Page 78 of Getting Wrapped Up

Too bored.

Kate wasn’t sure what the deal was with Hailey and Ty Bennett, but shedidknow the signs of a women covering up a reaction she didn’t want others to see.

“Well, I’m just thinking that Ty probably lands somewhere in between the need for double-D batteries and silent prayer time,” Tucker said.

“Why don’tyouhave a Valentine already anyway?” Hailey asked Tucker.

Clear deflection but Kate couldn’t help but be a little interested in Tucker’s answer. He was a good-looking heterosexual guy over the age of twenty-five. Why didn’t he have a girlfriend?

“I’m looking for The One,” Tucker said.

Obviously relieved to shine the conversation spotlight on someone else, Hailey said to Kate and Levi, “Tucker’s looking for a younger, hotter version of his mother.”

Kate and Levi both looked at Tucker. He wrinkled his nose.

“Come on, Hailey, that sounds creepy,” Tucker protested.

Hailey shrugged. “It’s your Oedipus complex, not mine.”

“It isnotan Oedipus complex.”

“You want a woman who can cook and bake and sew and garden and can and knit. A woman who wants to be a farm wife and raise six boys, chickens and a prize-winning crop of watermelon.”

Tucker frowned at her. “See? My mother doesn’t knit, she had four boys and she has never won a prize for her watermelons.”

“But she has for her tomatoes, pumpkins and her rhubarb pie, blackberry jam and apple cobbler,” Hailey said smugly.

Tucker shrugged and gave Kate and Levi a wink. “Well, it is damn good cobbler.”

Hailey smiled. “You want a woman like your mama.”

“My mama is a strong, smart, beautiful woman who’s made my dad happy every day of the thirty-seven years they’ve been together. There’s nothing wrong with wanting that for myself.”

“It isn’t nineteen fifty-one,” Hailey said with one eyebrow up.

“Having a wife and family is old fashioned?” Tucker asked.

“No. But you and your brothers have this idealistic idea of country living and how amazing life on the farm is,” Hailey said.

“You grew up here too. You’re our mayor. You don’t think life in Sapphire Falls is wonderful?”

“Stop it. Of course I do. As do a lot of the women you’ve dated here. But none of them are good enough for you. You have this checklist of things you ‘require’ and if a girl misses even one, she’s out.”

“I know what I want,” Tucker said with an unapologetic shrug.

“But if shedoeshave it all, you come up with more. No one can ever live up to this idea you have in mind.”

“Oh, Madam Mayor, I fully intend to get it all someday,” Tucker said.

Hailey snorted.

“Are you upset because I haven’t considered you or something?” Tucker asked, moving in closer to Hailey. “Tell you what,Hails, I’ll even let the knitting slide for you, but you gotta bring the cobbler.”

Kate knew her eyes were wide. But this was highly entertaining. She wasn’t even sure she knew the difference between cobbler and pie. She wasnotthe right girl for Tucker.

But she suspected many girls would happily learn all about cobbler if that was truly the way to his heart.

“Don’t be stupid,” Hailey snapped, pushing him back. “You forget that I’ve known the women in this town all my life. The hearts you’re breaking belong to friends of mine. Like I’d make cobbler for you.”

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