Chapter 32

The Zimmermans' house was quieter than usual. According to Melonie, her father was late coming home from a horse auction and her mother was in bed with a migraine. Good manners would have been for Lott to tell Melonie he understood that it wasn't a good evening for a visit and go home.

He stayed.

Melonie seemed pleased that he didn't take off. Though it was probably a mistake, he walked right in when she held open the door. All day long he'd been thinking about this visit. Debating about whether he should stop by or not.

"It's gut to see you, Mel." That was the truth too, though he feared he might wish he'd been more circumspect when her father realized he'd sat with Melonie unchaperoned.

She smiled at him. "I didn't think you were coming over today. Did we have something planned that I've forgotten?"

"Nee." He followed her into the kitchen. "To be honest, I wasn't planning on coming over, but when I was walking home I changed my mind."

"How come?"

Lott debated his answer but decided that the truth was probably the best course of action. "Because I was with your brother most of the day and he got me thinking about us."

Melonie didn't bother to hide her surprise. "You were working with him today?"

"Jah. When I reported in today, I thought I was going to be cleaning and sweeping, but Mr. Porter told me he had something else planned. Next thing I knew, Cal was driving me over to a fancy house on the outskirts of Paducah and I was working with Seth in some lady's pantry."

"Wow. What did you do?"

"Helped your brother pull off old baseboards and install new baseboards and fancy cabinet doors." He exhaled. "It took all day." Sure, he might have been exaggerating his contribution a touch, but he was too full of pride not to take advantage of it.

"So you talked to my brother and then decided to come over here?" She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a section of roast beef, which she set on the counter.

"Pretty much."

"Ah."

Lott watched her open a container of bread, slice two pieces, and then carve a good bit of roast beef. His stomach growled, but he pretended he wasn't hungry. Though he'd be lying if he wasn't a little hurt that she had no problem making a snack for herself in front of him.

Then he remembered her mother. He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry your mother has a migraine."

"Emph." She raised a shoulder as she pulled lettuce, cheese, and mayonnaise out of the refrigerator. "She gets them from time to time. I'm used to her being indisposed."

That didn't sound good. "I guess she's seen someone for them?"

"Not exactly." With efficient movements, Melonie slathered mayo on a piece of bread, added swiss cheese and meat, then topped it off with two perfect pieces of iceberg lettuce. When it was complete, she sliced the sandwich in half and placed it on a plate. "My mamm gets headaches whenever she feels overwhelmed. She gets overwhelmed a lot."

"I see." He didn't, though. Here, he'd thought that the worst thing for the Zimmerman family had been Seth's incarceration. And maybe it had. But maybe having her brother in prison hadn't been the only difficult thing in Melonie's life. Had he been so consumed with concern about Bethanne that he'd minimized everyone else's problems?

"Do you want milk or water with that?"

Realizing he'd been staring into space, he glanced at her again. "Hmm?"

She carried the plate to where he sat at the table. "I made you a sandwich. What do you want to drink with it?"

"Oh. It's not for you or your mamm?"

"No, silly. It's for you. Now, what would you like to drink?"

"Water, but I can get it." He moved to stand up, but she was already filling a glass with cold water from a glass pitcher. Sitting back down, he reached for the glass she held out. "This is kind of you."

She rolled her eyes. "It's a sandwich and a glass of water, Lott."

"It's still sweet. You're sweet."

"I'm a lot of things, but I don't think sweet is one of them," she said. She sounded pleased, though.

"I disagree."

She sat down and motioned for him to eat. After he'd bowed his head in silent thanks, she spoke again. "When I think of sweet people, I think of your sister. Bethanne is close to being an angel."

He laughed. "She can be nice, but she's human too. I wouldn't say my sister is always angelic." Immediately feeling guilty, he added, "I don't suppose anyone is, though."

"I suppose not." She motioned with her hand. "Eat, Lott."

He dug in, surprising himself with how hungry he was. "Tell me about your day," he said after swallowing his second bite.

"Hmm? Oh. I worked around here. Prayed for Tabitha Yoder."

"I thought she was doing better. Is she not?"

Watching him eat, she shrugged a shoulder. "Oh, she is, but I've been more concerned about her feelings. Seth told me how she used to be practically afraid of her own shadow. At first, she wouldn't even come out of the house when he would leave her food or chop wood."

"Do you think this attack is going to make her be afraid of everything again?"

"Maybe. How could it not? She was dyeing wood on her front porch when Leon attacked her. If she hadn't run, he could have held her hostage in the house."

"It's good she ran."

Looking pensive, Melonie nodded. "I think—" She stopped abruptly when footsteps sounded down the hall.

"Melonie, who are you talking to?"

Staring at him, Melonie answered. "Lott, Mamm. He paid us a surprise visit tonight."

And ... now he was sitting at their table eating a sandwich. Not exactly the best way to ingratiate himself with her mother.

Her mother shuffled in. Her dress was a little rumpled and her eyes a bit strained. Her hair and kapp were neatly arranged, though. "Hello, Lott."

He stood up. "Hi, Anna."

She looked at them curiously. "You're hosting him in the kitchen, Mel?"

He answered quickly. "Your daughter was kind enough to make me a sandwich."

With a distracted glance, she eyed his plate before focusing on Melonie. "Did you tend to the animals in the barn?"

"Nee. I made you some chicken and rice, though."

"Danke." She turned and wandered back into the hallway. "Don't forget to tend to the animals."

His mouth was dry as he realized he'd finished the rest of the sandwich while Melonie had answered her mother's questions. Now that they were alone again, she seemed flustered.

He stood up and held out a hand. "Come on."

She looked at him curiously as she got to her feet. "What do you want to do?"

He smiled slightly. "If I said run away to the beach, what would you say?"

"I'd ask if I had to pack a bag before we got out of here."

He wished he could offer her that. A break from everything sounded wonderful. No, it sounded like relief. They needed a little bit of that. "Since I haven't bought any bus tickets, how about we settle for going to your barn and tending to the animals?"

"That's not necessary. I can do it."

He couldn't deal with the distance between them anymore. No, he couldn't handle the idea of her standing alone, trying so hard to be strong. "Come here," he murmured, though he didn't really give her a choice. He pulled her into his arms, and Melonie hesitated a mere second before relaxing against him.

The best choice would be for him to offer comforting words and pat her upper back. Like a brother would. But Lott rarely made the right choice.

Cupping her face in both of his hands, he kissed her. Gently nipped her bottom lip, encouraged her closer, and finally kissed her the way he'd dreamed about in the middle of the night. For her part, Melonie didn't hesitate. She kissed him back, clung to him like he was her lifeline.

On and on their embrace continued, and he savored every second of it. Melonie was responsive, and so good that he could practically feel all of that goodness seep into him. He pulled away before he did anything more.

Startled, she gazed up into his eyes. Her lips were parted and she was breathing heavy.

"I'm not going to apologize," he said.

Her lips closed. She blinked. Stepped back. Giving them additional space. Breathing room. "Good," she said at last.

When she headed for the back door, he followed. Lott loved her so much, he'd follow her anywhere.