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Opal let him lead her past the brightly lit farmhouse and toward the barn. Shivering, she said, “Maybe you can stay and watch a movie with me after we shower.”
“And maybe your brother will slit my throat when he walks in, sees me wearing his clothes and cuddling with his younger sister.”
Opal grinned into the night, glad Tag had come along. She hadn’t even realized how quickly the sun set, though it was still March. The days had been getting longer, but she’d been foolish to think daylight hours lasted as long as they did in the summer.
“Mike has never had a say in who I date,” she said. “And he and Gerty wouldn’t want you walking home in the dark soaking wet.”
“This feels like an unwinnable situation,” he said.
Opal laughed. “Oh, Taggart, honey, don’t you know I always win?”
He chuckled and said, “Yes, Opal-honey, I do know that.”
In the barn, he led her down to the end where the wash stall was. “I’ll go first,” he said. “Then you won’t be wet for as long.” He stepped into the stall and nodded to the hose. “Go on now.”
Opal only hesitated for a moment, and then she took the hose off the wall. She looked at it for a moment, sure she wasn’t about to spray down her boyfriend with cold water on a March night.
“Do it,” he said, gritting his teeth. He closed his eyes, and Opal wanted to close hers. Instead, she pressed the handle on the nozzle on the hose, and the water came out. She stepped back as the water pressure bucked against her hand, and the water sprayed all over—left and right—until she could control the hose and get it on Tag’s lower half. He stuck his hands out in front of him to rinse those, and after only about ten seconds, he said, “Good enough.”
He took a few steps toward her and took the hose. “Your turn.”
Opal took his place, and Tag didn’t waste a moment before turning the hose on her. She’d barely turned, in fact, and she yelped as he said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Opal-honey.”
She gritted her teeth and went into a happy place. Somewhere where she didn’t feel the icy shards of water as it blasted her skin and clothes. Before she knew it, Tag said, “Good enough,” and the water stopped. “Let’s get inside.”
He took her hand again, and while the water dripping from her fingers and chin wasn’t completely clear, it was far better than before. She had to run every third step to keep up with him, and her teeth chattered by the time Tag hurried her up the steps to the small kitchen entrance deck.
“Everything off,” he said.
“What?”
“I’ll grab you a towel from the laundry room,” he said. “You’re dripping muddy water. I won’t look.” With that, he ducked inside, and Opal stared after him.
Then, she stepped out of her remaining shoe—not even a sneaker—her pants, and had just lifted her sopping blouse over her head when Tag said, “I have my eyes closed.”
She glanced over and all she saw was a towel. She grabbed it and wrapped it around herself, then quickly stepped into the warmer house. “I-I-I’m going to shower,” she said through shaking emotions and chattering cold.
Tag didn’t speak, and Opal hurried through the kitchen and living room to the hallway. She flipped on the water in the bathroom and dropped the towel. The farmhouse had great hot water, and only second later, Opal stepped into the stream of it.
A sigh sank through her body, and she rinsed her hair and body until the water ran clear. Then she soaped up and washed, brushed her teeth, and got dressed in her warmest pjs and fluffiest socks.
Then she grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and towed it with her down the hall to the living room, where she found Tag sitting on the couch, texting.
“So you did shower here,” she said.
He looked up, his smile gracing that handsome face. “I did.” He indicated the kitchen exit. “I put our clothes in the washer, but I was waiting to start it.”
Opal didn’t head in that direction. “Okay.” She joined him on the couch and pulled the blanket over her legs as she leaned into his chest. “I guess you’re staying?”
“I texted Mike and Gerty about using their shower, so I feel less like I might get in trouble if I stay.”
Opal smiled at him. “You smell good.”
“Mm, so do you.” He touched his mouth to hers, and Opal sure could get used to nights like this, mud and all. “Opal, I’ve missed you these past couple of weeks.”
“Mm, I miss you too.”
“How’s the clinic coming?”
