It was nearly ten o’clock when Brad entered the Apple Valley Farm restaurant two days later. Annie was finishing her bank deposit and hurried to meet him. “Oh, Brad, I’ve barely slept the last two nights. All I could think about was you and the way you stood up to Frank. I was so proud of you.”
He pointed to his half-empty pant leg. “Stood up? That’s a stretch of the imagination, isn’t it?”
Her hand covered his, but he pulled away. “Why do you always put yourself down? You’re a wonderful man. You needn’t apologize for anything. Look what you’ve done with your life. Look what you’ve accomplished despite—” She stopped.
He rolled up to a table and motioned for her to sit beside him. “I’ve brought bad news. I presented the figures to both your sister and Ben Calhoun. And while she didn’t dispute them, she made it very clear she wanted the farm sold and her half of what was left after all your expenses were taken out. She was adamant about it. I don’t think she’ll back down.”
Annie stared at the table, unable to speak.
“And I’ve checked with several of the banks where I regularly do business. None of them is willing to lend you the money to pay her off, considering your outstanding loans. I tried—I honestly tried. It looks as if you have no choice but to sell.”
He felt like a villain as he watched the look of horror spread over Annie’s face. “The worst part is that your sister already has a buyer. Someone has placed a firm bid on Apple Valley Farm. And it’s a good one. I think she had that in her pocket before she came here.”
Annie leaned against the table and held on to it for support. Her stomach churned. “A buyer? So soon?”
“Yes, and you have only three days to accept, or their offer will be withdrawn.”
Annie rubbed at her temples. “Is–is it really that good an offer?”
“I’d say it’s an exceptionally good offer, considering the last appraisal your father had on the place,” he conceded. “Even taking the portion out for your expenses, you’ll both come out extremely well, but you’ll lose the farm.”
She lifted a misty gaze to his. “And you think we should sell at that price?”
He stroked his chin. “I’d say it’s probably as good as you’ll get, considering the economy and the reluctance of the lenders to finance you. It’s your decision.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an official-looking document. “I’ve brought the signed contract. All you have to do is read it and sign it. I’ve read every word. It’s a legitimate offer. But the final decision is yours.”
Annie reached for it with trembling hands. “There’s no other choice, is there?”
Brad lowered his head and answered softly, “No, I’m afraid not.”
Annie dropped into a chair and through bleary eyes scanned the words. With Brad’s assurance that he had read the document, she took the pen he offered and signed her name.
“I’ll take this to Ben this afternoon. As you no doubt read, I insisted on the closing to be three months from now. That should give you plenty of time to wrap things up here and remove your personal items. Your sister has agreed to those terms.” He took her hand in his and slowly rubbed his thumb over it. “I’m sorry, Annie. I had hoped we’d be able to dissuade Valerie.”
She turned her head away and blinked several times. “You did all you could. I know that. And I can never thank you enough.”
Brad stared at her for a moment then withdrew his hand, backed away, and moved toward the door. “I guess that does it for us. It’s been a pleasure knowing you, Annie. You take care now.” And he rolled out of the door.
Annie stood frozen to the floor. Whatever was he talking about? “It’s been a pleasure knowing you”? What did that mean? His words sounded so—final! As if it were over between them. She pulled herself back to reality. As if what were over? Nothing was going on between them, was it?
She hurried to the window. The platform on Brad’s van was lifting him inside. She had to catch him!
“Brad! Brad!” She rushed outside and across the parking lot, her apron strings waving behind her. “Wait! I love you!”
Brad rolled down the window and leaned out, a questioning look on his face. “Annie? What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”
She rushed to the window, cradled his cheeks in her hands, and kissed him on the mouth. “I said I love you, you silly goof. I’m losing Apple Valley Farm, but I can’t lose you, too! Did you think I’d be stupid enough to let the only man I’ve ever loved get away from me that easily?”
Brad stared at her. “You? Love me? Really? Are you sure?”
She let go of him, rushed around the van, opened the passenger door, and then clambered onto his lap. “Quit talking and kiss me.” She slipped her arms around his neck.
Brad sighed and laughed at the same time. Then, reaching alongside his seat, he released the lever and pushed the seat back as far as it would go. “Whew, it was pretty close quarters there for a moment. I don’t think the engineer built these seats for two!”
She grinned and kissed him again.
Then he sobered. “Don’t toy with my emotions, Annie. Please.”
She leaned back against the steering wheel and stared into his eyes, wondering if she’d misread his attentions. “You–you mean you don’t have feelings for me? I was so sure—”
He tightened his lips and swallowed. “Oh, I have feelings all right—I’ve tried to hide them. I think what you’re feeling now is gratitude because I’ve helped you through some rough spots. What I want and need is—your love. Real love.” He paused and turned his head away. “A love to last a lifetime. Not your pity.”
“Pity? Why would I pity you? You’re the most together person I know.” She touched his chin, forcing him to turn back to her. “I want that same kind of lifetime love. And I want it from you.”
His hand went to the stub of his leg that had been left behind after his accident. “I’m not the man for you. Not with this.”
Annie’s fingers ran down his arm to his hand, to the stub veiled by his trousers. “This is one of the reasons I love you. I think what you’ve gone through with the loss of your leg has made you more of a man than the most whole man I know. But—” She frowned.
“But what?”
“But I wonder if I’m enough woman for you. Maybe you don’t love me as I’ve hoped you do. I mean, you’re so close to God, and I feel”—she swallowed— “separated from Him. I’m not sure He’d accept me, the way I’ve turned away from Him all these years.”
Brad pulled her close. “He’s only a prayer away. All you have to do is ask for His forgiveness. It’s that simple.”
“I will, and I’m ready. I’ve seen Him working in your life, and I want that same closeness you have with Him. I know He loves me, but—I need to know how you feel about me. Do you think you could ever love me, Brad?”
He nestled his face in her hair then let his lips trail across her cheek and finally rest on her lips. “Love you, Annie? I’m so crazy in love with you that it hurts. I’ve loved you since that first night I came to your restaurant and—”
“And tasted my sinfully decadent Awesome Caramel Apple Pie?”
Brad pulled away long enough to murmur with a mischievous smile, “Exactly.”
That evening a smiling young woman, dressed in her freshly starched Apple Annie costume, pushed open the door for her favorite dinner customer, Brad Reed. Only this time, instead of handing him a menu, she sat on his lap and kissed him—to the applause of the staff and other patrons.
Brad considered the setting and decided this was the perfect time to propose. He pulled a small, black-velvet box from his jacket pocket, opened it, and held out a beautiful diamond solitaire ring. “Apple Annie,” he said, speaking slowly to make sure she understood every word, “will you marry me?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed and held out the ring finger of her left hand. “I thought you’d never ask!”
Everyone in the restaurant clapped again.
Brad
grinned. “Now can I have that piece of pie?”
The next week was filled with mixed emotions for Annie: deep sadness when she told her employees of the sale of Apple Valley Farm and great joy as she planned for her wedding to Brad.
Brad. Dear, sweet, lovable Brad. How could she have ever hoped to face her future without him? Her only regret was that her father wouldn’t be alert enough to get to know the wonderful man she would be marrying. They’d decided to put their wedding on hold until after the closing of the farm, wanting nothing to cloud their special day.
Annie heard Brad’s van pull into the parking lot. She glanced at the apple-shaped clock on the wall then watched him make his way to the restaurant’s door. Why was he here at ten in the morning? He’d told her he had an early appointment at his office. She filled two cups of coffee and walked over to a table, motioning him to join her. Something was wrong. She could see it on his face.
“The deal on the farm fell through,” he blurted out as he reached for her hand and pulled her onto his lap. “I’m sorry, Annie. Ben assured me the man’s credit was impeccable. He couldn’t raise the money.”
She leaned against him and sighed. “What does that mean? Where do we go from here?” The words were scarcely out when she heard loud thuds coming from outside the restaurant.
Brad slipped his arms about her and held her close. “A man is putting up a for-sale sign. Your sister insisted on it.”
Annie’s hand went to her chest. “Is that—necessary?”
“She seems to think so, and legally we can’t stop her.”
Annie looked at the sparkling diamond on her finger. “This will delay our wedding, won’t it?”
Brad nodded.
“It isn’t that I wanted to leave Apple Valley Farm,” she said with a sigh. “I just wanted the whole sordid mess to be over. Will this never end?”
The next week several prospective buyers paraded through the restaurant. None of them fit the description of the kind of person Annie would want to take over her beloved farm. Each day her sadness about leaving the place seemed to offset the joy of her engagement to Brad. Her life was a roller coaster of highs and lows. The brightest spot in her day came when her wonderful Brad entered the restaurant for his supper. His mere presence caused her gloom to disappear, if only for a few hours each night.
“Annie!” He rolled through the door toward her, waving a piece of paper in his hand. “Look! A new offer!”
She hurried to him, took the paper, and began to read. But what she read didn’t make sense. Her name, Anastasia Johnson, was listed on the buyer’s line.
She looked up at him. “I don’t get it. What does this mean?”
Brad patted his lap, and she climbed onto it. “You’re buying Valerie’s half of Apple Valley Farm! It’s all yours—lock, stock, and apple!”
She scanned the paper again. “But I’ve been turned down by all the banks. How could this be?” His laugh soothed her heart. How could she be sad when she was engaged to a man like Brad?
“Hey, Sweetie, you’re marrying a lawyer. Haven’t you heard all those lawyer jokes? We’re a bunch of smart cookies.”
She jabbed her elbow into his ribs. “Cut the funny stuff, Reed. Explain in plain English, not lawyer terms.”
“I had misgivings about that first offer when it came in. I did a little checking on my own, and from what I found out I was reasonably sure the deal would go sour. So I called a few of my close friends who owed me favors and had a little money lying around, and I offered them a good use for it. With what I had and what we collected, we’ve made up an association of investors. We even have a name for ourselves—AARP.”
She raised her brow. “AARP? Now that’s original. Seems I’ve heard of another organization with those initials.”
Brad grinned. “Apple Annie’s Rescue Partners. Catchy, isn’t it?”
She sobered. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You’ve done this!”
“As I told you in the beginning, dear Annie, I’d do anything for you. I love you with all my heart.”
“No joke?”
“No joke. This is the real thing.”
Chapter 8
I t was a beautiful fall day. The sky was blue, and the birds were singing in the trees. Annie Johnson-soon-to-be-Reed was very happy. She stood in the window of her upstairs bedroom and gazed out at the rows and rows of lush green apple trees in their orchard. The trees stood like soldiers. Their branches, now relieved of the weight of the fall crop, were lifted heavenward toward their Creator.
Annie felt a peace with God she hadn’t dreamed possible. She was grateful to Brad for his patience in explaining the scriptures to her and leading her to his Lord. She was grateful to him also because now, with God’s help, she possessed two very important things in her life: the wonderful man she was about to marry and her beloved Apple Valley Farm. Only one other thing would complete her happiness.
Babies!
The young couple had been so busy taking care of the farm and the restaurant, visiting with their parents, and planning their wedding that they’d scarcely had time to sit down together and enjoy one another’s company. They had discussed financial and personal affairs, but the subject of children had never come up.
Annie thought she knew why. She suspected Brad didn’t want children because he feared he might not be the father he’d like to be, confined to his chair, unable to run with them or play sports with them. Perhaps she had avoided the subject because she didn’t want to face the answer. If that’s the way it had to be, fine. She would learn to live with it. Brad would be enough for her. But she had to know now—before they exchanged their vows. She hurried to her bedside table and dialed Brad’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“Are we going to have babies?” she blurted out, barely giving him time to say hello.
“Babies?”
“Yes. Are we?”
“Don’t you think we should get married first? I’m kind of old-fashioned, you know.”
She could almost see him smiling over the phone. “Brad, be serious. Do you want babies?”
“Do you?”
“Of course, I do. I want your babies. Oodles of them!”
“Umm, oodles? I’ll have to think about that one. By the way, how many would oodles be?” She could hear the laughter in his voice. “How about only a dozen?”
She smiled into the phone as she twisted the cord about her finger. “Then I take it you do want children?”
“If you promise they’ll all look like you.”
“I’d rather they look like you.”
“Well,” he said, his tone more serious, “I can promise you they won’t be born with only one leg. It’s not hereditary, you know—not in the genes!”
“I love you, Brad Reed, you crazy nut!”
“That’s why you called me? To ask if I wanted children?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Don’t you know it’s bad luck to speak to the groom on the phone on his wedding day?” he asked. She could hear muffled laughter in the background.
“That isn’t what they say, and you know it!”
“Lady, anything you say or do is good luck to me. The kind of luck God brings, not the world.”
“I know. I love you. See you at the church in a few hours.”
“Church? Is today our wedding day? I was going fishing.”
“You’re—”
“I know. Incorrigible.” He paused. “Annie? This is going to be our wedding night. Our first night together. Some things may seem a little—uh—strange. Are you sure you’re up to it?”
Her grip tightened on the phone. He would never admit it, but she knew he was concerned that she might find the stub of his leg repulsive. “Sure, I’m looking forward to it. You needn’t worry. Everything will be fine, the best night of our lives.”
She heard a chuckle on the other end.
“Whew, I’m sure glad to hear that. I guess it’s okay then if I bring my teddy bear and wea
r my funky nightshirt. The one with Big Bird on the front.”
She laughed into the phone. Life with Brad would not only be wonderful; it would be funny. And their children would have a loving father.
The little country church was filled to overflowing. Even Annie’s father was there, seated by Brad’s mother, who had offered to keep an eye on him. Huge clay pots of blooming lavender chrysanthemums with big white satin bows decked the front of the sanctuary. White and lavender satin bows graced each end of the old oak pews, where the couple’s friends and family sat waiting for the wedding to begin. On either side of the lectern, tall brass candelabra stood, each holding twelve tall lavender candles, their wicks glowing, filling the church with a warm amber glow. Everything in the room spoke of peace and serenity.
Everything but one.
The groom.
He watched the closed door to the foyer, anxiously waiting for his bride to appear, sure she would change her mind at the last minute.
The music began, and the audience stood as Annie stepped into the open doorway. At that moment Brad knew if he’d had two good legs he could not have contained himself. He would have rushed down the aisle and pulled her into his arms. She was so beautiful. He couldn’t believe she was going to be his—for as long as they both should live. Squinting against the tears he felt rising to the surface, he lifted his face and thanked God for the wife to whom he was about to pledge his life. He was sure no man had ever been happier than he was at that moment.
Annie, in her mother’s wedding gown of antique white satin, checked off for the hundredth time the items a bride should have at her wedding: a blue garter, a handkerchief borrowed from Brad’s mother tucked into the tip of her sleeve, the old comb her grandmother had worn in her hair, and a brand new pair of white satin slippers. She was ready.
Sweet Surprise: Romance Collection Page 40
