“Isn’t that what people say when a town is charming? It always seems to be code for the town might be pleasant enough to drive through, but there’s really nothing worthwhile to do here,” Will teased.
Charlotte slugged him squarely on the shoulder. “Hey! You take that back.”
Will winced and rubbed the dull throb on his arm. “It’s true, isn’t it? Only a handful of tiny shops, the whole place still revolves around the town square...what’s so special about Blessings?”
Katie’s eyebrows knit together, and her usual smile was long gone. “If you didn’t have to come back, then why did you? It’s not like we’re in need of critics here. It’ll ruin the charming small-town atmosphere the rest of us enjoy. You know, since we don’t have anything better to do than to be neighborly with each other.”
Will poked at the errant flakes of fritters that had fallen from his mouth and onto the counter. “Our parents need help with the harvest this year since dad tore up his shoulder when he decided to climb a ladder to fix the hayloft door on the barn, only to fall off. It’s hard to drive a combine or take the wagon to the grain elevator with one incapacitated arm.”
“Right. How is your dad doing?” Katie asked, her anger quickly replaced by a genuine concern.
“You saw him two days ago,” Charlotte pointed out.
“I know. But he had another appointment yesterday, right?” Katie asked.
Charlotte said, “Not much has changed since Dad’s last appointment. Mostly Mom is about to go crazy having Dad sitting around at home, messing up her routine.”
Will leaned back in his seat and laced his fingers behind his head. “You see our parents regularly?”
Setting down her cleaning supplies, Katie looked squarely at Will, and he noticed the immediate uptick of his pulse. The mischievousness gleaming in her eyes only added another layer of depth to her pretty features.
“Maybe I’m their new favorite daughter since you’ve become the absentee son,” she quipped.
Putting his hands over his chest, Will faked that he’d been struck through the heart. “Wow, Katie. That was harsh.”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “Sometimes the truth hurts.”
Charlotte was laughing loud enough that the remaining customers were staring at her again. “She got you there, Will. Our parents love Katie. They have for a long time.”
“Who wouldn’t?” Will asked. It was Katie’s turn to flush red. Will was going to enjoy harmlessly flirting with Katie. He might as well have some fun while he was back.
“All I was doing yesterday was picking up some eggs from them. Can’t beat farm fresh at the café. People start noticing when we get them from the supermarket,” Katie said.
Will caught himself staring a breath too long at Katie, making Katie fidget, which she tried to hide by tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Will smiled at her, but she looked past him and excused herself to help some of her customers who were ready to pay their check. Not one to believe in any sort of wild notions that love at first sight existed, but maybe it was because they’d known each other for years, even if it was merely through Charlotte, even Will had to admit that he was struck by how beautiful Katie had grown up to be. She was no longer the gangly, knobby-kneed girl with a mouthful of braces that used to hang out after school, and as far as Will was concerned, anyone who could put up with his sister through her middle school years was a saint. He knew, however, that Katie was off limits. Not only had he made a home hundreds of miles away and would be returning there as soon as he had the chance, but dating his baby sister’s best friend seemed culturally taboo. There was no doubt the rumor mill in Blessings would have a heyday if they even suspected he was interested in her.
Charlotte leaned her elbows onto the counter and drummed her fingertips on her chin. “Who, who, who...”
“Who, what?” Will asked.
Charlotte blinked at Will’s intrusion into her thoughts. “Huh?”
“Either you’re wondering about someone, or you’re pretending you’re an owl, in which case, I have evidence that you’ve finally cracked.”
“Oh. I was trying to figure out who could take Katie to the Harvest Festival Ball.”
“They still do that here?”
“Gets bigger and better every year. The schools let the kids out early and everything.”
“I thought for sure Katie would already have a boyfriend,” Will said, thinking aloud.
Charlotte’s eyebrows shot up her forehead, and she gave her brother a wry smile. “Thinking about her availability, are you?”
“No, nothing like that,” Will said a little too quickly. “I mean, she’s a nice girl—woman—and I assumed she’d already attached to someone. I mean, why wouldn’t she?”
“Because the dating pool is becoming more and more exclusive,” Charlotte said simply. “Everyone our age is either married, moved away, or has already been scratched off the list for being a loser.”
“Sounds like she hasn’t found the right one, that’s all.”
With a gleam in her eye, Charlotte asked, “Are you thinking about being the right one for her?”
Will stuttered and tried to backpedal while Charlotte made kissy noises at her brother.
Katie brought up an armful of empty dishes from the Stanleys’ table and put them in the tub to take to the back. “Is Charley regaling you with how Harvey asked her to the ball?”
Charlotte shook her head. “No, I was asking him if—”
“If your boyfriend was taking you to the Harvest Festival Ball,” Will interrupted before his sister could embarrass him further.
Katie groaned dramatically. “Don’t tell me you’re now discussing my dating life, too. You know, you might be a big city boy now, but you still have the same penchant for gossip as anyone here.”
“Old habits die hard, I guess,” Will said. “Nothing else to do here, remember?”
Katie scrunched up her nose and stuck out her tongue at him, which only made Will laugh. Grabbing the rest of the dirty dishes, Katie toted them into the back, spraying them off at the sink before loading them into the dishwasher.
Will saw Mr. and Mrs. Stanley get up from their table and head for the door. Sliding from his seat, he jogged over and pushed it open for them. The white-haired couple thanked him as they exited the café out into the morning sun that was warming the early November day pleasantly.
“You always were such a nice boy,” said Mrs. Stanley, patting him on the cheek. “It’s a shame Blessings lost you.”
“Well, I’m here for the next couple of weeks or so. Working from my parents’ home and helping dad.”
“Maybe you’ll decide to stay, then,” Mr. Stanley suggested.
“Hold on, now. Before you go speculating that I’m here for the long haul, you should know that I have a nice apartment and a good job up in Iowa. I’m just here to see that harvesting gets done.”
The Stanleys exchanged a look. Will had seen it between his parents more than once—it was the kind of conversation that spoke volumes without ever having to say a word.
Mr. Stanley spoke first. “I think you’re going to discover Blessings is more charming than you remember. That’s what happens to most people who move away. So many of them end up coming home.”
“Maybe a certain someone special will catch your eye? You know, our sweet Katie there doesn’t have a date yet,” Mrs. Stanley mentioned as her gaze innocently wandered back inside to where Katie was watching them from the small kitchen opening overlooking the front counter.
Will merely smiled and shook his head. “It was nice to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley.”
Going back inside, he winked at Katie, who was still watching him intently. Startled out of her daydream, she looked down and disappeared to somewhere else in the kitchen. Will hadn’t held the door for the Stanleys to impress her, but she seemed to appreciate the good manners his parents had drilled into him. Perhaps he’d made up for sticking his foot in his mouth and insulting the one a
nd only place she’d ever lived and obviously loved.
Will took his seat next to Charlotte, who was writing out a list of men’s names on a napkin. The long list she was cultivating sent a stab of jealousy that made Will’s stomach sour. When Katie walked back out, wiping her damp hands on her apron, she spotted Charlotte’s list, and realizing what it was, rolled her eyes and snatched it from her friend. Charlotte protested, but Katie had it torn to shreds and tossed it in the wastebasket before it could be retrieved.
“You know, if you’re looking for a date, I think the Stanleys have a neighbor who’d be thrilled to go with you,” Will offered.
Charlotte burst out laughing, and his joke was met with a damp sponge to the chest from Katie. “Don’t even say his name or I might go home and eat my weight in chocolate.”
“Just a suggestion,” Will said, holding his hands up and keeping his tone even despite the laughter bubbling deep within. “If you don’t want to go with a youngin’ like the Stanleys’ neighbor, I’m sure one of the geriatric crowd would be happy to take you. They clearly love you. It’s like a sea of white hair and sweaters in here.”
“I think they enjoy the cooking,” Katie corrected.
Will disagreed. “Sharon’s a wonderful cook, no question, but I’ve seen how much they tip you for your excellent service.”
“Please, Will,” Katie said, sighing. “I might have a good rapport with old men, but if those are the only candidates I have to consider for dates for the ball, then I’d rather not go at all. In fact, I don’t know how anyone got it in their head that I was planning on going. After the parade that morning, then helping man the café’s booth at the craft fair all day, I wasn’t planning on dancing the night away. I was going to go home and soak my feet until they turned into prunes.”
“But you can’t miss the ball,” Charlotte said, dropping her fist on the marbled countertop. “It would be so much more fun going on a double date with me and Harvey.”
There was Will’s chance. His heartbeat thrummed in his ears as he worked up the courage to casually suggest he and Katie could go together. He’d be in town, finishing up work in the fields, and it’d take the pressure off Katie. It was the perfect plan to get his foot in the door with her without appearing too eager.
“Tell you what,” Katie said, planting her hands on her hips. “Since this is apparently bothering the whole of Blessings, I’ll go.”
“Really?” Will said, cocking his head to the side. He cursed himself for missing the window of opportunity.
Jutting out her chin, Katie echoed, “Really.”
“With who?” Charlotte asked, her eyes darting back and forth with confusion.
Drawing in a deep breath Katie said firmly, “No one. I’m going to be a strong, independent, modern woman. I’m going by myself.”
CHAPTER THREE
“What was I thinking?” Katie asked aloud. “What am I thinking?”
Katie was alone in the chicken coop, but having a flock of hens clucking and scratching around her made speaking seem like she was hashing out her problems surrounded by friends rather than losing her mind, talking aloud to nobody.
Scraping up a pile of soiled straw she’d collected, she tossed it into an old wheelbarrow. At one time it was probably a glossy, striking blue, but it’d been part of the Ryan family farm for who knew how long and had certainly given its best years to them. “I know Will is off limits. He’s my best friend’s older brother for crying out loud!”
Katie took a step back and startled a plump black Australorp hen who’d been picking at dropped bits of grain behind Katie’s boots. The hen squawked angrily and ran out from underfoot, flapping her wings vigorously as she escaped. Muttering her apology to the ruffled hen, Katie sighed and leaned on her stall fork, speaking directly to the glossy chicken.
“I can’t even begin to imagine how mortified Charlotte would be, knowing I’m pining after Will. I mean, I was searching for a reason to come out here. Surely no woman in her right mind would agree to cleaning out a chicken coop just to catch a glimpse of the guy she’s crushing on.”
The hen clucked and watched Katie, her yellow eye trained on her with keen interest. It’d been a week since Will had been back, and he’d stopped in the café several times, always being friendly to Katie when she was waitressing. Still, it wasn’t enough. She wanted more of him.
“I’m not going to risk a lifelong friendship with her on a whim. No, I’m going to go to the ball on my own like I said I would. No more girlish fantasies.”
The black hen tilted her head at Katie, making her grin and drop her gaze down to the dusty muck boots she was wearing. Laughing weakly, Katie said, “It’s official. I am totally crazy. I’m using chickens for free therapy.”
Raking up the last of the soiled bedding, Katie tossed it into the wheelbarrow and brushed her hands on her favorite pair of work jeans.
“Katie?” she heard from a voice coming from outside.
Pushing her wheelbarrow out the door, she saw Will and Charlotte’s mom approaching with an armful of clean mason jars.
“Just finishing up with the chicken coop, Mrs. Ryan,” Katie said, hoping their mom hadn’t overheard Katie talking to her flock.
“You’re an angel,” she said. “I haven’t been able to get to them for a month, with trying to keep on top of everything since Roger’s injury. I’m sure they appreciate having a clean place to nest. And remember, it’s Carol.”
“Right. Carol,” Katie said obediently.
“I don’t want to keep you. I know what a busy lady you are, especially with the Thanksgiving season approaching. You collect all the eggs the hens laid and take them home with you. The rest I’ve got in the fridge, I’ll make sure they get loaded into your trunk for the café.”
“I can get them, it’s no problem,” Katie offered, hoping she wasn’t coming off as too eager. Involuntarily, her eyes darted to the back door of the Ryan’s white two-story farmhouse, wondering if Will was already out helping his dad with the harvest.
“Better yet,” Carol suggested as she followed Katie’s gaze, “we’ll get Will to load them. That is, if he ever gets his lazy bones outta bed.”
Katie sniggered behind her hand, then tipped her head at the jars Carol was toting. “What are you doing with those?”
As a tall woman with a strong back, Carol was suited to farm life. Easily shifting the jars to her hip, she pointed to the small detached garage near the house. “I was going to finish canning the last of the apple jelly. I think we even have enough of a bumper crop that I’ll make another batch of cider. It’s probably foolish of me to try to be taking on all this extra work, especially when Roger decided to go and break himself by falling off that darned ladder, but you know how excited I get about the craft fair during the Harvest Festival. Sure is nice to have people appreciate the effort I put into making all this food.”
Katie nodded. “The festival is one of my favorite parts of the weekend, too.” Toeing the gravel at the edge of the driveway, Katie hesitated. “Would you mind if I helped? I don’t think I got myself too dirty tidying up after the chickens.”
“You don’t have work today?”
“Nope. I do have to go pick up some donations for the Thanksgiving luncheon around town, but it doesn’t matter when I go. Otherwise, I’m a free woman.”
Carol put her hand on her hip and shook her head while grinning at Katie. “If half the people in this world had an ounce of your work ethic, we’d all be better for it.”
Katie shrugged. “My offer isn’t totally benevolent. I remember canning with my mom and grandma, so it makes me nostalgic when I get the chance to do it again.”
The sadness in Carol’s expression made Katie regret her choice of words.
Taking one of the flats of Mason jars off Carol’s hands, she quickly added, “I’ve only ever done strawberry jam before, so I have a thing or two to learn about apple jelly.”
Carol nodded, letting the hiccup in their conversation slide w
ithout saying anything else, which eased the tightness in Katie’s own throat. Talking about her family still had the power to choke her up to the point that she could scarcely draw breath.
Katie followed Carol, who bent over and tossed open the garage door to an immaculate and extensive converted second kitchen where they prepared their fruits and veggies for sale. On every available inch of counter space were bushels of shiny, fresh apples straight off the trees in their orchard.
“Is there anything you don’t do?” Katie asked with admiration.
“Careful there, girl. You’re gonna make this old cow get a big head.”
A peal of laughter soared out of Katie as the back door to the house opened, and Will stepped onto the porch. His hair was disheveled from sleeping, and he reached his arms high over his head, groaning with satisfaction as he stretched.
When he caught Katie’s eye, she quickly glanced away, only to see the same teasing look in Carol’s eye that she’d seen in Charlotte’s when she was trying to figure out how to find Katie a date. Katie clamped her mouth shut—there was no way she was going to ask Carol what she was thinking because Katie knew her well enough that she knew Carol would speak her mind if anyone asked. Sometimes, she volunteered it without any requests.
Will strolled over to the canning kitchen, his hands in his flannel pajama pockets bracing himself against the briskness of the morning.
“I never pegged you for a late sleeper,” Katie said. She wasn’t about to let Carol direct the conversation, especially if she was catching on to the fact that Katie was ogling her son.
“It’s not often I get to have a break from my nine to five job, so I’m going to take advantage of it as long as I have the chance,” Will answered.
Raising her eyebrow, Katie asked, “I thought farmers were up at the crack of dawn.”
“Guess it’s good I’m not a farmer,” Will said.
“You are while you’re here,” Katie pointed out. “I thought that was the whole point of you coming back.”
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