Chapter Four
Eliza
The morning after I settled into the bedroom, I felt more refreshed than I had the whole week. After all, cotton sheets and a mattress were far superior to scratchy hay bales and a makeshift blanket. I shuffled downstairs, watching the sun rise through the windows of the house. It made me wonder whether Flint would be up this early, as well.
I was actually very grateful that he hadn’t simply kicked me off the ranch. If I was working, I could save up a few hundred dollars to keep myself on the move. Plus, I wouldn’t have to survive on eggs and too-fresh milk every single day.
“Morning, thief,” Flint called from the kitchen when the stairs creaked under my feet. Of course, he was probably the kind of guy that grew up on a farm. A morning person that couldn’t imagine sleeping in past seven in the morning.
I entered the kitchen, and he immediately caught my attention. His dark hair was unkempt, his stubble calling for a shave, and yet both of these factors only served to make him more attractive. It seemed as if he’d styled himself this way on purpose.
What made it more intense was that he was only wearing a pair of boxers, showing off the tight, slick muscles of his abdomen. I found myself wishing that he wasn’t staring at me with a deep suspicion that made me nervous.
It forced me to swallow and look away. “Mm, think I can have something other than eggs this morning?”
“I’ve already started coffee,” Flint grumbled. “Guess you can have some if you want. There’s toast and bacon, and I’m starving. You can make that, too.”
“Oh, yes, please,” I said, almost groaning with relief. I gathered the ingredients and turned the stove on. Pretty soon, the air filled with the thick smell of frying bacon, and my stomach grumbled happily.
“So I thought of working on the sign out front today,” Flint explained frankly, his tone strict and commanding. He was standing pretty close to me, and I caught a whiff of Old Spice and earth. “I think it needs to be replaced entirely.”
I was trying not to stare at his body, but it was difficult. When I glanced, I caught him looking, too. He cleared his throat immediately and looked away.
“Sounds good to me,” I answered, despite not really ever having participated in manual labor like that. “You know what you’re doing, right? I’m not exactly an expert on sign replacement.”
“Mostly,” Flint admitted, leaning on the small breakfast nook table in the corner. “We’re probably going to have to break the whole thing down. That’s going to take a while, but between the two of us, it’s possible.”
I put toast in the toaster, enough for both of us. “All right, so, we’ll need shovels and axes, right? What else?”
“Strength,” Flint said as if it was entirely obvious. “Everything else is in the truck. Now tell me. Why are you really on this ranch?”
The question made me pause. I didn’t want to tell him. I didn’t know whether he’d simply call my family right away and get them to come get me. Maybe I could lie, but his face told me he’d realize immediately if I tried.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I finally answered. “All you need to know about me is that I’m willing to work hard.”
He studied me with eyes the color of the night, a look that forced me to turn my head away.
“If I don’t know anything about you, why would I let you stay, or trust you at all?” he asked with a growl. “Seems like I’m getting the bad end of this bargain.”
“You’re not telling me anything about yourself, either,” I pointed out. “Maybe you’re some crazy serial killer living out here in the boonies, and I’m your next victim.”
“I own this ranch, I’m not a serial killer, horses are my favorite animal, and I like strawberry jelly,” Flint said. “Your turn.”
“Uh, all right.” I almost laughed at his list but kept it down. “I’m not a crazy person hiding randomly on ranches, I’m afraid people will find me because they want something from me, my favorite animal is a horse, too, and I hate strawberry jelly. I really love bacon, though.”
When the bacon and toast was done, I piled it all onto two plates and handed one to Flint. After over a week of just eggs, it was absolutely heavenly. I noticed that Flint was watching me more than eating himself, but I didn’t point it out. I probably did look a bit ridiculous, eating with my hands and getting bacon grease all over my face.
“We could go into town as well, get you some things,” Flint continued, getting himself a fork and a knife. “Just so you don’t break yourself working in city clothes.”
“Maybe.” I hesitated. It was more likely that someone would recognize me in town. Flint’s eyes held mine with a strength that was difficult to deny. I couldn’t stop staring at his body, wishing that I could be wrapped up in him.
I shook my head at myself. I wasn’t supposed to be getting romantically involved with a rancher. Pretty soon, I’d have to leave, to keep moving. If I just stayed here, it was only a matter of time before my family ruined it all.
Instead of continuing the conversation or even excusing myself, I simply left the kitchen and headed upstairs to take a shower. I’d already jumped in a bath the previous night, but I had a newfound appreciation for how refreshing it was to get clean. Staying in the barn, I’d gotten so dusty and gross. My sweat had turned some of the dirt on my skin into mud, and everything had been itchy.
My clothes were still in a state of disarray, however, so it made sense that Flint suggested replacing them. I didn’t really want to head into town. There could be someone looking for me there, or missing person’s posters. It seemed a bit unreasonable, but I didn’t put it past my family. They would go to crazy lengths to get me back.
After my shower, I found Flint waiting for me on the front porch, gazing out on his ranch. “Oh, good, you’re done. Bit of a shame that we’re just going to get dirty again, huh?”
“I’m fairly decent at getting dirty,” I joked, my cheeks immediately going hot and forcing me to look away from him. Flint chuckled anyway and started walking down to the barn.
“Come on, Little Miss Comedian,” he called back to me with a clear note of annoyance. “We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
“Sir, yes, sir!” I saluted him, even though he couldn’t see me.
Flint shook his head as he led me forward, clearly irritated. Even his annoyance made something flutter in my soul, but I shoved that away. I had to be more careful. Falling in love with this man was something I simply couldn’t afford right now. Besides, I didn’t want to drag him into all of my problems.
We gathered up the equipment that we needed before we got into Flint’s truck and drove down to where the sign stood. I could understand why he wanted to replace it. The letters themselves had become rusty, and the wood seemed like it was starting to rot.
“Okay, I’m going to take the pick and start breaking up these stones,” Flint explained, pointing to the stone pillars that held the sign’s wooden poles. I frowned, glancing up at the sign above us.
“You think that’s the best idea?” I asked sincerely. “Don’t you think the whole thing will crash down on us if you do that?”
“Nah.” Flint shrugged as he walked around the truck to get the pick. “It still has the wooden poles to keep it up.”
“Yeah, but breaking up the pillars first could throw it off balance,” I insisted, following him. “I really think we should take the top part of the sign down first.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know much about all of this,” Flint sighed with an exasperated tone in his voice. “Why don’t you leave the decisions about the process to me?”
He pulled the pick out of the bed of the truck and stood there, his legs spaced shoulder-width apart. For some reason, I couldn’t help but think about how attractive he looked in that pose, almost like the main character on the cover of a novel.
“Because it’s a stupid decision.” I replaced my attraction with irritation and crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t want to be injured just because you’re stubborn.”
“All right, fine, we’ll do it your way.” Flint dropped the pick near the back wheel of the truck. “Help me get the ladder out.”
I was satisfied that he gave in, but I didn’t let it show on my face. I wasn’t the kind of person who would rub it in like that. We got the ladder and a hammer. From here, the situation was going to get more complicated. There was only one ladder, so one of us would have to go up and pry off the letters and hand them to the person below.
“Can you hold it stable?” Flint asked, his gaze focused on the sign above him as he started climbing the ladder. From this angle, the sun cast a glow over his face that lit him up like he was on stage. His movements as he climbed were strong, deliberate, and powerful.
I almost forgot what he’d asked me to do, but I shook my head and grabbed on to the ladder’s legs.
“Wait, this might be a bit easier,” Flint mumbled above me. “Can you move it to the left a bit?”
“Uh, you want me to pick this up, with you on it, and move it without throwing you off?” I blinked in surprise at the request. “You realize how nuts that sounds, right?”
“Okay, fair enough. I’ll come down first.”
He came back down the ladder so fast that I was still holding on to it by the time his hips were level with my eyes. His body bumped against my shoulder, the rough sensation of his jeans making me jump back.
“Hey, be careful,” I said, completely flustered at the momentary interaction. “You really should look where you’re climbing.”
“Sorry.” Flint wasn’t looking at me, but I could almost hear him raising an eyebrow before he cleared his throat. “Um, anyway, let’s move the ladder to that side.”
A few minutes later, he was up on the ladder again, working on the screws that held the curved wooden board of the sign in place. Several times, I found myself glancing upward to appreciate the view of his body from where I stood.
Every time I did, I would drag my eyes away from him again and shake my head at myself. I really wasn’t trying hard enough not to fall for this man. My heart was already beating fast at the thought of being with him, and my hands felt sweaty. I constantly had to wipe them on my shirt to keep my grip on the ladder.
“Okay, I think I got it,” Flint eventually said, sounding as if he was fairly deep in thought. “Now we just need to get the other side.”
I realized it was going to be hard to hold the one side up while Flint worked on the other side. The only choice was for him to hand it down to me so that I could gently let it hang from the side that was still being held up.
“Give it here!” I yelled up at him, climbing up to the third step on the ladder so I could reach it more easily. This had me far too close to Flint’s behind, and I could feel my ears burning.
“You sure?” Flint asked uncertainly, although he was already lowering it carefully. “It’s really heavy.”
“I’ll drop it if I can’t take it,” I teased, knowing that I was most definitely not going to do anything of the sort. “Come on, it’s fine, I’ve got this.”
“All right.” Flint didn’t sound convinced, but he lowered the board until I could reach it. Even with him still bearing most of its weight, I could tell that this was going to be difficult. The wood was thick, solid, and incredibly heavy.
“Easy, now, easy,” I said as I took hold of it, grunting once Flint released it. With a lot of focus, I managed not to drop it as I started to reverse down the ladder.
For the first few steps, it went well. On the last one, I managed to snag my shoe, and I tumbled backward. Immediately, I let go of the sign, which swung dangerously on its remaining hinge. It was too heavy to hold, and the rotten wood broke off, crashing down.
I rolled out of the way, already wincing and knowing that I was definitely injured. Luckily, the sign landed next to me in a plume of dust, and the chaos finally settled.
Flint leapt from five steps up on the ladder to land next to me, almost angry that I’d gotten injured. “Hey, are you okay?”
Sitting up, I checked all of my limbs. Nothing was broken, but I had several scratches that would need to be cleaned.
“I think so,” I said, turning red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry.”
“Well.” Flint lifted his hat to wipe his forehead. “That’s one way to get the job done fast. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”
He reached a hand down to help me to my feet. I limped after him to the truck, annoyed at my clumsiness.
“I’ll be more careful next time,” I said, trying to wipe the embarrassed look off my face. “Or just watch where my shoes are going.”
“I think it’d be better if we get you proper work clothes,” Flint answered. It didn’t look like he was trying to laugh at me, or even noticed that I’d done something ridiculously stupid. “This is an accident waiting to happen.”
“We can go tomorrow, but you have to promise you’ll deduct the cost from my pay.”
“Mm, we’ll see.” Flint almost seemed insulted at that suggestion, but he didn’t voice that. “Sit down.”
Awkwardly, I did so on the back flap of the truck. Flint started rummaging on the inside before he found an antique-looking first aid box. I felt hesitant about him treating my wounds with that, but when he opened it, the contents seemed new enough.
I wanted to apologize again. This was going to waste a lot of time, and we probably wouldn’t be able to get the sign done that day. However, with Flint so delicately beginning to clean up the blood and dust, I was unable to do anything except watch him.
There was an intense focus in his eyes, as if nothing mattered except what he was busy with in that moment. I almost expected him to stick his tongue out like in a cartoon. Despite how rough his hands were from spending his life in rural Arizona, I barely felt him working. It made me wonder how it would feel to be wrapped up in his arms, to have his hands on my face as he kissed me.
I shook my head at myself. It was dangerous to think this way. Before long, I’d convince myself to stay on the ranch, and my family would find me. I couldn’t allow myself to fall for him.
“Am I hurting you?” Flint had glanced up at me and must’ve seen the frown present on my face. “I’m trying not to.”
“Uh, no,” I answered, so flustered that I couldn’t think of a reason for my expression. Flint’s face was so close to mine that I could count the individual bits of stubble on his cheeks. I imagined that he tasted like coffee and the earth, something that I could simply fall into every day.
“I think I’ll need a couple of Band-Aids.” Flint suddenly looked away, ripping his gaze from mine as his hands shook slightly. I wondered if he had felt that same electric sensation that I did, and why he would deny it as strongly as I was trying to.
The way that he applied the Band-Aids was a bit strange. He opened them all up and placed them on his fingers, almost like they were tape. Then he took them off one by one to put them on the worst of my injuries. The whole thing made me chuckle with my hand over my mouth.
“What?” Flint raised an eyebrow at me, as if he had no idea why I was laughing.
“Nothing, really,” I answered with a mischievous smile. The feeling that was welling up in my chest was familiar, but I hadn’t felt it in several years. It was warm and pleasant, and I knew that I would have to suppress it.
“You’re weird, you know that?” Flint said, the irony of that statement flying right over his head. “Anyway, I think you’re fine now. Let’s get back to work.”
“Sure, just don’t make me get on any more ladders.” I hopped down from the flap I was sitting on. The ointment that Flint had applied had gotten rid of the burning sensation that I felt in the shallow scrapes, and I did feel ready to conquer the world.
Flint stood over the sign that had crashed to the ground, whistling as if surprised. “Pretty sure that was bound to happen some time or another. This wood is so rotten, I’m shocked that it didn’t fall off years ago.”
He kicked at the sign before he moved back to the pillars. “Think we’re going to have to start breaking away these stones. Are you comfortable with using a pick?”
“Mornin’, Flint!” A man was walking toward us from the path that led deeper into the ranch. “Heard there was some kind of commotion down here. Dang, what happened?”
The man had some features resembling Flint’s, but he was shorter and rounder, with a bald patch creeping onto the top of his head.
“Taking the sign down, Lawrence,” Flint answered in a tone that told me this guy wasn’t his favorite person in the world. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Can you do it without all the noise? You’re freaking out the chickens.” After he said this, Lawrence’s eyes landed on me, and he paused. “Who’s this lovely young lady? Sure I haven’t met you before.”