Betting the Farm (13 page)

“I don’t mind doing it, but it’s for you, not them.”

“She didn’t know how much they would need, which is not
surprising.”

“Several bushels I would imagine.”

“I figured you’d know.”

He rinsed and dried the last piece of silverware and put it
away, handing the dishtowel to Kai so she could dry her hands. Once she’d
draped it over the edge of the sink, he slid his arm around her waist. He
pressed his mouth to her throat. God, he could drown in her smell.

“I don’t want any recognition for the donation,” he murmured
below her ear.

She shivered in his arms when his tongue traced a path
across her collarbone. “But what if I want you to have it?”

Her kindness made his heart swell while her soft, yielding
body caused another body part to harden. Sliding his hands down to cup her ass,
he snugged her closer, grinning at the way her breath hitched in her throat and
her fingers gripped a handful of his hair.

“I’d rather have you instead.”

Early Saturday morning, Kai revealed her “grand plan” to
Ruby. Just as she’d suspected, Ruby’s enthusiasm matched hers, if not surpassing
it in some ways. Now that her boys were grown and self-sufficient and she
didn’t have any grandkids to spoil yet, Ruby had more free time than she knew
what to do with. Joe didn’t seem to require much attention—except for meals and
laundry—and he certainly wasn’t much of a conversationalist, so she was eager
to be an active participant.

After a few hours of brainstorming, they had a solid list of
around fifteen names to start with. The night before, she’d called Grace to
explain what she was thinking of doing, and to ask for her help with the
financial ins and outs. Grace had even gone so far as to volunteer herself for
manual labor to help get things off the ground when the time came.

Now they just had to get the ball rolling, so Kai and Ruby
set out on their quest to sell the idea to the unsuspecting citizen farmers and
country craftspeople of Serenity. They were met with only a token bit of
resistance, given Kai’s relative youth and lack of practical experience with
the subject matter, but Ruby’s presence and participation seemed to be
reassuring to everyone they spoke with.

Whereas Kai’s last name was associated with money and
commerce—the upper echelon of Serenity’s society, regrettable as that was to
acknowledge—the Carters represented the blue-collar people. The ones who
weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty for their daily wage, which made up the
heart and soul of the community. It was humbling, to say the least, but Kai
would take the dose of humility and learn from it, grow from it. Folks like the
Carters were why she’d decided to take on this project in the first place.

And the more she talked to each blueberry grower and honey
producer, each artisan baker and herb gardener, the more her determination grew
to make this endeavor successful and profitable for all who chose to put their
faith in her ideas. She didn’t plan on getting rich or make those participating
rich in turn. They weren’t in it for that reason either, although they did
expect a decent return on their commitment. Mostly Kai wanted to showcase the
soul of the town, its foundation and deep roots. Remind people like her parents
where they came from, maybe serve them up a little dose of humility too along
the way. They could use the refresher course in American History.

She and Ruby started the morning with a list of fifteen
names but by that evening, they had over thirty commitments. Much like the
project itself, the list had blossomed organically. Their first visit had been
with Mr. Henry Bennett, the syrup maker. Before they’d left his home, he’d
recommended his daughter Angie, who’d discovered she had a knack for growing
fresh herbs, except it had gotten away from her and she didn’t know what to do
with them all. They didn’t even have to go see her in person. Henry called and Angie’d
been relieved that her hard work wouldn’t go to waste, and she might make a
little spending money on the side.

Angie sent them to see Mary Peters, who made flavored oils
using Angie’s herbs. And Mary told them about the Cooke brothers, who crafted handmade
cutting boards out of local reclaimed wood. That was how the list of names
bloomed throughout the day. It was like digging for buried treasure with the
help of a map and a few friendly pirates.

By eight o’clock that evening, Kai and Ruby were exhausted,
a wee bit queasy from all the items they’d sampled but buoyed all the same by
the promising way things had begun.

Now they just had to find the proper space to rent or lease
and Kai had to get busy devising marketing plans. She had money in savings that
would get her started and help pay for incidentals but it wouldn’t last long.
She couldn’t very well ask her father for an investment when she was about to
quit him altogether. Facing
that
scary task was something she didn’t
dwell on for long. Besides, she didn’t want his help.

The goal was to prove she was her own person, a grown-up,
capable of standing on her own two feet, even if her knees became weak over the
responsibility. Having Ruby, Fritz and Grace in her corner helped make her feel
much more stable.

Funny how they felt more like family than her own blood
relatives.

* * * * *

Sunday afternoon, Kai and Grace were laying the groundwork
for the new business when she heard familiar footsteps clomping up the stairs
to the loft. She flipped the folder closed that held the rough sketches she’d
done for naming and advertising. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed for Fritz
to see them; she just preferred they remain a secret until she was ready to
surprise him. There was no doubt in Kai’s mind he would be pleased, along with
the rest of his family.

Not bothering to knock, he let himself in, strolling to the
bar where Kai and Grace worked over what they’d dubbed organized chaos. Laptops
were open, pens and papers were scattered, and colorful sticky notes dotted
everything.

“Hi Grace,” Fritz said.

“Hi Fritz,” Grace answered, her eyes never leaving her
computer screen.

Fritz tucked himself in behind Kai, placing a soft kiss on
the back of her exposed neck. Gooseflesh instantly prickled her skin and her
nipples went stiff inside her bra. She groaned when his thumbs massaged the
knots in her shoulders. “Mm, feels good.”

“Ready for a break?” His low, rough voice was an aphrodisiac
in itself, and there was no mistaking what he hoped would happen on this
“break”. She could use the release herself.

Kai glanced at Grace, her face flaming, but she was already
closing her programs and gathering up her supplies.

“I think we’re finished for today,” Kai said.

“I have a training meeting Monday afternoon but we can get
back together for a few hours Tuesday night if you want,” Grace offered.

“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks for all your help.” Kai
hugged her neck.

Grace waved off the thanks with a scoff. “Are you kidding?
I’m as giddy about this little upstart project as you are.” She slung her bags
over her shoulder. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Sounds good,” Kai said.

As soon as the door shut behind Grace, Fritz was pulling her
into his arms, giving her a real kiss that curled her toes. His fingers toyed
with the frayed hem of her jean shorts, knuckles brushing her skin. When his
mouth moved to her throat, she sighed. “Someone has missed me, it seems.”

“Someone always misses you.”

Hearing him say that made her heart do somersaults.

Fritz lifted his head and Kai traced his mouth with a
fingertip. “I missed you too, even though it’s only been eight hours since I
saw you last. Aren’t you tired?”

He’d left her bed at five that morning. Farmers didn’t keep
the same hours as most folks. When there was work to be done, there was no such
thing as weekends or sleeping in.

“Touchin’ you gave me a renewed burst of energy.”

Kai rolled her eyes. “Smooth, Casanova. I think I need a
pair of waders ’cause it’s gettin’ deep in here.”

“Speakin’ of deep…” He bit her jaw. “Put on your bikini. I’m
taking you for a swim.”

In a flash, Kai was out of his arms and digging through the
closet for a swimsuit. Grabbing a skimpy two-piece—per his instructions—she
dashed into the bathroom to change, leaving the door cracked so she could talk
to Fritz.

“There’s beer in the fridge and leftover chicken salad if
you’d like me to make sandwiches to take with us.”

“Already handled, sweetness. You just hurry up and wiggle
that sexy ass into a bikini. Or don’t bother. Up to you. I’m fine with
skinny-dipping.”

“I’m sure you would be,” she said drily as she exited the
tiny bathroom, tugging her shorts and tank top back on over the swimsuit. “What
about you? I know you’re not planning to swim in jeans.”

“My board shorts are in the truck. I’ll change when we get
there.”

She’d heard enough to know they were going someplace
private, probably Turner Creek. The thought of that cold water made her shiver,
but as hot as the temperature was outside, it would feel amazing…once she
recovered from the initial breathtaking shock to her system.

“You have towels?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Bottled water?”

“Of course.”

“Snacks?”

Kai yelped when he smacked her on the ass. “Move your butt.”

The ride was short and bumpy as they made their way down a
narrow, rutted dirt road through a dense copse of trees. Fritz had to stop and
open a locked gate then shut it behind them once they pulled through.

The property hadn’t belonged to the Carters when they were
in high school. Back then, the two of them had taken a different route to get
here, climbing fences and dodging briars. Trespassing essentially, no sense
denying it. Old man Turner would’ve gotten the shock of his life if he’d caught
them, but the only person who ever had was Eli. He’d just stood on the bank
laughing and threatening to steal their clothes until he’d conned Fritz out of
cash in exchange for his silence.

Fritz parked in the shade of an ancient live oak tree, its
gnarled limbs covered with bright green patches of resurrection fern and draped
in thick beards of Spanish moss.

The creek was about thirty yards wide at its thickest, over
her head in the centermost part, and crystal clear from being fed by natural
springs in the area. That’s also the reason why it was so chilly. It narrowed
as it meandered off through the woods to eventually feed into a larger
tributary of the Middle Oconee River. Good thing the creek didn’t resemble clay
soup like the Oconee did. Kai preferred to see what creatures were swimming
around her.

They climbed out of the truck, Kai leaving her flip-flops
behind on the floorboard. The grass was cool and crisp beneath her feet, the
location familiar if not a tad bittersweet. So many incredible memories had
been made there.

“Y’all have done a lot of work here,” she said, noting there
was more actual grass now than weeds and it had been mowed recently. It looked
as if several tree limbs had been trimmed too, and there was a small dock just
big enough for two people to sit on and fish.

“Me’n Sage built the dock last summer.” Fritz spread a faded
quilt on a sun-dappled patch of grass. “I try to keep it mowed to deter the
weeds and briars.”

Kai stripped off her tank top and shorts, folding them into
a neat stack on the corner of the blanket. “Can I help you with anything?”

“Nope.” He lugged a red cooler out of the back of his truck
as if it weighed no more than her shorts did. “But if you’re still standin’
there by the time I get changed, there’ll be no easin’ into the water.”

Oh crap.
She snatched the elastic from her ponytail,
twisting her hair up into a messy knot and re-securing the band around it while
shuffling into the cold water up to her knees. Jumping off the dock was for
brave people, not a wuss like her.

“Jesus,” she squeaked over the icy jolt to her nerve
endings.

A quick glance over her shoulder became a lusty stare when
Fritz yanked his T-shirt over his head then pushed his jeans and underwear down
and off his feet. Seeing him naked never got tiresome or routine. He cocked an
eyebrow as he stepped into his board shorts and she remembered his warning,
wading up to her hips with a gasp.

She’d managed to get chest-deep when Fritz did a shallow
dive off the end of the dock. He swam the fifteen feet that separated them
underwater, grabbing her hips and surfacing right in front of her. He passed a
hand down his face to get rid of some of the water before cupping her bottom in
his palms, encouraging her to wrap her legs around his hips.

Kai kissed him, twining her arms around his strong shoulders
to share his body heat. Their tongues met lazily as they floated, bodies
warming with the contact. When they parted again, she let go of him, allowing
his hands on her waist be her anchor while she stretched her arms wide, closed
her eyes and enjoyed the warm sunlight on her face.

“Nice suit,” he said, tracing one of the stars over her
right breast. Her bikini was adorned with a patriotic print, something she
hadn’t paid much mind to in her haste to grab one. “I feel like I should be
saying the Pledge of Allegiance.”

She smiled. “I was in a hurry.”

“Not complainin’. You always look beautiful, no matter what
you wear.”

“Sweet talker.”

“Take your hair down.”

She did, sliding the elastic onto her wrist. Fritz tipped
her backward and Kai dunked her head beneath the surface. Then he played in her
hair as it floated around her shoulders in a weightless cloud. “I remember when
you’d wear it in those long braids. The ends would curl around your nipples
when it got wet.”

He lifted his gaze to hers and Kai got lost in the sweet,
memory-fueled desire she saw there. His irises were such a unique color—not
entirely gray, not quite green either. Like the moss that dripped from the tree
branches around them.

She brushed his mouth with her thumb. “I wish I’d never left
you.”

The words surprised both of them. Kai felt a moment’s panic
after they left her lips; her heartbeat accelerating with worry that she’d
admitted something she should’ve kept a secret for a while longer. She heard
the short gust of air from Fritz’s mouth.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “I sometimes wish
that too, honey. But I understand now why you had to go, even though it hurt
something awful back then.”

“I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

“I know you are, but we’re past it now.”

Kai felt a sting in her sinuses. She didn’t want to ruin the
tender moment with tears. “Are we?”

He kissed her hard, squeezed her waist tight. “Yep.”

Relief coursed through her, making her feel even lighter in
his arms. So she closed her eyes again, letting Fritz hold her and steer them
wherever he wanted to go.