Love at the 20-Yard Line

by Shanna Hatfield

  Haven feigned disinterest, pretending to study her fingernails. “Maybe I’ll take Mom or Allie.”

  “Sure, that sounds nice.” Brody kissed her cheek as he opened the door. “You should have a girls’ night out.”

  “Maybe I will.” She tossed Brody an inviting glance with a coy smile. “Unless you happen to be available.”

  “I might be able to work it into my busy schedule. I’ll have my people give your people a call,” Brody teased, stepping outside and backing away from her.

  “You just do that.” Haven grinned at him as he almost tripped over a parking curb. “I’ll be waiting for that call.”

  “Love you, doll,” Brody called before climbing in his truck.

  “Love you, more,” Haven replied, then shut her door before Mrs. Humphrey could come outside and scold her for yelling across the parking lot.

  “Are you sure I’m doing this right? Fred doesn’t really seem to like it,” Brody asked as he brushed the old horse.

  “Oh, Fred’s too old to care, but yeah, you’ve got the hang of it. Just give him a few more strokes on that side and you can be done,” Haven said as she finished brushing her horse and patted the mare’s neck. She led the horse through the barn and turned her out in the fenced pasture, watching the horse shake her mane and trot off in the direction of the other horses.

  When Brody finished brushing Fred, she led the old horse to a stall, making sure he had plenty of feed and water before closing the door.

  “One of the other horses picks on Fred, so Dad decided to keep him in here for now. I don’t think Fred minds at all. He gets extra feed and attention.” Haven rinsed her hands at a sink in a far corner of the barn and wiped her hands on a paper towel. Brody washed his hands and turned to find Haven leaning against the wall, studying him.

  “Where’d you get that hat, cowboy?” Haven watched as Brody pushed a straw cowboy hat back on his head. She knew he had a pair of cowboy boots from seeing him wear them before, but the hat was a surprise.

  “It’s mine. I don’t usually have anywhere to wear it.”

  “Are you more country than you led me to believe?” she asked, giving him a probing look.

  “Maybe I am, maybe I’m not.”

  Haven looked like a cute little country girl in her form-fitting jeans, scuffed boots, and soft, summery blouse. She wore her hair in a long braid down her back, but curls escaped and bounced around her face, captivating Brody.

  “I know one way to find out,” she said, holding out her hand.

  “What?”

  “Your phone, if you please.” Haven wiggled her fingers his direction.

  “My phone?” He dug it out of his pocket and handed it to her.

  She scrolled through the apps until she found his downloaded music, then grinned.

  “Ha! Just as I suspected. You’ve got more country tunes on here than anything else,” she said, handing the phone back to him.

  “So. Your point is…”

  “That you’re not this bad boy from the big city like you want everyone to think you are. You’re a small town country boy. I’ve got you figured out.” Haven shook a finger at him while smiling flirtatiously.

  “If you’ve got me figured out, then you probably know I like to dance to a good country song once in a while.” Brody picked a song and turned up the volume on his phone.

  He took Haven in his arms, dancing her around the aisle of the barn while Easton Corbin sang Lovin’ You is Fun in the background.

  “I love that song.” Haven grinned at Brody as he twirled her around. “It makes me think of you.”

  “It does? Why?” He dropped her into a dip and pulled her back up with a kiss.

  “Because loving you is so much fun. Allie thinks we’re doing something wrong because we aren’t fighting and making up all the time, but I like the even keel of our relationship. I know when I’m with you we’ll laugh and have a great time. You’re fun to be around and you make me happy.”

  “I’m glad you think so, Haven. I agree. Loving you is fun and one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

  “Where’d you learn to dance?” Haven asked, impressed with Brody’s moves, even if they were in the barn and the music was playing on his phone.

  “Mom taught me. It was something we could do for entertainment that was free. We spent a lot of evenings dancing around our little living room.” Brody was grateful his mom made him learn how to dance.

  “She did a great job teaching you.” Haven twirled into Brody’s chest and hugged him as the song ended. “Speaking of your mom, did she like the Easter picture?”

  “No.” Brody picked up his phone and shoved it in his pocket before taking Haven’s hand in his as they walked out of the barn. The afternoon sunshine was bright and warm, and fields sprouting with green covered the gently rolling hills as far as Brody could see. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon, especially since he spent it with Haven.

  At her dejected look, he grinned. “She didn’t like it, she loved it. She said you’re a beautiful girl and she could tell from our faces that you care for me.”

  Haven smiled and let out a breath of relief. Although she’d likely never meet Brody’s mother, she still wanted the woman to like her. “I’m glad she loved it. How’s she doing?”

  “Really well. She’s working at a high-end restaurant these days with better hours and makes a lot more in tips. I’m glad she doesn’t have to work so hard.” Brody stopped to pet Minion and Gru, the two family dogs. “I try to help out, but she’s refused to take any money for a while. When I go to visit her, I buy things she needs instead.”

  “Like what?” Haven asked, scratching Minion behind his ears. The dog wagged his tail so hard, Brody thought the animal might beat himself to death with it.

  “You know, just stuff. Like when I was there for Christmas, her old fridge was about to die, so I bought her a new one. I also had a new front door installed.” Brody hunkered down to give Gru a rub on his belly, missing the tender look Haven gave him.

  Haven’s heart melted into a puddle at her feet as she listened to Brody talk about his mom with such love and concern.

  “You’re a good guy, Brody Jackson. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.” Haven stepped behind him and hugged him around the neck while he pet the dog.

  He stood up before she could move and gave her a piggyback ride to the house, making her laugh.

  “And you’re a sweet girl, Haven Haggarty. Don’t you ever forget it.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “We’ve got a problem.”

  Haven looked up from the report she was typing as Mr. Young walked into her office. “A problem, sir?” She quickly stood behind her desk.

  “A big problem.” Mr. Young motioned for her to sit before taking a chair across from her. “We need to shoot the photos for the new campaign we’re doing for the plumbing company. You remember sitting in with Seth on the brainstorming session, right?”

  “Yes. Isn’t this the campaign to give plumbers a new, younger image? The company wanted to use buff guys to get overweight, plumber’s crack visions out of their customer’s heads.” Haven thought the creative ideas for the campaign were fresh and would probably be quite effective.

  “That’s correct. The problem is the model we had lined up for the photo shoot got food poisoning and can’t come in today. We’ve got to get this rolling and I don’t want to wait even one more day to make it happen. Do you have any contacts you could bring in on short notice?” Mr. Young was aware Haven had a handful of models she frequently worked with.

  “Let me see what I can do.” Haven picked up her contact list and grabbed the phone. “If I can get someone in here today, does it matter what time?”

  “No. This project is top priority so if you can get someone in, we’ll put everything else on hold while they’re here. The photo shoot should only take thirty minutes or so,” Mr. Young said, walking to the door. “Thanks, Haven. I know I can always count on you.�
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  “I hope so,” Haven muttered under her breath as she began calling models. After leaving messages for several of her contact, the few she actually spoke with said they’d do it if they weren’t already busy.

  In a moment of desperation, she called Brody. It was the team’s second bye week and she knew he had a little more free time than usual.

  “Hey, beautiful doll, what’s up?” Brody asked when he answered her call.

  “I need some help,” she said, getting right to the point. “If I begged and pleaded and asked nicely, do you think the coach would let you pose as a model for an ad we need to shoot today?”

  “What?” Brody was sure he’d heard Haven incorrectly. “Did you just ask me to model for you?”

  “I did.” Haven took a breath and began to speak so fast, Brody had a hard time keeping up with her. “The model we hired got food poisoning and Mr. Young wants to finish the photos for a top client’s campaign today and the fourteen other models I called didn’t answer or can’t come in and I’m desperate because he’s counting on me to find someone and I don’t know who else to call.”

  Brody got the part about food poisoning and Haven being desperate. “I’d love to help, but you know there’s a policy against us doing that kind of stuff.”

  “I know, but the company is one of your sponsors. Does that help my cause?” Haven asked, ready to cry.

  She heard Brody sigh and knew he was running his hand over his head, thinking.

  “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll ask the coach. Just don’t get your hopes up.” Brody held the phone away from his head when Haven squealed. “And you better tell me exactly how I’ll be posing and what I’ll be wearing.”

  Haven gave him the basic ideas for the photo shoot and what she knew about the planned attire.

  “Sit tight. I’ll call you back as soon as I get an answer from the coach.” Brody disconnected the call.

  Haven tried to go back to working on her report, but couldn’t concentrate. She tidied her already neat desk, filed a stack of papers she would normally have left for Jordan, and reviewed her appointments for the rest of the week.

  Sure an hour or more had passed, she glanced at her watch, only to realize it had been about ten minutes.

  When the phone rang, she raced across her office and snatched it up so fast she almost dropped it.

  “Haven Haggarty’s office,” she said in a voice left breathy from her rush to answer the phone.

  “Well, don’t you sound all sexy. You sure I didn’t call the wrong number?” Brody teased. “What’s going on over there I need to know about?”

  “Brody! What did the coach say?” In no mood for his flirting, Haven was impatient to know the coach’s response.

  “Well, hello to you, too,” Brody said, prolonging Haven’s agony.

  “Hello, Brody. I’m sorry.” She took a calming breath. “Can you bail me out or not?”

  “I can. But I won’t be able to make it until this afternoon. I’m at practice now and we’ve got a lunch thing. I should be able to be there around three. Will that work?” Brody asked.

  “That’s perfect. You’re my hero.” Gratitude and relief were evident in her voice.

  “I thought I was already your hero.” Brody was inordinately pleased she called him her hero. The relief in Haven’s voice made him glad he’d talked the coach into letting him do the photo shoot, although he wasn’t so sure he wanted to pretend to be a plumber.

  “You are. Every single day, and I love you,” Haven said. “I’ll see you at three and make you dinner tonight.”

  “It’s a date, doll. See you later.”

  Haven jumped to her feet as she hung up the phone then hurried to Mr. Young’s office. He was on the phone but motioned for her to come in and take a seat. She did, trying not to listen to his one-sided conversation. It was easy to tell he spoke with his wife. When he rolled his eyes at something Mrs. Young said, Haven tried not to grin.

  After wrapping up the call, he looked at Haven with a hopeful expression. “I assume by the spark in your eye and spring in your step you found a model.”

  “I did, sir. But he can’t be here until three.”

  “That’s fine. I don’t care when he gets here as long as it’s before five today.”

  “Great. Do you want me to let Adam know?”

  “If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it,” Mr. Young said, picking up his phone to make a call as he smiled at Haven. “Great job, once again, Haven.”

  “Thanks, sir.” Haven strolled out of his office and down the hall to the photo studio. Absorbed in his work, taking photos of a plate of fries, Adam didn’t notice her approach until she stood beside him.

  “You get all the fun projects,” Haven said, pointing to the fries as Adam took a couple of shots.

  “Yeah, right.” Adam grinned at Haven. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?”

  “Mr. Young asked me to let you know a substitute model for the plumber campaign will be here at three,” Haven said, staring at the fries. They looked gross with whatever substance Adam sprayed on them to make them appear a steamy golden brown in the photo.

  “Great. Is this model going to be hard to work with? I can’t say I’m sorry the original model ended up sick. The last time that dude was here he was a nightmare.” Adam took a few more shots of the fries while Haven watched.

  “He should be easy to handle. I’ll personally make sure he behaves,” Haven said, turning to leave.

  “Is this model a friend of yours?” Adam asked, suddenly interested in who was coming.

  “As a matter of fact, he is.”

  “He wouldn’t, by chance, be the beefy boyfriend Jordan’s been raving about?”

  “Beefy? Nice. I’ll have to tell him what the girls in the office are saying about him.” Haven grinned as she left Adam and his fries.

  Back in her office, Haven focused on her work and was surprised when she looked at the clock to see it was almost three.

  She hurried to the restroom, touched up her makeup, fixed her hair, and brushed her teeth. Satisfied she looked refreshed, she returned to her office. Brody sat in a chair in front of her desk, waiting for her.

  “Hi, Brody,” she said, dropping her cosmetic bag in a desk drawer before kissing his cheek.

  “Hey, doll,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her down on his lap. He kissed her before she could tell him she shouldn’t be sitting on his lap and definitely shouldn’t be kissing him.

  At a clearing throat, she looked up as Mr. Young stood in her doorway, grinning.

  Heat flamed into her cheeks as she hastened to her feet, tugging on her suit jacket and skirt to straighten them. “Mr. Young, this is Brody Jackson. He’s the one who’ll be modeling for us today.”

  Brody stood and stepped across the room to take Mr. Young’s outstretched hand.

  “Nice to meet you, young man. I’ve heard a lot about you playing with the team this year. Sounds like you’re destined for big things,” Mr. Young said, pleased to meet the man who finally captured Haven’s attention. He could see why the tall, athletic football player would turn her head.

  Although he knew he shouldn’t be, he was glad the original model was sick. Haven’s young man would be perfect for his client’s campaign. In addition to his fit physique, he had a face that was unforgettable.

  “Shall we get started?” Mr. Young asked, motioning for Brody and Haven to step into the hall. “I’ll take Brody to change if you want to let Adam know he’s here.”

  “Yes, sir,” Haven said, leaving Brody with Mr. Young as she walked to the photo studio.

  “Adam, the model’s here. Mr. Young took him to wardrobe. He should be ready in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks, Haven. Can you help me set up the screen?” Adam asked, motioning across the studio.

  “Sure.” Haven helped Adam put up a blank background with smooth fabric that extended across the floor. He would use a graphics program to add in
a kitchen or bathroom after taking the photos.

  She was helping Adam stretch the fabric so there weren’t any wrinkles when Mr. Young walked in with Brody. Haven’s jaw dropped open and she quickly snapped it shut.

  If the plumbing company’s objective was to find a model who could sell their services, Brody was the man for the job.

  Dressed in a pair of dark blue bib overalls with the company logo on the front pocket, Haven didn’t think it mattered what he was selling, women would buy it.

  Since he wasn’t wearing a shirt under the overalls, the straps crossing his broad shoulders accented the muscles in his neck and arms as well as along his chest. A tool belt fastened low around his hips drew Haven’s gaze down so she forced it back up again.

  As tan, fit, and devastatingly handsome as Brody appeared, she had no doubt the client would be pleased with the photos Adam was about to take.

  “You might want to stop gawking at him,” Adam whispered as he walked by Haven to shake hands with Brody.

  After exchanging introductions, Adam positioned Brody in front of the screen and had him stand in a variety of poses. Haven’s favorite was of Brody leaning back with one arm across his chest holding a pipe wrench, showcasing his biceps, while the other hand rested on the handle of a plunger in his tool belt.

  Since women made up the majority of people who called the plumbing company, Haven knew this campaign would be successful. There was no way it could be anything else once advertisements started appearing with Brody as the model.

  With the barest hint of a smile on his face, Brody stood wherever Adam asked without a word of complaint.

  They were almost done when Haven took a step closer to Adam to see what Brody looked like in the camera. She lifted her gaze and caught his. The smile on his face then was genuine, along with the fire in his dark eyes.

  Adam almost yelled in his excitement at capturing the raw emotion in a photo.

  “That’s it. We’re done,” Adam said, knowing nothing else would compare to that particular photo.