Chapter 17

I’m an asshole. I know that. I certainly don’t need some city girl to tell me I am, but clearly, it had taken just that for me to realize I’m being unfair. I don’t think I’m going to like the woman. She’s too talkative, too smiley, wears a lot of black. I don’t like it. I don’t trust it. With the way Wiley looks at her, I know she’s nothing but trouble.

Even if she’s gorgeous.

I hadn’t told her how to bring the calf over to the truck on purpose. Both because I’m looking to be entertained and because I wanna see how she handles the task. Some might give up right away. Others would ask for help. Clearly, Kate is stubborn and won’t ask me for help unless she has to. I’ve made sure of that with my attitude. She starts off by cooing to the calf like it’s a baby kitten, talking to it. The calf stares at her and shifts a little closer to its mom. Surprisingly, she gets close enough to pat the calf and try to coax it over to the truck. The moment she reaches for the neck of the thing though, it moos in protest and leaps away, refusing to go with her.

“Hey! Come back here!” Kate shouts and gives chase. She’s wearing tennis shoes and thin pants, hardly the type of clothing that belongs out here. I think to warn her about the cow patties, but she steps in one before I can warn her, and I can’t help but snort as she gasps and plugs her nose. “Ew!”

I’m watching her in amusement when Dakota drives up on a four-wheeler behind us. He hops off and takes in the scene in front of us before looking over at me with a sigh. The mama takes notice of Kate trying to catch her calf and moos in warning. She paws at the ground and Kate’s eyes widen. She holds up her hands in surrender, as if a cow will recognize that.

“Nice cow,” she says. “I’m just trying to help. I’m promise I won’t hurt your baby.”

The cow snorts again and takes another step.

“Did you explain how to bring the calf in?” Dakota asks, taking note of the rope still sitting on the tailgate.

“No,” I answer honestly. “I did not.”

“You trying to make her quit?” Dakota sighs. “I thought we’d agreed on this. We need help. She came looking.”

“There are better options,” I grumble.

“Where?” Dakota grunts. “Because they sure ain’t coming out here to ask for a job. We’re short already, and even if you don’t like it, she’s happy to help.”

“I don’t trust her,” I admit. “She’s hiding something.”

“Well, if it isn’t the pot calling the kettle black,” Dakota growls. “Get over it. Kate’s nice and we need her help, even if it’s just an extra hand.”

She’s not doing half bad, really, despite my best efforts to set her up for failure. I’d known the box was too heavy for her to carry, just as I knew the calf wouldn’t come willingly. Still, as I watch, she manages to calm down the mom and then the calf, petting them like they’re fucking dogs. I’ve never gotten that cow to let me touch her without proper gear, let alone petting her. What fucking magic does this woman have that she can do that?

Dakota grins over at me when he sees the same sight. “And she seems to have a way with animals.”

Christ. Okay. Yeah, I’ll give her that.

“Wiley says she pet Harry Trotter, too,” Dakota says. “He didn’t even try to bite her once.”

I blink over at him. “No.”

“Yep,” he nods. “Don’t underestimate her, Levi. Give her a chance. She’s trying and while I didn’t think it was a good idea at first, you can’t beat someone willing to try.”

I look out at her again, at the way her small hands pat at the calf as she starts to coax it to the truck. The gloves I brought for her will be four times too big for her hands. The tennis shoes aren’t good for anything around here. She needs some boots. Her cheeks look sunburnt and will probably get worse with the high sun today. Those pants will rip the first time she rubs against a fence post, but at least her ass looks nice in them.

I sigh. “We’re gonna have to take her to get the proper gear,” I say, glancing over at Dakota. “If she’s going to stick around.”

In the distance, the calf decides it’s all a game and jerks away from Kate. Instead of getting angry, she laughs and gives chase again. Her hair reflects in the sunlight, and at the roots, I see her natural brown coming through the black, as if she dyes it but hasn’t gotten to it in time. As she laughs and slips in the mud from our recent rain, going down in it, her laughter only brightens, and something about the scene, of her covered in mud, of the calf sniffing at her to see if she’s okay, makes me realize what Wiley sees in her. Despite where she’s from, she seems at home here. Even if her hands are covered in ripped blisters and her ass in mud.

Dakota laughs at the sight. “I’ll take her into town soon. In the meantime, go easy on the woman. Go on and help her.”

“But this is so much more entertaining,” I say, but secretly I just want to watch her out there. She’s beautiful, bright, like a sunflower tipping it’s face up to the sunshine despite her clear preference for darker clothing.

“You sneaky thing,” she chastises the calf. “I’ll have you know these shots are for your own good. We wouldn’t want you getting polio.”

I snort. I don’t know whether it’s cute or foolish that she thinks we’re vaccinating for polio. But when she laughs again, I realize she was only joking, and I’d not given her the chance to appear intelligent to begin with.

“Yes,” Dakota says as he claps me on the back. “But she needs to learn the proper way. She’s already doing good. Just give her some pointers.”

“Fine,” I grumble, uncrossing my arms and going out to help her.

Even if I just want to keep watching her be a sunflower.

Even if I want to be the sun.