Chapter Nineteen

Callie tied her hair up in a bandana. She wiped her hands down her denim overalls. Pulled down the sleeves of her shirt to cover her chilled hands. The corn maze in front of her shone through the dusk with a slight sway to the stalks.

“Team One, ready?” Margo Brand asked from the entrance to the popular maze on her family’s ranch.

Callie, Hunter, Bella, and Kennedy all answered, “Yes!”

“Team Two, ready?” Margo asked.

Nova, Maverick, Chad, and Brett all answered, “Yep!”

“Flag holder for Team One?” Margo held out a red flag, taller than the cornstalks, so the watchperson in the tower could help if anyone got lost and couldn’t find their way out of the maze. Dusk definitely made this more of a challenge.

Callie’s team had nominated Kennedy flag holder for no other reason than she was the shortest among them. She’d taken Hunter’s teasing like a champ when he’d shared that. “Thank you,” she said now, accepting the flagpole.

“Team Two?” Margo held out a blue flag.

“That would be me,” Maverick said, clearly ready to take his team to the finish line first. Then he placed all his attention on Kennedy and said, “Good luck, Shortcake.”

“Right back at you, Cowboy.”

“On my count of three,” Margo said. “One. Two. Three!”

Callie’s team took off through the left entrance while Maverick and his team went right. The distance to the exit being equal, they’d done an official coin toss to decide who took which route.

“This way,” Hunter said. They’d designated him leader earlier, counting on his good sense of direction to lead them to victory.

Looking up over the tops of the corn, Callie counted four other flags in action. Besides those groups, kids raced by them kicking up dirt, and single adults went this way and that with smiles on their faces. Hunter stopped at a fork in the maze.

“What do you think?”

“Left,” Bella said at the same time Callie said, “Right.”

“Let’s try left.” He and Bella walked side-by-side to lead the way. They made a cute couple. They’d joked with each other before the teams were made and high fived when both were chosen by Kennedy. Their easy camaraderie hurt more than Callie wanted to admit so she focused on the dirt ground and putting one foot in front of the other, ignoring the ache in her chest.

“What do you think?” Kennedy asked her.

“I think this is going to loop around and take us back the way we came.”

“I meant about the two of them.” She gestured toward Hunter and Bella.

“Oh, uh…I like Bella, and she seems to really like Hunter.” Callie’s stomach knotted. Bella was exactly the kind of person she’d wish for him. Kind, smart, and marriage minded. Nova had mentioned she’d been engaged once before, but that her fiancé lived in London and Bella wanted to stay here.

Hunter glanced over his shoulder, and their eyes connected. With one little look, he made her feel like the most important person in the corn maze. Did Bella get the same jolt of electricity?

“Watch…!” Too late. Hunter ran into a scarecrow. “Out,” she finished, trying not to laugh.

The scarecrow wobbled before Hunter stilled it. “Is this the same—”

“Yes,” Callie interrupted. “We’ve been here before.”

“Damn it. I’m all turned around.”

“Callie, you lead,” Kennedy ordered good-naturedly. “We need to hurry if we’re going to beat Mav.” The friendly competitions between the couple were common knowledge. Also, the losers had to hold a sign with the words “I’m corny and I know it” and walk up and down Main Street.

Callie stepped forward, and Bella stepped back to allow room for Callie beside Hunter. “Girl power,” she whispered, making Callie like her even more.

“Keep an eye out for those figures made out of straw,” Callie teased, setting out at a brisk pace.

“I can’t help it if I was distracted,” Hunter said.

Her. She distracted him.

Torn between leaving it at that or asking about Bella, she didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. For fear he’d give her answers she didn’t want to hear.

“By the way,” he added, for her ears only, “I went Bella’s way so she wouldn’t feel left out.”

“Left out?” Callie’s brows knit in confusion.

“I invited her to join us and then spent most of the time we were in the petting zoo with you.”

That’s true. He had.

“She’s really nice. I like her.” Callie made a hard right, her intuition helping to lead the way.

“I do, too.”

Yep. Wrong answer. His easy admission magnified the knot in her stomach. She let out a short breath and focused her attention on the path before them.

They wove through the maze, the setting sun stealing more and more natural light. Kennedy and Bella talked nonstop about the office and Kennedy’s upcoming wedding. Callie listened intently, soaking up the solidarity and hoping to learn more about Bella. Despite her heart’s protests, she truly wanted the perfect match for Hunter.

Suddenly, he turned and backward jogged. “Triple C, you did it.” He twisted around and ran for the exit. She followed on his heels. The deal was the entire team had to cross the finish line to be declared the winner. Bella and Kennedy ran toward them, their red flag waving. And aligned almost evenly was Maverick’s blue flag, moving closer to the other exit. Nova ran through first.

“Hurry!” Callie shouted, jumping up and down.

“We’re neck and neck!” Nova called out, doing her own jumping.

The rest of both teams spilled out…at the same time.

“We win!” Hunter declared. “Since Callie and I were out before anyone on your team.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Maverick countered. “This was a group competition.” He wrapped an arm around Kennedy. “Am I right?”

“He’s right. Nice job, everyone.”

“Come on,” Maverick said, taking Kennedy’s flag and turning it in along with his team’s. “I’m buying the drinks.”

“Actually,” Kennedy said, reading a text on her phone. “I need to make a house call.”

“Need any help?” Bella asked.

“I might. Do you mind?”

“Not at all. I can drive us.”

“I’m gonna head home,” Brett said. “And hope this headache goes away.” Poor guy still felt the effects of his hangover.

If not for Hunter waking her in the middle of the night with another dose of aspirin, Callie might be feeling the same. She glanced at him and caught him looking at her.

“I’ve got to go, too,” Chad said.

“Me, three,” Nova piped in. “I promised Jenna I’d be home in time to tell her about the maze and bring her a treat.”

Maverick was Nova’s ride, so that left her and Hunter.

Just the two of them.

Alone under a dusky sky, soft sounds of music spilling out from the barn nearby and the scent of pumpkin spice in the air.

“You want to stick around?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“Grab a spot at that picnic table and I’ll be right back.” He could have said roll around in the dirt and oink and she would have. Something about the way his eyes sparkled with mischief and his lips moved to form words had her under his spell more than usual.

“Okay.”

He returned with one of those huge caramel apples covered in additional treats. He sat across from her, placing the gourmet goodie between them, already sliced for easy eating. She reached for a piece.

“This looks amazing. What’s on it?” she asked.

“Crushed ginger snaps drizzled with white chocolate and a pinch of cinnamon.”

“Oh my God, it’s so good,” she said around a crunchy, sticky, delicious bite.

Hunter watched her.

She licked the tips of her fingers. “What?”

“Nothing.” He picked up his own piece. “You’re right. This is tasty. I remember being a kid and making plain ones with my mom.” He leaned his elbows on the wooden table as a devilish smile played across his face. “This one time, I was really mad at Cole about chores or something, so when my mom left the kitchen for a minute, I grabbed an onion out of the fridge and covered it in caramel before she got back. I put the stick in and told her it was for him.”

“That’s terrible!”

“I’m pretty sure he deserved it.”

“Did you see him take a bite of it?” She took another wedge of their apple.

“What kind of prankster would I be if I didn’t? It was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. He took this huge bite, and his eyes bugged out of his head like a cartoon character.” Hunter started to laugh. “He spit it out and…” He laughed harder. His amusement contagious, Callie joined in, laughing even harder when he finally said, “He spit it out and it hit Maverick in the eye.”

Callie’s whole body shook as the two of them cracked up. She couldn’t remember ever laughing like this with anyone other than Nova. Now that they’d gotten to know each other better, and Hunter seemed much more relaxed around her, his personality shined through.

“Hey, you two.”

She and Hunter tore their eyes from each other to look up at Vivian. The pretty reporter smiled down at them. “Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to say hello.”

Vivian’s attention settled on Hunter. No surprise there. “Hey,” he said.

“Do you want to join us?” Callie asked.

“That’s okay. I’m here on official Gazette business.”

Callie had read a couple of her human-interest stories. Her strong, friendly voice sucked the reader in.

“Since I did run into you, though, can I ask you a follow-up question from the other day?”

“Go ahead,” Callie said.

“Have you ever thought about sewing the applique into a dress for yourself? I mean, wouldn’t you want to bring that magic to your own love life?”

The question surprised her, and her natural tendency to keep her deepest beliefs private had her at a loss for words. Nervous, her vision slithered out of focus.

“I’d probably sew it into all my clothes,” Vivian joked, thankfully appearing not to notice Callie’s unease.

“Callie is selfless and single-minded when it comes to her designs,” Hunter said, drawing Vivian’s attention. It gave Callie time to let out the breath she’d been holding. “I’ve never known anyone more focused on building a business where the people she helps find the most important success and happiness.”

Vivian looked back and forth between Hunter and her. “Interesting,” she said, like she could read Callie’s mind and see “anti-marriage” in big, bold neon letters. It shouldn’t matter if Callie shared that about herself, but she didn’t want it printed in a newspaper. “I’m in further awe of you, Callie. And I’m clearly more selfish.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Callie said, finding her voice. “I’d call you hopeful, which is a great quality to have. If I recall correctly, the maids of honor I’ve dressed have all been optimistic about love.”

“And Hunter?” Vivian asked, her gaze flicking between them before settling firmly on Hunter.

“I have a feeling he’s already met his match,” Callie said. If not Bella, Vivian might be the one to steal his heart.

Because it couldn’t be her.