"Hi," she says. “What’s going on here?" She looks around and sees all the men starting to work.
"Thought I would come by and give this little lady a ride on the tractor. What do you say?" my grandfather says. “If that is okay with your momma,” he says, and the smile just fills my face when I see Sofia’s eyes light up.
"Momma, a tractor,” she says and looks over to the tractor and then walks to my grandfather.
"Let’s go, sunshine," she tells him, and I can’t help the laugh that escapes me.
Chapter 20
Hazel
I watch in disbelief as Sofia walks with Billy toward the tractor. "We shouldn’t be here long," Casey says, looking at me. “But when we’re done, she can run free." I don’t say anything to him as he walks away.
"I thought I would be able to give you a warning," Reed says.
"A warning?" I ask, confused.
"I called the guys last night after I left here,” he says. “I didn’t think they would be so gung ho." He looks toward the field where everyone is working. "I’m going to go and make sure that Sofia likes me more than Grandpa," he says and turns to walk away but stops. “Oh, and you look beautiful today." He smirks at me and continues to walk to our daughter. His words cause my mouth to open and close.
"Don’t go there, Hazel," I tell myself, turning and walking back into the house, going to the kitchen. I stand in front of the sink, looking out at the men in my yard.
"It’s what they do." I hear Pops’ voice in my head clear as day. “Family takes care of family." I swallow the sob, wishing he was here. Wishing he could see the day that Reed learned he was a father. I wish he could see how much he loves our little girl. I wish he would be here to sit on the porch with Billy as they talk about the little girl who holds a piece of both of them.
I see Billy on the tractor now with Sofia on his lap as he lets her pretend she’s driving. The smile on her face is worth everything I have to go through. Being here isn’t as much of a nightmare as I thought it would be.
Turning, I walk to the fridge and freezer. I take out stuff to make lunch for the men, but first, I start making my special chocolate chunk cookies. Ever since I got back home, I’ve been baking every single day, and I have to admit it’s calmed me down when I thought I would be a nervous wreck.
I put the cookies on the tray and place them in the oven and then start making the chicken and cranberry sandwiches. I take out the three loaves of fresh bread I baked yesterday, and also get to making more sweet tea.
The door opens when I’m placing the sandwiches on a platter, and I look over to see Sofia running in. “Momma, I’m hungry," she says. She is covered in dirt, but nothing could tear me away from the sparkle in her eyes. “And I drive the tractor."
"Drove," I correct her. “Go wash your hands, and you can have some lunch,” I say when the oven timer rings. Taking the cookies out, I place them on the stovetop to cool. "I’m going to go tell the boys to come in and eat,” I say. “I’ll be right back."
I walk toward where Casey and Billy stand as they look at Reed on the tractor. "I thought you guys might be hungry, so I made some sandwiches and sweet tea." I point with my thumb toward the house.
"You didn’t have to," Billy says.
"Neither did you." I smile at him. “But here you are. It’s the least I could do."
Billy smiles while Casey puts two fingers in his mouth and whistles. “Chomping time."
The guys drop what they’re doing and follow me inside, and I realize how small the house is when the men have to sit half in the living room and half in the kitchen. "What is this?" Ethan takes a bite of the sandwich.
"Chicken salad with cranberry,” I say.
"This is good,” he says, taking another bite. I look around, making sure the men have food and are drinking.
"We did a lot," Reed says, standing next to me. “We should be done in a couple of hours."
"Can I drive the tractor again?" Sofia asks, and Billy nods.
The men thank me for lunch, and I almost forget the cookies. "Holy shit," Billy says and then looks over at Sofia. “Holy crap, these are amazing."
"Thank you,” I say. “It’s a secret recipe my great-grandmother had, and over the years, I’ve tweaked it just a touch."
"Well, it’s perfect," he says. When they leave, there is not one piece of food left.