by T. L. Haddix
“Why didn’t you warn me?” Rachel asked.
“I tried to tell you he had company, but you wouldn’t stop lecturing long enough to listen. You’re going to make a good teacher, that’s for sure. Do you think they’ve really made up?”
Rachel’s answer was lost as they moved out of earshot.
Shaking his head, Ben closed the door and looked at Ainsley, who was laughing quietly. “That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Now you see a little of why Dad thinks boys are easier?”
Ainsley came to him and backed him against the door. “But girls are more fun,” she teased.
“Well, certain girls. Girls I’m not related to. One girl in particular.” He bent his head and kissed her leisurely. “Mmm, minty. How’d you manage to sneak into the bathroom without us hearing you?”
“Very, very carefully. Hi.”
Ben cupped her face and traced her cheek with his thumb. “How’d you sleep?”
“Like a rock. I’ll need to swing by the house before we meet your sisters. I didn’t think to bring any of the essentials last night.”
“What do you need?”
She grimaced. “Deodorant, mainly, but clean clothes would be nice, too.”
“I can run down the street to the drugstore and get you some deodorant. And I’ll be happy to loan you another T-shirt.”
“You’re sure you wouldn’t mind doing that?”
He straightened away from the door. “Not at all. Just tell me what you need. I’ll be back in a flash.”
She showered while he was gone. Once he’d returned, Ben rummaged around in the back of his closet. “I have a T-shirt here somewhere that’s too small. It should fit you well, though,” he told her as she came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. The sight distracted him, especially when she dropped the towel and started making the bed.
Her knowing grin told him she was aware of the effect she was having. “Don’t get any ideas. If we don’t show up soon, they’ll come back.”
“Tease. I’ll get you back for that later. Don’t think I won’t.” He found the shirt and carried it to the bed.
“I guess that is a little mean of me.” She donned her bra and panties. “I’m sorry.”
Ben pulled her into his arms. “Don’t be. I love it.”
When they arrived at the bakery a short time later, there was no sign of Amelia and Rachel.
“I’ll bet they’re next door,” Ben told Ainsley. “Let’s get what we want, and we can go see.”
Bag of goodies and coffees in hand, they made the short trek next door. The “closed” sign was still turned around, but when he tried the door, it was unlocked.
“Don’t shoot,” he called out. “It’s us.”
Amelia stepped around the shoji screen that divided the reception area from the back. “There you are. Did you get lost?”
Little pounding footsteps thudded, heading in their direction, and Ben barely had time to hand Ainsley his drink before Eli launched himself at Ben’s legs. His face was smeared with powdered sugar, and he had jelly on his hands.
“Unca Ben! Up!”
“Child, what have you been eating?” Ben asked as he lifted Eli into his arms and settled him on his hip. He captured Eli’s sticky hand just before it made contact with his face. “And why are you trying to coat me in it? Don’t you think I’m sweet enough already?” He dove for Eli’s belly and blew a loud raspberry on it, making his nephew shriek with laughter. Once Eli had dissolved into giggles, Ben turned to Ainsley. The yearning on her face stopped him cold.
“Come on back when you’re ready,” Amelia said softly. She left them alone.
“He looks so much like you,” Ainsley whispered. “Even though I saw his picture, I wasn’t expecting that. I’m sorry. Give me a minute?”
“Of course.”
She sat the drinks and donuts on the table by the door and left. Ben turned back to Eli, who was still trying to touch him. With a mock growl, Ben caught his little hand with his teeth and pretended to gnaw on it. Eli’s giggles turned into a deep belly laugh.
Zanny appeared in the back of the studio, and Ben started toward her.
“Where’s Ainsley?”
“She needed some air. Can I give you this guy?”
“Of course.” She held out her hands, and Eli went to her. “Is she okay?”
“I think so.”
Before he reached the door, Ainsley came back in. She apologized again. “I didn’t mean to cut and run like that.”
“It’s okay. I understand.” He started to hug her, but she pushed against his chest.
“No offense, but you’re covered in jelly donut.” Though it trembled a little, her smile was sincere. She grabbed their food off the table. “Let’s go eat. I’m starving.”
As he led her to the kitchen, his heart was racing. After seeing the way she had looked at Eli, there was not a chance in the world he would ever believe she didn’t want children. That still left him in the position of convincing her she would make a good mother, but he was willing to take on the task.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Ainsley was enchanted. Watching Ben with his sisters, Zanny, and Eli, she saw a side of him that she’d only seen hints of before. The intensity that he often exhibited around her was absent. In its place was a joking flirtatiousness that charmed her as much as his depth had.
They were gathered around a small table in the kitchenette. As soon as Ben sat down, Eli was in his lap. From the way Ben held him, she knew he was comfortable having a child in his arms. His other nephew, Noah, was sitting on a chair between her and Ben. The little boy kept casting curious glances in Ainsley’s direction.
“Are you Uncle Ben’s girlfriend?” he finally asked her.
All the conversation around the table stopped. Ainsley swallowed the piece of pastry that was suddenly lodged in her throat.
“Um, yes? I guess I am.”
Noah studied her with a seriousness that was unexpected in a boy his age. “Good. He needs a girlfriend.”
Ainsley couldn’t help but smile. “Why is that?”
“Dad says he’s been sad. And that he got his heart broken, but if he could get past being so stubborn, he might get it unbroken.”
“He what?” Ben’s cheeks flushed.
“Awww, how sweet,” Amelia teased gently.
While Ainsley and Rachel snickered, across the table, Zanny was choking back a laugh. “Noah, when did your dad say that?”
“Sunday, at the farm. He was talking to Grandpa.”
“Young man, it isn’t nice to eavesdrop on other people. And it’s definitely not nice to repeat what they say to others.”
Noah frowned. “What’s eavesdrop?”
“Listening to people talk without them knowing you’re there.”
The frown cleared. “Oh. Well, I was sitting next to Dad. He knew I was there.”
“Sounds like John’s the one who needs to have a lesson in discretion,” Rachel teased. “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he gets home tonight.”
Zanny used what Ainsley thought of as the “mom look” on Rachel, then changed the subject. “So has Ben invited you up to the farm for his and Emma’s birthday party Sunday?” she asked Ainsley.
She saw Ben wince. “I’ve not asked yet,” he answered for her. “You guys are destroying my macho image here.”
“Somebody has to,” Amelia teased. She turned to Ainsley. “You should come, though. Everyone will be there. Even that yummy guy who works with Uncle Jack. Emma and Ben are turning twenty-five.”
“You are obsessed with Archer,” Rachel scolded her. “He’s almost ten years older than you.”
“I’m not obsessed with him. Not for me. Maybe for someone, though.” Amelia sent her sister an arch loo
k and reached for another donut. “So, can you come?”
Ainsley grimaced. “I’d love to, but I’m supposed to go back to Lexington on Friday.”
“It isn’t something you can put off?” Rachel asked.
She shook her head. “Not really. I’ve got a U-Haul trailer reserved to pick up later today, and we’re closing the house here down. The cleaning crew will be in Saturday, and it goes on the market.”
Ben was clearly disappointed. “I was hoping you’d come.”
“If I’d known, I could have made other arrangements. But neither Jonah nor Byrdie can drive a five-speed, and I have to get all the boxes out of the house before the cleaners show up. My SUV is the only vehicle we have here that can tow.”
He tapped a finger on the table, a little uncertainty crossing his face. “I could go with you. Then we could drive back down Saturday or early Sunday.”
Ainsley tilted her head. “I wouldn’t be able to stay long. I have appointments starting Tuesday. But we could figure something out when the time came, I guess. I’d at least be here for the party.”
Ben smiled. “That’d be nice.” A distracted look worked across his face, and he glanced down at Eli with a frown. “Um, Zanny? How’s the potty training been going?”
Zanny blinked at him. “We’re doing better. Why?”
“Because your boy has sprung a leak.” He lifted Eli, revealing a large wet spot on his pants. He looked at his nephew with chagrined amusement. “You stinker.”
Eli just giggled at him.
“I’m so sorry.” Zanny came around the table and took charge of the baby. “Come on, sweetie, let’s get you changed. Ben, towels are upstairs. You come with us, and I’ll find you something to clean up with.”
“It’s not a big deal. Not the first time I’ve been peed on. Probably won’t be the last.” He ruffled Noah’s hair as he stood, then followed Zanny. “Back in a few.”
“I’m gonna go to the front and watch traffic,” Noah stated.
“Ben tells me you’re in school at UK,” Ainsley remarked to Rachel once Ben was gone. “How do you like it?”
“Very well. What are your intentions toward my brother?” The younger woman spoke bluntly, but very real concern showed on her face and in her voice. She gestured to Amelia. “We know a little of what has gone on between the two of you. And I know you’ve gotten a pretty raw deal on some things. But he’s our brother, and we love him. We’re worried.”
Her earnestness lowered Ainsley’s hackles. “I don’t know where we’re going to end up. We’re still working on that, still trying to figure out. But we’re muddling through it, and I think we’ll know sooner rather than later. All I can promise you is that I won’t intentionally hurt Ben again.”
“What about unintentionally?” Amelia asked. “Do you want to marry him? Or are you two just having fun together?”
“I don’t know how to answer that. And with all due respect, Ben’s the one I’ll answer first, once we do figure things out.”
Amelia watched her for a minute, then nodded. “Okay. That’s fair.”
Ben returned then, and by tacit agreement, they didn’t tell him what they’d been discussing. He didn’t resume his seat, but rested his hands on Ainsley’s shoulders.
“As much fun as this has been, I kind of need to go get some clean clothes. Are you ready to go?”
She touched his casted hand. “I am.”
They said their goodbyes, and once they were in the car heading back to his apartment, he apologized for his sisters.
“They mean well. They’re just a little pushy.”
For a second, Ainsley thought he was talking about the conversation they’d had while he was upstairs, but then it dawned on her that he meant the plans for the weekend.
“I know that. They love you. And I think they’re all charming.” She rested her hand on his shoulder. “If you don’t want me to come to the party, I won’t.”
He shot her a frown. “I do want you to come, but only if you want to.”
“I do want to. And I’m hoping you really will go with me to Lexington. I’d like to show you my home.”
That cleared his frown. “I’d be honored.”
After he was dressed in clean clothes, they went back to the Brewer estate. When he parked in front of the garage, she sighed. “I still have some things to do, a little more packing, and then we pick up the trailer today. Thank God we’re almost done. As much as I’m grateful to have reconnected with you, I’ll be glad to see the last of this place.”
“I can understand that. Do you need an extra pair of hands? Well, a hand and a cast?”
“You don’t have to do that.”
He picked up her hand and kissed the back. “I know. But I want to.”
“Can I ogle your muscles while you do it?” she teased.
Ben leaned across the car and kissed her. “It’s a requirement,” he murmured. “After all, I’ll be ogling you.”
Ainsley smiled giddily. “In that case, I’d love to have your help.”
For the rest of the day, she tried to imagine what it would be like having him at the farm. As hopeful as she was starting to become, once they spent some time together at her home, she thought she would have a better picture in her head of what the future held. And then they would be able to go from there.
He wanted children, and she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to provide him with those children. And she wasn’t sure she would be able to start a permanent relationship with him, knowing he wanted a family. She didn’t know if he cared about her enough to give up that dream. She also didn’t know if she could let him go.
Chapter Thirty-Four
On Friday morning when Ben dropped off her car, Emma wasn’t home. Ainsley had followed him, the loaded U-Haul hooked up to her SUV, and he climbed into the passenger seat with a sigh.
“Let’s do this.”
The two-hour trip passed quickly, as the easy conversation they’d always shared was in full force. Once they’d gotten all the detritus from the past out of the way, the wounds had started to heal. The connection they’d established five years ago was still strong, Ben was happy to discover.
The closer they got to Versailles, however, the quieter Ainsley became. Anticipation was strong on her face, and he could practically feel the excitement coming off her in waves.
“You’ve really missed this farm of yours, haven’t you?”
She nodded. “So much. It’s home, in a way that nothing else has ever been.”
They turned off the main road, and after a couple of miles, Ainsley gestured out the passenger window. “This is the corner of the property line coming up here.”
A black wooden-slat fence appeared on a natural rise; a pillar of stones that looked to be at least a hundred years old formed its base. They went down the road another half mile, and she put on her turn signal, then slowed and swung into the other lane to make the wide turn with the trailer. More stones formed an embankment that flanked the drive’s entrance. On a wide metal arch reaching over the road, the words Dragonfly Creek Farm were spelled out in scrolling ironwork.
“This is Jonah’s house,” she told him as they passed a neat, elegant cottage that sat just off the oak-lined driveway. Ben recognized the architectural style as Greek Revival. Jonah’s car was parked in the cottage’s driveway, and Ainsley gave two short beeps as they went past.
“Is this modeled after the main house?”
“It is.”
A little farther up the drive, the trees spread out, and a lush green lawn climbed the gently rolling hill to a small mansion. Like Jonah’s house, the brick had been painted a soft, buttery yellow.
“Wow.” He didn’t know what else to say.
“It was rebuilt in the eighteen seventies after a fire.�
� She glanced at him, and something on his face must have concerned her, because her voice grew tentative. “I know it’s big.”
“It is that. It’s beautiful, though.” The house consisted of a large square in the middle, with a large wing adorning each side. A wide covered veranda encircled the first floor, with white columns holding up a second-floor balcony.
Ainsley pulled up to the wide steps that led to the front door. “Want the tour?”
“Absolutely.”
The interior of the house was no less grand. The foyer stretched a full two stories up, with an elegant curved staircase leading to the second floor. A formal dining room was on his right, through open double doors. To his left, a well-appointed but cozy living room stretched the depth of the house. The floors were gleaming polished oak parquet. As intimidating as the house was, it suited Ainsley.
As she led him from room to room downstairs, he saw little touches of home—a throw on the back of the couch that wasn’t quite centered, a stack of books on a table beside a comfy-looking arm chair. There were no fresh flowers out on the tables, but empty vases sat waiting. Ben just knew that those vessels weren’t normally unoccupied.
Byrdie and Jonah were waiting for them in the kitchen, which took up half of one of the wings. With high ceilings and vintage mint-green tile from the nineteen fifties, the kitchen was an amalgamation of old and new. The appliances were state-of-the-art, but they stole none of the room’s charm.
“Hey, baby girl. How was the trip?” Byrdie asked. She and Jonah had driven up the night before and were pulling lunch together.
Ainsley smiled. “It was good.”
Byrdie reached out and hugged Ainsley, then Ben. “You look a little poleaxed, young man. Not what you were expecting?” she asked quietly as Ainsley went to look over Jonah’s shoulder and steal a carrot stick.
Ben shrugged and hugged her back. “I don’t know what I was expecting. But it’s a lovely home.”
