“It’s so nice to meet you, Dan and…Helga,” Addie said, shaking hands with the older couple. “Thank you both so much for helping us out with this.”
“It’s no trouble,” Dan said good-naturedly.
“Yes, no trouble at all,” Helga said. “Farming ain’t easy, especially for a young couple just starting out.”
Addie frowned and glanced at Cade. Heat gathered around her coat collar as some of her fantasies danced through her mind.
“Oh,” she said a little too breathlessly, “we’re not… I mean…we… I…”
“I work for Addie,” Cade said smoothly, coming to her rescue.
God, she really needed to work on her lack of grace under pressure. She usually wasn’t so awkward, even when embarrassed.
“Oh, I see,” Helga said, her eyes darting between them. “Well, no matter. We’re glad to help either way.”
The men went to unload the first two huge draft horses from the white horse trailer and walked them around the dooryard to stretch their legs while Helga made small talk.
“So you’re new here. Bought out old Pete?” she asked.
Addie nodded. “Yep.”
“Ever done any farming?”
“Just small gardening, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to try.”
“Hmm,” Helga said, glancing over at Dan and Cade as they led the two horses back to the trailer and tied their leads to the side. They went back into the trailer and led out two more draft horses and repeated the process. “Well, it looks like you got yourself a good foreman to run the place.”
A slow smile lifted the corners of Addie’s mouth. “Yes, Cade’s been wonderful.”
Helga’s eyebrows lifted and she glanced at Veta. “Hmm.”
Addie’s cheeks warmed. “I mean, he’s so much more knowledgeable than I am, and he’s willing to teach me what I need to know. I was lucky to find him.”
“And where did you find him?” Helga asked. “Not around here, that’s for sure.”
Addie shook her head, but Lana answered.
“No, he was in the rodeo and Addie happened by when his truck broke down.”
Veta and Helga exchanged another loaded glance that unnerved Addie. Was this woman judging her or did she just not approve of a woman running a farm?
“I see.” Helga turned to Addie with a smile. “Well, you’re a lucky girl to find such good help so late in the season.” Her eyes drifted over Cade as he walked the second large horse back toward where Ivan and the other two younger men had been busy laying out harnesses by the trailer. Her eyes twinkled when she turned back to Addie. Leaning forward, she whispered, “And one so easy on the eyes, too.” She winked. “A very lucky girl, indeed.”
Addie’s eyes widened and the warmth under her collar spread to her face.
“Well, I…” she stammered as the men walked by with the second set of horses, and her eyes were drawn to Cade. When she turned back to the other women, she grinned and chuckled self-consciously. “Well, I can’t argue with that.”
The other three women laughed.
“You’re right, Veta,” Helga said, still chuckling. “I like this one.”
Addie’s chest filled with pride and delight.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Addie said. “I’d like to invite you both over for dinner so we can get better acquainted and to thank you for all this.” She waved her hand toward the men and horses.
Helga beamed. “We’d love that!”
“We’ll talk later,” Addie said, still smiling. “What I’d like to hear about right now, though, is Lana’s two friends.”
Lana rolled her eyes. “They’re just friends from school.” She didn’t seem overly interested in either of them.
“Yes,” Veta said as if conveying secret information, “she says those boys are too young, but they’re both older than she is.”
“Oh stop, Veta. You just don’t understand.”
“Oh, I understand, little sister. You’re too big for your britches.”
That set off a sisterly squabble that luckily, Addie could avoid. “I’m going to go help with hitching up the team.”
Helga nodded. “I’ll take care of this.”
Addie grinned her thanks and went over to where the men were arranging leather straps over the enormous horses’ backs.
Cade saw her coming and his face lit up. “You want to try your hand at this?”
Addie returned his smile and nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Okay then, come on over,” he said with a smile and a wave of his arm. They had positioned the horses where they’d need to go, and Dan already had the closest two harnessed while Cade finished the last. As Addie crossed to the other side, Dan called to Ivan and the two younger men to help him drag the baler and its trailer out of the machine shed.
Cade tugged on a buckled strap and then looked at her. “You ever hitched up a team?” he asked as Addie rounded the big horse.
She shook her head, gazing up at the animal’s huge head. Then her eyes traveled down to the long, feathery white hair that covered its lower legs and massive hooves, mesmerized by the equine’s immense size.
This creature could squash her with one step.
She’d been around a horse or two before, but nothing like this. Her head didn’t even top the animal’s shoulder, making her feel tiny and vulnerable. From a distance, the horses had seemed very large, but up close…they were awe-inspiring and a little frightening.
The horse shifted and she stepped aside, her shoulder bumping into Cade’s chest. Something in her expression must’ve hinted at the sudden burst of fear that shot through her because Cade’s hand brushed across her back.
“Hey, it’s okay. They won’t hurt you,” he said, patting the horse’s chestnut-colored neck. “They’re big, but they’re gentle, and these guys are well trained.”
The genuine smile and look of affection that filled his face caught Addie’s attention and her whole body thrummed to life. Tingles danced across her skin, over her chest, and into her nipples, making them pucker and harden. Warmth swirled in her belly and pooled between her legs. All because he looked so damn handsome and…happy. And because he stood so close, she felt his body heat through her clothes, but when his sparkling eyes turned to her,
