Chapter 2 Continued

Here’s a continuation of chapter 2 of B and B, enjoy!

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“Now that’s hardly fair, Pete. You know me, I’m just waiting for the right woman,” he said in sincerity, winking at Brooke as she entered the room, holding the hand of a little blonde girl.
Margaret was quick to introduce Brooke Carter to Ben. Ben nodded politely before addressing the young girl.
“And who might you be?”
She stared back at him shyly, ducking her head behind her mother.
“This is Ella. Say hello, Ella,” Brooke directed her daughter.
Ella peeked at him again before shaking her head. Brooke smiled at Ben.
“It seems that manners are difficult when we’re struggling with being shy.”
He shrugged, thinking he could relate. Unfortunately when you were older, you were considered rude if you didn’t respond.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ella,” he said with a smile in the small girl’s direction.
He was rewarded with her peeking up at him and giving him a quick smile before she followed her mum to the highchair. Ben noted that Jake was sitting beside Brooke. He wondered how the red-head felt about his co-worker’s obvious interest.
Ben was thankful he could sit opposite the pair and observe quietly. He was directly opposite Ella and found it was easy to pull funny faces when only she was looking. The small smile was making its way onto her face more frequently.
Maybe kids are easier than adults.
Ben kept an eye on the young girl while Brooke served alongside Margaret. Whoever did the cooking, Ben decided that it smelt wonderful.
They were treated to a roast lamb with an assortment of roasted vegetables. Ben was thankful to find he’d been served a generous portion. Horse work made a man hungry!
Jake’s compliment assured Ben that it was Brooke’s cooking he was being treated to. And it was just that – a treat. He felt pretty sure from this one meal that Margaret would be keen to keep the redhead on after her trial. It would just be a question of whether or not this suited Brooke and her daughter.
Ben found himself questioning where Ella’s father fit into the equation. He quickly silenced the thought. None of my business.
“Don’t you agree, Ben?” Jake asked, drawing his co-worker’s attention back to the table.
Ben looked at Jake blankly.
“Sorry?”
“I was just saying that it’s ridiculous that Brooke hasn’t seen the whole property, yet. We need to take her out on a trail ride when a quiet moment arises.”
Ben almost laughed at Jake’s optimism over a quiet moment in the near future. They were close to approaching their peak time for the trail riding business; a quiet time was going to be hard to come by. Instead he just said, “And who would look after Ella if Brooke has some time to spare for a ride?”
The little girl looked across at him upon hearing her name. He pulled a face, eliciting a small giggle. He grinned back, chewing on a lip when he noticed Brooke watching him intently.
“I could keep an eye on Ella,” Margaret responded, at the same time giving permission for her cook to go on a trail ride with the two.
Ben realised there wouldn’t be any getting out of it now. He internally sighed, thinking he had enough to do each day without trying to fit in another trail ride so that Jake could flirt with Brooke.