“Then you’ll need these.” I shoved a pair of gloves her way that would be way too big, but they’d protect her hands. “Did you check them for spiders?” I asked as she went to put them on.
The gloves went sailing over my head and landed on the grass, some of the cows going to investigate. Mackenzie stood there, barely suppressing a shudder as she flicked her hands out. With a chuckle, I retrieved them from one of the cows who was about to give the leather a good chew. Making a show of slapping them against the side of the truck, I checked the insides, then handed them back. That earned me a dark look as she thrust her hands into the gloves, then started tossing out chunks of hay to the very excited cattle.
“Just be aware, things are gonna get a bit bumpy,” I said.
“You worried I can’t handle a rough ride, cowboy?” she asked as she went back for more hay. “Trust me, I can take whatever you dish out.”
Get in the damn car and drive, I thought furiously, but instead I just stood there and stared. Probably because I was seeing a whole other scenario right now. The feed dispensed with and the thick blanket I kept in the back of my car spread out across the tray. The prickle of the wool against my bare back as I worked out exactly how rough a ride she could handle. Walking away took all the effort I could muster, and when I got behind the wheel, I let a shuddering breath out.
I had it bad.
Mackenzie was cute, curvy, and just the way I liked a woman: full of attitude, but as I gripped the steering wheel, I remembered my mother’s expression when she found out Dad wasn’t going to stick around to care for her when she battled cancer.
Drysdale men were no good to any woman and that dire fact had me pressing my foot down on the accelerator.
So why did I watch her closely in the rear-vision mirror? To make sure she didn’t cut a damn finger off as she sliced open bale after bale of hay? To ensure she stayed on her feet and didn’t pitch over the side of the ute? Or was it because the mostperfectly formed arse I’d ever seen filled the mirror and I was hypnotised by its motion as she bent over to grab handful after handful of feed.
“Don’t say a thing,” I growled at Sparky as he stared over at me.
Of course, he didn’t. At least one creature on this damn farm listened to me and that was my dog.
“You did good,”I said when we got back to the shed. “Because I’m not sure what we would’ve done if you cut your finger off.”
“Told you so,” she said smugly, her hands going to her hips.
Part of me wanted to rearrange my day, have Mackenzie in the ute beside me until dinner time, but as if sensing my inappropriate thoughts, my phone started ringing.
“Troy,” I said and her eyebrow cocked up at my curt greeting.
“G’day, Troy,” a familiar voice said. “Got that truckload of hay for you…”
Farm work was hard, long and never ending, and the delivery driver’s news reinforced that. I didn’t have time to show pretty American girls around the farm, just to see her smile, so I ended the call and turned to Mackenzie.
“Gotta go,” I informed her. “Me and the boys will be moving hay all day.” She straightened up at that. “Go and see Charlie. She might have something for you to do.”
Keeping the farm running, making sure my family was provided for, that had been my focus since I was just out of high school, and with droughts and unpredictable market prices, that was truer now than it was then. I marched over to the shed, ready to meet the truck as it backed its load in.
So why did it take everything I had not to look back over my shoulder at Mackenzie?
Get your head out of your arse, I told myself,and back on what’s important.
Trouble is, my head might be right, but my heart? It was beginning to think Mackenzie might be very important.
Chapter 9
Mackenzie
“You did good.”
So why did Troy stomp off, his face like thunder?Because he’s an asshole, I thought, shaking my head.
A really hot asshole.
The way he jerked open his bedroom door, revealing a truly impressive chest and that wasn’t all. My cheeks flamed as I remembered staring at Troy in all his morning glory. Turns out his ego was as big as his?—
“Troy’s cranky again?” Charlie appeared by my side.
Stifling a little yelp, I turned and smiled at her.
