house and gave it a critical eye. “Tell me what you think needs doing?” She’d changed out of her skirt sometime between the ceremony and arriving here. He wasn’t sure how she’d managed that one, but he was glad. Had she been in that beautiful dress, he wouldn’t have let her near the house that time forgot.
“The grass. The flower beds have more weeds than flowers. The tree needs to be trimmed back. New mulch. The rail on the front porch should be stabilized.” He looked around, seeing more but afraid to list it. Already they had several days’ worth of work ahead of them. “And I’d like to have a summer picnic here.”
Evie’s face lit up. “That’s a wonderful idea. There’s plenty of space for folding tables, and the lawn is big enough to set up some games. With enough food, we might even draw in the teenagers.”
His heart plummeted at the mention of teens. “There aren’t many teenagers to draw in.”
“There has to be some.” She spun in a circle, taking in the houses on the other side of the street. “This is a residential area.”
“I’m sure there’s kids out there.” He circled his arm out toward the town. “There just aren’t some in here.” He waved to the church building.
“Oh.” She mulled that over. “Well, we’ll just have to change that, then, won’t we? I had an amazing youth group growing up. I’d love to be a part of one now—I mean, as a supervisor.”
Before he could come up with a response to her matter-of-fact declaration that they’d change the makeup of the congregation—which the board was firmly set against—she clasped her hands together in front of her and gave him a pleading gaze. “Please tell me there’s a riding lawn mower.”
He thought back to his brief glance in the gardening shed when touring the ministry. “I believe there is.”
She bounced on her toes. “That’s for me, then. I’ve always wanted to try one.”
He laughed. “You want to start yard work? Now?”
“Well, standing here’s not getting anything done,” she joked.
“But I didn’t—I mean, you don’t have to do any of this.” He threw both his arms wide. He’d had every intention of rolling up his sleeves, but he hadn’t given a thought to what she would do while he pruned and weeded.
“What are you talking about? We’re married.” She wiggled the impossibly small diamond on her left hand at him. “Do you think Noah actually built the Ark by himself?”
“Well. I—”
She shook her head and winked at him.
His heart shook as if thundering, Did you see that?
In awe of the woman, he waved towards the barely discernible path in the grass that would take them into the back yard. “Come on back. Let’s see if we can get it going.” Her work ethic would be a credit to them both. He shoved open the shed door. It protested loudly, crying out for some grease and loving care. The inside of the shed was clean and organized. In the middle of the space was a mustard-yellow mower. He stepped back with a flourish. “You’re carriage, my lady.”
She hopped on, the seat protesting loudly. She glared down at it. “That wasn’t very polite.”
He pulled in his grin. He was grateful that he enjoyed her company, but the amount he enjoyed it alarmed him. If he’d met Evie any other way, he’d throw out his ban on dating and take her to the movies. He couldn’t very well do that with his wife whom he’d promised a platonic relationship. He’d have to stick to work and the work and minimize the time they spent together. Just how he was going to do that had him scratching his head.
The lawn mower started right up, and he jumped out of the way as she lurched through the door. “Yeehaw!” She raised one arm over her head. The mower veered left, and she hurriedly grabbed hold of the wheel with both hands, laughing as she mowed a crooked path.
He shook his head. If working with her was always this much fun, he was in big trouble.
Chapter Five
Seth
Later that night, after the yard was mowed, edged, and mostly weeded, and the two of them were worn to the point where talking took too much energy, Seth ushered Evie inside. She dragged her feet going up the three stairs to the front door. Her suitcase sat in the same spot where she’d left it earlier.
A sense of shame washed over him. “I’m so sorry. I