Chapter 22
LUCY
“Go, go, go! You’re so close,” I yell, cheering as Jack Williams climbs over the stack of hay bales before racing into the maze that’ll end the race.
“I can’t believe he’s won this thing for three years in a row,” Colton murmurs beside me. “That man has gotta be pushing seventy.”
“He says this keeps him young,” I explain, not taking my eyes off the race. “And it looks like he’s on track for year four. He’s already got the fastest time so far.”
“We’ll see. It won’t matter if he gets turned around in the maze like Zach did,” Colton points out.
“Yeah, I think we really surprised everyone with that part of the course this year,” I laugh. “That was a great suggestion.”
“Thanks. I still can’t believe how packed this place is. There’s gotta be over a thousand people here today.”
“It’s definitely a new record for us,” I agree, looking out over the crowd. “A few of the people who signed up to participate were from the surrounding towns, so I guess they brought their own fan clubs.”
“Probably,” Colton agrees, pausing when Mr. Jack crosses the finish line.
“I’m telling you right now, that’s our winner,” I say, before grabbing the microphone beside me.
“All right, everyone. With that, Jack slides into first place with a time of two minutes and fifty-four seconds. Samantha Sorrels, you’re up next, and Bruce Flowers, you’re on deck,” I announce to the crowd as Colton walks over to update the small leaderboard behind us.
“While they’re getting set up, I’d like to thank everyone for coming.
Cedar Creek Farms wouldn’t be what it is without your support.
And don’t forget to grab your pumpkins and other handmade goods from our store on the way out. ”
Putting the microphone down, I send a quick text to my mom to make sure that everything is going smoothly at the shop. She replies after a moment, and I blow out a sigh of relief when she sends me a thumbs up and a picture of the store packed with people shopping around.
“Mama just sent me a picture of the shop, and it’s just as packed as it is down here.
If this keeps up, we’re gonna have to look at bringing in some extra help.
Although, it would probably help if Amelia hadn’t called out again this morning,” I murmur, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.
“Yeah, I heard you mention that earlier. Is she okay?” Colton asks.
I shrug. “I guess so. I didn’t talk to her. She told her mom that Mitch wasn’t feeling well and needed her to stay home. Which would be fine if this wasn’t our busiest day of the year.”
“Well, maybe he’s really sick,” Colton says skeptically.
“Maybe. But I’m pretty sure it’s his version of a temper tantrum because he didn’t win the race last year.”
“Oh,” Colton grimaces. “That guy sounds like a piece of work.”
“A little bit,” I agree. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, and he really could be sick, but I’m just saying nothing would surprise me about him at this point.”
“Well, it’s okay. We’ve made it work. Your Aunt Martha has the pumpkin patch under control, and clearly, your mama has everything covered up at the store. Do you need me to do anything else?”
“Nope. I just need to announce these last two contestants, and we’ll have a winner,” I say, picking up the microphone.
“Okay, Sammantha Sorrels, you’re up. On your mark, get set, go,” I yell, as the crowd erupts with cheers. The teenager sprints, making quick work of launching herself on the top of the first large round hay bale and jumping from one to another.
“Please tell me y’all have a really strong liability waiver,” Colton murmurs as the girl wobbles, almost losing her balance on the top of the hay bale.
“Yeah, all the contestants sign one,” I tell him. “Plus, we have several medical staff on site just in case, even though I really hope we don’t need them.”
“Me either.”
We watch in silence as Samantha jumps down from the last hay bale and immediately leans down to pull the burlap sack up her legs for the sack race portion. Jumping along, she weaves between the hay bales, and the crowd erupts again, realizing that she’s on track to beat Jack’s record.
“Wow, she’s really fast,” I muse, watching as she struggles to climb the wall of hay bales. “But I’m afraid that this is gonna knock her out of the running.”
Colton nods. “Hey, that wall was tough. My bad arm wasn’t too happy with me for trying that one the other day.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I agree, and we watch in silence as Samantha struggles to finish the race. As soon as she crosses the finish line, I grab the microphone again to announce the results.
“Okay, great job, Samantha. With a time of three minutes and twenty-seven seconds, she slides into the fourth-place spot. For our next contestant, we have Mr. Bruce Flowers. He’s our last contestant of the day, so y’all get ready to cheer him on.”
The crowd below us makes a lot of noise, and after giving him a moment to get set, I announce, “All right, Bruce. Close it down for us. On your mark, get set, go.”
Bruce races out, and as he hoists himself onto the hay bale, Colton reaches out and grabs my hand under the announcer’s table.
It’s a subtle gesture, but it lights my body on fire.
I’ve been desperate for him to take things further since the night we shared last week, but with how crazy this week has been preparing for the race, there just hasn’t been time.
All I’ve been able to think about is the feeling of his weight pressed against me, writhing against him as I come harder than I ever have in my life on his fingers.
How good he felt teasing my clit with the palm of his rough hand.
How fucking sexy he looks sitting across me with that damn mustache, begging me to take a ride.
“Lucy, the race is over,” Colton murmurs, leaning over to tap his shoulder against mine. “Looks like Mr. Jack pulled out another win.”
I blink, struggling to bring myself back to the present. I’m sure my face is the same shade as the burgundy sweater I’m wearing, and Colton gives me a look of suspicion.
“What were you thinking about, Darlin’?” he asks, and it’s obvious from the shade of my face and the tone of his voice that he has a pretty good idea.
“Nothing,” I mumble, looking around for where I set the microphone. God, this man has completely scrambled my brain, and all he did was grab my hand.
“Hm, sure. Well, if that ‘nothing’s’ anything like the thoughts I’ve been having about you all week, I’d say it explains the pretty blush on your face right now,” he whispers. “And trust me, I’m going just as crazy as you are.”
I blink at him in surprise as he reaches over and places the microphone in my hand. “You can finish fantasizing about me later,” he says with a wink. “But for now, you have some winners to announce.”
“So, honey, how’s everything going with the pumpkin patch?” my Aunt Martha asks that night, setting a large pot roast on the table in front of us. “Your mama and I were so impressed with how well the obstacle course went this year!”
“It’s going pretty well,” I tell her, as Amelia nods beside me.
“Yeah, Lucy really went above and beyond this year,” Amelia says, bringing over the salad from the bar as my mom follows behind her on her crutches. I give her a look, grateful for the compliment but knowing I would have much rather had her help.
“Well, didn’t you help her?” her mom asks, shooting her a look of disapproval.
“I told you that Mitch was sick this week. He had a cold, so I was tied up with that. But Lucy did just fine without me,” she says, checking her phone.
“I still missed having you there,” I tell her honestly, and she just gives me an apologetic look.
“I missed being there,” she admits, and I don’t miss the sadness in her voice.
“I feel like I’ve barely seen you since the season started,” I add, and Amelia shrugs.
“We’ve both been busy, Lulu,” she says, and I wait for her to say more, but she doesn’t, so we sit in silence for a moment while my mom and Aunt Martha compare pot roast recipes.
“So, thank you both for coming, girls,” my mom says as the four of us reach to fix our plates. “We just figured it would be a good time to check in on how the season’s going. We also need to decide which causes we want to donate to with the proceeds we made from the course.”
“Yes, thank you for making time in your schedules to come eat with your mamas,” my aunt adds.
Amelia and I both nod, and Amelia reaches back to grab her phone to respond to a text.
“Honey, do you think you could put that away while we eat?” my aunt asks, as Amelia continues to type away on her phone.
“Sorry. I’m trying to figure out where Mitch is. He told me he was staying in tonight, but he’s not answering my texts, and his location keeps turning off for some reason,” Amelia sighs.
My mom, aunt, and I all share a look, trying to decide how to respond to that before Amelia adds. “Can we just eat? I want to get home before it’s too dark.”
My aunt sighs, and for a moment, I think she’s going to say what we’re all thinking, but instead, she just nods.
“So, girls, I know y’all have been taking on more responsibility for the last few years, and your aunt and I just wanted to make sure it’s still what you want. I know it can be overwhelming this time of year, and we just wanted to make sure you’re not regretting that decision.”
I shake my head quickly. “No, not at all. The farm’s always been our dream, right, Amelia?”
I look over at my best friend, waiting for her to agree with me, but she’s back to typing frantically on her phone.
Deciding that she’s not going to be any help in this conversation, I continue. “I think that we’re really hitting our stride, and business is better than ever. I was telling Colton that it might be time next year to bring in a little bit more help, though.”
“I think that’s a great idea,” my aunt says enthusiastically.
“That’s actually part of what we were wanting to talk about.
Your mama and I are happy to stick around and help out as long as you’d like, but the truth is, we’re getting old.
And we think having some extra trustworthy help would be great. ”
I nod, looking over to Amelia. “Mel, what do you think?”
“Oh, uh, whatever you want,” she says, looking up from her phone for a moment. “It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Honey,” her mom starts, her tone kind but firm.
“I can’t do this right now, Mom,” Amelia interrupts, and I don’t miss the tears that are pooling in her eyes. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go. Thank you for dinner,” she says, rising from her seat and leaving her untouched plate behind as she exits the room.
The three of us sit in silence as the front door slams, followed by the sound of Amelia’s car pulling out of the driveway.
“Well, this is fun,” I murmur in frustration, trying to remind myself that it’s not my responsibility to fix the mess my cousin just made.
“I just don’t know what to do with her anymore,” my aunt says, looking toward the door. “I know she’s grown and she’s gotta figure it out on her own, but God, it hurts my heart to see her like this.”
“Me too,” I agree, moving my fork around my plate. “My bet is someone texted her to tell her that Mitch was misbehaving at The Watering Hole again.”
My mom winces, taking a bite of her food. “Yeah, she looked pretty upset. One of these days I’m gonna give that boy a piece of my mind.”
I nod in agreement as my mom turns to me. “Enough about that. How’s everything at home? Is Colton living there still working out okay?”
“Oh, yeah, we actually don’t really see each other that often,” I say, wishing I wasn’t telling the truth. “He’s really nice, and everything seems to be going well.”
Mama narrows her eyes at me, and I brace myself for her to meddle. Instead, she just nods. “Glad to hear it. I should be able to move back home in a couple weeks.”
I freeze, trying to decide how I feel about that.
I’ve always loved living at home with her, and for the most part, we stay out of each other’s way.
But I’ve gotten used to Colton’s stolen kisses as he heads out the door in the morning, and I don’t want the bubble we’ve built around ourselves to pop.
“Sounds good,” I lie, adding it to the list of things Colton and I will have to figure out.