Page 7 of One Hot Texas Summer (The Prentice Brothers of Sweet Ridge #1)

“I was thinking we could put the majority of the vendor stands at the front of the property—that way there isn’t much interference with the harvesting.

” Tate kept his voice modulated and calm even though he was still seething over the way Tyler flirted with Kelly.

And the way she flirted back with his older brother.

This rush of emotion was irrational but not unexpected.

As much as he’d tried to push it aside, he found Kelly Turner attractive and wanted to get to know her better.

Prior to Tyler’s appearance in the kitchen, they’d been talking freely.

He’d loved the way she reacted to the taste of the peach tea he’d given her.

It had taken everything in him not to lean forward and capture her lips.

To find out if the tea added another level of sweetness to her taste.

“If we have all the action at the front of the house, where will everyone park? They can’t park on the street because, while you don’t have a long driveaway, it’s still a fair distance from the road to the front of your house,” Kelly said as she looked up to him.

Hell, she was the perfect height to tuck her into his side and keep her safe.

No other woman he’d dated had given him this reaction swelling through him.

He had no idea where the thought to protect her even came from.

Kelly was the type of woman who would balk at that sort of attention.

She was fiercely independent and strong.

Ran her own business. No way would she let him go all alpha macho on her.

“Tate? Did you hear what I said?”

Crap, he’d been caught staring at her like a deer caught in the middle of the road with a car bearing down him. “Yeah, you said something about parking. We can put some cars around the back of the house. It will be okay.”

“I don’t know when you last went to the festival, but it’s grown over the years. There’s going to be a lot of cars here. Like a lot.”

“God dammit,” he muttered and pulled his hat off, running his fingers through his hair. “Why the hell did Tyler think this was a good idea, right in the middle of harvest season, and not to mention, Dad being in the rehab center?”

When he got back to the house, he was going to let Tyler know what an asinine idea it was to hold the festival at the farm. Kelly was right, the front area would be the best place for parking.

“It’s going to be fine, Tate. We’ll work something out.” A warm hand landed on his forearm. Electric shocks filtered through him, and he wanted to lay his hand over Kelly’s so he could continue to experience the sensation. Unfortunately, she’d probably stomp on his instep if he tried it.

“I don’t know what. The last thing I want are people traipsing around the orchard.

We’re full swing into our harvest. We’re almost done with the east orchard, and I want to have a good start on the west area before the festival.

Of course, it’ll depend on the peaches. They work on their own schedule, not mine or Tyler’s or the damn Founders’ Day festival. ”

The more he talked, the angrier he got. Tyler hadn’t thought through the ramifications of holding the event at the farm.

“Look, I know you’re stressed. It’s totally understandable, and I agree it’s not the best time. But it is what it is. The town is expecting to come here and experience a new outdoor location.”

“It’s easy for you to say; it’s not your world being turned upside down.

” Beside him Kelly sighed heavily, and part of him knew he was being unreasonable.

But that other part still burned with annoyance.

The thing was, she was right. The town was expecting to visit Prentice Peach Farm and he had to suck it up and make it work.

“Sorry. You shouldn’t bear the brunt of my annoyance at my brother.

Let’s take a walk around and see what else we can come up with. ”

“Maybe I can talk to Macy about reducing the number of vendors we put out here. As I said, we’ll work something out.”

“I hope so.”

They spent the next twenty minutes walking around the house and surrounding area in an attempt to work out where they could set up a designated parking zone as well as a great location for the stands. The longer he spent with Kelly, the more the tension and stress seeped out of him.

“As I said earlier, we’re well into the harvest,” he said in the east orchard. “This area is closest to the house, so if we can get it picked, it won’t be so chaotic. The less machinery we have around the house, the better. The last thing we want is for someone to get hurt.”

“Yeah, I don’t think you want a hike in your insurance premium. I’ll also speak to Macy to find out what insurance they already have in place. I’m sure they have something.”

“They should.”

“You know, the design for the flower arch is going to fit perfectly here. It’s going to complement the one at the entry to the farm.”

“Wait. Why would you need to have any sort of flower displays here?”

“For aesthetic purposes, not to mention we’ve got a completely different color scheme here to what will be displayed in town. We always have large flower displays, Tate. It’s as traditional as Betty Lou’s fried chicken.”

Tate didn’t understand the need to have various flower arrangements.

Not that he had anything against them, of course, he just didn’t think they were necessary for his farm.

“This is an orchard. We have an abundance of trees to give you the aesthetics you want. If we have to have colors on display, we could tie ribbons around the base of the trees.”

“Oh, that would be perfect. I love that idea.” He watched as Kelly pulled out her tablet and used the pen attached to it to make some notes.

“Great, so we can forget about the flowers and just go with the ribbons?” Yes, at least he got one thing he wanted out of this.

“What? No. No way. There will be flowers.” Kelly tapped her pen on her tablet. “Along with ribbons around the trees.”

“Come on, Kelly, why do we need to have buckets of flowers when we have this gorgeous vista?” He waved his hand toward the trees behind him. Maybe if he kept repeating it she’d come over to his way of thinking.

“Tate, let’s be reasonable here.” Her tone suggested she was talking to a willful child, and he was anything but a child.

“Stop right there. Don’t say any more. If you can’t talk to me like an adult, this meeting is over.”

“I thought I was talking to you like an adult, but with the way you’re acting now…”

Tate turned his back on her. It was rude, but he had a gamut of emotions bombarding him.

Anger at his brother. Frustration that he was the one whose working life had to be turned upside down to cater to Tyler’s whim.

Not to mention the more they walked around the farm, the more he realized that keeping disruption to a minimum was going to be difficult.

A hand landed on his shoulder. Warmth speared him at the point of contact. His body reacted in a crazy manner whenever Kelly got close. Did she feel anything as well?

God, why was he wasting time on even letting that thought take root in his mind?

Kelly had made her feelings about him more than clear.

She thought he was the town’s playboy. Not to mention a child.

He was anything but a child, and as silly as it seemed he was ready to settle down.

He wanted the relationship his parents had right up to the moment Mom died.

Having that with Kelly Turner was as likely as Tyler changing his mind and canceling the Founders’ Day festival at the farm.

Shaking off Kelly’s touch, he took two steps forward before turning to face her.

“You know what, I don’t care what you do.

You can decorate all the trees with blooms. Make the orchard an English flower garden.

” With that he brushed past her and headed into the orchard.

At least the trees understood him. He always found peace among endless rows of branches and leaves.

This was where he belonged and he would make sure nothing happened to them.

*

Kelly wandered into Betty Lou’s Diner in a bit of a daze. Tate’s abrupt attitude change had been dizzying. He’d gone from being super friendly and fun when having their tea to abrasive and argumentative when they’d discussed the layout and decorations for the festival.

“Hiya, Kelly. You eating here or picking up some donuts?” Norma’s exuberant greeting was a welcome distraction from her train of thoughts.

“Hey, Norma. I’d like a table, please.” The last thing she wanted to do was go home and cook a lonely meal. It wasn’t like she didn’t normally do that, but tonight she needed to be surrounded by people.

“Sure, hon, follow me.” Norma picked up a menu and led her through the busy diner to a booth in the back, facing the main street. “Sweet iced tea for ya?”

Kelly slid across the red vinyl and grabbed the menu from Norma. She didn’t need it but took it anyway. “Actually, can I have a Coke instead?”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

Norma scuttled off and Kelly gazed out the window.

Summer was settling in around Sweet Ridge.

The days were getting longer, and people walked the streets heading toward the town center.

The green space had become more popular over the years, and when she let herself, she pictured a time when she, her husband, and kids would visit the area as well.

The kids would play on the swings and other equipment while she and her husband would watch them from a bench, fingers entwined as they talked about nothing and everything.

As each year passed without her finding her special person, the dream drifted further and further away. Slowly, she was coming to the realization that she might travel through life alone, and she was adjusting to that thought.

You don’t have to be alone. What about Tate?