Page 28 of The Payback Adventure
But he wasn’t here to admire her or be attracted to her. He was here to do a job. Two jobs. Farmhand and fairy godfather. Good thing the two could be done concurrently, or he’d really have his work cut out for him.
Elisabeth stood. “Any questions?”
A gentle breeze carried the scent of her toward him. He didn’t recognize the subtle fragrance, but it suited her. Light, simple, a hint of flowers. Different from the expensive designer perfumes worn by the women he dated, but he liked it. A lot. “You smell good.”
Henry realized he should have been paying attention to her instructions, not her scent.
“It’s lotion.” She looked away, but not before a charming pink tinged her cheeks. “The kids gave it to me.”
Henry imagined a bottle of lotion and quickly pushed the thought from his mind. He needed to pay attention to what she wanted him to do. He wasn’t here only to help the Wheelers; he was here to win Cynthia’s adventure. Losing wasn’t an option. No matter what it took, he would win and, at the same time, become an indispensable asset to Elisabeth’s berry farm.
“The kids have good taste.” Henry picked up the keys to the tractor. “I’m ready to mow.”
The corners of her mouth lifted. “Think you can handle it?”
All he had to do was pull the mower between the rows of berries. A trained dog could manage that. Henry smiled. “Yes.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
A kiss for good luck? No, he didn’t need luck to accomplish this task. He wouldn’t need anything except a cool beverage once he was finished. A bottle of Cristal would be nice. But he would have to wait an entire month for that. Even if he spent his twenty on champagne, he couldn’t afford a bottle of his favorite bubbly.
Henry climbed onto the tractor and turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared. The machine vibrated and was way too loud. He loved it.
He hit the gas, but the machine didn’t move. The mowermust be heavier than Henry thought. He gave the tractor more gas, and it moved forward. He tested the brakes. Instead of stopping, he turned in a circle. The brakes were unhitched. “Just checking the turning radius.”
She nodded, but he saw the doubt in her eyes. “Be careful.”
“I will.”
She started to speak but stopped herself.
No problem. Henry would show Elisabeth how well he could handle this. The fun was just beginning. Not only for him but also for the entire Wheeler family. Their fairy godfather was on the job and ready to work miracles.
CHAPTER NINE
“It’s a miracle you found Henry.” Theresa Logan, Elisabeth’s best friend since kindergarten, leaned against her brother Gabriel’s pickup truck parked outside the barn while Abby and Caitlin played on the hay bales being unloaded. “Sounds like he’s the answer to your prayers.”
Elisabeth pushed a bale of hay to the edge of the tailgate. She thought about what Henry had done on his first day working at the farm and blew out a breath. “I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Neither would I.” Gabe lifted the bale as if it were a bag of feed. Sam was right next to him, as usual. “I still don’t understand why you hired this Henry guy. You had lots of people offer to help you when Manny left. Me, Dad, the entire town.”
Elisabeth hopped off the truck bed. “People have theirown farms and businesses to take care of. I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You’re not a burden.” Gabe brushed hay from his navy-blue T-shirt. “Friends help each other. That’s how it works. Unless one friend happens to be too stubborn for her own good.”
Though she loved Gabe like a brother, she’d heard this speech before. Too many times. She wiggled the hay bale halfway off the tailgate, only to have Gabe take it. “Henry will only be here until Manny returns.”
“You don’t know when Manny will be back,” Gabe said without missing a beat. “Henry is a total stranger. He could be anyone.”
She climbed back into the truck bed. “I checked his references.”
“The guy knows nothing about farming,” Gabe countered.
He wasn’t wrong, but thanks to Cynthia Sterling, it didn’t cost Elisabeth anything to have Henry work there. Except her food stores, the paint on her kitchen ceiling, and her favorite pan. Oh, and their vegetable garden.
She pushed another hay bale toward the edge. “He’s doing fine. Henry was a big help with the irrigation equipment.”
“I heard he let the chickens out,” Gabe said.
