Page 9 of In Full Bloom
“Let’s go,”Dallas says, barely giving me a glance as I grin down at him from atop Scout.
I want to roll my eyes and tell him to lighten up, but I know I was showing off purely to aggravate him.
I mean, how dare he insinuate I can’t do this job? Sure, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve done this kind of work, but I’m sure it’ll come back to me. I spent ninety-five percent of my time outside of school here when I was a teenager. I learned everything there was to learn.
Dallas strides to his bike and swings a leg over it, putting a little more aggression into the kick-start than strictly necessary. He speeds off down the farm track, leaving me in his dust.
I grin. Clearly I’ve got under his skin.
Good, because he got under mine.
I should be nice and act civil, but he’s irritating. He was irritating last night, even when we were destroying my carefully made bed.
He’s a cocky cowboy—he said so himself—and I have no desire for one of them in my life.
I give Scout a nudge with my heels and she trots along the track. I soak in the sunshine as it burns away the morning’s chill. I take in the view and feel like I’m taking my first deep breath in years.
This place feels like home.
Wildflower Ridge always has. It’s the rest of the town I have an issue with.
I catch up with Dallas when he stops to open the first gate. It’s way easier opening and closing gates from horseback than with a motorbike because you don’t have to get on and off all the time.
“Let me get that for you,” I say, guiding Scout into position. Dallas grumbles something too quiet for me to hear. I’m having entirely too much fun pissing him off. “What’s first on the agenda today? Checking the sheep?” I keep my voice bright and cheery. It probably sounds super fake—which it is—but I figure that’ll just annoy Dallas some more.
“Yes,” he says, then exhales a long sigh. “We’ve had a couple lamb already so it’s daily lambing beats from now. Then, we’ll check the Herefords, make sure they have water and everything’s good with them. Those will be your jobs first thing every day. If there’s anything wrong: sheep having trouble, water leaks, whatever, you’ll need to call me.”
“Or, I can fix the issue,” I say.
He eyes me sceptically. He opens his mouth as though he’s going to respond but I cut him off before he gets the chance.
“Look, I know you don’t think much of me, forwhatever reason, but you have to trust me. Liv does, otherwise she wouldn’t have given me the job. I know what I’m capable of doing, and I know my limitations. I know when to call for help if I need it. You just need to accept that I’m actually a competent human. If you’re hovering over me every second it’s hardly making your job easier, is it?”
“You’re right,” he says, his voice low and heavy. He crosses his arms over the handlebars of the bike and stares out over the next paddock.
I blink at him, stunned. “Excuse me, could you repeat that?”
He glances sidelong at me, then returns to staring straight ahead. “Seeing you here … it kind of threw me for a loop,” he says and I snort.
“Yeah, wasn’t exactly on my bingo card.”
“I’ve got a lot riding on this job. I can’t screw it up.”
I turn Scout, so I can look directly at Dallas. “How long have you been working here?”
“Six months,” he answers, but doesn’t look my way.
“So long enough to know that Violet and Liv are reasonable, understanding bosses. If you’re a solid worker, with the right attitude, they aren’t going to kick you out on your ass. Especially not with Sadie.”
He sighs and finally turns his head to look at me. “She’s why I need this job so badly. It’s the only place that acknowledges I have a child. There’s no way I can work anywhere else and still be a parent.”
“Is her mum around?” For the first time interacting with him, my voice is tentative. It’s always a weird thing to ask, butthe way he’s talking … it makes me think it’s just him and Sadie. I should have waited and asked Olivia later.
He shakes his head. “Long story, but no. It’s just the two of us.”
“You’re lucky to have each other,” I say. He doesn’t respond. “Now, come on. We’ve got a tonne of work to do today.” I kick Scout forward and she follows the track along the side of the paddock, heading for the next gate just over the brow of the hill.
“Hey, Katie,” Dallas calls and I twist in the saddle to face him.
