With a casual shrug of his shoulders he rested the glass down on the countertop and looked to me with a half-smile.
“Well, sheddin’ those fast too at this rate,” he said oh so casually, lookin’ me up and down without a lick of shame, not like the shy farmboys I knew all my life, who were only brave or brazen when in a pack of their friends. “Room and board, and a daily pay is all I ask, and I’ll do whatever needs doing around the farm. You got work needs to be done, I’ll get it done. No fuss. That’s my guarantee, Shelby,” he said with such firm assurance, leaving me without a shred of doubt in his abilities.
I looked at him and gave a soft nod. I wasn’t kidding anyone if I thought for a second I wouldn’t hire him on. And the idea of cooking for a man, and having dinner with him, that didn’t turn me away from it at all.
“Agreed,” I said as I drank the rest of my water. “There’s lots that needs done and you seem pretty quick about it.”
“There’s only a couple things I’m slow about, hun,” he remarked so casually, pushing himself up from the countertop and leaving his glass behind. “Now you got a shed I can store my bike in while I’m not using it? Rather it stay clean and dry, if it can be helped.
There he was, looming over me, tall as a mountain it seemed, and just as large. All tattooed, tanned flesh over hard, corded muscle. Whatever he did before, if it weren’t farm work, it was somethin’ tough.
And with his first comment, it took me a while to get enough awareness about anything else to really hear what he said next, something about his bike.
What’d he mean going slow about things anyways?
My heart was thudding like my body was hopeful it was something dirty, and I was struggling not to blush.
“What? Oh, yea, yea, the shed, sure. We keep the tractor and stuff, you can use that if you want.”
He looked me over again and gave a firm nod.
“Thanks,” he said simply before heading towards the door. “I’m gonna park it on in there, and then you can tell me more about what needs doing. Won’t take me long to finish up that fence for you anyhow,” he said simply before strutting on out, that tight rear of his on display as he headed on up the path.
I had no idea what I was gettin’ myself into. Never so much as seen a man like him around, let alone spent much time with him. But there he was, topless as he got up on his hog and pulled it on into the tractor shed with the other equipment.
I leaned against the kitchen counter as I stared, and I swear, if I’d been a few years younger I’d probably have had little birds and hearts floating around my golden hair.
As it was, I instead had this warmth between my thighs and a longing I’d never felt before, not like that, not ever.
I spent most of the rest of that day puttin’ together supper. It’d been a while since I had an excuse to go all out like that. Most of my days had been spent doin’ all the work that Asher was up to, on my own, after all. A day of that left a gal in the mood for one thing: fast and easy food, that’s it.
Instead, I got to spend my time gettin’ reacquainted with my old culinary skills, whippin’ up a roast chicken, with mashed taters and veggies, all fresh from the garden. And of course, usin’ my time in front of the kitchen window to admire my new view.
Though as I was gettin’ ready to go out
and call Asher in, there came trouble up the road. Trouble, thy name is Marcus.
Sure, my older cousin was no big deal, he was more bark than bite. But he could sure bark a lot when he got somethin’ stuck in his craw, and I had a feelin’ Asher was one of those things that’d stay stuck.
Though as Marcus pulled up and got out of his truck, the big smile on his face said he hadn’t yet noticed the big hunk over in the farmhouse yet.
“Hey, how you holdin’ up?” Marcus asked, as he walked on up, hands in his pockets.
“Fine, what’re you here for?” I asked, and I knew I was being way too terse. He was going to figure it out in a second if I kept up like that. “I didn’t expect to see you again is all, is everything alright?”
“Just figured I’d stop by, see how you was doin’,” he said, smilin’ and takin’ with no notice of my rude behaviour. “Thought you might be tuckered after all day, and wanna head into town for some of Miss Maddy’s cookin’.”
Of course, there was only the one restaurant in our sleepy little farm ‘town’. And it was one I was ashamed to say I spent more than I should at.
“It’s fine, Marcus, I’ve actually...” I paused. If I mentioned a feast, he’d want to stay and it’d be rude to say no, but I was greedily wanting not to have to deal with his bark right yet. But I couldn’t think fast enough to come up with a plausible excuse to get him gone.
“I made up some chicken already, is all,” I said.
“Oh, well… could put that in the pantry for now. Dinner’s on me, after all,” he said with a toothy grin. “Or… we’s could split it,” he added on, lookin’ impish and cute. Though that faded mighty fast once I saw his eyes dart over to the side, towards the barn house, and a grim look took hold.
I could swear he thought we was about to be murdered! But when I looked over, it was just Asher, comin’ out of the barn, topless and with his shirt in hand.
It was awkward. He’d already told me off for being too trusting, and here he was trying to be nice and family like and I’ve gone behind his back. But I couldn’t help but stare at Asher longer than was polite. Sweat accentuated his muscles, making him shine just a little, and I was entranced.