Going Au Naturale at Hallow’s Cove (Hallow’s Cove)

3. Brooks

Chapter three

Brooks

I chunked off another piece of my banana and held it out to Chicken, who almost nipped my fingers as he took it from me.

“Careful,” I chided, though he paid me no mind. “If you bite off my finger, who will feed you then?” I asked him.

He ruffled his feathers at me, still unconcerned about my health or safety.

I checked my watch: seven-thirty. I needed to head out soon to pick up Sydney and Matilda.

Yesterday, I stopped because that’s what I’d do for anyone stuck in the mud, but when I saw her for the first time and those eyes caught mine, every one of my hairs stood on end. She was like no one I’d seen. Her short dark hair was as shiny as corn silk. Her eyes were green like the glades on the far end of the farm. She had a sharp jaw and a serious expression, and something about it made me want to see her smile, especially since she hadn’t cracked a single one the entire time.

And watching her climb across the cab of my truck almost sent me into an early grave. Her ass was round and jiggled a bit as she moved, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off it. I had to climb into the truck as quickly as I could in hopes she wouldn’t see my cock hardening beneath my jeans.

It was obvious she wasn’t interested in being here. She seemed like a city girl through and through, but her eyes did wander with interest as we passed everything.

“Let’s take you to the coop before I head into town.”

I gave Chicken the last piece of the banana and stood up, brushing myself off. It was strange–my body woke up at my normal time and completed my usual routine, but when I would have gotten ready and driven to my parents’, I found myself just… waiting. I thought about getting to the inn early but didn’t want to come across as forceful. My obvious attraction to Sydney aside, we needed this organic certification. This silly process had taken almost nine months already, and this was the final hurdle. We needed to make a good impression.

I took Chicken to the coop then headed into town. I waved to Lerana, who was walking into Ted’s, and Rick, who was just opening for the day.

It was quiet when I pulled into the inn. I could see a few flowers beginning to peek through the ground, and I hoped they would be in full bloom by the time of the festival in a couple of weeks. People loved coming to look at the floral sculptures in town and to the farmer’s market.

I was glad I was paying attention as I walked inside, because when I opened the door, I was almost trampled by an onslaught of small bunny shifter boys running my way, almost tripping over one another.

“You boys slow down,” Judy Harrison called as she came around the corner. She had her gray hair up and flour on her apron. The Harrisons had a lot of kids, and subsequently, even more grandchildren running around, including my nieces.

She paused when she saw me. “Ah, morning, Brooks,” she said, blowing a stray piece of hair off her face.

“Morning, Mrs. Harrison,” I greeted.

“Sorry about them,” she apologized, gesturing to the gaggle of boys. "I told them they could get macaroons from Cool Beans, and you know how that gets." I laughed. "I very much do." At that age, everything felt so carefree and fun. While I still tried to have fun while I could, running a farm took a lot out of everyone, including me. Though seeing them now made me think less of my youth and more about my possibility for a family, though that was far off still.

"Anyway," she continued. "What can I do for you this morning?" "I'm here to pick up a couple of your guests," I said. "They should be here any minute." As if summoned, Sydney came around the corner with Matilda in tow. Her hair was still shiny and perfectly styled. Today she wore a black blazer with a green button-up underneath and sinfully tight pants. She had a backpack and a black bag on her side.

Gods, this is going to be a long day.

Matilda looked much more refreshed than yesterday. "Good morning," I greeted, slightly tilting the hat I was wearing.

"Morning," Sydney said in her no-nonsense tone. "We're ready."

Judy looked between us and snorted. "Have a good day, guys." We all headed to my truck. Matilda sat in the middle this time; luckily, there was no sleep to be had, and we were soon pulling up to my parents’ house.

I switched off the engine, and everyone got out.

"What are we doing?" Sydney asked as we started to walk up the steps.

"I haven't had breakfast yet," I replied. "And I need to see about your car."

I had called Blake to come tow her car, but when he pulled it out of the mud, it was easy to see there was some wheel damage. Hopefully he would be able to tell me about it. I could tell Sydney wanted to fight me on staying, but she didn't, and they both followed me inside.

When we got there, the chaos was a bit tamed, with just my siblings at the table talking amongst themselves.

"Good morning, baby," my mother said, coming from the kitchen. She gave me the same hug I got every morning before peering behind me to see my guests. "Who have you brought?"

"This is Sydney and Matilda. They're the auditors from the Organic Certifiers of Stonebridge."

“Oh, hello! Would you like some breakfast? The herd here has devoured most of the biscuits, but I still have bacon, French toast, and a hot pot of coffee.”

“I’ll take some,” Matilda said, pushing past Sydney and me and making her way to the kitchen table, sitting down.

“What about you?” I asked as Sydney stood there, frozen in place. “Want something to eat?”

She cleared her throat. "I'm fine, I had breakfast this morning. I would prefer to get started as soon as possible."

"Oh, I insist," Mom called from the kitchen. "Even just a cup of coffee before you go out. The mornings are still so chilly." For a moment Sydney looked as if she might argue, but I'd never known anyone capable of saying no to my mother.

"If you insist," she said, not unkindly. She even almost cracked a little smile.

Almost.

She went to the table and took the seat next to Matilda while I took the other side. Bailey was surprisingly still there this morning, as were Blake and Bryce.

"Where are the kids?" I asked Bryce.

"With their mother. She's having them help pot up some of the flowers for the festival.” "What festival?” Matilda asked.

"The Blossom Festival," I said. "It's a town celebration to mark the coming spring and open the farmer’s market." "That sounds delightful!" she exclaimed, but Sydney’s face stayed neutral.

My mother came a few minutes later with plates for everyone. The food was all in the middle, served family-style like it always was. I thanked her and dug in, grabbing a bit of everything. Matilda grabbed herself some pancakes, but Sydney only grabbed a bit of the fruit and poured herself some coffee, taking a deep sip.

“Thanks Ma,” I said as I ate.

“You’re welcome.”

I was happy my siblings decided to behave themselves while we had guests. It seemed like Sydney spooked easily and probably wouldn’t take too kindly to all the noise. Bailey talked about the bees and how she was hoping for an early honey harvest this year. She still had a buildup of beeswax to render from last year to make products, but it wasn't quite time to harvest more honey yet.

“What’s the damage to the car?” I asked Blake before he started heading out.

He shrugged. “I’m not totally sure. I can tell the left tire will need to be replaced. But the muffler might be dinged up too.”

Sydney’s eyes widened. “The car broke?”

I winced, realizing I had been so distracted this morning I’d forgotten to mention it.

“Yeah,” Blake continued. “It’s not totaled or anything, but it’ll take some time to get the parts I need.”

She leaned back in the chair, looking dejected. “I can’t even imagine the cost, and going through insurance will take forever.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said quickly.

Sydney crossed her arms, looking skeptical. “What do you mean?”

I swallowed. “I mean, our farm broke your car, so we can fix it.”

She was silent for a long moment, and I could tell everyone was tense. Everyone except Matilda, that is. She was fully focused on her meal. “I can’t just pass you because you’re fixing our car.”

Though he tried to hide it, I could hear Blake turn his snort into a cough. “I wouldn’t even dare dream of it, darlin,” I said, turning up the charm a bit.

And though Matilda’s cheeks did redden when I did, Sydney’s stone-hard resolve never wavered. “Fine, I accept. We should probably get to work.” With that, she took the final chug of her coffee and stood, walking toward the door.

I got up and followed obediently, even though she hadn’t said anything. I was quite shocked at her nonreaction. The Hoffmans were notorious charmers, and I had gotten that gene is spades, but none of that seemed to matter to her.

"Shouldn’t you wait for your colleague?" I asked.

She looked back at Matilda, who was reading the newspaper in front of her, still eating. "I think we can come back for her."

"Sounds good." "Don't worry," Mom said. "I'll send her your way when she's done." "Great. We're going out to the western barn; I still need to fix that fence." She nodded, and Sydney and I made our way towards the door. Before we exited, she paused and turned. “Thank you for breakfast.” My mother smiled. “You’re welcome dear. Anytime.” I'd dropped all the tools I needed out there last night, so instead of taking the truck, we walked our way over.

As we went, she looked around, seeming to take interest in everything. It was hard to tell, because her face didn’t change much, but her eyes were shining.

“First time on a farm?” I asked.

She faced me suddenly, and it felt like being under a microscope. I’d never had anyone look at me in such a critical light, and it made me almost nervous. I’d never been nervous talking to anyone. Not when I gave farmhands who had been here my whole life instructions, or when I argued with my father before I took over the farm.

Sydney made me nervous, though.

“Maybe,” she finally replied. “But I’m very competent at my job.”

“I wasn’t questioning that. You just seem more like the city type.”

“Born and raised,” she said in a no-nonsense way that made my cock threaten to rise.

I opened the barn to see the cows were back where they should be. They all looked antsy to get out, so I opened it up to allow them to graze. I’d be standing in front of the hole patching it up so we wouldn’t have any more escapees. I didn’t see Milkshake, but when she got out, she was always the hardest to track down.

“Is there anything I can get you?" I asked.

She pulled out a tablet from her bag, and her eyes were suddenly glued to it. “You know that won’t work out here right? No internet?” I asked at her non-response.

“I knew there wouldn’t be internet, this is just for my notes and photos, which don’t require that. And I’m fine, just want to get started.” "Oh-kay."

With that, I got to work and left her to her observation.

Though my eyes never wandered far.