“I’m doing okay. I just need a job. Do you know anyone who’s hiring?”
Linda’s lips pursed together as she shook her head slowly. “I don’t know of anything right now. Have you checked the paper?”
Liz nodded and dipped her roll into the stew before eating a bite.
“They’ve got a website for employment opportunities, too. There's wi-fi here if that helps.”
“That does help. I’ve had trouble finding consistent Internet.” The jerk at the truck stop had changed the password on the weekend. Probably only to keep her from using it. She hadn’t dared ask for the new one.
“Other than that, it’s a matter of avoiding scams while going from business to business.” Linda eyed her.
Liz sighed. “Yes, the job I came here for proved to be a front for something else. I didn’t stick around long enough to figure out exactly what.”
Linda’s hand, callused yet warm, covered hers. “I’m sorry, dearie.”
“Yeah.” What was keeping Liz in Des Moines? She should head south where it was warmer. Or back to Idaho. Where her parents and Mason could feel sorry for her and say I told you so.
Surely she could find an acceptable job while she weighed her options. Mason wasn’t one of those options. She needed to get him right out of her head, but the memory of his smoldering gaze helped keep her warm. Made her feel like a valuable person.
He cared about her. Maybe even loved her, but he loved God more.
“Take your time.” Linda levered out of the chair. “Feel free to drop back tomorrow, too, if you’re in this part of downtown.”
“Thanks.” Liz lifted her spoon. “This is really good, and very welcome.”
Linda smiled. “Enjoy.” She wandered to the next table and engaged an older man in conversation.
Liz watched a minute, though she couldn’t overhear. Soon she shrugged and pulled her phone out of her coat’s inside pocket. She logged in through the password-free wi-fi.
One text from Mason. Surprise. An email from Mom and another from Zach, plus one from Allison. Liz clicked away without reading any of them and switched to the Internet browser button to check employment listings.
Maybe today there’d be something just right for her.
* * *
Over the past week, Mason had seen Kass a few times. He’d popped by the bakery for lunch twice, but of course she’d been busy. He’d stopped short of inviting her out to the farm for a meal. Asking her for a date had crossed his mind, but he hadn’t acted on it. Just friends didn’t date. People without chemistry shouldn’t date.
He and the kids were eating better, though. They’d all spent Sunday afternoon in the Green Acres kitchen assembling meals he could finish off quickly after work, with nary a mushroom in sight.
Want to come for dinner tonight?
Claire again. Mason, just home from work, stared at his phone.
We’ve got something to discuss with you.
Sounded ominous. Will Kass be there?
Do you want her to be?
Not really. Just wondering.
Not this time. This isn’t about her unless you want it to be.
Such a helpful reply. I do have supper planned. Thanks to Kass. All he needed to do was pop it in the oven before walking over to collect the twins.
LOL. Stick it in the fridge for tomorrow. Pls say you’ll come.
Fine. I’ll be there.
He walked over on the packed trail between the two farms. Christopher and Finnley whooshed down the drive on their sleds. Zach and Brent had given up keeping the upper drive cleared with so much snow. Everyone walked in from the main parking area this winter.
“Supper’s ready,” Mason told the boys.
“One more run!” yelled Christopher, cheeks pink from the cold.
“Only one more. Then come in.”
“Okay.” Both boys grabbed the ropes from their sleds and trudged up the path again.
Mason went into the house and removed his boots and jacket.
“Hey, Waterman!” greeted Zach.
“Oh, man. Your night in the kitchen? Claire didn’t warn me.”
Avery ran over from the great room for a quick hug then dashed back to where she and Maddie were playing with dolls.
“My good wife is keeping me on track here. Meatloaf and baked potatoes will be out of the oven in a few minutes.” Zach held up a bowl. “I’m on coleslaw.”
Mason slid onto a tall stool at the peninsula.
“Girls!” called Jo. “Want to ring the gong?”
“Yay!” yelled Avery. Both girls scrambled into boots and raced outside. A minute later the dinner gong echoed across the farm.
Mason heard it nearly every night from next door. Usually it wasn’t for him.
“Heard from Liz lately?” Zach asked.
Mason shook his head. “Not since she left. You?”
Zach frowned as he stirred the cabbage and carrot mix. “No. I’ve emailed her a couple of times, but she hasn’t answered. Nor does she pick up when Mom calls her.”
“I’ve texted a time or two,” Mason admitted. “She hasn’t replied.”
“I hope she’s okay.” Zach gave a wry grin as he shook his head. “She’s a stubborn one.”
“All we can do is pray for her.”
“There should be more.”
“Yeah, but doesn’t she have to welcome it? Or at least allow it?”
Zach let out a long breath. “I have to go out to Des Moines for a veterinarian conference next week. It will kill me if she keeps avoiding all contact. She’s my kid sister, and I’m worried about her, you know?”
“It’s probably my fault.”
The other man stopped mixing the dressing. “How so?”
The clomp of boots on the deck saved Mason from needing to respond. He just shrugged and turned to greet the other Green Acres team members as they came in, shedding outerwear and making room for the next wave. Noel and Claire entered from the other wing of the straw bale house. Claire shot him a quick grin before tucking her son into his high chair, while Noel snagged John off the floor and did the same.
Soon everyone gathered around the long table, and Zach asked the blessing over the food, the conversation, and his sister.
Whatever the big discussion was about, Mason needed to be patient until the children had gone off to play again after the meal. He eyed the meatloaf. That would be something he could prepare in advance, right? Maybe not baked potatoes, though. He was still trying to figure out what froze well and what didn’t.
Finally the meal was cleared away and the kids had scooted off to the great room.
Noel leaned toward Mason. “We’ve been talking.” He circled the table with his finger, indicating each gathered adult. “We’d like to invite you to be part of the Green Acres team on a permanent basis.”
If a kick to the gut could feel welcome, this was it. What he’d been braced for, he couldn’t have said. “Really? But I have a job, and no skills you guys need.”
“Everyone brings something different to the group. Some are good cooks.” Sierra grinned at Zach. “And this was a pretty decent dinner, buddy.”
“Some are teachers,” Chelsea put in. “Some are organizers.”
“Some of us are simply good at doing what we’re told.” Keanan spread his hands on the table as everyone chuckled.
“All of us work hard to make it happen,” added Jo. “No slackers allowed.”
“Zach and I both work off the farm.” Brent caressed Allison’s shoulder. “When there’s lots going on, it makes for long days, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I still don’t really know why you’d want me.”
“You and the twins have become part of our family,” said Jo simply. “When the topic came up, we were all immediately agreed.”
If only it were really true that he and Jo belonged to the same family. She was happily married to Liz’s brother. A knife went through his heart again. How c
ould he ever get over Liz when her family surrounded him?
But leaving Galena Landing again with the twins was out of the question. He was done running. This was where God wanted him. Did that include Green Acres itself?
From meeting Allison and Finnley at the lake soon after his return, he’d been inextricably drawn into the group here. But it was too big a decision to make hastily. “Please lay out everything you’re thinking of,” he said at last. “Then give me a few days to pray about it. But either way, know I’m really honored.”
“One more thing,” said Gabe. “You need to know that we won’t evict you from the farmhouse if you decide against it. No strings, Waterman.”
“Thanks.” Mason’s throat choked up. “I can’t tell you all how much this means to me.”
“We’ll get more work out of you,” Zach said with a chuckle. “But here. Let’s go over everything. Rubachuk, you have the documents?”
Gabe nodded and spread a folder open on the table. “All here.”
To think these wonderful men and women wanted to call him brother. Wanted to be a permanent part of Christopher and Avery’s life. Mason shook his head as he focused on Gabe’s words.
Chapter 24
“Waterman, spill.” Zach stripped off gloves and knit cap in the farmhouse kitchen.
“Spill what? And shush, man. The twins just went to bed.”
“Sorry.” Zach shed his coat. “I’m so worried about my sister I’m not thinking straight.”
“Did you hear from her?”
“No.” Zach’s eyes bored into his. “Have you?”
Mason shook his head. “But then, there’d be no reason for her to contact me.” He indicated the kitchen table. “Have a seat. Want coffee?”
Zach scrubbed his hand through his hair. “Better not. I’m already so wired sleep is unlikely, but there’s no point in making sure.”
“Tea then? Claire gave me some chamomile.”
“Yeah, sure. Sounds good.”
Mason turned to put on tea. “When’s the last anyone heard from Liz?”
“Two weeks. We know she got to Des Moines safely, and that’s about it. She was going to call Mom after her first day at work, but she didn’t.”
Not good. “Maybe she lost her phone?”
“And her laptop with its email program? Not likely. The veterinary clinic is dead easy to find online, at the very least.”
Mason nodded slowly.
“Besides, her phone is charged. It rings three times before going to voice mail. So it seems unlikely it’s not on her.”
“Makes sense.”
“What I want to know is why, Waterman? Why would she leave in the dead of winter and not stay in touch? What caused her to run?”
Zach’s gaze bored into Mason’s. “And one more thing. Is it related to why she ran eleven years ago? I can’t help wondering if there’s a common denominator.”
The look in Zach’s eyes was not just that of a concerned brother. He was on Mason’s doorstep for a reason. He knew. Not the details, most likely, but that Mason was linked in some way.
The only question was, did he owe it to Liz to keep quiet? Or was it his story to tell? If she were in some kind of danger, wasn’t it Mason’s duty to provide all the clues he had?
Not that he had any, really. He could certainly explain why she’d fled — both times — but not why she’d disappeared from contact, unless it was to punish him.
Mason spooned honey into two cups of tea, set them on the table, and sat across from his friend. He stared into his tea for a long moment. God? I could use some help here. But I think Liz needs You even more than I do. Please give me words, and please help Zach find Liz.
He raised his eyes to meet Zach’s. “It’s a long story, and I’m not sure it’s of any help.”
Zach’s gaze didn’t flicker. “I’ve got time.”
“I’ve kept quiet because it didn’t feel like my story to tell. I’d like to ask you to keep it under your hat, but maybe we’re beyond that point by now.”
“Spit it out, Waterman.”
“Liz and I were in the same class all through school. She was such a good little girl I had no time for her.” Mason shrugged. “For some reason I cannot explain, I was popular. Everyone wanted to be my friend. Play with me at recess. Sit with me in the lunchroom. And then we hit high school.”
“Go on,” Zach said into the lingering silence.
“Every girl I asked out was happy to date me. I, uh, had sex with many of them. You have to understand I didn’t know Jesus then.”
Zach’s jaw twitched. “And then...”
“Some of the guys asked Liz out, but she refused. We all figured she was just playing holier-than-thou.” Mason rubbed his day-old scruff and shook his head. “She was better than us.”
Zach said nothing, but neither did his piercing gaze leave Mason’s face.
“So, uh, the guys started betting on whether or not she’d go out with me. Have sex. Seemed obvious to everyone that she liked me, and if anyone was going to get anywhere with her, it would be me.”
“Uh huh.”
Man, that wasn’t an encouraging sound. “So, I, uh, asked her to our senior party.”
“And she said yes.” Zach’s voice was flat and hard.
Mason nodded. “She said yes.”
He’d accepted high-fives right in front of her. And afterward... Mason chewed his lip and glanced at Zach. “Afterward, we went out along the river and had sex. She’d been a virgin, but she gave herself to me willingly.”
No response.
“I told my friends I’d won the bet. By noon the next day the news had swept the school, and Liz was the laughing stock.”
“Do you have any idea how much I’d like to deck you right now?”
“Bring it. I deserve that and more.”
Zach shook his head, but his knuckles remained white as he clenched the mug of tea.
“She left town a few days later, right after graduation. I didn’t see her again until that day in your parents’ kitchen.”
“You’ve told me what the intervening years were like for you. How Jesus met you and saved you from the life you’d been leading.” Zach ran a shaking hand through his hair. “But Liz. I didn’t know. What kind of brother was I? Why didn’t I even know something was wrong?”
Zach had been at Washington State, studying hard to get one of the coveted spots into veterinary college.
“Look, if you guys want to retract the invitation to join Green Acres, I understand. I can find another house to rent. Or I can leave town. Whatever you want.”
“No, Waterman. That’s not a solution.” Zach closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he looked straight at Mason. “Do you know anything about her years in Thailand?”
“Not more than she told everyone when she showed her photos that day.”
“Rumor has it that you two spent a lot of time together when the water was froze up here.”
Mason nodded slowly. “We talked late into the night several times. I asked Liz to forgive me.”
Zach’s eyebrows rose. “Did she?”
“She said so. It’s God she can’t forgive.”
“Okaaay. Allison offered her a temp job here, but she left anyway. Any idea why?”
Mason chewed on his lip. “Yeah?”
“Waterman, don’t make me beat it out of you. I don’t think there’s much you can add to what you’ve already said. What you’ve already done to my sister.”
“She was looking for an excuse to stay.”
“Yet she left.”
Did Mason have to spell everything out for Zach? Apparently. “She wanted to, uh, come upstairs with me, and I said no.”
Zach’s fist hit the table.
* * *
Maybe today would be the day Liz would find a job. A woman needed to stay positive.
She peered into the mirror of the truck stop washroom and carefully applied her makeup, trying to hide the dark circles under her
eyes and the way her cheeks had hollowed out. The new coral sweater she’d received for Christmas — had that been only a month ago? — no longer molded to her curves but hung on her thinning frame. She’d already picked up a package of safety pins to tuck in the waistband of her dress pants.
Gel in her hair helped a little. Liz eyed herself in the mirror speculatively. If she owned a business, would she hire the person staring back? Sure she would. Someone had to.
She gathered the few items she’d brought into the building with her and wove her way through aisles of junk food toward the exit. The paunchy man behind the till smirked at her.
“Have a nice day, Maurice.” She’d be pleasant to the man if it killed her. When she’d asked him for a job, he’d offered her more and seemed offended when she’d turned him down. This truck stop had the best facilities closest to the downtown core. She couldn’t afford to annoy him further.
No reply from Maurice, but that wasn’t a huge shock. Liz pushed open the door to the swirling white in the parking lot. Man, if she didn’t get a job today, she was heading south. Winter was terrific if you weren’t living in your car. Winter was terrific in Galena Landing, she amended mentally, remembering the startling beauty of the hoar frost and the glee on the kids’ faces as they chased each other in the deep snow. Winter in the city was something else again.
She trudged around the corner of the building just in time to see a tow truck at the far exit pulling a white car. Her gaze shot to where she’d left her vehicle.
Gone.
No way. Liz swallowed her fury and ran toward the tow truck, but it already signaled a right turn onto the highway. She slipped on the ice, falling hard onto both hands in the middle of the parking lot. The truck disappeared.
This absolutely could not be happening. Could there be a more final last straw than this? Hot tears poured down her face.
Oh, God.
Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow.
She didn’t want to see anything as white as snow ever again. But how could she leave Des Moines without her car? Wait! It was even worse. The remains of her stash was in that trunk. She didn’t keep much in her wallet.
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