Apple Orchard

By Brianne

I woke up frozen and grumbled as I got out of bed. The temperature had dropped and the crisp morning air made me run from the comfort of my warm bed to the bathroom to take care of business.

I'm not much of a morning person, so coffee was the only thing on my mind as I stumbled into the kitchen. I was almost to the coffee maker when I heard my locks being picked. I wasn't awake enough to even care. If it was another "fan" then they could just wait to kidnap me until I've had a little caffeine.

I looked up and Ranger was leaning against the wall, smiling at me. "Babe."

I managed to mumble a greeting back as I stared at the coffee pot, mentally urging it to go faster.

Being ignored wasn't high on Ranger's list. He stalked over, forcing me to look him in the eye. He still had a smile on his face, which in my sorry state dazzled me a bit. I shook my head to clear it and asked "Is there something I can do for you?"

Instead of answering me, he picked up two coffee mugs and poured some coffee from the just-finished pot. He kept his black and made mine perfectly. Sometimes the man could be frustrating, but overall he was pretty amazing.

After a couple of sips of coffee, I was ready for whatever had brought Ranger over at this early hour. "So, what did you want from me, Ranger?" He looked me over slowly so there was no question what he really wanted. I rolled my eyes and rephrased the question, "Why are you here?"

"Just wanted to see you, Babe." Simple questions get simple answers. Sometimes it annoys the hell out of me; actually, it does every time.

"Well, did you get a good enough look? I need to get ready for work at some point today."

Those sinfully dark eyes stared deeply into mine and turned my heart to goo. "I can never get enough of you, Babe. I was wondering what you had planned for today."

"I have to check if there are any skips, but other than that, I have nothing on my agenda."

"Would you like to spend the day with me?" Ranger asked. I nodded quickly, and then blushed. Recently, things between us have been escalating and if it were anyone else I would say we're dating.

We moved the conversation to the living room. Ranger sat on the couch and since it was still a little chilly, I decided to snuggle right up to him for warmth. Any girl would use autumn as an excuse to be near Ranger.

"So, what did you have in mind for today?" I asked when we were settled comfortably on the couch. My head rested o his shoulder and his arm circled around me to keep me close.

"Ever been to an apple orchard?"

I looked at him wide eyed, then laughed. "No. Have you?"

He poked me in the side to get me to stop laughing and said, "Yes. Don't knock it until you try it."

I tried to stop laughing, but the thought of badass Ranger in a country apple orchard was almost too much. "I'm willing to try anything once. Just let me get ready and then I have to call Connie to see if there are any files."

"Babe, take a shower and I'll give Connie a call."

"Thanks." I leaned over and kissed him before hopping off the couch. After the shower, I put on a pair of jeans and a sweater, ready to face the day.

Ranger was just shutting his phone when I walked out. He smiled at me and I could tell he approved of my outfit.

"Any skips?"

"Nope. You're all mine." The way he said that made me shiver with anticipation.

The car ride to the orchard was gorgeous. I love the fall colors! Streaks of golden yellow and blazing orange passed my window. I'm not one for silence, and curiosity is a given. I glanced at him. "What made you want to go to an apple orchard?"

Ranger reached over and entwined his hand with mine. "As a kid I hated school. It wasn't challenging and I would get bored easily, so the start of the school year was always hard. My parents didn't know what to do with me half the time. My siblings excelled in their classes. They knew that I loved to be outside, so every year to motivate me to do my work, we would go to an apple orchard. I was always excited for fall to come because that meant picking apples, drinking cider and eating apple doughnuts."

"That is so normal," I teased him. He let go of my hand to tickle my side. I loved the playful side of Ranger and I absolutely glowed when he brought it out. I took his hand and kissed his palm. "Thank you for telling me."

The orchard was a lot of fun. We were able to just relax and spend the day together. The apple doughnuts even rivaled Boston Creams. At dusk, we sat on a red picnic bench and watched the sunset. My back was to his front and he had his arms wrapped protectively around me. I may not know what kind of relationship we have, but I know I love him with all my heart.

5 Years Later

Ranger lifted his three-year-old son up to the apple tree. "Mommy! Look at the apple, look at the apple!" he exclaimed.

"Good job, baby!" I looked at Ranger holding Aiden and a burst of joy surged through me. The last couple of years have been the best of my life. Ranger and I finally formally acknowledged our relationship and we haven't looked back.

To end our annual apple orchard trip, we sat and watched the sunset. This time Ranger had to work harder to get his arms around my eight months' pregnant bulk. It was always bitter sweet to leave, but we knew that we would be back again next year.

Thanks so much for reading this fall drabble! I wrote it as a challenge response and didn't quite make it in time, but figured I'd upload it anyway.

It's cheese, but I'd love to hear what you think. I had to write something sappy after being so cruel to Ranger throughout Confusion!

Thanks to Shandiss for giving it a quick look over and then going back to working hard on editing Confusion!