Author's Note: I am adding a couple of new characters to this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

The Farmer's Milk Maid

Chapter 3

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Ruth had just finished cleaning up after milking and was fixing to head off to her truck when a hot, tired and sweaty Adam came back inside the barn.

Adam asked her if she would mind driving him up to the main house before going to her place. He had intended to ride the tractor back for lunch but the fuel line had busted so he needed to get his truck to go into town to get a new one to fix it. Since he had ridden down with her he needed a ride back to the main house.

Ruth told him that she would take him to town if he wanted her to since she needed to get some groceries to stock up the kitchen at her place anyway.

Adam agreed but wanted to stop by the main house to let his mother know that they were going into town and wouldn't be back in time for lunch. They would just grab a bite to eat at Granny's Diner.

Ruth thought that that would be good because she needed to let his mother know that she was going to join them all for supper. She felt this would give her a chance to get to know his parents.

After telling his mother their messages they headed off to town.

In Town

Adam had Ruth drop him off at the parts and service department of the local tractor dealer. He told her to go and do her shopping and they would meet up at Granny's. They each went their separate way.

While Ruth was shopping she clipped a display of apples with her buggy. While she was crawling around trying to pick up the apples she heard a loud thump and a groan as someone hit the floor. A young man had come around the corner and was too late to avoid the apples and one rolled under his foot and sent him toppling to the floor. Ruth quickly turned around and saw him sprawled on the floor. Her face turned beat red with embarrassment. She tried to crawl over to help him but kept sliding on the apples and every time he tried to get up he would slide right back down to the floor. They finally realized the silliness of their situation and broke out laughing.

Hearing the commotion the store owner, Mr. Codger, came over to see what was going on. With his hands on his hips he said; "Hay there Seth, What are you doing down there? Can't you think of a better way to meet a pretty lady than by messing up my apples?"

Ruth said; "Sir, it's not his fault. I bumped into your apple display when I turned the corner and I'm afraid this poor man came up on the apples unexpectedly and fell down. I can pay for any damaged fruit if you want."

Seth on his back looked up into Mr. Codger's face and said; "Now Mr. Codger, don't be hard on the little lady. Accidents happen. I will help pay for the apples. I should have been paying attention to where I was going." Unbeknownst to Ruth Seth had seen her earlier in the store and had been watching her but before he knew what had happened he was flat on his back on the floor.

The two bickered back and forth over who would pay for the apples while picking them up. Mr. Codger said; "I don't care who pays for the damage as long as this mess is cleaned up and put back to rights." When they were done there was only about a dozen apples damaged.

They walked up to the counter and paid for their groceries. Seth helped her put them in the tool box in the back of the truck. She turned to thank him but before she could say anything he asked her; "Are you visiting someone here or are you just passing through?"

Ruth answered by saying; "I am new here. My name's Ruth Worthington and I am working for the Arlington family. I am the new milk maid."

"You mean you're R. Worthington! I can't believe that Adam hired a woman. Why that sly fox. He's been keeping you all to himself."

"Well he isn't keeping me all to himself since he just hired me today. I was a surprise to Mr. Arlington also. He was expecting a man. As a matter of fact I need to get going because he is waiting for me over at Granny's Diner. The fuel line to the tractor broke so he came in to get one and I needed some groceries so we came together. Since it would take some time to do everything we are eating in town before we head back to the farm."

"I was just fixing to head over there myself can I join you?"

"Sure, I don't see why not."

At Granny's Diner

When Seth and Ruth entered the diner they looked for Adam and saw him sitting in a booth in the corner by the window. When they got to the booth Seth saw the frown on Adams face before he could hide it. Seth sat by Adam and left the other side of the booth for her. After all they had just met. After they sat down a waitress, came and brought three menus and set them down in front of each one of them. She looked at all three of them and smiled and said; "Hi, my name's Taylor. I will be your server today. Can I get you all your drinks while you look at the menu?"

Seth and Adam said that they would both have a root beer but Ruth said that she would like lemonade.

Taylor said; "Oh, you will like that. It is fresh squeezed."

Ruth smiled and said; "Fresh squeezed, that's my favorite."

Taylor said with a smile that she would be right back. She left to go and get their drinks.

Each one was deep in thought trying to decide what they wanted. Looking up from her menu Ruth asked the guys; "What do you all suggest? It all looks good to me."

Adam suggested the burger plate. He told her; "Their burger is freshly ground and grilled over a fire. You won't find a better one anywhere else."

All three decided to have a burger with everything on it and it came with an order of sweet potato fries on the side. They decided to get an order of large onion rings to share. About that time Taylor came back and asked if they were ready to have their order taken. She took their order and asked Seth if she could get him a refill because his drink was half gone. He said that would be fine, and told her to just bring it when she brought the food.

When she left, the guys looked at one another and Adam asked; "Have you seen her here before? You eat in town more than I do."

"No I haven't, she's new. I wonder who she is. Maybe she's part of the family that bought the chicken farm in between our properties. I heard they were supposed to be here soon and that they have a daughter. As a matter of fact when Ruth and I bumped into each other at the market I thought that that was who she was."

Soon the guys were engrossed in a conversation about their new neighbors. That left Ruth sitting there left out of the conversation, so she occupied herself by looking at the diner's décor.

Taylor finally arrived with their food. She had it all carefully balanced on a large tray. She placed a plate in front of each one and set the onion rings in the middle. As she reached to hand Seth his drink the glass clipped the edge of the tray pouring root beer down the front of his shirt.

Taylor threw her hand over her mouth and looked at Seth with a worried look on her face, then said; "I am so sorry!" Grabbing the towel from around her waist she started dabbing at his shirt. Seth took it from her, smiled and asked; "New job?"

Taylor looked at Seth with a relieved look on her face and said; "Yes, It's my first day today and I'm not used to this kind of work yet. I'm sorry about spilling that drink on you. I will be right back with another one. Do you think you will need another towel to dry off your clothes?" He said yes so she took off to get them.

In the meantime Seth looked at Adam and said; "This just isn't my day today. First I'm slipping on apples and land on the floor in the market and now I have root beer all over my pants and shirt."

Adam looked at Seth and asked; "What do you mean slipping on apples and ending up in the floor at the market. How did that happen?"

Seth proceeded to tell Adam the story of how he met Ruth in the super market. It was all Adam could do to stay upright in his seat he was laughing so hard.

Taylor returned with another towel and drink, and didn't spill it this time. They sat there and enjoyed their meal without another incident and then said good bye to each other. Adam and Ruth left to head back to the farm, Ruth to do the evening milking and Adam to work on the tractor.

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Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I have writing it. I could hardly type for laughing so hard during the apple scene. It was just too funny to leave out. Happy reading to all my readers. Tigger