Harvest Moon (Brook Haven Romance Book 1) by Charlene Bright Read Free Book Online Page A

heard it. Sophie
was smiling too and pulling money out of a little pocket in the front of her
pants. Drake didn’t say anything, but he knew Mrs. Larson wasn’t going to take
it. “This is $5.00. Is that enough?”
    The old lady once again
waved her wrinkled palm. “Your money is no good here when you’re with one of
the Tanner boys.”
    “Thank you.” Sophie
took a long drink through the straw. “Wow, that is delicious,” she told Mrs.
Larson. The older woman beamed.
    “Thank you. It’s an old
family recipe that I’m proud of.”
    “Well, you should be,”
Sophie said. “I’m not sure how I’ll compete with that.”
    She cackled again. “I’m
sure you’ll think of something. You have the advantage of youth. My daughter
does her best around here and I’m thankful for her, but this never was her
calling.”
    “It was a pleasure to
meet you, Mrs. Larson.”
    “You too, sweetheart,
and I wish you the best of luck. Drake Tanner, you better kiss this old
leathery cheek.” Drake leaned forward and did as she asked, smiling.
    “It’s as smooth as
glass,” he told her. Her cheeks colored and she waved him away. As they rode
off, she stood and watched them and waved until they were out of sight.
    Not far up the road,
they came to another area of the lake. This one was surrounded by flat land and
wildflowers. “Do you want to stop here and eat?” he asked Sophie.
    “Eat? Is that what you
have in that basket?”
    “Yep. You didn’t have
breakfast.”
    She smiled. “Come to
think of it, I am a little hungry. This looks like a good place.” They pulled
the bikes off the little road and Drake unhooked the picnic basket. He had a
little checkered tablecloth rolled up and attached to it. Sophie smiled as she
watched him spread it out.
    He looked up at her and
said, “What?”
    “Just that Boy Scout
thing again—always prepared.”
    He made a face at her
and finished setting up what he’d brought. Sophie was amazed at the selection.
He’d cut up strawberries and melons and, of course, apples, all into bite-sized
pieces. He had a sampling of cheese, some bread, and even two blueberry
muffins. “Wow, this looks great,” she told him, taking a seat on the ground
next to the food.
    “Thanks. My mom loved
picnics. I learned how to pack one from her, I guess.” He looked at the white
bag and grinned. “We could always add Uncle Mac’s apple cinnamon rolls in with
the mix.”
    “Who is Uncle Mac?”
    “He’s my mom’s brother.
He lives on the family property with me, but in his own house. Mrs. Larson
makes a batch of these rolls about once a week. She always finds a way to send
some to Uncle Mac. Before his accident, he worked for her and her husband, and
she’s always had a soft spot for him.”
    “His accident?”
    “He was in a head-on
collision when he was in his early twenties. Back before seatbelt laws. He was
thrown through the windshield and landed about fifty feet from the car on his
back. He’s a paraplegic now, but from what I hear about how he was back then,
it’s a miracle he’s alive.”
    “Oh, wow, that’s
terrible. Can he take care of himself?”
    “Oh yeah, he does
really well now. Something about the head injury changed him a little, I guess.
I didn’t know him back then, but everyone in town says he was always the life
of the party. It’s like pulling teeth now to get him out of the farm.”
    “The poor thing.” She
picked up a strawberry off her plate and said, “What was it you were telling Mrs.
Larson about foxes?”
    “Oh … that’s actually
why I was late that first day.” He told her about Hooter finding the foxes and
what they’d been through keeping them alive since. “Uncle Mac likes to blame
the ‘bringing home strays’ on me and my mother, but he’s taken to those babies
like nothing I’ve ever seen. I worry about taking them from him.” When he
finished talking, he noticed Sophie had put her food down and had a stricken
look on her face.