"I was just thinking the same thing. That's Paige for you. Come on. The rodeo will be fun."
It was. Morris bought a large tub of kettle corn and two Cokes for them and they found a seat near the top of the bleachers. Morris explained the ins and outs of each set and what to look out for.
"They're athletes," Allie said, her voice awestruck as she watched another cowboy maneuver his horse through an obstacle course in record time, hovering low over the saddle.
"Of course they are," Morris said. "Just wait until we get to the bull ride."
They watched in anticipation, cheering and groaning with the rest of the crowd when appropriate. There were definite favorites among the crowd, most of them locals. When Jake arrived, Morris and Allie stood and cheered the loudest, to which Jake tipped his hat in acknowledgement.
"He's good!" Allie said, excitement bursting on her face.
"He's been doing this for a long time. Since he was a kid," Morris said. "He doesn't get a chance to do it often. He has to take care of his mom and works most of the time. Some of these other guys, like the one with the black cowboy hat, they're professionals. They follow wherever the rodeo goes around the country, sometimes performing multiple times a week."
"I can't imagine," Allie said, shaking her head.
"Me, neither. Some of these men fall off a bull and never get back up again. But, it's a rush. And they love the game."
At some point, Morris found himself watching Allie and her reactions more than the actual rodeo. The way her face just opened up, filled with emotions, made for a very interesting show. Morris knew he shouldn't be drawn to her, tried to remind himself that he was treading down a road that would only lead to heartache, but he still couldn't stop.
And when the bull rides began, Morris really couldn't look away. The fear, the anticipation and excitement on her face was almost too much.
In the end, Jake placed first, second, and third in his categories. Allie asked all sorts of questions about the rodeo, some of which even Morris wasn't sure about the answer. Soon, they found themselves wandering through the fair, no planned destination, just lost in talking with one another.
"Hungry?" Morris asked, nearing one of his favorite food booths.
Allie nodded. "Starved."
"Best brisket in the state," Morris explained, pointing to the booth. "And I would recommend the loaded baked potato salad. Don't tell Eleanor this, but it's just slightly better than hers."
Allie laughed. "My lips are sealed."
They ordered, Morris the brisket, Allie the chicken, so they could share. Morris had never shared his food with another person that hadn’t been his parents before. The thought both thrilled and worried him. He probably should have insisted they eat what they ordered, but he really believed Allie should try the brisket.
"It's delicious," Allie said, closing her eyes in pleasure as she ate a bite of brisket. Morris reveled in her reaction. They he quickly cut up more off his plate and slid it onto hers. When she realized what he had done, she shook her head. "But it's your favorite."
"Just pass me some of that chicken and we'll call it even."
"This is unlike anything I’ve ever had in New York," Allie said, then stiffened. New York had been an unspoken topic to avoid lurking on the horizon for most of the day.
"I've never been," Morris said. "What's it like?"
"Busy," Allie said quickly. "Crowded. But there's a certain level of anonymity as well. You can be stuck in a flow of people on 5th Avenue and still feel completely alone."
"How... strange," Morris settled on. It sounded unpleasant. He couldn't imagine being alone and yet surrounded by others like a pack of sardines. Give him his wide open country sky with a thousand stars at night.
"That's one way to put it," Allie said. "I had trouble sleeping here the first night. It was unnaturally quiet."
"What about the food?" Morris asked.
"Now that is what we excel in," Allie said with a proud grin. "Any type of food you could possibly want, it's somewhere in the city. There are even people with food trucks that wander all over, just to be able to reach all the people. Best pizza, hands down. I don't care what you say."
Morris laughed. "What's your favorite?"
Allie blushed, then ducked her head. "You'll laugh."
"Try me," he said, leaning forward, pushing his now empty paper plate out of the way.
"A good New York hot dog," she said on a wistful sigh. "I have my pick of anything in that city, and I would choose a hot dog. Gary never understood that."
"Who's Gary?" Morris asked, a nagging feeling settling in the darkest corner of his abdomen.
Allie stiffened, the shrugged and waved a hand. "An old friend, I suppose. Anyway," she moved on. Clearly she didn't want to talk about it, which naturally made him all the more curious. But he left it alone for now. "It's really not so much the hot dog. It's the fact that I could sit on a bench in a park and eat it while enjoying the sunshine and a cool breeze."
Morris nodded. "I'm a big fan of fresh air."
Allie smiled. "I didn't know that's what it was I was craving until I came here."
Their eyes met, held. A thousand unspoken words, thoughts, prayers, filled the air between them. Morris wanted nothing more than to rest his hand over hers and tell her it would all be okay.
Instead, he gathered their paper plates and stood from the bench. The sun was lowering in the sky, casting the fairgrounds in a bright orange light.
"I need to go tie in with my crew," Morris said. It was an excuse. He knew his crew could load up and head home just fine without him. They had done it many times before. But it was the right thing to do. The smart thing to do. Who knew what he would do if he spent one more minute with Allie.
"Oh," Allie said, surprise filling her face. Then she frowned. "I guess I'll see you next week then?"
"I'll let you know," Morris said, feeling like a heel. "The calves might drop this week. Not sure."
"Oh," Allie said again, her posture seeming to deflate. And with it, Morris' heart.
Morris hesitated. He couldn't do this. He couldn't upset Allie, though he knew it would be better for both of them in the long run.
Call him a coward.
Morris stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Listen," he began. "I don't think your first experience at a local county fair would be complete without one turn on the Ferris wheel, what do you think?"
At that, Allie perked up and sent Morris a soft, hopeful smile. "I think you're right."
Morris lifted an arm out for Allie to wrap her hand around. "This way."
They purchased a couple of tickets before getting in line at the wheel. Though Allie seemed to have been thrilled with the idea of riding the Ferris wheel with Morris, the tension between them only grew thicker and thicker. Morris teetered on the edge of believing this was either the best or worst idea he had had in a long time. But it was too late to do anything about it now.
What did he hope to accomplish? Sure, it would be a great experience for Allie, but would she get the wrong idea? Or the right idea?
Morris wanted to bury his head in the sand and wait for all this to blow over. Unfortunately, the bored, greased up carnie stuck his hand out to him in that moment, requesting the proper amount of tickets.
The fit was tight with the both of them sitting in the chair. Morris didn't remember the chairs ever being this small, but then again, he hadn't been on a Ferris wheel since he was a teenager. In order to make the ride a little more comfortable for the both of them, Morris casually draped his arm behind Allie's shoulders, holding on to the back of the chair with an iron grip.
"I hope this is alright," Morris murmured. Allie nodded her head.
Well, this was off to a great start.
This would probably be the one and only chance he ever get to ride the Ferris wheel with Allie, to be this close to her. He could smell the light, flowery scent of her perfume drifting in the air, feel the warmth of her body as it pressed into his. This was so far beyond
anything appropriate between two friends.
But he couldn't bring himself to care. He just wanted to be with her. To be near her.
And that was the crux of the matter.
So why not make this a special moment, instead of an awkward one?
"Did you have a good time today?" Morris asked as the chair lifted up into the air.
Allie pressed closer to Morris and nodded. "Yes, I did. Thank you for being my tour guide." He watched as she lifted her hands and clenched tiny fists around the handlebar in front of them.
Heights.
Feeling like the complete idiot, Morris wrapped his arm around Allie's shoulders and pulled her close. "I'm sorry. I forgot about the heights thing."
Allie laughed, a short, breathless chuckled. "It's fine. I used to love the Ferris wheel. You can see all sorts of things from up here. I thought it would be a shame to miss out."
"A brave soul," Morris said, his voice low. He watched as the fading sunlight danced in her billowing hair. She looked all around them, pointing out Mount Rainier on the horizon, and other places they had been today. Her green eyes looked golden in the light as she smiled up at him, gradually relaxing under his arm.
He loved her.
It hit him like a heavy gust of wind, stealing his breath away. As a deep, warmth spread in his chest, panic rose from his stomach. He reflexively swallowed hard, ripping his gaze from her, while keeping an arm wrapped around her, afraid that if he were to let go, she would flit away on the wind and never come back.
"Morris?"
He looked back to her, so lost in his thoughts and tremulous emotions, he hadn't realized she had been trying to gain his attention.
"I'm sorry. What's up?" he said, trying to keep his tone light.
"What's wrong?" she asked, instead.
"Nothing," he said, realizing it was a bold-faced lie. He had lost his heart to this woman, a woman who would be flying away to New York in a week, and everything was wrong with that. "What were you saying?"
"Oh, it's nothing really," she said with a shrug. "Just that I'm going to miss this place."
Morris smiled down at her. "And it's going to miss you."
She turned to look up at him. They were nearing the top of the wheel, on their fourth or fifth rotation, Morris had lost count. Their ride would be ending soon. Their time together would be ending soon.
He could have held on for one more minute.
But those eyes. They were so open, so... inviting. She looked the happiest he had seen her since she had arrived a week ago, a scared little thing. Now, she was brave, conquering heights for new experiences. Helping Max with their family farm, though she had no obligations to him at all.
Hoping she would forgive him, that he would forgive himself, Morris bent his head to hers.
It was a soft kiss, a gentle one. Morris lifted his hand to play with Allie's hair as he brushed his lips repeatedly over hers. He felt her press into him, turning toward him.
In that moment, Morris believed they could make this work. People had long distance relationships all the time. They could do it, too, until they figured out what would be best for them. Morris didn't want to give up his ranch, but he would for her. He'd live anywhere she was, as long as he got to be with her.
The Ferris wheel drew to a halt, prompting Morris to pull away. Allie's lips were red from the pressure, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling. And she smiled at him.
He smiled in return, pulling her closer to him as they waited for their turn to disembark the ride. To reenter reality.
He knew that even if he never got the chance to hold her again, he would cherish this memory for as long as he lived.
CHAPTER TEN
Allie felt as though she were floating on clouds. Though she sat in the front seat of Paige's car, travelling down the highway back toward Greene Pastures, her mind was still back on the Ferris wheel, tucked safely beneath Morris' outstretched arm.
After the ride had ended, Morris had regretfully stated that he needed to check on his crew, but that he would be willing to give her a ride home. Allie had been tempted, but she knew the right thing to do would be to find Paige and ride home with her. And it would give her some breathing room.
She didn't regret that second kiss with Morris. And if she were honest with herself, she never really regretted the first one. Sure, there were a lot of things they needed to talk about, but Allie felt more optimistic than she had in a long time about the direction that Morris and she seemed to be heading.
The day had been perfect. Morris had been fun, attentive, and kind to her, not once making fun of her ignorance of rural life. Instead, it had been a learning adventure, once that Allie never wanted to end. She had never felt so light, so free before.
She watched the open fields race by, sending a silent prayer of thanks.
"So, we've been sitting in a silent car for almost ten minutes," Paige said, interrupting Allie's thoughts. "Me, curious about what happened, and you, mooning out the car window."
Allie giggled, turning toward Paige. "Sorry. Just a good day, that's all."
Paige lifted an eyebrow. "Don't think that nobody saw you up on that Ferris wheel."
Heat flashed on Allie's cheeks, but her grin didn't fade. "Oops."
Paige laughed, a full belly laugh that reverberated through the car. "Oops, indeed. What happened to 'not leading him on’?”
Allie leaned her head back on the seat and sighed. "I don't know. And neither does he, I don't think. We haven't really talked about it yet."
"But you want something more," Paige said.
Allie's smile widened and she nodded. "I haven't felt this way in my entire life. Not even..." She cut herself off. Nobody knew about Gary. And nobody should know about Gary. Allie didn't want to think about him on the best night of her life. “Not with anyone.”
"I get it," Paige said, still chuckling and shaking her head. "And it's not like you won't ever be back. People can do long distance relationships."
Allie's eyes widened. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. It was true, Morris and she could try it, but what would be the end goal? Was she willing to leave everything in New York behind for Morris? To come out to Washington, and live off the land? To wake up before dawn and wade out into the snow to feed the animals?
She absolutely would.
She loved him.
"You starting to look like you've lost your mind," Paige said, ever helpful.
Allie's giggles rose. "I can't believe it. This can't be real life."
"Believe it, sister," Paige said.
Then Allie remembered something earlier that morning. She sent Paige a sly glance. "Didn’t you spend your day with Cameron?"
Paige's hands tightened on the wheel and her face shut down. "A bit." Her voice sounded tense, clipped. As though she didn't want to discuss the matter further.
Oh.
"I'm sorry," Allie said. "I shouldn't have left you alone."
Paige relaxed and waved a hand at Allie. "It's fine. I'm glad you got to have such a wonderful day with Morris. Really."
They drove in silence the last mile to the house. Paige turned into the drive, then gave a hum and frowned.
"That's odd. We don't have any visitors."
The house was lit up, Max and Eleanor having returned hours ago. In the parking area, a compact black sedan with California plates sat in Paige's spot. Allie narrowed her eyes.
It looked like a rental car.
"Are you expecting company?" Paige asked, parking and sliding out of the car. Allie followed.
"No, of course not."
They hurried up the walkway and to the front door. Allie's stomach tightened with anticipation. Rationally, she knew the visitor couldn't be here for her. Nobody she knew would fly all the way from New York just to see her. And if they had, why on earth wouldn't they have let her know in the first place?
But she couldn’t shake the bad feeling that had settled over her.
Paige pushed open the doo
r, holding it open for Allie before shutting it behind them.
Allie’s feet wouldn't move beyond the entry way welcome mat. Sitting on the small sofa, a cup of coffee in hand, sat the last person she expected to see.
"Gary?" she whispered. Her stomach twisted into horrible knots as Gary grinned at her and placed his coffee cup down on the side table. He stood, walking toward her, arms spread wide.
"Surprise!"
"I'll say," Paige muttered. Allie winced. Then Paige turned to her. "Is he welcome here?"
A Delivered Heart: The Greene Pastures Series Book 1 Page 14