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Spring Fling was upon them, and the atmosphere was fun and frivolity with bright decorations everywhere. Jake was walking around the event, taking it all in. He saw many of the workers from the ranch he interacted with daily, and lots of faces he did not recognize. The crowd was enormous, and for the first time, the extent to which the ranch supported the community came into focus for him.
He saw Avery across the way, and she waved. They had fallen into a bit of friendship after the episode outside of Margaret’s office. The two of them had some additional conversations since their realization that Jake and Danny had served with her husband. The woman was wonderful, and he was glad she found a home on the ranch.
As he passed the small petting zoo, he was amazed at the number of kids at the event today.
“They are so cute,” Matthew said to him when he stopped at the little sheep holding area.
“They are, and so good with the kids.”
“They like little kids,” Matthew said, with a big grin in his direction. He was always so happy, helpful, and open when Jake ran into him.
“Any idea what is good to eat around here?” He asked Matthew.
“Everything!” Was the exuberant response.
“I would get fat,” he said, rubbing his middle, “if I tried everything.”
“Don’t tell Margaret, but I like Belle’s apple crisp the best. She makes her own whipped cream too,” Matthew said, looking around like he would get in trouble. “She lets me help can the apples and never gets mad when I sneak a bite,” he said, with a huge smile.
“Well,” he said, returning the infectious smile, “I will be sure and give the apple crisp a try.”
“Oh, I gotta go,” Matthew said, as a baby goat butted a toddler slightly.
Jake took off himself, exploring once again.
His heart stopped momentarily, upon coming up to the table where Margaret, Stormi, and Belle were all putting out food. The very large dessert table was assembled with two six-foot folding tables pushed together loaded down with all kinds of goodies. There were other women helping and milling around, but his eyes at once sought out Belle.
He wondered how she was doing, as the gossip mill had been loud regarding the fact she and her long-time boyfriend Reagon broke up. She had not seemed to be down in the dumps the couple of times Jake had run into her over the commencing weeks, although he knew how functioning people could sometimes hide deep internal scars.
“I heard tell I should try the apple crisp,” he said, breaking the ice and trying to find an entry into the conversation.
“Hmmm – did my brother sell me out again?” Margaret interjected.
Jake made a sarcastic scared face and shrugged his shoulders. Belle held out a plastic bowl; all he could see was the whipped cream on top. “Looks good,” he said.
“And what about my blackberry cobbler? We all have to can in the fall and then break out this goodness for the Spring Fling, it is a lot of work,” Stormi said in exaggerated tones.
“I guess I better try one of those too,” he said, reaching out a hand but stopped when Margaret held out a bowl as well.
“If you are trying theirs, my pumpkin better be on the list.”
“We might be a bit competitive,” Belle said, taking the bowls from Margaret and Stormi. “I can help you find a spot at a table,” she volunteered.
“Hey, no swaying the jury,” Stormi made a pouty face.
“I need all the votes I can get,” Belle threw back over her shoulder.
“My brother votes for yours over his only sister,” Margaret shouted at their backs.
“We have been friends our entire lives and have been competing good-naturedly with each other every day of that time,” Belle explained as she found a table with two open chairs and lowered the bowls onto it.
“Care to join me for a second,” Jake said, giving it a shot.
“Sure,” she responded and sat in the chair across from him.
“How are you doing?” He found himself asking, a professional hazard these days becoming a habit everywhere he went. Though he was genuinely interested in everyone, Belle made him nervous to a completely different degree than anyone else he had ever met.
“Let me guess. You worry about Reagon and my breaking up, and it’s your job to ensure we are all mentally stable and happy,” she said with a slight grin.
“Guilty,” he retorted. “Though I am genuinely interested.”
“I’m great. I realized I wanted to be here on the ranch, and he belongs in California at med school. We did not seem to be on the same path anymore, but truly ended on a high note, if that is possible with relationships,” she said with a tiny shrug.
“It’s been a long time since I was in one, but I think ending on good terms is positive.”
“Why so long since you’ve had a relationship?”
He had to think about that for a minute. “I was in college, then the military – and then life got heavy for a while,” he said truthfully. “And to be honest, no one came along that seemed worth the effort -,” he found himself drowning in her eyes as he let the sentence hang.
“Maybe you will find someone worth the effort of getting to know while you are here,” she said, never breaking eye contact.
They sat in silence, not looking away for a moment.
“Belle,” Stormi said, shouting loud enough to break the spell he found himself in. “We could use an extra set of hands.”
“Gotta run,” she said, jumping up. “Let me know how you like the crisp?”
“I will,” he said, turning slightly to watch her walk away.
The big sappy grin on his face, would not go away as he took the first glorious bit of apple crisp. Matthew had not led him astray, he thought, sitting back and just soaking up the beautiful day and tasty food – he experienced the first stress-free day he could recall.
