~!~

I grunted as I lifted the giant pumpkin onto the metal cart. We'd spent the last hour walking through a field with about two dozen other people, primarily families. It's not that I didn't like children; it's just that sometimes they had a way of letting out those piercing, high-pitched screams at an octave capable of shattering glass. The four-year-old in the row next to us was having one such meltdown.

"Dude, we've been out here for an hour." I griped. "My arms are tired." I wiped my hand across my brow before touching Jake on the sleeve. We hadn't seen Emmett yet, and he was scanning the open field anxiously.

"Stop obsessing," I said reassuringly. "He's probably working."

I felt I had to say something so Jake wouldn't freak out and tried to tune out the screaming kid next to us to concentrate on my friend. He turned to me, but before he could reply, he looked past my shoulder with a giant smile spread across his face. Raising his arm, he began to wave excitedly to someone I could only assume was Emmett.

"Here he comes," he whispered. "Oh, shit, here he comes. How do I look? Am I all sweaty and gross?"

I gave him a disparaging look, feeling sweat trickle down my bra since I'd been the one doing all the work. Smoothing his shirt, he tried to flex his tiny muscles.

"Just act natural," I whispered.

Someone came up from behind and brushed past me; A hulking specimen of a man, Emmett, easily dwarfed Jake's small frame as he hugged him.

"How long have you been here?" He asked. "Sorry, I got caught helping Edward with the tractor for the hayride."

Jake hung onto Emmett's biceps and looked at him adoringly before turning to me.

"Em, I'd like you to meet my best friend in the world. This is Bella. Bells, meet Emmett."

I extended my hand, and Emmett engulfed it in his massive paw before pumping it firmly a few times.

"Nice to meet you, Emmett," I acknowledged. "This is quite a place you have. Has your family owned it long?"

"Two generations," he replied proudly. "My brother and I were raised here. Dad's retiring soon, and Edward and I are going to expand. We've got big plans for the place."

"That's awesome," I responded with sincerity. "I wish you luck. And by the way," I added, "These are the largest pumpkins I've ever seen."

"Biggest in the county," Emmett boasted as he peered into our cart. "Babe," he directed at Jake. "You must be exhausted after loading all these."

My mouth hung open as I watched Jake rub his imaginary sore muscles and wince – faker.

He shot me a pleading look, and I went along with the charade.

"Oh! There's Edward," Emmett said enthusiastically. "I want you to meet him. Hang on a sec, and I'll bring him over."

Jake nodded, and I looked down to brush some dirt from my sweater, remnants of the behemoth pumpkins I'd lifted. I did a final once over to ensure I'd gotten it all when I felt Jake's hand on my arm.

"Holy shit, that's the brother?"

I looked at him in confusion and followed his gaze across the field. Emmett was talking to another man, and they were headed our way. He was tall and lean and wore faded jeans, a white, long-sleeved thermal shirt, and well-worn, muddied boots. The sun glinted off his dark hair, and even from this distance, it wasn't hard to tell he was gorgeous.

"Seriously, that's the brother?" he reiterated.

"Is he gay too?" I asked quietly.

"Unfortunately, no." He replied with a frown.

I looked over at him and smirked. "What do you care? You're taken." We both fell into stifled giggles just as Emmett and Edward approached.

"Pull yourself together, Bish," Jake whispered and kicked his foot discreetly against mine.

I schooled my features as the two men walked the last few feet through the pumpkin patch and stood before us. Edward was even more handsome up close. His hair blew in the breeze, and I followed his hand as he raised it to run his fingers through the strands. Tilting his head to the side, his tongue peeked out to lick his lips before he looked first at Jake and then at me, allowing me to observe his features. His eyes were a brilliant green and framed with the longest lashes I had ever seen.

"Edward, this is Jake," Emmett said with a large grin. "Babe, this is my older brother, Edward."

"It's nice to meet you, Jake," Edward responded as he extended his hand.

I felt a strange tingling sensation at the sound of his deep masculine voice. It traveled throughout my body until it reached my ears, quickly creating what I can only describe as white noise. It blocked out every sound around us, and I heard nothing while he traded pleasantries with Jake. I'm not sure how much time passed, but at some point, I realized his lips were no longer moving, and everyone was staring at me.

"Bella?"

"Huh?" I replied, hearing a faint voice coming from my right.

"You, okay?" Jake asked. "Emmett just introduced you to Edward."

I felt my face heat up in embarrassment before I turned to Edward.

"What? Oh, sorry."

Edward was staring at me with a polite smile on his face.

"Hello, Bella; it's nice to meet you."

Certain I had made a terrible impression; I blurted out the first thing that popped into my head.

"I carried a pumpkin."

What the hell? What in the actual hell?

Sweat broke out on my forehead, and I had the overwhelming urge to dig a hole and bury myself in it. Jake laughed, and I saw Edwards's lips twitch in amusement before he extended his hand to me. It was warm and slightly rough, and if I thought I felt a tingle from hearing his voice, a full-fledged jolt went through me when our palms connected.

"It's nice to meet you, Edward," I said haltingly. "Your farm is beautiful. Emmett's been telling us about your plans to expand. That sounds exciting."

While Edward's smile didn't falter, I thought there was something off about it.

"We're looking forward to it," he said brusquely before pulling his hand away and looking out across the field.

"I've gotta go, Em," he said suddenly before glancing first at Jake and then at me.

"It was nice meeting you both. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

"Sure, sure," Jake replied. "It was great meeting you, Edward."

I didn't say anything, and Edward gave me one last look before moving toward the barn.

I stared after him with a frown, my hand still tingling from where we touched. And even though I had just met him, I knew one thing for sure after our brief and awkward interaction.

Edward Cullen had just lied to me.