Shock ran through Eli’s chest.She hadn’t just said that, had she?She had no idea how to backtrack out of that one, so she turned around and started the water to wash dishes before they left. “You’ll need that jacket I lent you.”
“Anything else?”
“The boots.”
Sarah brought her plate over to the sink, their shoulders brushing as Eli moved to rub soap over her plate. Embarrassment still echoed through her chest at her stupid comment. When Sarah settled her plate in the bottom of the sink and turned, she gripped Eli’s elbow and squeezed.
“I’ll just be a minute.”
“Take your time.”
Sarah grinned and turned slowly away before heading through the house upstairs. Eli relaxed when she was gone and out of sight. She finished the plates and dried them, setting them back into the cabinet where she’d gotten them. She cleaned up the rest of the mess and was finishing just as Sarah came back down. It was going to be a tediously long afternoon. She only hoped she didn’t say anything else stupid.
* * *
They walked quietly down to the barn, but instead of going inside, Eli veered toward the opposite side where her shed was. With a glance over her shoulder, she knew Sarah was confused, but she didn’t explain anything. They were there to fix the fence. Surely Sarah could figure out they needed supplies to do it.
Ducking into the shed, Eli pulled out the post hole digger and shoved it at Sarah who took it with some hesitation. Eli pulled out two fence posts, some two-by-fours, nails, hammers, a shovel, and a whole lot of attitude. She was going to bar that part of the fence so much that Cassie wouldn’t know what to do with herself when she tried to get out.
Grunting, Eli lifted the two-by-fours onto her shoulder and started toward the truck. She ditched everything in the bed and turned to see Sarah staring at her from the shed. Confused, Eli narrowed her gaze and put her hand on her hip. “I thought you said you’d help.”
“Oh!” Sarah lifted the post hole digger and started for the truck.
Eli didn’t wait until she got there. She headed back for the pile of crap she was going to need. She was going to bridge the gap with two more fence posts and some two-by-fours at an angle, along with the wire—barbed since Cassie was so insistent on getting out.
Once they had everything loaded, she jumped into the driver’s seat and started the engine, giving the truck a little gas to try and get it going good so Sarah wouldn’t freak out that it wasn’t going to start. She really had to fix that at some point. Sarah slipped in next to her, and when she turned to Eli, she had a grin on her lips.
“You’re not taking any chances this time, are you?”
“Not one,” Eli muttered. “I’m tired of chasing her down.”
“How old is she?”
“Five.” Eli clenched her jaw and threw the truck into reverse, putting her hand over the back seat as she turned to see where she was going. Sarah’s shoulder was so close to her hand that she could reach out and touch it if she wanted, tangle her fingers in Sarah’s messy blonde hair. Curling her hand into a fist, she resisted the urge and stepped on the gas a little harder than intended. “My dad got her for me as a birthday gift. He regretted it from day one, I think.”
“You got a cow for your birthday?”
Eli snorted. “Best gift ever, minus the annoying exploits.”
“You wanted a cow?”
“I did.” Eli grinned as she stopped and turned the wheel, shoving the shifter into first so they could go forward.
“I can’t imagine getting a cow for my birthday.”
Eli dared herself to ask. “What’s the best gift you’ve been given?”
“My guitar.”
“The one you brought with you?”
“Yeah.” Sarah sighed. “I learned how to play on it. It’s so beat up, but I can’t give it up. It’s just…it’s that special to me.”
Eli chuckled. “How old were you when you got it?”
Sarah turned in her seat to stare directly at Eli. “I got it on our fourteenth birthday.”
“Our?” Eli raised a brow.