by Amelia Adams
She shook her head. “What do you mean?”
Benjamin looked down at the ground, then back up. “I’m sure you’ve gathered that the boys who come here are in a bad way,” he began. “Many have been sent here rather than to juvenile detention. We’ve taken in drug addicts, alcoholics, car thieves, and found the children underneath the labels. We strip away their crutches and teach them who they are inside. Part of that is by teaching them the value of hard work and showing them the self-worth that comes from a job well done. The looks on their faces when they’re driving past a fence and can say they mended it is priceless. No one has ever given them that kind of chance before.”
“I love that,” Melissa replied. “You’re doing a real good in this community.”
“We’re very pleased with our success rate. It’s worth the stressful moments to see these boys grow into fantastic young men. To that end, I want to give them every chance to succeed.”
“Of course you do. But what does that have to do with breaking my pumpkin patch?”
“Well, you see . . . we had some tough cases come in this year, boys who felt unworthy of love. I asked the land if it would be extra fruitful so they could see the results of their hard work. What I didn’t realize was that the land would siphon some energy off your land to create what I was asking. When I came to look at your field and see why it was dying, that’s what I discovered.”
Melissa blinked. “You stole energy from my land?”
He held up both hands. “It was a total accident. I didn’t even know that was possible, and I’m so sorry. I would have told you sooner, but you were already freaked out by the power thing, and I didn’t want to keep heaping layers on there.”
Melissa’s first instinct was to tell him off again, but it was immediately replaced with compassion. He looked so worried, like she was going to tell him off again, and her heart melted. “It’s all right,” she told him. “You couldn’t have known, and you did make it up to me. More than enough. In fact, I’ve been meaning to ask when you plan to turn the pumpkins off.”
“Turn them off? What do you mean?”
“They’re replacing themselves. Every time we pick one, another grows in its spot within twelve hours. But that’s what you told them to do, right?”
Benjamin shook his head. “No, I just asked the dead vines to come back to life and the withered pumpkins to rejuvenate. That’s really weird—but cool.”
“It is cool. It’s got Mike weirded out, though.”
Benjamin laughed. “Everyone needs a little weirding out from time to time. Keeps them on their toes. I’ll look into it when I come over tomorrow, okay? Is it all right if I come around noon? That will let me get the boys started on their chores.”
“Of course. I’ll see you then.” She paused with her hand on the doorframe of the car. “Thank you for showing me around and talking to me. I feel a lot better now.”
“Well, thank you for coming over and giving me that chance.” He touched her fingers, then stepped back. “Goodnight.”
She glanced at him in her rearview mirror as she drove away. He was standing where she left him, watching her leave, and she found that charming. There was so much about Benjamin McClain that was charming.
When she got back to her house, she told her parents everything she’d learned at the ranch, and they seemed to accept it. Her mother’s eyes were shiny as she explained the boys’ pasts and the fresh starts they were given, and her father’s grumpy, overprotective exterior softened a bit when she told them how Benjamin had actually ruined the pumpkins. “I guess everyone makes a mistake now and then,” he said, clearing his throat.
“He’s coming over tomorrow to help us on the farm, and then we’re going out,” Melissa told them. “I think . . . I think I’m going to give this thing a chance.”
“I’m so glad you are,” her mother said. “There’s something about him that warrants it.”
“Unless part of his magic is his ability to con young women,” her father added.
“Dad, I thought you were going to be a little nicer,” Melissa chided.
“I’m not being unnice. I’m just worried about my daughter.”
“I’m being very careful, and Benjamin knows it,” she replied. “I think I’ll be all right.”
“And I wish you sounded a little more sure of that. But I’ll stay out of it. As much as I can.”
She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Dad. I’m heading up to bed now—night.”
She thought she’d fall right to sleep, but she found herself lying there, everything that had happened that day swirling through her brain. At last, she grabbed her laptop and ran a search for Brigadoon, finding a place to rent it online. Then she settled in, ready to see what Tiffani meant by magical lands and incredible secrets.
***
“Sure, I’ll take care of the boys tomorrow afternoon,” Caleb agreed. “I’ll have them work with Daniel and Ephraim’s group so we have enough supervisors on hand.”
“Thanks, bro. I need this chance to find out if Melissa and I can make this work without destiny breathing down our necks the whole time.”
“I didn’t think there was a way to get rid of that whole destiny breathing thing.”
“There might not be, but we’re going to try it.” Benjamin turned toward the sink and rinsed out his cocoa mug. “She’s a fantastic girl, but we leaped right into gifts and legacies so quickly, I don’t know what it is that makes her so fantastic. I don’t know anything about her hobbies or what makes her tick—I only know what makes her mad, and that’s me.”
Caleb laughed. “So, what are we going to do when she comes to her senses and you two tie the knot? The boys need two supervisors on hand—will I need to advertise for a replacement brother?”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought about that.” Benjamin’s mind started whirling. He’d been so focused on solving this miscommunication with Melissa that he hadn’t thought about the ramifications down the road. How would this change his work on the ranch?
“We’ll figure it out.” Caleb nudged his brother’s shoulder. “We always do.” He turned and left the kitchen, but Benjamin felt rooted to the spot. Would he be asking Melissa to join his life here at the ranch, or would he be leaving the ranch to join her on the farm? He couldn’t imagine either scenario. They were each too deeply involved with their own properties to want to give them up, and he couldn’t leave these boys. He just couldn’t. The sense of duty, of meaning went far deeper than he could ever explain.
They’d figure it out, but he’d need a clear head to do it. Time to get some sleep—no more of this tossing-and-turning business he’d been doing as of late.
***
“Come here,” Benjamin said, motioning for Melissa to join him. She crouched down next to him between two rows of pumpkins.
“What are we doing?” she asked.
“Place your hand flat on the soil. I want to introduce you to the land.”
She smiled, thinking that he looked very much like a young man introducing a girl to his parents. He had all that anticipation and just as many nerves. She did as he asked, putting her palm against the dirt. Nothing happened, and she felt a little disappointed. It wasn’t like she’d been expecting an earthquake or for tingles to race up her arm, but she had hoped for something.
“The land says you’ve been a good steward, and it’s glad you’re here,” Benjamin reported a moment later.
She rocked back on her heels and studied him. “How does it speak to you? Do you hear words, a voice?”
“No, I sense its feelings. That’s why it’s so hard to figure out sometimes—I get the feelings, but not always the causes of the feelings. Other times, it’s crystal clear. Just depends on the situation.”
“I’m glad it’s happy I’m here.” She felt a little silly saying the words out loud, but she knew it was true—she felt honored in a way that the land was pleased with her hard work. “Has it said anything about why it’s spouting out more pumpkins
?”
“I was just about to ask. One sec.” Benjamin closed his eyes and touched the ground again, then grinned. “It wanted to give us a gift. I only asked the existing plants to come back to life, but they thought they could do us one better—you, because of your love for the place, and me, because of my love for the land. Oh, and they’re happy for us.”
“Happy for us?”
Benjamin cleared his throat. “Apparently, the land believes we’re getting married too.”
She rolled her eyes for effect’s sake even though the idea wasn’t nearly as frightening now. “It sure would be nice if anyone had asked my opinion on this.”
Benjamin stood and helped her to her feet, but he didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, he held it while he studied her eyes. “What is your opinion, Melissa Daniels? Do you think you could stand being married to me?”
She was about to make a flippant remark about not knowing him well enough, but the color of his eyes pulled her in. “I think I could get used to it,” she said after a long moment of battling her feelings and her sense of caution. Could she be his wife? She imagined herself standing in the circle of his arms in the mornings, watching the sun come up through the window while they talked about their plans for the day, and she found it very easy to picture.
Almost as if he knew what she was thinking, Benjamin cupped her cheek with his hand and lowered his head to kiss her. She rested her hands on his forearms, startled and yet reassured by their strength, and let herself enjoy the moment without any reservations or holding back.
When Benjamin stepped back, he grinned. “That was right nice, Miz Daniels. We’d best get to work now, though, or yer ma’ll have our hides.”
“Will she?” Melissa glanced toward her house. Sure enough, her mother was standing on the porch, and Melissa blushed. How much had her mother seen?
“I think she has more baked goods for us to carry up to the stand,” she said, smoothing her hair with both hands.
“Well, let’s not keep her waiting.” Benjamin waggled his eyebrows, and Melissa laughed. Yes, she could see herself married to this man. It wasn’t at all what she’d been expecting, but maybe her expectations had been too limiting. Destiny often had a way of presenting things that were so much better.
They spent the rest of the afternoon hauling pumpkins to the stand, showing little children how to choose the very best pumpkins, and asking everyone who came by what they planned to be for Halloween. Melissa was impressed by Benjamin’s tender ways with the children, how he listened carefully to their lisped responses and how he made them feel special even though he’d talked to dozens of other children already that day. He would be a terrific father, and then she blushed when she realized she was picturing herself in the role of mother.
What was going on here? How had she gone from full alert to falling in love so quickly?
She had no idea, but she wasn’t going to question it anymore. Instead, she was going to enjoy every minute of it.
Chapter Eleven
“You look like a man who needs more advice,” Adam said when Benjamin approached him the following afternoon. The porch of the main house was absolutely perfect for lazing around on Sunday afternoons, and Benjamin lowered himself into a rocking chair next to his brother’s.
“I spent most of the day with Melissa yesterday, and she’s incredible,” Benjamin began. “She’s everything I could ask for, plus a whole lot I didn’t know I wanted until it was right in front of me. I know this won’t be easy because she still has some doubts and insecurities from her past, but she’s really opening up to me now, and I catch glimpses of the quality of her soul that blow me away.”
Adam nodded. “She’s meant to be in your life, Benjamin. It’s obvious.”
“I just don’t know what to do about the ranch.”
“What to do about it?”
“Yeah. How do we take two separate lives and mesh them into one? Am I giving up my work here, or is she giving up her work there? Either way, it’s unfair. We’ve both worked too hard to give anything up.”
“And that’s why you don’t,” Adam replied. “You mesh your work together just like you mesh your lives. Take the boys over to work in the pumpkin patch from time to time. Bring her over here to be part of the family. You’re not taking anything away—you’re adding to it. Sure makes it easier that her land is right next door.”
“But where would we live?” Benjamin asked.
“I think you’d live at her place. As long as you were here while the boys were home, it shouldn’t be a problem. We have to have one supervisor on staff while the boys are asleep, but Caleb can handle that, and if you’re needed, we call you and there you are.”
That seemed like such a simple solution, Benjamin felt dumb for not thinking of it himself.
“Plus,” Adam went on, “it’s not like you don’t have help. Seven brothers, remember? We’re never without support.”
The weight that had been pressing in on Benjamin’s rib cage was suddenly lifted. “Thanks, Adam. I just got a little locked up in my head and couldn’t see the possibilities.”
“Well, this whole marriage thing did get sprung on you pretty fast.”
“You adjusted well, though,” Benjamin teased.
“Oh, trust me, it surprised me too. But you go with the flow when the flow is right, and Tiffani is definitely right.”
“Yes, she is.” Benjamin couldn’t imagine anyone more suited to his brother than she was. And now he’d found the one most suited to him—it was exciting and exhilarating and as scary as it could possibly be.
***
Halloween was a challenging holiday on the boys’ ranch. Many of the boys associated it with vandalism and other acts of destruction, spurred on by violent-looking costumes, and the McClains had to keep a sharp eye on the festivities. The boys could trick or treat if they were supervised, and they weren’t allowed to wear any gory costumes. They didn’t like that and often complained, but their behavior tended to match what they were wearing, and they stayed out of trouble better when they didn’t have skull masks or other things like that.
Benjamin wished he could spend the evening with Melissa, but his responsibility was to the boys and to his family, and he recognized that this sense of conflict was going to be normal for him. There would be times when the ranch needed him and he’d have to make a choice. He hoped he’d be wise enough to know what to do in each circumstance.
He might not be able to hang out with Melissa that night, but he could take his boys over there trick or treating, and that’s what they did. She opened the door wearing a full Glinda the Good Witch costume down to the crown and wand, and Benjamin chuckled with appreciation when he saw her.
“And what are you this year, young man?” she said, eyeing him curiously.
“I’m Paul Bunyan,” he replied, motioning down to his regular jeans, plaid shirt, and work boots.
“Oh? Where’s your ax? Where’s your blue ox?”
“Well, I can’t carry axes around with me—that’s not safe. And Babe’s hiding behind those trees over there.”
She looked skeptical. “I don’t know, boys. I think he’s trying to get out of dressing up for Halloween. What do you think?”
The boys chimed in. “He’s totally trying to get out of it!” Hunter yelled.
Benjamin grinned. “Okay, you caught me. I don’t usually dress up—I’m not the creative type.” He took a step forward and said quietly, “But if you’ll come have dinner with me tomorrow, I’ll dress up then.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “My goodness. I can hardly pass up that sort of offer, can I, boys?”
They cheered, and she nodded. “Very well. Six tomorrow.” She waved her wand over their heads. “May you each receive many full-sized candy bars, and may you not receive disgusting candy corn.”
Benjamin laughed as they climbed off her porch. She really was a good fairy.
***
After the hustle and bustle of the last ten days, Melissa h
ardly knew what to do with herself when she woke up on November first and didn’t have to leap out of bed to get down to the pumpkin patch. She watched the rays of sun creep into her room, knowing that she had about three weeks before people would come for pie pumpkins, and wondering how she would fill that time. She imagined that a lot of it would be taken up with Benjamin McClain, and she had no problem with that at all.
She spent the day curled up with movies and a book, giving herself the mini vacation she’d needed for a long time, and then she turned her attention to getting ready for her date.
What did he mean when he said he’d dress up if she’d go out to dinner with him? Did he mean a button-down shirt, or was he thinking full-on gorilla costume? She had no idea, and that made it hard for her to know how she should dress. She finally opted for a skirt and lightweight sweater, thinking that was pretty versatile, and she curled her hair and put on a little extra makeup. Then she blotted some of it back off—it wasn’t really her, and she didn’t think that’s what Benjamin went for anyway.
She heard a knock at the door while she was still putting on her shoes, then her mother’s voice calling, “I’ve got it.” A moment later when she opened her bedroom door and headed down the stairs, she saw Benjamin standing in the foyer, dressed in a tuxedo, holding a single long-stemmed rose.
She almost had to sit down on the stairs—all strength went out of her knees. A McClain in a plaid shirt was one thing, but a McClain in a tux—have mercy.
“Hello,” she said, feeling breathless. “You certainly clean up nicely.”
“Oh, this old thing?” He struck a silly pose. “Tell me, Miss Daniels, are you ready for the best chicken-fried steak you’ve ever had in your life?”
“But of course,” she replied, amused that he was wearing a tux to take her to the diner. She wouldn’t have wanted to go anywhere fancier, though—she would have felt stiff and awkward the whole time, and she was done feeling awkward around Benjamin. She wanted to move forward and leave all that other silly stuff in the past.
