Author's Note: Sorry it's taken so long to update, but it was a very stressful week. On top of everything else, I got writer's block on what you can see is a very important chapter. It is extra long, though, so it should keep you satisfied until I update again. Thanks for all of the kind reviews, though! You don't realize how much they mean to you until you start getting them all the time. Anyway, read and review!

Chapter Twenty-seven: Kiss

The morning sun greeted Winnie early the next morning. Its rays filtered in through the window, creating yellow streaks on the Tucks' wooden floor. Winnie shaded her eyes with her hand and looked at the clock on the mantle. 7:30. No wonder I didn't wake up to the sun yesterday morning, she thought lazily. By noon, it's already past the window.

Winnie sat up on the couch and threw her quilt off. Mae was in the kitchen by herself, breaking eggs into a small bowl. She looked up at Winnie and smiled. "Getting an earlier start this morning, aren't you?"

Winnie smiled sheepishly as she made her way into the kitchen. "It looks like I am."

"Well, you're not the last one awake this morning. Jesse's still upstairs. He likes to sleep late when he doesn't have to work." Mae cracked the last egg into the bowl.

"Where are Miles and Tuck?"

"Oh, they're outside fixin' somethin'. Lord knows why Miles works every time he gets a day off from the shop." She wiped her gooey fingers on her apron. "Are you hungry, honey? I'm fixing breakfast right now. It should be done in a few minutes."

"Can I help?"

"Well, of course. Let me get you started on the ham." Mae ushered Winnie over to the stove and began showing her how to make breakfast. Even after her experience the day before with the bread, she still enjoyed being a part of the process of making a meal. She watched Mae's hands as she toasted the bread and cooked the eggs. Mae had certainly developed a skill after almost a century of practice. Winnie mused over how long it would take for her to become an expert, too. Hopefully not that long.

After about twenty minutes, Tuck and Miles came in through the front door. Tuck used his handkerchief to wipe his brow, then took a deep breath. "What smells so good?"

"Winnie's cooking," Mae said brightly as the younger girl blushed.

"I think that's stretching it a bit, don't you?"

Mae patted Winnie on the shoulder and walked over to give her husband a kiss on the cheek, not minding that he was sweating. "Are you getting everything done?"

"Yes, we are," Tuck replied, stuffing his handkerchief back into his pocket. Miles walked past the counter and went upstairs to the loft.

"I don't see why Miles has to work so hard on his day off, Tuck," Mae said to her husband worriedly. "He needs to relax sometimes, but he never does."

"You know he doesn't want to do that, Mae."

"Why not?"

Tuck paused and sighed, glancing over to where Winnie stood by the stove. She continued to focus on the ham, but couldn't help that one ear was tuned in to hear Tuck's response.

"Because he doesn't want to think too much. He likes to keep busy."

"There's nothing wrong with thinking. I see you out there with your wood works. I can't imagine you don't do some contemplating yourself."

"That's different, and you know it. It's Miles, Mae. He can't just…" His deep voice trailed off, and Winnie imagined that he didn't want to discuss personal issues in front of their guest. After a few seconds, she heard Mae pick up her bowl again while Tuck walked into the living room to remove his tool belt.

"Is that ham almost done?"

Winnie snapped out of her reverie and glanced at the meat. "Yes, it is."

"Good, it looks like everything's ready." The words had barely come out of her mouth before Winnie heard a creaking sound coming from the stairs. She looked up from the stove to see Miles walking back toward the kitchen with a very sleepy looking Jesse trailing slowly behind him.

"Well, good morning, sleepy head. You're just in time."

"For what?"

"For breakfast. Winnie helped me make it."

Jesse glanced over at Winnie for the first time and grinned. "I don't know, then. I mean, after what happened yesterday with the bread, I might not want to chance it."

Winnie narrowed her eyes at him, but couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips. She felt like Rebecca must have felt when Tom would tease her about her cooking. The thought made her blush slightly because she remembered how obvious it was to her that Rebecca was in love. Did she look like that now, with her cheeks flushed and her eyes twinkling? She imagined that she must, which warmed her face even more.

After breakfast, Winnie helped Mae clean up the kitchen and Miles and Tuck went back outside to continue working. Jesse disappeared upstairs for a few minutes, but returned just as the women were finishing up. "Are you ready?"

"Oh, are you two going somewhere?" Mae asked.

"Yes, I'm going to show her the woods."

"Well, have fun. Winnie, I'm baking some more bread this afternoon, so you can help if you'd like."

"That sounds wonderful. I look forward to it." Winnie walked into the hall, where Jesse was waiting. He opened the door for her, and they walked outside onto the porch. The sun bathed the wooden planks with rays of light and wrapped thick blankets of warmth around their bodies. Jesse led her down the steps, and they walked past the house to the edge of the forest.

"Did you go to the forest very often in Treegap?"

"Sometimes. My mother wouldn't let me for a long time after you all left, but she eventually forgot about it. I didn't tell her where I was going most times, so she never even knew." She stepped over a large log blocking her path and continued walking. They had reached the forest by then. The trees were packed together very densely, which meant that Winnie spent a great deal of time ducking branches. Overhead, the tops of trees came together to create a quilt of dark greens and browns, with patches of sky blue stitched in intermittently. It reminded Winnie slightly of her woods at home, but she decided that she liked these better.

"So, where are we going?"

"I can't tell you. It's a secret."

"A secret? You mean you can't say anything?"

"Nope." He looked back at her and pretended to lock his mouth and throw away the key. Winnie giggled.

"Oh, come on. Just give me a hint."

Jesse shook his head, but kept his mouth closed tightly.

"So now you can't even talk?" Jesse shook his head again and kept walking straight ahead. Winnie stepped over a pile of leaves to catch up to him. "You won't even say anything?" She thought for a moment, then broke out into a smile. "It's okay. You probably don't even know where we're going anyway. We're probably lost or something."

"No, we're not!" The words flew out of Jesse's mouth before he could stop himself. When he realized what he had done, he covered his mouth with his hand and glared at her amicably. "That was mean, Winnie. You tricked me."

"So, you can talk. Now, where are we going?"

"I can't tell you! Don't you want it to be a surprise?"

"No."

He sighed. "It will be better if it is a surprise."

"Will it?"

"Of course. Don't you trust me?" Jesse turned and looked her straight in the eye, and Winnie felt that the conversation had suddenly turned serious.

"Yes, Jesse, I trust you."

He nodded and kept walking, and Winnie followed him without asking questions. They walked in silence for about twenty minutes before Jesse turned and stopped. Winnie had been concentrating on not tripping over a root and did not see him. She plowed right into him and ended up stepping on his foot. He let out a low yelp as her hands flew to her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Jesse! Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, but we're here now."

"Where?"

"Here." Jesse took her hand and led her through the trees and into a small clearing. It was nothing spectacular, but Winnie could see why he had brought her there. There was a rough circle of open space that was about fifteen feet in diameter. It was surrounded on all sides by a thick line of trees. In the middle of the clearing was a large rock formation that was about ten or fifteen feet high. "So, what do you think?" He asked hopefully.

Winnie looked around them at the line of trees, then focused again on the rocks. "I like it."

"Do you really think so? I mean, it's nothing much, but…"

She turned to him and squeezed his hand slightly. "It's wonderful."

His eyes held hers for a moment before shifting over to the rocks. He let go of her hand and walked over to them, motioning for her to join him. He pointed out crevices in the structure, then helped her climb up to the top. A few seconds later, they were sitting side by side on at the top of the boulder, gazing down at the ground below.

"It's so different from up here. The leaves on the trees are so close I could touch them." She reached out a hand to touch the limb of a tree near her, but couldn't quite reach. "Maybe not."

Jesse reached out to the branch. His fingertips brushed a leaf and he grasped it between two fingers, then pulled. The leaf jerked away from the branch with a crisp snap. He presented the leaf to Winnie on the palm of his hand as though it were a crown. "Is this what you were after?"

Winnie smiled and accepted the emerald colored jewel. She wove it into the chestnut strands behind her ear and leaned back so that Jesse could see. "What do you think?"

"Perfect. You look like the Queen."

Winnie tried to look severe. "Where are your manners, boy? Dare you address me simply as 'the Queen'? Guards, take him away!"

Jesse laughed heartily. "Victoria herself couldn't have done a better job."

"Well, thank you," she said, smiling. They fell into a companionable silence as Winnie took in more of the scenery. The trees were so green in these woods, and the browns so brown. The whole scene was more vibrant than anything she had ever witnessed in her entire life, and she drank it in like warm cocoa on a cold night.

The two of them sat together on top of the boulder for a long time talking. He told her about the forest and Miles' shop and his job at the stable, while she told him about Treegap and how it had changed since they left. Winnie felt comfortable talking with Jesse and imagined that she could never be bored as long as she was with him.

"So, what else have you been doing?" asked Jesse. "It's been six years. Did you go to school?"

"No, my mother had be privately tutored. I didn't learn anything interesting, though. Just needlepoint and fashion and etiquette. It didn't last very long because there wasn't much to learn. Lately, my mother has been keeping me busy with social events. We must keep our status in society, you know," she said sarcastically, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Jesse laughed.

"That sounds horrible."

"It was. I must have jabbed myself in the finger with that tiny needle a thousand times." She paused. "What about you? Besides working at the stable, I mean."

"Nothing as exciting as you."

"Really."

"I'm serious. Needlepoint is fascinating and dangerous."

"Are you making fun of me?" Winnie glared at him and smirked, but his face remained grave.

"Of course not. I'm jealous."

"You're jealous," Winnie echoed.

"I am," Jesse replied.

Winnie looked at him for a full second then pushed him away with her hand. He tottered as though he was going to fall off the rock, then steadied himself and began laughing. "I was only teasing, Winnie!"

She laughed. "Yes, but that's all you've done since I arrived. Is everything funny to you?"

Jesse's smile disappeared. "Well, not everything."

Winnie's breath caught in her throat for a moment as she let the implications of his statement sink in. However, before she could think about it for too long, a tiny drop of moisture splattered on her forearm. She wiped it away quickly, but others soon followed, landing unceremoniously on her hands and face and dress. Jesse sprang up from his seat and offered her his hand. Together, they climbed from the boulder and began running through the woods.

The rain began to come down harder as they retraced the path they had taken earlier. Jesse led her through the labyrinth of trees, looking back every few seconds to make sure that Winnie was still behind him. By that time, both of them were soaking wet. Strands of Winnie's dark hair pasted themselves to her pale face while the fabric from her dress clung to her legs and arms.

Winnie, who had not been trained as a lady to travel at this speed for such long distances, ran out of breath very quickly. After a few moments at that pace, she could stand no more. "Jesse, I can't run like this!"

Jesse stopped and turned back to see where she was. "It's all right. We're wet anyway. A little more rain can't hurt us, can it?" Winnie smiled, but could not answer him because she was breathing so hard. Jesse stopped smiling and took her arm to lead her over to a tree. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to go so fast. I was just trying to…" His voice trailed off when Winnie put her hand over his mouth to silence him.

Jesse's concerned expression faded into something that Winnie could not define. Her fingers fell from his lips, but he caught them before they could return to her side. Despite the cold layer of rain that coated his skin, his hands were still very warm. His fingers intertwined with hers briefly before letting go. They moved to her waist, then slid to the small of her back. He pulled her forward gently until their bodies were barely touching. Her hands moved up to his chest, coming to a rest above his collarbone. Her eyes met his nervously, but Jesse's tender expression washed away her fears. He reached up with his free hand and wove his fingers through her dripping tresses. She closed her eyes slowly as Jesse leaned forward. His lips, smooth and wet, met hers softly at first, but with increasing passion. She tasted rainwater as it ran between their mouths and felt it flowing down their cheeks in sheets.

After a few seconds, Jesse pulled away from her slightly, untangling his hand from her hair. He touched her face gently, wiping away the rain with his fingertips. He followed them with his eyes as they came to a stop at the lips he had been kissing only seconds before. Winnie watched as his serious expression gave way to a slow, gentle smile. He looked up until his eyes met hers again. They stared at each other for several seconds before Jesse broke the silence.

"We should probably be getting back. Ma will be starting to bake soon, and you don't want to miss your lesson."

Winnie nodded, though she didn't agree with him. He stepped backwards and let his hand slide from her back as she removed her own hands from his shoulders. He walked a few feet through the trees, then stopped and waited for Winnie to catch up. When she had, Jesse paused, then reached out and grasped her hand firmly in his larger one.

He didn't let go until they reached the house.