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

far away from the boys she used to date as possible. With some surprise, she realized that she no longer even thought about boys her own age. She had no interest in boys whose whole world revolved around studies and football games. The last year had shaped her into a woman far older than her years. She’d gained wisdom and also a bit of impatience for things that didn’t matter to her.
    Now, though she was only a waitress, she seemed to relate best with other people who were working, too. Who were struggling to find themselves, or who were attempting to make something productive out of their dreams.
    “I’m having more fun getting lost than just about anything I’ve done in a long time,” she said as they crossed through another narrow opening and only came to another two routes. “This is the most complicated corn maze I’ve ever seen in my life. Whoever designed this should get a prize.”
    Beside her, Robert looked bemused. “I’m afraid the complications are all of our making, Lilly. Listen.”
    Sure enough, a steady stream of cheers erupted as yet another batch of people steadily found their way out.
    When they heard a boy shout that it had only taken him four minutes to go from start to finish, Lilly giggled. “Well, that’s humbling, I suppose.”
    “Terribly.” With a new look of intensity, Robert stopped and fingered a stalk to his right. “Does this cornstalk look familiar to you?”
    He looked so earnest, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, Robert!”
    “I’m serious. I think I recall this ear of corn—” His voice was cut off by a fluttering of wings overhead. In a flash, a black crow flew near, almost dive bombing them in its hunt for tasty kernels.
    Lilly ducked. “Oh!” she cried, impulsively leaping toward Robert.
    Above, the bird squawked.
    She was afraid of birds. Especially big, bold black ones that were out of cages. Heart racing, she reached for him, pressing her forehead to his chest in an effort to hide from the bird. Clung to him in a burst of panic. Positive that bird was going to come back and swoop down close again.
    But it, of course, was already out of sight.
    When the quiet settled in again, Lilly closed her eyes in mortification. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured, lifting her head to meet his gaze. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
    “Perhaps that you were afraid?” he said gently.
    Then she noticed that the kitten-filled basket was on the ground.
    And that his hands weren’t at his sides. No, they were resting on her back. And his arms were holding her close. Protectively.
    And he didn’t seem to be in any great hurry to let her go.
    She shivered. But it wasn’t from fear. It was from his touch. And the rush of emotion that flew through her. Her muscles turned languid. Her body relaxed.
    All of its own accord.
    He misread her trembling. “It’s all right,” he murmured. “It was just a bird, and it didn’t harm us. And it’s long gone, now.”
    “I…a crow pulled at my hair when I was a child,” she said, doing her best to concentrate on their conversation. Not the turmoil of emotions that was sweeping through her. “Ever since then, I’ve been unnaturally afraid of them.”
    Instead of releasing her, he rubbed a reassuring hand along her spine. “Especially blackbirds, I imagine.”
    “Yes.” Then any further talk stuck in her throat as she realized she was still pressed against him. So close that her feet were in between his—which he must have spread in order to hold her more securely.
    Robert was taller than she was. Taller by a good four or five inches. His arms around her were strong enough to make her feel like she was the most protected woman in the world.
    But it was his eyes that took her breath away. He was gazing at her in such a way that she couldn’t look away at all. “So blue,” she murmured. “Your eyes are so blue. Like Ty’s marbles,” she added, trying to find a proper way to describe them. Like they needed