Free A Family for the Farmer by Laurel Blount

out drily. “But here we are. You’re standing in a barn covered with muck, and I’m peddling vegetables and homemade jams at the farmers’ market and heading up the local 4-H chapter. Looks like country life got us both in the end.”
    â€œLooks like,” Emily echoed faintly, her disbelieving eyes trying to make sense of Bailey’s transformation. She couldn’t get over how different her friend looked without the big, round spectacles she’d always worn, and with her teeth as straight and white as they could be. Then there was the little matter of her figure. “I can’t believe...you’re just... Wow. Just, wow! You look wonderful!”
    â€œI ought to. Contacts,” Bailey explained succinctly. “And braces. Five years of those awful things.” She patted her flat stomach. “And a whole lot of carrot sticks and crunches.”
    Emily felt a surge of admiration. Her old friend might not have made it out of Pine Valley, but she had changed her life just the same. The mousy bookworm had turned into a dark-haired beauty.
    â€œWe need to catch up,” Bailey was saying. “But from the look of you, now’s obviously not the time. I just stopped by to drop off your check and take a peep at the garden and see what’s coming off for Saturday. Looks like green beans, squash and a ton of tomatoes and peppers as near as I can tell. Time to crank out a batch of my signature spaghetti sauce.” She pulled a folded check out of her pocket and wiggled it in Emily’s direction. When Emily just looked at it, Bailey frowned and tilted her head. “Abel didn’t tell you?”
    â€œTell me what?”
    Bailey snorted. “That man! He’d rather take a jab in the eye with a stick than talk to a person. Your grandma and I had a deal. I’ve got a little specialty store downtown, Bailey’s, and I run a booth at the farmers’ market every Saturday. I sold Miss Sadie’s vegetables for her, and in return she let me have half of them for the preserves and sauces I’m making for the store. I was hoping it’d suit you to keep the deal going.” Bailey’s straight teeth flashed in a quick smile. “Abel Whitlock isn’t much of a talker, but everybody knows his vegetables are the best in town. My booth is mobbed every week.” She fluttered the check. “Here. Take it. That’s from the last few weeks, so don’t get your hopes up that it’ll be this much every time.”
    Emily reached out slowly and took the check. “You’re running a store? Here?”
    â€œHere, there and everywhere, honey. The internet is a marvelous thing. I’m just getting started, but so far so good. How about it?” Bailey tilted her head. “You want to let the deal stand?”
    Emily blinked and tried to think fast. She wished Abel had told her about this. She hated having to make spur-of-the-moment decisions, but if Grandma had thought this arrangement with Bailey was a good idea for the farm, it probably was. “Sure. I guess so.”
    â€œGreat!” Bailey’s face lit up.
    â€œI’m only here for the summer, though,” Emily cautioned quickly. “My grandmother’s will—”
    â€œOh, I know all about that,” Bailey interrupted with a dismissive wave. “That will is the talk of the town.” She chuckled and shook her head again, her ponytail swinging widely. “Lois Gordon is beside herself.”
    â€œI bet she is.” A tiny smile tickled around the corner of Emily’s lips as she imagined the scene that had ensued when Trey’s mother heard Emily was staying in Pine Valley for three months.
    â€œYeah.” Bailey’s smile faded, and she looked at Emily soberly. A short silence, crowded with the events that had unfolded since the two friends last saw each other, stretched between them. “Be careful there, Emily. Mrs. Gordon’s