The Cider Shop Rules by Julie Anne Lindsey

Author:Julie Anne Lindsey [Lindsey, Julie Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2021-04-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

I showered and dressed in a hurry the next morning, trying and failing to catch Colton before he left. We’d stayed up late, chatting about Blossom Valley and getting to know one another. It was nice, and I’d hated to go to bed, but eventually fatigue had won the battle. I’d woken to an empty home and Colton outside, working from his truck as promised, making notes with a pen and pad of paper pressed to his steering wheel. By the time I’d brewed a pot of coffee and poured a mug for him, he was gone.

The orchard had been open an hour before I finally stepped off the porch and into the sunlight with Kenny Rogers and Dolly at my heels. The day was chilly, and frost clung to blades of semi-frozen grass in the shade. My breaths lifted before me in little puffs of steam. The unseasonably warm days had ended. This was the perfect weather for a Fall Harvest Festival.

I smiled and waved at families tossing bean bags at apple-themed cornhole boards near the large white tent by the gate. The tent doubled as a ticket booth and a seasonal farmers’ market, where Granny often greeted and mingled with guests.

Parents snapped photos of small faces peeking through cutouts in large wooden boards painted with barnyard scenes. One child was a smiling farmer, another his spotted puppy, the third, an apple atop the staggering pile.

Kenny Rogers and Dolly rampaged through the tall grass, hunkering then launching at one another before tearing off in a top-speed game of chase.

I slowed to watch Granny and Delilah load a group of guests onto the big hay-filled wagon for a tour of the property. Sue Ellen was perched on the tractor, twisted at the middle to watch the group’s progress. I smiled. The fall festival was always a hit. Something about the last few moments before Thanksgiving put everyone in a strange state of anticipation. People were genuinely happy, and they wanted to seize the moments. It’d be time to carve the turkey before we knew it, then the rest of the winter would whip by and we’d land in a new year, cursing the way time flew. The happiest moments always passed too quickly.

I swallowed hard and told myself to stay in the moment. Make memories. Stop rushing through my life and pay attention to today. It was too easy to forget we weren’t promised another one.

Delilah flipped the hinged step onto the full wagon and latched the small safety gate, then waved overhead to Sue Ellen, who gave a whoop before pulling away.

Granny was the first to turn back. She caught sight of me, and her smile brightened. “Winnie!”

“Hey, Granny.” I closed the space between us and hugged her tight. “Looks like another busy day.”

“Yep,” she said proudly. “It’s been a great year all around, thanks to your cider shop.”

“I think your festival stands on its own.” Always had. Folks came to the Fall Harvest Festival because they loved and supported Granny, plus it was a tradition, and Blossom Valley loved traditions.

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