When I Fall In Love

The couples at the table introduced themselves and entertained Tayler with tales from their family reunion. Rita served some of the best fried chicken Tayler had ever put in her mouth, and she couldn’t stop complimenting her on everything. After dinner the other guests prepared to attend a dance, which one of the men didn’t seem too eager about.

“I’m going because that’s why we came down here. But I’m just saying, a Danville dance is nothing like going to a club in Atlanta.”

“Forrest,” his wife said, busting him out, “when was the last time you stepped inside a club, anyway? You go down to the Crows Nest for a drink once every six months, but I wouldn’t call that clubbing. Don’t lie to these people.”

“Barbara, I’m not lying and you know it. Plus, I didn’t say I went clubbing, I just said they don’t compare. Folks around here do things at a much slower pace.”

“Don’t y’all listen to Forrest. This man is in bed by nine thirty every night. He hasn’t seen the inside of a nightclub since we got married fifteen years ago. He’ll be down there tonight dancing his butt off.”

Everyone at the table laughed.

“Tayler, you’re welcome to join us, if you want,” Barbara said.

“Thank you, but I think I’m going to get some work done and hit the sack early.”

“Smart woman,” Forrest said. “We all need to be ready in the morning.”

The kitchen door swung open and Rollin, dressed in jeans and a casual button-down shirt, walked into the room.

“Rollin, we were just about to ask Rita where you were.”

“Good evening, everybody. How was your dinner?” he asked as Rita began to clear the table.

Forrest reared back in his seat. “That was the best meal I believe I’ve ever had. I’m gonna have to loosen my belt up before my stomach explodes.”

Everyone at the table chuckled.

“Mrs. Rita, my compliments to the chef,” Forrest continued.

“Well, thank you.”

“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.

Chapter 3

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 looked like liquid mud. Desperate for caffeine, she decided against her better judgment, and took a sip.

She almost dropped her cup, “What the hell is this?”

Rollin walked over to her. “It’s called coffee. It’s organic. A dark roast decaf. I whip it up for guests daily.”

She sat her cup down on the server and pressed her fingers against her lips. “Thank you but I’ll pass on the...coffee.”

Every morning she stopped at Starbucks for a cup of blond-roast coffee. How was she supposed to function without her coffee?

“Herbal tea is better for you anyway,” Rollin said. “If you haven’t tried it before Rita will show you our impressive collection.”

Tayler cleared her throat. This fool expects me to go out and pick food at seven o’clock in the morning without a cup of coffee. He must be off his rocker. “Do you know anywhere I can get a good cup of coffee?”

Rollin shook his head and laughed. “Try a cup of tea, or some orange juice. You’ve only got a little more than five minutes now.” He walked away.

There was no way she could wolf down breakfast in five minutes, so she grabbed a piece of toast and poured herself a glass of orange juice. Before she could finish, everyone was ready to go.

As much as she wanted to protest and drive into town for a cup of coffee, she conformed and walked out to the truck with everyone else. She was going to kick Nicole’s ass for this one.

“First time?”

Tayler whipped her head around and looked into the blue eyes of a young boy who looked as if he was still in high school. His white skin, kissed by the sun, was almost as bronzed as hers.

He held out his hand. “I’m Kevin. Need some help up?”

“You’re seriously taking us out on this rusted-out truck with no seats in the back?”

“Yep, unless you’d rather walk. It’s about five miles back up the road.”

She held out her hand. “Kevin, I’m Tayler, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

He grasped her hand and elbow to help her up onto the truck. “I’ll be lookin’ forward to it.”

The ride out was bumpy and rough. Tayler couldn’t even enjoy the view, her butt hurt so badly. She held on for dear life and tried to avoid getting her new sneakers dirty.

Kevin led them through the fields and Tayler picked whatever she saw everybody else picking. She wasn’t into this getting-back-to-nature stuff. The only thing she wanted to get back to was the house so she could get on her cell and cuss Nicole out.

“Barbara, think you’ve got enough green beans? Why not move on down and get some cucumbers. I like them in my salad.”

“Forrest, get your own cucumbers. We’re trying to show Tayler here how to pick beans. I may not have lived in the county for a while now, but I’m still a country girl.”

Tayler compared the small amount of beans in her basket to the overflowing amount in Barbara’s. She had to admit she needed the help.

“Honey, the truck’s not gonna be out here all day, so you need to pick faster. Here, let me show you how. Sit that basket down. You need both hands.”

Tayler did as she was told, and in no time at all, her basket was overflowing as well.

“Thank you. This is the first time I’ve ever picked anything.”

“Fun, isn’t it?”

Tayler glanced down at her dusty sneakers and dirty manicured nails. Hell, no, this isn’t fun. “I guess, yeah.”

Barbara laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it. Before you leave you’ll be a pro at picking beans and anything else you want to eat. Once we leave, I guess Rita or Kevin will ride out with you every day.”

Tayler stopped in her tracks. “You have to do this every day?”

“Sure, that’s what staying on an organic farm is all about. Everything’s fresh right from the garden. Wait until dinner tonight—you’ll see what I mean then.”

Barbara picked up her basket and started walking away.

“What if I’m not able to make it out here every morning?” Tayler asked. “Surely Rita will prepare something anyway.”

“Maybe, but why wouldn’t you want to?” Barbara stopped and turned to face Tayler. “That’s what people stay here for, the holistic experience. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

Holistic, as in back to nature, organic, oh, hell! Tayler gave a slow nod of her head. “Sure, it’s just some mornings I might be working, and I wondered how they’d handle that, you know. Let’s say I miss the truck or something.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Rollin won’t let you starve,” Barbara responded with a laugh.

“He just might,” Tayler mumbled, remembering how rude he’d been to her.

“Honey, as pretty as you are, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rollin doesn’t offer to pick your food for you. I don’t know him that well, but I saw the way he looked at you this morning.”

“What do you mean? How did he look at me?” Tayler asked, apprehensive about the answer.

“Let’s just say I noticed him noticing you. That’s all. Come on, let’s go pick some blackberries—Rita promised me a cobbler after dinner.”

After a brief stop back at the truck for a bottle of water and a new basket, Tayler tried to talk Barbara into letting her wait by the truck, but she wouldn’t hear of it.

“If you’re going to be out here after we leave, you need to learn a thing or two,” she insisted. “Come on, city girl.”

With the sleeve of her shirt, Tayler wiped the sweat from her brow and followed Barbara along a path that lead to blackberry bushes. Hot, tired and ready for a bath, Tayler could barely muster up the energy to pick berries.

“Okay, honey, dig in. But be careful, they have thorns. And remember, the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice,” she said with a laugh. “Oh, I love that saying.”

Tayler chuckled and shook her head.

“No, seriously, though, the blacker and plumper the berry, the better. The red or purple ones aren’t ripe yet, so leave them. And don’t be afraid to get under there and find them berries. They’re tough—you can’t hurt anything.”

But my hands, Tayler thought. Then, she realized the sooner they had enough berries, the sooner they would be out of there, so she held back the thorns with one hand and plucked off berries with the other.

A few minutes later, she moved down farther in search of more plump blackberries. She was starting to get the hang of it and had only been pricked by thorns twice. She crouched down when she saw a bunch of blackberries close to the ground. Careful this time, she pulled the thorns back with one hand and reached in with the other.

Suddenly, a long black snake slithered from the open path, headed in her direction.

“Ahh!” She screamed, jumped to her feet and ran as if her life depended upon it.

Before she could catch her breath, she ran into a brick wall named Rollin.

“Hey, what’s going on?” he asked as he reached out and caught Tayler by the arm.

“A snake!” She flung her arms and looked back over her shoulder. “A snake attacked me back there. It crawled out from under the bushes and came right at me.” She shook her hands before brushing down her pant legs.

“Did it bite you?” he asked.

All she could do was shake her head.

“How big was it?” he asked, holding her now with one arm around her shoulders to steady her.

She took a deep breath. “I don’t know, it wasn’t too big, but it was a snake nonetheless. Yuck, I hate snakes.” She swatted at the crawling sensation going up her arm.

“What color was it?”

Now everything on her body itched, and Tayler pulled away long enough to shake her pant legs and notice the smirk on Rollin’s face. “I think it was black, or...what’s so funny? Are you laughing at me?”

“No, of course not,” he said as he pointed behind her. “Is that it?”

Without looking behind her, Tayler jumped and ran behind Rollin, and then glanced at the ground. She didn’t see anything.

The roar of laughter caught her attention and she looked up at everyone in the truck bed having a good laugh at her expense.

Rollin chuckled and held his hands up, palms out. “I’m sorry, that was mean. I shouldn’t have done it.”

Barbara called out, trying not to laugh, “Tayler, we’re sorry, but it was only a small garden snake. It won’t hurt you.”

With her arms crossed, Tayler glared at Barbara and the crew. “It was a snake, that’s all I know, and I don’t do snakes.”

“Occasionally, a little snake crawls under the bushes looking for a nice warm bed. Come show me where you saw it.” Rollin touched Tayler’s elbow, edging her back down the path.

Arms crossed, she stood rooted to her spot. “I’m not going back down there. I told you, I don’t do snakes.”

Kevin walked up. “Is she okay?” he asked Rollin.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine.”

“It was probably a garden snake, like Mrs. Barbara said,” Kevin offered. “They’re virtually harmless, and they do their best to avoid people. I don’t see too many of them out here.”

Kevin and Rollin walked down the path in the direction of the snake. They poked around under bushes, but it didn’t look as if either spotted the snake. Rollin picked up her basket of blackberries. She wondered what she was going to eat every day, since she wasn’t about to come back out here to pick anything.

Back at the truck, Tayler sat on the edge of the bed, trying to get her hands to stop shaking. A snake! A damned snake! If anyone had told her they had snakes here, she would have stayed in Chicago.

Rollin and Kevin made their way back to the truck, laughing with each other. No doubt she was the topic of conversation.

“Glad I could make your day, fellas,” she said.

Rollin looked from Kevin back to her. “I’m sorry, we weren’t talking about you. Here’s your blackberries.” He set the basket next to her.

“Thank you.”

“I’m sorry your first morning turned out to be such a dramatic one. Guests usually don’t encounter snakes this soon.”

“So it usually takes a few days before snakes show up?” she asked sarcastically.

“Oh, they’re out here every day. You startled that one, that’s all. Next time, make some noise and it’ll slither away.”

“Next time! Oh, I don’t plan on coming back out here. I’ll eat all my meals in town if I have to.”

Rollin nodded. “That’ll get pretty expensive.”

“I can afford it.”

“Maybe you can.” He stretched his arms over his head. “Guess I was right when I said you might not last a month. I can spot a quitter from miles away.”

He touched a nerve and she straightened up. “I’m not a quitter. I just don’t play with snakes.”

He shrugged. “Just stay out of the blackberry bushes, then everything will be okay. What do you say?”

She looked at his outstretched hand, waiting for her to accept it, then looked away. She wasn’t making any promises.

“What do you have to lose? You’ll eat some good food and might even make a new friend.”

She raised a brow at him. “You want to be my new friend?”

“I wasn’t thinking about me, but Rita. She’ll be disappointed if she can’t cook for you. After these guys leave she won’t have guest to cook for.”

He still hadn’t persuaded her.

“Say yes, and I’ll do my best to keep the snakes away.”

He smiled and those big dimples mesmerized her. It took a few seconds to turn from his gaze and pull herself together.

“Okay, but no more blackberries.” She accepted his hand.

Chapter 4

The next morning, no one rode to the fields because, luckily, they’d picked enough food the day before.

Tayler took advantage of the free time and ventured out to the porch after breakfast with her laptop. Minutes later, Forrest joined her.

“This feels wonderful, doesn’t it?”

Tayler turned to Forrest, who sat in one of the big white rocking chairs across the porch from her.

“Yes, it does. We have a nice breeze.” She smiled and turned back to her laptop.

“You don’t get this in the city.” He took a deep breath. “Just smell that air. No car exhaust or garbage. Just clean country air, the way God intended it to be.”

Tayler cut her eyes at Forrest. What’s so damned special about the air?

“What’s that you’re working on? I thought you said you were on vacation.”

“I am, but I’m still trying to keep up with work—you know how it is. It’s hard to take a vacation when you have so many responsibilities.”

He crossed his legs in her direction. “So what do you do?”

She took a deep breath and thought of a way to explain what she did so he’d understand. “I oversee a team that installs data communications lines all around the world.”

Forrest whistled. “Sounds like a lot of work. Too bad they can’t manage without you.”

“Oh, they can. I just like to keep tabs on everything.”

“So you’re somewhat of a micromanager?”

“No, not really.” She hated that phrase. “I just like to be available if I’m needed.”

“We used to have backups for vacations and such.”

“I have a backup.”

“Incompetent, though, huh?”

“He doesn’t handle things the way I do, but he’s very competent.”

Forrest laughed.

She smiled but didn’t get the joke. “What’s so funny?”

The front door opened as Forrest stood up and pointed at her laptop. “You need to look up ‘micromanager,’” he said as he walked over to hold the door for his wife.

Tayler crossed her arms and gave him a knowing smile. She understood.

Barbara walked over to Tayler. “Well, Tayler, it was nice meeting you, but we’re gonna have to get on the road.” Tayler moved her laptop aside and stood up to hug the older woman goodbye. Within minutes, everyone else came out to say goodbye. Rita and Tayler stood on the porch waving as both cars pulled off. The moment reminded Tayler of a scene from an old movie.

“Well, young lady, what have you got planned for today?” Rita asked.

Tayler sat back down and picked up her laptop. “I was going to get some work done, but I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ll just enjoy the breeze.”

“That sounds nice. You enjoy yourself, now. I’m gonna go up and start cleaning those rooms. Lunch is at noon.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

Tayler thought about what Forrest had said and closed her laptop. She wasn’t a micromanager.

A few minutes later, she heard a vehicle barreling up the driveway. A big black truck that resembled a monster with tinted windows pulled in next to her BMW. She’d seen the truck parked around back before but wasn’t sure who it belonged to. It kicked dust all over her precious jewel.

The door opened, and Rollin stepped out. Tayler rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, “I should have known.”

He walked up onto the porch. “Enjoying yourself?” he asked.

“Yes, I’m just relaxing.” She followed his gaze to her laptop. “And trying to stay away from work.”

“Yeah, Nicole said you were here to get away from work. She said you needed to get some rest,” he said.

She glanced over her shoulder as he now stood at the door. “And I plan to get plenty of that, as long as I don’t have to adhere to six a.m. wake-up calls every morning.”

“You must plan on losing at lot of weight, then.”

She set her laptop aside and turned around in her seat. “So, let’s talk about that. Do you really expect me to go out there all by myself and pick vegetables every morning?”