* * *
“Sure.” Delilah swallowed and gave him a small smile before moving over to Lilly. She climbed on the fence and sat next to her, and watched appreciatively when Blake walked into the yard, closing the gate behind the last of the sheep.
Whistling to the dogs, he moved to separate the sheep into different paddocks. Blake walked over to the long tunnel of metal fences with pivoting gates along the length of it. He jumped up onto the bottom rail and gripped the gate lever in his hands, opening and shutting it to feed the animals into different holding yards. Frisky dogs jumped up and ran over the animals thickly matted woolen backs as they pushed toward the gates to be funneled through by Blake’s quick handwork.
Ewes with early lambs at foot were fed into the yard closest to Del. She watched, fascinated as disorientated lambs bleated in high pitched cries, until the snuffling sounds of their mothers had them racing to the warmth of her body. They ducked their head under her belly, nudging at full teats as their thin front legs folded underneath them. Little tails wagged furiously and, despite the dust and flies, Del was in heaven.
As she sat on the fence, transfixed by the sight unfolding before her eyes, a smell rose with the dust to envelope her—a mixture of sheep manure and earth heated by the early morning sun. The dogs barked and snapped at the sheep's hooves as Bluey whistled commands to get the animals feeding through to Blake.
Royce sat back on his horse, watching the dogs do the rest of the work, appearing content that he done his part well for now. For the next half an hour, the only sound was the bleating of sheep and snapping of dogs as they did their job, over-ridden only by the sharp whistle as Blake and Bluey worked them.
By the time he had sorted the sheep into two different paddocks, Lilly had snuck her hand into Delilah's and crept close enough to tuck herself into Del's body. When Blake walked over, he raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“How is my girl, enjoying the show?”
Her breath hitched in her throat when his gaze met hers. The connection was there again but she pushed it away. The forced holiday was one thing. A fling with a widowed farmer was something different entirely. No matter that her body reacted to the ruggedly handsome man gazing up at her. No matter that he struck all the right notes and stole her breath with the smallest curve of his lips.
Letting go of Lilly's hand, she tried to jump down to the ground, breaking the look between them. She landed badly, twisting her ankle in a small dip in the ground from countless animal hooves, and fell. A sickening crunch made her stomach lurch and Delilah cried out. She landed in the dirt, her face connecting with a rock jutting out of the soil.
“Delilah—shit—don't move.” Blake rested his hand on her shoulder and brushed a lock of hair from her face. “Take a minute to breathe. There's a good girl.”
Tears welled in her eyes and a sob escaped her lips before she could stop it. Delilah closed her eyes against the glare of the sun on her face, trying to stem the flow of tears as the pain in her ankle rose.
“Hey, it’ll be okay. Tell me where it hurts the most and we'll go from there.” Blake's face was close to hers and she could smell the scent of his aftershave mingled with sweat.
“My ankle. I think I broke something.” She risked a quick look into his face and saw anguish in his eyes. “Can you help me sit up, please.”
Blake put his arm around her shoulders and let her lean into him as he lifted her up.
“Argh, hell. That hurts!” The sobs rose readily now and she gave up trying to hold the tears back. With a groan, she wiped her hand over her face, shaking her head for being so damned stupid.
“Hey, accidents happen.” Blake ran his hand down her calf, prodding the now swelling ankle gently.
She gasped with another curse leaving her lips. “Sorry…” A hiccup followed a deep swallow. “I don't usually swear but…oww…that really hurts.”
“I'm not sure if it’s broken, fractured, or just a really bad sprain. There's nothing for it but a trip into town.”
“Sorry. I really am.” She looked up at the faces gazing down at her with concern. Lilly scrambled to the ground and put a reassuring hand on Delilah's shoulder. The tears started again, the pain and embarrassment robbing her of any inhibitions.
“Not your fault, but we have to deal with it. Bluey, can you bring the four wheel drive around and lay the back seats down for me? Pile the blankets and pillows up as best you can and I'll lay her in the back with her ankle raised.” He grabbed her hand and spoke. “This is going to hurt and there is nothing for it, I'm afraid.”
“Daddy!”
“Lilly, climb back onto the railing and stay there. I don’t want to have to worry about you getting hurt while I deal with this.”
Delilah sat on the ground in the stock yard while Bluey rushed around, getting ready for the trip to town. Royce slid from his horse and climbed up on the fence to sit with his sister as they watched their father take control and fix the situation. The noise of a vehicle made her look up and she saw a large four wheel drive beside the fence. Royce climbed down and ran to open the gate for Bluey, and he brought the vehicle to where she sat.
“Some people will do anything to get out of cooking.” Bluey jumped out and slammed the door. He went around
