Finding Courage (Love's Compass Book 3)

by Melanie D. Snitker

  Lance cleared his throat while a shade of red climbed his neck and touched his ears.

  Avalon’s smile widened. “Come on, you can tell me. My lips are sealed.”

  He glanced around as though he half expected someone to be listening in. “I’ve already got a ring. I’m proposing at midnight on New Year’s Eve.” A shy smile played across his face. “Did I tell you she heard from her doctor two weeks ago and the tests they’d run came back normal? The cancer’s gone. Our relationship, the cancer, her recovery. It’s all a new beginning. What better time to make it official than at the start of a new year?”

  She sighed, content. “I love it. You two are perfect for each other.”

  ~

  Duke scooped a forkful of eggs into his mouth and gave an appreciative nod. He’d come home to the smell of breakfast for dinner wafting through the front door. The eggs, ham, hash browns, and toast were hitting the spot.

  The meal was pleasant and he found he had a lot in common with Lance. It was amazing how much the siblings sitting at the table with him resembled each other. They had a similar sense of humor and laughed easily with each other.

  Watching his wife was an eye-opening experience. He hadn’t seen her laugh this much since he’d known her. He couldn’t help but wish he had a similar relationship with his own brother.

  Avalon picked at her food, mostly eating the ham, as they all talked.

  Once dinner dishes were cleaned up, the men went to work placing the video cameras outside. They were working on the computer side of it when Avalon yawned widely and covered her mouth with both hands. “I’m sorry, guys.”

  Duke got up and went to stand behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed the kinks out of her neck. “You’re exhausted and it doesn’t sound like you’ve been sleeping well. You should go to bed. We’ll get the rest of this set up.”

  “Are you sure?” She turned to Lance. “I hate going to bed this early. I’m excited you’re here, big brother.”

  “You know I’ll still be here tomorrow. We’ll talk more then.” He stood as she did and gave her a hug. “It’s really good to see you, too.”

  “Thanks for coming, Lance.”

  Duke smiled down at her when she turned to him. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”

  She nodded. “I will. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Duke kissed her softly and watched as she disappeared through the door. Khanrad padded up the stairs behind her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Once Avalon went to bed, Duke and Lance finished getting the computer set up. When it was running the way they wanted, Duke was able to pull up the views from each of the four cameras they had installed. The feeds from the cameras were being saved onto a large hard drive he’d purchased. If anyone messed with the house or garage again, they had a good chance of catching the person.

  There were a few moments of silence before Lance spoke. “Why do you believe your mother is so against Avalon and the fact the two of you have gotten married?”

  The guy didn’t beat around the bush. Duke had to give him that. “Because it happened without her orchestration. And because Avalon has a mind of her own.”

  Lance’s his eyes twinkled and a hint of a smile flickered across his face. “Yes, she does. Family’s important. God knows I’m infinitely protective of my own.” He paused long enough to let that point sink in. “I do hope we find out that all of this has been caused by someone outside of your family.”

  “I appreciate that and your flying all this way to help us. I also give you credit for not sucker punching me at the airport. Which is a good thing, because I’d hate to have to take you out right there in front of your sister.” Duke raised an eyebrow.

  Lance laughed. “Let’s just say, when I first found out about you, it might have been a real temptation.” He sobered. “Look, my sister loves you. Once you got married, you became family, too.”

  Duke dipped his chin in thanks. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for how everything happened. I should have been persistent about meeting you all first.”

  Lance drained the last of his soda and set the can on the coffee table. “It was wrong for Avalon to walk away like she did. Especially when she didn’t tell you where she’d gone. I told her as much when she came back to Kitner.”

  Duke shrugged. “She did have a lot of reasons for being upset. My parents haven’t had my respect for as long as I can remember. Avalon is my priority and she always will be. I may not have shown her that after we got married, but I’ve tried to make up for my mistakes since she’s returned.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Lance stretched a hand out toward Duke. “And I’ll do everything in my power to help you figure out who’s threatening your farm.”

  The men shook hands.

  ~

  Avalon looked up from the pan of bacon she was cooking to find Lance walking into the kitchen. “Good morning,” she greeted.

  “Good morning. It smells good.” He glanced at the empty table. “Where’s Duke?”

  “He’s outside getting a few things ready. We’ll head out to the fields right after breakfast.”

  She could see the garage light on through the window above the kitchen sink. It was still dark outside at this early hour. Avalon and Lance had both expressed an interest in how the lettuce harvesting took place and they decided to make a day of it. Instead of packing a lunch, Duke insisted they come back home to eat, that way if Avalon was overly tired, she’d be more inclined to stay home and rest.

  A smile played on her lips at the thoughtfulness and over protectiveness of her husband.

  Bacon and pancakes were waiting on the table when Duke came back inside. “You’re right on time.” Avalon accepted a kiss from him and moved to the table.

  Duke bowed his head. “Father, we thank you for the day ahead of us. Let our harvest glorify You and take the food to the mouths of families so it can help nourish them. Thank You for bringing Lance to our home this week. Last but not least, we thank You for the life growing every day within Avalon. In Jesus’ name we pray.”

  “Amen.” Their voices rang in unison.

  They were silent for a time as they ate. Duke nodded toward Lance. “Are you comfortable driving a four-wheeler?”

  “I’ve driven them a few times. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

  “Great. You can take one and Avalon can ride with me on the other.” He turned his attention to Avalon. “We’ll need to leave Khanrad home today.”

  “I’ll make sure all the food is off the counters and in cabinets before we leave.”

  Chuckles followed her comment as they finished their breakfast.

  When all temptation for Khanrad had been removed, they headed out to the garage. The horizon to the east was already a mix of orange and yellow as the sun made its appearance. Avalon was thankful for the jacket that protected her from the early morning chill. She was amazed by how quickly the mornings and evenings had cooled down once December arrived.

  Duke hefted two large coolers of water into the box Khanrad normally used, along with several sleeves of plastic cups. He tossed Lance a set of keys.

  “We’ll head over to a section of land on the other side of the property. We have about five thousand acres of red romaine and it’s ready for harvest. Crews will be setting up and I’ll explain everything once we get there.”

  The sky grew lighter by the moment as Avalon climbed onto the four-wheeler behind Duke and secured her grasp around his waist. When the vehicle roared to life and started forward, she checked behind her to make sure Lance followed. He didn’t seem to have any trouble and stayed close.

  She admired the rows and rows of lettuce that flew by as they traveled. They stood out like emeralds reaching toward the sky, their leaves growing larger each day.

  It wasn’t hard to spot the area ready to be harvested. A large truck with a long trailer attached to it was the first thing Avalon noticed. Another flatbed trailer full of boxes was nearby, f
ollowed by yet a second, empty one. Each trailer was hitched to a large tractor.

  The number of workers milling about surprised Avalon as Duke stopped the vehicle and turned the engine off. Lance followed suit. “Where do all the workers come from?”

  “They’re citizens of Mexico and are highly skilled. Most of them come back harvest after harvest because we pay them well and they do a fantastic job. There are two managers out there who help keep everything running smoothly.” Duke patted Avalon’s arm. “Francisco is one of them. We’ll see him out here today.”

  Avalon nodded. She anticipated the opportunity to thank him again for giving them a ride back to their place after the car’s brakes had gone out.

  Duke was continuing his explanation. “We’ll have crews out here from sunup to sundown. Meals are provided here by the fields. While working with the lettuce, everyone wears hats or hairnets to keep any hair from getting into the lettuce.”

  “So the lettuce is packaged for the store right here?” The question was from Lance.

  “Yes.” He motioned to the crew. “We have several workstations attached to the various trailers you’ll see. Men go along and use knives to pick lettuce. They’ll place them on the table and other laborers — often women — will trim them and wash the lettuce. Once clean, they’re placed onto a conveyer belt which loads them into large boxes layered with plastic.” He pointed to another trailer. “Other laborers will then carefully pack the heads of lettuce into boxes that are loaded onto a truck and taken to one of the cooling plants near Yuma.”

  Avalon had no idea all of this went into harvesting lettuce. “What happens there?”

  “The refrigeration units take large loads of lettuce and cool them from field to shipping temperatures in as little as a half hour. From there, the lettuce is shipped to their destinations around the United States and Canada.”

  Lance watched as the workers fell into an easy rhythm. “Impressive. How many truckloads of lettuce go out in a day?”

  “We’re a smaller operation here. But one of the largest farms in the area reports about a thousand trucks, each with a thousand boxes of produce, leaving Yuma every night during peak production months.”

  Lance let out a low whistle and Avalon agreed, amazed with the process. That was a lot of lettuce. She’d known a majority of the winter lettuce consumed in the United States came from this area, but that put it all into perspective.

  “How are the heads of lettuce trimmed?” she asked.

  Duke motioned to the crew ahead. “Let’s get closer and I’ll show you.”

  They parked the ATVs where other vehicles waited, including a bus that brought many of the laborers to the farm. Duke retrieved a large knife from one of the stations and picked up a head of lettuce. “The bottom — or tail end — is cut off. And then the top is removed like this. The larger, outside leaves are pulled off and discarded. This leaves us with a heart of romaine.” He sliced it right down the middle. “Customers look for the two different colors of lettuce you see here.”

  Two figures approached them. It took Avalon a moment to realize it was Rudy and Calvin. Duke stepped forward to meet them.

  Rudy nodded toward the crew. “It’s looking good.” He focused his attention on Lance. “I’m Rudy McNeil.”

  “Lance Davenport.” They shook hands.

  Duke took over the introductions. “Lance is Avalon’s brother. He’s in town for a few days.” He introduced Calvin. The teenager shook hands, though generally seemed uninterested.

  Lance tried to engage Calvin in conversation but was unsuccessful, the teenager eventually sitting on a stump with his cellphone. Rudy, however, seemed to enjoy the visit.

  Avalon found the harvesting process fascinating and it was after noon when she finally agreed to head back with Lance to let Khanrad out for a while and get something to eat.

  After lunch, Lance took a seat on the porch swing and Avalon joined him. “Calvin’s a hard kid to talk to.”

  “Duke says he hasn’t had a normal conversation with him since he was five. I think Mr. McNeil enjoyed talking with you, though.”

  “He seems like a nice guy. A bit reserved.”

  Avalon used the toe of her shoe to keep the porch swing moving. “He doesn’t talk much to me, but when he does he’s always friendly.”

  Lance looked thoughtful. “I can tell he’s a hard worker. It’s obvious he’s passed that trait on to Duke.”

  She nodded. “I didn’t realize how much Duke worked until after we got married. I resented how little I saw of him at first. Spending afternoons together has shown me what he does every day. I’ve learned a lot about him. I’m not sure how much time I’ll be able to spend with him during the harvest, though. Or when I’m further along in the pregnancy.”

  Lance looked at her with concern. “Are you going to be okay here at the house then? Letting resentment build — no matter the reason — is never a good thing for a relationship.”

  She’d wondered about it herself. After going out with Duke and seeing how hard he worked, she discovered most of her problems from before were her own. She told Lance as much. “I think I expected him to want to be home more. I felt like he was choosing his job over us. Now I know better.” She paused, embarrassed by how she’d reacted before. “His mom has always shown him he couldn’t do enough to make her happy. What if he thought it was the same with me?” The idea brought tears to her eyes. “I really messed up.”

  Lance squeezed her hand. “We all do, Avalon. It’s part of being human. You’ve both made a lot of mistakes. But you’re working together to get through them. That’s more important than anything.” He set his water down. “You might tell him how you feel. Let him know you do appreciate everything he does for your family.”

  She sniffed and swiped at a stray tear. “I’ll do that. Thanks, Lance.”

  “Meanwhile, spending time together like you planned is a good idea. Even if you go out to the fields to eat lunch and hang around for an hour or two afterwards, it’ll make a difference.” Lance shrugged. “I don’t get to interact with Lexi at her work very often. But when she has the chance, she’ll come down to the workshop and hang out with me. Even if I’m busy and distracted, I enjoy having her there. I know Duke feels the same way about you.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The next night, Avalon suggested they make popcorn and watch a movie after Duke got home. Since the following day was Sunday and they wouldn’t be working in the fields, everyone else readily agreed.

  Khanrad stood in the kitchen, his focus on the air popper Avalon plugged into the wall. The corn kernels tumbled around in the base as the hot air heated them up. She positioned a large bowl to catch the popped corn as it blew from the popper.

  It was the first time they’d made popcorn since they’d gotten Khanrad. She tossed a piece to him to see if he liked it. The kernel bounced off his nose but barely touched the ground before his pink tongue picked it up. He chewed it quickly and waited for more. She tossed another piece, and this time he caught it out of the air.

  When she had the bowl full, she poured melted butter over it and mixed it well. There was more than enough for everyone. She took a handful and placed it on the floor for the dog.

  Duke came into the kitchen to grab bottles of soda from the fridge and found her chuckling. “What’s so funny?”

  “Look at him.”

  Duke watched as Khanrad nosed his way through the small pile of popcorn, eating some pieces eagerly while leaving others rejected on the floor.

  Avalon was laughing now. “He’s only eating the pieces with butter on them.”

  Khanrad must have picked them all out because he sat down and stared at her expectantly.

  “No, I’m not giving you anymore until you eat the rest. Good grief, talk about picky!” She followed Duke out of the kitchen and into the living room. She peeked over her shoulder to find Khanrad quickly eating up the rest of the kernels.

  They chose one of the latest Marvel movies. Ev
en though they’d all seen it, none of them minded watching it again. By the time it was over, Avalon was constantly trying to suppress a yawn.

  Duke flipped the TV off and turned to her. “You should go get some sleep. You seem exhausted.”

  Avalon wanted to object, but he was right. She wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to stay awake. Duke took her hand and gently tugged her to stand in front of him.

  She gave Lance a hug. “I’ll see you in the morning. Don’t let me sleep too late if you guys are up and going, okay?” When they said nothing, she pierced each of them with a stern glare. “I’m serious.”

  “We won’t let you sleep past ten,” Duke promised. He gave her a wink and took her hand again, linking their fingers together. “Come on, sleepy woman. I’ll walk you up.”

  At the doorway to their room, he stopped and used their joined hands to get her to look at him. Avalon knew she should excuse herself and go to bed, but she couldn’t seem to make herself move.

  Duke didn’t seem to be in a hurry, either. He let go of her hand, eased an arm around her waist, and took a step closer. Duke’s breath was feather-light against her cheek as he whispered, “Sleep well, sweetheart.” He pressed a kiss to the edge of her jaw just below her ear.

  She recognized a need in his eyes that she was certain reflected in her own. “Duke?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Just kiss me.”

  He used the arm around her waist to pull her to him, covering her lips with his own. Avalon felt herself melt into his embrace as he deepened their kiss. She didn’t know how much time passed before he pulled back slightly, pressing his forehead against hers.

  Duke fingered some of her hair. “I’d better let you get some rest.”

  “I suppose so.” Avalon put a soft hand against the side of his face. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” He kissed her briefly before taking a step back. “Goodnight.”