Free Seasons of Sugarcreek 03. Autumn's Promise by Shelley Shepard Gray

his brow. “Perhaps we could go to the corn maze?”
    “You still want to go?”
    “Of course. Let’s go before it gets dark.”
    “All right, then.” Robert led the way, but she couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t seem especially enthusiastic.
    After his relatives’ cold looks, and now Josh and Gretta’s strange reaction, Lilly had a feeling he would have felt relieved if they’d just left. But she was determined to lighten his mood. At least for a little while.
    Robert paid the farmer the three dollars each to enter the maze and, with a basketful of kitten, walked in. Almost immediately, they had to choose between going right or left. “Which way should we go?” he asked.
    “I don’t care.”
    Already, the noise surrounding them became muted. The high rows of corn prevented them from seeing anyone else. For the first time ever, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.
    Lilly’s pulse raced as a new kind of friction fluttered between them. This one had nothing to do with awareness of their differences.
    Or of how their relationship was viewed by others. No, this time, it had everything to do with a surprising feeling of promise that rose between them. A hint of suspicion that something more was destined to take place…that like a runaway train, it was going to happen, no matter what.
    “Left,” she finally said.
    “Then left we shall go.”
    Beneath their feet, the hard-packed dirt was strewn with hay and corn husks. The dusty smell mingled in the air. Soon, they came to another fork in the path. This time it was Robert who made the choice. “Left again.”
    Their pace slowed as over and over again they made decisions about turning left or right. Laughter from other maze adventurers floated up toward them. Once, they almost crashed into a cornstalk when two boys raced around a curve and nearly knocked them over.
    The vivid blue sky overhead gently faded into a lapis hue; and the moon appeared in the distance, bright and orange. A true harvest moon.
    Soon it became obvious that they were nowhere near the exit. “I fear we’re lost,” Robert murmured when they took a break on a pair of upturned barrels in order to try to get their bearings.
    “Hopelessly,” she agreed.
    “Should we try to go back to where we came from?” She laughed. “Do you even know any longer? I feel like we’ve been everywhere in this maze except the right direction.”
    His lips curved upward. With a shrug, he said, “Let’s continue, then. Sooner or later, we’ll get out.”
    “I’m okay with it being later…I’m not in any hurry.” And she wasn’t. This was the first time all afternoon that they’d actually relaxed. It was the first time she felt like they could do what they wanted, say what they wanted…without a dozen pairs of eyes and ears taking notice.
    “You know what? I’m not, either.”
    They got up from the barrels and walked farther, this time worrying less about the right ways and caring more about companionship. As the sky darkened and almost all traces of other voices disappeared, Robert reached out for her hand.
    She took his immediately. “You lead the way.”
    His hand tightened on hers as they wandered some more. “Would you think it strange if I said I was having a good time? We’re lost and confused and carrying around a cat.” He shook his head. “By all accounts, I should be feeling completely at a loss. Irritated,” he murmured after they made another two right turns.
    As they stood in front of a row of corn and looked at the tiny opening, Lilly grinned. “I feel the same way. I’ve never really enjoyed corn mazes. I always thought they were too tame.”
    “And I found them frustrating. I’ve been the kind of man who likes a straight path to where I’m going.”
    His words shook her. The kind of man . As they continued on, walking slower and slower, Lilly found herself examining Robert from the corner of her eye.
    Yes, he was a man. A grown-up. Mature. As