“There she is.” Juliet studied her. “You seem different.”
Oh, God. It showed. She blushed.
“Ah, good sex.” Juliet shook her head. “I remember it well.”
Daisy gave her a knowing look. “Is it the architect?”
“Nope. Done with that.”
“It’s the farmer?” Juliet stated.
“Uh-huh.”
“He’s hot, Scarlet.” This from Daisy.
“Very hot,” Juliet chimed in.
“More than you know.”
They all laughed.
She chatted with them for a bit, then went back inside and got out her file on her first client. Garth Adams, a doctor who Heath had recommended to her, was depressed and didn’t know why. He’d said on the form he filled out that he had a great practice, was well respected in the medical community, and had a wife he loved. But obviously, all was not right with him.
A brief knock on the door to outside then it opened. He was attractive with dark hair, grayed at the temples, dynamic blue eyes and a body of a much younger man.
And he was depressed. She hoped she could help him.
* * *
After riding and feeding Stanley, Joe went home to take care of some immediate business. His farmhouse was average size, and not as large as Scarlet’s. He and his son didn’t need excessive space. The previous owner left all but the bedroom furniture; Joe had bought new beds—a cute little racecar for his son and a king size for him. He added dressers for them. He went inside what had been a den and was now his office. The walls were paneled in real knotty pine, and the mid-century desk was made of hardwood and there was lots of it. He sat in the cushy chair and took out his books.
He hadn’t purchased the land early enough to plant late summer vegetables like corn, beans, cucumbers and tomatoes, but he’d hired workers to put in lettuce, beets, carrots and broccoli in early fall. As the years went by, he’d enlarge the operation, but for now, he settled on one decent-sized field.
He turned to his finances. Things were tight but he’d saved enough to make it through several months here on a small income. After checking he was on track with his plan for the farm and making some notes, he got up and walked outside to inspect the field. The late August sun beat down on his head and bare arms, warming him inside and out. He walked up and down the rows that had been tilled and made ready for planting by his four hired workers. The scents of the rich loam of the earth settled him like it always did. He looked forward to the crops going in.
He went back inside to shower before he returned to Scarlet’s. He checked the time. He planned to be back when she returned at noon.
* * *
Daisy and Scarlet walked out together and when they reached her car Daisy said, “Hold on a sec. I want to ask you something.”
Scarlet smiled. Daisy loved seeing her friend so happy. “Sure.”
“I forgot to tell you earlier with all the guy stuff going on, but my condo is finally settled like I want it to be. I’m planning to have a cookout for our collective. Finn helped me move, you shared your barn with me, Oliver and Elise gave me ideas to decorate…you get the gist.”
“Super.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. She had to shade it from the sun. “When is it?”
“Next weekend. I checked with everyone else earlier. They can come.”
“I can, too.”
“You can bring him, you know.”
“I’ll ask. But he has a son and I don’t know any babysitters.”
“Bring him. Liam’s sixteen but I saved all his toys so they’ll keep him busy. And there’s always the TV.”
“Joe’s kind of shy. Not exactly shy. Reserved, I guess.” Scarlet giggled. “Except in bed.”
