Southern Boy Charm | ✓

Chapter 5

Nick doesn't wait a beat before putting me to work. As soon as we come back home we head into the fields, and I can't help but be in awe of how large it is. I have no time to process it before I'm off on my feet, wheeling the hay bales from the field to the barn. Although I have something to wheel them in, their still heavy to carry and push around, and after only three trips to the barn I'm sweating.

Nick passes by me easily, saying nothing, but I can feel his silent arrogance at my struggle. I grunt and keep pushing, despite the fact that my legs and arms feel like mush.

When I wheel the final bale into the barn I collapse on the floor, exhaustion overtaking me. This work is no joke, and I can already tell that I underestimated it. I can barely see straight when Nick leans over me, popping his head into my line of view.

"Come on, we still have to feed the animals."

I groan, wondering when the torture will end, but stand up anyways. The only thing worse than exhaustion is admitting that Nick is right about me.

"Feeling tired yet?" He asks, picking up a bucket full of feed.

"Not at all."

"Really?" He arches his brow, throwing a handful of feed into the pigs' pen. They all swarm around the food, eager to eat. "Because I could have sworn I saw you taking a rest beside the wheelbarrow a couple of times."

I try my hardest to stand up straight and appear alert. "Well your eyes must have mistaken you, because I am very awake." I playfully grab the bucket out of his hands. "Now shush. I want to feed the cows."

I walk towards their pen, and out of the corner of my eyes I see him shake his head, a smile on his lips. I turn around towards him, catching him red handed.

"Is that a smile I see?" I tease him, walking backwards towards the cow pen. "I didn't even know you were capable of one of those."

He shoots me glare, but I can tell from the slight tug on the corner of his lips he's amused. So, it turns out that he can loosen up after all.

Before I can tease him any further, a loud squishing noise stops me dead on my tracks. I look down at my feet, and my left flip-flop is wedged tightly in a thick pile of brown goo with flies circulating around it. Oh no. I try my hardest not to gag, and calmly, or at least as calm as I can muster, look up at Nick.

"Is that the cow's..." I trail off, not even able to finish the sentence. Please God, let him say no.

Nick nods his head yes, and this time he doesn't even try to hide his grin. "Unfortunately, the answer is yes."

I pry my shoe out of the pile, covering my mouth in disgust as a thick layer of the brown substance comes along with it.

"Well I'm happy that you find this funny," I say, shooting him a glare. My shoes are beyond repair.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to the," he pauses for a second, trying to find the right word, "bodily substances laying around here. Just follow me." He leads me outside of the barn, towards the back of it, where a green hose lays in the grass.

I look at it in disbelief. "This is what I'm supposed to clean my shoe with?"

He sits down in the grass and takes off his black cap, toying with it. "Nothing better than plain old water."

I roll my eyes but turn on the hose anyway, setting the head attachment to the highest pressure available. He stares at his hat, and I can't help but be curious as to what he's thinking about.

Focusing my attention at the task at hand, I aim the hose and fire, jet streaming my shoe and sending brown-tinted water flying everywhere. I squeal and drop the hose in the grass.