“Sorry, I—” Christian said, but Maizie had already turned her back to finish with the cows.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing someone?” Maizie asked as Jayce hooked up the cow next to her.
Jayce shrugged. “Didn’t think you’d care.”
“I don’t,” Maizie shot at him, but she could still feel the stares from the pretty boy in the corner of the room. “Please tell me he’s only staying for the weekend.”
“Sorry. His summer plans fell through, so he’s here for the long haul.”
And just like that, her summer was ruined.
Two
“So that’s Maizie,” Jayce said as he led Christian into the tank room to give him what he supposed was the grand tour. He’d been here for all of five minutes and had a feeling that nothing on this farm was grand. “She’s the one I told you about.”
Christian thought back over the last five hours in the car with Jayce, and not once had he heard the name Maizie.
Maizie.It was unique, and he would have said he’d liked it if she hadn’t looked like she wanted to kill him when he’d rejected her handshake.
That hadn’t been his finest moment, but come on. Did she really expect him to touchthat?He might be a nice guy, but he wasn’t that nice.
Judging by the unforgiving glare she’d given him, she wasn’t a ray of sunshine herself.
The tank room consisted of two tanks that looked like they could be underground bomb shelters. And the milk room was. . . disgusting. That’s all there was to it. There was poop everywhere, and now he understood why people gave up dairy products.
He found a safe spot in the corner and planted himself there, passing the time by smiling every time Maizie narrowed those big round eyes at him. It was hard to tell what she looked like under those baggy manure-covered clothes, but he wasn’t here to check her out.
He was here to forget. To forget about the tears that had streamed down his little sister’s face when he’d packed up the car. And his mom’s frail figure as he hugged her goodbye. To people walking by, their tearful farewell would have looked like he was going off to war. But it was so much more pathetic than that. He was leaving his family when they needed him the most.
His dad had only been gone eighteen months and Christian had already failed him.
He shoved his hands through his hair and took a step outside the barn for fresh air. He was a wreck.
He’d left everything back in the city. His mom. His sister. And an ex-girlfriend he wanted nothing to do with. She’d broken up with him three weeks ago, and he still couldn’t put it to rest. Eight months together and then bam, everything was gone, like it never even happened. The worst part was that he wasn’t sad about it; he was just angry at her, and at himself. That’s all he ever seemed to be lately.
Then there was the problem with school. He’d only gone to the U because it had been his dad’s dream for him to make something of himself. But each class just proved to him that he would never be the man his dad wanted him to become. He wasn’t cut out to be a doctor or a lawyer. He was lost.
Literally and physically. Where even was he? Baxter, Utah. Of all the places to find himself, this made the least sense.
A four-wheeler, being driven by a small kid, whipped around the barn, pulling a snow sled behind it.Is that a baby calf in the sled?
He rubbed his eyes. He really was losing it.
Maybe it was the stress. When Christian’s dad was alive, he’d always been able to tell when Christian was too stressed. And he’d tell him to focus on the moment, because it was the only one worth living.
But he hadn’t enjoyed a moment since the day his father died.
He sighed and stepped back into the barn to wait for Jayce. Hopefully, they could leave soon.
* * *
Maizie didher best to avoid eye contact with Christian, but it was hard. He was undoubtedly good-looking, with his broad shoulders and hair swept to the side, like it was meant to be messy. But a smirk lifted his lips every time he caught her looking at him. Like he knew she was checking him out. Which she totally wasn’t. She had a boyfriend. A tall, handsome, boyfriend.
“Want to come hunting raccoons with us tonight?” Jayce asked Maizie as the last cow filtered out of the barn.
“No, thanks.” She hated hunting.
“Come on Maiz,” Jayce begged her.
