“I did have one problem you might be able to help me with.” He picked up the spatula Millie had set aside and started to pile biscuits from his tray onto the serving platter with hers.
“What’s that?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.
When the older woman’s gaze met his, he winked and Andy took another swallow of coffee, determined to ignore the two of them.
“It’s a little embarrassing,” he said, dropping his voice conspiratorially.
Definitely not paying attention.
Millie stopped stirring the eggs long enough to face him.
“I love doing yoga in the morning, but I can’t seem to get Andy to stop looking at my butt.”
Millie’s laughter rang out through the kitchen and Andy tried not to choke on the coffee she’d inhaled. The older woman laughed so hard she practically doubled over wheezing while Andy tried to stifle her coughing and convince her lungs to forgive her for trying to breathe in a liquid. Liam, on the other hand, stood in the corner of the kitchen, looking cool as a cucumber while chaos reigned around him.
“That’s not true and you know it,” she said as soon as she managed to catch her breath again.
“You look Millie in the eye and deny it,” he said, innocence personified.If innocence was six two with rock-hard muscles and a dirty mind.“I dare you.”
She couldn’t. Millie would see the lie.
“You were the one looking at my ass,” she grumbled, grabbing a bowl of tangy goat’s milk yogurt and a jar of homemade strawberry preserves from the refrigerator.
Liam closed the distance between them, taking the things from her hands before she could move out of his way. He leaned in close enough for her to feel the warmth from his body and murmured low enough so only she could hear.
“Of course I was. You’ve got a spectacular ass.”
His words sent an unwelcome thrill running through her. She hated that he could so easily knock her off-balance. Slow and steady was her thing everywhere except where Liam was concerned. Before she could figure out what to do about it, the back door opened and Mike and Travis came in, followed by Jake.
Saved by the bell, she thought, not sure which of them she meant.
“Morning,” she said as they filed in a determined line for the coffee pot. All except Jake. He went straight to the refrigerator and the Mountain Dew she kept stocked there for him. It made her cringe to think of a grown man starting his day with the sugary drink. Especially considering that some days it was the only green thing he consumed, but it was a classic case of picking battles and giving Jake grief about his food choices wasn’t an argument she had any intention of ever having. He really wasn’t that far away from being a teenager. If he wanted to eat like one, it wasn’t anybody’s business but his.
Without saying a word, Mike ripped open a biscuit and shoved a piece of sausage and a scoop of eggs inside. Millie hurried to hand him a paper towel before the eggs tumbled onto her mostly clean floor. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and snagged another piece of sausage as he balanced his coffee mug and biscuit in the other hand.
“I’m late to milk,” he said, heading for the door.
Farm life might force them all to be morning people, but that didn’t mean they had to like it. Andy had a feeling the risk of personal injury and his love of the goats were the only things that got Mike up before eight.
“Do you need help?” she called before he could get out the door. She still had to figure out what to do with Liam for the day.
“Naw, I’ve got it.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “I’m going to swing into town after I finish to pick up feed at the Southern States. Do you need anything?”
“Not that I can think of.” She turned back to Travis and Jake parked at the table with Liam, their plates practically groaning under the weight of Millie’s cooking.
Honestly, it really wasn’t fair that they got to eat like that and still look like they did. She worked hard and pretty much ate what she wanted, but it wasn’t the same for women as it was for men. Feeding these guys was a lot like feeding a bonfire. No matter how much fuel you gave it, there was always room for more. Putting a scoop of eggs next to her biscuit, she took her plate to the table and sat in the chair as far away from Liam as she could get. She glanced up in time to see Millie rolling her eyes at her like a seventy-year-old teenager. Ignoring the older woman’s disapproval, she ladled a spoonful of yogurt onto her plate and topped it with a dollop of strawberry preserves.
She made the tart, creamy yogurt herself and it was hands down her favorite breakfast. If they ever had a surplus of milk, she might try adding it to the list of products she sold at the market. She could use the same tubs they used for the chevre and the process was much faster, so she could get the product out quicker. But unless they added goats, she didn’t see them having enough milk for more than the cheese and the soap.
Without the extra pasture, they were maxed out on the number of animals they could realistically graze. She could cram them together but aside from the fact that the goats would hate it and so would Mike, there was a law of diminishing return. Too many goats too close together would wreck the pasture, which meant she’d have to spend more on feed to supplement and taking them off grass would change the flavor of their milk, which was kind of the point.
Sinking into the silence around her, she ate her breakfast and ran through the other jobs that needed to be done and the best place to send Liam, the butt looker, to keep him out of her hair for the day. By the time she’d finished her breakfast, she’d eliminated all but one option.
“Jake, can you take Liam with you this morning?”
The younger man glanced up at her, clearly uncomfortable. “I’m plowing the eastern field. Mike wants to get the clover seeded before the rain starts.”
She knew that. They’d talked about it the day before. It was supposed to rain overnight. If they got the seed in the ground first, it would give it a couple days’ head start and they’d be able to move the goats that much sooner in the summer.
Which meant Jake would be on the tractor all day, and with everyone else busy, that left nowhere for Liam to go. She glanced his way, halfway hoping he’d offer to make himself scarce for the day. Instead of acknowledging the difficulty he was making for her, he happily shoveled eggs into his mouth. Almost like he took pleasure in her discomfort. Hell, no almost about it. She knew he liked making her uncomfortable. It wasn’t like he kept it a secret.
That didn’t mean she had to give him the satisfaction. It might be nice to put the shoe on the other foot for a change.
“Finish up, Liam. It looks like you’re with me today,” she said, pretty sure she was going to regret every minute of her very long day.
