my lips and make a face like I swallowed something nasty. “You haven’t come across the grapevines yet?”
“No, but I think that’s awesome he did weddings.”
“Colin was going to have his wedding here, but…”
She frowns. “Is it too late?”
“They already secured another venue at another vineyard.”
“Darn.” She stares at the ground, hay crunching beneath her feet as she keeps pace with me. “I would love to see a wedding here.”
“Probably won’t happen this year, and next year, well…” Her entire body stiffens, and I switch topics again. “By the way, I stopped in the barn and saved your squash soup from an untimely death.”
She slaps her hand to her forehead. “Ohmigod, I forgot all about it. I was cooking, thought I heard a noise, and ran out back. That’s when I remembered the coyote and the animals. I assumed I’d only be a few minutes. That’s all it would have been if Sidney hadn’t dug her heels in.” She gives a slow shake of her head. “It’s hard to believe just last week I was shopping on Fifth Avenue, and now I’m the proud owner of a stubborn cow.”
“You could always tip her, show her who’s boss,” I tease and give her a little nudge. Electricity sizzles through me.
“Tip her. Why would I do that? That sounds mean.”
I smile, liking that she’s so thoughtful of the animals and probably doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. “I’m kidding. Cow tipping is an urban legend. Something bored kids supposedly do.”
“That’s awful, and it had better be an urban legend, or there’ll be hell to pay if they come near Sidney.”
“Like I said, you’re tough.” I give her chin a nudge, and she lifts her head a little. “I think she misses Jack. Cows are very social.”
She tilts her head and stares at the star-studded sky. “I didn’t know that.”
Sucking sounds fill the air as our boots sink into the mud, and we pull them out again. We make it to the barn, and I settle Sidney and lock up behind us.
“What’s with Barack O’Llama anyway?” she asks. “I don’t know much about llamas, but he seems a bit too friendly.”
I laugh at that. “You’re right. He is, and Tyler has a few love marks to corroborate that.”
She shakes her head, her lips twitching at the corners. “A llama who swings both ways. I can now officially say I’ve seen it all.”
I lean against the barn door and look her over. Her shoulders are a bit droopy, and her hair is a mess of waves around her face. She’s tired and has every right to be. “You okay?”
She forces a smile. “Fine, just a little worn out.”
“You know you don’t have to—”
Her entire body stiffens. “I get it. You think I’ll be gone soon, but say it one more time, Jay. I found a strange piece of castration equipment in the barn that I’m not afraid to use.”
“Okay, okay,” I say and push off the door and cover my nuts, but it doesn’t make her laugh. Instead she frowns, and her head falls forward.
“I’m not a quitter. Okay, well, I am a quitter and that’s why I’m here,” she says under her breath.
“What?”
She shakes her head quickly. “Nothing.”
I eye her for a minute and tally what I’ve learned so far. She’s a quitter who has no idea what she was born to do. Interesting. Wait, what does she mean I think she’ll be gone soon? She told me she would be lucky to make it a night.
It’s been two nights, dude.
Shit.
But I can’t be worried. Everyone in this town knows she’ll be running home soon enough. Even my mother agreed.
“How did you know it was castration equipment anyway?”
“Google.”
“Of course.” I nudge her to set her into motion. “Come on, I’ll help you get your soup in the fridge. It smells delicious, by the way.” It’s admirable that she’s not afraid to jump in and give it her all.
Her body relaxes. “I found a recipe book in the kitchen and thought I’d give it a try.” This time her smile is genuine and reaches her eyes. “I also found Cindy’s number. She starts tomorrow.”
I nod. “How about the bee stings? Headache? Pain?”
“Not too bad.” We step into the market and as we walk to the kitchen in the back, she fidgets a bit. “I put the salve on but couldn’t get the stings on my back. Those bees really did a number on me.” She frowns. “Is it true that honeybees die