Summer Love in the Country (Summer Instalove)

Every time she giggled and said that the fresh country air helped her words to flow, my

heart lurched. Maybe she really would be happy out here.

The timing was just too crazy, with her going back to the city next week. We needed more

time together. Although I’d known that she was the girl for me almost immediately, I couldn’t

possibly expect her to decide to change her entire life so quickly.

At supper, I enjoyed listening to her chat with the newcomers that just arrived. Dusty,

Chuck, and Gus were going to have their hands full with a whole new batch of guests over

the next several days.

I noticed that Miriam had arranged the schedule so that Joanna and I could be alone all

week. She obviously knew precisely what was going on, so I supposed that she was alright

with it.

Joanna squeezed my hand under the table, flashing me one of her saucy grins, even while

she was chatting with one of the other girls about some movie they were deconstructing.

Every time I touched her, things were perfect between us, and we were already a done deal. When we weren’t touching, I began to over-analyze everything, starting to believe that

I would be a bad influence in her life, and not give her everything she needed.

She patted my knee as the guests all began stacking plates and figuring out who would

clean what in the kitchen as they hauled the dishes away.

The other farmhands all sitting at my end of the table gave me strange looks. Then they

glanced between each other until Dusty spoke. “Dean, you have a fine young woman there.

You’d better not let her slip away.”

In the several years we’d worked together, that was the only comment he’d ever made

about my personal life. Staring toward the kitchen, I saw Joanna laughing with one of the

other girls as they got a tall young man to put away everything on the top shelves.

“She’s a keeper, for sure,” I said softly. “I just don’t know if a dirty older man like me is the best thing for her.”

Chuck shot me a look that clearly stated he thought I was an idiot. “Get her. Keep her. You

know she’s yours.”

“Thanks, boys,” I said, nodding.

They went off to their rooms, as I walked out to the porch. Miriam was sitting in her huge

wicker rocking chair, staring out at the sunset. I sat on a bench beside her, but before I

could open my mouth, she turned to me with a broad smile. “It’s okay to be scared, Dean.”