Chapter Three
Alec, one of Hopkins’ Farms’ seasonal part-time staff members ran up to Paige, his face tense. “We have a problem.”
She stifled a groan. Opening week had gone off without a hitch, but then today had been full of problems. “What’s wrong?”
“The tractor won’t start.”
“Mark said it ran fine this morning.” She glanced in the direction of the line, but vendor tents blocked her view. “What about the one on standby?”
“I’m not sure ma’am. I don’t think they have one ready.”
She inhaled a calming breath. “Can Mark fix this one?”
“Yes, but it could take upwards to an hour.”
Her eyes widened. “We can’t have the hayride down an hour. People come primarily for the pumpkin patch, and that’s how they get there.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Hopkins, but Mark thought you should know.” Alec’s hands dangled awkwardly at his side. “What can I do to help?”
“Let me think a minute.” She closed her eyes, focused on the problem at hand, and evaluated the situation. “How many people are in line now?”
“About forty.”
“Were they informed there would be a wait?”
Alec nodded. “Yes. Missy has them occupied for now, giving the speech about a pumpkin’s life cycle. When I left, she was telling them the difference between the male and female blossoms.”
“That only buys us five minutes.” Thoughts ran rampant in her mind. “Can you grab a golf cart and meet me at the storeroom?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He turned away and sprinted toward the equipment barn.
Paige walked at a brisk pace to the storeroom behind the newly constructed restaurant. Aggravation toward her brothers grew. Dad had told them many times to have one of their other tractors on standby, so why didn’t they have a backup? She tamped down her irritation, realizing it did no good. Maybe there was a good explanation.
That didn’t matter now. What did matter was giving their guests an outstanding experience, and that wouldn’t be accomplished by an hour’s wait in the hayride line. She unhooked the carabiner from her belt loop and singled out the key she needed, unlocked the storeroom.
She hurried to the shelf where they kept apple cider from a neighboring orchard and grabbed several bottles before crossing the room to where the paper goods were stored. She pulled a package of sample cups off the shelf, then went outside.
Alec had just come to a stop, and Paige deposited the items in the back of the cart. She ran back inside and took several bags of apple chips out of a bin. After tossing them carefully next to the other products, she jumped in the passenger seat. “Let’s go.”
As Alec drove, she made a list on her phone of the products she’d taken so they could be marked out of inventory this evening. The monetary loss was small compared to what they stood to lose from unhappy customers.
The cart hadn’t come to a complete stop before Paige waved her younger sister over.
Missy, wearing braids and overalls to play the part of a farm girl, hurried to her. “What are we going to do? They're getting restless.”
Paige pointed to the supplies. “I brought apple cider and chips. Can you start handing out samples while I talk to Mark?”
A relieved sigh escaped Missy. “Great idea. You’re awesome.”
“Let’s see if it works first.” She shot her sister a nervous smile, then went in search of Mark.
He had the tractor hood up and his head underneath, fumbling with something on the engine—she couldn’t give technical names of the parts if she tried.
She approached from the opposite side, giving him the chance to spot her without being stunned and accidentally jerking his head up to collide on the metal. “What’s going on?”
Mark stepped back and stood upright. “Nothing I can’t fix, but I have to remove several parts to get to the problem.”
“How much longer until you’re done?” She fought the urge to press a hand against her hip.
