Page 14 of Stealing Kisses

He spent a moment with the other two horses, named Phoebe and Eros. Then he made his way up the circular, wrought-iron stairs leading to a second story over the office and storerooms, where windows overlooking the open expanse of the barn glowed with soft yellow light.

Someone had left a light on for him.

The condo portion of the barn rivaled any dorm or apartment Teddy’d inhabited during his journey through college and the minors.

The door at the top of the stairs opened to a cozy living area. A soft and inviting brown leather sectional the color of tobacco filled most of the room. Quilts in a variety of sizes and colors covered the rungs of a rustic wooden ladder. An armchair upholstered in a southwestern print paid homage to Native American artistry. A television hung over a gas log fireplace thatsomeonehad left burning to warm the space. Between the rock fireplace facing and the large sofa, a square coffee table held an assortment of decorative and necessary items such as the television remote, a stack ofWestern Art Collectormagazines, a set of sandstone coasters, two large-format photography books, playing cards in a box, a square box of tissues, a leather-scented candle, and a binder with instructions for the TV, fireplace, thermostat, and Wi-Fi.

After rifling through theaccoutrements, Teddy glanced around the kitchen. The stocked cabinets contained a plethora of pots, pans, and cookie sheets. In the fridge he found a glass pitcher of milk, a bowl of fresh fruit, a few single-serve yogurts, and two jars of homemade jam. A box of dry cereal, a bag of granola, and three blueberry muffins — each covered in plastic wrap and tied with a ribbon — filled a basket on the countertop. A coffee pot and a pouch of fresh ground beans sat beside the basket. Plates, cups, mugs, bowls, silverware, and fringe-trimmed cloth napkins provided an eye-catching and usefulsetting on the small round table. Each of the four dining chairs held a pillow made from a quilt block; the pillow trim matched the napkins.Someonehad put an awful lot of work into creating stylish yet functional guest quarters.

Designed like the shotgun houses he knew from Louisiana, the condo’s layout led from living space to kitchen to utility room to bedroom to bathroom. At about eighteen feet wide, it used every inch of space, yet nothing felt cramped. And in every room, the same intentional care had gone into selecting comfortable furniture, attractive finishes, and all the amenities a guest could need.

Someonedid an outstanding job putting it together.

After a quick shower, Teddy climbed into bed in the way-more-than-adequate lodgings. He inhaled the sharp, woodsy scent of the crisp, fresh-laundered linens.

And he thought of thatsomeone.

7

Think in the morning.

Act in the noon.

Eat in the evening.

Sleep in the night.

William Blake

After sending Teddy to the barn, Baylin took a quick shower and returned to the parlor. By the light of her laptop, she surveyed the items remaining on the day’s checklist. Baylin checked and answered emails, reconciled the farm accounts and paid bills, printed packing slips for orders from the farm’s online store, noted which items to restock, and reviewed Monday’s to-do list. With those chores done, she checked doors, adjusted the thermostat, and headed to her room. At 11 o’clock sharp, Baylin turned back the covers and quilts on her bed, climbed in, and closed her eyes.

But sleep evaded her.

Instead of the dark oblivion she typically enjoyed after a long Sunday of early morning chores followed by church and lunch in town, an afternoon of making up for the morning off, and anevening of preparing for the week ahead, Teddy appeared in her mind.

He was easy on the eyes, no denying that.

At five foot seven, Baylin didn’t consider herself short, but also not tall. Teddy towered over her; he had to be at least six foot two. But not lanky. No, he filled out his faded blue jeans and soft cotton t-shirt quite nicely.

His well-worn boots, muscular build, natural tan, andaw-shucksapproach to life led her to believe he worked with his hands, not behind a desk where he’d wear a suit and tie and sit in a quiet cubicle day after day. Baylin understood people who worked outdoors, doing physical labor… Those were her people.

Once upon a time, Baylin had considered a sophisticated, fancy-dressing corporate type life in a city. She’d applied to colleges all over the country and accepted a scholarship to attend the business school at Southern Methodist University. Dallas wasn’t too far of a drive from Green Hills and living in Big D had sounded glitzy and glamorous. SMU’s campus and the buzz of energy she felt when she visited for her admissions interview sold her on the adventure. She’d even dreamed of staying there for law school after earning her undergraduate degree. Excited for the future and eager for the unknown, Baylin had been open to wherever the path led.

But a week before her high school graduation, tragedy struck.

Papa Joe died in a freak farming accident. One minute he’d been strong and healthy; the next minute he’d been gone.

Grandma, who’d been showing early signs of dementia, couldn’t handle the farm by herself, wouldn’t have known what farm work to do daily even without the memory challenges. The house and garden had always been her domain, the crops and animals had been Papa Joe’s.

And Baylin’s.

Since she’d been big enough to sit on a pony and carry a feed bucket, Baylin had been Papa Joe’s constant companion on the farm. She’d lived in town with her parents, but she’d spent every available second, every weekend, and every school break on the O’Casey Farm.

After Papa Joe’s sudden death, Baylin canceled her plan to attend SMU so she could help her family. When her parents announced plans to sell the farm and find an assisted living community for Grandma, Baylin gave up on going awaytocollege. Instead, she completed her studies online and at a different school, one known for the new degree she sought: agricultural business and farm management.

The business degree had come in handy since she’d bought out her parents’ financial interest in the farm. In the five and a half years she’d been running it, they’d expanded the operation. She’d worked alongside the Sharp family, who owned the most successful ranching enterprise in the area, if not the entire state of Oklahoma. Hudson Sharp and his aunt Juniper had advised and mentored Baylin. They’d been a surrogate family since her mom and dad moved to Florida. Between her dad’s inheritance and the funds they received from selling to Baylin, her parents had the means to retire from her dad’s job as a local insurance agent and her mom’s job as the elementary school secretary.

Besides the icky feeling that Papa Joe’s death had made it possible, Baylin had no qualms with her parents’ decision to leave. The farm had never been their thing, and they’d only stayed in Green Hills so long for Baylin to grow up there, in a safe community and surrounded by friends and loved ones. They loved their life in Florida, and Baylin loved that for them.

---