Macintyre Farm

Six

ANDREA POV

"Andrea Jane, please take it easier," Dad said in an annoyed tone as I got a load of clean towels moved to the counter.  "I can lift stuff for you."

"I know, I just..."

"I'm serious.  You work too hard and will make the injury worse if you aren't careful.  I know you hate asking for help but we're here and glad you're not hurt more." He let out a long sigh which made me notice how tired Dad looked. I had always known our injuries were tough on my folks but this one stung more due to how much he questioned whether to adopt Maverick.

I met his eyes with a nod while Mama started to fold bath towels.  "I will have some sets of towels ready for Austin and Bash's rooms soon.  Can you take them up for me?"

"Sure.  Do the beds need to be changed?"

"No, I did that yesterday morning.  They're cleaned out and the bathroom is cleaned, too.  Austin helped with that last night.  I can get the bunk house handled later since he will make sure the fridge is cleared."

My Dad chuckled, "He's so protective over you.  I'm glad though.  I am not around as much so I can help your Mama so it's good to know the guys are keeping watch." He paused, then added, "Bash does the same thing, you know..."

He grabbed another brownie then headed back to his office to work on the budget for a bit.  We had a higher profit this year than expected thanks to the tomatoes so Dad agreed we could do that again next year.  It was not our focus but definitely worth the effort.

Our veggie garden made a dent in our grocery bill, also.  Between that and making homemade bread it was easy to feed hungry farmhands. Mama has always loved baking, especially since it was something she could easily do even without her sight.

The kittens started to fuss so I took a pause to make them bottles.  Dad returned and grabbed the towels while Mama fed the little ones, allowing me to get pie crust made for dinner.

Austin and Bash arrived soon after and quickly jumped in to help with the babies.  The chores were basically done, though the cow and goat would need to be milked again later as well as stalls mucked. We made it a point to do that twice a day since it was better for the animals and gave them a more comfortable space.

"Feeling okay, AJ?" Austin asked while grabbing them each a glass of sweet tea.

I nodded, "If I keep moving, I'm fine.  Dad is handling heavy lifting so I can get pie crust made while Mama cares for the kittens. She is thrilled to be back in it with our new little ones."

"Problem is when you stop?" Bash asked with a smile.

"Exactly.  So I'll stay in motion and take a break when the roast is in the oven later.  It should take about 2 hours to cook since it's a big one."

He let out a happy groan.  "You really don't have to do that today but I won't complain."

"It's not a problem.  If you wanted fried chicken I'd struggle since that's way more labor intensive."

Austin nodded, "Tomorrow morning we can help with the stuffed French toast.  Once you get the ingredients prepped it's just a matter of putting it together. Even if you do normal French toast and just have the fried apples and whipped cream cheese on hand that would still be amazing."

"Dad is getting some granny smith and honey crisp apples today so I'll get a good sized batch fried apples prepared tonight. You have to try them, Bash. Definitely a favorite of mine, too. What kind of pie should I make with our roast?" My brain would not filter my words like it always did, but I was positive that was thanks to the medication I was taking. No reason to second guess myself, though, when it was obvious Bash was someone I could trust.