by Kennedy Fox
It’s pretending to be in love with him when my heart knows I already am. It could complicate things between us. We’ll have to hold hands, touch, and kiss…not to mention, sharing a bed. We’ve fallen asleep while watching movies before, but this would be different.
It’d be intentional.
Chapter Seven
ETHAN
“Goddammit, Cream Puff. That was almost my junk,” I scold the Alpine goat as I attempt to trim her hooves. She’s a feisty one, which is why I deal with her. Every four to six weeks, this has to be done, and each time, it’s the same song and dance.
“She nail ya?” Payton asks.
“Almost.”
“If you ever wanna have children, better wear a cup next time.” He chuckles, moving forward to steady her by bribing her with a carrot.
I snort. “Startin’ to sound like my grandma.” Arching a brow, I continue, “Do you have kids?”
Funny enough, I don’t know anything personal about him.
“No.”
“Girlfriend or wife?”
“Nope.”
“Boyfriend?”
He shrugs. “I’m single.”
“Ah okay. Well, that makes two of us.”
“Really? I thought you and that Harper chick were a thing?”
“Nah, we’re just friends. We grew up together.”
“Interesting.”
I give him a stern look. “What is?”
He shrugs, handing Cream Puff another carrot. “That she’s single.”
“Never said that.”
“So she’s not?” The corner of his lips tilts with amusement.
He’s messing with me.
“You’re an asshole.”
Payton smirks.
“Who’s an asshole?” Kane emerges from the pasture covered in dirt.
“What happened to you?” I ask, fighting to trim the last hoof.
“Cupcake,” he states as if that’s enough to understand. “Speaking of which, I found her out again this mornin’.”
“You’re kiddin’ me?” I inhale with a groan. “I’ll check the cameras, and maybe we’ll finally figure it out.”
“This oughta be interesting,” Payton says, who thinks he’s some sort of goat witch.
Once Cream Puff’s hooves are finished, Payton leads her to the pasture. Before I grab the next goat, I head to my office to check the surveillance from the past twelve hours.
Nothing’s out of the ordinary until about two in the morning when a stumbling Knox enters the frame holding a beer. He’s drunk off his ass. It’s no wonder he’s hungover as hell today.
“Cupcake!” Knox stutters, causing all the goats to scream back at him. “C’mon, girl. Let’s go for our walk.” He laughs as she immediately runs toward the open gate.
“Son of a bitch,” I grit between my teeth.
As Cupcake darts around in freedom, Knox literally skips behind her like a drunken fool. I even hear him singing.
Pushing away from my desk, I stand and rush to find the bastard. Kane and Payton notice and follow as I go to the feed barn. I’m so angry and annoyed that I don’t think twice about kicking the leg of the chair Knox’s passed out in.
“Wake up,” I hiss as the chair falls.
“Dude, what the fuck?” Knox groans as he opens his eyes and realizes he’s on the ground. “I’m gonna beat your ass for that.”
“You’re fired.”
“The hell you talkin’ about?” he asks, stumbling to his feet. “I fell asleep for five minutes. Gimme a break.”
“You’ve been lettin’ Cupcake out this whole damn time!” I stare up at him since he’s a couple of inches taller.
“You can’t fire me, but nice try.” Knox grabs the chair and sets it upright.
“I can make sure you never work in my area ever again. Go back to shoveling horse shit with your dad,” I tell him, crossing my arms. “You come to work hungover too much, and you’re a liability.”
“I’m a liability?” His voice raises an octave. “How about Kane who’s getting high on his breaks with Grayson? Or Payton who drives around without a valid driver’s license?”
I snap my gaze to Payton. “You don’t have a license?”
Payton scowls at Knox. “It expired right after I left Montana. I just need to get it renewed with my Texas address.”
“That means it’s not valid,” I snap. Fuckin’ great. “You get into an accident in the work vehicles, and it’ll be a big problem.”
“Sorry, I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“Without pay,” I tell him.
“So am I still fired?” Knox challenges with a cocky smirk.
“Consider this your final warning. Next time, you’ll be gone, no exceptions.” I turn around and hear Kane cursing out Knox for ratting him out.
Goddamn, it’s like babysitting a bunch of toddlers.
After I’ve checked in with the evening milking staff, I drive to my grandparents’ house. Grandpa asked me to bring him the last quarter’s financials. Though he’s not physically active in ranching anymore, he keeps up with the profits and losses. He’s the quiet one, completely opposite from Grandma, but I’ve always been close to him. Even when I was away at college, I’d come back on my breaks to hang out with him for a bit and shoot the shit. Plus, he’s a great listener.
“Hey, Grandma,” I greet as I walk into the kitchen.
“Ethan, sweetheart.” She smiles as she takes a dish out of the oven.
“Thought I smelled your famous pecan pie.” I see half a dozen of them on the counter.
“I saved one just for you.”
“That’s why you’re my favorite.” I kiss her cheek when she wraps an arm around me.
“So what have you been up to these days? You ready to be an uncle soon?”
Elle’s due in a couple of weeks. “Well if the massive baby shower she had last month is any indication, we’re all ready.” It took Connor and me six trips to bring all the diapers and gifts she got to their house.
“And when will you be settling down?” she asks pointedly, and I know there’s no getting out of this conversation.
“I was thinkin’ of becoming a lifelong bachelor.”
Grandma immediately scowls. “Ethan Bishop, don’t you dare give me a heart attack.”
“Not everyone wants to get married and have babies,” I tell her. I don’t admit that I could only ever see myself having a family with one woman or that she’s not aware of my feelings.
“What about Harper?” she asks bluntly, and I hope my expressions don’t give me away.
“What about her?”
“Is she seeing anyone?” she asks with a raised brow as if she already knows the answer.
“No.”
“Well why don’t you take her out on a date?”
“Because we’re just friends, Grandma. Girls and boys can be friends without any relationship brewing between them,” I tell her matter-of-factly.
“Back in my day, there was no such thing as boys and girls ‘hanging out,’” she says with air quotes.
I chuckle in amusement. “No need for that…” I mimic her action. “We’ve been friends all our lives. That’s it.”
“Hmm…” she murmurs. “Your uncle Jackson said the same thing for years.”
“Yes, I know the story.”
“And because of his stubbornness, Kiera almost got married.”
“I’ve heard.”
“He nearly lost the only woman he’s ever loved.”
Before I can respond, Grandpa walks in. “Rose, leave the boy alone.”
Thank God.
“Darlin’, here’s your pie.” Grandma grabs a plate off the counter and hands it to him.
Grandpa looks down at it and frowns. “This ain’t no pie. It’s a baby slice. Where’s the rest of it?”
“That’s all you need. You have high cholesterol,” Grandma reminds him.
Grandpa groans, shaking his head in protest. “That’s why the doc put me on t
hose pills. It lowers my numbers so I can eat more dessert.”
“I-I’m no doctor, but I don’t think that’s how it works,” I mock.
“Have a seat and eat. I’ll bring you some coffee,” Grandma directs, pointing at the kitchen table.
I follow and sit across from him as Grandma busies herself in the kitchen.
“Don’t forget the sugar,” Grandpa tells her.
“We only have Splenda,” she replies.
“Of course,” he mutters, lowering his voice so only I can hear him.
I pull the financial statements from the manila folder and give him a brief summary of how things are going with the goats. We go over numbers and profit margins as well as possible ideas to expand more.
“If we keep the billy goats, not only will they eat what the cows won’t in the pastures but we can also rent them out during breeding season,” I explain. Other goat farmers only raise the female goats for their milk and need billy goats for when they’re in heat. That way they don’t have to deal with their bad tempers. As of now, when a male baby is weaned, we sell him, but it could be a great investment to keep some in a separate pasture.
“You’d need more employees to handle it,” he tells me, then sips his coffee. “Billy goats are known to be pains in the ass.”
“You’re right. I do. Especially since Knox and Kane are constantly juggling between helping me and working with their dad on the side.”
I leave out the part about one always being hungover and the other getting high during breaks.
“Alright, give me a day or two to figure it out. Should be plenty of room behind the barn, but you need more people soon, especially since breeding season is just a few weeks away.”
Female goats go into heat usually in the fall when the weather changes. It can vary in weeks, but as soon as they start showing signs, we bring in the billy goat. One male can breed with an entire farm of females. We don’t always know if the females get pregnant and are often surprised in the spring when babies start popping out.
“Sounds good.”
Grandma hands me one of the hot pecan pies wrapped in a towel. “Here ya go. Make sure to save a piece for your mom and dad.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, right.”
Once we’re done chatting and I’ve said my goodbyes, I climb in my truck and text Harper.
Ethan: What are you doing tonight?
Harper: Working till the sweat goes into my eyes and I go blind.
I snort at her dramatics.
Ethan: Want some help? I have a whole pecan pie to share.
Harper: From your grandma?
Ethan: Yep. Wanna split it?
Harper: Duh! I’ve got vanilla ice cream too.
Ethan: Perfect. I’ll be there in about an hour. Gonna go home and shower first.
Once I’m clean and dressed, I make something to eat. My parents are still at work, so I warm up some leftovers from the other night. After I’ve checked in on the evening crew, I grab my things and head to Harper’s.
All the lights are on in her cabin, which means she’s still working. When I enter, her little space is covered in shipping boxes, bubble wrap, envelopes, soap molds, lotion bottles, and more.
“Harper? You buried in here?”
She pops up from the floor and blows out a breath that makes the stray hairs fly from her head. “Hey.”
“Whatcha doin’?” I ask, walking between the supplies, not wanting to knock anything over. “It’s a maze in here.”
“I know, sorry about that. It’s been hectic. Between making the soaps and packaging orders, I’ve been practicing my questions for the conference. I feel so overwhelmed.”
“Oh, Harp. I’m sorry. You should’ve told me sooner. I can stay up late with you tonight and do whatever will take some of the load off,” I offer, grabbing her hand and lifting her off the floor.
“No, you work early tomorrow. I’ll be okay. Hadleigh and Kaitlyn offered to help me for the next few days to catch up.”
“Okay, but if you need me this weekend, just ask.”
She smiles up at me, and I tuck a piece of dark hair behind her ear. “I will. Thank you.”
We stare at each other until she lowers her eyes to the pie in my hand. “That smells delicious.”
“Turn on the oven, and I’ll stick it in there for a few so it’s nice and warm,” I tell her, backing away so she can maneuver through the shallow path.
“Good idea. I’ll take the ice cream out so it can thaw.”
While we wait for dessert, I sit on her loveseat and tell her to put me to work. “C’mon, I can do something. Fold your thank-you cards or tape up a box.”
“Alright, fine. Only because you asked so nicely,” she taunts, handing me a stack of cardboard.
“Thank you so much for allowing me to help.” I smirk. “You really need to hire someone, Harp. Does your mom have any extra time at night?”
“She does and would be happy to come over, but it’s the only time she gets to see my dad. I’d hate to take that away from them.”
I nod in understanding. Dylan works long hours on the ranch, so it only makes sense that Jessica would want to spend the evenings with him.
“When Kaitlyn isn’t training, maybe she can come over?” I offer.
“From the sounds of it, she’s booked solid right now. I was lucky enough as it is to get her this week. I begged.” She sighs.
Kaitlyn went to college for ag science, just like me, but her specialty is show horses. She takes after her mom—my aunt Kiera—in that area. During the off-season, Katilyn keeps the animals in shape by training with the rider.
“Hmm.” I continue folding boxes as I think about a solution.
“Honestly, I’m not sure I could afford to hire someone who’s not a friend or family member. I’m lucky Hadleigh helps for next to nothing, or I’d make no profit at all.”
“That means your profit margins are too small. You need cheaper supplies or higher prices.”
“I can’t do that,” she states immediately. “I’m not skimping on the quality of my products.”
“Of course not, but what about everything else you use? The fancy thank-you notes…” I hold one up. “The extra gifts inside…the candy, scrunchies, stickers. That all adds to your expenses and bottom line.”
“Those things make it more personal,” she says. “Plus, if I don’t, I’ll look like scum compared to Shayla’s company.”
“Alright, then you need to raise your prices again. People will pay for quality products and great customer service.”
“I can barely compete with Shayla’s prices as it is. If I go higher, I’ll alienate my customer base.”
“No, you’ll just be demanding a higher quality customer who can afford what you’re selling.”
“I don’t know…” she murmurs. “I’m already being hounded about my slow shipping times.”
“Well, it all boils down to hiring an employee so your orders will get out faster, which means more returning and new customers. It’s a win-win,” I state.
“You make it sound so easy.” She rolls her eyes with a grin. “It’s not exactly easy to find an assistant around here. Being twenty minutes outside of town is inconvenient for most people, especially if they live farther out.”
“Well, you won’t know until you try, Harp. But you gotta do somethin’ because you can’t keep wearing yourself down like this. You’ll burn out. Plus, you look like you haven’t slept in days.”
“Gee, thanks. What a nice way to say I look like shit.”
I chunk a small throw pillow at her. “Don’t even start. You’re beautiful, and you know it. But the bags under your eyes tell me you’re exhausted.”
Her eyes widen in dread. “Seriously, Ethan? You don’t tell a girl that. Geesh. Have I taught you nothin’ in twenty-six years?”
“There was that one time in second grade when you showed me how to eat glue off our pencil boxes.”
“Oh my God, I hate you,” she says, laughing.
The sweet sound immediately makes me smile. “And you’re the one who sprinkled pencil shavings in it before it dried.”
I shrug with amusement. “It added flavor.”
Harper gags, coughing as she snorts in between. I love seeing her like this after hearing how crazy her days have been.
Once the pie is warm and we top our halves with ice cream, we take a break.
“This is so good,” she hums around a mouthful.
“Mm-hmm. Grandma sure knows how to bake,” I add. “So, before you said you were practicing for the conference. When will I get to hear your responses?”
“Well…” She licks her lips, and I notice the way her cheeks pale as if the blood is rushing from her face. “Speaking of the event…”
“What about it?”
“I have a huge favor to ask, and if you say no, I’ll understand, but it’s super important,” she blurts out so fast, I barely comprehend the words.
“Whoa, Harper. Slow down.” I turn my body to face her. “Whatcha need?”
She lowers her eyes as if she’s nervous to ask, which isn’t something I’m used to. We tell each other everything, and there’s never been an uncomfortable conversation between us, but I feel like we’re about to have one.
“I need you to go with me…” She blinks, finally meeting my gaze. Just as I’m about to respond, she continues, “As my fiancé.”
Chapter Eight
HARPER
Ethan hasn’t blinked in a solid minute, and I’m starting to think he’s lost his ability to speak.
He finally clears his throat. “Excuse me? As your what now?”
I hadn’t intended to blurt it out, but he brought up the conference, and it felt like a good time. My nerves overcame me, and it just spilled out like word vomit.
Setting my plate on the coffee table, I swallow hard and repeat myself. “I need you to come with me as my fiancé.”
“Your…fiancé?”