Page 50 of Haystacks and Hoaxes

Johnny ignored his jibe. “Whatcha doing?” He leaned over the back of the sofa, raining cookie crumbs on Rock. One of them bounced onto Teddy’s paw.

He cracked an eyelid open and licked it off.

Before Rock could answer the question, Johnny chortled, “Aw, are you two house shopping together? Co-zy!” He drawled out the word, milking it for the maximum amount of drama.

Rock brushed cookie crumbs off his shoulder. “Justgetting a second opinion about the place I’m thinking of purchasing.”

Johnny gave Rock’s tablet a leisurely once-over. Then he announced out of the blue, “I just put a bid on a dairy farm.”

“A dairy farm!” Rock twisted around to study him curiously. “Are you serious?”

Johnny shrugged and straightened. “I’m a bull rider from a family of ranchers. Raising cattle is right up our alley.”

“Where’s the property?” Looking fascinated, Rock grilled him on the details. They were soon caught up in a lively discussion about Holstein herds and dairy production.

Mila was content to listen and learn while softly running her fingers across Teddy’s and Bear’s furry heads. She liked how animated Johnny sounded about his forthcoming jaunt into the dairy business. In the short time she’d known him, it was the most excited she’d seen him get over anything. Naturally, it made her curious all over again why Decker claimed the holidays were hard for Johnny. Had he lost someone he loved? A grandparent? A parent? A close friend?

Her phone vibrated with an incoming text, making anxiety tighten her throat. She managed to maneuver the phone out of the pocket of her jeans without disturbing the puppies. To her disappointment, it was an advertisement about a holiday sale at Modello’s, not the hoped-for Christmas greeting from her mother.

Her heart sank. It was the first Christmas they’d ever spent apart.My fault entirely.A few days ago, skipping the holiday cruise with her parents had seemed like the right thing to do. However, multiple brushes with deaththroughout the week, coupled with the arrest warrant issued for her mother, had sapped all the joy out of it.

Johnny abruptly reached around Rock to scratch one of the puppies behind the ears. “Cute little fellas. Feel free to bring ‘em out to the dairy farm anytime you want. There will be plenty of room for them to stretch their legs and kick up their heels. Guaranteed.”

“That’s a really nice offer. Thanks!” Her growing friendship with him and the Hefners were two of the brightest spots in her life right now. Without them, she’d probably be holed up in her brother’s sunroom with Ollie and Daisy.

Rock stood and stretched. “I’m grabbing coffee. Any other takers?”

“Me!” Her hand shot up. Maybe a shot of caffeine would help vanquish the webs of melancholy.

Johnny waved two fingers in the air. “If you’re pouring, I’m accepting.” After Rock left the room, he moved around the couch and dropped to the floor in front of Mila.

Leaning his head back against the cushion, he caught her eye. “You okay?”

She swallowed hard. “I’m getting there.”

He grimaced. “Yeah, Christmas can be tough for a lot of people.”

“You?” Her voice was gentle.

His face seemed to age a few years right before her eyes. “I’ll tell you about it sometime. Not today.” He averted his gaze from her.

Her heart wrenched with sympathy. Whatever he was coping with must still be too raw. “It helps to be here, doesn’t it?”

“Yep.” His gaze returned to her. Though his expression was still sad, he gave her a slow, lazy wink.

“Am I interrupting something?” Rock sounded testy ashe stepped back into the room with two steaming mugs in one hand and a third steaming mug in the other hand.

“No,” Mila said quickly.

Johnny’s “Yep” all but drowned out her answer.

She rolled her eyes at him before accepting the coffee from Rock. “You’re the best.”

Johnny mimicked her voice and added some extra sugar to it as he accepted his cup of coffee. “You’re the best!” His squeaky falsetto made Mila burst out laughing.

“You, on the other hand, are a total nut!” She pretended to dip her finger in her coffee and flick it at him.

“Tough crowd.” He pretended to dodge the droplets.

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