Page 34 of Trick or Tease

GARRETT

I walked over to where Billy and a few other guys were tinkering with one of the trebuchets, trying to shake off the lingering effects of having Sabrina in my arms. The woman was going to be the death of me. I couldn’t think straight when she was around.

“Hey, city boy,” Tyler called out as I approached. “Think you can redeem yourself from the disaster the other day? Or should I show you how it’s done again?”

I grimaced, remembering my pathetic performance during our first punkin’ chunkin’ attempt. I’d managed to launch exactly one pumpkin about fifteen feet before it crashed into the dirt. The local guys had good-naturedly ribbed me about it for the rest of the afternoon—and every day since.

“What’s wrong with this thing?” I asked, examining the mechanism they’d been adjusting.

“Nothing now,” Billy said, wiping grease off his hands. “We just needed to recalibrate the counterweight. Want to give it a shot?”

I looked at the freshly repaired trebuchet, then at the row of mummy targets they’d set up about fifty yards away. What the hell. I’d already embarrassed myself once. How much worse could it get?

“Sure,” I said, grabbing a medium-sized pumpkin from the pile. “But this time I’m actually aiming.”

The guys chuckled as I loaded the pumpkin and positioned myself behind the release mechanism. I took my time, studying the angle and adjusting the tilt. All those years of high school physics had to count for something, right?

And there was just natural talent. I had done this a hundred times before. It was not that hard.

I pulled the release cord. The pumpkin sailed through the air in a perfect arc and smacked the center mummy target dead-on, exploding in a shower of orange pulp. The target toppled backward with a satisfying crash.

“Holy shit!” one of the guys yelled. “Right in the chest.”

Billy stared at the destroyed target, then at me. “You got lucky.”

I grinned, feeling more confident than I had in days. “Luck? That was pure skill, little brother.”

“Bullshit.” Billy laughed. “No way you can do that again.”

“Want to bet?” I asked, already reaching for another pumpkin. “How about we make this interesting? Chunk-off. Five shots each.”

“You’re on,” Billy said, his competitive streak kicking in. “But when you lose, you’re buying beer for everyone tonight.”

“Deal. And when I win, you’re doing my laundry for a week.”

I wasn’t sure I would be around for a week, but it seemed like a fair prize.

The guys gathered around as Billy and I faced off. I noticed Sabrina had emerged from the barn and was walking over to watch, a smile on her lips. Having her there made me want to show off even more, like a damn peacock. I felt the scratches on my back pull as I lifted one of the pumpkins.

Billy went first, his technique smooth and practiced from years of experience. He nailed three targets out of five shots, which was damn impressive.

“Beat that, counselor,” he said with a smirk.

I loaded my first pumpkin, took careful aim, and let it fly. Direct hit. The small crowd cheered.

Second shot—another hit.

Third shot—missed by inches, but close enough that I wasn’t worried.

Fourth shot—dead center again.

By the time I lined up my fifth and final shot, the pressure was on. I needed this one to win. I could feel everyone watching, could hear Sabrina calling out encouragement.

“Come on, Garrett! Show them what city boys can do!”

I released the cord and watched the pumpkin soar through the air. It hit the target with such force that bits of fake bandage went flying in all directions.

“Four out of five!” I shouted, pumping my fist in the air. “That’s how it’s done!”

The high school kids immediately started razzing Billy.

“Dude, you got schooled by your brother!” one of them said with a laugh.

“The city slicker just owned you, Billy!” another added.

Billy held up his hands in surrender, grinning despite his defeat. “Alright, alright. I guess all that fancy education was good for something after all.”

I was still celebrating when Sabrina jogged over and threw her arms around my neck. “That was amazing! Where did that come from?”

“Natural talent,” I said, spinning her around once before setting her back down. “I was just getting warmed up before.”

“Yeah, right,” Tom said, shaking his head with amusement. “You’ve been holding out on us, Hogan.”

The good-natured teasing, the simple pleasure of hitting a target with a flying pumpkin, all felt so natural.

So right. For the first time since I’d been back, I wasn’t thinking about depositions or client meetings or partnership tracks.

I was just enjoying myself with people who’d known me since I was a kid.

They couldn’t give a shit how much my shoes cost or who I had dinner with the night before.

“Alright, everyone,” Billy called out, clapping his hands together. “Show’s over. We’ve got guests arriving in two hours and still have a million things to set up.”

As the group started to disperse, I caught myself feeling genuinely disappointed that our impromptu competition was over. When had I started looking forward to spending time with these guys instead of checking my phone for messages from the firm?

“Nice shooting,” Sabrina said, bumping my shoulder as we headed back toward the barn.

“Thanks. I have to admit, that felt pretty good.”

“You looked like you belonged out there,” she said quietly. “Like you were having fun.”

“I was. I did. I want to do it again.”

She laughed. “We’re going to have to plant another field of pumpkins.”

“Does Billy use that back field anymore?”

She shook her head. “That one hasn’t been planted in five or six years. It’s a lot to keep up with and there were always so many pumpkins leftover at the end of the season.”

“But with the increase in traffic, you’re going to need it,” I said. “If business keeps going like it has been, we’re going to be out of pumpkins.”

She nodded. “Yeah, probably.”

I was about to say I would look into the cost versus benefit analysis when I remembered I didn’t actually live on the farm. I didn’t work it or run it. And if things turned out the way I suspected they might, the farm wouldn’t even be around in another year.

But I didn’t say that.

“So, what’s on your agenda today?” she asked.

“I was going to try and put together a couple of those pop-up canopies for your granny’s table and a few others that offered to sell their wares.”

“Oh yeah?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, I figured we could set up a little vendor area near the entrance. Make it look more official, give people a proper marketplace experience. I bet there are other folks in town who could use the extra income.”

The words came out before I really thought about them. I realized I was planning like I’d be here to see it all come together. Like this was my project, my responsibility. The thought should have made me uncomfortable, but instead it just felt like the right thing to do.

“That’s really thoughtful,” Sabrina said, and there was something in her voice that made me look at her more closely. “You’ve been thinking about this a lot, haven’t you? Not just the business side, but the people.”

I had been. More than I wanted to admit, even to myself. “It just makes sense from a revenue perspective,” I said, falling back on the safe language of business. “Diversified income streams, better customer experience.”

But that wasn’t the whole truth, and from the knowing look in her eyes, Sabrina could tell. When had I started caring about these people again? When had their problems become mine to solve?

“Well, whatever your reasons, it’s appreciated,” Sabrina said with a soft smile.

“Do you need help finishing the house before we open?” I asked.

She burst into laughter and took a step away from me. “No way. I am never going to get that place done if you keep helping me.”

I waggled my eyebrows. “I’m providing valuable support.”

“Maybe but two almost-ghosts do not make for a haunting experience. I still need to rig the lights in the yard. And I have that projector I need to set up.”

“I’ll help.”

“Garrett.”

“I will not lay a single finger on you,” I promised.

She didn’t look like she believed me. “Why don’t you put up the tents, and if you get done early, you can help me?”

“That’s the best incentive I’ve heard,” I replied.

I watched her walk away, admiring the way her jeans hugged her curves, before forcing myself to focus on the task at hand. The sooner I got these vendor booths set up, the sooner I could find an excuse to help her with whatever she was doing at the old house.

And we both knew I was going to take full advantage of the time away from prying eyes. I needed that woman like I needed food and air.

The pop-up shelters were still in their packaging behind the barn, along with a stack of folding tables I’d picked up at the store yesterday.

It should have been straightforward work, but as I started wrestling with the first canopy, I realized I’d underestimated how complicated the damn things could be.

Twenty minutes later, I was swearing under my breath as I tried to figure out why one corner kept collapsing every time I thought I had it secure. The instruction manual might as well have been written in ancient Greek.

“Need some help there?”

I looked up to see Tyler walking over with an amused expression. He had a can of soda in his hand and his baseball cap was pushed back on his head. He was the football jock type of kid. I knew his type. I had been his type.

I had no doubt in my mind he could probably get any girl he wanted. But he wasn’t cocky. He’d proven to be a pretty big help around the farm.

“I think I’m missing a crucial piece of information,” I admitted, gesturing at the half-assembled shelter that looked more like a toddler had been trying to assemble it than a grown-ass adult.

Tyler chuckled and set down his can. “These things are tricky if you haven’t done them before. Here, let me show you the trick.”

Within minutes, he had the shelter properly assembled and anchored. I watched carefully, filing away the technique for the next one.

“Thanks,” I said. “I should have asked for help sooner.”

“No shame.” He shrugged. “Need help with the other one?”

“I got it. Thanks.”

“I’ll see you tonight,” he said. “I gotta go help my mom. Cattle got loose.”

“Good luck,” I said.

He sauntered off without a care in the world.

He was a good kid. I remembered that age.

But I had never been quite that casual. Even in high school I had big dreams. I didn’t think I sauntered anywhere.

I knew what I wanted and how I was going to get there.

I wasn’t like a lot of the kids at my law school.

I had to bust my ass to make sure I got a scholarship.

My parents didn’t have the money to pay for my education and I didn’t want to end up with a hundred grand in student loans.

I was actually a little envious of guys like Billy and Tyler. They found happiness in their lot in life. They couldn’t give a shit who wore what and what they drove.

I wanted to be like that.