Farmer Wants a Wife: Love and Friendship, Book 3

by Shelley Munro

  “If there are lots of single men in the area, you could ask the single women to make picnic baskets and people can bid for them. The winning bid would secure the picnic basket plus the company of the young lady who made the basket. It’s an old-fashioned idea, but if you hold it at a town picnic, something like that is lots of fun.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Mrs. Penrith said. “Our fund-raising efforts haven’t been very successful recently. I think it’s because we’re using the same old ideas. We need fresh ideas to encourage people to donate their money and time.”

  “Egg throwing contests are always fun,” Susan said. “Especially on a gorgeous day like this. Are you having one of those?”

  “No, we didn’t think of it. We have the usual stalls plus some friendly games between the different sports teams.”

  “If you’d like to try an egg-throwing competition today, it’s easy enough to organize. I could do it for you if you like. All we’d need is lots of eggs and an open field.”

  Mrs. Penrith turned to her and actually smiled. “We’ll detour via the farm,” she said. “My chooks are laying very well this year. How much should we charge?”

  “Since the eggs are donated and we don’t need to pay for them, how about two-dollars per person. That’s not too expensive and everyone, regardless of age, would be able to afford to play. All we’ll need is a prize.”

  “Would you volunteer your time? Maybe an outing with one of the gentleman?” Mrs. Penrith asked.

  “As long as Nolan approves, that will be fine,” Susan said, understanding Mrs. Penrith’s subtle maneuvering away from Nolan. Susan wondered what the woman would say if she discovered Susan preferred her younger son. Mrs. Penrith needed to worry about Tyler, not Nolan.

  They arrived at the school to find Nolan pacing back and forth in the car park.

  “Mum, where have you been? Did you have a puncture?”

  “No, Susan and I had to stop by the farm to get some eggs. Susan volunteered to arrange an egg-throwing competition.”

  Nolan turned his gaze on Susan, approval shining above his initial hint of surprise. “That’s a great idea.”

  “I’ll speak to the principal and draft you some helpers to set up a table and anything else you need.” Mrs. Penrith climbed out of the car, plucked her brown handbag off the rear seat and bustled away.

  Nolan’s features blazed with curiosity. “What did you and my mother talk about on the drive over?”

  “Nothing much.” Susan climbed out of the car. “We discussed the school gala and ideas for fundraising. She seemed surprised I had experience in the area. I think she believes my morals reside in the gutter.”

  Nolan squeezed her shoulder briefly. “My mother sets high standards of behavior for herself and doesn’t take it well when others fall short. Don’t let her frosty manner get to you. She’s like that with everyone.”

  “She seemed to approve of your other chosen dates.” No wonder Tyler clashed with his mother. A pregnancy out of wedlock wouldn’t have gone down well, even if Tyler had married his girlfriend.

  Nolan laughed. “I have no intention of choosing a wife to suit my mother. Don’t worry. She’ll find fault with Lucy and Jasmine too. It’s her way, and I’ve learned to ignore her and get on with my own life.”

  “What about your father?”

  “My father checked out of their marriage a long time ago,” Nolan said. “My mother doesn’t believe in divorce.”

  “I see.” And she did. She saw a path she’d never go down. Yes, it was true she wanted children, a family, but she didn’t intend to marry for the sake of tradition. If she loved the man—that was different. Julia and Maggie had great marriages with men who were their best friend as well as their lover, and she refused to settle for less.

  Nolan’s mother appeared with two reluctant teenagers. “These young girls will help you carry the eggs. Susan, the principal said you can use the far rugby field and he’s going to organize an adult to help. Nolan, you’re due to help at the nail driving competition before the pony rides start. Off you go.”

  Susan bit back the urge to salute. She lifted out two boxes of eggs and handed one to each of the teenage girls. She picked up the last one and smiled at the girls. “You’d better show me the way.”

  She followed the teenagers and grimaced at the mud splattering her boots. Up ahead a man carried a table, his butt displayed in a pair of black jeans. Nice. Evidently the girls thought so too because one whispered to the other and they giggled.

  The man set the table down on the try line, pressing on the wooden surface to make sure it was stable.

  “Tyler,” one of the girls called.

  He turned and grinned at them before turning his attention to Susan. “Thanks, Marie. Karen. Mr. Black said he was going to sort out a sign for us and find a tape measure in case we need to measure the length of the throws. Can you go and collect them for us?”

  “Sure, Tyler.”

  The girls set their boxes of eggs down and wandered away, leaving them alone.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” he said. “I want to kiss you in the worst way.”

  Susan grinned, the frisson of lust that frisked her a familiar one. “All your late night naughty texts have cost me a fortune in batteries.” Her hands shook and she hastily placed her box of eggs on the tabletop.

  Tyler let out a whoosh of air and came half a step closer. His hands fisted at his sides, as if he didn’t quite trust himself not to touch her. “My hand doesn’t do the job as good as you.”

  This time she was the one who fought for control. “Can we work out some way to meet?”

  “Count on it, sweetheart.” He took a deep breath. “You could always withdraw from the show.”

  “I’ve tried that already. I rang Jennifer and spoke to her in person, said I’d met someone else and that it was serious. She pleaded with me to stick the course. Evidently, every time I’m on a show, the website hits go off the charts. I said to her that it wasn’t fair on Nolan and the other girls, but she was adamant. Then she said that the funding for her next project depended on the success of this show. She guilted me into staying. I gave her my word I’d stay the course.”

  “As long as they don’t expect you to kiss Nolan,” he muttered. “I won’t like that.”

  “I have no desire to kiss your brother.”

  “Good thing,” he said with a sly wink. The two girls returned, and he stepped away from her. “Thanks, girls. What do we do next, boss?” he said to Susan.

  Susan scanned the handwritten sign. Perfect. Mrs. Penrith had done well with her organization. “We need to mark the places for the people throwing the eggs to stand. One for the person throwing the egg and one for the person catching. The first one should be easy, and we’ll do about four different levels, getting progressively harder.”

  Once they’d marked the egg-throwing course to her satisfaction, Susan organized the two teenagers to spread the word and let people know they were in business.

  “Are you really the prize?” one of them asked.

  “Yes, Mrs. Penrith asked if I’d donate my time for the winning team. I can bake a cake, do some housework or teach dancing.”

  “A date?” Tyler asked.

  “Yes.” Susan shot him a frown. “Can you tell people that?” she asked the girls.

  Tyler waited until the girls were out of earshot. “Are there any rules against me entering?”

  Susan shrugged. “You’ll need a partner and the entrance fee.”

  “I think I can manage that. Will you be okay on your own while I round up my partner?”

  “Sure. Oh, look. My first two victims.” Susan grinned at two teenage boys. “Would you like to try? Can you throw the egg without it breaking?”

  “Are the eggs boiled?” one of the boys asked.

  “No.” Susan smiled and offered a dare. “Do you think you can do it? Since you’re my first interested customers, why don’t I give you a go for free?”

  “Okay,
” one of the boys said. “You throw,” he said to his mate. “I’m a better catch.”

  “It wasn’t my fault I dropped the ball,” the other boy snapped. “If you’d thrown a better pass I might have caught it.”

  “You guys play rugby?” Susan asked.

  “Yeah,” the first guy said. “We’re in the first fifteen.”

  “Perfect. Here’s an egg. We’ve marked out the different stages. If you can toss your egg and catch it without breaking it, you can move up to the next level. Think you can do that?”

  “No sweat. You can take us out to the new movie that’s starting in Napier next week.”

  A laugh rippled from her, part surprise and part entertainment at his attitude. “I like your confidence. Show me what you’ve got.” She gave one of them an egg and carefully observed to make sure they stood on the lines.

  Tyler arrived with an older woman in tow just as the two boys were going to throw. “Here’s my partner,” he said. “Josie, meet Susan. We’re going to win a date with her.”

  “Hi, Josie.” She’d heard a lot about his mother-in-law and instantly liked the bright, smiling woman. “Ready?” she shouted at her first two victims. “They think this is easy,” she said to Josie and Tyler.

  “Catch!” the guy throwing yelled.

  The egg flew through the air.

  “Aw!” The other teenager caught the egg, but it went splat in his hands.

  “You want to try that again?” Susan shouted.

  “Yeah. I’m throwing this time.”

  “And you’re also paying this time,” Susan said.

  “I’ll take the money for you, dear,” Josie said.

  Tyler slipped his arm around Susan and steered her to the start line. He glanced at the boys then pinched her bottom.

  Susan jumped and let out an eep of surprise.

  “I’ll take care of handing out the eggs for you,” he said, moving to stand by the table before Susan had a chance to object. He grinned as she trotted away to direct the egg-throwers into position.

  “Tyler Penrith, I saw that,” Josie said in a low voice. “You pinched that girl’s bottom.”

  “Did I?” He aimed for innocent and failed. Badly.

  Josie scanned his face while Tyler pretended to watch the boys throw their next egg. “Do you know her?”

  “No comment.”

  “We’ll take one egg please.” The elderly woman leaned forward and whispered loudly, “I’m going to throw the egg. I might aim for my husband’s head.”

  Tyler chuckled and handed over an egg. “Maybe I should warn Stan his wife is gunning for him.”

  “I’m more interested in learning about Susan,” Josie said.

  “I want to win that date,” Tyler said.

  Josie sent him a quizzical glance. “I see.”

  “We could never pull anything over on you,” Tyler said.

  For ten minutes, they were busy taking money and handing out eggs while Susan kept everyone honest.

  Stan and his wife managed to get to the second marker before the egg broke in his hands.

  “Old fool made the mistake of saying he had a thing for dancers. That will teach him,” Mabel said as she watched Stan rub at the egg yolk decorating his white shirt.

  “I think a few people are interested in dancers,” Josie said with a knowing glance in Tyler’s direction.

  Tyler grinned widely, his gaze going to Susan. She was good with people and already they’d collected a crowd of participants. Each waited impatiently to have their turn. When the crowd started to tail off, Tyler whispered to Josie, “You ready to have a go at winning a date?”

  “Is this important to you?” Josie asked, her gaze on Susan.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, then,” Josie said. “I’ll bring my A game.”

  “And the winner of the egg throwing competition is Josie Murdoch and Tyler Penrith,” the principal announced an hour later. “Sam Gibbs is the winner of the nail driving contest and Rita James wins the prize for guessing the correct weight of the porker. Come and collect your prizes.”

  Everyone cheered, and Tyler clutched his daughter’s hand while Eric shooed Josie up to the makeshift stage to claim their prize.

  “Nolan, you’ll have to share one of your girls,” someone shouted.

  “Hell, he’s got three of them. Maybe I could have one too,” a male voice shouted from the rear.

  “If you wanted a wife, you should have applied to appear in the reality show,” Nolan said.

  “Daddy, you’re hurting my hand,” Katey objected.

  Tyler loosened his grip. “Sorry, sweetie.”

  “Can I do a lucky dip?” she asked.

  “Soon,” Tyler promised.

  He and Katey clapped hard when Josie received a certificate.

  “Now that I’ve distributed the prizes and still have you gathered,” the principal said, “we’re going to do some quick fire raffles. Dig deep folks. The first prize is a meat pack donated by Judson Butchers.”

  “Daddy? I want to win a bracelet.”

  Tyler laughed at her determination. “Let’s go.” He maneuvered his daughter through the crowd. He saw his mother speaking to two blonde women. He recognized them as Nolan’s other dates, and he steered his daughter in a slightly different direction. His mother ignored Katey, and he preferred to minimize their meetings. “What color bracelet would you like?”

  “Purple,” she said.

  “What happens if you get the wrong color?” he teased. “What if you get green?”

  “If that happens,” a feminine voice said, “we could make a purple one.”

  Tyler’s heart skipped a beat and happiness grabbed him by the throat. “Katey, this is Miss Webb.”

  “Susan,” Susan said with a smile.

  “Hello.” His daughter cocked her head and surveyed Susan without shyness. “Can you make a bracelet?”

  “I can,” Susan said.

  Tyler led Katey and Susan over to the lucky dip stall. Two large tubs of sawdust sat in front of a desk, one labeled boys and the other girls. He handed over two dollars and turned to his daughter. “I’ve paid the money, now it’s up to you, sweetie.”

  “No pressure,” Susan murmured into his ear. She stood so close he could feel the warmth coming off her skin and smell her scent. More than anything, he wanted to reach for her hand and show everyone she belonged with him. Instead, he acted the friendly stranger and when no one else was looking, he spoke to her with his eyes.

  “The sawdust is tickling my nose,” Katey said.

  He grinned at the intense concentration on his daughter’s face, his heart swelling with pride. “Can you feel a parcel?” He and Susan hadn’t spoken about children, except in general terms.

  “Yes.” Katey frowned. “It’s not a bracelet shape.”

  “It might be something better than a bracelet,” the girl on the stall said—one of the Gibson clan, judging by the carrot red hair and freckles. “If it’s a big parcel it might be a necklace.”

  “Can you make those?” Katey asked.

  “No,” Tyler said. “I’m a boy.”

  “No,” Katey said. “You’re a daddy.”

  “And a very fine daddy you are,” Susan whispered, her words having nothing to do with his parenting skills.

  “There you are,” Nolan said from behind them. “We’re going to head back to the farm now. Tyler.”

  He gave his normal stiff welcome. Tyler sighed, wondering why his family was so fucked up that they couldn’t even talk to each other. “Susan and I were discussing our upcoming date.”

  “We can do that later,” Susan said. “I’ll give you my cell phone number.” She opened her handbag and pulled out a business card. “It was nice to meet you and Katey.”

  Nolan gave him a curt nod and escorted Susan over to where his mother stood.

  Something twisted inside Tyler on seeing her leave with his brother. He liked Susan a lot. She was fun and made him laugh. She’d been good with Ka
tey and he thought Josie had liked her too.

  “I’ve picked a parcel, Daddy.”

  “Okay, pull it out of the sawdust, and we’ll see what you’ve got.”

  His daughter pulled out a parcel and eagerly ripped it open where they stood. The excitement in her face faded. “It’s not a bracelet.”

  He shot a quick glance at the girl in charge of the stall. “Let’s see what you’ve picked out.”

  “Ooh, a tiara,” the teenager said. “Lots of girls picked bracelets but there were only a few tiaras. You’ll be a princess. Would you like me to put it on for you?”

  “Thanks,” Tyler said. After watching many Disney movies, he was up with crowns but he figured the teenager would sell the sparkly tiara to his disappointed daughter far better than he could.

  “You put it on like this,” the teenager said, crouching beside his daughter. She placed the tiara on Katey’s head and rose to admire the effect. “The blue stones are pretty with your hair.”

  “Tyler, are you and Katey ready to leave?” Josie called. “Oh, Katey. You look pretty, just like a princess.”

  Katey pulled a face. “Wanted a bracelet.”

  Tyler shared a rueful glance with his mother-in-law. Their little princess was tired and about to have a tantrum. “Thanks,” he said to the teenager.

  “Eric is going to stay and help with the cleanup,” Josie said.

  Tyler nodded and scooped up his daughter. Five minutes later, they were on their way home, Katey almost asleep in her car seat.

  “I think the principal was pleased with the takings,” Josie said. “Everyone was impressed with Nolan’s women. The three of them pitched in to help.”

  “They did.” Tyler thoughts jumped to Susan. Not unusual since the track in his mind was well-trodden.

  “I liked Susan.”

  Tyler slowed to avoid a cow and calf on the road. The animals ambled over the seal to an unopened gate. “That’s one of Jim’s. Grab my phone and let him know.”

  “I’ll run and open the gate,” Josie said. “It won’t take a minute.”

  Tyler nodded and picked up his phone to ring their neighbor about his AWOL stock. With the call made, his mind drifted yet again. How was he going to swing some privacy with Susan? The cameraman kept appearing to film for the show, which made spontaneity tricky. He had their date up his sleeve, but that would need to be at a public place and there was no way he’d keep her for a sleepover.