Cy followed me, squatting down on the backside of the machine. "I like you, Luke. You got some issues, but you're working them out."
"Thanks, I think." Grabbing the grease gun, I reached back in, wanting to make sure none of the blades seized up. "You happen to know how to drive a tractor?"
"Can't be hard, but never done it," he admitted.
"Yeah," I agreed. "Think Violet will give me a reference if I get fired for haying her land?"
"Think he'll fire you?"
I nodded. "Oh, I won't be surprised if he cans me after I finish feeding tonight. Bastard keeps catching me here, and he hates her."
"And your kid?" Cy asked.
I huffed at that. "Yeah. I'll figure something out. Her mom has custody. I just get every other weekend, although it's been more like every weekend lately. Wedding planning and all."
"So, on top of all of this, you're dealing with your ex getting remarried."
"Her first time," I corrected. "Meredith and I never got married. She was sixteen. I was seventeen. Her parents were willing to sign her away, but Vera talked me out of it. I didn't love her. I just wanted to get my dick wet, and well, that didn't work out so well."
"Your first?" he asked.
I chuckled. "And now I can believe you're a shrink, but yeah. Complete stereotype. I was the star football player and she was the cute cheerleader. No one bothered to teach us about birth control, and I was too much hot shit to deal with condoms. Didn't like how they felt. Thirteen years later, I'm not so opposed."
Cy held out his hand. "Pass me the grease gun and I'll get this side. Easier when you work together." When I pressed it into his hand, he got to work like he knew what to do with it. "And I'll mow the field. Figure you can give me a lesson up here, and if that asshole says shit, I'll make it clear I'm paying you for the knowledge."
"Don't really need you to cover for me," I pointed out.
"Maybe not, but sounds to me like your daughter might." He looked up, meeting my eyes, and smiled. "That's how it works in Southwind. We got your back so long as you got ours, and you've been taking care of Vi, so that counts."
"She likes tofu," I told him. "Ashton says she doesn't eat, but yeah, she ate that."
He nodded. "Wanna help me cook tonight? I can run out and grab some steaks for us, tofu for her - which I have never cooked in my life - and make a family meal of it? Bring your kid if you want?"
I shook my head. "Faith's with her mom all week, but yeah. I'll be here. Lemme guess, she doesn't cook either."
"No need to cook when you want to be a size zero," Cy pointed out. "I'm just glad she's finally gotten over the - " He stopped. "Right. You probably don't know that."
"Body image issues?" I asked, flashing him a smile. "I know how to use WebMD."
"Shit," he groaned. "First time ever that site has not been a headache for me. Just, don't do that. Ask me."
I made a production of rolling my eyes at him. "Oh, because you're a doctor or something?"
"What the fuck do you think a psychiatrist is?" he shot back. "Yeah, I'm a fucking doctor of psychiatric medicine. Got most of the basics for general practice, so when you slice the shit out of your hand doing this, I can stitch you up. Just wait until my meds get here, ok?"
I rocked back on my heels and looked at this man in a whole new light. "No shit?" I asked.
"No shit," he assured me. "Doctor Cyan Marshall, MD, but I'd prefer to keep that on the down-low. Feels weird when people call me doctor."
"Cy it is," I agreed, deciding that maybe I didn't hate this man.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The guys ganged up on me for dinner that night. They had steak, but Luke had a new tofu recipe, and this one was better than the last. He also served it with quinoa and broccoli on a child-sized plate. Cy gave me shit about it even though I finally managed to clear the plate. That didn't mean I missed the look those two shared, but if it meant they were getting along, then I was ok with it.
Especially after the kiss. I apologized to Luke about that, but he said it wasn't a big deal. He also sounded like he meant it. Not that it made me less nervous, until he pointed out that he knew Mr. Simmons would try to start spreading rumors, and the last thing Southwind needed was a Bible group picketing at the front gates. He had a point, and it was close enough to the truth that I decided to just go with it.
But Luke didn't stay that night. He had a feeling that Mr. Simmons would be checking to see if he came home, and he didn't want to push his luck. Cy was upstairs unpacking when Luke left, so I tried to get a little more work done. I heard the clock chime for midnight, but didn't think much of it until Cy stepped in and tossed a towel at my desk.
