Free Second Chance by Angela Verdenius

Jack
grunted.
    “Took a bit to check all the
dams,” Farris replied.
    “You and your dams.”
    “Actually, boss, they’re your dams
and you told me to check them.”
    Old Jack grunted again.
    Farris reached back to pat the box
strapped to the back of the bike.  “Mended some wire around the far east dam,
it’d come down in one section.  The sheep were eyeing it off.  Speaking of,
how’s Gert?”
    “Gert?” Grant raised his eyebrows.
    “The sheep you stitched up,” Old
Jack said sourly.  “Dumb bastard here named her.”
    Farris grinned widely, a flash of
white teeth in a dirty, dusty face.
    “Some day you’ll be eating Gert,
boy.”
    “Just don’t tell me when that
happens.”
    “You’re a farmhand, not a city
slicker.”
    “I have tender feelings.”
    “You have a tender head.  Soft as
a cracked egg.”
    “That’s a bit of a mix of
metaphors.”
    Old Jack looked at him.
    “Egg shell is hard,” Farris
explained.  “The yolk is soft.”
    “You been sucking on something out
there?”
    “Just fresh country air, boss.”
    Shaking his head, Old Jack turned
his attention back to Grant.  “Thanks for coming out.”
    “No worries.”  Grant hopped up
into the Toyota.
    “Hey, Doc,” Farris called out
above the sound of the motor starting.
    “Yeah?” Grant looked out at the
young farmhand.
    “You and that pretty little sheila
going out?”
    There was no doubt in Grant’s mind
that Farris had the hots for Tam.  Farris was harmless, a good-looking young
farmhand with high spirits and a good attitude.  A country boy through and
through.
    Wouldn’t suit Tam, though, he was
sure.  Nope.
    “We went out last night,” he
replied.
    “Huh.”  Farris scratched his jaw,
leaving sweat streaked marks in the dust.  “Just once?”
    “She’s just arrived.”
    “So just the once?”
    Jesus, the man was like a dog with
a bone.
    “She’s an old friend , if
you know what I mean.”
    Farris looked blankly at him.
    Tam would eat this poor, clueless
bastard alive.
    “You’re a bit young for her,
aren’t you?” Grant couldn’t help but query.
    “Nah.”  Farris grinned.  “What I
lack in age I make up for in expertise.”
    This time Old Jack’s eye roll
wasn’t invisible.
    “I gotta go.”  Grant started to
pull away, glanced into the rear view mirror to see Farris removing his hat to
scratch his head.
    Shit.  Tam wouldn’t eat him
alive.  Or maybe she would.  But why did it matter either way? After the pub
last night she’d hurried to the car, given him a quick goodbye and thank you
and left.  There was no indication that she was even remotely interested in
him.
    It wasn’t like they were dating.
    Cursing under his breath, he
stopped the car and reversed, braking beside Farris and Old Jack.  “Why don’t
you just ring her?”
    “Really?”  Farris looked
delighted.
    “Yeah, really.”  Grant put the car
back into gear and drove off.
    In the rear view mirror Old Jack
was just shaking his head while Farris was grinning from ear to ear.
    Annoyance settled deep into the
pit of Grant’s stomach, his hands tightening on the steering wheel.  What was
wrong with him?  Ever since Tamara Banner had walked into his waiting room
yesterday morning he was all over the place like a highly-strung woman.
    Seriously, why had he just given
Farris the go-ahead to ring her?   Why was he worried about it?  He wasn’t
dating her.  Farris didn’t need his permission.  Farris could go right ahead
and ring her, take her out, wine and dine her, walk her home, stop for a
cuddle, maybe a kiss…
    A kiss of those sweet, lush lips…
    His knuckles went white on the
steering wheel before he forced himself to relax, taking a deep breath.  Maybe
he did need some man cave time with the blokes.
    Shit no.  Not going there.  No,
what he needed was work.  Tam’s arrival had rattled his memories, rattled his
senses, and rattled his libido.
    Wait, his libido?
    Well, hell yes. Normally he