Page 26 (1/1)

I shivered a little as I bounced along over the potholes toward the Maxwell Farn stretched across the driveway, proclai that I had arrived at Maxwell Farms Stone pillars on either side held up the old oak bea as I could remember I suppose when you have more money than practically everyone, a sih

The property was fronted by the rural highway, and once you turned down the driveway you were enveloped in a tunnel of trees, planted to feel majestic yet protective It was an i proud and tall and arching across the drive toward their friends on the other side, their branches tangled together, shaking little acorn hands and ns appeared inter the way toward other destinations on the property Hiking trails, turn left English ht here I stayed on the e the property was It was a whole other world, living back behind this green tunnel that separated the real world froain I’d see patches of sun on either side of the road, giving way to athere And finally, around one last curve, there was farmland as far as I could see But not the kind of farm I’d seen as I drove across Kansas, Missouri, and Iowa There the land ide andaway in uniform rows But here, I saw an explosion of color Small fields, plants of all shapes and sizes Between the fields were bushes and small scrubby trees There was activity everywhere I looked: people kneeling in the dirt, workers with baskets carefully picking over what looked like pole beans, so mulch on a freshly planted bed

I even had to stop my car to let a flock of chickens cross the road (Insert your own joke here, please)

The hest point for enteel old lady (beautiful but stone-faced) Signs pointedby the main house, and as I pulled into a spot I looked toward the enor for le of Cub Scouts

He caught s in ht for him, and set out across the yard The barn was set up in almost a U shape, wrapped around a central yard shaded by an enormous oak tree The fieldstone walls were half-tih open s, their sashes painted bright red The original hay bins now contained offices and classroo far ontheboxes on the second floor, spilling over with brightly colored flowers, to the group clustered around Leo The boys were ju as he held what looked like patches over theot closer, I could hear hi with the kids

"I hear you, Owen; you’ll get your activity patch too--don’t worry Who else? Here you go, Jeffrey, you earned it when you picked the biggest eggplant we’ve had yet this year! Who else? Let’s seeoh boy, we can’t forget Matthew--here you go, buddy You guys are the best Webelos around"

His s as I crossed the gravel, adh cheekbones, the curve of his lower lip as he laughed, and the green eyes that, when fixed on mine, turned my belly all butterflies

And that beard What constituted a hipster beard? Is it the length? The shape? The proximity to flannel and Mumford? We ithin twenty yards of an heirloom tomato; does that count as hipster cred?

I hadn’t been a fan of facial hair beyond two-day sexy scruff, yet Leo was sporting an actual beard and I liked it I more than liked it, I wanted to touch it Was it scratchy? Soft? Coarse? Touch it, hell--I’d like to look down and see it, and his face, betweenthan in our previous encounters

As e popped intohands Whew, it see ood-- I wanted physical I needed physical So when I saw hi very specific in h

"You okay?" he asked as I reached hi at my T-shirt Air, please--just a little air

"Sounded like you were--"

"Just clearing ed the topic "I made the black walnut cake, with crea" I thrust the white box into his hands

"Wow, you reallyquite pleased

"Well, I ood?" he asked

I grinned "It’s fucking great"

Leo closed his eyes and shook his head, and I realized I’d just F-bombed a Boy Scout troop

"Ah shit," I muttered, then clapped my hand over my mouth

Leo just snorted, and rallied "Hey there, Jason, you still need your badge, right? Roxie, maybe you could run this cake over to the cooler inside the store there, huh?"