But he was determined to work hard in the field today and make up for it if he could.
And he was maybe just a little excited for Ella to be the one showing him the ropes.
But just a little.
4
ELLA
Ella scolded herself as she headed out to the north field with her mom by her side and Dalton Tyler trailing behind them.
She’d been in such a hurry to defend her father’s self-appointed job that she’d been sharp with Andy’s best friend, and she felt terrible about it now. The poor guy was only trying to be helpful. And he’d obviously worked pretty hard. Ella didn’t think she’d ever seen the kitchen that clean before.
What’s wrong with me? Why are my emotions still all over the place?
But she knew already that the answer wouldn’t help her. All she could do was try to be kinder and more patient.
The trouble was that every time that brilliant blue gaze landed on her, she felt like he was looking into her soul.
You’re just a little on edge,she tried to tell herself.You don’t spend enough time with people your own age.
Her parents always encouraged her to go out with her old friends from high school, or even date. But all Ella wanted was to hold her family close, and soak in every minute she could. She knew more than most that the future wasn’t promised.
“Looking forward to harvesting?” Mom asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.
“I guess so,” Ella said.
“Gets us one step closer to wintertime,” Mom added with a wink.
Wintertime was the best. Of course they had plenty of chores to get the farm ready for next year, and Dad spent a lot of time scratching his head over the books to be sure the taxes were properly paid. But for the most part, it was an opportunity to rest, read, bake, and just relax.
“I do love winter,” Ella agreed, feeling better when Mom wrapped an arm around her.
“Now, Dalton,” Mom said, waving for him to catch up. “Here’s where we are with the sweet potatoes.”
He jogged up to walk by the women, his expression intent as he listened.
“We irrigated and cultivated really well already,” Mom explained.
Dalton frowned.
“Irrigating is basically watering,” Ella put in. “And cultivating is turning up the soil to loosen it.”
“I thought you did those things before planting,” Dalton said.
“We do,” Ella told him. “But we do it again before harvest to get rid of the weeds, and pull up the runners.”
“Those are sort of like vines,” her mother put in. “Ithelps make it easier to get the potatoes out of the ground.”
“Okay,” Dalton said. “I understand now.”
“Well, today is the fun part,” Mom said with a smile. “Today, we get to drive the harvester and turn up the potatoes.”
“That’s a machine?” Dalton asked.
“It sure is,” Mom said. “And thank goodness for it, because if we had to do the whole thing by hand, it would take a lot more than just us.”
“So, the machine just picks the potatoes?” he asked.
