Roses and Sonatas [Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns]

Chapter 33

When I saw Cam at his shop the next day, I asked if I could talk to him for a few minutes. He put a "Back Soon" sign on his counter, and we strolled over to the benches by the nearby flowerbeds. I picked up his hand and held it, then said, "I wanted to let you know that Cowboy's been sold..." Cam looked surprised, but before he had a chance to feel sad, I went on, "...to me! I bought him for you—so that you'd never have to worry about him being sold to someone else. He's all yours now. He'll board at Grady's, it's all been arranged."

"You what?!" he exclaimed. "I... I don't know what to say. That's... well, that's such an incredible gift! Is he really mine now? A horse... my horse. I never thought I'd have a horse of my own. I mean, I can't even have a cat. But then, I never thought I'd be riding horses—let alone enjoying it. Thank you, Alice. You're so generous." He leaned over and kissed me.

Pulling back after a moment, I said, "So do you want to go say hi to Cowboy? I can watch your stall for a little while if you like."

"Really?" he asked. "That would be great, if you don't mind?"

"Not at all," I replied, laughing as I pushed him along the plaza towards Grady's. I returned to the flower shop and removed the sign, watching with a grin as Cam ran down the steps at the far end of the plaza and disappeared as he went around the corner towards Grady's pasture.

Ever since the tunnel between the two villages had been completed, tourism in the area had picked up a lot. So by the time Cam had returned, I'd sold masses of flowers to a surprising number of customers. I was amazed at how many men were buying flowers that day, and commented on it when Cam finally came back. To my surprise, he just threw his head back and laughed and laughed. I didn't see what was so funny, and told him so.

"My darling Alice, the flowers weren't the attraction—you were. They were only buying flowers as an excuse to talk to you."

Turning red, I said, "What nonsense! I'm sure that they were buying them for their girlfriends or wives or something. Or maybe there's a festival nearby we hadn't heard about."

Looking at me with an amused expression, he said, "Tell me, did any of them try to give the flowers to you? Or ask you anything... well, personal?"

"Well... there were a few that apparently changed their minds after they had already paid for the flowers, so they asked if I'd like them... " I admitted reluctantly. "And some of them asked me things like what plans I have for tonight, or how long had I been working here, did I live in this town, and things like that. But that's just small talk!"

Cam shook his head at me, saying with a wide grin, "And what did you say?"

"Oh, well, the ones that asked about my plans, I said that my boyfriend was coming over for dinner. The ones who asked how long I'd been working here, I told them that I didn't—that it was my boyfriend's shop and I was just covering for him while he ran an errand. The guys that asked what I like to do in my free time, I said that lately I'd been enjoying horseback riding with you, and the ones that asked if I live here, I said no, I was just here to see you."

"I thought as much," Cam replied with an even broader grin. "You see, I saw the flocks of men that gathered around you, and I saw one after another leaving in disappointment. I even overheard two of them talking, one asking the other if he'd had any luck with the flower shop girl, and the second replying 'no, apparently she already has a boyfriend, lucky guy'." Chuckling at the recollection, he said, "I'm sorry, I would have been back sooner, but I kind of got caught up watching the spectacle."

Deeply embarrassed by his revelations, I pretended to be offended. He made it up so nicely, though, kissing me and whispering such sweet things, and even offering to buy me dinner that night, that I quickly forgave him. I gave him a kiss, and suggested instead of eating out, he get a picnic basket from Howard and Laney and we go for a ride and a moonlight picnic. He agreed and said he'd be over after work.