When I Fall In Love. Bridget Anderson

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       Chapter 3

      Knock, knock.

      Tayler pulled the covers over her head. She had to be dreaming about a crazy person knocking on the door.

      Knock, knock.

      What the hell? She rolled over from one side to the other. Was she dreaming or was the place suddenly under construction?

      “Tayler, it’s time for breakfast.” Knock, knock. “Are you up?”

      Was somebody calling her name? Was that Rollin? She threw the covers back and pushed her eye mask up into her bonnet.

      “Tayler, breakfast in fifteen minutes—come on down. The truck leaves at seven a.m., and you don’t want to miss it.”

      What the hell!

      Tayler sat up and reached for her robe. She wasn’t hungry, and she wasn’t going to breakfast.

      She wrapped herself in her robe and went to open the door. She cracked the door and glanced up into Rollin’s scowling face.

      “Good morning. I see you’re not up yet. Well, you might want to grab a shower and come on down. Breakfast will be served in the dining room and we’re heading out at seven o’clock on the nose.”

      “I’m sorry, but heading out where?”

      “The vegetable garden first, then we’ll swing by—”

      “Hold up. I’ll skip the garden tour this morning, if you don’t mind. I’m on vacation. What time is it, anyway?” She looked behind her and didn’t see one peek of light coming through the blinds. It was still dark out.

      “It’s five thirty a.m., and unless you don’t plan to eat today, you need to be on the truck before seven a.m.”

      “What truck?”

      “Didn’t Nicole tell you that this is a working farm? We go out each morning to pick food for lunch and dinner.”

      “Wait a minute.” She shook her head. “This is what kind of a farm?”

      Rollin shook his head. “Get dressed and come on down. I’ll explain it to you. Looks like Nicole forgot to tell you a few things.”

      He walked down the hall and left Tayler standing in the doorway watching his back. Once he disappeared down the steps, she closed the door and threw herself against it.

      What the hell have I gotten myself into?

      She staggered into the shower then made it downstairs well before seven. Everyone was still at the table eating when she walked into the room.

      “Grab a plate, honey. You’ve got fifteen minutes before the truck leaves,” Rita informed Tayler.

      The smell of bacon, pancakes and hot biscuits left Tayler speechless and looking around the room for a plate. She wasn’t hungry and had intended to negotiate her way back into bed.

      “Here’s a plate.”

      Tayler turned at the sound of Rollin’s voice. He stood next to the buffet offering her a square blue-and-white plate.

      “I suggest you eat something. Going out on the truck to pick your own food is part of the charm of staying on a working farm.”

      He glanced down at Tayler’s sneaker-clad feet. “Once you get out there, just follow Kevin’s instructions and you’ll be fine.”

      After accepting the plate, Tayler glanced at her watch. “So, I now have about ten minutes to eat something and grab a cup of coffee.”

      “Hot coffee’s down there.” Rollin pointed to the end of the server table.

      Tayler set her plate down and opted for a hot cup of coffee instead. A white carafe and a couple of cups sat around waiting for someone to try them. She poured herself a cup of what looked like liquid mud. Desperate for caffeine, she decided against her better judgment, and took a sip.

      She almost dropped her cup, “What the hell is this?”

      Rollin walked over to her. “It’s called coffee. It’s organic. A dark roast decaf. I whip it up for guests daily.”

      She sat her cup down on the server and pressed her fingers against her lips. “Thank you but I’ll pass on the...coffee.”

      Every morning she stopped at Starbucks for a cup of blond-roast coffee. How was she supposed to function without her coffee?

      “Herbal tea is better for you anyway,” Rollin said. “If you haven’t tried it before Rita will show you our impressive collection.”

      Tayler cleared her throat. This fool expects me to go out and pick food at seven o’clock in the morning without a cup of coffee. He must be off his rocker. “Do you know anywhere I can get a good cup of coffee?”

      Rollin shook his head and laughed. “Try a cup of tea, or some orange juice. You’ve only got a little more than five minutes now.” He walked away.

      There was no way she could wolf down breakfast in five minutes, so she grabbed a piece of toast and poured herself a glass of orange juice. Before she could finish, everyone was ready to go.

      As much as she wanted to protest and drive into town for a cup of coffee, she conformed and walked out to the truck with everyone else. She was going to kick Nicole’s ass for this one.

      “First time?”

      Tayler whipped her head around and looked into the blue eyes of a young boy who looked as if he was still in high school. His white skin, kissed by the sun, was almost as bronzed as hers.

      He held out his hand. “I’m Kevin. Need some help up?”

      “You’re seriously taking us out on this rusted-out truck with no seats in the back?”

      “Yep, unless you’d rather walk. It’s about five miles back up the road.”

      She held out her hand. “Kevin, I’m Tayler, and I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

      He grasped her hand and elbow to help her up onto the truck. “I’ll be lookin’ forward to it.”

      The ride out was bumpy and rough. Tayler couldn’t even enjoy the view, her butt hurt so badly. She held on for dear life and tried to avoid getting her new sneakers dirty.

      Kevin led them through the fields and Tayler picked whatever she saw everybody else picking. She wasn’t into this СКАЧАТЬ