Page 71 of Heart & Hope

“Looks like it.” Mack nods at Reed. “You need a bib, little bro?”

Reed’s mouth and chin has my wetness all over it. Praying the floor will do me a solid and swallow me whole, I close my eyes and grip the doorknob like it’s the only thing that can hold me up right now.

Reed grins and wipes his face with the tea towel that hangs on the oven door. Making a mental note to throw that pieceof linen away, I shut the door and make my way to the table. Sitting, I take up my coffee with both hands, homing in on the brown liquid that will hopefully save me.

No luck.

“I can wait in the barn, if you two wanna finish what you started?” Mack says. His smile is genuine, albeit full of cheek. They are so similar, these two.

“Actually,” I start, barely brave enough to make eye contact, “I should go change. Lots of work to be done before we start out.”

“Going for a ride, Rubes?” Mack winks.

“No, you idiot.” Reed tosses the tea towel at him, and I cringe, holding my breath. Mack catches it with one hand as Reed drains his coffee cup. “We’re going out to find some spots for the guests to ride to, camp out, etc. Me and Rubes.”

“Just you and Rubes?”

“Mack”—Reed grips his shoulder—“follow us and I will back the tractor over you.”

“Taking the new wheels for a spin, hey?”

“Yeah, Harry wants post holes dug for a new fence line. Two birds, one stone, and all that.”

“Sweet Jesus, Harry and his fencing. I swear, it’s his favorite fucking sport.” Mack tosses the tea towel at Reed’s head. “See you at the barn, lover boy.”

“Fuck off, Mackie.”

Mack chuckles, walking through the door. When it closes behind him, heat is still blazing its way across my cheeks. I’m not embarrassed about being with Reed, but being caught doing that at all is mortifying. Like it should only be something the person you adore the most in the whole world is privy to.

My brain short circuits with the realization that the man standing in front of me is that.

And like that, The Rule, number one—no dating, no distractions—that I have lived by for so, so long, goes up in a brilliant ball of fire.

Fuck, fucketty, flaming fuck.

The big red tractor purrs next to me. And to say I’m dwarfed by its enormous size and power would be an utter understatement. Reed putters around the barn, plucking up a toolbox and a bundle of rags. Okay...

When he climbs up the step of the tractor and opens the cab door, he dumps the items behind the seat. Back down, he walks to the back of the machine, muttering to himself, something like a checklist. A few clangs, and he reappears.

“Right, ready for a ride in my big shiny tractor, baby?”

I chuckle. “I think so.”

He climbs up and opens the door. The seat sinks on coiled springs when he drops into it. Tilting his head, coaxing me in, he holds out a hand. I put a foot onto the grilled foothold and push up into the tractor. In his Wranglers, a faded blue work shirt, and brown cowboy hat, he is so damn fine. Even in his worn-out, old clothes, this man is god’s gift to women.

When I’m securely inside, he closes the door behind me and pats his thigh. “Have a seat.”

In my new cowgirl boots, I spin and drop onto his lap. A huffy laugh rattles through his chest. The white sundress I wore seems silly now. But with no underwear on, I plan on making the most of our time alone in the middle of the gorgeous Montana countryside.

Reed’s arms wrap around my waist, resting one hand on a lever and the other on the wheel. He slides the lever forward and the already loud tractor roars. I swear a moan rumbles from Reed behind me. This man really loves his machines. The giant wheels behind us turn slow as we roll out of the barn and into the morning sunshine.

“Hold the wheel for me, babes. I got to check the PTO.”

“Oh, okay.”

The tractor all but stops as he flicks a toggle switch, and the long shaft swinging behind the tractor rumbles to life, turning on its axis. He lets it run a minute and then flicks it off. When the metal spiral stills, his hand covers mine, and he pushes the lever forward again. We chug along to the first gate.

“This is the part where you earn your ride. Grab the gate, baby.”

---