“Tomorrow morning I’ll be thankful for this meal,” Forrest said in a loud playful voice, and everyone at the table broke out into laughter again.
There was an inside joke there, Tayler knew, but she hadn’t been let in on it. She had that odd-man-out feeling again and wanted to return to her room and her laptop.
“Tayler, how long will you be staying?” Barbara asked.
“For a month, possibly two.”
Eyebrows rose and surprised looks came from around the table. “That’s a nice long time. Rita might put you to work in the kitchen,” Forrest said with a chuckle.
Rita laughed while she and Rollin picked up the glasses from the table.
“Rollin, who you got coming in after we check out?” Forrest asked.
“Nobody right now. We’ll have a few vacancies.”
Tayler didn’t know if it was her imagination or not, but everyone at the table seemed to turn and stare at her with smiles on their faces. It took a few minutes before Rollin’s statement registered. After they left, she would be the only guest, alone with Rollin.
“Anybody ready for some hot apple pie with ice cream?” Rita asked.
Every hand at the table went up except Tayler’s. Suddenly, she had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.
* * *
“Nicole, you didn’t tell me I would be here with him alone. The guests are checking out in a few days and nobody else is checking in. Girl, I can’t stay here with this man by myself.” Tayler paced the floor of her bedroom holding her cell phone to her ear.
“Tayler, what are you worried about? It’s a B and B—somebody is always checking in and out. Besides, you know I wouldn’t have suggested you go down there if Rollin wasn’t cool. He’s a businessman, for Christ’s sake. What do you think the man’s gonna do, jump your bones once everyone leaves? And that house is the bomb, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s beautiful, but what if nobody checks in? I’d feel more comfortable in a hotel.”
“What? Are you crazy? That’s the perfect place to relax and get your head together. No stress, no pressure. Just smell the roses, if you know what I mean. And Rollin is as fine a gentleman as you’ll ever meet.”
“I don’t know about that,” Tayler said, almost under her breath. He was fine as hell, but she hadn’t met that gentleman yet.
“Girl, unpack your bags and chill. You deserve to enjoy yourself. Sit on the front porch and read a book or something. Does Rita still make pitchers of lemonade every afternoon?”
“Yes, she does.” That was one of the personal touches Tayler liked about the house. When they came in from the tour earlier, Rita had placed two pitchers in the library. One was full of lemonade, and another full of water with orange slices.
Tayler let out a loud sigh as she pulled back the comforter and sat down. “I suppose somebody else could check in. I guess it won’t be so bad.”
“Of course not,” Nicole said. “Now tell me what you think of Rollin. He’s single, you know.”
Tayler knew to keep her thoughts about Rollin to herself. Nicole couldn’t keep her mouth shut about anything. Tayler wanted to say, “He’s fine as a glass of Bordeaux but rude as hell,” but instead she said, “He seems like a nice man.”
“He is, and I just know you two will hit it off.”
“Nicole, I came here to rest, not get hooked up with your cousin—you do know that, don’t you?”
“Ah, girl, yeah, I’m just messing with you. Besides, what would you do with a farmer?”
Tayler thought of a few things she could do with one farmer in particular.
Knock, knock.
Tayler pulled the covers over her head. She had to be dreaming about a crazy person knocking on the door.
Knock, knock.
What the hell? She rolled over from one side to the other. Was she dreaming or was the place suddenly under construction?
“Tayler, it’s time for breakfast.” Knock, knock. “Are you up?”
Was somebody calling her name? Was that Rollin? She threw the covers back and pushed her eye mask up into her bonnet.
“Tayler, breakfast in fifteen minutes—come on down. The truck leaves at seven a.m., and you don’t want to miss it.”
What the hell!
Tayler sat up and reached for her robe. She wasn’t hungry, and she wasn’t going to breakfast.
She wrapped herself in her robe and went to open the door. She cracked the door and glanced up into Rollin’s scowling face.
“Good morning. I see you’re not up yet. Well, you might want to grab a shower and come on down. Breakfast will be served in the dining room and we’re heading out at seven o’clock on the nose.”
“I’m sorry, but heading out where?”
“The vegetable garden first, then we’ll swing by—”
“Hold up. I’ll skip the garden tour this morning, if you don’t mind. I’m on vacation. What time is it, anyway?” She looked behind her and didn’t see one peek of light coming through the blinds. It was still dark out.
“It’s five thirty a.m., and unless you don’t plan to eat today, you need to be on the truck before seven a.m.”
“What truck?”
“Didn’t Nicole tell you that this is a working farm? We go out each morning to pick food for lunch and dinner.”
“Wait a minute.” She shook her head. “This is what kind of a farm?”
Rollin shook his head. “Get dressed and come on down. I’ll explain it to you. Looks like Nicole forgot to tell you a few things.”
He walked down the hall and left Tayler standing in the doorway watching his back. Once he disappeared down the steps, she closed the door and threw herself against it.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
She staggered into the shower then made it downstairs well before seven. Everyone was still at the table eating when she walked into the room.
“Grab a plate, honey. You’ve got fifteen minutes before the truck leaves,” Rita informed Tayler.
The smell of bacon, pancakes and hot biscuits left Tayler speechless and looking around the room for a plate. She wasn’t hungry and had intended to negotiate her way back into bed.
“Here’s a plate.”
Tayler turned at the sound of Rollin’s voice. He stood next to the buffet offering her a square blue-and-white plate.
“I suggest you eat something. Going out on the truck to pick your own food is part of the charm of staying on a working farm.”
He glanced down at Tayler’s sneaker-clad feet. “Once you get out there, just follow Kevin’s instructions and you’ll be fine.”
After accepting the plate, Tayler glanced at her watch. “So, I now have about ten minutes to eat something and grab a cup of coffee.”
“Hot coffee’s down there.” Rollin pointed to the end of the server table.
Tayler set her plate down and opted for a hot cup of coffee instead. A white carafe and a couple of cups sat around waiting for someone to try them. She poured herself a cup of what