Ivy was a farm girl.” In the front entrance, I stop to take a breath as the very scent of home, hearth, and apple pie hits at the same time. “You, though.” He gives my chin a playful nudge. “I can see it.”
“Is it the overalls?” I ask with a laugh, not really needing him to answer that question.
“And the pigtails.” He gives my hair a little tug.
“I like my pigtails.” I head up the steps, and he follows behind me.
He chuckles. “I like them too.” At the top of the stairs, he peeks into one of the bedrooms. “Tell me I don’t have to share with Landon.”
“Nope, you guys each have your own room. He’s in the loft at the end of the hall.” Footsteps pound on the stairs, and Landon and Ivy come up with their bags. Ivy walks into her room and throws herself on her bed. “Landon, get in here,” she says, her voice soft, a purr almost, but I don’t think Mom and Dad will allow them to share a bed. They’ll have to sneak out to one of the many barns if they want to have sex. I just hope I don’t stumble upon them.
“Hey, what was that all about?” Landon asks me in the hall.
“Nothing, just Brady fooling around.”
“Fooling around?” he asks.
“Shit, man,” Brady says. “Your grandfather was a cool guy.” Needing to be away from Landon, from the way his heat reaches out to me as he stands too close, I step into Grandad’s old room and find Brady looking at the pictures on the wall. I glance over the pictures. Some are of Granddad and Grandma, and some are just of Granddad from the war, some on his tractor, while others are him with a hammer in his hand, building the very house we’re standing in.
“He built this place, huh?”
“Yup, the farm was actually his father’s, and Granddad built this place on the bare land. I miss him and Grandma.”
Brady smiles at me, and gives me another little fist bump on the chin. “You’re a good one, Ella,” he says. “Is it time to eat yet?”
“Our feast is tomorrow, but if you’re hungry, we can go grab you a snack, or we can go get some fruit from the barns.”
“Lead the way,” he says.
In the hall, I find Landon leaning against the doorjamb as Ivy shows him all her childhood things. “Hey, can I come for the tour?” he asks.
“Sure.” I try not to react as I walk past him, my knuckles brushing his.
“Ivy, you coming?” I ask.
“I’ve seen the farm numerous times.” She snorts, gives a big eye roll and puts her hand on her hip, like she’s impatient with me.
“Just us then,” I say to the guys.
“Hurry back,” Ivy calls out, and tosses herself back onto her bed.
Like kids filing from a classroom during a fire alarm, we form a line as we head downstairs, and the smell of cookies fresh out of the oven reaches our nostrils.
“Can I take a rain check?” Brady rubs his stomach. “I believe your mom might need some help in the kitchen.”
I laugh at that. “Go, I can show you around later if you want.”
“I want,” he says, and winks at me. “Does the barn have a hay loft?”
“Oh, please.” I give him a little shove. We both laugh. Landon, however, does not look impressed at all.
“Did you invite him here because you like him?”
“Sure, I like him,” I say. “And he’s your best friend. I didn’t want to see him alone.”
He gives a small nod as Brady disappears into the kitchen. “That was nice of you.”
“Brady thought so too.”
I push open the screen door and step outside with Landon. The warm air falls over me, and I breathe in the fresh farm scents. “Can you smell the apples?” I ask him. He nods and I head toward the storage barn. Landon follows me, and he looks like he has something on his mind.
“This place is beautiful,” he says. “I can see trees for miles.”
“No apple farms in Texas?” I ask.
“I’m sure there are. I’ve just never been to one.”
“You should always take time to stop and smell the…apples,” I say to him.
“You’re one to talk. I don’t know anyone who works harder than you.”
Excitement bubbles up inside me, and I glance over my shoulder to make sure we’re alone. Call me superstitious, much like Landon with his ladybug keychain, but I’ve been keeping a secret since this morning, and I don’t want