Page 25 of Indigo: Blues (Indigo B&B 1)

Snorting, Eli rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Growing.”

Eli took the bottle and stepped out of the stall. She held open the door just enough for Sarah to slip out and shut it right when Buddy tried to follow her. “He likes me.”

“You feed him, so he likes you. Kind of goes hand in hand,” Eli grumbled.

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Eli, trying to figure out what she’d done to offend her. Giving up, she followed Eli to front of the barn where she cleaned up the work area. “You ready?”

“For what?” Sarah asked.

“Head to town. Get your car. Then you can drive around freely without me.”

Sarah couldn’t figure out why that thought made her stomach churn and sadness pull at her insides. She’d enjoyed the little bit of time they’d had together, however little it had been. Helping out with Buddy would no doubt be the highlight of her weeks spent there, and she looked forward to feeding him again the next day.

“I guess,” Sarah answered. But she wasn’t sure she wanted less time with Eli. Eli was such a conundrum to her. On the one hand, she lived in a very conservative part of the country, and while she seemed to fit in from the outset, Sarah got the impression that she didn’t at the same time.

“Elijah.”

Sarah jumped at the male voice as it boomed through the barn. Eli turned with wide eyes and grinned. “How’s it going, Bill?”

“Good. Cassie.”

“You’re kidding. I was just out there.”

He lifted his hand and shook his head. “She’s smart.”

“I’m going to kill that cow, murder her in her Goddamned sleep,” Eli muttered. “I’ll go get her.”

“You going to town later?”

“We were just about to leave.”

“We?” He raised his eyebrow at Sarah.

“This is my guest, Sarah. I thought I’d bring her in for the sausage supper, give her a good first impression of our tiny little town.”

Bill laughed. Sarah’s gaze bounced back and forth between the two of them, confused as to who this person was. “It’ll be good.”

“Sure will. Tell me. Same spot?”

“You know it.”

“For crying out loud!” Eli clenched her fists.

“You going to fix the fence?”

“It’s on the list for next week.”

“Get to it,” he grumbled. “See you in town.”

“Yep. See you.” Eli let out a sigh as Bill left.

Sarah twisted toward Eli, her eyes wide. “What was that?”

“Cassie, one of my cows. She’s stubborn as stubborn can be. We’ll have to go get her before we go into town if you don’t mind.”

“Sure. Where is she?”

“Bill’s wheat. She thinks the grass is always greener on the other side.”