Peter leaned on the door to the stables and buried his face in his palms. He couldn't sleep much after getting home from Ellie's last night. He was kicking himself for even staying for dinner, let alone staying to watch TV. It wasn't right. It wasn't what friendly neighbors do. He was leading Ellie on in a direction that he wasn't willing to go. First he relies on a girl he just met to get his ranch up and running, and then as good as comes onto her while her siblings are asleep upstairs and her parents are out of town.

His plan had been to be friendly with his neighbors but be independent. It was never his plan to date their daughter. He wouldn't go there. Peter meant to stay in Wrenview for good, so no good could come from acting recklessly.

But if Ellie had stayed close to him for just a moment longer, he would have kissed her. He wanted to then and he wanted to now. It played out in his mind over and over. If he had reached up and put his hand on her waist, would she still have pulled away? If he had taken his time leaving, would she have lingered with him at the door, and leaned in close again?

Fancy nudged him with her soft nose, breaking him out of this cycle. "I'm being ridiculous, aren't I?" he said to her, patting the side of her neck. He was sure Ellie hadn't given the moment a second thought.

Peter rode Fancy for a long time, and then rode Jenny before putting them in the pasture. He had a lot to think about. Luckily, or unluckily, he didn't have any plans to see any Phillips family until Hank and Lisa's wedding. He was going to Hank's that night for poker, but it was just a guy's night.

Above Hank's Hardware, there was a small apartment where Hank had set up a round poker table. He didn't live there, but would sleep there occasionally on nights like these, or let friends and family stay there if they came to town.

"Beer, Peter?" Hunter offered.

"Sorry, I don't drink."

"Trying to keep your wits about you so I can't take you to the cleaners?" Hank laughed. "More for us!" Hank reached into the half-size fridge and grabbed some beers and a Coke and passed them out. Hank, Hunter, Peter, and two other guys sat around the table with chips and beers tucked wherever they'd fit out of the way of the game. Please don't ask me to come up with names for those guys, they are inconsequential to the plot and I am terrible at naming people.

It may surprise you, dear Reader, that unlike bowling, Peter is very good at poker. He doesn't play all that much, but he had two advantages. First, he had never played with this group before. They all knew each other, but no one knew him well enough to tell when he was bluffing. Second, there are some real benefits to sobriety. Hank may have been joking, but with unclouded judgment, Peter was able to make some good money. In return, he paid for the pizza when it came, although that still left the other guys with the bitter feeling that they had really paid for that pizza themselves.

"Peter, you're planning on doing riding lessons, right?" Hunter asked with a mouthful of pepperoni.

"That's the goal."

"Are you thinking of mostly teaching kids, like doing classes for people from the city?"

"I'd like to teach whoever wants to learn, really. I used to do a lot of adult lessons at the last place I worked, but I'd do it all. Groups or individuals, though I haven't figured out my rates yet."

"Actually my sister Jessie has been dying to learn how to ride. And I ought to try it sometime myself."

"For sure! You can be my first students. I'm surprised you've never learned though, it seems like a lot of people in this town ride."

"Well there's not much use for horses in an apple orchard."

"I didn't know your family grew apples."

"You should come by in the fall, we do the whole pick-your-own thing. It works out well because we have a lot of free time the rest of the year to work on music."

"Music?"

"You didn't know?" Hank chimed in. "Hunter and Jessica's band are playing my wedding. They're the best group in town."

"Well, the only group in town." Hunter added.

A sneaky grin spread across Hank's face. "You and Jessica won't be the first riding students, you know. I heard that that would be Ellie."

The back of Peter's neck warmed. "That's not really the same, she's not a customer."

"Oh? What is she then?" Hank was as skilled at teasing as Lisa.

"You know, you and your wife communicate way too much." Peter tried to divert the conversation.

"She's not my wife yet! Say, you're all coming to the wedding, right? Peter?"

"Wouldn't miss it" Peter said.

"The pastor will be happy to see you," Hunter said. "He's not used to waiting so long to meet a newcomer."

"Yeah, I should probably get to church sometime, right?" Peter said. I wasn't raised going, but everyone in Wrenview seems to." It was a subject he and Ellie skirted around when they talked. He knew their family went every Sunday, and it was probably the first thing he should do to become a part of the town, but it was so far outside of his comfort zone. Peter sensed that Ellie thought he ought to go, but he knew she'd never push him to do something uncomfortable. He would just have to push himself.

"I hate going to church alone," Hank said. "Honestly, if I were you and lived alone, especially in a new place, I wouldn't go."

"You could come with us if you like," Hunter offered. "Actually that'd be perfect, because my truck's in the shop and we need a lift. Jessie and I tend to sit in the back anyway."

____

The next Sunday, Peter picked up Jessica and Hunter from their home in the apple orchard. Most of the area surrounding Wrenview was pretty flat, but their land was the hilliest, with gentle rolling hills striped with rows of apple trees. Jessica got in the front seat and handed Peter some toast with butter and some kind of brown spread on it.

"They usually have some refreshments after the service but I don't really like sticking around to chat. Oh, that's apple butter." Jessica pointed at the spread. It was delicious.

They got to the church at just the right time. Early enough to get good seats out of the way, but late enough that they didn't have to mill about making small talk before sitting down. Peter was used to making friends by being discovered by a rogue extrovert. But spending time with these siblings, he was finding there were real benefits to having friends as introverted as him, if not more.

The service went as services go. Don't ask me, I wasn't there. Peter was too distracted by the congregation to pay much attention to the sermon, and he didn't understand most of what was going on, but he thought he should try and remember a few parts in case anyone asked him what he thought. His scheme was put on hold when he noticed the large Phillips family on the other side of the aisle a few rows up. Ellie sat at the end of the row. She was wearing a light blue dress, and her light brown hair was pulled back from her face so it was half up and half down. If spring were a person, it would be Ellie Phillips. Peter couldn't remember anything the pastor said after that point.

There was a slight moment of panic when the collection basket was sent around. This was not something Peter had prepared for. But before his mind could start racing about how much to give and what people would think of him, Hunter slipped him an envelope for him to put in. Truly, nothing beats a prepared introvert, Peter thought.

After the service, they grabbed a few muffins, and Peter introduced himself to the pastor briefly. He could see Ellie laughing with a young family he didn't recognize. Everyone else he knew was similarly engaged, so the trio were happy to leave early.