“I need to organize getting a seed drill so we can start planting.”
“Seed drill?”
“An attachment for the tractor that forms a long row of furrows and deposits the soybeans as you drive it through the fields.”
“Ah, right. You mentioned it the other day. I thought you’d booked one.”
“I got a phone call this morning. The arrangement fell through—some kind of breakdown.”
“I’d have thought your father would have one.”
“Not anymore. Dad had to sell some machinery to help David pay bills after Annie died. The seed drill was one of them.”
“But wouldn’t he have needed that especially?”
“He did, but he made an arrangement with the buyer to be able to use it at planting.”
“And the buyer?”
“Bryant Lewis.”
“Uh-oh.”
“That just about sums it up.”
“So after the accident last August—”
“Dad swore he’d never ask Bryant Lewis for anything,” she said.
“And when you’re not even speaking to someone anyway...”
“Yup. Bryant has already planted his fields, so I know his—our—seed drill will be available.”
“But you’re worried about how your father might react to your negotiating something with the guy? Or worse, how Lewis might react to your request?”
“You said it.” She leaned her forehead against her palms and sighed. “Kind of a dilemma.”
“How reasonable—or unreasonable—is the man?”
“Frankly, I have no idea. It’s been almost a year, and I’m hoping Bryant may have put all those angry words they had behind him. But then when we bumped into Kenny last week—”
“Kenny?”
“Kenny Lewis, Bryant’s son. Remember the guy in the tractor supply parking lot?”
“Oh, that guy. His remark about Amigo. I’ll come with you.”
She frowned, not getting his meaning.
“When we go see him about borrowing the seed drill. Or renting it, if we have to.”
Kai felt her worries from last night take flight. Of course. Why not? She had no argument with Bryant Lewis. She watched Luca drain the last of his coffee and saw some of the army captain he must have been—wanting only the basic facts and reaching a logical conclusion. As someone who tended to overanalyze, she liked that. The day was shaping up well.
An hour later they were pulling up to Bryant Lewis’s front door in Luca’s SUV. Thomas and Amigo were sitting in the back seat. Kai had wanted to leave Amigo behind, but Thomas dragged his heels so much getting into the car that she relented, on condition they remain in the car while she and Luca spoke to Bryant. As soon as she and Luca got out, the front door swung open. Bryant stood, hands on hips, staring from Kai to Luca and back to Kai.
“Hi, Bryant. This is Luca Rossi, a friend who’s helping me with the planting this year.”
He raised an eyebrow at that. “Uh-huh. Thought maybe your family was going to forego planting, due to your father’s health setback.”
Interesting how he made a stroke into a “setback.” “I want to surprise Dad when he gets home. Maybe he’ll get back into farming again.” She didn’t need further explanation.
“Well, good luck with that.”
Anger rose in her throat. She bit her lower lip and was thinking of an appropriate reply when Luca stepped forward, extending his right hand.
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Lewis. You have a pretty nice spread here.”
Bryant waited a moment before shaking hands. “I work hard to keep it like this.”
“Well, your hard work has paid off, sir.”
Bryant nodded and smiled for the first time. “Excuse the assumption, Mr., uh, Rossi, but you don’t look like a farmer.”
Luca laughed. “I’m not. This is all new to me.”
Bryant tilted his head in question.
“I’ve recently been discharged from the army and have some free time, so I thought I’d give Kai a hand.”
Kai marveled at the way Luca made it seem as if they were old friends, his presence there as natural as her own. She also noted that Bryant’s smile had warmed up.
“Deployed?”
“Afghanistan. Two tours.”
When Bryant realized Luca wasn’t going to elaborate in the pause that followed, he said, “Welcome to Lima then,” adding, as he looked at Kai, “As to the seed drill. Your father and I struck an arrangement. A loose one, mind. We used the drill this year along with our newer one. It seemed to be working okay.”
“I’d be happy to rent it from you,” Kai put in quickly, wanting to keep the good-natured momentum going.
He thought about that, then shook his head. “Nope. Not this year, anyway. Consider it a gesture from one neighbor to another.”
Grateful her father wasn’t present to hear that, Kai stifled her irritation. As if Bryant Lewis had been a good neighbor in any regard for the past ten months.
“We thank you, sir. And how do we arrange picking this machine up?” Luca’s question prompted another smile from Bryant.
“I’ll have a couple of my work crew bring it over. Monday morning fine with you?”
Kai was hoping for this afternoon, but nodded. “Thanks, Bryant.” She and Luca turned to go when a sharp bark came from the SUV’s opened window.
“Kenny told me you had a dog. Don’t know why your family would want one, but that’s not my concern. Just make sure it doesn’t get onto my land,” Bryant called out.
“No, sir. Amigo’s my dog and I’ll look out for him.” Luca touched a finger to the brim of his ball cap, signaling a goodbye, clasped Kai by the elbow and steered her toward the SUV before she had a chance to say a word.
They got into the vehicle, greeted by an excited round of yelps from Amigo, and reversed down the drive. Bryant Lewis watched them the whole way until Luca made his U-turn and exited onto the highway. Only then did Kai breathe easily.
When they reached the farm, Kai expected Luca to park the SUV in the space adjacent to the garage, but instead he stopped short of it and left the engine running.
“Thought I’d take a short trip into town,” he said.
Thomas and Amigo were already out, dashing for the kitchen door.
“Oh, okay.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say, puzzled more by her surprise than by his lack of explanation.
“Anything you want there?”
“No. Would you like to come for dinner?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” He grinned then.
Kai had a long talk with herself while she watched him head back to the highway. You’re not his keeper. He’s free to come and go without any questions. How could you embarrass yourself by asking if he’d be back for dinner? She hadn’t made so many social gaffes since high school and couldn’t think of a rational explanation for any part of that exchange.
When Kai turned to go into the house, she saw Thomas, standing behind the kitchen screen door. She wondered how long he’d been there and how much, if any, he’d heard.
“Shall we collect the eggs before lunch?”
His only reply was a nod, as she’d expected. But she thought she saw a glimmer of interest in his eyes.
* * *
MARGARET WATCHED HARRY slowly make his way across the lounge to where she was sitting by an open window. It was unseasonably warm, even for the last week in May, and she had been gazing longingly out to the gardens beyond.
When he had finally lowered himself into the chair beside her, setting the walker to the side, Margaret said, “I can’t believe how well you’re doing, Harry! Dr. Charles told me you’re one of her star pupils and just might beat the six-week deadline for the program.”
Harry nodded, still catching his breath. He rested his head against the back of the chair.
Although he didn’t respond, Margaret saw the pleasure creep across his face. “So I had an email from Kai while you were finishing your occupational therapy.”
He looked across at her, suddenly alert.
“She’s going to start planting tomorrow.”
“By herself?”
She had to smile at the incredulity in his voice. “No. Remember that man—the friend of hers, I guess—who was helping her? He’s offered to stay on until the planting is done.”
“At the farm?”
“Apparently. She thought it was too much, expecting him to go back and forth from Lima every day. So she’s invited him to stay.”
“Not the bungalow?” he croaked.
Margaret patted his hand. “Harry, honey, it’s all right. Someone had to go into the bungalow sooner or later. Maybe this way was best. Anyway, it’s done, so we’ll simply have to accept it.”
He looked away, struggling with the challenge of that acceptance. After a moment, he turned her way and asked, “The seed drill?”
Margaret pursed her lips. All right, here we go. “She’s borrowing it.”
“From Lewis?”
Margaret nodded.
“Ours?” When he saw the affirmation in her face, he turned away again. Margaret sighed. If only he could accept that life was always going to throw these curveballs. You just had to deal with them, rather than rail vainly against them.
CHAPTER SEVEN
LUCA DIDN’T MAKE it for dinner after all. He’d called Kai on the landline later that afternoon to say that something had come up, he was sorry for the inconvenience and could he take a rain check on dinner. Although she’d quickly reassured him that was fine, she couldn’t as easily dismiss her disappointment and that led to a rush of irritation at feeling let down. The only upside was that she could go to her fallback meal of omelets. When Thomas came to the table he looked pointedly at Luca’s empty chair.
“He’s busy in town,” she said, and saw Thomas raise an eyebrow just before he lowered his gaze to his omelet and pulled a face. That annoyed her even more.
She didn’t see Luca until midmorning, Sunday. She knew he’d come back late because the sweep of his headlights across her bedroom woke her. Amigo was nowhere to be seen. With Luca in the bungalow, likely. As if reluctant to hurt the feelings of either of his two masters, Amigo had begun dividing his nights between Thomas and Luca. That Thomas accepted this without fuss was a good sign.
“Okay, Thomas, time to turn off the TV,” she called out from the kitchen as she finished loading the dishwasher. “Let’s see if the hens need water and feed. Maybe we can take a drive into town after, check out that new ice-cream shop.”
Halfway to the chicken coop Thomas stopped, and Kai, on his heels, bumped into him. It took a moment for her to register what he was staring at. A brand-new, navy blue SUV was parked where she’d last seen Luca’s black rental. It wasn’t hard to interpret the question in her nephew’s face when he turned around.
“Search me,” she said. “Maybe that’s why he went into town yesterday.” They went on to the chicken coop, fed and watered the half-dozen laying hens and were walking toward the pickup when Luca came out the bungalow door, followed by Amigo.
“Morning,” he called out.
“Oh, hi. Thomas and I thought we’d go into town for ice cream.”
“Sounds like a great idea. Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all. We were going to take the pickup but...” Her gaze drifted to the new SUV.
“Let’s take my new ride for a spin. Maybe Amigo should stay home this time, though.” Luca opened the door and signaled for Amigo to go inside the bungalow. Tail down, the dog crept into the house as Luca closed both doors.
Kai noticed dark circles under his eyes and the pallor beneath his unshaven face. He’d come back close to midnight, and his appearance this morning suggested a few places in Lima he might have visited. Yet other than a beer before dinner the other night, she hadn’t seen him drink at all. Something had occupied his time there, and she was itching to learn what that had been. Not that it was any of her business.
“Was this an impulsive purchase?” she asked as they reached the SUV.
He unlocked the vehicle and opened the rear door for Thomas. “I’d been thinking that it didn’t make sense to keep the rental when I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. And besides, I was planning on getting something when I go back home. I happened to pass a dealership on my way through town yesterday, and...well, here it is.”
Impulsive, then. Kai couldn’t imagine Harry simply driving into Lima and returning home with a brand-new car.
She climbed into the passenger side and marveled silently at the high-tech dashboard, leather seats and GPS screen. Thomas was running his hands across the rear seat and flipping the seat divider down, examining its compartments.
“It’s a bit much, I know,” he said, watching both of them. “I guess I should have waited until I was in a different mood.”
Interesting phrase. Did he mean a better mood? He certainly had been in some kind of a mood when he’d left so abruptly yesterday.
A line was already forming outside Ice Delights when they pulled up in front. Thomas ran ahead, getting to the end of the line seconds before Luca and Kai. He swung around to smile at them, bobbing up and down on his tiptoes. It was the happiest Kai had seen him since she’d come home. She caught Luca’s eye and smiled at his wink.
“Ice cream,” he said, close to her ear. “Works every time.”
She could only nod, filled with a lightness she also hadn’t felt since coming home. About to say something, she was interrupted by a chirping voice at her elbow.
“Hi, Thomas!”
A small, pigtailed and bespectacled little girl, licking an ice-cream cone, was standing in front of Thomas. They beamed at each other. “Really yummy, Thomas. Get the double chocolate with roasted marshmallows. Like s’mores. With real graham cracker crumbs, too.”
Kai realized she was staring at the child when she heard a woman say, “Hello. You must be Kai, Thomas’s aunt?” She looked up and behind the girl to see a slender woman, also wearing glasses, carrying a shopping bag and smiling at her.
“I’m Jane, Robyn’s mom. Jane Patterson.” She extended her hand, which Kai shook, still registering the novelty of Thomas being greeted by a friend.
“Oh, nice to meet you. And your daughter, is she in Thomas’s class?”
“Yes. We’re renting the farm just south of yours. We moved in about three weeks ago. Robyn and Thomas usually sit together on the bus.”
Kai put it all together, remembering how Thomas had recently begun to sit in the middle of the bus, with some unidentified child, rather than slumping into a seat at the back. So Thomas had a friend. She couldn’t take her eyes off the two children who were now moving forward together in the line, their heads pressed close together. As if they were whispering.
“They get along really well,” Jane went on. “Robyn felt like a bit of an outsider when she started school, until Thomas made her welcome.”
Kai hoped her jaw hadn’t actually dropped at that remark. She automatically nodded, still mesmerized by what she was seeing. Thomas. Engaged and communicating. One outsider to another.
“Robyn has been pestering me to invite him to our place for a playdate. What about next weekend? Either Saturday or Sunday.”
“Um...sure.” Kai had to clear her throat. “Thomas, would you like to go to Robyn’s next weekend?”
His nod was quick and energetic, eyes shining.
Kai turned to Jane and said in a low voice, “There’s something you might need to know about Thomas.”
“I know. Robyn told me. He d
oesn’t speak to adults. Only kids.”
Only kids. Kai tossed that phrase around in her head. Jane was clearly a step or two ahead of her. As the line surged forward, she was aware of Luca standing behind her, taking in the whole scene with a thoughtful expression.
“Robyn, we have to go now.” Taking her daughter’s hand, Jane said, “Nice to meet you, Kai and...?”
“Oh. Sorry. My, uh, friend who’s helping me with the planting. Luca Rossi.”
Jane and Luca shook hands.
“Bye, Thomas,” Robyn said as she and her mother headed off.
Kai watched Thomas wave goodbye, as if he were any other eight-year-old boy. And then she was struck by the thought, maybe he is.
* * *
LUCA POURED HIMSELF another cold glass of water and drank it slower this time. The perfect counter to the large ice cream he’d indulged in. The spontaneous ice-cream run into Lima midmorning had been the first impulsive act he’d made since returning home from Afghanistan. Wait. The second. The first, obviously, had been coming to Lima.
The drive home had been slow and quiet, except for the occasional slurping and cone crunching. He’d glanced into the rearview mirror several times, watching Thomas, who had lingered over his cone the longest. Thomas was hardly a carefree boy, but Luca hoped the outing had refreshed some memory for him. A time before all his troubles.
But for now, the day stretched ahead. Open. Agenda free. This freedom of time was one of many challenges Luca was aware he’d face in his recovery. The long days after his hospital discharge had been filled with rumination, blame, and most of all, regret. What’s done is done. You can’t go back. Those reminders were simple common sense. Of course he knew all that. But there was a wide chasm between knowing and accepting. And acceptance was still something he had trouble with.
Okay. He set the empty glass on the counter and considered his options. Something physical would be best. His mind had been tortured enough after his impulsive trip into town yesterday. So, the ice-cream run was really number three. Then he remembered the SUV. Number four. His spontaneous visit to the flag monument had been the most erratic thing he’d done by far.
Since Kai had pointed out the memorial on their tour of Lima days ago, he’d known he would eventually find his way back there. When she’d asked him if he’d wanted to see it close up, his immediate reaction had been horror. He would have to be alone. He couldn’t trust this new Luca Rossi to handle the situation coolly. But after they’d gone to Bryant Lewis to arrange the seed drill, something had stirred inside that new Luca. He’d seen the quick flash of respect in the man’s eyes when he’d referred to his military service. All the way back to the farm, Luca had thought about how he’d always been proud of that kind of respect from complete strangers.
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