Page 47 of Bucked Hard

“Ummm, well, you know Enrique was part of our church. Took pity on me when I couldn’t pay the wages most expected. A lot of the other men over the years just sort of came around at the right time.”

My head buzzes with a low energy. She hasn’t said anything about Chad and I don’t want to ask directly and let out my secret.

I jump a little when she starts talking again.

“Chad, now, he was down at the feed with Enrique that morning. I walked in and there they were. Seemed like a good kid, talked the talk when it came to working a farm, so I took a chance, let him show me what he could do.”

“Hmmm.” I play it cool.

“Why you ask?”

“I don’t know, just wondering. The right help just always seems to come along at the right time.”

“Yeah, I been lucky that way.”

“Chad said something…his family had a farm, but they lost it.” I shrug, hoping the pause seems unsure. “Something like that.”

“Yeah? Hmmm. I’m not sure. I think he’s from over in Monroe or Jessup. Maybe he said Meyer.” She looks at the sky thinking. “How far is that? Couple hours at least North West? All I know is what I told you and he said to put Chandler James Butler on his paycheck.”

Jessie turns and gives me a crooked smile.

“He’s nice to look at too.” Her milky blue eyes twinkle and she gives me a little wink.

The heat in my face threatens to explode. I do my best to act cool, but I can’t stop the smile that breaks over my face.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Uh huh, you guess. I’m old but I’m not dead. I know a hot cowboy when I see one.” She turns back to the stove. “Girl, quit standing there and start packing up the food. You hold it much longer and those boys will be out there chomping hay.”

ChapterFifteen

Chad

Dust trails in two long clouds behind the Ford pick-up as Rachel drives back toward the farmhouse after delivering our lunch.

My dick is still standing at attention from the sight, sound and smell of her when she handed the box lunches to me and Enrique.

From her polite, reserved manner when she greeted us, she’s not ready to go public with the fact that I’ve staked my claim with her, so I’ll keep it under wraps for the time being. But, sooner rather than later because I don’t want to be hiding behind demure smiles and comfortable distances between us for much longer.

The clouds hang heavy over the sun, and a late summer breeze is blowing the hayfield in green waves that ripple all the way to the horizon. Today we are cutting a good ten acres of the field, tomorrow we’ll hit another ten, then it will be the combine and the corn until the fields are clear.

Enrique lets out a long moan as he lies on his back under the shade of a big old oak, eating his third cheeseburger while he stares up at the sky with his ever present smile.

“Where do you put all that food?”

The little guy out eats me by two times yet he’s half my size.

“It’s a gift. Without my wife here, food is my other love, so I eat. Storin’ up for when I see her again. She likes a little meat on her man.”

We’ve established a comfortable friendship in the couple days we’ve been working; he’s hard not to like. Always humming something while we work, never the same tune twice and I can’t say as I know a single one of them. But it’s nice, easy. And when there’s a moment of downtime we chat a bit about his life, his family.

Tell you one thing, he’s just about as in love with his wife as a man can be. The image thunders through my addled brain: me and Rachel fifteen years from now, still hot for each other with kids running all over and whatever else life has in store for us.

“She’s a fine girl.” Enrique stops his humming and speaks upward to the sky.

“What?”

He turns his head and his smile turns down. He raises an eyebrow at me.

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