Page 14 of Rival

For the next two hours, I take the opportunity to pet and speak to every single one of the babies, and feel I’ve done a decent job cleaning everything out. Laying fresh straw was hard because I had to yank handfuls free. I searched for about fifteen minutes for a knife or scissors to cut the binding holding ittogether, but I was unsuccessful. So, handfuls at a time was how I did it.

“You know, if you lift that one foot up for me, I can set this down under you and you’d have this nice, cozy little bed to snuggle in.” I’m speaking to one of the more stubborn calves who decided I was not to be given an inch today. I lean down and pat his head before kissing his nose. “If you do, I promise to give you extra snacks in the morning.”

“You know, askin’ for them to move is pointless.”

My head whips up, not expecting to hear Mason’s voice so close to my ear. I fail to rein in my screech and startle the stubborn calf. He jolts, slamming his side into my stomach, and I fall back onto the concrete.Hard. My butt doesn’t have enough padding to soften my fall and bolts of pain radiate from my tailbone over to my hip.

“That’s why we don’t stand right next to ‘em,” Mason scolds as he reaches down to grab my arm, hauling me to my feet. My face is absolutely ignited with heat, ashamed of falling over like that.He must think I’m incredibly clumsy.

I can feel his eyes inspecting me, but I don’t look at him as I brush the straw and hay from my clothes. “S-Sorry. I was just trying to get him to scoot over so I could set down some hay.”

“Scoot?”

“Uhh… Yes?”

When I finally have the courage to peer up at him, I find he’s no longer watching me. His hands are on his hips as he looks over everything I’ve managed to get done this morning.

“You got it all done?” I’m not sure if he’s surprised or waiting for me to tell him I didn’t.

“I did,” I say proudly. “I just have to sweep up the mess from the hay. I couldn’t find anything to cut it free, so I made a bit of a mess tugging it free.”

His brows draw together as he realizes how I managed to get my chores done. “There’s a knife right over there,” he says, pointing a finger toward a run of wood that’s about two feet over my head. “Next time, use that.”

“Oh. Sorry. I didn’t see it up there.”

Ignoring my apology, he tugs on his work gloves. “I’m gonna take these guys out now. What time you gotta be at the barn thing?”

Eyeing the clock on the wall, I tell him, “It’d probably be best if I head out no later than two hours from now. If I want to get—”

“Head over to the main barn and work on those stalls until you gotta go. If I don’t see you before then, you can take off. Be here again tomorrow. Seven, just like today.”

Swallowing hard, I nod quickly. “Right. I will. Th—”

He turns away from me, my mouth snapping shut just as I’m about to thank him once again. Mason Cooper is a very,verygrumpy man, but it’s nothing more than I’ve lived with for years. Sighing, I stretch my back, then wince at the twinge in my butt from my fall; I rub at it for just a moment.

I don’t hear him leave the barn, but Mason has already disappeared somewhere, so I quietly leave to head over to the second cattle barn. Working as quickly as possible, I clear out the much larger stalls for the next two hours, then slip out of the door and breathe in the fresh air.

Mason isn’t anywhere, so I hurry myself to the road, then do a half jog, half walk for the mile and a half to the site where we’re building the barn.

Arriving a few minutes late, my grin grows. I’m happy to see such a large number of residents from town pitching in. With a wave to Pastor Josiah, I head toward where the loudest noises are coming from.

As soon as I step up on the platform of what will soon become the floor of the new barn, the man I met at church on Sundaylifts his head from where he’s using a table saw to cut some framing boards, locking eyes with me.

My body is aching from the hours at the Cooper farm, but I feel rejuvenated when Jaxon hits me with a megawatt smile and straightens to his full height, setting his saw on the workbench.

Jaxon Thorton, I heard whispered outside, is the owner of Thorton Construction and Restoration. And he’s walking straight for me, his smile only growing larger when he stops just a foot away.

“Edith. Nice to see you again.”

Chapter Seven

Jaxon

Inever thought working extra hours, completely unpaid after a long day, would have me smiling as much as I am. Edith’s presence has been a complete joy all afternoon and I’m very much looking forward to beginning again tomorrow.

After the storm swept through last night, I thought for sure we’d be delayed with starting the church project, but after checking in with their office, I was assured everything was still a go. I checked on my paying jobs before I arrived at the site and found myself disappointed I didn’t see those round, warm brown eyes peering back at me from the group on the first shift.

When she finallydidarrive, I wanted to kick myself in the ass for grinning like a fool as I approached her. She hasn’t been far from my mind since we met, and I’m more than a little curious about her. I thought I pretty much knew most people in town, so I’m well and truly shocked we’ve never run into each other by now.