Page 78 of Resisting the Fall

She glanced up at me. “Yes to the babies. And I guess the house would depend on how much it costs. You could probably do a lot of the work, but it’ll be a long time before we could afford something like that. What with you working in the shop and me… possibly teaching music.” As a trained violinist, teaching was really the only career if she didn’t live in a big city. But Maven would be an amazing teacher, whether she worked at a school or did private lessons.

“Wally wants me to take over for him when he retires.”

“What?” Maven shifted toward me, her eyes widening. “That’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“He only just mentioned it, and I wanted to tell you when we were together. Besides, it wouldn’t be for another few years.”

“But you’d want to do it?”

I nodded. “I have some ideas on how to grow the business, and I think it could provide a good life for us. Eventually, I could even build you that house you want.”

Maven lifted her cold fingers to my cheeks, then guided me to her, placing the most tender kiss on my lips that warmed me straight through. Apparently, she liked my offer.

Maven

Saturdays in Autumn Ridge were always crowded, but when the town closed off Main Street during the fall festival, it was an absolute madhouse trying to find parking. My mom, Penny, and I had planned to arrive before the barn raising started, but getting out of bed this morning had proven more difficult than it should have considering how uncomfortable that futon was—parts of my body were sore that I didn’t even know could be sore. The late night probably hadn’t helped either. Ben had left my mom’s a little after midnight, but my mind wouldn’t quiet down enough to let me sleep for… I’m not even sure how long. At least an hour. Probably longer.

“Wow,” Mom said. “Look at this. This can’t all be locals.” Parked cars lined every side street, and there was no way the church lot wasn’t already full. “Maybe I’ll just drop you two off and go see if the library has any parking. I don’t want Penny to miss the barn walls going up.”

“Just park at Dust & Timber,” I said. “I’m sure Ben won’t mind.”

Mom pulled onto First, then into Dust & Timber’s parking lot. Despite it being nearly full, we snagged a spot on the far end near the workshop. Apparently, others had made the same conclusion about Ben being fine if they parked there. I grabbed the fruit salad we’d prepped—our potluck contribution—and waited with Penny on the sidewalk while Mom grabbed the quilt from the trunk.

“Do you have permission to park there?” The familiar voice sent us turning toward a smiling Ben. He carried an open top toolbox with several hammers, mallets, and at least two drills I could see. They must have needed extra tools at the building site. The load enhanced the muscles in his forearm, visible just beneath the rolled-up sleeve of his flannel.

I forced my gaze upward. “We know the owner.”

Ben stopped when he reached us. “Is that so?”

Penny gave a little giggle and nodded her head, clearly picking up on our little game.

“And what do you think of him?” Ben asked, holding my gaze.

I met his stare. “I think he should be over at the barn raising considering he’s in charge of it.”

His smile widened. “That’s a valid point. I’d hate for the walls to go up without me.”

“We’d better hurry, then.”

When my mom joined us on the sidewalk, Penny took hold of her hand, pulling her down First at a determined pace like she hadn’t realized Ben was teasing.

Ben and I fell in behind them. “Here, let me carry that for you.” He reached out for the bowl with his free hand.

“You’ve got enough to carry,” I said, allowing myself another peek at his toned arms. “And this is really light.”

He looked unsure if he should press me or not, but eventually he let it slide. “How’d you sleep on that futon?”

“So great,” I lied, like I had full range of motion in my neck. “Like a lamb on a cloud.”

“Wow. That’s some futon.”

“It is the reason I’m staying at my mom’s.”

Ben shortened his long stride to keep pace with me. “And here I thought it was because you’re afraid of what will happen if we’re alone together.”

I glanced over at him. He hadn’t said what might happen. He’d said what will happen. “Why would you think that?”

Ben’s grin intensified. “You saw Carson’s face last night during the movie. That was not the face of a man who stuck around for the pure pleasure of watching Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” A car was coming down First, and Ben took hold of my arm to make sure I saw it. When it passed, we crossed. “You asked him to stay.”