Falling For You (Honey Leaf Lodge #1)

Chapter Seven

Violet

“You have a lot of explaining to do,” I told my brother.

Liam chuckled and shrugged before raking the stall.

My hands flew to my hips. “I’m serious. What if Owen is a stalker or a murderer?”

“Well, if he were either of those things, he’s not very good because he has a ton of witnesses along the way.” He grinned at me. “Besides, I thought the flowers were a nice touch.”

I groaned. “You’re not getting my point.”

“No. I know exactly what you’re getting at. You kind of like the guy and don’t want any of us to know or point him in the right direction because, God forbid, you’re interested.”

I scowled at Liam. “There is no right direction with him. He’s completely wrong for me.”

“How would you know? You’ve barely even spoken to him.”

“Because he’s like all the other guys I’ve dated. He’s solely focused on his career. His grumpiness can be mistaken for being endearing and earnest. Red flag central.” I shook my head. “And he doesn’t even like small towns.”

“And you do?” Liam grinned. “You couldn’t wait to get out of here when you were in your twenties.”

“Right.” I nodded. “And then I learned the error of my ways, and I won’t do that twice.” I glanced around the barn. “This is my home. Liddie needs me.”

Liam stopped raking and leaned the tool against the wall. “Or do you need Liddie?”

I chuckled. “Okay. Enough with the psychology stuff. Buttercup Lake makes me happy. Honey Leaf Lodge makes me happier. And my family makes me thehappiest. How’s that for a surprise?”

“I have a secret.” Liam leaned over and whispered, “It’s no surprise.”

“Anyway, he brought me the sunflowers, and we went out for coffee.”

“And?”

“He’s not so bad.” I shrugged. “How about you and Evie?”

His eyes lit up. “We’re going out on Friday night.”

“Really? That’s awesome.”

“I think so.” He nodded. “Did you finish all the blog photos from lunch today?”

“I did.”

“But have you posted them yet?”

I groaned. “You know me so well. I cook the meals, take the pictures, and then never get them uploaded.”

“Listen, Vi. I totally believe in you. We all do. I think your food blog could really pop off. I always see recipes come over my feeds, and they’re nowhere near as tasty looking as yours.”

“You’re such a good brother.” My chest tightened because I knew he was right. “I know. I just have to get more disciplined to see where it goes.”

He nodded, smiling. “You’ll get there, and remember, you can always ask me to taste test.”

I chuckled and glanced around the barn. “Just try not to send too many men to my cabin in the woods, please.”

“Fine. He’ll be the last one.”

I didn’t believe him, but at least I said it out loud.

“Guys, we’ve got one!” Sienna ran into the barn breathless.

“Got one what?” I asked, sensing her excitement.

“A zebra,” she panted as she scanned the barn. “A mare. She’s been the target of bullying at her current rescue, so I thought she might fit in great here.”

“Is she healthy?” I asked, knowing with our little rescue at the lodge, sometimes the animals came in needing help.

“Yup. As far as we know.” Sienna hopped on her toes and clapped her hands. “The truck is backing up the horse trailer now.”

She spun on her boots and darted out of the barn.

“I’d love to get that excited about something.” I grinned at my brother.

“Speak for yourself. I wake up that way every single morning.”

The smell of hay and the sound of the horses’ hooves on the ground filled the air as our animals looked to get a glimpse of the new arrival.

I chuckled. “Somehow, I believe it.”

My phone buzzed, and I looked down to see an unknown number with a text sliding across my screen.

How did lunch go?It was great seeing you this morning.

My eyes flew to my brother, who picked up the rake again.

“Did you give him my number?”

His brows raised innocently. “Who?”

I cocked my head and laughed. “You know who.”

He glanced over my shoulder. “I bet Sienna needs some help with that zebra. I’ll see you in a bit.”

I chuckled and shook my head as I returned my gaze to my cell.

Who is this?

His message slid over.

Umm. Do you have a lot of breakfast dates in a day?

I playfully scowled and wrote back.

How did you get my number?

He wrote back.

Your brother. But you didn’t answer my question. Do you have a lot of coffee dates? Dates in general?

I chuckled, thankful no one could hear it, and typed a response.

Noneya

He wrote back a question mark.

And I gleefully typed back,

Noneya business .

He wrote back a smiley face and another text.

Would you mind if I picked you up for dinner this evening?

I glanced around the barn and twisted my lips into a contemplative pout. My head knew not to continue whatever this was, but my traitor of a heart had a different idea. Apparently, the heart controlled my fingers.

I would love that. I’ll be done in the kitchen and back at my house around seven.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw his message pop up.

I’ll be there.

“What am I doing?” I muttered to myself.

I zipped up my coat and walked out of the barn. Liam and Sienna were walking with the zebra, and I waved. I didn’t want to rush over there and cause any commotion since everything looked pretty calm at the moment. It didn’t take much to upset the balance when introducing new rescues.

Walking around the petting zoo and through the woods to my cabin, I thought about Owen.

He was absolutely gorgeous with his green eyes and dark blond hair. He might almost fit in if he had a bit more dust on his work boots and flannels that didn’t look like they’d been pressed.

But what I didn’t understand about any of this was why me?

Why in the world would he keep coming back for more? I’d told him I wasn’t thrilled with his saltiness and didn’t trust his motives.

Yet, here he was again.

Maybe he was one of those men who just liked a challenge. I’d run across that type more times than I could count in Chicago.

The more likely option was that he needed something to fill his time at Buttercup Lake. I scowled at the notion.

“On that note, I’m going to go check in at Vern’s,” I muttered.

I veered off the path and wound along the country road about a half mile down the way until I reached his long gravel drive. His truck and car were parked in front of the garage, and I trundled up the stairs to his old farmhouse.

Tapping on the screen door wiggled some loose leaves under the screen that dropped to the porch. I glanced around the covered porch where several pumpkins had been propped in the corner, along with a Welcome Fall, Welcome All wooden sign.

Not hearing any shuffling or voices from Vern or his wife, I knocked again, only harder.

This time, I heard some muffled voices, so I straightened, waiting for one of them to come to the door.

They never did.

My lips pulled into a frown, and I spun around to return home.

Vern didn’t want to open his door, and he probably knew it was me with as many cameras as he had installed around his property.

I didn’t like this at all. Avoiding me definitely had to do with Owen, and none of this added up to anything I wanted to think about.

I thought about all the possibilities as I went down the driveway and back to my cabin. Could Vern be selling his property to one of those big farming corporations? Local people didn’t usually love that idea. Maybe he wanted to keep it secret until he left town.

My frown deepened. Nah. I couldn’t imagine his wanting to ever leave Buttercup Lake.

Plus, he told my parents they had first dibs if he ever sold.

Maybe he just wanted to sell his property and buy a smaller home closer to town.

But why hide it and not ask our family?

I shook my head in bewilderment as I walked to my cabin.

One thing I knew was that I would find out before Owen got around to telling me.

“Good afternoon, Violet,” Millie smiled at me, and I nearly shot through the trees.

The older woman popped out of nowhere. She was a town fixture nearly as old as the town itself.

Millie also ran the local book club, but I knew to avoid it. Strange things always happened to those who joined,like love and marriage.

I shivered at the thought.

“Hey, Millie. What brings you here?” I asked, glancing at my cabin.

“I spoke with your mom about having a small petting zoo at our Fall Festival, and she said absolutely.”

I nodded enthusiastically, knowing there was more to this than a simple lending of animals.

“Great news.”

“And your mom mentioned that you might be willing to make some cupcakes for our auction.”

I smiled, letting out a relieved sigh. “Yes. Absolutely. I’d love to.”

She beamed, glancing at the carpet of leaves, and muttered something else I couldn’t decipher.

“What was that, Millie?” I shook my head.

“And the snglection.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Still have absolutely no clue what you said.”

She moved her thin lips into an even wider grin. “And a singles’ auction.”

I choked. “Pardon me?”

“You know, a fun little raffle for the singles in our town.”

Terror pulsed through me. “I’m not single.”

She cocked her head. “Since when?”

“I mean, I’m single, but I’m not available.”

She pulled on her orange scarf and crossed her arms over her chest. “So, you’re with someone?”

“No, but I don’t want to be with anyone.”

Her nose crinkled like the wires in her head had fried. “It’s just for fun and supports a great cause.”

My brows lifted. “The book club?”

She snickered. “No, silly. It’s full Thanksgiving meals for the folks around here who need them.”

A grumble erupted from my lips as my shoulders lowered in defeat. “Fine.”

“And there’s one more thing.”

I looked into the brilliant blue sky and shook my head. “What more could there possibly be?”

“Well, to make things fairer, we want everyone to wear a costume.” She chuckled. “We want everyone unrecognizable, so there’s no cheating.”

I laughed and shook my head. “What do you mean, cheating ?”

She pushed her lips into a concerned expression. “I don’t know. I just don’t want anyone going up there and getting no bids because…”

“Because why?”

“Well, what if they’re not a looker?” She grimaced.

My hands flew to my mouth. “Millie, there’s someone for everyone.”

“Oh, believe me. I know that more than anyone, but what if that someone isn’t in Buttercup Lake, and that poor soul feels bad?”

“That has to be the sweetest thing I’ve heard recently.”

“So, it’s a deal?”

I nodded. “Deal.”

“And just write a little something up about yourself that sounds alluring.”

“I don’t know if I can cook something up like that, but I’ll do my best.”

“Oh, you’re quite the catch. All your siblings are. I just don’t know why I couldn’t talk any of them into the auction.”

My foot automatically stomped. “Wait. What? My brothers and sisters aren’t doing it?”

She shook her head. “Nope. No matter what I tried, they each said no.” She shrugged and turned back toward the main lodge. “It’s in two weeks. I’ll email you the details, and if you need any help with a disguise, let me know.”

I nodded with a quick wave before letting myself into my cabin.

It figured I was the one sibling who got roped into this.