Team Bride (5 page)

“Didn’t you come here when you were a teen?” He would’ve been all over it.

She shrugged. “No, the midway came to Riverbend with the carnival rides. And the sharpshooter games. That’s all we cared about. My friends and I weren’t really into farm animals.”

And yet she wanted to see his farm, and he’d put her off. Why, on both counts? She probably expected something nicer than his place. He’d seen her apartment, at least from the doorway. Modern and airy, so unlike the tumbledown house Grandpa had left him. Also unlike the classic farmhouse as seen on television. Was he ashamed of his home? Not really... or he hadn’t been before. He’d have to think on that later.

Corbin wrapped his fingers around hers. “There’s more to do than the midway, and more to look at than animals. Come on! What do you want to do first?”

Sarah squeezed his hand. “Surprise me.”

She already had.

He paid their entrance fee and purchased a roll of tickets for the rides. He steered her toward the main pavilion. “Let’s see the winning entries.”

They wandered past the baked goods and preserves, past the gigantic pumpkins and towering corn stalks. The next long room housed the arts and crafts contests from photography to quilting. Sarah seemed more interested in the whole experience than he’d expected.

“Look at that pottery.” Corbin pointed to the far end. “I wonder if your potter won an award.”

“Let’s go see.” She dragged him forward.

He grinned and followed in her wake.

“No, it’s by someone else, but kind of similar.” Sarah’s fingers caressed the handle of the blue-ribbon mug. “Maybe they don’t let professionals in, but I wouldn’t mind finding some pieces by this potter. I like the lines and colors a lot.” She pulled out her phone and snapped a close-up.

Corbin memorized the artist’s name. Sarah had good taste... or at least taste that matched his.

His nose warned him which pavilion was next. “Ready for the animals?”

“Sure! This is more fun than I thought.”

Whew. Maybe his idea of a date wasn’t as bad as he’d feared. The crowds thickened, adding to the noise and smell of the animals. Calves bleated, a rooster crowed, and somewhere ahead, a lamb bawled.

“Wow. So many animals. Do you raise this many kinds?”
 

They escaped into the bright sunshine of the fairgrounds.

“No, just chickens, pigs, and sheep for market, and a calf every year for family. I’ve thought of adding some llamas but there isn’t an established market for the meat. Holiday’s Hobby Farm has a few, and I hear people love seeing them.”

Sarah nodded. “I’ve taken first graders out to Holiday’s a few times. They do it up big with hay rides and everything.”

“Right. I’m not in their market. I run a working farm, not a tourist trap.”

She chuckled, bumping his arm. “Kids need to see your kind of farm, too. What do you say to a field trip sometime?”

Uh... no? But looking into her brown eyes, lit up expectantly, he couldn’t quite get the word out. “Maybe sometime. Hey, are you hungry? I see the Yellow Bus.” He pointed down the concession row. “Good food.”

* * *

Sarah eyed the towering Ferris wheel and leaned closer to Corbin as they waited in line. “Probably eating before riding this was a bad idea.”

He chuckled. “Maybe, but it’ll be fun. I love these things. And then the zipper.”

She shuddered. Figured he’d like the big thrill rides. “When should I tell you the spinning teacups are my favorite?”

Corbin laughed. “You crack me up.” He handed a pair of tickets to the operator. “In you go, fair lady.”

Well, she wasn’t going to be a sissy in front of him, that was for sure. She slid into the seat, Corbin right behind her, and the operator latched the bar. The wheel shifted so the teens behind them could board their seat. Then again. In a few minutes she had a view of the entire fairground and all the pavilions. The seat rocked gently each time the wheel moved.

Then they were off. Sarah clenched the bar and closed her eyes. She was not going to scream, and she was not going to lose that sausage bun. Her gut rolled as the wheel turned and the wind whipped her hair. How could anyone think—

“I love the view!” yelled Corbin.

Why on earth had she agreed to come to the fair with him? This was crazy. She was going to die or, worse yet, embarrass herself. She snatched a glance at him. His hands were high in the air, and a gleeful grin stretched across his face.

She should not date Corbin Morrissey. She’d had a dozen reasons before today. Now she had at least one hundred.

The Ferris wheel slammed to a stop. The seat swung violently. Might it even flip around the bar? No. Whew.

A voice came through the sound system. “Sorry, ladies and gentlemen. We’ve got a bit of a problem here.”

Somebody screamed.

This could not be happening. Sarah unpinched one eye to evaluate, but the ground was far below and she scrunched it shut again. Her fingers were so numb from clenching the bar it took her a few seconds to realize Corbin was rubbing her hand.

“Hey, you okay? They’ll get us down.”

No peeking. “C-can you see what’s wrong?” Would they have to get fire ladders to get people back to solid ground? Why did this have to happen when she was on the ride?

“I can’t tell.” His voice sounded distant, like he was turned away from her. The seat rocked slightly. “There are a couple of people talking at the control booth, but no one is looking at the motor.”

“Th-they should be. They should fix it.”

A laugh came through the loudspeaker. “Okay, there’s nothing wrong. I was just pulling your leg. But I’m not starting the wheel again until everyone takes their chance for a nice kiss.”

He
what?

Corbin laughed and lowered his voice. “I’ll be happy to collect on that.” He slid his arm across her shoulders.

Sarah found anger deep inside. “He staged this? I hope they fire him. That’s just mean.”

Corbin rested his cheek against her hair. “They won’t. May I kiss you, Sarah?”

She pulled away. “Are you kidding me?” Her heart was still pounding overtime and it didn’t have anything to do with the handsome guy beside her. “I want to get down now. Solid ground.”

He kissed her cheek. “We’ll be off in a couple of minutes.”

“Not soon enough for me.”

“I thought you liked the carnival. You said you and your friends used to come.”

Yeah, she’d said that, but she’d forgotten about the rides she didn’t like. She’d forgotten how many times she’d sat on a bench and watched her friends ride things she wouldn’t go on. She’d forgotten how much cotton candy she’d eaten instead. “I think the rides are bigger now. Scarier.”

The wheel turned to let riders disembark.

Corbin’s arm tightened across her shoulders. “So I’m guessing the zipper is a no?”

There wasn’t room to shrug him off. She took a deep breath and released it. “I’d rather not, but you may if you like. I’ll wait.”

“We’re together.” His fingers massaged her shoulder as the wheel lurched another notch. “Spinning teacups, then? I can live with that.”

She was ruining all his fun. Why did he have to be a good sport about it? But hey, she’d tried. Somehow she’d survived the Ferris wheel, extra scare or not. “Teacups are good.”

Finally it was their turn to get off. It was all she could do not to kiss the ground. They rode the teacups and got stems of cotton candy before wandering down the midway.

“Miss Jamieson! Miss Jamieson!” Two little girls barreled against Sarah, knocking her against Corbin.

She crouched and curved an arm around each child. “Elena! And Sophie. I’ve missed you in my class this fall. Now you’re in second grade. Do you have Mrs. Christenson for a teacher?”

The brown-haired girl nestled against Sarah’s shoulder as she nodded.

“She’s nice, but not as nice as you,” announced the blonde, dancing in front of them. “You are our bestest teacher ever.”

Sarah smiled. Oh, how she loved teaching, and these two were something special. Chance words of her own had melded two little strangers who shared a birthday into best friends, a friendship that had turned them into true twins and sisters when their parents had fallen in love and married.

“Is this your boyfriend, Miss Jamieson?” Elena, the blonde, parked her hands on her hips and looked up at Corbin. “He’s kind of good-looking, sort of like my new daddy. Did you know I have a new daddy, Miss Jamieson?”

“Elena, that’s not a polite question,” her mom said.

Sarah straightened and smiled at the girls’ parents. “It’s okay. I’m not sure if Mr. Morrissey is my boyfriend. I met him two weeks ago, and this is only the second time we’ve gone out.”

Elena tipped her head. “Is he nice? He looks nice. I think you should marry him. Can I be your flower girl? Me and Sophie?”

“Elena!” The girl’s mom clamped her hand on the child’s shoulder.

“But we’re all practiced up, Mommy. Didn’t we do a good job for you and my new daddy? We sprinkled petals all down the walkway, just like you asked.” She looked at Sarah. “They smelled pretty, too.”

Sarah shoved the memories of her own stint as a flower girl into the dark recesses of her mind. Her experiences weren’t relevant to the two cuties in front of her. “That’s very nice. As far as I know, Mr. Morrissey and I aren’t having a wedding, but I’ll keep the two of you in mind, just in case.” She held up her hand. “No promises, though, okay?”

“It will be beautiful.” Elena nodded as she tapped a finger to her mouth, deep in thought. “Sophie and me both look good in pink.”

“Okay, Elena, really. That’s enough out of you now.” Her mom reached out a hand. “Let’s go see which rides you and Sophie are tall enough to go on.”

“Yay! Rides!”
 

The dad grinned and winked at Sarah then reached for the girls’ hands and led them toward the carnival.

“Sorry about that,” Kelly said, leaning closer for a few seconds. “She’s going to keep us hopping for a long time.”

“Really, it’s okay. It’s a nice change from six-year-old boys asking to marry me. I’m used to nearly anything by now.”

Kelly stretched a hand toward Corbin. “I hope my daughter didn’t scare you off. I’m Kelly... Tomlinson, by the way. I still have to get used to saying that. Sarah’s a gem.”

“Corbin Morrissey.” He shook Kelly’s hand. “I’ve noticed she’s pretty special.”

Kelly grinned. “I’d better catch up with Ian and the girls. Nice running into you.” She turned and hurried away.

* * *

Corbin snagged Sarah’s hand. “Your students are lucky to have you.”
 

“Aw, thanks. Sorry they were so forward. Typical of Elena though. I’m not sure how many times she proposed to Sophie’s father.”

He chuckled. “Sounds cute.”

“For everyone but Kelly and Ian, I’m sure it was. Anyway, forget about them. Where were we headed?”

They’d already done the teacup, thankfully. For a sissy ride it was kind of fun, at least with her, but that didn’t mean he wanted to do it again.

Why on earth was he attracted to Sarah? Corbin couldn’t figure it out. Sure, she was pretty, but so were a lot of other women, and Sarah didn’t have the sense of adventure he did. Good thing? Bad thing?

Down the sharpshooter gallery, a stuffed purple dragon caught his eye, and he steered Sarah toward it. “Want one of those?” He leaned so close her hair brushed his cheek.

She angled her eyebrows as she glanced up at him. “You think you are a good enough shot?”

Better not brag too much. Besides, at a place like this it wasn’t so much being a good shot as figuring out which way the gun veered. It might take a few rounds, but he’d get it. He waggled his eyebrows. “I guess we’ll see.”

He plunked down his money and picked up the toy gun. It was more likely to aim high or low than too far to the side, or it would be a menace. So... aim high then.

Poof.

He let off a shot and noted where it landed.

Poof.

Still too low.

Poof.

Getting closer.

Poof.

A little to the left.

Poof.

“Sorry about that, mister. Maybe another time.”

“Like right now.” Corbin dropped more cash on the counter. This time he dropped all five shots onto their targets. “I’ll take the purple dragon.”

The kid stared at him a moment before pulling down the three-foot-long stuffed animal and handing it across.

Corbin bowed. “For you, I will slay any dragons that come in your path.” He presented the gift to Sarah.

She grinned and tucked the monstrosity under her arm. “What are you, my knight in shining armor?”

“I’m glad to hear you’re finally realizing it.”

Chapter 6

“If I’d known you and Corbin were actually going to go on more than one date together, I’d have changed the time of our Thanksgiving dinner so he could come, too.” Lindsey slouched into an easy chair in Sarah’s living room a few days after she and Nick had returned from their honeymoon. “As it is, my step dad is taking Madison to his sister’s for dinner on Monday.”

“Sunday’s great.” Sarah stretched. “We’re going for a bike ride Monday anyway. It’s all good.”

“Aren’t you glad I made you promise to go out with him at least once?”

Sarah laughed. “Okay, yes. I think.”

“Has he kissed you?”

If she were really falling in love — or at least like — shouldn’t she want to talk about it? “Hey, want a cup of tea?”

“Evasion tactics, eh? No, I don’t, but I think I asked a question. Has Corbin kissed you?”

“I don’t think it’s any of your business.”

Lindsey burst out laughing. “That either means he has, and you don’t want to talk about it, or he hasn’t, and you wish he would. Which is it?”

Wishing? “No. No kissing.” Though she’d wondered if he might when he dropped her off after the fair. She could still remember the intensity in his eyes as his hands caressed her face. Then his lips had brushed her forehead, and he’d been gone.
 

“What’s holding him back, you think?”

It wasn’t him. It was her. “Are you kidding me? We barely know each other, and besides, we’re so different. I don’t see how this can last.”