Page 15 of The Payback Adventure
They weren’t the only ones. As Elisabeth smiled, a dimple appeared on her left cheek and made him rethink his no-moms rule, but only for a moment.
So much enthusiasm for a run-of-the-mill television set. He’d been excited by his theater room back home with its cinema-quality sound system and screen for a couple of days until the novelty wore off, as it did with all his other must-have toys. “How did you win it?”
“We guessed the number of nails in a five-gallon water bottle. Abby figured it out. She was off by four. No one else was close.” Elisabeth lowered her voice. “She’s good with numbers. And pretty much anything else.”
“What about Sam?” Henry followed her through a doorway and into a large kitchen. The white cupboards brightened the room and made up for the faded, peeling floral wallpaper. On the floor sat bowls of different shapes. No doubt the gray cat wasn’t the only pet.
“Sam’s a big help with the girls and the farm,” she said. “But I don’t want him to grow up too fast. He should be a kid for as long as possible.”
The kitchen was a mess, too, with bowls and glasses covering the faux-wood Formica countertops. Breakfast dishes? He could only hope. The one pleasant item he saw was a pie on the stove. Must be what he smelled earlier.
“Help yourself to whatever’s in the cupboards or fridge. I keep the cookie jar filled, but with the kids, you never know how many will be left.” She motioned to a large ceramic bowlfilled with apples, oranges, and bananas. “You’re welcome to join us for meals. It’s never anything fancy, but food is food.”
His personal chef and Iris would beg to differ, but Henry wasn’t about to tell Elisabeth that. “Thank you.”
Her gaze met his. “You might want to wait until you taste my cooking before you thank me.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
A tinge of pink colored her cheeks. He didn’t know many women who still blushed. He liked it.
“The kids are a little too quiet,” she said. “We’d better head upstairs.”
The staircase was wide with a wood banister and carved balustrades. Photographs covered the wall leading up to the second floor. A picture of Sam riding a tricycle. Abby sitting on the back of a pony. Caitlin in the center of a pumpkin patch. Henry did a double take. “You were a cheerleader?”
“In high school.”
“Homecoming queen, too?”
“No, but I was the Berry Patch Harvest Princess.”
“Sounds better than homecoming queen.”
“It was.” Elisabeth’s smile reached her eyes. The effect—stunning. “I got to wear a crown for an entire week and ride on a float.”
“That does beat homecoming queen. But what is the Berry Patch Harvest, and why do they need a princess?”
“Every year, Berry Patch hosts a big harvest festival. It’s a glorified country fair with a carnival, dance, food, and competitions.”
Henry had never been to a country fair. It sounded old-fashioned but fun. Maybe that would be a good theme for one of his birthday parties, though he didn’t know what kind of adventure would go along with a fair. “Will you be running for the title again this year?”
“I’m too old for that.”
He wasn’t sure of her age. She looked to be in her mid-twenties but seemed older. Must be her circumstance. “I doubt that.”
“The cutoff is twenty-one, and I’m almost twenty-five.”
Henry was ten years older than her. “That’s too bad because I bet you were the best Harvest Princess Berry Patch ever had.”
The corners of her mouth curved. She started to speak but stopped. Henry thought he saw gratitude in her eyes.
“There are three bedrooms and”—she pushed open a door—“a bathroom up here.”
“Bathroom?”
“There’s only one in the house.”
But itwasin the house. No treks to the outhouse in the middle of the night. He pumped his fist at his side. Cynthia would be so disappointed.
