Free Rescued by the Farmer by Mia Ross Page A

nature was contagious.
    “Yes, ma’am,” he promised, though the smirk he was wearing made her wonder if he meant it. She’d find out soon enough, she decided while she handed ingredients to him.
    His comedy routine continued, as each time she picked something up, he narrated what it was and what she did with it. Not only was it entertaining, his running commentary helped make her feel more at ease in his mother’s kitchen. By the time they’d settled down to eat, Bekah realized she couldn’t have asked for a better start to her day than sharing breakfast with Drew Kinley.
    “Water should be better at your place today,” he told her after swallowing a mouthful of omelet. “If not, let me know, and I’ll call a buddy of mine who’s a plumber and owes me a favor.”
    “Meaning he won’t charge me for the repairs?” Drew nodded, and she smiled. “I really appreciate you doing that.”
    “No problem. It’s the least I can do to repay you for the breakfast. Usually, I wolf down a couple of bagels or muffins on my way here.”
    “Because you’re late?”
    That made him chuckle. “Pretty much. Mike and Josh don’t have a problem getting themselves in gear so early, but I’ve never been much of a morning person.”
    “I thought that was a requirement for people growing up on a farm.”
    “It is. It’s just not me.”
    He sipped his coffee, and she wondered if she should voice the question that had popped into her head all of a sudden. Then again, he knew plenty about her already, so she mustered up the courage to ask, “What is you?”
    “I’m not sure, but I’ve always believed God had something different in mind for me than this.”
    Having drifted from place to place for most of her life, Bekah had never been part of any community long enough to get any kind of religious education. She vaguely remembered some of the Bible stories her late grandmother had read to her as a child, but other than that, she didn’t have an even passing acquaintance with the Almighty. Hearing Drew speak about Him so easily made her wonder if she’d been missing something.
    That was a topic for another time, so she put it out of her mind and refocused on their conversation. “Then why do you stay here?”
    “Don’t get me wrong—I like the work well enough. And I love my brothers, even though they drive me nuts on a daily basis.”
    “That’s only fair—” Lily’s voice floated over from the doorway “—since they feel the same way about you.”
    Drew laughed, and Bekah slid her stool down to make room for Lily. “Would you like some eggs?”
    “Absolutely, but I’ll take them scrambled. Thank you.” Pouring herself a glass of orange juice, she looked over at Drew. “I should warn you, Mike’s got a long list of jobs for you today. Something about making up for lost time.”
    “Yeah, yeah, yeah. What else is new?”
    Footsteps creaked on the oak staircase, and Mike joined the group huddled around the breakfast dishes. He poured them each another cup of coffee and cocked his head with male interest. “Is that ham and peppers I smell?”
    So, since she was the one holding the spatula, Bekah whipped up eggs for Lily and a farmer’s omelet stuffed with ham, cheese and peppers for Mike. A pudgy golden retriever that Mike called Charlie and a scruffy terrier who answered to the name Sarge ambled in from the living room, sniffing the air with canine interest. By the time Maggie and Abby joined them, Lily had fed the dogs, the humans had shifted over to the large dining table, and Bekah was moving around the big kitchen like she’d been living on the farm for years.
    It was the kind of wonderful homey feeling she’d always longed for but had never known how to create. That she’d found it here, in this tiny town so far from the world she knew, was difficult to believe.
    But no matter how many times she pinched herself, the image didn’t change. She still wasn’t sure what might happen to her in the future,