"By some girls who didn't like me." Though she tried to stop them, tears formed in her eyes as all of the terrible pain and embarra.s.sment and, well, total humiliation came back. "I liked a man. One day, during a particularly long sermon, I wrote some stupid notes about him. Then I did something even more stupid. I was in a rush so one of my girlfriends said she would throw out my notes on her way home. Except, she didn't throw them out."

"That is too bad, but things pa.s.s, child. Next week, it will all be forgotten."

"No, Beverly, it wasn't forgotten in a week. It's been months. And things have s...o...b..lled."

"Oh, Tricia. I am sorry. What happened after she took the notes home?"

"She showed them to Ian."

"Really? She wasn't much of a friend, was she?"

Tricia shook her head. "It gets worse. After the man-Ian-saw what I'd written, he was shocked. And then my girlfriend decided to tell tales about me." Closing her eyes, she gathered her courage and shared some more. "They told everyone I was sneaking out at night. Spying on him." Actually, they'd made up far worse things, but Tricia wasn't in any hurry to share that with her aunt.

"Were you spying on Ian?"

"Nee! But it didn't matter. One of the girls? One of the girls has a lot of freedom. Her parents don't check on too many things she does. She lied and said she was with me."

"Therefore everyone believed her."

Tricia nodded. "She made up awful things. I don't even know why people would think they were true," she added, "but they did."

"What did your parents say? I can't imagine Edward putting up with that for a minute."

"I never told them," she whispered.

"No? Why on earth not?"

"I was afraid they'd believe those rumors, too." She'd been afraid to find out if they believed the worst of her because she had started to believe the worst of herself.

"They wouldn't have. But they could have helped you."

"They might have had doubts. I already had so many people thinking I was terrible, I couldn't risk them thinking that way about me, too."

"But you made things worse by keeping them in the dark."

"Aunt Beverly, by the time I boarded the bus, it wasn't simply my word against three or four girls. It was me against almost everyone I knew. People didn't want to be a.s.sociated with me."

Beverly reached out and clasped her hand. "Oh, Tricia. I am so sorry."

Tears filled Tricia's eyes. This was why she'd come to Pinecraft. Not simply to run away but to be accepted. "I had to come here, Beverly. I couldn't wait. I couldn't risk you refusing me. I couldn't stay there another second."

"How did you get the money for your ticket?"

"I had most of it saved."

"And the rest?"

"I took it from the envelope in the kitchen," she admitted, hating how that made her sound. "It was my mother's grocery money."

Beverly shook her head. "Oh, Tricia. That was bad of you."

"I know. I'm really sorry. I promise, I really am. But you don't know what it's like. If it had just been those stupid letters, I could have dealt with it. If it had been just a week or two? I would have stayed. But it's been months and months of dodging questions and comments about things I didn't even understand. I didn't know what else to do."

Wrapping an arm around Tricia, Beverly squeezed her tight. "While I don't agree with your actions, I feel for you. What you've been going through was very, very hard."

"Terrible."

"Terrible, indeed."

"What should I do now?"

"First, you need to call your parents." When Tricia started to shake her head, Beverly said, "Tricia, it is time to start acting like the person you want everyone to see. That means you need to put your parents' minds at ease. "Call them and tell them everything."

"And then?"

"And then you may help me with the inn today. Since Penny is away for the day, I've got a lot of cooking and cleaning to do."

Tricia braced herself. She knew this phone call was going to be one of the hardest things she'd ever done. But Beverly was right. It was time to start doing the right thing, not simply running from everything that was so very wrong.

CHAPTER 12.

You know, if you keep looking at me the way you are, everyone is going to start to stare," Michael chided as they walked down Bahia Vista's sidewalk toward the SCAT stop.

Penny started. Was her attraction to him that obvious? "How am I looking at you?"

"Like you think I'm about to fall down any second."

Relief made her smile. "Sorry. I'm afraid I can't help it. See, I am kind of afraid that you are going to fall down any second." Unable to help herself, she examined him again.

He didn't look especially hurt or offended, which was good news. Instead, he wore a weary expression, as if he was reluctantly resigned to being coddled.

"I can't seem to catch a break," he said after she'd looked her fill. "Pretty much everyone I talk to only wants to make sure I'm not making things worse." As he stared off into the distance, he added, "When I called my brother this morning, he made sure to tell me I was being an idiot. My quick check-in turned into an exhausting conversation where I had to defend myself the whole time. Within five minutes, I felt like I was his pesky little brother again."

She couldn't help but grin at that. Though she was thinking of him more and more as just plain old Michael, there were still times when he said things that made her shake her head-like the idea of someone treating him as a "pesky" anything. To her, he was still a bit larger than life. It would be hard to deny him anything-which was part of the reason why she'd agreed to go with him to Siesta Key.

"I'm sorry about your conversation with your brother," she said as they continued walking, pa.s.sing English tourists, their pale legs peeking out from under cotton shorts, and sungla.s.ses framing their faces.

He shrugged. "It's irritating, but it's no big deal. He cares about me, you see. That's a blessing."

"Indeed."

"Do you have siblings?"

As it always did, the question cut through her. "I used to have a sister," she finally admitted. "But she died."

His expression grew serious. "I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"I'd rather we didn't talk about that right now." There was no way she could even attempt to explain Lissy's abduction and her own loss in a few succinct sentences. It would also mar the joy and excitement she'd been feeling about the day.

She simply wasn't ready to lose that feeling of happiness yet.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? I'm a mighty gut listener."

"I'm positive."

"Why?" His gaze turned searching.

"Because we're here, you see." Pointing to the SCAT stop crowded with people, she added, "We'll need to take the shuttle, then transfer to the bus going to Siesta Key. Are you sure this won't be too hard on you?"

"If things get too bad, I'll tell you. Okay?"

"Okay," she said as they came to a stop at the edge of the crowd, the faint scent of sunscreen infusing the air around them.

"Gut." He smiled. Then, as if he'd just realized that most of the Amish men and women at the stop were staring at him, he lifted his hand. "Hi."

"Hi," one teenaged girl in a bright pink dress replied, then promptly giggled.

No one else responded, but Penny guessed that while they were watching him silently, more than a couple were probably wondering if he was the Michael Knoxx or if he just happened to look a lot like the headliner for the famous evangelists.

Over the next hour, Penny noticed him receiving similarly appraising looks when they transferred buses, and again as they walked through the parking lot on the way to the beach. He didn't look fazed by it in the slightest, however. He simply smiled at whoever was staring at him, then looked away before they got up the nerve to ask him any personal questions.

When she saw him politely ignore a middle-aged couple who looked intent on making his acquaintance, she said, "This happens a lot, doesn't it?"

"Walking to Siesta Key with a pretty girl? Never."

She laughed. Not because she knew he'd never been to this beach before, but because she knew she wasn't anything all that special to look at. "I mean, people approach you a lot, don't they? Even when you're not speaking in a crowd?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't happen as much as you'd think. Usually, the only time people stop me to ask questions is at a speaking engagement. And that's to be expected." He frowned. "I promise, usually I am a lot more receptive to folks. I'm glad for their interest and grateful for their support. But that said, I need a break this week."

"I don't blame you for that."

"You sure?"

His hazel eyes searched hers as they reached the edge of the parking lot. It was almost as if her opinion really mattered to him, which was ludicrous. But perhaps this was exactly why he was so well known. He had a way of looking at a person as if he or she mattered. It was a mesmerizing thing to experience when he was speaking to a crowd, but in person? Well, half the time his intense gaze left her tongue-tied.

"Penny?"

"Oh. Jah. I am sure. You're only human."

"You're right about that," he quipped, his expression easing. "So, are we finally going to go to the beach now?"

She pointed ahead. "It's right there. All we have to do is go down those steps and you'll be walking on the softest, silkiest sand in the world."

Stepping forward, he grinned at her. "How could a guy refuse an offer like that?"

She chuckled. "Put that way, I have no idea." When they started down the cement stairs, she noticed some added strain in his expression. "Michael, will you be all right, walking on the beach?"

"I'll let you know if I'm not."

His reply didn't alleviate her worries one iota. "I don't intend to be mean, but I feel I should point out that you're much bigger than me."

She felt his gaze travel the length of her body. "Jah," he said with a nod. "I've noticed that as well."

She felt her skin flush. "Um, what I'm saying is that if something were to happen . . ." Her voice drifted off, because, truly, how could she say what she was trying to say without ruining his day?

"I know you can't carry me, Penny," he said softly. "Don't worry. I would never let things get that bad."

"Michael-"

"This pain is new, but my disability is not. I'm used to dealing with it."

"If you're sure."

His eyes brightened with an amus.e.m.e.nt he didn't attempt to conceal. "I am sure. Danke, Penny. Thank you for worrying about me."

Feeling as if her whole body was lighter, she took the canvas bag filled with their lunch and towels off his arm. "In that case, Michael Knoxx, please enjoy Siesta Key."

He took three steps onto the sand. Looking right he focused on a group of kids playing volleyball. Glancing left, she watched him eye the bright blue lifeguard tower with interest. Then, at last, he stared straight out over the water. As the waves rolled forward, he breathed deep. Then sighed.

"It's beautiful," he murmured. "Penny, it's exactly like you said. And absolutely worth coming out here for."

Something new and warm and wonderful filled her. It felt a lot like happiness, but stronger. Something inside her whispered that it felt like love, but of course that couldn't be. Maybe it was more along the lines of intense satisfaction.

Because she knew for a fact that the man by her side wasn't the only person stretching his limits today. She had taken some giant steps of her own. And the day had only just begun.

PENNY WAS A WONDER. After scanning the area, she'd found a secluded cove that was a relatively short distance from the water. Then, she'd held his hand when he'd walked down to the surf, somehow making it look like she was the one holding on to him instead of the other way around.

Though Michael never felt self-conscious about missing part of a leg, for the first time in years, he found himself wishing he had two good legs. Maybe it was because the sand felt like heaven under his bare left foot. Or maybe it was because he feared he looked like quite a sight, walking on crutches toward the waves with one pant leg rolled up to his midcalf, the other pant leg brushing his tennis shoe.

Or perhaps it was because Penny looked more light of heart than he'd seen her all week. Her feet were bare and she'd knotted the sides of her skirt so they kind of billowed around her calves. Her cheeks were glowing from the sun, and her smile was so broad and bright it was infectious. And her laugh! She giggled and chuckled at crabs and jellyfish. She laughed outright at a child who was attempting to bury his older brother's legs in the sand. She beamed at the teenagers playing volleyball and the elderly couple enjoying a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In fact, she had so much joy on her face, Michael was starting to wonder if he'd ever been so happy. He honestly couldn't remember.

After his daring toe-touch in the ocean, they walked back to their spot and she helped him sit down. Then she carefully spread out another beach towel and handed him a thick roll filled with roast beef, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and brown mustard. Another container of sliced strawberries was set to one side. Then she handed him a bag of potato chips and a plastic cup filled to the brim with sweet tea.

"This looks amazing, Penny."

She looked so pleased, he knew that she'd been the one to prepare the meal instead of Beverly. He took a bite of the sandwich and it tasted just as good as it looked. "The sandwich is delicious."

"I'm glad you like it." She took a bite of her own.