low.
Yes, sir, the little girl next door had gone and grown up sometime when he hadn’t been looking.
The overall effect of the meeting had been a confused mix of emotions that married together to create a pounding headache. Jake figured the best cure for a headache was work…at least, that’s what his Pop had always claimed.
They’d had a sick heifer, a few days earlier. The vet had diagnosed her with hemlock poisoning. It was odd because typically the cattle didn’t eat the stuff unless there was a severe drought, which there wasn’t. Still, that cow had wandered from the herd for a few hours during a move to a different field…never would have happened if Jake hadn’t left Boone and Dallas to do the job. When they found her, she’d been near the creek.
So that was where Jake was headed. The creek bed was flat where the cow had been, so Jake was able to drive right up to the bank. He was about to get out when he looked up through his dirt-smattered windshield and froze. Beyond a broken fence separating Deathridge and Turner property, lounging on a large, flat rock with her feet dangling in the water, was the little girl next door. In a yellow sundress. With her hair down. Miles from the uptight businesswoman she’d been earlier that day.
She had an open book in her hand, but was staring at him in shock. Jake grinned, got out of his truck, and splashed through the shallow part of the creek toward the broken fence. “Whose responsibility is this fence?” he asked, as though he even cared.
“Sell us your property and it’ll be ours.” She met him at the fence, her book abandoned on the rock, and rested a hand on her hip. She was standing ankle deep in creek water, goosebumps spreading up her legs. The dress was thin enough that he could see other evidence of the chill, too. Jake forced himself to look up at her eyes.
“No chance,” he said.
“Then I guess it’s all yours. Because I’m sure as hell not fixing it.”
He nodded toward her side of the creek. “See that brush over there?”
She turned to look.
“There’s hemlock growing in there. It’s all along that side of the bank on both sides of the fence. We nearly lost a cow because of it.”
“Huh. Weird. Well, thanks for the head’s up. That why you came down?”
“Yup. What about you? Kind of early in the day to be taking off work.”
“I had a rough morning. Some stubborn ass won’t make the best business deal of his life. It’s frustrating watching good people make bad decisions.”
He fought back a smile as he stared at her smart mouth. He leaned to the side to see past her. “Good book?”
She edged over to block his view. “Yes, as a matter of fact it is.”
“Is that a romance novel? You don’t seem like the type.”
“I read serious literature.”
“Just not today?”
“It’s not a romance, it’s…”
“I see a gray cover with a tie. Now I don’t know much about books and reading and all that, Miss Ivy, but that there is a romance novel.”
She stomped and huffed. “You know what, there’s nothing wrong with an intelligent woman reading romance novels. It’s very…liberating.”
“Whatever you say, ma’am,” he said, with a tip of his stetson.
“At least I’m literate.”
He studied her and decided to let her have the win. Her defiant chin was just too much. He wouldn’t want to break her spirit even if he could.
“Well,” he said, taking a step back. “I guess I ought to work on this another time. Wouldn’t wanna keep you from…liberating…yourself.”
He winked, enjoyed her sweet blush for a moment, and turned away.
“Wait.” She ran back to her rock and returned with her cell phone. She stepped over the broken part of the fence, the creek water now calf-deep on her. She thumb-tapped on her phone and then turned it to face him. “What do you think of these numbers?”
He studied them, giving nothing of his surprise away. “That’s the land and the
Yes, sir, the little girl next door had gone and grown up sometime when he hadn’t been looking.
The overall effect of the meeting had been a confused mix of emotions that married together to create a pounding headache. Jake figured the best cure for a headache was work…at least, that’s what his Pop had always claimed.
They’d had a sick heifer, a few days earlier. The vet had diagnosed her with hemlock poisoning. It was odd because typically the cattle didn’t eat the stuff unless there was a severe drought, which there wasn’t. Still, that cow had wandered from the herd for a few hours during a move to a different field…never would have happened if Jake hadn’t left Boone and Dallas to do the job. When they found her, she’d been near the creek.
So that was where Jake was headed. The creek bed was flat where the cow had been, so Jake was able to drive right up to the bank. He was about to get out when he looked up through his dirt-smattered windshield and froze. Beyond a broken fence separating Deathridge and Turner property, lounging on a large, flat rock with her feet dangling in the water, was the little girl next door. In a yellow sundress. With her hair down. Miles from the uptight businesswoman she’d been earlier that day.
She had an open book in her hand, but was staring at him in shock. Jake grinned, got out of his truck, and splashed through the shallow part of the creek toward the broken fence. “Whose responsibility is this fence?” he asked, as though he even cared.
“Sell us your property and it’ll be ours.” She met him at the fence, her book abandoned on the rock, and rested a hand on her hip. She was standing ankle deep in creek water, goosebumps spreading up her legs. The dress was thin enough that he could see other evidence of the chill, too. Jake forced himself to look up at her eyes.
“No chance,” he said.
“Then I guess it’s all yours. Because I’m sure as hell not fixing it.”
He nodded toward her side of the creek. “See that brush over there?”
She turned to look.
“There’s hemlock growing in there. It’s all along that side of the bank on both sides of the fence. We nearly lost a cow because of it.”
“Huh. Weird. Well, thanks for the head’s up. That why you came down?”
“Yup. What about you? Kind of early in the day to be taking off work.”
“I had a rough morning. Some stubborn ass won’t make the best business deal of his life. It’s frustrating watching good people make bad decisions.”
He fought back a smile as he stared at her smart mouth. He leaned to the side to see past her. “Good book?”
She edged over to block his view. “Yes, as a matter of fact it is.”
“Is that a romance novel? You don’t seem like the type.”
“I read serious literature.”
“Just not today?”
“It’s not a romance, it’s…”
“I see a gray cover with a tie. Now I don’t know much about books and reading and all that, Miss Ivy, but that there is a romance novel.”
She stomped and huffed. “You know what, there’s nothing wrong with an intelligent woman reading romance novels. It’s very…liberating.”
“Whatever you say, ma’am,” he said, with a tip of his stetson.
“At least I’m literate.”
He studied her and decided to let her have the win. Her defiant chin was just too much. He wouldn’t want to break her spirit even if he could.
“Well,” he said, taking a step back. “I guess I ought to work on this another time. Wouldn’t wanna keep you from…liberating…yourself.”
He winked, enjoyed her sweet blush for a moment, and turned away.
“Wait.” She ran back to her rock and returned with her cell phone. She stepped over the broken part of the fence, the creek water now calf-deep on her. She thumb-tapped on her phone and then turned it to face him. “What do you think of these numbers?”
He studied them, giving nothing of his surprise away. “That’s the land and the
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