Page 51 of Lavender Lake
Bowman wasn’t in the kitchen by the time I made my way downstairs. I poured myself a cup of coffee, splashed cream into it, and then headed to the chicken coop.
He was just closing the gate when I approached.
Without a word, he took my coffee and sipped it.
“That’s mine,” I said with a laugh.
“Was. Now it’s mine.” He shrugged.
“I’m running on a few hours of sleep and extreme emotion. You sure you want to do that?” I placed my hands on my hips and stared at him. “It’s like waving a flag at an angry bull.”
“Me without coffee and I will be an angry bull rider,” he quipped.
“You forgot to collect the eggs,” I said, picking up the basket that hung on the gate and handed it to him.
“I thought you were coming out here to do that.”
I shook my head and turned toward the stump that was about twenty feet away. I walked to it and picked up the hatchet and gripped it in my hand.
“I have something else to do this morning.”
His hands immediately went to the fly of his jeans.
I laughed.
“It’s about to get messy,” I said, raising the hatchet.
“I can handle messy.”
We both knew he wasn’t talking about chickens.
“You’re really going to do this?” he asked.
“Hadley wants chicken for dinner.” I shrugged. “And she’s never been able to do this kind of thing. But I’m home now, so I can do it for her.”
I looked at the other coop—the coop where the hens that were no longer laying were corralled. They were enjoying bugs and feed.
“You might see me differently after you watch me do this,” I warned him.
When he didn’t reply, I looked at him.
His gaze was intense as he murmured, “Too late.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The Ranch
“You look how I feel,” Hadley grumbled as she came into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.
Declan cleared his throat.
She looked at him over her shoulder. “One cup, Declan. I’m allowed to have one cup.”
“You already had a cup,” he said.
“No. I had a sip before it sent me running for the bathroom.” She glared at him. “You really want to fight me right now?”
“What about a hot chocolate?” he urged. “I’ll run to Sweet Teeth and get it for you.”
