Work Text:
Haley walked towards Tealeaf farm, camera in hand. She had visited a few times since meeting Merla, and the last time she had mustered the courage to pet the chickens. She had come over to snap a few photos of Turnips, because she could tell that that chicken was photogenic.
Thunk!
Her head flipped around at the noise. There was Merla, flannel tied around her waist again. She had a large axe in her hands, lining it up on a lump of wood on a tree stump. She lifted it above her head.
Thunk!
The axe slammed into the wood. It started to splinter.
Thunk!
It split clean in half.
She wiped a bead of sweat off her forehead. She spotted Haley and waved her over.
“Hey Haley! Come to visit the chickens?”
“Yeah,” she replied quietly, trying not to stare at the farmer's muscled arms. “What are you doing?”
“Robin needs some wood, so I'm chopping some for her.” She looked around at the pile of unchopped wood beside her, concern growing on her brow. She turned back to Haley. “Can I ask you for some help?”
She paused. She had noticed that the more time she spent at the farm, the less care she felt about her appearance. She had come home the other day, not noticing that her jeans were covered in mud until Emily had pointed it out. But she wasn't sure if she could chop wood. If Merla's arms were anything to go by, this job needed a lot of upper body strength.
“I can try. I've never done it before.”
She grinned. She pulled out another, slightly smaller axe from her shed and gave it to her. She almost dropped it. It felt like it weighed a thousand pounds. She readjusted her grip and lifted it onto the tree stump.
She placed a log on the stump. She lined up her axe, like she saw Merla do, albeit in a clumsy manner. She lifted it up, arms shaking, and brought it down quickly. It missed the log.
Tears burned at the corners of her eyes. “Sorry. I don't think I'm very good at this.”
Merla put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don't worry. You've never done this before. Here, I can help.”
She walked behind her, placing her hands on top of hers on the axe. Haley could feel her face go red. The farmer's arms brushed up against hers. She could feel her body heat radiating against her.
With her aid, she lifted the axe.
Thunk!
It hit the log. It started to splinter.
Thunk!
More splintering.
Thunk!
The log split in half.
“Yes!” she shouted, “I did it!”
Merla laughed, “Well done. You did so well.”
“Ugh, my arms are sore already. How do you do this all day? Are you made of steel?”
She grinned, “Just lots of practice. I'll let you get to the chickens. Turnips has been waiting all day for her picture.”
“Wait, is there anything else I can do to help? You seem to have a lot on your plate.”
She scratched her head, looking around. An idea popped into her head. “You can make a start on piling the wood if you'd like. That would be such a great help.”
“Of course.” Her cheeks flushed a bit. “Gives me an excuse to spend more time with you.”
Merla laughed, blushing a little as well. The two started working in a pleasant silence, not stopping until every log was chopped and piled. Together, they brought the wood up to Robin's, and spent the evening sharing a drink at the saloon.