"Well, Mrs. Cope, everything was doin' fine till the Newton boy bailed on the job. Apparently, the hours were too long, the sun was too hot, and my Bells wasn't givin' him the time of day, so he quit on me. I ain't got it in me no more to keep up with the farm alone and good help seems to be harder to find by the day."

My ears perked up as soon as I walked into the post office and heard the grey-haired man sighing to the secretary behind the counter. Ever since moving to this small town, work had been getting harder and harder to find. Other than the odd job here and there, I was surviving solely on my savings. It seemed I'd found myself in the perfect place at the perfect time.

"Charlie, you can't work yourself to the bone like you are. Word around is that Dr. Cullen told you it's time to let Bells start to take over." The woman chided gently.

"Now, I'm healthy as a horse. That's a load of bulls-"

"Excuse me, sir. I couldn't help overhearing you were looking for a farmhand? My name's Edward Masen. I'm new to town, but I'm a quick study and I'm not afraid of hard work. If you'd give me the chance I'd love to show you how I can be of use around your property." I slid in as smoothly as possible, offering my hand to the older gentleman. His eyes narrowed before he took my hand and shook it in one, firm motion.

With a quick farewell to the secretary, he'd pulled me to the side, and gave me a careful once over. "I'm Charlie Swan. I've got a decent sized farm and keepin' up with it alone is a lot. I've got a fence fallin' apart on the far side of my property, my livestock needs tendin' to, and I'll need some help with my fruits. You seem like a tough kid, you gotta truck?"

"Yes, sir,"

"Alright, I'll see you at 4:00 a.m. Monday morning at this address." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an old gum wrapper and pulled a pen from the secretary's desk. "And don't be late, boy, it's gonna be a long day." Seconds later, he was walking away.

The interaction was fast and Charlie seemed gruff, but not unkind. Regardless, I was grateful for the opportunity. My old Chevy sat outside, windows down and doors unlocked, waiting on me, untouched. I'd missed this part of country living. The laidback sense of community living meant lower crime rates and kinder folks all around. It seemed I'd grabbed more than my mail on this quick errand, I thought with a sly grin.

Here's to hoping Monday goes as smoothly...

Monday Morning

For it to only be nine in the morning, the sun was beating down like something fierce. I was dripping in sweat and my overshirt had been shed hours ago, leaving me in a wife beater and beat up Levi's. Charlie Swan was being modest when he referred to his farm as 'decent-sized'. It was huge and he was a strong man to be pushing it alone himself for the past few months as he told me he'd been doing this morning.

When I pulled up in his driveway, he was outside, keys in hand, and ready to work. After a quick tour of the property and instructions of my duties, he was gone to take care of his portion of the farm. Again, Charlie wasn't an unpleasant man. He only spoke a few words, but he offered me beverages and told me to help myself to anything in the kitchen if needed throughout my workday.

Hours continued to drag and my damn finger was throbbing from being hit with the hammer as I was fixing the fence one too many times. I'd cussed out loud and muttered that I was going to quit before I decided I needed a break. But as I turned around I was completely distracted from any discomfort.

A woman was roundin' the corner of the farm in a pair of cutoff denims and a tank top, carrying a duffel bag. Her mahogany hair was swept into a ponytail and she was sporting the sexiest pair of cowgirl boots I'd ever seen in my life. With skin tanned like she'd been soaked in sun, the girl made my heart skip more than a few beats.

"Dad, I'm home!" She shouted with a smile, as she bent to open the screen door. My feet sprung into action as I went to catch the door for her. I didn't quite make it in time, but my motion caused her to glance my way and stop.

"Oh..hello," she giggled, "I told Daddy that Mike would quit before I got home." Dropping her bag and then allowing the door to close with a quiet bang, she made her way off the porch to meet me near the fenceline.

"My name's Bella, I'm the farmer's daughter. Sorry, I wasn't here to greet you when you started, but I'm just gettin' back from visiting my momma in Panama City. I hope Dad's been nice so far? He can be a little grumpy, but he's a sweet man." Her smile was going to knock me to my knees. I opened my mouth to respond, but the words got stuck in my throat.

"Um, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Edward Masen, I reckon I'm the infamous Mike's replacement. And Mr. Swan has been nothin' but kind. He's quiet but never rude." Bella didn't respond, instead, her eyes swept from my head to my toes and then back again, before her gaze locked with mine. I couldn't say how long we smiled when Charlie hollered Bella's name and she let me go from her spell.

"Yeah, I like you, Edward. You're going to stick around here for a while. I'll see you around." She turned on her heel and went to go greet Charlie, leaving me stunned in her wake. I was entranced and at that moment I realized how easy it'd be to fall for the farmer's daughter.