Page 24 of Where It All Began
“Oh, you will be, John,” she predicted with a wicked grin.
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“You’ve done this before,” he shouted his accusation in her ear over the drone of the tractor’s engine as they bumped through the field. She was on her third pass, expertly cutting the turns and maintaining a straight line through the furrows. He was wedged in behind her, leaning against the wheel well, his leg hooked over the seat behind her.
He was trying hard not to notice that her head was at crotch height and if she turned—and he sucked at not noticing.
“Didn’t I mention that I did this on my grandfather’s farm for four or five years before they sold it?” she yelled back, grinning.
“No, you did not mention that, smartass.”
“I think you can go deliver your grain. I’ve got this,” she said, cutting the engine as they emerged from the field. “Might want to change your shirt first though. You look like you got stabbed.”
He stared down at her and then back at his beloved corn. “Don’t stray from the furrows. Keep an eye on the spray. If you notice anything wonky, it’s probably a pinched hose. Unkink it and give it a few whacks. Don’t swerve, don’t get stuck, don’t—”
“I got it. You can trust me. I promise not to destroy your crop, okay?”
Reluctantly, he slid out from behind her and stepped down off the ancient tractor. He didn’t want to have to trust her. He didn’t want to depend on Phoebe to help him get his work done. Didn’t want to depend on anyone really. This washislivelihood. To her it was just a summer assignment.
“I can just run the grain tomorrow and take care of the fields today. Or maybe I can run it today, and if there’s time left this afternoon, I can start the fields—”
“Relax, John. It’s going to be fine.” And before he could look for another out, another reason not to trust her with this task, she started the tractor and turned into the field.
He watched for another minute trying to calculate her speed so he could flag her down if she was going too fast or too slow. The groundspeed had to be just right or the nozzles needed to be recalibrated. He watched in vain hoping for a mistake that would require correction and further supervision, but she made none.
On an oath, he turned his back on his precious fields and stalked toward the barn praying that he’d return to an intact crop.
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Phoebe grinned over her victory when she saw John’s figure recede from the tractor’s rear-view mirror.
Was there anything more satisfying than surprising someone who doubted you? She couldn’t think of one.
She’d thought John would have put up a tougher fight, but she’d played the right cards. His time was valuableandlimited. By taking a low-skill labor task away from him, he could focus his time on more important things. And, if she didn’t royally fuck it up, she’d win some points from John.
She cared what he thought of her. He was good at what he did, smart, and dedicated. Those traits pushed the right buttons with her. So, he wasn’t funny, and he knew absolutely nothing about what was popular on TV or the radio these days. She could overlook that.
What had pushed her past interested and into intrigued was watching John in action, poetically explaining the plight of Blue Moon’s farmers. It had been a delicious peek into what went on beneath his superior surface. They were still testing each other out, she thought, making another swinging turn with the tractor. But so far, she liked what she saw in him.A lot.
And she had to admit that his confession of attraction hadn’t been far from her mind since she’d heard it. She’d only taken it out to admire or mull over every hour or so. She’d certainly felt it when their hands brushed and in the way he looked at her when Michael had flirted harmlessly with her. Phoebe liked the zing that shot up her spine when John looked at her with those gray eyes that were anything but cool.
She liked sex but was choosy about her partners. And there was something about John that made her want to shuck her jeans and throw her naked self at him. A clear green light was essential in a healthy sexual relationship, and she had a feeling John wouldn’t act on his baser instincts without one.
The thought of it gave her goosebumps now under the early summer sun.
John Pierce was a challenge on every level. He hadn’t wanted her here in the first place, and now she could only assume that he’d spend the rest of their time together avoiding his confessed attraction for whatever reasons he conjured in his mind. But there was something John didn’t know about her. Phoebe lived for a good challenge. There was nothing more satisfying than sitting down at the end of the day with dragons slayed, mountains climbed, and detours conquered.
And right now, she was eyeing him up as a very enjoyable conquest.
She peeked over her shoulder again and noticed the two nozzles on the far left had shut off their spray.
Yep. Nothing like a good challenge to get the blood moving.
Chapter Eleven
Phoebe rolled her shoulders back to ease the soreness and lifted her face to the breeze. The screen door opened behind her, and a beer floated in front of her face. She grinned up at John the Beer Fairy.
“Thanks,” she said, accepting the bottle and giving him her brightest smile. He gave her a long hard look and backed up a pace.
