A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn(16)

“I know where the SCAT stops.”

When Ben didn’t expand on that, she peeked up at his face. “So, you must realize that I am perfectly capable of getting on and off a shuttle by myself.”

“I know you are perfectly capable of doing just about anything you want to do.” The corners of his lips turned up. “After all, you’re the girl who traveled all the way to Sarasota, Florida, without telling your aunt you were coming.”

Tricia was beginning to regret ever telling him that. Ben was so responsible he couldn’t seem to wrap his head around the idea that she would do something so impulsive. Still, she kept their conversation on target. “So . . .”

“So, I like seeing you home.”

Deliberately, she kept her gaze forward. No way did she want him to see how much his words affected her.

“Besides, Tricia, I wanted to get out of there.”

“You did?”

“Oh, jah. You saw how crazy my haus was.” He shivered, making her grin. “All those little girls running around? William going crazy? Furniture and boxes and my daed acting like it was gonna be perfectly possible to organize it all in about six hours? I needed a break.”

She giggled. “Your daed did act like he was going to have everything organized in no time.”

Ben nodded. “That’s his way.” He shook his head in exasperation. “He’s not a big fan of sitting around. Sometimes I think he resents having to sleep.”

“Perhaps I should point out that we were just sitting outside eating sandwiches for the last hour. I thought it was a lot of fun.”

“That was fun. That was great. Thank goodness for Emma Keim. If she hadn’t come along with her girls and that picnic basket I don’t think my daed would have let us stop yet.”

“Emma is really nice. And boy, can she cook. Almost as good as my aunt Beverly, and that is saying a lot.”

“Especially those deviled eggs. I could have eaten five of them,” he said as he pressed a hand on her waist to guide her around a pair of tourists taking pictures of some flowering orange-blossom trees.

When they got back on track, the delicious fragrance of the blossoms permeating the air, and warmth from his touch still fresh in her mind, Tricia glanced up at him again. “Emma’s girls are cute, too,” she added, hoping to keep her focus on their conversation and not on just how happy she was to be spending more time alone with him. From the moment she’d practically run into him in the hall outside his room at the inn, there had been a connection between them that was special. It seemed as if they always had things to tell each other.

She was so glad God had brought them together.

He chuckled. “Jah. They were girly and busy and squealed a lot. I’ve never really been around little girls that much and I don’t think I could handle being around them all the time, but I thought they were mighty cute. Especially little Annie. She was a lot of fun.”

“She liked you. She kept edging closer to ya.”

“I was glad. She’s funny, telling me about her beagle, Frankie.”

As they passed a large family with six or seven kinner, Tricia noticed how both parents looked kind of exhausted, like they were counting the minutes until bedtime. Which got her thinking. “Why do you think Emma and her girls came over?”

Ben looked down at her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean Emma went to a lot of trouble.”

“They were simply being neighborly.”

“Jah, but your family is not in her neighborhood. Your farm is a ten-minute SCAT ride away. She had to load up all the food and keep track of three little girls all the way to your haus.”

As they turned down Burky Street and began to pass house after house framed by bright flower beds, Ben seemed to consider her words. Then he shrugged. “I think you’re overthinking things, Tricia. Emma brought us a welcome meal. I bet she brings lots of families food all the time. Plus, you know, her dog ate our pizza the other day.”

“Well, I’ve lived here in Pinecraft a few months now and I’ve never seen her do too much besides be with her girls. And chase Frankie, of course.”

Ben didn’t even smile at her mention of Frankie. “I’m sure Emma was only being nice.”

“Of course,” Tricia said quickly, though she didn’t really believe that. She’d seen how Emma kept glancing at Ben’s daed. And how Jay’s eyes had softened when Emma smiled, and then how hard he’d tried to hide it. “I’m sure they’re simply glad to meet each other because they have a lot in common.”

Ben stopped right in front of Winnie Sadler’s house. Mrs. Sadler’s cat, Serena, looked up from her nap on the front porch, then flipped onto her side. “Wait a minute. Are you saying you think they like each other?”