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She liked that he watched her as she left. She liked that he kept thinking about her.
How far would things go between them? She wasn’t sure, but she was willing to find out.
9
Haylee sat at Tyson’s side as he drove his truck through the entrance to Apple Amy’s Sunday afternoon. The sky was a bright, clear blue, the sun shining down on the crowd as people walked from one fall festival event to another.
Tyson parked and hurried around to open Haylee’s door and help her out of the truck. He took her hand in his big one as they walked toward the main area, where the information booth sat. She glanced up at the big, good-looking man and smiled to herself.
Colorful pendants fluttered in the breeze, draped from ropes throughout the area. Balloons tied in bunches and secured in front of each building bobbed as they floated in the air. Bright orange pumpkins were arranged in front of and around bales of yellow straw near the entrance.
Haylee drew in smells of candy apples, cider, roasted almonds, and freshly baked treats. “Before we go home, I want to buy one of their famous pies.”
“I intend to get a few.” He looked down at her. “A whole one for me and a couple for the men.” His mouth quirked. “I don’t intend to share mine.”
She batted her eyelashes. “Not even with little ol’ me?”
He chuckled. “I’ll consider it.”
They reached a water basin perched on a pedestal, where a young man bobbed for apples. He came up, one between his teeth and water running in rivulets down his face and into the collar of his shirt.
Haylee applauded with the other onlookers, and this time, a teenage girl moved to the basin.
“Have you ever bobbed for apples?” She looked up at Tyson. “I used to be pretty good at it, but it’s been ages.”
He shrugged. “Never tried.”
She gripped his hand and drew him toward the line. “Here’s your chance.”
He gave her a good-natured look and took his place, two behind the teenage girl. The line went down fairly quickly, and Tyson handed Haylee his hat and took his place in front of the basin.
“Hands behind your back.” Haylee grinned. “Now go.”
Tyson tried for one of the dozen or so apples in the basin. The crowd cheered him on. By the time he’d bit into one, his face and hair were wet, and water rolled into his collar. The crowd cheered, and Tyson raised his fruit like a prize fighter’s trophy.
Haylee laughed and hugged him, water dripping into her hair.
“Your turn,” he said before biting into his apple and crunching it.
“Nah.” She shook her head. “It was fun just watching you.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him along, past a pumpkin-guts treasure hunt for the kids that was going on next to a pin-the-tail-on-the-pumpkin event for the youngest of the festivalgoers.
They reached the small bowling alley and watched a young woman put her fingers into three holes in a bowling ball-sized pumpkin and rolled it straight for a set of pins with scarecrows taped to the front. She completely missed them, and her “bowling ball” rolled into the gutter.
Haylee took a turn and missed her first throw but got a strike on her second. Tyson knocked down all but one pin but missed the spare on the next roll.
After wiping pumpkin goo from their fingers with hand wipes, they moved on to the next booth, face painting, with the proceeds going to the children’s hospital. Haylee’s sister-in-law, Marlee, was decorating their six-and-a-half-year-old twin nieces, Emily’s and Olivia’s, faces.
“Come get your face painted.” Emily jogged out and took Haylee’s hand. “Marlee’s so good at it.”
“Sounds like fun.” Haylee smiled and left Tyson behind. She plopped down on the straw bale in front of Marlee. “Heya.”
“Ooh, you’re letting me get my hands on you?” Marlee gave her a devilish look. “I could paint your face green and give you warts.”
“I’ll settle for lacy butterflies.” Haylee laughed. “Not too much.”
Tyson looked amused and settled onto a bale to watch. “Give her the works.”
“Don’t listen to him.” Haylee smirked. “Make me pretty.”
