[Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey by Wanda E Brunstetter Read Free Book Online Page B

a tablet with me all the time. I’ve been doing it since I was a kinner.” He’d spoken without looking at her again.
     
    Suzanne didn’t say what she was thinking, that writing notes on his arm was really strange.
     
    When they arrived at the store, she left Titus to do his shopping while she went after the things Mom needed. She’d just started down the bulk foods aisle when Esther joined her, wearing a frown.
     
    “I thought you weren’t interested in Titus.”
     
    “I’m not.”
     
    “Then what are you doing here with him?”
     
    “He needed to come to the store, and since he doesn’t have a buggy, Grandpa volunteered me to take him.”
     
    “Oh, I see. Did you find out whether he has a girlfriend or not?”
     
    “No, you said you were going to do that.”
     
    “I will, but I need to wait for the right opportunity. I can’t just go up to him and say, ‘Oh, by the way, I was wondering if you have a girlfriend in Pennsylvania.’ “
     
    Suzanne bit back a chuckle. “No, I guess that would seem too bold.”
     
    “Why don’t you ask him?”
     
    “Why me?”
     
    “Because with him working in the woodshop, you’ll see him more often than I will.”
     
    “I can’t just blurt it out, but if the subject comes up, I’ll ask. Does that make you happy?”
     
    Esther’s face broke into a wide smile. “I’ll be even happier if he’s available.”
     

     
    When Titus finished shopping, he found Suzanne talking to her friend. He said a quick hello to Esther and then told Suzanne that he’d gotten everything he needed and was ready to go whenever she was.
     
    “Great. I’ll be done soon.”
     
    A short time later, Titus and Suzanne paid for their purchases, said good-bye to Esther, and climbed into the buggy. They’d no sooner pulled away from the store, when it started to rain.
     
    “Does it rain much here?” he asked.
     
    “In the spring, mostly, but we can have showers any time.”
     
    They talked more about the weather and the kinds of trees and plants that grew in the woods along the road. Titus listened with interest as Suzanne told him that maple, cedar, river birch, willow, and pine trees grew in the area, and that a bush called crape myrtle could grow to be anywhere from fifteen to twenty feet high and six to fifteen feet wide.
     
    “Crape myrtles put on a show all year long,” Suzanne said. “Their long-blooming flowers come in pink, red, white, and lavender. In the fall, the leaves turn yellow or red, then drop off to reveal peeling gray and brown bark.”
     
    “Seems like you know a lot about flowers and trees,” Titus commented, glancing briefly her way. At least he’d been able to make eye contact with Suzanne now that the shock of her looking so much like Phoebe had worn off.
     
    “I enjoy doing almost anything that takes me outdoors, and I also enjoy—” Suzanne pointed to a rabbit skittering into the woods. “Do you like to hunt?”
     
    He nodded. “I’ve gone deer hunting with my half brothers Jake and Norman a few times.”
     
    “I like to hunt and fish,” she said, “but Nelson thinks women shouldn’t do things like that.”
     
    Titus glanced at Suzanne again. She might look like Phoebe, but there were definitely some differences. Phoebe wouldn’t go near a hunting rifle, or even a fishing pole. She liked adventure but not the kind that involved tromping through the woods or sitting by a pond for hours, waiting for a fish to bite.
     
    “Do you miss your family?” Suzanne asked, changing the subject.
     
    “I probably will, but I haven’t been gone long enough to miss anyone too much yet.”
     
    “Not even a girlfriend?”
     
    “Huh?”
     
    “I wondered if you might have a girlfriend back in Pennsylvania.”
     
    “I did have one,” he mumbled, wishing she hadn’t brought the subject up. “But that relationship’s over now.”
     
    “Oh, I see.”
     
    They rode in silence the rest of the way, with the only sounds being the