His face went white. “Oh no. You didn’t bring me here to force me to conquer my fears, did you?”
“Nee, of course not. I’m just pointing out a landmark from my childhood.” She giggled. “I wouldn’t do that to you. Each personhas to face their own fears in their own time.”
The color still hadn’t returned to his face. “Now, don’t freak out or anything.” He had a mouthful of food that he slowlyswallowed.
Evelyn’s chest grew tight. “Freak out about what?”
He slowly pointed to her left arm. “I’ve never seen a butterfly actually land on anyone, and—”
She jumped up, tipping over her plate and sliding her hand along the picnic table, knowing right away she’d pulled back asplinter. But she kept going, waving her arms in the air, spinning around and around to get the creature off. “See, I toldyou! All things that fly find me.”
Dizzy, she finally stopped and caught her breath, and when she looked at Jayce, his eyes were wide.
“Wow. You really are afraid of anything that flies.” He wasn’t smiling or making fun of her like so many others had. “Comehere. You’re bleeding.”
Edging toward him, she held out her throbbing pinky as drops of blood trickled to the ground. “I’m not as brave as Millie,”she said softly.
He stood, gently took her hand in his, and moved his face closer to her finger. “I’m going to guess you don’t have any tweezershandy?” His eyes met hers, and she shook her head, flinching.
Tenderly, he held her hand and drew his face even closer. “I see where it went in. It’s deep. I think I can get it out though.” He looked up at her, his beautiful eyes seeming to feel her pain. It was odd and wonderful, and it caused her heart to flutter. “Do you want me to try?”
“Ya. It will stop hurting so much once it’s out.”
As he applied pressure on the deep end of the splinter, Evelyn squeezed her eyes closed, not wanting to watch. “Ow,” she whispered.
“Sorry, I’ve almost got it.” His voice was deep and low but filled with the same compassion he’d had with Millie.
A few seconds later, the pressure was gone and Jayce had a napkin wrapped around her finger, still holding her hand. “Better?”
“Ya, danki. I mean, thank you.”
“Nichts zu danken.” He smiled, still applying pressure to her little finger.
“That sounds like ‘you’re welcome’ in our dialect. Very close. How did you know that?”
“I took a semester of German in college.” He offered her hand back. “I feel up for an adventure.”
“Ach dear. I’m afraid to ask.” She laughed. “Wasn’t my dancing around like a crazy woman enough adventure?”
“I’d like to see your cave.”
Evelyn’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding, ya?”
“I didn’t say I want to go in it.” His body stiffened. “I’d just like to see it. I can’t imagine crawling through a hole and not knowing where it led.” He shivered. “No way.”
“We were kids, invincible.” She shrugged. “There are small caves all over southern Indiana.”
“Feel up to it?” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
“Ya, sure. I haven’t been there in years. Let me just give Millie some water and make sure she’s tethered securely.” She walkedto her horse and poured some water in a bowl, then checked that the reins were sufficiently taut. “Ready,” she said when shewalked back to the table. He’d already put the container of chicken salad back on the ice block in the small cooler.
“You kinda lost half your sandwich. Do you want to make another one before we go?” He pointed to the bread, then to the chickensalad he’d just stowed.
“Nee, I’m fine.”
They started their trek toward the cave.
“It’s so cool you can just leave your horse there with no worries of someone stealing her.” Jayce shook his head. “It’s notlike that where I come from.”
“I guess there are a lot of people where you live?”
“Yep. Too many.” He took long strides, so Evelyn tried to keep up. She could see the tip of his tattoo showing and wantedto ask what it was. But she feared it might embarrass her. Or him.
When they finally reached the small cave with an opening the size of a Hula-Hoop, her childhood memories began playing throughher mind. “It was our secret spot. We used to place weeds around it to cover the entrance, hoping no one else would find it.There were three of us, all girls.” The space was clearly visible now. “I’m sure others have been down there.”
“You know I’m not going in.” Jayce ran a hand through his hair. “I know I’d have the freedom to get out, but that’s just tootight a space for me.”
“I know. I would never ask you to.” She thought about how he didn’t make her feel bad about the butterfly incident.
“Well, I might have considered . . . following you in there.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Maybe. But aside from my being uncomfortable in small spaces, there’s something else that would worry me.” He loweredhis head dramatically, then lifted his eyes to hers, smiling broadly. “I’d be scared to death you’d try to kiss me.”
Evelyn gasped but couldn’t stop laughing. When she finally caught her breath, she said, “I’m going in.”
“No. Don’t do that.” Jayce became visibly concerned, his expression twisting into fear. “It’s been a long time since you’vebeen down there. What if something happened to you? I’d be forced to save you.” His expression lifted. “Then you’d be forcedto kiss me . . .” He shrugged. “I don’t know. It might be worth it.”
Evelyn sank to her knees and started crawling inside the hollowed rock.
“Seriously, please don’t do that. How are you going to see inside?”
She kept going, turning only briefly to pull out a flashlight she’d left in her apron pocket. It was no bigger than a fountainpen. She clicked it on. “Never leave home without it.” That wasn’t exactly true. She’d just forgotten to take it out of herpocket early this morning.
Maybe she’d stay in there a while, but close enough to the entrance that he wouldn’t be too uncomfortable to slip inside.And maybe he’ll
