by Amy Harmon
In the morning Taycee would call Carl, and with any luck, Luke would be MIA tomorrow night.
Chapter Nine
Taycee dressed in one of her new flowery summer dresses and slipped on some white strappy sandals. The dark pink pedicure Jessa had insisted on actually looked terrific. A few last curls in her hair, a swipe of lipstick, and she was as ready as she would ever be.
Butterflies swarmed in her stomach as Taycee slid into her white Corolla and headed toward The Barn. On the outskirts of town, The Barn was exactly that—a barn. Or, at least it used to be. After significant renovations years earlier, the painted wood building that had once housed hay and animals now boasted hardwood floors, a log burning fireplace, a cozy leather sectional, rustic stairs and banisters, and a large kitchen. The perfect place for the opening “meet the bachelors” event.
“You’re here,” Jessa breathed when Taycee walked inside. “Thank goodness. The florist I hired from Colorado Springs is botching the job. Her arrangements are decent, but she’s a lousy decorator. She doesn’t know where to put them. Would you mind?”
“Gladly.” Anything to avoid standing around and letting the butterflies wreak havoc. Taycee scanned the room. Burt and Megan were setting up two cameras while a few others were putting refreshments on a table and rushing around doing who knows what. Then there were the flowers. Jessa was right. The arrangements of lilies were beautiful, but they were bunched together in odd places. On the floor, in the corner where no one would see them, or right next to an old TV—not something that warranted extra focus.
Taycee got to work, side-stepping around people as she moved each bouquet to more flattering locations. Next to the fireplace, on the coffee table, and near the entrance, the flowers soon accented the room.
As Taycee searched for one last place to put an arrangement, Jessa approached. “Since you didn’t want to do the interview yesterday, we have to do it now, before the guys start showing up. You ready?”
“No,” said Taycee, placing the flowers on the floor next to the couch. She’d never be ready.
“Relax.” Jessa dragged her over to a seat where Burt had a camera positioned to start filming. “It’ll be easy stuff,” said Jessa. “You know, what you’re feeling, what you hope to find tonight among the bachelor hopefuls—that sort of thing.”
Taycee let out a sigh and sat down in front of the camera. Her hands were clammy and cold. Even shaky. In less than an hour, twenty guys from various parts of the country would walk through that door. She’d have to talk to each of them. Flirt. Get to know them as best she could in the space of a few hours. She’d have to act like she was having fun. Like she wanted to be here.
Yeah, her hands were definitely shaking.
“In three, two, one…” Burt gestured for Jessa to begin, and Taycee clasped her fingers together.
“So Taycee,” said Jessa, “the night of the big event is finally here. How do you feel?”
“Nervous,” she answered. “In a few minutes, a whole bunch of guys will show up who’ve I’ve never met before. It feels like I’m getting ready for a blind date on steroids. It’s nerve-wracking, especially since I’ve been on enough blind dates to know that some don’t end well.” Actually, most of them didn’t.
“But all it takes is one, right?”
“True.” One guy in billions, that’s all. Seriously, how did anyone find their soul mate?
“Now that you’ve seen all the online videos of the bachelors, is there one guy you’re especially excited to meet?”
Jessa was right, Taycee had watched the short video clips of each bachelor exactly one time. Two weeks ago. She’d even briefly studied their names and bios only hours before, but now they all seemed to merge together as one long string of faces and introductions. Would she even be able to remember all their names? Not likely.
Taycee shifted in her seat. The truth was, only one face stood out above all the others. But she wasn’t at all excited to “meet” Luke and hoped beyond hope that she wouldn’t have to.
“They all look like great guys,” she finally said, “and I’m looking forward to meeting them. It’s just going to be interesting doing it all at once.”
“Let’s talk about bachelor #21. Luke Carney,” Jessa said. “He’s also from Shelter Springs, and there’s been some talk on the site about the fairness of him being a participant. So I wanted to ask how you feel about that. Do you think he’s got an unfair advantage over the others because you already know him?”
More like a disadvantage. “Not at all. Luke’s been away from Shelter for so long that I hardly know him anymore. Yes, we knew each other when we were younger, but I was only fourteen when he left, and I’m sure we’ve both changed a lot since then. Besides that, the viewers will be the ones voting—not me—so it’s really them he has to impress. In that respect, he’s in the same boat as everyone else.”
Jessa smiled before continuing on with a few more questions. When they were done, Taycee had a few minutes to catch her breath before she was directed outside to wait for the first bachelor. Gavin Spencer from Spokane, Washington.
She squared her shoulders and steeled herself for the long night ahead. It would be awkward, that was for sure. But if everything went according to plan, at least she wouldn’t have to face Luke.
* * *
Luke jogged out to his beat-up gray F150. The wind must have changed directions because the stench of the stables was worse than usual. He jumped in and rolled up his window to block out the worst of the smell.
Not long before, Beatrice had brought by her ancient Cocker Spaniel—a dog that had definitely seen better days. Since she wouldn’t hear of her precious Sandy being put under, Luke had loaded her up with what medicines might help, and then answered question after question after question about every what-should-I-do-if scenario Beatrice could think of. “What if Sandy stops breathing, what should I do?” “What if she can’t get up in the morning?” “What if she wanders outside and I can’t find her?”
Luke had finally given her his cell number. That seemed to pacify her.
A quick shower and a change of clothes later, Luke was late. His foot hit the pedal and he reversed his truck, and then headed down his long winding gravel drive toward the highway. He rounded a bend, and then slammed on his brakes. Directly in front of him, piled high in the middle of the road, were several yards of manure. It spanned the narrow road and blocked his only exit out.
“What the—?” Luke flung his truck into park and jumped out. The putrid smell assaulted him, and he groaned. Carl must have mistakenly delivered it to the wrong farm—today of all days. Talk about rotten timing. With a shake of his head, he glanced at his watch and bit back a curse. How would he get to The Barn now? He wasn’t about to saddle up a horse and arrive smelling like one. Maybe Betty or Lyle was home. He could always borrow their car.
Luke yanked his keys from the ignition then took off through the trees for the neighboring farm. Several minutes later, he arrived slightly out of breath and pounded on the front door. Betty answered.
“Luke!” Curlers framed her face, matching the robe and slippers she wore. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at that bachelorette thing tonight?”
Luke nodded. “Yeah, which is why I’m here. A load of manure got dropped off in my driveway and I can’t get out. Can I borrow one of your cars?”
Betty’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, dear me, that’s not good. My car’s in the shop, and Lyle just left with the truck. All that’s left is Lumpy.”
“I’ll take it.”
Chapter Ten
“Hey, Jake, it’s great to meet you,” Taycee said to the blond haired, blue-eyed bachelor wearing a tan sports jacket on a warm spring evening. She gave him ten solid minutes before he did away with it and draped it over the back of a chair.
He looked good in it though. Really good.
“It’s nice to be met,” Jake said, casting a sidelong glance through the door of The Barn where several ot
her bachelors already stood. His smile turned lopsided as he cocked his head toward the room. “How about we skip this thing and go for a ride instead? I’ve never been good at sharing.”
Taycee smiled. “And I’ve never been good at dividing myself. So sure, count me in.”
Jake laughed. “You don’t think I’ll get beat up for something like that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. You could take it though, right? Think of it as saving a damsel in distress.”
He laughed again, louder this time. “A drive with you is sounding better and better. Here’s hoping I can take you up on that sometime.” With a wink, he backed toward the open door. “Guess I’ll see you inside?”
Taycee nodded and watched him walk away. Suave, collected, charming, good-looking. Yeah, she’d definitely see him inside.
“Taycee? So great to finally meet you in person.”
Taycee twisted back and blinked at the tall and lanky redhead with slightly bushy eyebrows. Normally she had a chance to collect her thoughts before another bachelor came. “Uh… it’s Sterling, right?”
“The one and only.” He grinned. “I’ve been looking forward to this night for a long time.”
Taycee suddenly felt like she’d been spritzed with some sort of liquid. Had he really just spit on her? She resisted the urge to wipe a hand across her face. “Me too. I’m so glad you could make it.”
“Well, I almost didn’t.” A few more flecks of saliva landed on her neck, and Taycee took a small step back as he told her about his missed flight and mix up with the rental car company. What seemed like hours later, he finally disappeared inside. Taycee tried not to cringe as she wiped the moisture away with the back of her hand.
Note to self: Stand as far away from Sterling as possible.
Jessa glanced her way and held up five fingers. “Only five left,” she mouthed.
It sounded like five hundred to Taycee. Already her feet ached, and she had long since run out of different ways to say, “Hey, nice to meet you” or “So glad you could make it.” She snuck a glance inside. There they all were, milling about and waiting to be entertained by her wit and charm.
What wit and charm?
Taycee sighed and looked around. The sounds of a car pulling into the parking lot alerted her that another bachelor would be coming soon. She quickly slipped off her sandals and luxuriated in the feel of the cold, soft grass beneath her feet. Her dress was long so hopefully no one would notice.
Moments later, another guy strutted toward her, his keys whipping around his finger and clinking. He had that over-confident look to him that reminded Taycee of a used car salesman. She accepted his hug and shot Jessa a panicked, I-can’t-remember-his-name look over his shoulder.
“Alec,” Jessa mouthed.
“Bless you,” Taycee mouthed back. She pulled free and smiled. “So great to finally meet you, Alec. I’m excited to get to know you better.”
“Likewise,” he said, giving her a once-over and making her feel like a shiny new car. Taycee waited until his gaze returned to her face before she lifted an eyebrow. Not cool.
She managed to exchange a few more words with him before he said a quick see you later and disappeared inside. Good riddance. Handsome, yes. Cocky, double yes. No thanks. Hopefully the viewers thought so too.
Three bachelors later and still no sign of Luke. When ten additional minutes came and went, Jessa’s foot tapped impatiently. “Is he coming?” Jessa hissed.
There were a lot of things Taycee could have said. Maybe he got into an accident. Maybe he’d been held up by a patient. Maybe there was an emergency and he was now performing surgery. Or maybe, just maybe, ten yards of manure kept him hostage in his driveway.
Taycee settled with, “Maybe he forgot.”
That earned the absentee Luke one of Jessa’s scathing frowns—the kind that meant she wasn’t about to let this slide and there would be some serious ramifications later. Taycee bit back a smile. Luke wouldn’t know what hit him.
Just then, a rumbling sound emerged through the trees, growing louder and louder as a huge battered and rusted dump truck puttered into view. It reminded Taycee of The Little Engine That Could. “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can,” it seemed to say as it approached, finally screeching to a halt almost right in front of her.
She choked on a laugh as she waved the exhaust fumes away.
Luke leapt from the driver’s seat and tossed his keys at some poor teenager who’d been recruited to help out. “Be careful with Lumpy,” he said. “She’s pretty special.”
The teenager looked down at the keys with a mixture of confusion and worry, but who could blame him? The prospect of parking “Lumpy” would scare just about anyone.
The camera turned Taycee’s way and she tried to keep a straight face, but failed. Where in the world did Luke get that thing? And how could anyone look that good jumping out of a ride like that? It wasn’t right. Or fair. Especially since he wasn’t supposed to be here at all.
“Nice you could finally make it,” Taycee managed to say. “Love the wheels.”
Luke eyed the wreck of a dump truck. “She’s a beauty all right. That engine sure purrs.”
Taycee giggled. She couldn’t help it. She should have known this would happen since Luke was never one to give up. But a dump truck? Really? “Maybe I should leave you and Lumpy alone together.”
Luke cocked his head toward her. The corners of his eyes crinkled ever so slightly. “Jealous of a dump truck?”
“Nah.” Oh great, it was starting already. The goading. The taunting. The let’s-see-what-embarrassing-thing-we-can-get-Taycee-to-blurt-out-on-camera game. But Luke wouldn’t get away with it tonight. Taycee would stand her ground and keep her distance. It was the only way to keep her pride intact.
“Hey, I brought you something.” Luke dug into his pocket and pulled out a little white box tied with a bow, like a ring box only a tad bigger.
A few of the other guys had brought her a flower, but no one had given her an actual present. What was he doing? She eyed it uncertainly. “It’s too soon for a ring, isn’t it?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”
Taycee flushed. He was a toad, that’s all there was to it. The kind that never turned into a prince no matter how many times you kissed him. Not that Taycee was about to try. Or wanted to try. Or even thought about wanting to try. Her flush deepened. “Really, you shouldn’t have.”
“I know.”
An awkward silence descended while Taycee stood there, holding the box. She wasn’t about to open it while the camera rolled. Anything could be in it. A rubber snake. A framed picture of her with braces and wild, untamed hair. Or that candy from the novelty store that always turned Taycee’s tongue and lips blue.
“You going to open it?” Luke asked, his eyes glinting.
“I’ll wait until later. We should go in.”
“Oh, c’mon. I promise it’s not going to bite.”
Taycee shot him a skeptical look before giving the box a quick shake. Nothing happened. In fact, it felt empty. She lifted the corner for a quick peek, and then opened it all the way. Inside was a folded piece of paper. “Oh, how sweet. You wrote me a love sonnet,” she joked.
“Sorry, no. Did you want me to write you a love sonnet?”
She wanted to kick him. Shake him. Tell him to knock it off right now or she’d call his mother. Honestly, who says stuff like that on camera? Luke. That’s who. And he’d keep doing it. All. Night. Long.
Taycee unfolded the paper, not quite sure what to think. It was a take-out menu for Maris’s diner, including a coupon for some free curly fries. At the bottom, Luke had scribbled in Liza’s work schedule for the next couple of weeks, along with the words,
If you want to avoid long waits, I suggest you steer clear of these times. Luke
Taycee’s heart thump-bumped in her chest. Why did he have to be so nice and thoughtful at times? It was becoming cyclical. Goad Taycee into despising him. Do somethin
g charming to throw her off. Then repeat.
Burt stepped closer with the camera, and Taycee slid her fingers over the handwritten words at the bottom. “Thank you, Luke. Curly fries are my favorite.”
Luke gave one of his adorable half smiles. “Maybe we’ll bump into each other there sometime.”
Taycee’s eyes met his in a look that made her forget how to breathe. His expression was almost… sincere, as if he actually wanted to bump into her. But no, Luke wouldn’t want that or even think about wanting that. This was just his way of discomfiting her. And, to her frustration, it was working.
Taycee broke eye contact and refolded the note, placing it back inside the box. “I guess I’ll see you inside?” She needed time to compose herself. To slow her racing heart and convince herself that Luke wasn’t worth all this fuss. He was a sour grape. The sourest of the sour.
“Am I the last one?” Luke said.
“You were pretty late.”
“It was unavoidable.” He held out an arm. “Can I take you in or would that mess with some sort of protocol?”
“Um…” So much for composure, not that it really mattered. It wouldn’t take long before Luke stripped it away anyway. “Sure.” She took a tentative step toward him, and then paused when her bare feet touched the concrete. Oops. Her sandals. She flushed yet again. “Uh…”
A smiled tugged at the corner of Luke’s mouth as he reached for her hand and placed it in the nook of his arm. “Barefoot works for you. C’mon.”
Taycee stumbled and gripped him tighter, needing his support to keep her upright. Just touching him seemed to cause some sort of chemical reaction inside her—the kind that made her want to run for cover.
Jessa gestured for them to stop right outside the door so Burt could move his camera inside.