The town fair was a couple of weeks away, and he wanted to be ready for it.
He waited for Poppy to finish washing out their glasses and then followed behind her as she made her way upstairs. All it would take was him reaching out to her to have her in his arms. He fisted his hands, said goodnight, and went to his room.
She wasn’t ready yet.
One day soon, she would be, and then he’d get to hold her, take care of her, and show the world how much he did.
****
Most of the town didn’t mind the Smiths’ strange relationship. It was only a few people who openly sneered at them. Parker couldn’t help but laugh as she watched his mother and Poppy organize several of the stands. It was coming toward the end of summer, and with that there was always a feast, a celebration of a good harvest, and shit like that.
Many years ago, it was a huge deal as the local ranchers and farmers supplied the town with food, and there’d be a canning event where they’d preserve their stocks for the winter.
Seeing as they didn’t need to do that, the canning had been dropped even though some households still did it, but the fair was still there. It was an excuse for the locals to show off their cooking, baking, and the trinkets they’d made.
Of course, there were rides, and they turned it into something like an amusement park. The high school was involved.
Mrs. Bunt was there, and she had the children take some of the well-used leftovers and make costumes for Halloween.
It was moments like this that Parker really loved where he lived.
The town put aside its issues and came together to host an amazing event. It was a huge attraction to tourists as well.
Poppy nodded and moved toward him. “Kill me now.”
He chuckled. “Why would I do that?”
“Mrs. Kent doesn’t think a pie stand would do any good. She wants to do a chili stand even though Marlon does the chili stand.” Poppy let out an exasperated breath. “I hate this time of year.”
“Really? I love it.”
“Mom would always put together a pot or something, and it would be so cool. She’d spend a week perfecting everything, and of course everyone would love it.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I just remember how stressed out she used to be about this.”
Her mother had never really been accepted into the fold because she lived in a trailer. That sting had stayed with Poppy for a long time, and he understood.
“Ignore it. Mrs. Kent will realize the world doesn’t revolve around her, and there’s nothing she can do. Relax and have fun.”
The fair wasn’t open until Friday, and for now it was just about setting everything up.
He and his brothers had brought several of their horses to give people the chance to ride. It was an event that took a great deal of time and effort.
Putting his arm across her shoulders, he pulled her back against him. “Are you not going to enter any of the cook-offs this time?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I told my mom I wouldn’t do it. She was sad, but she understood why. Everyone loved her food, but they’d never admit to it, and would always vote for someone else’s chili or pie. I’ll stick to cooking for you guys and the ranch hands. I’m not interested in winning some competition.” She put her hands over his, and they looked out as everyone was milling around.
Casey was by the horses, checking them over. Shawn was helping put up some of the stalls, and he was standing with their girl, holding her close.
He breathed in her scent and closed his eyes, loving the feel of her where she was meant to be.
Parker couldn’t get the image of her in that sexy negligee out of his head. Her blonde hair was no longer up on her head, but cascaded around her. He ran his face against her hair, not caring if anyone saw what he was doing.
“I think I need to go and help.” She patted his hands and he released her reluctantly.
Having her at the ranch was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because they all loved her and wanted her close. The curse was having her so close and not being able to touch her.
She was a temptation that he couldn’t keep denying.
Most of the time he was rock-hard, desperate for her. His brothers were the same.
They had all promised Cathy to love and protect their daughter.
Now they just had to get her to see that no one would ever be as good as they would.
****
“Hey, Shawn.”
Shawn turned to see Sarah next to one of the stands that he was fixing.
“Hey, Sarah. How are you doing?”
“I, erm, I was wondering if you could come and check something out for me. It’s in the school hall.”