“Yeah, that’s it,” I laughed before turning to a mock seriousness. “Quiet,” I ordered. “Ellie will kill me if I let you go any farther. You look pale.”
“Uh,” she said, staring up at me as I tossed her tiny figure around like a rag doll. “I hate to break it to you, but my skin is naturally this transparent.”
“You’re pale, I grant you, but your face always has a bit of rosy in its cheeks, and I’ve never seen your eyes this dull.” She stared at me and I stopped abruptly, setting her down for a moment. She haughtily adjusted her clothing. “I mean, from what I’ve observed. You know, in passing,” I told her, continuing on again. My neck started to heat under my bandana.
“You, uh, notice those things about me, do you?” she asked, as we ascended the staircase and began to round the deck toward the dining hall.
“It’s no secret I’m attracted to you, Cricket.”
Her face got a little bit of its color back. “Don’t do that,” she breathed and considered the ground.
“I won’t do anything about it, Cricket. I fully recognize you’re with Ethan.”
Her head whipped my direction. “You-you won’t?” she asked. Did I detect a hint of disappointment? Click.
“No, I won’t. I’m not in the habit of breaking up relationships,” I informed her before amending the statement. “Well, not anymore.” I winked at her and she shook her head.
“Good,” she asserted, but it felt weak and that made me happier than I could possibly say.
“Good,” I repeated with strength.
“Good,” she said again, but this time with a hitch.
“Great,” I challenged, stopping and peering down at her.
“Excellent,” she said, facing me, her hands on her hips.
“Outstanding,” I declared, a brow raised.
“Wonderful,” she hesitated.
“Brilliant,” I nearly shouted.
“Peachy,” she countered, but her hands fell at her sides.
I leaned into her and whispered, “Phenomenal.”
She swallowed. “S-super,” she stuttered, staggering back a bit.
“Sensational,” I responded, inching closer.
She glanced to her right, toward the door, then back at me, licking her lips.
“You want to kiss me right now, don’t you, Cricket Hunt?”
Her eyes blew wide. “I-I do not,” she insisted, stepping back from me.
I leaned closer, inch by slowly painstaking inch, and her eyes began to flutter close, making me smile, pausing outside her lips when they fell slightly apart. My stomach clenched. I closed in farther, but instead of kissing her, I spoke into her ear. “Good.”
Click.
The third combination of antibiotics ended up working, but not before seventeen more calves perished over the course of three days, much to the ranch’s discouragement. The workload tripled during the calving season, and I could not believe how tired I was at the end of the day, not that that stopped me from visiting Cricket every night to talk and watch her work.
We didn’t speak about our expectations or lack thereof since the day on the deck. She knew we were playing with fire and although I wouldn’t have minded getting burned, she was taking every precaution to keep clear of the flames. Whenever I would get near her, she would not so subtly steal away from me. If Ethan was around, she was particularly clingy to him, all the while staring at me.
Jonah, Ethan, Cricket and myself shared a schedule and stayed fairly inseparable. Much to my dismay, I was really starting to like and respect Jonah. And much to my absolute horror, I was finding Ethan more than tolerable. To be honest, I found him to be a much better person than I was, which pissed me off beyond belief even if he was entirely too serious for someone like Cricket.
Two weeks after calving season began, we were finishing our Friday off by breaking down the horses and cleaning out their stalls, readying them for a night’s stay. The weather had turned bitter, and I was grateful to be indoors.
“Dude, I am so exhausted I could fall over and sleep right here next to Patches,” I told Jonah.
He laughed. “That’s too bad,” he said.
I made a face. “What are you up to, dude?”
He leaned on his rake handle. “Every once in a while during calving season, Grandma makes us leave the ranch for a few hours. Tonight is one of those nights.”
“Why?” I asked him, spreading pellets out with my own rake.
“She says it’s not normal for young people to be this worked without at least a little bit of mischief.”
This made me laugh because it sounded exactly like something Ellie would say.