Chapter 7
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Reeves pushed the snow shovel through the mud, slicking it off the sidewalk at the bottom of his back deck.
The rain had stopped sometime in the night, and Bailey had left that morning before breakfast. He frowned just thinking about the way she’d turned him down for bacon and eggs.
Heck, she hadn’t even stayed for so much as a cup of coffee.
He’d skipped the bacon and made himself two over-easy eggs, a stack of sourdough toast, and plenty of coffee after her departure.
He’d been working outside for about an hour now, having hosed off the deck and driveway already.
They hadn’t been covered with floodwaters, and just had blown-on debris to clear away.
He’d taken the four-wheeler around to see the extent of the flooding damage, and he’d found a lot of mud and sediment left behind.
Thankfully, it had not snowed for long, and the late spring sun would have melted it by now anyway.
Reeves needed to be able to get out to his shed, where he parked his ATVs and stored his camera equipment, and he needed to get to his chickens and goats as well.
Anything beyond that could stay muddy for a while, though Reeves probably wouldn’t let it.
He never felt more masculine than he did with a power washer in his hand, spraying away muck to reveal beauty underneath, and as soon as he got the thick mud off the sidewalk, he’d get to wield that power.
He thought about the things Bailey had said yesterday about her previous life in Montana.
He’d never been one to turn to substances of any kind for relief, as he’d been on the receiving end of someone who abused them.
And though he’d prayed for a way to talk to Bailey, all he’d been able to do was tell her he’d attend the wedding with her.
The conversation had flowed naturally after that, and it never came back to what he did for a living, his childhood, his family, or why he’d come to Coral Canyon.
Bailey was probably being kind to him by keeping her questions to herself, and Reeves decided that wasn’t such a bad thing.
As he tried to lift the snow shovel full of mud into a wheelbarrow, his muscles strained, and he grunted against the effort because, “Wow, mud weighs a lot.”
Something twinged in his back, and he rested the shovel on the blade and leaned his weight into it, stretching forward to try to find some relief.
He wasn’t as young as he’d once been, and Reeves reminded himself that he didn’t need to clean the entire farm in one day.
That would be impossible anyway, as the majority of his eleven acres had flooded, and as the water had receded, it left behind muck that now needed to be mitigated.
He already had a list of chores to do around the property, and once he’d cleared his way to his chickens and goats so he could take care of them, he’d get on the four-wheeler and tour the rest of the property, making notes the way he’d done for the spring cleanup already.
He worked until noon, and then went inside and washed his hands up to his elbows. He rinsed out a rag and wetted it with cool water, and washed his face, ears, and the back of his neck. He fed the dogs, poured himself a cup of cold coffee, and opened the fridge to find something to eat for lunch.
He’d no sooner pulled out a piece of fresh salmon he’d caught last summer, which he’d put in the fridge to thaw last night, than his doorbell sing-songed through his house. He had two panels and an app that would show him video footage of all the cameras around the property.
Carrying the fish fillet, he moved over to the panel on the wall in the corner of the kitchen. Bailey stood there, looking freshly showered and surrounded by at least a half-dozen cowboys. Reeves’s heartbeat accelerated at the sight of her, only pumping harder at the multitude of men around her.
She looked straight into the camera and raised her pretty mouth into a smile.
To his surprise, he’d started to grow attached to her, though they’d spent just a hint of time together.
He’d had girlfriends in the past, albeit not for a while, and he recognized the attraction and growing feelings for her.
“I brought some help,” she said into the camera, but Reeves had already rounded the corner and was walking past his office to the front door. He pulled it open a moment later and smiled at the woman standing there.
She returned the gesture, and he noted that she wore blue jeans with dirt all along the cuffs, a sturdy pair of work boots, and a tight t-shirt in bright yellow that said I Save Lives with the outline of a cat walking across the top of the letters, his tail raised high into the air.
She’d pulled her hair back in its customary ponytail, and she honestly looked ready for battle.
“Howdy,” he said, realizing in that moment that he still held the piece of salmon.
“Hey, Reeves,” she said easily, her eyes latching onto his and refusing to let go. “These guys have been helping me all morning get my place cleaned up, and I’m just wondering if you need any help to get your farm back to functioning.”
One of the men with her stepped forward. “I’m Bailey’s cousin, Stockton,” he said, extending his hand.
“Reeves. It’s great to meet you,” he said, though Reeves was pretty sure he’d met Stockton the day Bailey had moved in.
“We obviously won’t be able to get your farm completely clean today,” another man said. “But Bailey says you’ve got animals over here.”
“Yeah,” Reeves said. “A whole flock of turkeys and chickens—and some goats too.”
“This is my uncle Beau,” Bailey said, indicating the man who had just spoken.
Reeves shook his hand too, though Beau only flashed him the tightest of smiles.
“And my daddy,” Bailey said, grinning at the third tall man on her right-hand side. “Who you already know.”
“Yeah, it’s good to see you again, Graham,” Reeves said.
“You too,” Graham said as he shook Reeves’s hand. “What are we talking here? Is your place covered with mud like Bailey’s?”
“Just about,” Reeves said.
“Your driveway looked good,” another man said, and Reeves switched his eyes to him.
“This is Bryce Young,” Bailey said, and Reeves immediately catalogued the name of the man who’d called her yesterday and told her about the flooding and the evacuation.
He wondered what their relationship entailed. As Reeves shook the man’s hand, he noticed Bryce wore a wedding ring. He and Bailey couldn’t be too involved, right?
“And these are my cousins—Harry and Cash,” Bryce said.
“We’re all Youngs,” Harry said as he too shook Reeves’s hand.
In that moment, Reeves knew who the Youngs were, as Harry was a pretty famous country music star.
While Reeves wasn’t usually a fanboy, he had listened to Country Quad plenty of times in his life.
Bryce wasn’t officially a member of the band, but he had toured with them, and his father was the lead singer.
He could barely believe the two of them stood there on his doorstep, willing to help him with the mud and debris on his farm.
“He’s thinking really hard, boys,” Bailey teased, and Reeves’s eyes flew back to hers. “It’s just moving mud, Reeves.”
“We’ve got shovels if you need us,” her daddy said. “We can just help you get to your animals faster.”
Reeves wasn’t accustomed to taking much help, but he nodded and stepped back. “Sure,” he said. “Y’all can come in. I just came in for lunch.”
“I told you we should have brought over that pizza,” Cash said.
“I can go grab it.” Harry raised his eyebrows and looked at Reeves, who held up the fish fillet.
“I was just going to make this,” Reeves said.
Graham took it from him and stepped up into the house. “This looks great,” he said. “Where’d you get this?”
“I caught it in Alaska,” Reeves said. “Last summer.”
“I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska and go salmon fishing,” Bryce said. He also entered the house and then clapped Reeves on the shoulder. “Maybe I’ll have to take you as my guide.”
Reeves simply stared at the man, though he spoke with a smile and wore one on his face too. He simply exuded happiness and goodness, and Reeves barely knew what to do with that.
Harry seemed a bit darker and more reserved, but as he entered the house, he said, “If you point us in the right direction, we can work while you eat.”
Bailey started to laugh, and Reeves shook his head. “I’m not going to let you work on my farm while I sit in here and eat.” He pushed Sir back, glad that Pansy had minded her manners with the newcomers to his house. “I’ll just grab a protein bar.”
“We don’t mind,” Beau said. “My brother only gave us a half-hour break anyway.”
Graham looked at his brother and rolled his eyes. “Oh, jeez,” he said. “I told you that if you’re tired, you could go.”
Reeves pressed through them and entered the kitchen, where he opened the fridge and put the salmon back inside. He grabbed a protein shake and a cheese and beef stick packet and faced the men Bailey had brought.
“I’ll eat while we get started,” he said. “With all of us, it certainly won’t take long.”
“We’ve got shovels in the truck,” Stockton said.
“My garage is open,” Reeves told him.
Stockton went out that way to get the equipment, taking Graham and Beau with him.
“You look familiar,” Harry said. “Did you ever play country music?”
Reeves glanced over to the guitar in his living room. “Not like you,” he said.
Bryce grinned at him. “See? I knew he’d recognize you.”
“I know you played with your daddy’s band too,” Reeves said.
That caused Harry to snort and then laugh full-out. “Just like he recognized you,” he said back.
“Does anyone recognize me?” Cash said.
Reeves looked at him. He had dark hair, midnight eyes, and a wide-brimmed cowboy hat on his head. “I gotta be honest, brother,” Reeves said with a grin. “I don’t, but you look like you maybe rode the rodeo.”
Bailey laughed. “He did ride the rodeo, and so did his daddy. They both were big champions.”
“No, not me,” Cash said. “But my daddy was a big champion. He won a lot.”
Reeves nodded and twisted the lid on his water bottle. “I once dated a barrel racer,” he said. “And she knew a lot of cowboys.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Harry said, clapping an arm around Cash. “Cash is a rare breed.”
“And retired now,” Cash added.
“Do you guys all live here in town?” Reeves asked.
“Yep,” Bryce said as Harry said, “Well, Dog Valley.”
He glanced at Bryce. “We’re both up in Dog Valley. Cash is moving into a place out on the Eastern Highway once he and Lark get married.”
Reeves shot a glance over to Bailey, who’d taken a seat at his bar and was simply watching the conversation with an amused look on her face. “Is it your wedding we’re going to?” he asked. “I thought you said Boston.”
Bailey’s smile vanished, but Bryce’s grew bigger. “You asked Reeves to go to the wedding with you?”
“Well, if you Youngs didn’t get married every other day,” Bailey said. “Maybe I wouldn’t feel so awkward when I’m always there alone.” She met Reeves’s eyes, and a solid understanding moved between them. “And no, it’s not Cash’s wedding that I invited you to. It is Boston’s; you were right.”
“I’m not getting married until July,” Cash said.
“And we only have three weddings this year,” Bryce said. “And you’re not even coming to Texas this weekend.”
Harry nodded. “Three isn’t that many.”
Reeves had talked to more people in the last three days than he had in the last three years, so he agreed with Bailey that three weddings—in the same family, mind you—in a year did seem like a lot.
He wondered why rodeo champions and country music stars had shown up at Bailey’s within hours of the rain stopping to help her clear her property. After he took a bite of his protein bar, he surveyed the group of them. “How do you all know each other?”
“We’re ready out here,” Graham said as he poked his head into the kitchen from the garage.
Silence draped over them heavily as all eyes zoomed in on Bailey, including Reeves’s.
While he expected her to be able to answer hard questions—she threw so many at him, after all—she’d closed right up.
Her smile was actually upside down in a tight little frown now, which Reeves somehow found as sexy as her smile.
“Come on, guys,” she said as she got to her feet. “We’re lucky Reeves let us in, so let’s get as much done as fast as we can, so we’re not bothering him.”
“We’re here to help him,” Harry grumbled. “If he doesn’t want us here—”
“I want you here,” Reeves said. “Honestly, thank you so much for coming. I just need to get things cleaned up back to my chickens and goats, and then I’ll cut you loose.”
“Ain’t no thing,” Bryce said. Out of the three Youngs, he was definitely the most good-natured.
Reeves would have to hold his questions until later. He followed everyone outside, shoving the last bite of his protein bar in his mouth so his stomach wouldn’t be angry with him, and he could help clean up his own farm.
Beau Whittaker sat behind the controls of a mini excavator, and Reeves grinned. “This is going to be great,” he said as he came to Bailey’s side and stopped.
“It’ll at least go fast,” Bailey said as her Uncle Beau lowered the front scraper and went down the length of Reeves’s sidewalk, clearing twenty feet of it easily when Reeves had been trying to use a snow shovel.
Everyone else stepped in and started shoveling the mud that had piled up on either side of the cement into wheelbarrows, and pure appreciation filled Reeves from head to toe.
Bailey bumped in with her hip. “Aren’t you glad I came over?” Then she moved away from him, pulled on a pair of gloves, and plucked a shovel out of an extra wheelbarrow. She dove right in to shoveling mud and debris, the sight of her doing so heating Reeves’s blood to near-intolerable temperatures.
He couldn’t stand there and let these men do all the work, and besides, he didn’t want any of them to catch him watching Bailey.
After all, he couldn’t see his own face and didn’t know how he looked.
He did know he wanted to keep her in his life, and that he didn’t want to wait two weeks to take her to Boston’s wedding.
So, as he dug his shovel into piles of mud and moved wheelbarrows full of debris, he silently plotted about how he could ask her out for dinner before then.