“Pete, meet the new owner of Quincy Station...for now,” Nathan said.
Pete leaned over and held out his hand for her to shake. “Pleased to meet you, ma'am.”
“Call me Libby.” She gave him a genuine smile. “All my friends do.”
“Ouch.” Nathan flicked his gaze at Pete. “Told you she was testy. So, how was your first weekend on the station, sweetheart?”
“Just fine, thank you.” Libby looked coolly at him. She turned back to Pete and handed over the list Tom had given her. He glanced over it and nodded as he walked through the storeroom, hefting bags of feed and placing them at the front loading bay as he went.
The silence between them stretched out uncomfortably—at least for Libby, it did. Nathan didn't seem to mind the lack of conversation as he casually leaned on the counter, his gaze traveling over her body, making her skin heat and her stomach jittery. She turned away in the end, pretending to search the shelves for something she needed. When she risked a quick glance at him, he was looking at her with a strange look on his face. She averted her eyes and wandered around the shop until Pete came back and started to write her order up.
Libby had no choice but to approach the counter again.
“Notice you have fencing supplies.” Nathan nodded at the pile of equipment waiting for her. “Good move on your part to make a start on keeping those mongrels contained.”
Libby glared at him and took a few fortifying breathes before she spoke. “We've already made a start, for your information. But I will reiterate what I said to you earlier. If you have any issues with me or the farm, I’d appreciate it if you could talk to me privately and not in front of my kids.”
“Damned if you don't look cute with your heckles up, Libby.” He grinned. “But let me tell you, it'll take more than a cute butt and a pretty face to convince me a city barmaid has the makings of a farmer. Just so you know, I don't think you have it in you, no matter what Tom and Aaron think.”
He picked up his hat, placed it on his head, and calmly walked out the door, leaving Libby fuming.
“Um, will that be all, Libby?” Pete fiddled with his pen.
“No.” She turned back to the man at the counter, pasting what she hoped was a winning smile on her face. “I want some seedlings. Do you have any?”
“Sure we do.” He looked relieved at the change in conversation and led her outside to a shaded area where tables of seedlings lay in rows.
Libby chose flowers for the pretty colors on the labels and some vegetables she recognized, taking her time while her temper slowly came down from the boil. Pete helped her load her truck with her purchases, and she headed for home.
Libby drove up to the shed so they could unload the feed and fencing supplies. When she jumped down from the driver's seat she slammed the door harder than she meant to. She really had to stop letting him get under her skin.
“How did it go at the school?” Tom came out of the shed with soft steps, making her jump.
“Jeez, Tom, don't sneak up on me like that. You scared me half to death.”
He went to the back of the vehicle to start unloading the heavy bags of feed as if they were weightless and stored them in the shed. By the time he was done, Libby had taken her tray of seedlings into the house yard and put them on the worktable in her potting shed.
Tom was in the kitchen making a sandwich when she felt calm enough to face him. “Well, how did it go at the school?” He put the lid on the butter. “I gather you had no trouble getting Winton into school because he's not in the car.”
“No, no, it was fine. He was still enrolled even though he hadn't been in to class for a while. Apparently, the principal knew why he wasn't there, and you’d seen him off and on for books so, um, they just put him in Josh's class, and we'll just have to see how he does.”
“So what got your panties in a twist then?” He took a bite of his sandwich, his gaze on her.
Libby dropped her head in her hands, embarrassed. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before she answered him.
“Nathan.” She looked at Tom and tried to smile, but felt herself grimace instead.
“What happened?”
“He was at the produce store. He made some smart comments about fixing the fence to keep our mongrels in, and I told him if he had any comments to make, he should do it to me directly and reminded him not to do it in front of the kids.”
“And that was it?”
“No. He said no matter what you or Aaron thought, he didn't think a city barmaid like me had it in them to be a farmer.”
Tom looked at her and shook his head.
Libby's eyes filled as she remembered how humiliated she'd felt in front Pete. Being a barmaid hadn’t been the perfect job or the one she would’ve wished for given a chance, but it had kept her kids fed and built a life for them. She would be forever grateful for the opportunity.
“Why does he have to be such a bastard, and who cares that I was a barmaid? At least I had a job that fed my family and kept a roof over our heads. I don't care how cute he is, I really don't need him belittling me for my former profession. A job's a job at the end of the day. It's not like I've ever done anything to him, for God's sake.” Oh god, did she just say he was cute?
“Yeah, you have. You took up Thaddius's challenge. If you hadn't,
