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“Do you always give short answers when someone shows an interest in you?” she mumbled.
Clark startled. “You really want to know about my life?”
“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”
“All right, let’s say I didn’t know any different until I started school. I rarely went to friends’ houses because my parents didn’t want to have to drop me off and pick me up. It might interfere with their plans for the day. By the time I got my license and could drive myself, what friends I had spent their weekends playing video games and I could do that with them from my own room, so…”
He trailed off, hating how sad his childhood sounded. The last thing he wanted was pity.
“Do you still talk to your friends?” she asked.
“No, they all left Mistletoe after graduation too. We’re Facebook friends, but you know how that goes.”
Merry scoffed. “Oh, yeah. I have those. It’s funny, I thought I was close to so many people in high school, but I only stayed close with two of them. Although they recently got boyfriends, so I’m kind of the fifth wheel. I’m single by choice, but it’s not much fun watching everyone around you making out.”
“That must make me the flat tire.” He caught her confused expression and laughed. “Sorry, bad joke. I only mean people stop asking you to go get a beer when you need to plan ahead for a babysitter.”
Why am I telling her this?
“You know that if you ever need anyone to watch Jace, you only need to ask. My mom adores him.”
“I already feel like I’m taking advantage of your mom. I’m her employee.”
“Don’t tell her that. She thinks of you and Jace as a part of the family. So does my dad. He speaks highly of you.” Several seconds passed as they walked together in companionable silence, until Merry said, “You can ask me too, you know.”
“Ask you…to watch Jace?”
“Well, yeah. Your son is the sweetest kid I’ve ever met and I may not have much…okay, any experience with kids, but I’m pretty sure I could keep him alive for a few hours.”
Clark hesitated and Merry laughed. “Why do you seem thrown by that?”
“Because I didn’t think you wanted me here.”
Merry froze. “What do you mean?”
“I overheard you talking to your sister when I first arrived. You were upset your parents hired me.”
Merry’s face flushed. “I’m sorry. None of that was about you. I’m frustrated with my dad. I’ve asked him to teach me everything that goes into the daily workings on the farm, but he brushes me off.”
“I didn’t realize you wanted to take over someday.”
“It may be many years in the future, but I’d at least like to be prepared, you know?”
Why did the catch in her voice trigger the urge to touch her? Flexing his fingers, he took a step to the side, putting a few more inches between them. “What do you want to know? About the farm, I mean.”
“Really? After what you heard, you’d teach me?”
“This is your home. I just work here.” As true as the words were, they sank like a stone to the bottom of Clark’s stomach. He may love it, but it was too new to get comfortable.
Merry walked up to one of the Douglas Firs up ahead and fingered its branch. “What are you looking for out here?”
“There are lots of answers to that question, but the main thing is that the tree needles are green and pliable. Swollen nodes and white masses usually mean an infection. I’m not worried about root rot, but these trees on the outer edge of the property don’t get as much attention as the ones closest to the main house. Disease spreads fast and the last thing we want is to lose too many mature trees because we missed something.”
“You went to college for plant diseases, right?”
“Plant pathology. I was hoping for a job that would take me outdoors, but I ended up in a lab for a few years. Great pay, but the long hours kept me away from Jace and I wanted to be home with my son. Your parents needing a foreman was a lucky break.”
“I feel worse now.”
