A Second Chance in the Show Me State - Jessie Gussman Page 0,32

she’d gotten it that morning and hopped out.

Both of the boys had ridden most of the day with Reid in the combine, and they were waiting for her as she slammed her door shut.

“It’s going to take me about thirty minutes to get the animals fed, then we’ll come in and give you a hand with supper.” Reid stopped a good six feet away from her. His face was blank, but his words sounded sincere, almost caring.

“Dallas and I can feed the animals if you want to go in and help with supper. I know we can do it ourselves.” Houston shoved a hand in his front pocket, a posture so like Reid’s it made her smile.

Reid had been picking up a wrench and a couple of bolts from the bed of the truck where he laid them earlier, and he froze, lifting his head and tilting it a little like he was trying to figure out the meaning behind Houston’s words.

They made Emerson smile. Just like little boys to want to be able to do everything themselves.

She didn’t know what all feeding the stock entailed; usually it was pretty simple and straightforward, throwing some hay down, making sure they had water, and counting them to make sure they were all there. Definitely something two 10-year-olds could handle.

She didn’t understand why Reid was taking so long to answer.

“I guess you two can do it. Don’t forget to check the water. And I want to know how many are there, so count them twice.”

Dallas bounced up and down and turned excited eyes on Houston, who seemed more serious and contemplative.

It was kind of odd that Houston was the one to suggest it when Dallas was probably the one who really wanted to do it.

Emerson didn’t spend any more time trying to figure it out though, because that meant that Reid was coming in with her, instead of giving her a few minutes to get in the house and prepare herself to keep resisting his unconscious charm.

She’d always loved watching him work. And today had been no different, except somehow he looked better to her now than he did when he was younger. Now he definitely walked with more confidence, a quiet confidence that she admired.

He’d always been dexterous and adept at running machinery, and she’d always loved the way they seemed to work effortlessly as a team.

It had all come back today. And she needed to get away from him for a bit, not be stuck in the house with him.

“Maybe if the boys don’t mind, I think we’ll feed too. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around the animals.”

“But, Mom...” Houston began, then seemed to not know what to say. He turned to his brother, almost as though he was expecting Dallas to help him out, but Dallas shrugged his shoulders.

Emerson’s eyes went between the two of them. Did they not want her around at the barn? As a mom, that made her warning antenna shoot up like a rocket. She definitely needed to be out at the barn with them. What were they doing that they didn’t want her to see?

“You boys start walking to the barn, I’ll catch up.”

They looked at each other, and something seemed to pass between them before they started out to the barn.

“That was weird,” she said as soon as they were out of earshot.

“What?” Reid asked, acting like he had no clue what she was talking about. Maybe he didn’t.

“They didn’t seem to want me out at the barn. Do you think they are doing something they shouldn’t be?”

“Like what? There’s nothing out there for them to do that’s wrong.”

“Have they been with anybody who might’ve given them cigarettes, alcohol, or something that they have hidden out there that they could be wanting to do with you and me not around?” She really didn’t think her boys were like that, especially not at their age, but that was the only thing she could think of.

“Naw. Neither one of those boys are interested in anything like that. They would never.”

“Isn’t that what your parents thought of you, when you were out racing your pickup at night? That one summer?”

He looked at her, a thoughtful and somewhat guilty look on his face. Yeah, that was the problem with being with someone who’d known you all your life; they knew the bad things you’d done too. Especially her, since they’d been such good friends as well as boyfriend and girlfriend.

“I was 17. They’re just