Rules of Protection(57)

He spread his wings wide, flapped them lightly, and then folded them back to his body. Feathers around his neck ruffled as he shook his head and began to groom himself. I kept an eye on him, but he didn’t give me any more problems as I filled the bucket with eggs.

When I came out of the chicken coop, I realized I had company. Floss gaped at me in shock, Hank snickered, and Jake shook his head in disbelief. “What?” I asked.

Hank patted my arm, grinning. “Honey, you may have the face of an angel, but that halo of yours is awfully crooked.”

…

After breakfast, Jake and I followed Hank downstairs to get ready for the barbecue while Floss went to the grocery store. Cowboy, Ox, and Judd showed up soon after.

“Hey, beautiful,” Cowboy said, as he took a turn behind Judd and Ox, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek. “Are you helping out?”

“If someone gives me something to do.”

“I’ve got to clean the pool. Think you can handle getting wet?” Cowboy shrugged his eyebrows suggestively, and although his open flirtatiousness didn’t surprise me, the look on Jake’s face did. He was irritated.

“I don’t have a swimsuit.”

Cowboy’s face broke into a smile. “I don’t mind if you—”

“She’s helping me today,” Jake cut in. “You’re on your own with the pool.”

“But aren’t you mowing with the tractor?” I asked. “How am I supposed to help you with that?” Cowboy, Ox, and Judd waited for Jake’s answer as well.

“You’re going to learn to drive it.”

“What? You wouldn’t even let me drive the Explorer,” I said, suspiciously. “So what changed?”

Jake smiled lightly. “You said you wanted to do more around here, right? After the initiative you showed this morning, I figured…”

“What’d you do this morning?” Cowboy asked me.

“I choked a chicken.”

The boys all laughed, and then Cowboy looked at Jake and said, “You dog!” They threw some fake punches at each other and playfully wrestled into the middle of the yard.

Judd and Ox grinned, but I was flat-out confused. “What’d I say?”

“Choking a chicken is an old slang term. You just told us you performed sexual favors on Jake this morning.”

“I wouldn’t mind having a girl with that kind of initiative,” Judd added.

I couldn’t help but laugh at my mistake. “That’s not what I meant. Maybe I should’ve said I bullied a cock into surrendering.”

“I’m afraid it doesn’t sound much better,” Ox said.

“Jacked up a rooster?”

Ox smirked. “The mental image is already there. Sorry, no dice.”

I laughed. “I set a snake on fire.”

“Damn, girl! What did you two do in bed this morning?”

“Let’s just say I got up really early,” I replied.

Jake broke apart from Cowboy and headed for the tractor next to the barn. He motioned for me to follow. Jake said the tractor was a 1953 Ford Jubilee, which I guess was supposed to mean something if you knew anything about tractors. Obviously, I didn’t. All I saw before me was an old grayish-white tractor with a red belly, big back tires, and a lot of rust.

I watched as Jake climbed into the seat. “Where am I supposed to sit?”

He leaned on the steering wheel, with his mirrored aviator sunglasses pulled down over his eyes. He looked hot, but it had nothing to do with the sun or the heat. “God made laps for a reason.” Jake said, grinning.

He offered me his hand, and I climbed into his lap as Hank came out of the barn. “Jake, when you’re done mowing, I want you to caulk something for me.”

I placed my lips against Jake’s ear. “Should I tell him to get in line?”

Jake gave me a stern look. “C-A-U-L-K. Get your mind out of the gutter,” Jake said. Then he cranked the tractor.

Yeah, like sitting in Jake’s vibrating lap would make me think pure thoughts.

…

By lunchtime, Floss had returned and flagged us down to get our attention. She said Hank and the other boys had to run into town to pick up some parts for the pool pump. Floss handed us a basket of goodies she’d packed up and told us to find a shady place for a picnic. She gave me an exaggerated wink before walking away. Floss was my kind of woman.

Jake and I found a breezy spot under a large mesquite tree in the pasture where we could watch the horses graze. He spread a blanket in the patch of shade among the wildflowers and we sat, facing each other, while we ate. Floss had wrapped up some sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and a couple bottles of water.

“I’m surprised she didn’t cut our sandwiches into triangles and give us juice boxes,” Jake said.

“Oh, I think it’s sweet. It reminds me of when my mom made my lunches, except she’d put weird stuff in my lunchbox.”

“Such as?”

“Boiled eggs, dinner rolls, and probably the worst one ever, sardines.” Jake laughed, so I hit him. “It’s not funny. Didn’t your mom ever do anything strange?”

He thought for a moment. “Yeah, but I’ll have to show you.” He leaned off the blanket, plucked a couple of dandelions from the ground, and tucked one into my hair above my ear.