“Are you okay? Do you need me to take over?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to snap at him, but she knew he was simply trying to help. Shaking her head, she replied softly, “No, thank you. This is the first time I’ve ever done this, but I’ve watched others.”
“Is it always done this way?”
Shaking her head as she squatted to get under Caesar’s belly and around his legs, she said, “No, many farms have a way to tie the animal in a lying position. That makes it much easier.”
“We’ll look into that for here,” he stated in a soft voice as he rubbed Caesar’s head. “We can get whatever you need to make this easier on both you and the animals.”
Scott’s words seared right through her. It was not lost on her that if he had plans to encourage her to sell her farm, he would not be making future plans. The weight on her chest lifted ever-so-slightly.
Lizzie did not look up at Scott but continued to carefully run the shears over Caesar’s body, rolling the fleece into great bundles before tossing it to the tarp. Now that his neck and body were shorn, she needed to focus on his legs. Caesar quivered, and she hesitated, wondering if he was going to buck. Scott anticipated the animal’s movements, and, using his body against Caesar, pressed him gently but firmly against the wall.
“I’m trying to get this done, but I’m afraid to go too fast,” she admitted.
“Don’t worry about it. You just do what you need to do, and I’ll try to keep Caesar still.”
Mumbling her thanks, she knelt on the ground as she carefully maneuvered the shears over the legs. Twisting, she looked at the massive mountain of fleece that was now collected on the tarp and could not help but grin. Looking up, she caught Scott’s eyes on hers, the same sparkle of excitement staring back.
“It’s hard to imagine that that’s about seven hundred dollars sitting right there, isn’t it?” she whispered.
His grin widened into a smile as he nodded. “I’m amazed, babe. Absolutely amazed.”
Standing, she looked over Caesar and noticed where some small patches had been missed. Going back over with the shears, she tried to even him out as much as possible. “I know it looks a little messy, but as soon as it starts growing, he’ll look fluffy again.”
Moving to Caesar’s head, she said, “If you can hold him a little bit longer, I’m going to trim his head just a little bit. I won’t do it as much as some people might because I’m afraid.”
Scott nodded silently while she got a smaller set of shears. Moving ever-so-gently, she sheared around his ears and throat, then over his forehead and cheeks.
Standing back, she heaved a great sigh of relief. “I think that’s it.”
Scott efficiently untied Caesar, talking to him in a soothing voice. Letting him go, Caesar bolted from the barn into his pasture, and Lizzie and Scott followed, standing by the fence, watching the newly-shorn alpaca frolic. With their arms propped on top of the gate leading to the pasture, they stood side-by-side, close but not touching. They remained quiet for several minutes, staring at Caesar looking rather ridiculous as a skinny alpaca being sniffed by Cleopatra and Mark Antony.
Exhaustion pulled at the core of her being. Her arms, shoulders, and back were tired from the exertion. Her head ached from thinking too much about the farm. And her heart hurt at the idea of losing Scott in any way.
She jolted as he bumped her shoulder and turned to see him peering carefully at her. She shoulder bumped him as well, adding a little extra umph for good measure.
He chuckled and turned to face her fully. “I hope with everything that you hold dearly you believe that I would never do anything to harm your dreams. I would never betray Beau or you that way.”
Her chest deflated as her sigh left her body, and she nodded. “I know. I believe you.” Looking up, she said, “I’m ready to listen if you’ll tell me what’s going on.”
“How about we go inside, get washed off, get comfortable, and I’ll tell you everything?”
She could not argue with his suggestion but simply nodded and turned to walk toward the house. He fell in step beside her, and her fingers itched to reach out and link with his. But the emotions of the day still crashed over her, and she simply remained by his side as they walked into the kitchen.
As had become their habit when they came in from working, Scott walked directly to the downstairs bathroom, pulling his shirt off as he went. Trying to ignore the sight of his muscular torso, she hurried past him and ran up the stairs. A quick wash, a change of clothes, and brushing and re-braiding her hair was all she took the time to do.
Downstairs, she found that he had poured tall glasses of iced tea, and she reached for one eagerly. Quenching her thirst, she set the almost empty glass down, and he refilled it.
“Shearing is hard work,” she began. “Thank you for your help. I think I could’ve done it by myself, but it certainly made it a lot easier with you there as well.”
Standing on the other side of the counter, he leaned forward, his weight resting on his forearms planted near their glasses. Holding her gaze, he replied, “Lizzie, I have no doubt that you would have been able to accomplish the shearing all by yourself. But I’m grateful you let me help. I’m also grateful that you’re letting me be part of your world.”
Uncertain what to say to that, she was glad when he took the initiative and picked up their glasses, saying, “Let’s get comfortable and then we can talk.”
She followed him into the living room, and it dawned on her that she was completely comfortable with him in her house and her life.
And utterly terrified of the day when he might leave.
Scott was relieved that Lizzie was calm and ready to hear what he had to say. Of course, the fact that she was exhausted probably had something to do with her willingness to acquiesce. Whatever the reason, he wanted to press his advantage.
Settling onto the comfortable sofa, he patted the cushion next to him and breathed a sigh of relief when she sat down close. They both shifted toward each other, setting their glasses of iced tea on the coffee table. Wanting to relieve her anxiety quickly, he jumped into his explanation.
“I’ve had Gareth investigating Giordano Farms just to see if I could figure out what was Luca’s motivation for wanting to buy out your small farm. During that, Gareth told me the history of tomato farming on the Eastern Shore, which was not particularly fascinating to me, and a little history of the Giordano family, which was.”
Glad to have her full attention, he continued. “Luca has two children, a daughter that is an accountant for their business and a son that’s finishing a degree in agricultural business. I decided to call the daughter, Careena, to see if I could ascertain why they are so keen to get your property.”
“Do you think they’re the ones who had my fence cut?”
Shaking his head, he replied, “Babe, I’ve got no idea. I’m sure it wasn’t the Giordano’s themselves, but I wanted to have an idea of how much they wanted this property.”
“So, that was her today?” When he offered his nod, she asked, “What did you find out?”
“I pushed as to why they would be so interested in a small farm and got the reply that this farm was right between two parcels of their land and it would be advantageous for them to have the whole tract. She implied that her father was somewhat of a benefactor by alleviating the stress on smaller farmers who were no longer able to compete. She could not understand why you would want to refuse their offer since you are now alone and implied that your life would be much better if you would take the money.”