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“Same thing I always do. Work the farm.”
“What’s the first thing you do in the mornings once you start work?”
“I make sure the eggs are collected, and then I move the prairie schooner.”
“What’s a prairie schooner?”
I thought about how best to describe it to someone who’d never seen one before. “Remember when I told you that chickens like shade? That’s what a prairie schooner does. It’s like a big, open-sided tent that’s mounted on skids, with nesting boxes along one side. But, anyway, chickens like to eat bugs, and they also poop a lot. So we have to move the prairie schooner every day to make sure they have a clean and fresh environment. It also helps to fertilize the soil.”
“Do you move it with a tractor?”
“Of course.”
“I want to see you drive a tractor.”
“You’re welcome at the farm anytime.”
“Then what?”
“It depends on the season. I’ll check the greenhouse or the crops or see how harvesting is going or work with a new batch of chickens or turn the fields over, and then there’s the whole management and personnel side of things, as well as interacting with customers. It goes without saying that something is always breaking or needs repairing. I wake every day with what feels like a thousand things to do. You’d be amazed at what it takes to move an egg or tomato from the farm to a grocery store.”
“How do you pull it all off?”
“My aunt does a lot, as does the general manager. I’ve also learned to prioritize.”
“I don’t think I’d be cut out for a life like that,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean, I’m responsible, just not that responsible.”
“You don’t have to live that life. You’re going to be famous.”
“From your lips to God’s ears.”
“Trust me,” I said, knowing I’d never been as certain about anything.
Once we finished eating, we wandered down the beach to the Don. The beachside restaurant was half full; I saw others taking in the evening from loungers at the poolside. Another couple was making their way from the hotel to the beach; lost in their own conversation, they walked past without seeming to notice us. Morgan stopped on the sand just steps from the deck and turned toward me. Staring at her, I thought again that I’d never seen anyone more beautiful.
“I guess this is it,” I said.
She seemed to study the hotel before turning back to me. “Thank you for today,” she said. “For everything.”
“My pleasure,” I said. “It was the best day I’ve had here.”
“Me, too,” she said, with such tenderness that what happened next seemed inevitable.
I closed the gap between us and tugged her gently toward me. I saw her eyes widen ever so slightly, and for an instant I wondered if I should stop. Though she’d kissed me twice, I think both of us knew this one would be different, that this kiss would carry with it emotions that neither of us had anticipated until this very moment.
But I could no longer help myself, and tilting my head, I closed my eyes as our lips came together, softly at first, and then with even more passion. I felt her body press against mine, and when our tongues met, warmth surged like an underground current through me. Wrapping both arms around her, I heard her give a deep-throated purr, and her hand wound its way up into my hair.
As we kissed, my mind searched for answers, trying to grasp when and how it had happened. It might have been while we were in the kayaks or when I heard her sing or even while we had dinner together—but I suddenly understood that I’d fallen in love with this woman, a woman I’d met only days ago; already, though, I felt as if I’d known her forever.
When we separated, my feelings threatened to overflow, but I forced myself to remain quiet. We simply stared at each other until I finally let out a breath, not realizing that I’d been holding it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night, Morgan,” I said, my voice almost hoarse.
“Good night, Colby,” she answered, studying my face as if committing it to memory, and minutes later, as I walked down the beach, I found myself reliving the kiss, certain that my life would never be the same.
Beverly couldn’t stop thinking about cameras in the bus stations.
How could she have been so dumb? Hadn’t there been a zillion movies and television shows where the government used those cameras to catch spies and criminals? Oh, she knew electronic surveillance wasn’t quite as sophisticated as what Hollywood portrayed, but even local television news confirmed that cameras were everywhere these days. They were installed on street corners, in traffic lights, above the cash registers at small businesses. She’d remembered their presence when she took Tommie to the convenience store to get him something to eat, so why hadn’t she considered something even more obvious?
