by Liz Isaacson
“Okay, try it now.”
Flynn climbed up into the tractor seat and turned the key. Miraculously, the engine sputtered and started. He couldn’t believe it. Nothing he’d looked at online had mentioned anything about a safety switch inside the engine.
Cole moved to the next machine, but it didn’t have a switch and still wouldn’t start. “This one needs new spark plugs,” he said. “I can get that done. Let’s take a look at the next one.”
One by one, he moved through the machines, getting three of them to start and diagnosing the others. He made notes in a small notepad, and then he and Clay left the farm to go to the farm supply store.
Flynn went inside and made grilled cheese sandwiches, feeling lighter than he had since moving onto the farm. With working machinery and cows, he felt like he knew what he was doing.
“Thank you, Lord,” he whispered to the ceiling before he ate. When Clay and Cole got back, Flynn fed them and expressed his gratitude to them too.
“This place is so great,” Clay said as they hung out in the shed while Cole worked. “Are you enjoying it?”
“Getting there,” Flynn said with a smile. He looked at his friend. “Could you ask Jess to sit in for you at poker night?”
“She won’t do it,” Clay said. “She’s already told all of us she’s not available to sub.” Clay sighed like he was the one losing something. “And I told her I’d arrange the transport of your cows if she’d tutor me the next time she came to poker night. She knew she’d never come to another poker night.”
“Ever?”
“She loves you, man,” Clay said.
Flynn didn’t know what to say. He had to talk to Jess. Beg her to forgive him, and wait for him to figure things out at the farm. He’d spent a long time on his knees last night, and he was meant to be at this farm.
And he was meant to be with Jess.
So why couldn’t he have both right now?
“How would you—what would you do?” Flynn asked.
“I have no idea,” Clay said. “It took me six months to ask her sister out.”
Flynn didn’t want to admit how long he’d been watching Jess before saying anything. “How are things going with Cami?”
“Oh, we haven’t been out yet,” Clay said as the baler started up. “We’re not going out for a couple of weeks. Cami’s really busy around the ranch.”
“You see her, though, right?” Flynn asked. “I mean, you don’t have to go out to you know, see her.”
“Yeah, I see her,” Clay said, pushing off the workbench where they were talking. He threw Flynn a secretive smile and walked toward Cole.
Flynn watched the two of them work, and by the time they were ready to go, all the machinery was up and operational—at least for now.
“Call me if you need me,” Cole said, and he and Clay left Flynn alone on the ranch again. He really didn’t like to be alone, and his first instinct was to shower and get over to the dance hall. Plenty of women came out on Saturday nights, and Flynn wouldn’t have to be alone.
He might actually have fun.
He stayed on the couch, too many thoughts streaming through his mind. He couldn’t keep covering them up. Hiding them behind fake smiles and good dance moves.
His stomach grumbled, and he picked up his phone to order pizza. He had to pay a premium delivery fee to get them out to the farm, but he didn’t care.
He then called Jess, desperate for her to answer. “Please pick up, Jess,” he said, his plea becoming a prayer. “Please let her pick up.”
Chapter 15
Jessie woke when her phone rang. Light still streamed through her basement window, but it was waning and pure gold, meaning evening was definitely nearby.
She fumbled for her phone and picked it up. Flynn’s name sat on the screen, and she hesitated. She had to decide quickly, or his call would go to voicemail, and she’d lose him again.
Emotion choked in her throat, and she looked away from the phone.
The device silenced, and her tears fell.
Call him back.
She shook her head against the thought, but it would not go away.
Call him back. Call him back!
Her phone started ringing again, and she winced. Flynn had called again.
Without getting too deep inside her head, Jessie slid open the call and lifted her phone to her ear. She couldn’t speak, but she heard Flynn say, “Jess?”
Just the sound of his voice over a telephone line made everything inside her melt. She was so far in love with him, she couldn’t see a way out.
She didn’t want a way out.
“Are you there, sweetheart?” he asked. Something scuffled on the line, and he continued with, “Listen, I’m really sorry. I know I’ve been really busy here at the farm, and there’s just been so many frustrating things, you know? I didn’t mean to prioritize anything above you—above us—and I’m starving, and I just want to see you.”
Jessie sucked in a breath, knowing he’d be able to hear it.
“I ordered pizza,” he said. “If you left the ranch now, you’d arrive at the same time the food does. Please.” He cleared his throat, his voice tight on the last word. “Please, Jess. I need you here with me.”
“Why?” she managed to push out through her too-tight throat.
“Because I’m in love with you, and I can’t stay at this farm without you.”
His words rang through the line, through the bedroom, through her whole soul. “What?”
“I’m sure you heard me,” he said. “But I’ll say it again and again. I love you, and I love you, and I love you.”
Jessie started laughing through her tears, the sound a little manic but also cheerful. She hadn’t felt happiness in several weeks, and this emotion flowing through her just felt so good.
“I’ll see you soon,” she said, jumping to her feet. She looked around for her boots as Flynn said something, and she crammed her feet into them as she said, “Okay, Flynn. See you in a minute.”
She grabbed her keys from her dresser and started for the stairs. Her nerves ricocheted all around her body as she drove, and she started weeping several times as she drove. When she turned onto the dirt lane leading out to Four Lanterns Farm, she almost turned around.
Just keep going, she told herself.
Flynn stood from the bottom of the steps as she pulled up, and Jessie suddenly felt everything move into slow motion. She got out of her truck and tucked her hands in her back pockets, wanting to run to him but hesitant for some reason.
He jogged toward her, a smile playing across his face as he came. “Jess.” He sighed, that smile so glorious. Pausing a few feet away, he looked at her. “I’m sorry,” he said again. “I’m navigating some unknown territory for me, and I’m trying. I’m doing the best I can.”
“I know,” she said.
“I can’t do this without you.”
And judging by the way he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days and the way he looked ready to drop on his feet, he really couldn’t.
“I love you.” He took a step closer to her. “Tell me you don’t love me.”
Jessie ducked her head, a smile cutting across her face. Light filled her being, chasing away the darkness of the last few weeks. “I love you, Flynn,” she said, lifting her eyes to his. “I’ve loved you for a long time.”
He gathered her into his arms, and the strength and security she found there was the greatest comfort she’d ever experienced.
“I got my tractors running,” he whispered in her ear. “And the cattle are coming, and I think maybe things will start to settle down after the harvest.”
“How are you going to harvest this place by yourself?”
“I’m not,” he said. “Rhodes is bringing a crew, and I need you on it, Jess.” He touched his lips to the top of her head. “I need you in everything.”
“I need you too,” she said, cradling his face in her hands. “So can you kiss me now, cowboy?”
“If you
insist.” Flynn touched his lips to hers, and happiness exploded through Jessie.
Jessie had never been so itchy or so hot. She didn’t particularly enjoy the harvest, but having to do it twice? Finally, everything was finished on Flynn’s farm, and everyone started heading into the homestead, where Flynn had ordered a catered taco bar from Ciran’s taco truck. Jessie loved her cousins at the inn, and she had a pedicure scheduled with her sisters for Monday.
Anything to get relief from the extremely hard work over the past couple of weeks. At least the weatherman had said there would be cooler weather in the next couple of days.
She’d spent every evening with Flynn, and he’d even started coming by the hay barn in the mornings like he used to when he worked for Quinn Valley Ranch. He made time for her, and Jessie had enjoyed this autumn more than any other.
Except for the harvest times two, of course.
She entered his house as one of the last ones there, and the air-conditioning felt like a godsend. Glasses of water and lemonade sat on his kitchen counter, and she gulped one of them before refilling it.
“There you are,” Flynn said, coming up beside her. He placed a kiss to her temple. “You hungry?”
“Starving,” she said, leaning into his side.
“Eat,” he said with a smile. “Everyone eat,” he called louder.
Jessie enjoyed the time with all the cowboys at Flynn’s house, and she had a flash of an image of the future right there in her mind. Eventually, everyone left, and Jessie snuggled into Flynn on his couch.
“Jess,” he said, his voice tired and woozy.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to be here without you,” he said. “Will you marry me?”
Jessie sat up, surprise running through her. “Flynn.”
“I’m serious, Jess,” he said, smiling at her with his head back against the couch. “The sooner the better. Like, maybe tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” Jessie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “No. No, I can’t marry you tomorrow. That’s ridiculous.” She half-laughed, half-scoffed, sure Flynn had maybe spiked the lemonade. Overdosed on tacos. Something.
“Soon, then,” he said. “How long do you need to plan a wedding?”
“I don’t—my sisters….” She shook her head. “Georgia is getting married the first week of November. Betsy is at Christmas. Rhodes and Capri just set a date in April.”
“Let’s tie the knot in January, then,” Flynn said.
“We live in Idaho, Flynn. It’s freezing in January.
“So you’ll get a fur shawl,” he said, smiling at her. He leaned forward, his dark brown eyes sparkling at the same time they sobered. “I mean it, Jess. I can’t run this farm alone, and I don’t want to wait for you to be mine forever.”
“Well, I…I need to talk to Rhodes about what I do at Quinn Valley,” she said. “I mean, I take care of the whole herd. I just can’t—”
“Let’s call him right now.” Flynn reached for his phone, but Jessie put her hand on his.
“I’ll work things out with my brother.” She searched his face. “Are you really proposing to me right now?”
“Yes.” Flynn grinned at her. “When we go visit my mother on Monday, we can stop at a jewelry store in Lewiston.” He touched his mouth to hers in a quick kiss. “That’s if you say yes.”
“Well.” Jessie didn’t know what to say. She felt like someone had turned on a fan, and everything faded to white and then came back to full color.
“It’s a simple question,” Flynn teased.
Jessie searched his face again. She couldn’t think of a single reason why she shouldn’t say yes.
So she did.
“Yes.”
Flynn chuckled, curled his fingers around the back of her neck, and kissed her. The very idea of becoming engaged right now with a wedding date only three months away was ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.
She didn’t care, because she was kissing her fiancé, the best birthday present she’d ever gotten.
Read on for a sneak peek of FALL FIRESIDE, featuring Cami, the next Quinn sibling who wants to make her cowboy dates into a cowboy husband. Coming in September!
I’ve super happy for Jessie and Flynn! They made their happily-ever-after with a lot of soul-searching, love, and working through things! If you liked this book, please leave a review for it now.
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Sneak Peek! Fall Fireside Chapter One
Camille Quinn entered her sister’s bedroom, her frustration reaching an all-time high. “Jess,” she said, looking around, but her sister wasn’t there.
She was probably out at Flynn’s ranch, where she’d been spending more time lately. Cami flopped onto her bed, her tears not far behind. She sniffled, because she hated crying, and she wasn’t going to let herself get out of control.
Not again.
Not over yet another cowboy.
Whistling met her ears before Jessie entered the room, and Cami glanced up. The whistling stopped, and Jessie said, “Oh, no. What happened?” She swooped to Cami’s side, the way she always did.
“Gideon said he didn’t want to go out with me again.” Cami leaned into her sister’s shoulder. “I just don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Nothing’s wrong with you,” Jessie said.
“Why does this keep happening?” she asked.
“I don’t know, Cami. You’re cute. You’re smart. You’re funny. Maybe all these guys are just…losers.” Jessie stroked her hair. “Granny just texted me. It was pretty unclear, because you know Granny and technology.” Jessie chuckled, and Cami actually did too.
“But she has that peach delight we love, and I told her we’d come down since everyone else is off at the fair.” Jessie stroked her hair back. “You want to? I mean, I know it’s not a hot date on the Ferris wheel, but Granny and Gramps are pretty fun.” She nudged Cami, who nodded.
“Yeah, all right.” She got up and ran her hands through her hair. She normally didn’t mind her natural curls, more brown than red, though the sun highlighted those auburn streaks. “Let me change first. I’m tired of wearing this belt.”
“All right.”
Cami could feel her sister’s eyes on her as she rounded the corner and went further down the hall to the next bedroom, which was hers. She was much messier than Jessie, but she didn’t care. And she didn’t change right away either. In the past month or so, she’d been eating more potato chips—her favorite food—than normal, and maybe the belt was uncomfortable because she’d gained a few pounds.
Pushing the thought away, she changed quickly and ran upstairs to find Jessie chatting with someone on the phone, a smile filling her whole face. So she was talking to Flynn.
Cami paused and watched her sister, waiting for the jealousy to come. It didn’t. Jessie had always been the sister on the sidelines while Cami went on date after date. Suddenly, she knew what that was like for Jessie, and regret filled her.
She entered the kitchen, and Jessie caught sight of her. She finished her call abruptly, and Cami hugged her. “Thank you for being the best sister ever.”
“Oh, okay,” Jessie said. She stepped back and held onto Cami’s shoulders. “Why don’t you go out with Clay? I know he asked you out, and you never went.”
Cami didn’t want to say why she’d told Clay that sure, she’d love to go out, but then hadn’t followed up with him. Harvest season had arrived, and Clay had been horribly busy, so he hadn’t followed up either.
Jessie drove down the lane to Granny’s, where they found Gramps sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. “Gertie,” he called as they got out of the truck. Cami’s spirit lifted as she went up the steps to embrace her grandfather.
“Come see the turquoise eggs,” he said, hugging the two girls at the same time. Gramps had just gotten several Ameraucanas, and he loved them more than anything at the moment.
“Oh, they don’t have time to see your eg
gs,” Granny said, coming out on the porch too. “Besides, I just got the peach delight out, and that’s why they came.” She kissed Jessie’s cheek and then Cami’s.
“I’ll come see the eggs after, Gramps, okay?” Cami said. She loved her grandparents, and she was glad she could see them often. Gramps loved ice cream more than any human alive, and when Cami needed a pick-me-up, all she had to do was get a carton out of the freezer and come down the road to the rocking chair on the front porch.
“Do we have ice cream to go with the peach delight?” Gramps asked, following the girls inside.
“Would it be peach delight without ice cream?” Granny asked. Cami grinned and opened the drawer beside the fridge to get out the silverware. Jessie got down bowls, and Granny served the dessert.
Everyone moved over to the dining room table, where Granny had set out an old milk can filled with red, orange, and yellow flowers.
“All the fall colors,” Cami said, beaming at Granny. Coming here had been exactly what her fragile heart needed. She’d never minded being the youngest, and she’d always known she’d be the last to find a fiancé and get married. Even though Jessie thought she’d be, Cami had always known she would be—and now she was.
“I’m thinking about getting new curtains,” Granny said.
“Did you make these?” Cami asked.
“Yes, but they’re having a bazaar at the church this weekend, and I’m thinking I’ll get some there.”
Cami met Jessie’s eye, and they looked quickly away from one another. Cami smothered the giggles threatening to escape. She’d been set up by Granny loads of times before, and it seemed her grandmother’s magic simply didn’t work on Cami.
“There’s that fireside series starting too,” Gramps said.
“I’m not going to that,” Cami said immediately.
“Why not, dear? It’s a good series.” Granny looked at her innocently. “We can go to the bazaar together, and then the first fireside on Saturday.”