Page 3 of Taking Chances in Cedarwood

Time to be myself.

Chapter Two

Andrew arranged the display of cucumbers at his farmers’ market stand. He loved spending his Saturdays at the market. The other farmers kept him company, and he liked being among his people. His stepsister, Maddie, normally helped him, but she claimed she had other business. He didn’t care.

He sold the last bunch of carrots, then moved the displays to fill the void. The Cedarwood Farmers’ Market was the highlight of his week. He paused.Does that mean I’ve become boring?His stepsister would probably agree. He’d never been a hellraiser or one to call attention to himself. Selling produce had never been difficult, though.

A man approached the stand and smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Andrew swept his gaze over the man.Handsome. Polished.Electricity filled the air. He hadn’t felt this way in forever. “How are you today?” If he didn’t start acting like a salesman, he risked not moving more of his goods. He hated the idea of being there just to push stuff, but that was the point—to sell produce.

“I’m just looking.” The guy smiled again. “I’m Cain.”

“Hello, Cain.” He stuck out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Andrew.”

“You grew all this?” Cain asked. He shook hands with Andrew and didn’t let go right away. “You’re talented.”

At handshakes? Hardly.Andrew rounded the display to stand beside Cain. “I can grow food, yeah.” He noticed the fine dusting of hairs along Cain’s jaw and the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he considered the produce. Had he noticed the crackle in the air? Or was it just on Andrew’s side?Probably.

“I’ve never actually seen food coming from the ground.” Cain sighed. “That sounded strange.”

“No, it’s fine. A lot of people don’t know. They assume their dinner comes from a can.” Andrew widened his stance and folded his arms. His stepsister would’ve said he’d moved into his farmer’s pose. Maybe he had. He didn’t care. “I take it you’ve never been to a farm.”

“Never.” Cain’s eyes lit up. “Is it strange that I want to buy one of everything here, but I can’t?”

“No money?” He’d gladly donate. Cain didn’t strike him as being needy, but hey, everyone needed a good meal with hearty veggies.

“No, I can’t cook.” Cain blushed from his hairline to his collar. “Never learned.”

“That’s no big deal.”

When Cain faced Andrew, the light caught the all the shades of blond within Cain’s hair. Did he have a few freckles, too? Andrew fought the urge to whimper. He had thing for guys with freckles.

“Do you know how to cook? Or do you have someone do it for you?” Cain asked. “I’m sorry. I’m nosy.”

“I learned to cook because I live on my own. Either I cook or I starve.” He nodded to the produce. “I’m about to start cleaning up. Would you like to get together for dinner?” He’d gone way out of his comfort zone by asking Cain to go for a meal, but if he didn’t say something, he’d never know if Cain was interested or just looking for a handout.

“You’d do that?” Cain brightened. “I’d love it.” He gestured to the stand. “What can I help you pick up? I’m fairly useless, but I know how to box things.”

Interesting.He had so many questions for Cain. “Well, why don’t we put the veggies in the boxes? I’ll be right back.” He hurried behind the stand and locked the cash bag, then deposited it in the console of his truck. He hit the fob to engage the locks on his vehicle before he returned to the stand. “Had to take care of some business.”

“I don’t mind.” Cain continued to carefully pack the tomatoes in the box. “What do you do with what you don’t sell?”

“Cammie comes by and takes it for the food pantry. People will come through the line and she’ll get them bags of fresh produce.” He shrugged and boxed the last few cucumbers. “Nothing goes to waste and it helps the community.”

“That’s wicked.” Cain finished with the tomatoes, then boxed the cauliflower. “I had to do this for a commercial once.”

“A commercial?” The guy was photogenic. “I’ve never done anything like that. The local news showed up when the market opened for the season.”

“I’ll bet they focused on you.” Cain eased the flaps closed on his box. “You’ve got quite the setup.”

“Thanks, but they didn’t. The guy said I wasn’t pretty enough for television.” He nodded in the direction of the woman selling cheese. “She made the cut.”

Cain crinkled his nose. “Cheese lady? She’s cute, but it’s cheese.” He laughed. “What am I saying? I’ll bet she helps make that cheese just like you grow this.”

“She does. She and her husband own a dairy.” He spotted Cammie. “Hold up. Cammie’s coming, and she’ll need help getting this onto the dolly.”

“Sure.” Cain wiped his hands on his jeans.

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