Eli slid Buddy inside and shut the door behind him. She leaned against the door with a grin on her face. Sarah wasn’t sure why Eli was smiling, but she let it drop, still on edge from whatever had happened in the kitchen. Eli grabbed her hand and dragged her around to the driver’s side.
“Get in this way.”
Sarah slid inside and scooted as far over as she dared. She supposed it wasn’t too bad, much like sitting next to a large dog in the vehicle. When Eli got into the driver’s seat, their thighs brushed together, and Sarah had to maneuver her legs over to the passenger side so Eli could use the gear shift to put the truck into reverse.
It took them ten minutes to get out to the pasture. Sarah hadn’t been out to the fields this way before. The path they took was a lot rougher than the road they had taken before. She was jostled to and fro, Buddy eventually laying down and putting his head in her lap. Each time Sarah bumped into Eli, a jolt of electricity went through her body and straight between her legs. She was going to have to watch that for sure.
When they got to the field, Eli got out of the truck without a word. Sarah followed, not quite sure what she was supposed to be doing. Following Eli around the truck, she shut the door after Eli grabbed Buddy, set him on the ground, and walked toward a bunch of cows. Sarah couldn’t decide if she wanted to stay by the truck or stick it close to Eli.
The cows were much bigger than she had thought they’d be, and close enough to her height that it scared her to think of them being up in her face. Eli turned and glanced over her shoulder, that cocky half-grin on her lips.
“You coming?”
“Yeah,” Sarah breathed out. She took the first step, the heavy boots having an unfamiliar feel on her feet as she walked on the uneven ground.
They walked together side by side down into the field while Buddy ran out, calling to his mom. They stayed a bit of a distance away, watching. Sarah shivered in the chill, but she was glad when Eli didn’t move any closer to her. Buddy ran around, bucking up and down, having energy like she hadn’t seen before.
Eli leaned in close and pointed toward the edge of the group of cows. “That one there, the one kind of standing out on her own, that’s his mama.”
“Carmen.”
“Yeah.” Eli gave her another grin, and Sarah’s stomach clenched. “She’s been acting funny since the other night.”
“How so?”
“Doesn’t want much to do with any of the other cows, which is odd for her. She’s usually in the thick of things.”
“Interesting. I guess I never really thought about cows having their own personalities.”
“Oh, they do. Cassie…well, she’s ten personalities all by herself.”
“I noticed.” Sarah giggled. “Thanks for bringing me out here.”
“Not a problem. The help is good.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m more of a burden than a help.”
“Not at all.” Eli straightened her shoulders. “Truthfully.”
Sarah let it drop, her stomach twisting with anxiety. Whatever was happening between the two of them was far stronger than she thought it should be for having only known each other for three days, and she wasn’t willing to take the step to find out what might happen between them—not if she was leaving in two weeks and wasn’t planning on returning.
She lost track of how long they stood there, watching Buddy run from cow to cow, calling. Her heart broke each time he did it, not finding his mom and her not responding. Sarah was about to take a step toward, but Eli gripped her wrist and held her back. “Wait a second. She’s moving.”
“What?”
Sarah glanced over toward Carmen and, sure enough, the large cow swiveled her head toward the outcry from the calf. She snorted out twice before she answered the call. Buddy found his way to Carmen, who sniffed him and then licked his head before he dove between her legs and started suckling her utters.
Sarah reached out and grabbed Eli’s hand, excitement bubbling in her chest. She bounced in her boots, grinning, and when she turned to say something to Eli, their gazes caught again.
“Did it work?”
“It did,” Eli whispered back. “Want to get out of here?”
“Yeah.”
They were silent as they drove to the barn. When they pulled up and Eli turned the engine off, Sarah pressed her head into the seat, still smiling. “Thanks for taking me out there this morning.”
“Like I said, anytime. I appreciate the company. It gets quiet here sometimes.”