Just A Farm Gal

Chapter Five

I didn't sleep a wink last night thinking about my confrontation with Noah. Mama was right, I've probably scared him off with my shotgun and my spitfire, southern attitude.

I groaned when my tired muscles protested as I started to get up out of bed. Today was the day that we found out if we supplied enough crops to the neighbouring towns. I couldn't think about Noah and his insults right now.

"Hallie! Hal!" Mama shouted up the stairs.

I frowned. That wasn't like her... her voice sounded urgent. I went to the top of the stairs to see her standing at the bottom, looking panicked.

"Mama? What's wrong?" I asked.

"The gate on the pig sty is broken, the pigs and piglets are out. I've rang Eddie and he's on his way over, but he will need help." Mama told me.

"Shit!" I ran back to my bedroom and heard my Mama shout "Language!" behind me.

I shoved a pair of jeans and a vest on before running downstairs and out of the porch door. All five pigs and seven piglets were roaming and running around the farmyard. If any of them made it to the main road down the driveway, then there was a risk of them getting run over.

"God's sake!" I shouted out.

"Don't you use the lords name in vain, girl!" Mama called from the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes and hurried down the steps. Piglets first, I thought to myself. I managed to grab three of them under my arms, as much as they were wriggling and struggling to get away, before Eddie came running up the driveway.

"Hey! Let me help." He grabbed the piglets from me and took them back to the sty. He placed a piece of crate across the broken gate, stopping them from escaping again while we tried to catch the others.

We were running here, there and everywhere but managed to round up every single pig and put them back into the sty. I blew my hair out of face and rubbed the sweat from my brow.

"Thanks, Eddie." I said to him. "I will fix the gate, would y'all be able to feed the animals and milk the cows alone this mornin'?"

"Sure thing." And he headed off to the barn to get the feed and buckets.

I wandered over to our tool shed to get the bits I would need to fix the gate. I dropped the bits of wood on the floor next to me and knelt down.

"Morning, Hallie." A voice came from behind me.

I jumped up quickly and spun around, coming face to face with Noah, wearing jeans and a t-shirt again. He looked so good.

"Mornin'." I said curtly.

"Forgive me yet?"

"Ain't nothin' to forgive, Mr Hughes, now kindly be on your way."

"I want to apologise. I didn't mean to accuse you of sleeping around."

I gazed down at my feet, "I didn't mean to accuse y'all too." I admitted, quietly.

"Are we friends again?"

"I suppose."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm fixin' this gate. The pigs got out this mornin'."

"Can you..."

"Don't y'all dare ask if I am capable of fixin' this gate."