Page 95 of Trick or Tease

“That’s the best incentive I’ve heard,” I replied.

I watched her walk away, admiring the way her jeans hugged her curves, before forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. The sooner I got these vendor booths set up, the sooner I could find an excuse to help her with whatever she was doing at the old house.

And we both knew I was going to take full advantage of the time away from prying eyes. I needed that woman like I needed food and air.

The pop-up shelters were still in their packaging behind the barn, along with a stack of folding tables I’d picked up at the store yesterday. It should have been straightforward work, but as I started wrestling with the first canopy, I realized I’d underestimated how complicated the damn things could be.

Twenty minutes later, I was swearing under my breath as I tried to figure out why one corner kept collapsing every time I thought I had it secure. The instruction manual might as well have been written in ancient Greek.

“Need some help there?”

I looked up to see Tyler walking over with an amused expression. He had a can of soda in his hand and his baseball cap was pushed back on his head. He was the football jock type of kid. I knew his type. I had been his type.

I had no doubt in my mind he could probably get any girl he wanted. But he wasn’t cocky. He’d proven to be a pretty big help around the farm.

“I think I’m missing a crucial piece of information,” I admitted, gesturing at the half-assembled shelter that looked more like a toddler had been trying to assemble it than a grown-ass adult.

Tyler chuckled and set down his can. “These things are tricky if you haven’t done them before. Here, let me show you the trick.”

Within minutes, he had the shelter properly assembled and anchored. I watched carefully, filing away the technique for the next one.

“Thanks,” I said. “I should have asked for help sooner.”

“No shame.” He shrugged. “Need help with the other one?”

“I got it. Thanks.”

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said. “I gotta go help my mom. Cattle got loose.”

“Good luck,” I said.

He sauntered off without a care in the world.

He was a good kid. I remembered that age. But I had never been quite that casual. Even in high school I had big dreams. I didn’t think I sauntered anywhere. I knew what I wanted and how I was going to get there. I wasn’t like a lot of the kids at my law school. I had to bust my ass to make sure I got a scholarship. My parents didn’t have the money to pay for my education and I didn’t want to end up with a hundred grand in student loans.

I was actually a little envious of guys like Billy and Tyler. They found happiness in their lot in life. They couldn’t give a shit who wore what and what they drove.

I wanted to be like that.

35

SABRINA

Iwalked through the corn maze one final time, my flashlight cutting through the darkness as I checked for any stragglers who might have gotten lost or decided to hide out after closing. The maze felt different at night. During the day, with families laughing and kids shrieking with delight, it was just fun and games. But now, with shadows stretching between the tall stalks and my spooky decorations, I could almost understand why some of the younger visitors had been genuinely scared.

It was definitely spooky at night when it was so quiet. I could hear Billy’s voice carrying through the maze, but it sounded like he was miles away. If someone was hiding in the maze, I was probably going to have a mild heart attack.

I was rounding the corner near the final turn when a dark figure suddenly jumped out from behind the cornstalks.

“Boo!”

I screamed and nearly dropped my flashlight before I recognized Garrett’s laugh. “You absolute ass!” I gasped, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I could have had a heart attack!”

He was grinning like a devil, clearly pleased with himself. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. You looked so serious with your little flashlight, all business.”

“I was doing my job,” I said, but I was already smiling despite myself. “Making sure we don’t have any teenagers camping out in here overnight.”

“Well, you’ve got one adult who’s thinking about it,” he said, stepping closer. In the beam of my flashlight, his eyes flashed with familiar hunger. “This maze has some very private corners.”