“Over there.” Colby pointed to a field of pumpkins and wrapped his free hand around a few of my fingers, pulling in the direction he wanted to go.
Families were scattered across the parking lot and field. There was a barn-red building in front of the pumpkin pasture with a small line.
“Do we need tickets?” Becca asked.
I pointed behind the pumpkins. “I think for the corn maze.”
Becca squinted and nodded. “Right. I think I see the corn.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You didn’t put your contacts in again?”
“I was rushed out of the house by a charming and persuasive little man.” She glanced at Colby, whose excitement was contagious. “We’re doing the maze, right?”
I laughed. “What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t get lost with my son and best friend in the middle of a corn maze?”
Colby started pulling me in the direction of the pumpkins, past the line, and I slowed him down.
“Hey, there. We have to stop here first for tickets to the maze.”
Colby stopped and looked up at me, grinning. “Okay, Mama.”
The line only had a few people in front of us, and I quickly scanned the crowds in case I saw anyone I knew.
Like the sheriff.
“Looking for someone in particular?” Becca asked, and I scowled at her.
“Why are you so nosy?” I teased.
“Not nosy.” She chuckled. “Merely observant.”
It was our turn to pay, and Becca rushed in front of us.
“My treat.” She glanced over her shoulder, and I shook my head.
“You’re tricky.”
“’Tis the season.” She winked and handed us wristbands for the corn maze.
“Should we do the maze or the pumpkins first?” I kneeled and fastened the orange bracelet around Colby’s small wrist.
“Maze.” Colby’s eyes lit up as I stood up and shook my head, holding out my hand.
“Okay. Let’s hope we don’t get lost forever.” I squeezed Colby’s hand, and he giggled as Becca walked behind us, browsing the pumpkin selection on the way to the maze.
Once we got to the entrance of the corn maze, I took a deep breath. It was far more extensive than I realized. A scarecrow handed us a map and winked at me as I unfolded it.
“Good luck,” he said.
“Will we need it?” I asked, noticing the drizzle had stopped.
“If you don’t use the map, yes.” The scarecrow grinned, and Becca giggled behind me.
She really was a lost cause.
“Wow, Mommy.” Colby’s jaw dropped as we walked into the tunnel of corn. “This is huge. It’s taller than the sky.”
“Well, it might just touch the sky.” I smiled, watching Colby charge forward.
“Which way?” he asked as he saw three different hollows.
A slight breeze made the corn shiver in the breeze, the dried stalks rustling in the wind, and it felt like the best day in the world.
“How about left?” I shouted in Colby’s direction. He turned to the right. “Your other left, little man.”
Colby giggled and charged ahead, and I realized I’d better jog to catch up with him.
I spotted him standing in the middle of another four-way split as he was looking up in amazement.
“This is so cool.” Colby’s eyes met mine, and he burst into a fit of giggles as he spun in circles.
Another family stood behind us, and we moved to the side to let them through.
“How about straight?” I suggested, and Colby nodded.
We took another three or four lefts, a couple of rights, and a straight-away before I realized we were genuinely lost.
“Ever thought about getting out that handy map the hot scarecrow gave us?” Becca suggested.
“Where else do we have to be?” I teased.
“Here!” Colby shouted and took a sharp right, which led us back to where we were previously standing.
He started giggling again, and I let out a happy sigh as he took a left this time.
We trudged through the swishing maze, continually backtracking and circling.
I noticed Colby slowing down, and I knew we were about to hit another dead end. I whipped out the map right when I heard a sexy laugh out of nowhere. I quickly looked up at Becca, who looked extremely amused as she stared behind me.
“Aaron,” Colby shouted and zipped by me.
They gave each other high fives, and I drew a breath, trying to keep my wits.
“So, Sheriff.” I spun around slowly. “It seems I’m lost.”
His eyes connected with mine, and every charge of electricity I’d been feeling since hearing his voice came at me like a bolt of lightning. He was dressed in a red and black buffalo plaid shirt and dark jeans. The sheriff wasn’t wearing his cowboy hat today, which only made me admire his tousled hair. He was the whole package that I certainly wasn’t looking for and certainly couldn’t have.
“Appears that way.” He nodded, smiling at Becca before returning his gaze to mine.
“But you must be too,” I pointed out, and his grin only widened.
“Nah. I just thought I heard your voice, and Aaron got excited to see Colby, so…”
I smiled, feeling the flutter. “Then lead the way outta here.”
Colby and Aaron were chatting nonstop and followed the sheriff, who walked past them. He made several very confident turns as we followed behind him, and within minutes, we were standing at the exit of the maze, which was near the entrance.
Colby jumped up and down. “That was the best. Now, we have to go get our pumpkins.”
“We do too.” Aaron nodded and glanced at his uncle. “Right, Uncle Dwayne?”
“Sure thing.” The sheriff nodded and smiled at his nephew as the two boys took off toward the field.
“I’ll go follow the troublemakers,” Becca said, flashing me a wry grin.
Once she and the boys were out of earshot, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at the sheriff.
“Do you spend all of your time renting your cute nephew and showing up around town to impress me?” My brow arched as I waited for his answer.
“You’re impressed?” He looked genuinely surprised, and I laughed.
“No.” I grinned.
“Not even a little bit?”
“Well, Aaron is pretty cute, Sheriff.”
The sheriff nodded and kept his gaze on me. “You know, you don’t have to call me Sheriff. You can call me Dwayne.”
I laughed and nodded. “I’ll remember that, Sheriff.”
His chuckle was low and gravelly as he shook his head. “You plannin’ on dialing the number I left you, ever?”
“You mean last night on my door?’ I giggled unexpectedly. “It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.”
I couldn’t even fathom what this man was doing to me. I hadn’t giggled over a man or with a man in years, yet he consistently brought it out of me.
“Well, I’m eager.” His green eyes darkened, and my insides felt like the Tilt-A-Whirl.
“Eager to get my son and your nephew together?” I asked, twining my fingers together.
“And getting to know you.”
“Will Aaron’s parents wonder why you’re stealing their son all the time?”
He drew a breath and glanced over my shoulder before bringing his gaze back to mine.
“I...” The sheriff scratched the dark stubble along his chin. “I’m his legal guardian.”
My heart dropped, and I shook my head. “I’m so—”
“Don’t be sorry.” The sheriff shook his head and smiled, his eyes staying on mine. “You had no idea.” He rocked back on his feet and pressed his lips together. “His parents passed away.”
I gasped as my hands moved to my mouth.
“It was a freak boating accident, just off the shore of Hound Island. Little Aaron was on the vessel too, but the Coast Guard couldn’t save everyone. He was the only one wearing a life j
acket.”
“I’m so sorry.” My eyes moistened, and I quickly dabbed the tears away. “How devastating.”
“Aaron was two years old. I’ve had him since.”
“How’s he doing? Not well, I’d imagine.” The pain swallowed me whole as I thought about Aaron and his parents. The thought of being ripped away from Colby was soul-crushing, and I couldn’t even imagine how Aaron had grown into such a confident and happy six-year-old.
“He has some memories of his parents. Happy ones. Thankfully, he doesn’t remember much from that day.” Love filled the sheriff’s eyes, and my heart clenched for my son’s new friend. “He’s a special little boy. It didn’t surprise me that he buddied up with the new kid in town. He never wants anyone to feel left out.”
I smiled and turned to see the two best friends trudging through the pumpkin field with Becca doing her best not to go down face first in a puddle of mud.
“Well, Sheriff. I’d be honored to go out to dinner with you and Aaron. Just name the day and time, and we’ll be there.” I smiled at the handsome man in front of me and wished I’d let myself discover what love could be.
Chapter Five
Becca had left yesterday, and the new babysitter seemed absolutely amazing and hopefully, not too good to be true. Her name was Leslie, and she showed up five minutes early with freshly baked croissants from Gabby’s Goodies, a local bakery that just opened up near the ferry terminal.
Leslie immediately helped with packing Colby’s lunch and looking over the weekend’s homework, and then she promised to wake him up on time, all before my shift even started.
When I’d arrived at the café, Sally looked utterly frazzled.
“Our morning delivery just arrived, and we’re so behind,” she explained. “The cook couldn’t get his pancake batter started, the pies haven’t even been baked, and the bacon burned and—”
I touched Sally’s shoulder and smiled. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine. I promise.” I pulled my apron on and quickly tied the strings in the back before heading to the kitchen to help the cook with whatever needed to be done.
No diners were in the café yet, which made this morning’s fiasco a little better.
The cook looked like he was in the same rough shape as Sally, so I needed him to snap out of it.
“We’ll get through this.” I smiled and spotted several bags of flour stacked in the corner just left where they’d been delivered. The milk hadn’t been put away. Spices were tipped over.
Basically, it looked like a tsunami had come through. I washed my hands and hoisted the first bag of flour off the floor and slowly poured it into the container, followed by the next few.
“I’ll do the pancake mix and leave the pie baking to you.”
The cook smiled at me, looking sheepish as I rewashed my hands and slipped on some gloves.
In between tending to the bacon and sausage, the cook started on the pie crusts while I quickly measured out the ingredients for the pancake batter. I promptly set the covered bowl aside and made the French toast batter when the front door chimed.
“You are a miracle worker,” Sally chirped, giving me a hug as she went to put the spices away, and I wandered into the café, wondering why she thought I did much. “It’s mornings like these that make me wonder what I was thinking of by opening a café.”
“It all came together, Sally. Not to fear.” I grinned. “These things happen, especially with the ferry, I’d imagine.”
She shook her head. “It’s my fault. I should have ordered everything last week.”
“It’s all good now.” I smiled, hearing the first customers of the morning.
I was on by myself for an hour until the next server came on. I walked out into the café and quickly seated the older couple. They both ordered coffee and orange juice, and I wandered off to get their drink order.
I peeked in on Sally, who still seemed rattled, and I felt awful for her. Actually, the whole delivery delay confused me. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal. We’d just had to focus and prioritize before any customers arrived, and we managed. It was like this little hiccup paralyzed Sally and the cook. It was nice to come in and feel useful, especially after the marriage I got out of.
I set the drinks down, and they looked up at me, smiling as he held her hand.
They both ordered, and I couldn’t help but feel happy around these two. I’d always wanted that kind of love, believed it existed, but it was also that thought that kept me in a loveless marriage. As I put their order in, the door chimed, and I glanced to see three officers come inside.
My pulse quickened as I looked behind them and waited for the sheriff. I quickly seated them in the corner booth and took their drink orders. All the way back to fetch their coffee and juice, my mind stumbled on itself as I thought about the sheriff.
Why wasn’t he here?
Was he coming?
Not that it mattered.
But it did, and that very thought concerned me.
After I delivered the order to the older couple and the drinks to the policemen, I took a few minutes’ breather by the espresso machine.
I had to get a grip.
Sure, I’d agreed to dinner tomorrow night with the sheriff and his nephew, but that shouldn’t mean all my marbles rolled away. I took a sip of water and drew a deep breath when I noticed a couple of officers looking in my direction. I smiled and made my way over to their table with a coffeepot in hand in case they needed a refill. I refused to believe they were looking at me for any other purpose.
“Anything I can get you? Your order should be up shortly.”
“Maybe a refill on coffee,” the youngest officer said.
His cup was still half-full, but I quickly poured him more. I glanced outside and saw their patrol cars but no sign of the sheriff’s SUV.
“So, the sheriff wasn’t hungry this morning?” I asked, topping off the other cups as well.
The young cop looked up at me and grinned even wider, shaking his head. “Nah. He’s out with Jake Harlen on a call.”
“Jake Harlen?” I repeated.
“Yeah. He’s one of the volunteer firemen.”
My heart raced, thinking about the sheriff’s safety being in jeopardy, and my expression must have revealed as much when the young cop chuckled.
“It’s okay. It’s just a car that skidded into a ditch. Everyone’s fine, but it happened near where the sheriff lives, so he decided to meet Jake and the tow truck there.”
I nodded and blushed, wishing these pesky emotions weren’t deciding to expose themselves to a group of law enforcement officers.
By the time they left and several other groups of tourists and locals made their way through my section, my feet ached and I couldn’t wait to hang up my apron.
Sally walked over to me and smiled. “I want to thank you again for this morning. I was in complete panic mode.”
I nodded and smiled, picking up my purse. “No problem. I’m just glad I could help.”
She drew a deep breath and shook her head. “It’s times like those when I wonder if my friends and family back in Oklahoma were right. I don’t handle stress well.”
I squeezed her hand. “Don’t let the naysayers get in your head. You’re doing a fabulous job running this café, and the place is always packed. My achy feet confirm it.”
She nodded and squeezed my hand back before I reached into my purse and grabbed my car keys.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m headed over to that store called Sophie Bristol Designs. I hope it’s not out of my league, but I need a few things for my apartment,” I informed Sally.
“Oh, I love that place.” Sally nodded and clapped her hands. “I’ve spent many a Saturday shopping there. And did you know the owner is married to that Rock star, what’s his name?”
I shook my head, having no idea who or what she was talking about. There were a lot of them in the world, so I’d need more to go on.
“Umm. Crimson Strings is
the name of the band, and—”
My eyes widened. “You mean Anthony Hill lives here?”
“Yup. He hasn’t made his way into the café yet, but that’s the rumor.”
I chuckled. “Well, I wish I didn’t know that. I’ll probably put my foot in my mouth or something in front of his wife.”
I loved their music and had been listening to it for the last couple of years.
She giggled and nodded. “From what I’ve heard, it wouldn’t be the first time.”
I playfully scowled and shook my head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sally turned around, and I shook my head, smiling as I wandered to my car in the parking lot.
I was surprised how at ease I felt with my job, with Fireweed, and even with my future. I might not be making a ton of money, but it was enough to get by for my son and me.
When I pulled into the busy parking lot of Sophie Bristol Designs, I saw several pieces in the display window I loved already. It wasn’t like I needed a ton of anything, but now was my chance to make the apartment feel like home, and I was excited to decorate with my tastes.
Everything in my marriage had been so controlled. I’d pick a powder-blue paint for the bathroom, and my husband only wanted white. So I’d find a beautiful pearl white for the bedroom, and he’d want grey. It didn’t matter what I wanted when it came to decorating or…
Well, life.
But if that had been the only issue, I would have gladly put up with my unheard voice.
I turned off the car and shook my head. I couldn’t keep letting my ex-husband intrude into my thoughts, my happy thoughts, no less.
Here I was, about to go inside a home décor store and splurge on something for me.
It had nothing to do with Marvin.
I gripped the steering wheel tightly and wondered why I’d let myself live in such a loveless situation for so long. Tears came out of nowhere, and I quickly dabbed them away.
Even with everything I’d gone through over the last several years, the most significant gift also came from the wreckage.
Discovering Love on Cranberry Lane (Island County Book 11) Page 4