Two Thousand Miles Away

Chapter 28

Ella

It was day two of Thanksgiving break. Jacob and I were asleep in his bed when his dad walked in. I shot up but Jacob was still fast asleep. "Ella," Charlie said as he picked up a small bucket, "You might want to move."

I laughed as I climbed off the bed. Then Charlie threw a bucket of water on his son. Jacob shot up in an instant. "Dad I thought we were done with this?"

Charlie slapped his son's shoulder and chuckled. "As long as you're under my roof, you'll be mucking stalls. Your mom has breakfast downstairs."

Then he left. Jacob rumpled through some drawers in a haze. I did the same with my suitcase. As Jacob pulled on a pair of jeans he said, "Sorry about this. My dad loves free labor."

I shrugged as I buttoned up a flannel shirt. "It's fine. I can help if you want?"
That was when Jacob started to laugh. A full, about-to-fall-over-laughing. I put my hand on my hip and waited for him to settle down. "Ella Baby, trust me this is the last thing you'd wanna do."

I glared at him. What did he think I was too weak to get my hands dirty? A little too city girl. "No," I protested. "I'm helping. End of discussion."

Jacob chuckled and pulled me into a side hug. "Okay Baby. Sure." Then he left the room. I threw my hands up in frustration then followed.

The kitchen was filled with the most amazing smells. When we got there we found bacon, pancakes, french toast, assorted fruits, and fresh squeezed orange juice. "Hey," I said as I walked in. Charlie, who had Maya on his lap, quickly got up and handed her to me. Guess I'm the babysitter now. Not that I minded.

Marie smiled up at me as I held her little girl. "Ella, you look just like a little country girl," she said. I laughed and glanced down at my outfit. Jeans and a flannel shirt. I guess it could be considered country style.

I sat down next to Maddie and began to put food on my plate. Marie handed me a bottle. Guess I was feeding two people at the same time. Jacob also filled his plate. "Apparently Ella's going to help with the cattle."

Charlie and Marie chuckled. Maddie started to out right laugh. "What? I can help."

"Okay Ella," Maddie said. "Have fun with that."

Mucking stalls wasn't as bad as people make it seem. But by the time it was over my arms were burning from lifting. When it was done Jacob and I found our way back onto the haystack and made out for a little while. It was kind of amazing how much I loved this...and him.