4. The Autumn Market
The Autumn Market
Waking up the next morning was hard. Really hard.
But I willed myself to crawl out of bed the second time my alarm went off–largely because I liked the farmers market.
Still, I thought with a hint of bitterness as I searched for my jeans in the dark, I wished I could just sleep in once in a while.
I hadn’t slept in since the winter before, when I’d had the stomach flu.
After pouring myself a really bad cup of coffee and dumping way too much creamer inside to compensate, I loaded up the horses into our best trailer and set out for the city fairgrounds.
The fairgrounds were in the lower part of the city, rather than on either of the mountainsides where many of the locals lived.
Placing it there, between the two mountains, allowed for flatter terrain for the tents, stalls, and stages that were needed for large events.
I got there just before the sun began to rise, but I was hardly the earliest vendor up.
I could already see the local bakery’s stall, several coffee shops, and even Miss Margaret and Belle across the field.
And because fall had officially arrived, there was a pumpkin patch and several staged photo sets scattered all around the square.
After realizing that I was starving, I pulled a protein bar out of my pocket and noshed on it as I set up the tent and the folded table beneath it.
After that, I put up the temporary railings to create a small arena.
Then, just as the sun was peaking over the edge of the mountain to the east and I was leading the horses out of the trailer, Casey, Harper, and Jaelyne arrived with coffee and croissants.
“We’ll be back soon,” Casey said. She handed me a croissant. “I parked the car in the wrong place and need to fix it.”
“I had to go to the bathroom,” Jaelyne said.
“That’s okay.” I poked her playfully. “You’ll just have to saddle the horses for me to make up for being late!”
“Oh.” Jaelyne’s face fell. “There was a stall I wanted to see first.”
“I could really use some help,” I said, focusing my gaze on the younger girl. Trying to make eye contact with Harper was like mining for diamonds in a sandbox. I’d given up long ago. “I’ve done all this on my own this morning, and I need to use the bathroom now too.”
“Oh, just a few minutes?” Jaelyne pleaded. “It’s the tiara stall, and they have a new one I need to look at!”
“Come on, then,” Casey said. She hadn’t looked up from her phone since they’d arrived. And without another word to me, she herded her daughters away from our stall.
I should have known better, but I watched them go with a sigh. I really did have to go to the bathroom. My first coffee was swishing around in my bladder, and knowing Casey, she would find someone she knew and get caught up in conversation for at least forty-five minutes.
“Please make it quick!” I called after them. But none gave any sign that they had heard.
With another sigh, I retreated to the horses, who were standing obediently by the stake I’d tied them to.
A determined horse could have pulled the stake up easily, but we never took the spicy horses to farmers markets.
Instead, we used the horses that would never run, even if given the chance.
Today, I’d brought Caramel, a buckskin Quarter Horse that had been spicy years ago, but had mellowed in his old age.
And then there was Nevada, my own horse that my parents had given to me the day she was born.
Nevada was a roan Quarter Horse, and she loved kids.
I would have spent more time admiring my beautiful horses in the light of the rising sun, however, if I wasn’t wondering when I would get the chance to run. And with a sigh, I had begun to saddle Nevada when a familiar voice called my name.
“Ella! Good morning!”
I turned to find Miss Margaret’s handsome godson, Asher, approaching me.
Instead of his uniform, this time, he was wearing cargo shorts, a solid blue T-shirt, flip-flops, and a pair of aviators–all of which somehow made him look casual and put together at the same time.
His hair, which was neatly combed, gave him an almost rebellious look.
Almost.
“Oh! Hi!” I quickly wondered just how much dirt my clothes and boots had accumulated since waking up that morning. But it was too late to check now. So I just smiled and prayed it wasn’t too much.
“I didn’t know you’d be here today,” he said, coming to a stop in front of our stall. “Miss Margaret said it would be largely for vendors with food or toys.”
“My parents–I mean, my family has owned Crystal Creek Ranch since just after my parents got married,” I said, unable to help smiling back. “We come most Saturdays to give pony rides and offer boarding or lessons.”
“Where’s your family?” he asked, looking around.
I shrugged. “They’ll be here.”
A man who looked distinctly like Asher with gray hair walked up, coffee in hand, and Asher turned toward him. “Oh, Ella. This is my father, Jay. Dad, this is Ella…” He paused. “You know what? I don’t think you ever told me your last name.”
“It’s Verre.” I grinned, suddenly glad my family wasn’t there. Casey disliked giving me the reins to the conversation when wealthy potential customers were involved. I turned to his father. “I hear you’re new to the neighborhood. Welcome.”
Jay shook my hand, and I decided immediately that I liked him.
His eyes crinkled nicely at the corners, and he had a firm handshake.
“Thank you. I came here last year for business and wasn’t able to get the place out of my head.
” He waved his hand in the direction of the old ski resort. “And now I can call it home, too.”
“What kind of business?” I asked. Just then, Nevada wandered up and began to chew on my sleeve, so I pulled a cube of sugar from my pocket to distract her.
“Oh, I’m actually in the hotel business,” he said. “I’m hoping to restart the resort.” Then he laughed as Nevada went back to eating my sleeve. “You set this all up yourself? Your parents should be proud.”
I smiled, though my eyes stung a little at the corners. “Thank you. My parents… are in Heaven now, but it means a lot to hear you say that.”
He paused. “I’m so sorry. I just thought you’d said your family–”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” I began to rub Nevada’s nose in hopes of getting her teeth away from my clothes. “I live with my stepmother and stepsisters now, and we run the ranch together.”
His father opened his mouth as though to ask another question, but Asher spoke first.
“Did you get to read your birthday book last night?”
I sighed, embarrassment welling up within me. “I started it but didn’t get very far. I was out in the barn till nine.”
Jay blinked. “You had to be up early this morning too!”
I gave him a wry smile. “Five-thirty.”
Jay frowned. “And you said your family is where?”
“Well, hello there!”
We all turned to see Casey coming toward us, a brilliant smile on her face.
She really was a handsome woman, and she knew how to make her makeup look effortless.
Her clothes were simple but tailored perfectly to her thin build, and she wore just enough jewelry to give her some sparkle without being gaudy.
And the natural red of her hair gave her eyes an extra spark.
It was the kind of look that charmed men into thinking she was low maintenance and down-to-earth.
Just the look my father had fallen for when they’d met after my mom’s death.
“Your daughter is an excellent worker,” Jay told Casey. “As a business owner, I’m impressed.”
“Well, we raised her that way,” Casey laughed.
“Ella, why don’t you finish getting Caramel bridled?
” Her voice was friendly, but I knew it wasn’t a request. Suppressing a sigh, I smiled and nodded at Jay before retreating to the trailer to get the other saddle. But to my surprise, Asher followed me.
“Are those your sisters?” he asked, nodding at Harper and Jaelyne, who were stacking pamphlets on the table for anyone who was interested in our ranch.
“They are,” I said as I dragged the saddle out from the trailer.
“Here, let me get that for you,” he said, reaching for the saddle.
“Oh, I promise, I can lift it.” I laughed. “I have to do it every day.”
“I’m sure you can.” He quirked a brow at me. “But that doesn’t mean a friend can’t help you.” He glanced over his shoulder and dropped his voice. “You’ve done a lot on your own already.”
I knew I shouldn’t, but the sudden fluttering in my stomach had me backing up and smiling like an idiot as he lifted the saddle and carried it over to the horse, and I hoped desperately that he wouldn’t notice the blush creeping up the back of my neck.
I might have also been noticing the way his shirt sleeves grew tighter when he hoisted the saddle onto his hip.
“Ella! Why is that young man doing your job?”
We turned to find Casey staring at us, her eyes wide.
Well, shoot. That look never boded well.
“I volunteered, ma’am,” Asher said with a friendly smile. But I didn’t miss the way his eyes narrowed slightly as he continued. “She’s been working hard all morning. I thought she deserved a break.”
Oh, Casey was going to kill me when we got home.
Her eyes glinted slightly even now, but she was too polished to let her anger show while we were around other people.
So she simply nodded and smiled. “You’re quite the gentleman.
Thank you!” She might have said more, but just then, a family with three kids came up, and she had to turn her attention to them.
“I’ve got to get back to my dad,” Asher said. “But I was wondering…” He… Was he blushing? “I have to head back to Utah tomorrow, but I was wondering if I might sign up for a riding lesson sometime when I come back.”
I tried to keep my professional smile and not to giggle. “Sure.” I pulled a business card out of my pocket. But instead of taking the card, he made a face.
“Actually… I was wondering if I could just text the teacher.” He pulled his phone out. “But I’d have to get her number first.”
“Do you insist on getting all your teachers’ numbers?” I asked. But as I did, I pulled my own phone out as well.
He met my gaze unabashedly. “Only the pretty ones.”
Oh, this man was good.
Hardly able to believe what was happening, I gave him my phone number and told him how to spell my name. And as soon as he and his father walked away, I got a text:
Hey, Ella. This is Asher Kentworthy. I hope you enjoy your book, and I can’t wait to get that lesson when I come back.
Then and there, I decided that whatever fit Casey was about to pitch would be worth getting his number.
It had been a long time since any decent man had asked for my contact information–with the exception of the guy at the DMV, who I’d thought was flirting with me but was really just asking for my information to put into his computer.
To my relief, though, Casey didn’t get a chance to protest my slacking off that morning because we had enough customers to keep us busy until lunch.
And we were still busy when I told Casey that if I didn’t go to the bathroom soon, we were going to have a real emergency on our hands.
She rolled her eyes, but she did let me go, promising to watch the small children who were around the horses in my absence.
The bathrooms were all the way across the field on the other side of the park. It was a nice walk, as it gave me the chance to see other stalls and to wave at friends as they passed by. On my way back, however, I was accosted by Miss Margaret as I walked by her stall.
I loved Miss Margaret’s stall. She brought a collection of summer reads that she carefully curated every year as well as some classics, children’s books, and new releases.
She and Belle had gotten setting up their temporary rolling bookshelves down to a fine art, which meant their set-ups and take-downs before and after events were always finished in under an hour.
The books were sheltered by a cheerful yellow tent cover, and they always had drinks and snacks to sell as well.
There was hardly a time when the stall wasn’t full of people.
Which is probably why Miss Margaret thought it was safe to grab my arm and yank me behind the stall, where we’d be hidden from my stepmother’s view.
“Did that vixen really take credit for your work ethic?” she demanded.
“Hi to you, too, Miss Margaret,” I said, rubbing my arm. “And how did you hear about that?”
“Asher told me.” She shook her head with a scowl, then huffed. “Did you at least read the book I gave you?”
“Actually, yes. And I do have a question about it.” But before I could ask, a customer found us and began to ask Miss Margaret questions about a rom-com she was interested in.
“I have to go,” Miss Margaret said after she answered the woman’s questions. “But don’t think I’m finished with you yet, young lady! We have talking to do!” And with that, she was gone.