CHAPTER 12
Mary Jo was milking in the barn when Barrett walked in. She'd been working with him all day, but there had never been a private moment. She smiled up at him.
He stopped behind the cow. "Can I help you with something?"
She nodded at the basket on the wall. "You could gather the eggs. The nest boxes are back there." She stopped milking long enough to point toward the back of the barn. "Watch where you step. Sometimes they lay them in the hay on the floor."
He grabbed the basket and lifted a brow. "I think I can handle that."
She finished milking and as she let the cow out, Barrett came back with the eggs. The cow backed out of the stall and Barrett stepped out of the way. Mary Jo saw the strand of twine, but didn't have time to warn him before he tripped over it. He would have regained his balance if he hadn't stepped on it with the other foot. For an anxious moment he teetered, trying to keep the eggs from spilling. His eyes were wide as he lost the battle and started to fall. He struggled to save the eggs all the way down, but in the end, he landed on the basket, smashing it and the eggs.
Mary Jo raced over to him. "Are you all right?"
He sat up and groaned. He had egg all over his shirt. He looked at the destroyed eggs and basket and then at her. He grimaced. "Apparently even a simple task like gathering eggs is beyond my capabilities. I'm sorry. I'll replace the basket and pay you for the eggs."
"Oh no you won't!" Mary Jo gasped. "We have more eggs than we can use now and the basket was several years old."
He scrambled up from the floor and looked down at his shirt, dripping with raw eggs.
The crisis past, Mary Jo giggled. "Scrambled eggs, anyone?"
He darted for her, his expression playful, and she dodged. Unfortunately, she ran smack-dab into the door jam, splashing milk on her shirt. Fortunately she didn't drop the pail. She heard Monroe gasp.
He grabbed her arm to steady her. When she looked up at him, his expression was half amused and half concerned. As it became clear that she was uninjured, the humor won and he started to laugh. "Now I don't feel so bad."
She made a face. "I'd better get what's left of this milk into the house before I white-wash the barn."