reason to.
I expect him to say something else. I’m on edge today. It’s not been a good day. So I wait for him to pick at the wound, maybe even bring up Lucy.
But for whatever reason, he’s quiet for the rest of the day, just letting me sulk and brood.
Thank God for small favors.
NINE
How is there so much to do here?
I mean... it’s just a farm. They just raise some animals and corn. But every second of the day, there’s some backbreaking work to be done. If I’m not helping fix the fence—which, what the hell? How do so many fences get broken anyway?—I’m busy feeding or cleaning. Or running animals to auctions.
Or picking up animals at auctions. Or helping Kelly get products ready for the farmers’ markets. It never ends.
I didn’t think it would be easy work because I’m not that naive. But it’s constant. And it’s hot as hell here too. My mother wasn’t kidding.
I was born and raised in the same state, and I can confidently say no summer has ever been this hot. It’s ten in the morning, and I’m already sweating my balls off in the balmy, humid as fuck eighty-five-degree weather.
When I’m done milking the goats—yes, they actually make me do that, and there’s not a machine here for it, so it’s my own hands that have that task—I hand the milk off to Kelly to make soap or whatever she does with it, and then I search out Jasper.
What I don’t expect to find, and I mean, not at all after what felt like an eternity searching for him, is Jasper by one of the large ponds on the property. And I don’t expect it because he’s getting undressed.
His ugly-ass work boots go first, then his socks. And then his flannel button-down shirt he decided to wear. I don’t know how the holy fuck he didn’t pass out from the heat wearing that.
He’s wearing a white tank top under his shirt that clings to his skin, showing off thick sinewy arms with taut muscles. And okay—not sure why I’m noting all the details, but hey, I can admit when another guy has a nice physique.
The dude is in good shape.
But then he lifts off the tank top and tosses it next to his shoes. My sight is now glued to the muscles of his back. I have what most would call a swimmer’s body—lean but plenty of defined muscles. I’m no slouch, but Jasper—Jesus. He has muscles on top of muscles. All bunched up and flexing with each movement.
“What are you doing?” I blurt out, but he doesn’t seem too startled—which honestly is odd. He’s so uptight, I thought him getting caught skinny-dipping in the middle of the day would really send him in a tailspin.
He just turns around to face me, his forehead crinkled like I’m an annoying pest or something. “What do you think? It’s hot as hell today.”
“Maybe you should have dressed for it being hot.”
His eyes roll, and then his hands go to the button on his jeans.
“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” I ask, walking closer to him and keeping my voice down, though I’m not really sure why. I guess I don’t want anyone else to witness his very clear mental break here. I mean, that’s what’s happening, right?
Maybe I should ask for a witness. Go get Kelly or something. This is so not part of my job description.
“What is wrong with you?” he asks, looking irritated, yet totally calm or as sane as he’s always appeared. But he does push his jeans all the way down now, kicking them off his feet and leaving him in black boxer briefs, and that’s it.
For reasons I don’t really want to explore, it takes a lot for me to look him in the eyes and not inspect the front of his body. “What do you mean?”
“Seriously?” I ask, my hand sweeping between our bodies as if to show off exactly what I mean. “You’re getting undressed out in the open, on a workday.”
He looks at me. No expression whatsoever for far too long and making me feel like maybe I’m the one who lost his mind. And then he snorts loudly, his brow raising in amusement. “Am I supposed to swim fully clothed?”
My mouth opens for a second and then slams closed. I don’t really know what to say. Jasper has been hellbent on holding up the rules of this farm, and all of a sudden, he’s going swimming in the middle of the day.
