Sweet Surprise: Romance Collection

by Wanda E. Brunstetter, Kristin Billerbeck, Kristy Dykes, Aisha Ford, Birdie L. Etchison, Pamela Griffin, Joyce Livingston, Tamela Hancock Murray

  “Ed needs to get that old tank replaced,” Lorna grumbled as she reached for a towel. “Maybe I should stay home today after all.”

  The verse she’d read the night before in Psalm 125 popped into her mind. “Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.”

  “Thanks for that reminder, Lord. I need to trust You to help me through this day.”

  “I don’t see how we’re ever gonna get better acquainted if you keep avoiding me.”

  Lorna sat in her anatomy class, watching a video presentation on the muscular system and trying to ignore Evan, who sat on her left. She kept her eyes focused on the video screen. Maybe if I pretend I didn’t hear him, he’ll quit pestering me.

  “Here, I brought you something.” He leaned closer and held out two cookies encased in plastic wrap.

  She could feel his warm breath on her ear, and she shivered.

  “You cold?”

  When she made no reply and didn’t reach for the cookies, he tapped her lightly on the arm. “I made these last night. Please try one.”

  Lorna didn’t want to appear rude, but she wasn’t hungry. “I just ate breakfast not long ago.”

  “That’s okay. You can save them for later.”

  “All right. Thanks.” Lorna took the cookies and placed them inside her backpack.

  “I’m going biking on Saturday. Do you ride?” he asked.

  “Huh?”

  “I’d like you to go out with me this Saturday. We can rent some bikes at the park and pedal our way around the lake.”

  “I told you…I don’t date.”

  “I know, but the other night you said we could be friends, so we won’t call this a date. It’ll just be two lonely people out having a good time.”

  Lorna’s face heated up. “What makes you think I’m lonely?”

  “I see it in your eyes,” he whispered. “They’re sad and lonely looking.” When she made no reply, he added, “Look, if you’d rather not go, then—”

  Lorna blew out her breath as she threw caution to the wind. “All right, I’ll go, but you’re taking an awfully big chance.”

  “Yeah, I know.” He snickered. “A few hours spent in your company, and I might never be the same.”

  Lorna held back the laughter threatening to bubble over, but she couldn’t hide her smile. “I was thinking more along the lines of our fall weather. It can be pretty unpredictable this time of the year.”

  Evan chuckled. “Yeah, like some blond-haired, blue-eyed woman I’d like to get to know a whole lot better.”

  Evan studied the computer screen intently. Brownie Delight was the sweet treat Cynthia Lyons had posted on Tuesday, but he hadn’t had time to check it out until today. The ingredients were basic—unsweetened chocolate, butter, sour cream, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and chopped nuts. Chocolate chips would be sprinkled on the top, making it doubly delicious. If the brownies turned out halfway decent, he would take some on his date with Lorna. Maybe she’d be impressed with his ability to cook. He hoped so, because so far nothing he’d said or done had seemed to make an impact on her. She hadn’t even said whether she’d liked the chocolate peanut butter cookies he’d given her the other day. Lorna was probably too polite to mention that they’d been a bit overdone. This was Evan’s second time with these cookies, and he was beginning to wonder if he’d ever get it right.

  Evan still hadn’t made it to any of the online chats Cynthia Lyons hosted. Now that he was in school all day, his evenings were usually spent doing homework.

  Oh well. The chats were probably just a bunch of chitchat about how well the recipes had turned out for others who had made them. He didn’t need any further reminders that his hadn’t been so successful.

  Evan hit the PRINT button to make a copy of the recipe and leaned back in his chair while he waited for the procedure to complete itself.

  A vision of Lorna’s petite face flashed into his mind. He was attracted to her; there was no question about that. But did they really have anything in common? Was she someone who wanted to serve the Lord with her whole heart, the way Evan did?

  The college they attended was a Christian one, but he knew not everyone who went there was a believer in Christ. Some merely signed up at Bay View because of its excellent academic program. Evan hoped Lorna wasn’t one of those.

  And what about children? Did she like kids as much as he did? Other than becoming an elementary school music teacher, what were her goals and dreams for the future? He needed to know all these things if he planned to pursue a relationship with her.

  The printer had stopped, and Evan grabbed hold of the recipe for Brownie Delight. “Tomorrow Lorna and I will get better acquainted as we pedal around the lake and munch on these sweet treats. Tonight I’ll pray about it.”

  The week had seemed to fly by, and when Lorna awoke Saturday morning, she was in a state of panic. She couldn’t believe she’d agreed to go biking with Evan today. What had she been thinking? Up until now, she’d kept him at arm’s length, but going on what he probably saw as a date could be a huge mistake.

  “Then again,” she mumbled, “it might be just the thing to prove to Evan how wrong we are for each other.”

  Lorna crawled out of bed, wondering what she should wear and what to tell her in-laws at breakfast. Not wanting to raise any questions from Ann or Ed, she decided to only tell them that she’d be going out sometime after lunch, but she would make no mention of where. Her plans were to meet Evan at the park near the college, but she didn’t want them to know about it. They might think it was a real date and that she was being untrue to their son’s memory. She only hoped by the end of the day she wouldn’t regret her decision to spend time alone with Evan Bailey.

  At two o’clock that afternoon, Lorna drove into the park. The weather was overcast and a bit chilly, but at least it wasn’t raining. She found Evan waiting on a wooden bench with two bikes parked nearby.

  “Hey! I’m glad you came!”

  “I said I would.”

  “I know, but I was afraid you might back out.”

  Lorna flopped down beside him, and he grinned at her. “You look great today.”

  She glanced down at her blue jeans and white T-shirt, mostly hidden by a jean jacket, and shrugged. “Nothing fancy, but at least I’m comfortable.”

  Evan slapped the knees of his faded jeans and tweaked the collar on his black leather jacket. “Yeah, me, too.”

  A young couple pushing a baby in a stroller walked past, and Lorna stared at them longingly.

  “You like kids?”

  “What?” She jerked her head.

  “I asked if you like kids.”

  “Sure, they’re great.”

  “When I get married, I’d like to have a whole house full of children,” Evan said. “With kids around, it would be a lot harder to grow old and crotchety.”

  “Like me, you mean?”

  Evan reached out to touch her hand. “I didn’t mean that at all.”

  She blinked in rapid succession. “I am a lot older than most of the other students at Bay View.”

  “You’re not much older than me. When I was born, you were only four.”

  She grunted. “When you were six, I was ten.”

  “When you were twenty-six, I was twenty-two.” Evan nudged her arm with his elbow. “I’m gaining on you, huh?”

  Lorna jumped up and grabbed the women’s ten-speed by the handlebars. “I thought we came here to ride bikes, not talk about age-related things.”

  Evan stood, too. “You’re right, so you lead, I’ll follow.”

  They rode in pleasant silence, Lorna leading and Evan bringing up the rear. They were nearly halfway around the park when he pedaled alongside her. “You hungry? I brought along a few apples and some brownies I made last night.”

  She pulled her bicycle to a stop. “That does sound good. I haven’t ridden a bike in years, and I’m really out of shape. A little rest and some nourishmen
t might help get me going again.”

  Evan led them to a picnic table, set his kickstand, and motioned her to take a seat. When they were both seated, he reached into his backpack and withdrew two Red Delicious apples, then handed one to Lorna. “Let’s eat these first and save the brownies for dessert.”

  “Thanks.” Lorna bit into hers, and a trickle of sweet, sticky juice dribbled down her chin. “Mmm…this does hit the spot.” She looked over at him and smiled. “Sorry about being such a grump earlier. Guess I’m a little touchy about my age.”

  “Apology accepted. Uh…would you like to go to dinner when we’re done riding?” Evan asked hesitantly.

  Warning bells went off in Lorna’s head, and she felt her whole body tremble. “I’m not dressed for going out.”

  “I was thinking about pizza. We don’t have to be dressed up for that.” Evan bit into his apple and grinned.

  That dopey little smile and the gentleness in his eyes made Lorna’s heartbeat quicken. She gulped. “I–I—”

  “You can think about it while we finish our ride,” Evan said, coming to her rescue.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Okay.”

  “So, tell me about Lorna Patterson.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “I know you’re enrolled in a Christian college. Does that mean you’re a believer in Christ?”

  She nodded. “I accepted the Lord as my personal Savior when I was ten years old. At that time I thought I knew exactly what He wanted me to do with my life.”

  “Which was?”

  “To teach music. I started playing piano right around the time I became a Christian, and I soon discovered that I loved it.”

  “You’re definitely a gifted pianist,” he said with a broad smile. “You do great accompanying our choir, and you have a beautiful singing voice.”

  “Thanks.” She nodded at him. “Is that all you wanted to know about me?”

  “Actually, there is something else I’ve been wondering about.”

  “What?”

  “You mentioned that you’re a widow. How did your husband die?”

  Lorna stared off into the distance, focusing on a cluster of pigeons eating dry bread crumbs someone had dumped on the grass. She didn’t want to talk about Ron, her loss, or how he’d been killed so tragically.

  “If you’d rather not discuss it, that’s okay.” Evan touched her arm gently. “I probably shouldn’t have asked, but I want to know you better, so—”

  Lorna turned her head so she was looking directly at him. “It’s okay. It’ll probably do me more good to talk about it than it will to keep it bottled up.” She drew in a deep breath and plunged ahead. “Ron was killed in a motorcycle accident a little over a year ago. A semitruck hit him.”

  “I’m so sorry. It must have been hard for you.”

  “It was. Still is, in fact.”

  “Have you been on your own ever since?”

  She shook her head. “Not exactly. I’ve been living with Ron’s parents, hoping it would help the three of us deal with our grief.”

  “And has it?”

  “Some.”

  Compassion showed in Evan’s eyes, and he took hold of her hand. It felt warm and comforting, and even though Lorna’s head told her to pull away, her heart said something entirely different. So she sat there, staring down at their intertwined fingers and basking in the moment of comfort and pleasure.

  “I’m surprised a woman your age, who’s blessed with lots of talent and good looks, hasn’t found another man by now.”

  Lorna felt her face flame. She focused on the apple core in her other hand, already turning brown. When she spotted a garbage can a few feet away, Lorna stood up. Before she could take a step, she felt Evan’s hand on her arm.

  “I’m sorry, Lorna. I can tell I’ve upset you. Was it my question about your husband’s death, or was it the fact that I said I was surprised you hadn’t found another man?”

  She blinked away unwanted tears. “A little of both I suppose.”

  She stiffened as Evan’s arm went around her shoulders. “Still friends?”

  “Sure,” she mumbled.

  “Does that mean you’ll have pizza with me?”

  “I thought I had until the bike ride was over to decide.”

  He twitched his eyebrows. “What can I say? I’m not the patient type.”

  “No, but you’re certainly persistent.”

  He handed her a napkin and two brownies. “How do you think I’ve gotten this far in life?”

  She sucked in her breath. How far had he gotten? Other than the fact that he was majoring in psychology, wasn’t married, and was four years younger than she, Lorna knew practically nothing about Evan Bailey. Maybe she should learn more—in case she needed another friend.

  She tossed the apple core into the garbage and bit into one of the brownies. “Where’d you say you got these?”

  “Made them myself. I think I already told you that I’m taking an online cooking class. The instructor is teaching us how to make some tasty sweet treats.” He winked at her. “I thought it might make me a better catch if I could cook.”

  Lorna wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to hurt Evan’s feelings by telling him the brownie was too dry. She thought about the cookies he’d given her the other day. She’d tried one at lunch, and they had been equally dry, not to mention a bit overdone. Apparently the man was so new at cooking, he couldn’t tell that much himself. She ate the brownie in silence and washed it down with the bottled water Evan had also supplied. When she was done, Lorna climbed onto her bike. “We’d better go. I hear the best pizza in town is at Mama Mia’s!”

  Chapter 6

  L orna slid into a booth at the pizza parlor, and Evan took the bench across from her. When their waitress came, they ordered a large combination pizza and a pitcher of iced tea.

  As soon as the server was gone, Evan leaned forward on his elbows and gave Lorna a crooked smile. “You’re beautiful, you know that?”

  She gulped. No one but Ron had ever looked at her as if she were the most desirable woman on earth. Lorna leaned back in her seat and slid her tongue across her bottom lip. “Now it’s your turn to tell me about Evan Bailey,” she said, hoping the change in subject might calm her racing heart and get her thinking straight again.

  She watched the flame flicker from the candle in the center of the table and saw its reflection in Evan’s blue eyes. “My life is an open book, so what would you like to know?” he asked.

  I’d like to know why you’re looking at me like that. “You told our group in class that your major is psychology, but you never said what you plan to do with it once you graduate,” she said, instead of voicing her thoughts.

  The waitress brought two glasses and a pitcher of iced tea to the table. As soon as she left, Evan poured them both a glass. “I’m hoping to land a job as a school guidance counselor, but if that doesn’t work out, I might go into private practice as a child psychologist.”

  Lorna peered at him over the top of her glass. “Let me guess. I’ll bet you plan to analyze kids all day, and then come home at night to the little woman who’s been busy taking care of your own children. Is that right?”

  He chuckled. “Something like that.”

  “How come you’re not married already and starting that family?”

  He ran his fingers through his short-cropped, sandy brown hair. “Haven’t had time.”

  “No?”

  “I was born and raised in Moscow, Idaho, and I’m the only boy in a family of three kids. I enrolled in Bible college shortly after I graduated high school, but I never finished.”

  “I take it you’re a Christian, too?”

  He nodded. “My conversion came when I was a teenager.”

  “How come you never finished Bible college?” she questioned.

  “I decided on a tour of duty with the United States Air Force instead.” A muscle jerked in his cheek, and he frowned slightly. “I had a relations
hip with a woman go sour on me. After praying about it, I figured the best way to get over her was to enlist and get as far away from the state of Idaho as I could.”

  In the few weeks she’d known Evan, this was the first time Lorna had seen him look so serious, and it took her completely by surprise. She was trying to decide how to comment, when the waitress showed up with their pizza. Lorna was almost relieved at the interruption. At least now she could concentrate on filling her stomach and not her mind.

  After a brief prayer, Evan began attacking his pizza with a vengeance. It made Lorna wonder when his last good meal had been. By the time she’d finished two pieces, Evan had polished off four slices and was working on another one. He glanced at Lorna’s plate. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  “The pizza is great. I’m enjoying every bite,” she said.

  He swiped the napkin across his face and stared at Lorna. It made her squirm.

  “Why are you looking at me that way?”

  “What way?”

  “Like I’ve got something on my face.”

  He chuckled. “Your face is spotless. I was thinking how much I enjoy your company and wondering if we might have a future together.”

  Lorna nearly choked on the piece of pizza she’d just put in her mouth. “Well, I—uh—don’t think we’re very well suited, and isn’t it a little soon to be talking about a future together?”

  “I’m not ready to propose marriage, if that’s what you’re thinking.” His eyes narrowed. “And please don’t tell me you’re hung up about our age difference.” Evan looked at Lorna so intently she could feel her toes curl inside her tennis shoes.

  “That doesn’t bother me so much. We’re only talking about four years.”

  “Right.” Evan raised his eyebrows. “You couldn’t be afraid of men, or you wouldn’t have been married before.”

  “I am not afraid of men! Why do you do that, anyway?”

  “Do what?”

  “Try to goad me into an argument.”

  He chuckled behind another slice of pizza. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”

  “Isn’t it?”