Hudson (Anderson Billionaires #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,69

to happen no matter what they did with the land, but it was more difficult than she realized to see so much change happening in her life. She wondered how people could handle change on a regular basis.

At the end of their day, they approached the trailer and Daisy’s stomach growled at the smell of food cooking and smoke coming from two big barbecues. A few tables were set out with all sorts of dishes on them, and the rest of the men who’d been working all day together were gathered around, chatting while they filled their plates.

“This is great, boss. Thanks for the grub,” Jason, Hudson’s foreman said.

“Yeah, thanks, boss,” a few others piped in.

“You kicked some serious ass today, Daisy,” the young kid, Jimmy, said right before biting into a messy rib, barbeque sauce dripping down his chin.

“Yeah, you did. If you want a job, I’ll hire you in a minute,” Jason said.

“Your boss here might not like that,” Daisy said as she pointed at Hudson.

“I don’t mind that one little bit. Then you’d have zero choice but to listen to me,” Hudson told her with a wink.

“On that note, that’s a hard no,” Daisy said as she filled her plate. The men laughed.

She continued joking with the men while they had a few drinks and surprisingly cleared away the majority of the food. She felt like a part of the team as the men joked with her, telling her she could come back and drive their tractors anytime she liked. She promised to take them up on it as long as it was freelance, and Hudson wasn’t ever, ever her boss. That made them laugh even more.

When all of the chaos of the day ended and the sun was starting to set, she found herself alone with Hudson. The men had worked hard, scarfed down a ton of food, and then rushed away to get home. It had all been overtime for them, but still they’d had to give up a Saturday to get it done. She was sure they wanted to get back to their families and enjoy the rest of a beautiful Washington weekend.

“The Key Club kids are gone, but we can stop there tomorrow and see them. For now, come with me. Now you get to see the best part of driving a tractor,” Hudson said after locking the trailer.

“Where are we going?”

“Trust me,” he said, holding out his hand.

She took a step back and smiled. “My gramps told me from the time I was a very young girl to never, ever, ever trust a guy who told me to trust him.” She grinned at him, letting him know she was joking — or sort of joking, at least.

“Your grandfather’s a wise man, but trust me anyway,” he said, this time taking her hand and pulling her to one of the larger tractors. It looked as if something was hanging from the bucket on it, but she didn’t have time to look before he was lifting her inside the cab with a seat just big enough for them to squeeze into it together, their bodies pressed

close.

He began driving toward the river side of the property, the sun painting beautiful colors in the sky. He moved the tractor close to the water in a clearing where she could look up and see the skyline while still feeling as if they were in the middle of nowhere. Then he raised the bucket up so it was level with the tractor cab. He stood and held out his hand.

“Come with me, madam,” he said in a low drawl.

“Come where?” she asked as she stood, eyeing his hand with suspicion.

“Don’t worry. It’s not far,” he assured her. She shrugged her shoulders, took his hand, then found herself walking along the side of the tractor on a thin bar. When he lifted her inside the huge bucket, she gasped as he joined her.

“When did you do this?” she asked, looking inside the huge spoon.

“While you were busy flirting and eating,” he told her. He moved over and sat on a bed of cushions and blankets, then reached into a basket and produced a bottle of wine and two glasses.

She sat down close to him, but not touching, marveling at how soft it was. She easily laid back in a comfortable slouched position. He’d filled the bucket of the tractor with pillows and blankets, and brought a basket of cheese, fruits, chocolates, and wine. Lying back she had a perfect