Page 18 of Apple of My Eye

“We sell them to anyone we can. We have that old roadside stand out in the shed; we can fix it up and put it outby the road. Sage is going to work up several batches of dumplings to sell at the Copper Cup. The grocery store in Forest Grove will take some bushels…” I started naming the usual ways we have always sold the apples.

Knox cleared his throat. “Listen, my father supervises a grocery store chain that reaches from Billings over into the Dakotas and down into Wyoming. I told him about your orchard. He put me in touch with the produce manager. Turns out they have a “buy local” initiative that is very favorable for the local farms, and helps the stores get produce from local sources when they can. He’d like to talk with you about buying all the apples you can give him, if you want.”

My fork froze midway to my mouth.

Ivy gasped. “That was always one of Dad’s dreams, to grow a harvest big enough to see our apples in stores. Oh, Daisy, wouldn’t that be amazing?”

I nodded, with a twitch of my lips. “That’s very kind, but wholesale pricing can be less lucrative than if we sell to the consumer direct.”

“But more work on our end to sell everything,” Ivy added.

The entire afternoon had overwhelmed me, and now this? Knox was offering us an opportunity to fulfill Dad’s dream? And I’d give anything to see that happen. But at what cost? We could use every penny to get caught up.

They all talked around me, while my mind swirled.

The past few years had been tough for the Wyldes, but we stuck it out. The crop had come in better than I’d dared hope, and the numbers I’d checked last night had genuinely made me exhale, finally relaxing my shoulders down to almost a natural level. After all the apples sold, we’d be ahead, for once. And here Knox was, laying an opportunity at my feet, whichwould certainly make my life easier to sell off the apples in one batch. If only I didn’t have to split the profits with a grocery store chain.

It became a lot to process. After dinner, and a chorus of Happy Birthday sung to me, everyone started leaving. I snuck away to the stable to check on a few horses whose hooves I was treating. I found the peppermint I’d kept hidden in the tack room and treated them each to one, along with praise and pets. Being among horses had always been my personal form of therapy.

It wasn’t until I got to the end of the row that I noticed Knox leaning there against the doorway, thumbs in his belt loops, cowboy hat on, chaps off… taking my breath away, and he probably knew it judging by the sly curve of his lips.

“Happy birthday, by the way. Was it one?” He pushed off and stepped closer to me as I petted Pearl, a gorgeous and gentle palomino that Willow often enjoyed riding.

“Yes. Although I’m not a fan of surprises.”

“I could tell by your face when you first arrived. I tried to warn Ivy when she came up with this plan, but you know how she is.”

“Yep, I do,” I chuckled. Pearl turned her head to the hay, leaving room for Knox to sidle up to me. So tall he was, my head dropped back to peer up at him, admiring the way his beard and mustache filled out his jaw just right. “Thanks for reaching out to your dad. I’ll follow up to see what they offer. Maybe it’ll be something. Maybe not.”

“You know, it got me thinking about boxes…” he began with a quirk of his lips.

“You too?” I snorted. “Boxes have been on my mind since we started picking.”

“I know. And if you work a deal, you need to get that load of apples down to the distribution center in Billings somehow. You could rent a delivery truck and drive the entire load of boxes down at once. I drove trucks among other things in the military, so I have the license to operate a transport. We could make one trip down there together, maybe have dinner and catch my brother’s hockey game while in town.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?” I cocked my head.

He scratched his beard. “Given your position on relationships, I’d say this is more like a friendly outing suggestion.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I laughed and moved away from him, but his fingers closed lightly around my wrist before I could step away completely.

“Daisy,” he said, differently, less teasing, more certain. “How much more of a hint do you need that I’m totally, completely, out of my mind into you?”

The air between us lifted in a way that made everything else fade to the edge, from the horses moving in their stalls to the faint laughter still carrying from outside.

My gaze dropped to where his hand held my wrist, and for a second my body bristled at the grip. Then it caught up. This wasn’t danger; it was Knox. A friend. A very handsome, eager friend. I lifted my gaze back up to his face.

“I don’t see why,” I admitted, my voice softer now. “I’ve done nothing but push you away because I’m not ready. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“But maybe we don’t need to define it,” he said, stepping in and closing the gap. “Maybe we keep things simple. We keep it casual.” His head tilted slightly, eyes searching mine. “And we just… kiss and see what happens.”

My breath caught. “Just a kiss?” My pulse picked upwithout a warning, and the acknowledgement that anything with Knox wouldn’t stay simple.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Or we could…” his voice dropped, rough enough to send a thrill down my spine, “fuck around and find out what happens next.”

Heat flared sharply in my stomach.