Chapter 14
It hadn’t been difficult to locate the Walkers’ haus.
It was located on the edge of Walden and surrounded by fields of apple trees.
Her family ran an apple farm and cider business.
When he’d asked around, not a lot of people had much to say about Winter, but had mentioned that their farm was beautiful in the spring when all the apple blossoms were on the trees.
The white and pink flowers were pretty and smelled wonderful, too. As Kyle rode Mervin’s bike down the driveway, he realized that he’d likely misjudged Winter. She’d looked so delicate and slight, but she had to be much hardier than that. No doubt she picked her fair share of apples every fall.
After he parked the bicycle next to one of the hitching posts in front of the door, he tucked in his short-sleeve shirt a bit better and then slowly climbed the steps to the front porch.
Just as he reached the door, it opened. A woman was staring at him. She looked exactly like Winter. Well, no doubt what Winter would look like in twenty years.
“Hi. Mrs. Walker?”
“Jah?”
“My name is Kyle Hostetler. I met Winter the other day in down. She invited me to call on her.”
“Did she now?”
“Is she available?”
“I reckon so.” Looking a bit frazzled, she said, “You might as well take a seat here on the porch. The haus is warm today.”
“It is a hot day, for sure.”
“Hmm.”
He thought her response was a bit strange, but who was to say how she should have reacted? Instead of dwelling on it, he took a seat on the rocking bench seat and rocked back and forth.
A white and gray cat sauntered up the walkway and stared at him.
Then, the cat must have decided he was gut company, because he leapt up the steps, circled the area until he was pleased with the position of the sunny spot, and at last lay down.
Seconds later, his eyes were closed and he looked completely content.
“You’ve got the right idea, cat.”
The door opened and Winter walked out.
She had on a pale lavender dress that somehow made her skin look almost translucent and her eyes even more vibrant. She was holding a tray with a pitcher of water, two glasses, and a plate of lemon bars on it.
Kyle jumped to his feet to help her carry the tray.
“Danke,” she whispered shyly.
“Of course. These trays can get heavy.” He smiled. “I’m happy to help you.”
After he deposited the tray on the table, Winter went to work, pouring them each a glass of water and then gave each of them a lemon bar, a napkin, and a fork. “I hope you enjoy lemon bars?”
“I do. I mean, I think I do. I don’t know if I’ve had one in years.”
“I made them this morning, just in case you decided to come over tonight.”
“Winter, I told you I would.”
“Jah, but sometimes people don’t keep their promises.”
He remembered what she’d said about having her heart broken in the past. “Did your ex-boyfriend not keep his promises?”
“Not always. It was difficult. I never knew when I could trust him.”
“I’m sorry. If he was like that, then I’m glad you broke things off.”
“He broke things off with me. I was willing to put up with his lies, but even that wasn’t good enough.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Have you ever had a serious girlfriend?”
“I did. Back in Kentucky, I courted a woman named Mary. She, ah, wanted some different things out of life than I did. She’s the one who broke things off with me, too.”
“We are quite a pair, aren’t we? Two people who’ve had their hearts broken by people we trusted.”
His situation hadn’t been quite like that. Mary had cheated on him with one of his friends. When he’d found out and confronted her, she’d been shocked. So shocked, she’d started crying and apologized several times.
Though his heart had softened and he forgave her, Kyle knew that he’d never take her back.
Too much damage had been done. Aaron Miller couldn’t have reached out about the job with his parents at a better time.
He’d been sure that he would be torn up for months about Mary’s betrayal.
But it turned out that he’d barely thought about her since he’d moved.
But Winter sure didn’t need to know all of that. “Jah,” he said. He took a bite of the lemon bar. It was rather warm, dry, and slightly burnt. The taste was slightly bitter, too. As if she hadn’t put in enough sugar.
“What do you think?” Winter leaned closer. “Do you love it?”
There was only one answer that was acceptable. He just wished that that answer wasn’t going to mean that he was going to have to eat the entire treat.
“Jah,” he said with a smile as he ate another bite. “It’s delicious.”
“I’m so glad.” She pushed her plate toward him. “You may have mine, if you’d like.”
“Ah, no thank you. One is enough.” It was more than enough.