“Got it, dad.”
Daisy and I headed straight to the yard, me pushing the wheelbarrow behind her so we could throw all the sticks in for easy collecting and disposal.
“Come on, slowpoke.” I looked up at Daisy after that remark.
“Excuse me? You know I could run circles around you with picking these up.” I waved a stick around as she scoffed.
“You’re on.”
We worked in a comfortable silence, stealing glances at one another to see the progress each of us was making. Neither of us wanted the other to outdo ourselves. Daisy scooped up the sticks swiftly, but with my longer legs and arms, I clearly had the advantage. Daisy was more methodical, scanning the ground and carefully picking up the smallest bits of debris.
“Looking good, team.” We both looked up at my dad’s words. “Looks like I’m ready to start. Take the wheelbarrow and dump all the sticks in the barrel.” Inodded and started wheeling it over, Daisy following behind me.
“Looks like it might have been a tie.”
“That sounds good to me.”
Together, we unloaded the sticks from the wheelbarrow to the inside of the barrel. This would be good to lay on a bonfire. I was hoping we could have one soon. A little over half of the barrel was filled, and we walked back to the barn so I could put the wheelbarrow back inside. I felt a smack on my butt and jolted back.
“Hey!”
“Don’t worry. Your dad is on the mower and can’t hear a thing. He’s concentrating too hard to be looking over here at us.” I shook my head at her but still smiled. I liked that she did itwithout warning. She kept me on my toes.
“I’ll grab the basket from the barn.” Daisy headed over to grab it while I grabbed the feed bucket and filled a jug of water.
I made sure to keep a couple of steps behind her as we headed to the chicken coop. Inside, the smell was a mix of dust and crap, and the air was filled with feathers and clucking. I hoisted the feed bucket, scattering grain across the floor.
“Alright, y’all. Food is served.” I heard squawks as the chickens ran toward the scattered piles of feed.
I walked over and refilled their water. Daisy was already kneeling by the nesting boxes, placing eggs in the basket she had in her hands. I checked the boxes on the opposite end of where she was, placing those inside the basket along with the others.
“How many do we have?” We stood up, and Daisy started counting.
“Twelve eggs. Not bad at all.”
* * *
That evening, we were all sitting out on the porch. We had accomplished quite a bit on the ranch today, and I was glad that I could experience this time working alongside Daisy. I wondered what it would be like to work with the person you were in a relationship with after seeing my parents and Daisy’s parents working together all those years. Experiencing it now was nothing short of amazing. We balanced each other out, and it was always fun being around her.
“Well, kids, I’ve got to head out.” I turned to him. “I’ve got some business to take care of.”
“Business?” I raised an eyebrow. “What kind of business, dad?”
“Nothing you need to worry about, just something I need to get done. Don’t wait up on me. I may stop at John’s before I come back.” I nodded, and my dad headed to his truck.
We watched as he drove down the driveway, dust flying behind the tires. As he went out of view, there was silence in the air. The only sounds were those of the crickets chirping. I turned to Daisy, an intense gaze forming between us.
“Well, Daisy. I have a proposition for you.”
“Oh. I’m intrigued.” She leaned against the porch railing, biting her lip on one side. She was doing things to me just by the way she was looking at me.
“What do you say we head into town and go to the bar for food, drinks, and I have a dance or two in me. I heard the bar has a live band playing tonight.” I winked at her.
“Hmm…I don’t know.” I twisted my head, knowing she was messing with me. I stepped closer, placing a hand on her cheek. “Of course I’ll go. I could use a night out. You, too, cowboy.” She leaned forward, kissing me on the cheek. I wasn’t about to let her tease me like that, so I grabbed her face, pulling her lips to mine.
“Go get cleaned up. We leave in twenty.”
“On it, cowboy.”
