Page 90 of Trick or Tease

“I’m headed there now,” I said. “I had a few chores to take care of.”

“Heard there’s a party.”

“A party?” I asked.

“Well, you know how it is,” she said with a laugh. “Billy needed some help and those men will jump at any chance to play with their big equipment.”

I frowned. “What equipment? Why?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Marge stopped by here to get a couple loaves of bread. Said she was making sandwiches for the boys.”

The boys could mean the football team or the men. Everyone under the age of fifty was considered a boy to Granny.

I shrugged again. “Do you need anything?”

“No. Thank you for the potatoes. I’ll have the apple butter for them tomorrow.”

I could smell it in the crockpot. “I’ll be back in the morning to pick it up.” I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re going to set up this weekend, right?”

“You know it.” She grinned. “This old lady needs Christmas money.”

I laughed. “Do you need any help making candy or anything?”

“No, no.” She shooed off. “You’ve got your hands full with that place. I’ve got a lot left over from the last fair. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, just holler if you need me.”

“Tell the boys I said hello,” she said.

“Will do.”

When I pulled up to the farm entrance, I had to do a double-take. There, mounted proudly above the gate, was the most gorgeous sign I’d ever seen. “HOGAN’S HAUNTED FARM” stretched across in bold black letters. It looked professional, like something you’d see at a real theme park.

There were some minor details that weren’t perfect, but no one wanted perfect for a farm sign. It would not fit with the rest of the aesthetic.

My heart swelled with pride as I parked and headed toward the group of men standing around admiring their handiwork. I could see Billy grinning from ear to ear, covered in paint splatters, with John Miller and Tom Rodriguez and several other neighbors all looking pretty pleased with themselves.

I didn’t see Garrett. He was probably in the office doing whatever paperwork he did. “Billy, that sign is absolutely perfect! It looks so professional and spooky and amazing!”

“These guys helped us get it up there,” Billy said.

“Good job, guys. Thank you.”

They all nodded and started saying their goodbyes, giving me and Billy some space.

Billy’s grin got even wider as he gestured toward the sign. “Pretty great, right? But don’t thank me. The design was all Garrett’s idea. The whole ‘Hogan’s Haunted Farm’ concept, the blood drips, everything. I just painted what he envisioned.”

I turned to look for Garrett and spotted him standing a little apart from the group, wiping paint off his hands with an old rag. When our eyes met, he gave me that small smile that made my stomach do flips.

Man, he’s so dreamy. I want to have his babies.

The thought hit me so suddenly and completely that I had to look away before I did something embarrassing like blurt it out loud. Where the hell had that come from? I mean, yes, Garrett was gorgeous and smart and incredible in bed, but babies? I was losing my dang mind.

“It’s brilliant,” I managed to say, forcing myself to focus on Billy instead of the way Garrett’s paint-stained shirt clung to his chest. “The whole branding concept is exactly what we needed. It ties everything together.”

“Right?” Billy said enthusiastically. “Garrett’s been full of ideas like this. The LLC paperwork, the insurance stuff, the marketing angle are all impressive. I swear, having him here has been like finding the missing piece of the puzzle we didn’t even know we were missing.”

I nodded eagerly. “He really has transformed this whole operation. I mean, we had the basic idea, but he’s the one who figured out how to make it actually work as a business. And not just the business side—he’s been right there with us doing the physical work too.”