Seasons of Sugarcreek 03. Autumn's Promise Read Online Free PDF Page B

rocking chair a little push. And then he looked directly her way. “Life isn’t fair at all, is it?”
    “No. I guess I shouldn’t expect it to be, huh?”
    “I wouldn’t say that. All of us want happiness. Don’tcha think?”
    Before she could come up with a reply, he turned and walked toward the door. Lilly scrambled to follow as they meandered their way out of his workshop, and then back into the open front room of his shop.
    Suddenly, she was incredibly aware that only the pair of them were in the room. Alone. Together. And she’d just told him about her mother, and about her feelings about losing her own baby.
    All without him asking. All without even being invited over! For sure, it was too much information, too quickly, and too soon.
    Her cheeks burned. He probably couldn’t wait for her to leave. Couldn’t wait for her to stop acting like they had some kind of connection. They didn’t. They were hardly even acquaintances, let alone friends.
    It was a huge mistake to even have stopped by. She should have just kept driving. Gone home. Tried to make things better with her mother…
    She should have stopped trying to imagine that there was something between her and Robert, something that counted. Stopped trying to think that they had anything at all in common…
    “Lilly, do you have plans on Saturday?”
    Her mouth went dry. “Saturday? No.”
    “Perhaps…maybe…Would you like to go to the farmer’s market with me?”
    “Sure,” she answered. Fast. Probably too fast? “I mean, that sounds like fun.” Robert looked pleased with her answer, though he wasn’t smiling. No, the only difference was a twinkle in his eye. “Would you like to meet there?” she added.
    “The farmer’s market is a big place. How about you come here instead? Say, at two o’clock? The booths will still be busy then. After we see the shops we could maybe walk to the maze.”
    “All right. I’ll be here at two. On Saturday.”
    He looked relieved. “ Sehr gut . I mean, that’s good. I’ll see you then.”
    “All right.” Without looking his way again, Lilly turned and ran out the door before Robert could take back his invitation.
    Or before she could wonder what in the world had just happened.

Chapter 4
     
    “Lilly, you’ve been running out of the house so fast these days. We haven’t had a chance to talk,” her mother said. “I think it’s time we did.”
    “What is there to say?” Lilly murmured under her breath.
    “Plenty, don’t you think?”
    Was that a question? It was phrased that way, but underneath was the steel thread of determination that nineteen years of experience led Lilly to believe was really a command. Biting her lip, Lilly sat down on the couch next to her mom. “We can talk now if you want.”
    “I think we should.”
    When Lilly had gotten home, the house had been suspiciously quiet. She’d found a note on the counter saying her family was attending a program at the grade school building.
    It was a welcome relief. She’d showered and pulled on a pair of old sweats. Then spent most of the evening watching old sitcoms on Nick at Nite.
    Just as she’d been thinking about making popcorn, her parents had come in with Ty. He’d gone off to bed, and with hardly a word in her direction, her dad had walked to his office.
    Looking her over, her mother’s own blond hair glinted in the dim glow from the lamp on the table. “So…I’m sure you have feelings about the baby.”
    It was all Lilly could do not to roll her eyes. Uh, yes, she had feelings. But no amount of talking was going to help her sort them out. And no amount of talking was going to make her suddenly feel all excited and happy about her parents’ new addition. “Not really. I was just surprised. But now that some time has passed, I’m okay with it.”
    Her mother laughed. “Dad and I were surprised, too. More than that, really. Shocked. Floored.” She curved her hands around her tummy. “I never thought something like