“Hmmm… I guess. But they’re engaged, Cage. That makes her off limits. “
I could hear the concern in her voice. “I wasn’t going to go there anyway, Low. She’s off limits for many reasons. For starters, her dad would fire me on the spot and I’d lose my scholarship.”
“Okay. Well, I miss you. I’m going to be there bright and early Sunday morning to get you. Marcus is going to give us time alone for the first part of the day. Then I’ll drop you at your apartment and let you catch up with everyone. Marcus will have to drive you back that evening though because we’re keeping Larissa this weekend and I’ll have been away from her most of that day. Besides, as much as Marcus loves Larissa, he’ll need a break from her.”
“Thanks, Low. I look forward to seeing you. Only four more days to go before my reprieve from hell.”
She laughed and we said our goodbyes.
~*~
Two days later. No sign of Becca Lynn and very few glimpses of Eva. The heat was getting worse and Jeremy wasn’t around to help anymore. He was back at his farm working and I was left to figure the rest out on my own.
A cold thermos of water magically stayed full and an icy cold towel appeared a couple times a day. They always showed up on the tailgate of the farm truck I used during the day. My back was always turned or I’d gone off to piss. Was she watching me from inside? How did she know when my back was turned? Damned if the idea of her watching me from inside didn’t make me smile.
I pulled my sweat-soaked shirt over my head and threw it in the back of the truck. Squirting some of the cold water over my chest and down my back, I tried to keep the smirk off my face. If she was watching I was giving her a helluva show. I grabbed the ice towel and headed for the shade. I had to go fix the fence in a few places that Wilson had pointed out but I needed to cool down a bit first.
Leaning against the tree, I took another swig of water and wrapped the ice towel around my neck. The breeze was nicer when the scorching sun wasn’t bearing down on you.
“What did you do to Becca Lynn?”
Snapping my head up from its resting place against the tree, I took in the first real sight of Eva I’d had since the night at the lake. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing a short white cotton sundress and a pair of flip-flops. She was also trying really hard to look stern. She wasn’t upset with me. She was just being nosy. I liked that.
“Good morning to you too Eva,” I replied, unable to keep from smiling.
She tilted her head to one side and continued to force that frown. I’d seen the real thing. This was not the real “angry Eva” face. “Becca Lynn hasn’t come around in two days. That isn’t normal. Especially since she was so hot after you. So, what did you do to her?”
“I believe it’s what I didn’t do to her.” I took a slow swig of my water but I didn’t take my eyes off her as she let my words sink in.
Shifting her feet she put her hands on her hips. “What does that mean?”
“It means exactly what it sounds like. I didn’t do her. I’m guessing that’s the problem.”
Eva’s fake scowl disappeared and she was frowning. “But I saw you both naked at the…” she trailed off and her eyes grew wider. Two pink splotches covered her cheeks. Eva Brooks had come back to the lake the other night. She’d seen me naked. Yeah, I was going to have to spend a lot of f**king time in the shower now. The image of her sneaking around to see me naked was just hot.
“Did Eva Brooks come back to the lake and get an eyeful?” I teased.
I was sure she’d spin around and run off but she didn’t.
“I didn’t mean to see anything. I was coming back to talk to you about… I was just…” she couldn’t say it. I needed her to finish that thought. She was coming to talk to me? Why?
“I was pretty sure you were ready to run me over with your truck that night.
Why would you have come back to talk to me?”
Eva twisted her hands nervously. I’d never seen her act nervous before. “It’s about Jeremy and me,” she began. I waited hoping she was going to shed some light on their screwed-up relationship.
A movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. Grabbing Eva’s shoulders, I shoved her behind me and faced down the big ass cows standing a few feet away from us. They were out of the fence. How the f**k had they got out of the fence?
“What are you doing?” Eva squealed slapping at my back as I pinned her against the tree with my body. I wasn’t much of a barrier between her and the cows but at the moment this was the best idea I had.
“Stop hitting me!” I demanded. “And tell me how the hell I get these big ass motherfuckers back in the gate.”
Eva stopped slapping me only to shove me hard. “Oh for crying out-loud, Cage. They aren’t going to charge us.” She pushed her way out from behind me and shot me an amused smirk. “They aren’t bulls.”
Who the f**k cared if they were bulls are not? They were freaking huge.
Eva walked toward them without an ounce of fear and began hollering at them to go on. She stomped her feet causing them to back up and then they slowly began to move toward the fence that had been left open. She glanced back at me over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, “They’re ferocious beasts aren’t they?”