“In you hop, mister.” She holds the door open, one hip cocked, a hand resting on it.
I’m not stupid enough to argue with a woman who takes that stance. Three sisters and a mother teaches you valuable life lessons. Lessons I’m always glad for when I’m working with or hanging out with women any time. I slide the crutch into the footwell and pull myself up with my hands. Sliding onto the seat, I get settled as Maggie shuts the door and walks around to the driver’s side.
Once she’s behind the wheel, she looks at me with anticipation. “Right, where to?”
“Follow the road past the barn and toward the gate down by those big old trees. It’s a way.”
She shifts the old girl into drive, and we’re bumping along the dirt road.
“What do you want to know about the ranch?”
“Anything. Everything.”
We roll to a slow stop as we reach the gate. I grab for the door handle and my crutch simultaneously.
“Ah, don’t you dare.” Maggie’s out of the truck and closing in on the gate faster than I could even hope to make it out of the seat.
Fuck, I hate feeling useless.
She looks around as she opens the gate and pushes it all the way back. Hopping back in, she drives us through before leaving to shut the gate.
My head hits the headrest as my eyes close on a groan.
The last thing I wanted was to be an invalid when—if she ever came out here. Now she’s practically my caretaker. Christ.
The truck jostles and the door shuts. “Straight ahead, boss?”
I chuckle and open my eyes. “Now you’re getting it, Sunshine.”
She gives me a deadpan look and shifts the stick into gear. Hell, if anyone is someone’s boss, she’s mine.
The last two words have me needing to set my gaze on the road ahead and remind myself what the damn task is. We rattle along the road, heading west for the back fields of the ranch. After another few gates, we make the cows and calves.
Maggie pulls up short of the herd, and I climb down and grab my crutch. Hobbling over the uneven ground, I wander as far as I can to check them out. Calves are feeding well, most on the udder still. Some attempt the grass.
I should have brought them in closer to the homestead, but Kayley and I couldn’t tee up a time to round them up. Maybe Maggie could help me. Put Gem and Nia on a horse or the truck, we could make it.
My knee won’t be seeing a horse for at least another week.
“They’re amazing, Hadley. Look at that one! It’s so stinking cute.” She scrunches her nose up, pointing to one of the newer calves as he nudges his mother’s udder. Protesting his hunger.
“Just a baby. They really need to be closer to the main house. The fields behind the horses would be better to keep an eye on them.”
“Will wolves get them out here?”
She gets it.
“It’s a possibility. The cows are good at protecting their babies, but the little ones wander off sometimes.”
“Oh.”
“Come on, by the time we head back and do chores, it’ll be almost time for supper.”
“Can’t wait.”
“For chores?” I chuckle, adjusting the hat on my head.
“Here to help, remember?”
“Yeah, Sunshine, I remember.”
Icanwait for supper with my nosy sisters. But the fact that I have three whole days with this incredible woman, I’ll be counting my lucky stars the second they grace the evening sky.
