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He was on the clock. He had exactly an hour before her butt needed to be in her office chair.

A few minutes later, he turned off the main road onto the familiar gravel road, and she lifted her head and scanned their surroundings. He studied her expression and waited.

Please be cool with this.

If there was one place he could take her where she might actually enjoy herself, it was here. If this didn’t work, he was out of ideas.

A hint of a smile appeared on her tired-looking face, and her shoulders relaxed slightly. “The pumpkin patch?”

Whitney may not be a Halloween fan for its creepiness and frights, but she always loved visiting the pumpkin patch in the fall. They’d spend hours getting lost in the corn maze, enjoying the hayrides, and picking out the most perfect pumpkins in the field.

They hadn’t gone the year before, and he’d missed their yearly tradition. He knew if he’d tried to schedule it in her calendar this year, the idea would be met with excuses, so kidnapping her for an hour was the only way.

And he was glad he took the risk, when her mood seemed to lighten as they drove under the archway into the parking lot.

She unbuckled her seat belt, and they climbed out. He took her hand in his as they made their way to the entrance and paid their admittance. He fastened the orange armband on her wrist before putting on his own, and then they headed through the decorated gates.

The familiar sight warmed him like a pumpkin spice latte. The old farm was decorated exactly the same way every year, with stacks of climbable hay bales for kids, a tractor hayride making its way through the fields. Tall cornstalks formed the annual maze that changed every year, which he and Whitney could never figure out without the help of clues. There were vegetable stands set up and a hot chocolate and cookie hut. Small gift shops sold fall and Halloween decorations and homemade fudge and a small, kid-friendly haunted house was in the old barn. Kids’ crafts and activities were set up under dome tents along the edge of the property.

The crunchy fall leaves and the slightly muddy ground beneath their feet along with the slight chill in the air on the sunny, bright day was the perfect atmosphere for the outing.

He hoped someday they’d be taking their own children here. Continuing the tradition as a family. He kept that thought to himself, though, for fear of ruining the light mood that had wrapped around Whitney as they entered.

“What do you want to do first?” he asked.

“Um…I could use some hot chocolate for the hayride,” she said with a small smile, as though reluctant to enjoy the moment but losing a battle with herself.

He struggled to hide his happiness and relief. In that moment, she seemed exactly like her old self. Her eyes, still tired, held a vibrancy he hadn’t seen in a long time, and color had even seemed to return to her cheeks. Of course, it could be the cool breeze, but he’d take it. She was outside. She was relaxed. She was spending time with him without her cell phone in her hand, and she wanted to eat. Or at least drink hot chocolate.

He couldn’t believe the transformation. If he’d known this place held this kind of power, he’d have brought her here sooner.

Damn, it was tempting to drag her butt there every day.

They approached the hot chocolate stand, and she pointed to the biggest cup they had. “I’ll take one of those, please.”

The young girl working behind the counter, dressed in a plaid jacket and matching hat, smiled. “Marshmallows, whipped cream, or chocolate sprinkles?”

“All of the above?” Whitney said.

The girl laughed. “Good choice.”

“I’ll have the same,” Trent said. He sent a quick glance at Whitney as they waited. She was looking around at the festivities, and the expression on her face had his chest actually aching. He hadn’t realized how much seeing her happy made him happy. He’d do anything to ensure that expression stayed as long as possible.

“Here you go. Enjoy!” The young girl placed their cups in front of them, and Trent handed over the three dollars, which did not seem even close to enough to cover the cost of watching his fiancée take a sip and close her eyes as she savored the rich flavors.

He’d empty his bank account to witness her lick the whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles off the top every day of the week.

“Hayride?” he said.

“Lead the way.”

They carried their hot chocolate to the waiting farm tractor and climbed on board the hay bales in the back with several families. Trent wrapped an arm around her. She snuggled into him as they bumped along the uneven terrain, and he held her tight.

The kids across from them laughed as they were shaken around, and he was about to comment on how cute they were bundled in their little thermal vests and sweaters, hats, and mittens, but he bit his tongue.

No more mentioning children, which seemed to set Whitney off lately. Just like the wedding plans, he was leaving it to her. She’d bring up the subject when she was ready.

Unfortunately, she didn’t even seem to notice the kids as she tilted her head back toward the sun, smiling as the fresh air blew through her blond hair. Disappointment threatened to ruin his mood, so he pushed thoughts of the future away as he held her tight and sipped his hot chocolate.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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