Page 47
“Give me some time.”
She beams at me. “Will do. But until then, the chickens got to eat, right?”
I look down at the bucket in dismay. “You mean?”
“Spread it, girl. And not the way you did for—”
“Lia!”
“Okay! Okay! You don’t like sex jokes. Guess Bass married a prude.” She laughs when I swat at her and we get back to work.
I hate to admit it, but she’s right. Not about everything. I doubt I’ll ever feel like this place is home.
The ranch really is gorgeous. Sunlight speckles the gently-waving long grasses. The hens peck at the ground. I help fill a trough and water the cows. We brush a horse and Lia even gets me to muck a stall, laughing the whole time. “How do they make… this much… stuff?!” She howls harder as I grunt, flinging a load into a wheelbarrow.
Around noon, a little before it’s time to call it for lunch, I ask if we can go back to see the calves again. Lia shows me the way and promises to come check on me shortly after she makes sure the food is almost ready. When I’m alone, I sit with the baby cow, feeding it from my hands as it lounges in my lap, its wide eyes full of wonder and joy and pure trust, and I stroke her flank and think about what it might be like doing this every day.
I’m tired. My shoulders hurt. My back aches. My legs are sore. Except it’s a good sort of exhausted. I doubt I’ll do this every day—they have staff for most of this stuff—but I could see myself walking between the stalls on quiet mornings talking with the horses and doing whatever needs doing. I can see myself feeling productive.
Maybe even content.
“I think I’m going to name you,” I whisper to the little cow. “What if I call you… Luna?”
It blinks at me. Then burps.
“What did my sister do to you?” Bass stands in the living room, a surprised, bemused smile on his face.
I return his smile sheepishly and look down at myself. I’m sweaty and dirty with what I hope is only mud. “She put me to work.”
“Oh god. You let her?”
“I didn’t know I had a choice.”
“Marisol, you’re my wife now. You don’t have to let Lia boss you around.”
“Well! I didn’t think of it that way!”
He chuckles gently. “She’s cooking you something to eat. In the meantime, how about you come upstairs and get cleaned up?”
“That’s… actually a great idea.”
When Bass offers me his arm, I’m too tired to turn him down. I have Luna’s milk-burp smell stuck in my nostrils, but being close to him helps a lot. He leads me to our suite and shows me to the showers, though I know exactly where they are. He lingers, watching as I start to undress.
“You going to give me some privacy?”
“I didn’t know that was a condition of our arrangement.” He leans against the sink and crosses his arms. “I thought I’d enjoy my wife for a few minutes.”
“Get out, creep.”
“Only if you ask nicely.”
“I’m going to throw my muddy shirt in your face!”
He sighs and turns to go. “So feisty. Can’t give a man a show.”
“I’m not here for your amusement!” I slam the bathroom door and lock it.
But I’m smiling. I hate it, but I am.
