Overnight, he’d made a decision to see the memorial. Impulse number five? He’d lost count, but knew that all these uncharacteristic impulses began with that first one—coming to Lima. He drifted into the living room and through the picture window saw Thomas and Amigo playing in the large yard at the front of the farmhouse. Kai was nowhere to be seen, and he had a flash of curiosity about what she might be doing. When he’d moved into the bungalow, he’d resolved to keep some space between the two places. He still liked and needed privacy, and suspected that Kai, who’d been living on her own for several years at least, was the same.
Thomas was trying to get Amigo to catch or retrieve a Frisbee. The boy didn’t give up, but Luca figured it was a no-win game. Amigo hadn’t grown up like dogs here. His life had been furtive scavenging, fighting with other dogs and running from hurled stones. When the war began, bombs, gunfire and large machinery had joined the equation. Yet there had been obvious changes in the dog.
When Luca had first arrived at the farm, he’d noticed the new luster to the animal’s coat, and his skeletal frame was now hidden by a healthy layer of fat. He was definitely a happier dog, but Luca suspected remnants of his former life still clung, as witnessed by his reaction to the tractor. So games were pretty much new territory for the Afghan stray.
Luca pushed open the screen door and stepped onto the stoop. “Can I join you?” he called out.
The game ended up being between Luca and Thomas. Amigo trotted back and forth between the two, but failing to get the point of it, he retreated under a wooden, whitewashed bench beneath the maple tree at the edge of the lawn. After fifteen minutes or so, Luca saw that Thomas was flagging, too.
“That’s enough for me today,” he said, catching the last half-hearted toss Thomas made. “Shall we get a cold one?”
Thomas peered up at him, face crinkled beneath the ball cap.
“Soda? That’s all I’ve got, except for cold water, of course.” Luca headed for the front door of the bungalow and was on his way into the kitchen before he realized he hadn’t heard the screen door shut a second time. He walked back. Thomas was standing on the other side of the door.
Luca gave himself a mental kick. “Um, you’re welcome to come in, or I can bring the drinks out. What’s it going to be? Cola?”
Thomas nodded. Luca turned away and went into the kitchen. Seconds later, he heard the door slam. He poured two cans of cola into tall glasses, topped them with ice and took them to the kitchen table. Eventually he saw Thomas tiptoeing past the kitchen along the hallway to the bedroom area. He knew everything had been removed from what must have been Thomas’s old bedroom, except for the single bed and matching bureau.
Luca was sleeping in what he’d gathered to be the master bedroom. It, too, had been stripped of anything personal, and except for the queen-size bed set, was basically a room devoid of personality. Which had been the whole point of the clearing out, Luca figured. Just as he began to worry he’d made a very wrong move with his casual invite for a cold drink, Thomas came into the kitchen and sat in the middle chair at the table. His old place, Luca guessed.
For a few moments the only sounds were clinking ice cubes. Thomas’s gaze shifted from one side of the room to the other. Unlike the bedrooms, the kitchen had been left intact, with full sets of cutlery, dishes and cooking utensils. The curtains framing the window above the sink were faded and dusty. The knife holder, coffee maker and bread board were signs of past baking, eating and talking in what was likely the hub of the bungalow.
As Thomas sipped his drink, his study of the room drifted gradually to the contents of his glass. Luca took in the bowed head and slumped shoulders, and figured it was time to go.
“Don’t know about you, but I think it’ll be cooler outside under that tree. Amigo is probably still there, waiting for us. Shall we join him?” He pushed his chair back and picked up his glass.
Of course there was no response. The boy didn’t even raise his head. Luca started for the front door and partway there, heard a soft footfall behind him. As he’d predicted, Amigo was still sleeping beneath the bench. Luca strolled over and sat down, taking in the green expanse of lawn stretching out to the highway, the rows of fir trees lining the drive and the cultivated fields rolling as far as the horizon. It was a clear, blue-skied day speckled with dabs of clouds, and he was suddenly filled with promise.
Thomas brushed against him as he sat down. Luca didn’t look his way, just sighed and said, “This place is beautiful.”
The tinkle of ice as Thomas drank was the only reply, but sitting next to the boy, Luca felt Thomas had taken another step toward accepting him. He didn’t know why, but that was important. He finished his soda, enjoying it to the last drop.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE SHAKING SEEMED to go on forever. Kai woke, gasping. Thomas, leaning over her, flinched.
“What? What’s happening?”
He tilted his head toward the clock radio on her bedside table. Kai groaned. Time to walk to the bus. Not in ten minutes. Right now.
“Are you all ready?” she croaked, still adjusting to wakefulness.
He nodded, and through bleary eyes, she saw that he was dressed and his hair brushed.
“Breakfast?”
Another nod. “Do you think you could walk up to the bus on your own?”
He frowned.
“Maybe with Amigo?”
The frown deepened. He shook his head.
Yeah, bad idea. Kai pictured the dog either trying to board with Thomas or run after the bus. “Okay, okay. I’m coming. Give me three minutes. If we’re late, no big deal. I’ll drive you to school. Wait for me on the kitchen porch.”
He wrinkled his nose and marched out of the room, leaving a wake of annoyance. By the time Kai rinsed her face and threw on yesterday’s jeans and T-shirt, the three minutes had doubled. She took the stairs two at a time, noticed an empty cereal bowl on her jog through the kitchen and pushed open the screen door. No Thomas. She swore under her breath. If he’d retreated to his room, as he was prone to do when upset, she’d be driving him to school for sure. And the seed drill from Bryant was supposed to arrive any minute.
“Thomas?” she called through the screen door. “I hope you’re not up in your room!”
No answer. About to turn around and check for herself, she suddenly caught a flash of yellow through the trees along the drive. Amigo? Then, through a gap, she saw Thomas walking quickly up to the highway, followed by...Luca?
The school bus horn sounded as it rounded the curve at the Lewis farm and came to a stop at the top of their drive. Kai squinted, barely making out Thomas and Luca approaching the open door. Luca was holding Amigo by his collar. She saw Thomas step up into the bus and wondered if he’d waved a goodbye to Luca and Amigo or not. Her relief that she wouldn’t have to make the trek into Lima was mixed with a flash of some emotion she couldn’t quite name.
Last night at supper, she’d detected a slight shift in the way Thomas behaved toward Luca. Of course, her nephew’s actions and reactions usually involved inferencing. But he hadn’t kept his eyes on his plate while he ate as he usually did, and when Luca insisted on cleaning up, Thomas had taken his plate and Kai’s to the sink. And rather than head to the television in the family room right away, he’d stacked them into the dishwasher after Luca rinsed them. Kai had merely stared.
Once the dishes were loaded, Thomas had left the room. Luca had thanked her again for the meal and said good-night before Kai had a chance to offer a second cup of coffee. The miracle of this sudden reappearance of a normal Thomas—at least, a hint of his old self—remained with her.
The bus pulled away from the shoulder. Kai went back into the kitchen for breakfast. She was just finishing her toast and coffee when Luca tapped on the door frame. “Come in, Luca. Thanks for walking Thomas up to the bus. I must have slep
t right through my alarm. You saved me a drive into town.”
His shrug was followed by a quick, “No problem.”
“Did you get coffee?”
“Yes, thanks. I had breakfast in the bungalow.”
She’d assumed he had, but was hoping the coffee invite would lead to a sit-down and perhaps some enlightenment about Thomas’s unexpected behavior at supper. Not that she actually expected Luca to open up. The man was wired like a coiled spring, and Kai guessed only something catastrophic—God forbid!—would release that tension. He gave nothing away. That was the most maddening part. He was almost as uncommunicative as Thomas. Even more so after his mystery trip into Lima. Buying the SUV might have been an impulse, but she knew it hadn’t been the sole purpose for the trip.
“What time are you expecting the seed drill?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts.
“Any minute, actually. I just want to run upstairs and shower. Do you mind hanging around here in case they turn up?”
“No. But maybe I’ll round up Amigo and put him inside the bungalow.”
“Good idea,” she said. “Thanks. And help yourself to coffee.”
* * *
KAI HEARD THE rumble of engines and blast of horn as she was coming out of the shower. Rushing into clean but well-worn jeans and T-shirt, she wondered if Luca had managed to corral and lock up Amigo. The last thing she needed was to have a frightened dog running frenetically around a farm machine. Especially if Bryant Lewis accompanied that machine.
But when she got outside, she was relieved to find Luca talking to a man sitting atop a tractor behind which the seed drill was hooked while another man—fortunately, not Bryant—leaned against a pickup truck. No sign of Amigo. All three heads turned her way.
“Kai, this is Juan,” Luca said, gesturing to the man sitting on the tractor. “And Marco.” He indicated the other man.
“Hello,” she said. “Um, thanks for bringing it nice and early. Shall I phone Bryant when we’re finished? Likely tomorrow, but maybe the next day.” Their acreage was small compared to the Lewis farm, but Kai remembered seeding as essentially boring work that required full attention if you wanted the rows to be straight. And her father would notice. So perhaps two days would be necessary, given she hadn’t done this in years and Luca, never.
Juan lifted his shoulders. “Okay, but Mr. Lewis says we can do the work for you. Then maybe only one day.”
The offer was tempting, but Kai shook her head. “Thank Mr. Lewis for me, but we’ll do the work. And I will try hard to finish in two days.” She wondered if time was the reason for the unexpected offer of manpower. Maybe another farmer wanted to rent it. Or maybe Bryant did want to show his neighborliness and she was being irrationally suspicious. Whatever the reason, she knew that if her father ever learned his fields had been planted at Bryant Lewis’s expense—and generosity—he’d be horrified. Or have another stroke!
“I’ll show you to the fields.”
After Bryant’s two workers helped attach the seed drill to the Westfields’ tractor and left, Kai and Luca loaded the drill with the dried soybeans. Hoping she’d recall all the quirks of the machine when it was towing something, Kai gave a brief rundown to Luca, whose apprehensive expression might have been amusing if she were more confident of her own skills.
“So basically I just drive a straight path all the way across and back and so on?”
“Pretty much. The turns will be tricky.”
“Okay. How will we divide the shifts, and who’s first?”
She liked that he got right down to business. It wasn’t her style, but at least it helped her focus. “How about I do two hours, then hand over to you? That’ll take us to lunch, which I can get ready while you’re seeding.”
“Fine, but I’m capable of making my own lunch.”
“It’ll just be sandwiches. If I’m making one for me, I might as well make two.”
His eyes held hers, but he said nothing. She spat out, “It’s only a sandwich for heaven’s sake. Suit yourself.”
Then she swung about and climbed up onto the tractor. He’d left by the time she got to the end of her first row and turned around. Kai blew out a mouthful of air, exasperated. Either he was moody or she was overreacting. A nagging inner voice pointed to the latter, which troubled her for the next two rows of seeding.
She’d simply been trying to be hospitable. Wouldn’t she offer lunch to anyone who was working for her? He’d made her invite seem like an imposition.
But a few rows later, it occurred to her that she’d suggested lunch because she enjoyed his company—whether he spoke or not. She just enjoyed being with him. That realization was the most perplexing of all. She barely knew Luca Rossi or anything about him other than a superficial history.
Yet she liked his gentle manner with Thomas, and although the man was clearly no fan of small talk, surely that was a minor inconvenience? As she’d blurted out, it was only lunch!
Kai slowly made the turn to finish the last part of her section. Maybe he’d show up for a sandwich or maybe he wouldn’t. It was up to him. She didn’t need to fret about something as insignificant as sharing lunch with him. But she did need him to help with the rest of the planting. Then he could take his dog and leave.
* * *
MARGARET GOT TO the rehab center earlier than usual. The team meeting was scheduled for nine thirty, about half an hour after breakfast finished. She hoped Harry remembered the meeting or had at least thought to check the whiteboard message in his room.
To her surprise, he was waiting in the lounge. When she bent to kiss his cheek, she said, “I see someone’s given you a shave.”
“Did it myself,” he mumbled. “With an electric razor.”
“Good for you!”
His mouth twisted into a passable smile as he awkwardly got to his feet, using his walker as leverage. He didn’t hunch over the walker anymore, leaning on it with his full weight. These were good signs, Margaret figured. She wasn’t certain if the changes indicated more confidence in himself or a potential full recovery. The last would be wonderful, of course, but she’d spent a sleepless night considering all the scenarios of Harry’s future. I’ll soon find out.
* * *
LUCA SWALLOWED THE last bite of his second tuna sandwich and chased it with iced tea. He really hadn’t been expecting lunch after the tiff a couple of hours ago, and despite Kai’s protestations about her lack of cooking skills, she could make a mean tuna sandwich. And grilled cheese. And spaghetti with meatballs. Compared to the army rations he’d been eating the last few years, this was a gourmand’s feast
“I can make up another can,” Kai said, finally breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over the table.
“Oh, no, but thank you. I think I’ve put on at least five pounds in the short time I’ve been here.” It was a lame reply, he knew, but after she’d blown up at him about the whole lunch thing—and he still couldn’t figure out why—he thought he’d better be more careful about what he said to her. He’d meant to save her the trouble of fixing lunch for him, but he obviously hadn’t made that clear.
Ever since their run into town for ice cream, he’d felt something more than friendship for her. But what was that “more,” exactly? Of course, she was an attractive woman. He liked her, but he didn’t understand her. She wasn’t easy to read like Becky had been, as shown by her reaction to his comment about making lunch.
But he’d seen her stunned expression in the ice-cream shop when Robyn’s mother revealed that Thomas spoke to some children at school. He could connect to that feeling of learning for the first time something that others already knew. The self-doubt it aroused, forcing you to accept the fact that you didn’t know as much about that person as you’d thought. He’d gone through that last year, when he’d discovered that his circle of friends had known for som
e time about Becky and his no-longer best friend.
“Well, if you have,” she was saying, “it looks good on you. I mean...” She paused, sounding flustered. “You look healthier than when you first got here.” She pushed her chair back and busied herself with clearing the table.
There it is, Luca told himself. No wonder you’re confused, with all this flip-flopping of emotion and contradicting signals. He didn’t like feeling this way. Part of him wanted to get up and walk out the door. But a new inner voice—one he still wasn’t used to—told him to stay. Be patient. Wait and see what happens. Or better still, take a risk.
“You’ve been doing all the cooking. Why don’t I take you and Thomas into town for dinner tonight?”
She swung around from the sink. “Tonight? It’s a school night.”
“I’m sure we can get there, have dinner and be back before Thomas’s bedtime.”
“I can’t believe I said that. I sounded just like my mother!”
Her laugh was hypnotic—the look and the sound of it, the half dimple on her lower right cheek. He was drawn to her when she laughed and wanted to see if he could make it happen again.
“I don’t know your mother, but perhaps she’d approve a night off.”
“You’re right, actually. I think she would.” She pulled in her lower lip in thought. “Thomas and I would like that, Luca. It’s been a while since we did ordinary, family things. Like going for ice cream on a Sunday.” Eyes glistening, she turned abruptly back to rinsing dishes.
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