“That you do.” Rollin set the controller down. “Let’s take a break, little buddy, and see if your mother needs any help.”
Before Tayler could make it across the room, Rollin reached out for the gift basket. “I’m surprised to see you here,” he said.
“Imagine my surprise,” Tayler said, with a stiff smile.
Rollin and Jamie volunteered to go get everything else, while Tayler found a nice comfortable spot at the end of the sofa, where Corra’s daughter, Katie, kept her company.
Minutes later, everyone was in the den when Corra announced, “Okay, guys, I’ve got the game plan for tomorrow. We’re pairing up in twos again because it’s more effective that way. I’m going to hit the local hospital with Sharon. And I’ve got you two—” she pointed from Rollin to Tayler “—down for the strip mall out on Bicknell Road.”
Tayler’s jaw dropped before she turned to Rollin.
Chapter 8
Tayler stood up so fast, she almost knocked little Katie down. “Uh, Corra, I don’t know about tomorrow.”
Rollin came to Tayler’s rescue, knowing how his sister had a habit of manipulating people into doing anything she wanted. “Yeah, Corra, the market’s all day Saturday, and after that I—”
“Oh, come on, Rollin, you know Kevin can run that stand on Saturday. This is for the kids, man, your niece and nephew. Don’t you want them to have computers, too?” she pleaded.
“They have one up in their room. I brought it last Christmas.”
Corra stomped her foot. “I’m talkin’ ’bout at school. They need computers in the classroom. The effort we put in now will pay off big in the long run.”
Rollin looked at Tayler to gauge her reaction to Corra’s ranting. He was used to her but didn’t want Tayler to feel put upon. “I’m sure Tayler has other plans for tomorrow.”
“Yes, I want to check out an antique shop I saw today.”
“Girl, you can do that anytime.” The telephone rang and Corra excused herself to go answer it, with Katie in tow. “Y’all figure things out. I’ll be right back.”
Alone with Tayler, Rollin felt the need to apologize. “Hey, I’m sorry you got roped into this. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Corra has other folk working on the fund-raiser who can pitch in. She took advantage of your kindness all day today. I think she’s forgotten you’re not just Nicole’s friend, but a guest of ours.”
“That’s okay, I really don’t mind helping,” Tayler said, crossing her arms. “It’s just that, uh, I don’t think her plans for us working together are such a good idea.”
Rollin lifted his chin while revisiting a mental picture of him carrying her in his arms. That moment had caused his nerve endings to tingle, and set off a desire to touch and explore her body. Not only did Corra need to remember Tayler was a guest, but he had to remind himself as well. “Yeah, you might be right.”
Corra reentered the room. “So, what did you guys work out while I was gone?”
* * *
Instead of spending less time with Rollin, Tayler found herself riding around Danville bright and early with a man whose touch had the power to set her body on fire. Being in such close proximity with Rollin did a number on Tayler’s imagination. Every time he smiled at her, she could visualize his bare chest and her hands exploring his rock-hard chiseled abs.
She bit her fingernail and stared out the window at the fields and fields of deep green grass and knew then why they called Kentucky the bluegrass state.
“This shouldn’t take too long,” Rollin said.
Tayler swallowed and turned away from the scenic view. “Let’s hope not. I still want to check out that antique shop.”
“I’ve got a lot of stuff to do myself. If Corra weren’t my sister, she wouldn’t have been able to talk me into this. How did she talk you into helping out, anyway?”
Tayler took a deep breath and sighed. “She just asked. It’s not like I’m busy doing anything.” Other than trying to keep my distance from you. “So I’m happy to help raise funds.”
He pulled into a parking spot at one end of the mall and killed the engine. “Well, it’s time for you to do your thing.”
She grabbed her pitch, although she didn’t really need it, and opened the truck door. Before she could climb down, Rollin was there offering his hand. She accepted it and stepped out in her heels, trying not to bump into him and possibly ignite a flame. But she stepped right into that citrus and woodsy smell of his that made her want to snuggle up next to him.
The first stop was a gift shop that sold everything Kentucky related. The owner, a short, heavyset white woman, was overjoyed to see Rollin. “Well, lookie here, I haven’t seen you in months. How’s everything over at the B and B? Honey, you look just like your daddy, you know that?”
Rollin blushed and spent the next fifteen minutes updating her about the goings-on at the B and B.
Minutes later, they did the same thing at the Family Dollar Store, the hardware store and then the cleaner’s.
The friendship Rollin seemed to have with everyone around town impressed Tayler. Everyone expressed how proud they were of him and Corra before expressing an interest in who Tayler was.
“Your sister said you were hot stuff in this town,” Tayler said once they were outside again.
Rollin laughed. “I don’t believe Corra said that about me.”
“Maybe not in those exact words, but that’s what she said.”
“These people knew my pops and what he was trying to build with the farm. They’re just glad I didn’t sell it when my parents died, that’s all.”
“Yeah, right. Like the women at the farmer’s market on Thursday? Admit it, you’re Mr. Danville, local heartthrob,” she teased. Spending this time with Rollin wasn’t as bad as she’d thought it was going to be. So far, she’d managed to keep her hormones in check.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he asked.
Tayler laughed. “Hey, I’m trying to get some donations here, but you keep stealing my thunder with your long-winded conversations. So far, we’ve gotten three promises for gift certificates out of five people.”
“Maybe it’s your technique.”
She stopped and placed a hand on her hip. “My technique! I don’t think so. Yesterday Corra and I managed to get over five hundred dollars’ worth of donations.”
“Hey, I can’t compete with two beautiful women. One look at you and Corra, and I’m not surprised you didn’t get enough money to purchase the computers outright.”
Tayler tried not to blush. “Thank you, but don’t try to change the subject, Mr. Danville.”
He shook his head, then motioned for her to follow him. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ve had enough of this.”
Tayler climbed back in the truck, exhausted from listening and talking so much.
“This isn’t going to be easy, is it?” she asked, looking down the strip at the other shops they hadn’t made it to.
Rollin started the truck and peered over at her. “Nope, but I can’t take any more today. At this rate we won’t finish anytime soon.” He glanced down at his watch. “I need to catch up with Rita before she leaves today. She wasn’t looking too good this morning.”
He sat his cell phone in the middle console of the truck and it rang immediately, as if on cue. He picked it up. After a couple of uh huhs, and “take care of yourself,” he hung up. “Rita won’t be back this evening—she’s got a cold.”
“That’s too bad. I hope she feels better soon.”
He glanced out the window. “Yeah, me, too.” Then he turned to her. “Looks like I’m your cook for tonight.”
“Can you cook?” she asked.
He tilted his head toward her. “What do you think?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Let’s see,
you’re a businessman, a farmer, an innkeeper, and now you’re telling me you’re a chef.” She couldn’t believe this gorgeous man was so amazing.
He smiled. “I’m no Emeril, but I can handle dinner.”
“A real Renaissance man,” she said with a smile.
He chuckled and glanced her way with a glint in his eyes and the sexiest smile she’d ever seen. There went that tingle in the pit of her stomach again. This time it traveled lower when she thought of them having dinner alone tonight. She turned to look out the window. Lord, help me.
Once they reached the house, Tayler walked into her room and closed the door behind her. God, why are you punishing me with this man? I need to get away from him. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for strength before she kicked off her sandals. If she was going to get through this month without jumping his bones, she needed help. She quickly jumped out of her clothes and into the shower.
She changed outfits three times, never satisfied with her look. “What am I doing?” she stopped and asked herself. “I’m getting prepped for dinner like I’m going on a date.” She looked at herself in the mirror and decided on a pair of jeans, a sleeveless top and her sneakers.
“Not too revealing,” she said. Finally satisfied with herself, she went to see if she could help with dinner.
Tayler found Rollin in the kitchen going through the drawers. He’d turned the radio on to the only R&B station you could pick up in the county.
She stood in the doorway for a few seconds, admiring the view. A good-looking man who also knew his way around the kitchen really turned her on. If her girlfriends could see this, they’d be standing in line for a chance to be alone with him like this. She cleared her throat.
* * *
Rollin turned around to see Tayler rub her palms together. “Do you need any help?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I got this.” He quickly turned away from her so she couldn’t see the desire in his eyes. She had on a pair of tight-fitting jeans and a T-shirt that fit snugly around her breasts. He’d be damned if anything that woman put on didn’t do a number on him. He forced himself yet again to remember she was a guest.
He glanced back over his shoulder to where she stood looking around the kitchen as though she needed something to do. “I’ll tell you what, why don’t you grab that bottle of wine from the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.”
When Tayler walked over, opened the refrigerator and bent over, she caught his eye. He arched a brow at her beautiful backside. She closed the door and before he could turn back to the stove she caught him staring at her. For the first time, he wished they had a house full of guests. He silently hoped Rita’s cold was nothing more than a twenty-four-hour bug.
“What are you preparing?” she asked.
“Lucky for us, Rita marinated some chicken breasts and vegetables.
“This is the first time I’ve ever stayed at a bed-and-breakfast. I wasn’t aware they served dinner until Nicole told me you guys did.”
“We didn’t always, but more and more guests began inquiring about it, since we’re an organic farm. So, about a year ago, we incorporated dinner into the package. Rita loves to cook, so she welcomed the idea.”
“That was a smart move.”
He shrugged. “It’s a little more work, but it made us stand out from the other B and Bs around the area.”
“I have to admit I’m starting to enjoy the truck rides. It gives me time to think.”
“I’m glad to see you’re coming around. Watch and see, before you leave, we’ll have you driving a tractor.”
“Oh, no,” Tayler said with a laugh. “That’ll never happen.”
“Never say never. You are staying two months, right?”
“Well, that’s up in the air. But I have no intention of mounting a tractor.”
Rollin caught an image of Tayler mounting something, but it wasn’t a tractor. He couldn’t keep the silly grin off his face.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Nothing. I just had this picture of you on a tractor with your four-inch heels on.” And preferably nothing else.
“You don’t like high heels or something?”
“Look in that drawer next to you and grab the wine-bottle opener.” He took the bottle from her. “I love a woman in high heels. They’re sexy. They’re just not for the farm.” She handed him the opener. “Wineglasses are over there in the last cabinet on the left.”
Tayler found them and set two wineglasses in front of him and stood there with her arms crossed. He poured each of them a glass before leaning against the counter.
“I’ll give it to you, though, you have a mean shoe game. A woman with expensive taste.” He took a sip of wine. “I bet all your vacation is missing is a spa and a Starbucks.”
She picked up her glass. “You know, I think I’ll wait in the library. Please let me know when dinner is ready.”
She strutted across the kitchen with her nose turned up, which turned Rollin on. “Hold on now, don’t leave.” Tayler stopped at the kitchen door and looked back over her shoulder. This woman was getting under his skin so bad he just wanted to kiss her and get it over with.
“Look, beautiful women such as yourself take vacations to the Caribbean or somewhere with spas and beaches—any place but a farm on the outskirts of Danville, Kentucky. You’re not my typical guest, that’s all, and I know you expected more. But stay and keep me company. I promise to keep my foot out of my mouth the rest of the night.”
As she turned around, a slow smile managed to find its way to her face. “That might be hard, since you do it so well.”
“Touché. I deserved that.”
She strolled back over to the kitchen island and sat on a bar stool. Once she set her glass down he poured more wine.
“Thank you,” Tayler murmured.
“You’re welcome.” Everything this evening was taking longer than Rollin anticipated. He had paperwork to do that he should have worked on earlier, but there was always tomorrow. He hadn’t met a woman like Tayler in a long time and couldn’t get enough of her company.
* * *
Tayler sipped her wine and asked herself why she’d come back to keep him company. She needed to be in the library waiting on dinner, or sitting on the front porch, enjoying a nice breeze. Sitting in the kitchen watching him cook was more like a date.
“How’s the wine?” he asked.
“It’s good.”
Neither one of them said anything for a few minutes. Only the sizzle of the food cooking could be heard. She looked around trying to find a conversation piece to break the awkward silence.
She read the label on the wine bottle. “Castle Hill.” Is this organic wine, too?”
“Of course. It’s a white wine from Versailles, Kentucky, and the chicken is free-range. A little more expensive, but worth it. How has your food been so far?”
“Everything has been amazing.”
“Food free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides tastes better, plus it’s better for you.”
“It does a body good, huh?” she asked and took another sip of wine.
Propped against the counter with his arms crossed, Rollin nodded. She struggled not to undress him with her eyes again.
“I don’t know, you tell me,” he said with a smile.
She cleared her throat. “You’re the one who grew up on it, not me. My mother used to stop at the closest fast food joint on her way home most of the time. She wasn’t exactly a cook.”
“I didn’t grow up eating organic. I learned about it in college.” He turned around to check on the food but continued educating her about everything organic.
Tayler was impressed with his knowledge of soil erosion and how organic production reduced health risks like some cancers
and other diseases. She listened and learned.
Once dinner was ready, they moved the conversation into the dining room. He’d already set the table for two.
“Man, today has been an education, that’s for sure,” she said.
“I told you this vacation is going to be an experience you’ll never forget.”
She laughed. “Oh, it’s off to a good start.”
Chapter 9
Tayler took her usual seat for dinner, while Rollin sat across from her.
After blessing the food, he surprised her when he asked, “So, how does your man feel about you coming down here alone?”
She stopped chewing. “What man?”
“Yesterday I asked why you were single and I believe your reply was, ‘Who said I was single?’” he said, mimicking her voice.
She lowered her head and started eating. “Well,” she said between swallows. “I didn’t say I was seeing anybody. It’s just that I never said I was single. You made an assumption.”
“Okay, but you are single?”
She held her head up. “At the moment, yes I am.”
“Mm-hmm,” he said tasting his chicken.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
Tayler hesitated for a moment, then asked, “How come you’re single?”
He shrugged. “I haven’t met the right woman yet.”
“What? Mr. Danville can’t find Mrs. Danville?” she asked teasingly.
“Okay, you can cut that out,” he said, pointing at her with his fork.
“That’s right.” She snapped her fingers. “You’re Mr. Morehouse.”
He arched a brow. “How did you know I went there?”
She grinned and tilted her head.
“Corra,” he concluded. “I should have known. So what all did she tell you?” he asked and continued eating.
“Only that you received your business degree from Morehouse in Atlanta, and then came back here to work. I’m wondering why, though? A degree from Morehouse should have landed you a good job in Atlanta.”
When I Fall in Love Page 7