His Reason to Stay

I found a note o

ou a bro

hirty seconds before I let

a haystack yesterday. He'd looked like a toddler trying to build a castle with wet n

shoved the note in my bac

ing through my shirt as I lugged feed sacks to the storage shed. I was hal

broom means I'm

nglasses hiding his eyes. He had that infuriating grin, the one that made

not bothering to hide t

ding up a brand-new one like it was a peace offe

smiled. "That re

nds without asking. I didn't argue, my arms were

al for your book?" I asked, watching him s

less. "Or maybe I just w

ed not to

elief. Liam dropped the sack with a grunt and

take a brea

ping sweat from my brow. "No a

You ever thin

ng the

nod

I admitted. "B

hy

And it's falling apart. And i

uiet for

that," he

air stuck to his forehead, and there was dirt on his cheek. But somethi

someone who's used to

t your polite way o

smirked. "De

d wounded him. "I've been insulted

'll

he shed with something warm. Eas

on the coop door. He wasn't great at anything, but he didn't complain. And for every cho

t not in the bad way. It was the kind of tired that came from work

sipping water and watching the chickens

t people I know," Li

mpliment or a

ot

pond. I wasn

d, "Did you grow up wa

I wanted to be a vet. Went off to college for a year. Then D

u regr

I remember I'm doing something that ma

lowly. "Pla

you

st for a second. "Yea

. The one that hovered just behind his smile. I wanted to ask more, bu

back to it," I

o. "Want he

to keep embarra

he said with a shr

noti

. "See you

y eyes. "W

ng. The fan clicked above me, slow and steady

he farm. About the debt. About ho

red in dirt. The way he looked at me when I talked

dn't know who

w much I wante