Dandelions for Dinner (A Farm Fresh Romance Book 4)

by Valerie Comer

  Allison pulled her class planner out and spread the material on the kitchen table. Almost as dangerous, because thinking about the farm school made her think of the builder. Brent.

  She’d give Finnley a bit longer. She’d push Brent out of her mind and get some work done.

  An hour later, her stomach rumbled. Mid-morning? She glanced again at Finnley’s bedroom door. She’d better wake him. It boded ill for the rest of the day and the next night if he slept this long.

  “Buddy?” She tapped on his bedroom door before opening it slightly. “Time to wake up.” She crossed to the blackout blind, adjusted it to allow some light into the room, then turned to his bed.

  It was empty.

  Allison froze.

  She couldn’t have missed hearing him go to the bathroom, could she? “Finnley? Where are you?”

  Not in the bathroom. She hurried back to his bedroom, heart pounding. Sleeping in the closet? But he wasn’t in there, either. He was so quiet and disappeared so often. Where could he be?

  Allison tried to swallow the panic that rose in her throat, but it kept welling higher, faster, harder until she thought she might pass out.

  How could she lose a four-year-old?

  Her gaze swung to the front door. He could reach that knob. He’d done it before. She focused on the shoe shelf by the door. His shoes were missing.

  She ran back into his bedroom and flipped on the overhead light. His mussed bed sat in the corner with no pajamas lying on them. But his Superman backpack was missing.

  Allison sank onto the edge of Finnley’s bed.

  He’d run away. And every single time he’d done it before, she’d found him with Brent. So he was probably up at the house. When had he slid out without her noticing? She needed a bolt high up, out of his reach. But it was too late, at least for this time. Please, God, let there be a next time.

  She shoved her feet into her sandals and ran up the path to the half-finished house. Yes, he could manage the knob at the duplex, but the doors up here were heavier. No sign of entry. But it was still the most logical place. She opened the French door and stepped inside, closing it behind her, imagining Finnley doing the same thing.

  “Finnley? Come to Auntie Allison.”

  Silence.

  She took a deep breath and climbed the stairs to the loft. “Buddy?” She hurried into Finnley’s room, still clad in vapor-barrier covered insulation, the closet but a row of studs to divide it from his bedroom.

  Definitely not here, or anywhere in the loft. She hurtled down the steps and checked the entire house, which only took a few minutes. With no furniture and unfinished walls, hiding places were few. Brent kept the worksite tidied right up.

  Allison pressed both hands against the wall, squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to banish the ringing in her head. The desire to scream nearly overwhelmed her. No. She had to think clearly. Think. Where could Finnley be?

  Time to go next door and see if he’d showed up to play with Maddie, maybe. But Jo would have let her know. Her phone was charged, right? She patted her pocket. She’d left it on the table at home. Well, she didn’t need it to walk next door.

  Allison crossed the small yard in a few heartbeats and jogged up the steps to the log house deck. Jane Eyre stretched her way out of the box, and two kittens tumbled out. No Danny Boy. But that wasn’t unusual. Finnley’s favorite kitten had been known to curl up down by their place. He’d even snuck inside a time or two.

  Zach opened the door to Allison’s knock. “Hi! What’s up?” He looked past her, obviously expecting to see her nephew.

  “Have you seen Finnley? I can’t find him anywhere.” She hated that her voice rose with every word.

  Zach frowned. “No, I haven’t seen him. Come in a minute.” He turned from the door, leaving it open. “Jo! Have you seen Finnley? Allison can’t find him.”

  Please please please.

  Pajama-clad Maddie perched on Jo’s hip, little legs straddling the bulge of her sibling.

  Jo shook her head, her worried gaze meeting Allison’s. “No, I haven’t seen him since yesterday afternoon. He was already in bed when I came over last night.”

  “When did he go missing, Allison?” Zach asked.

  “I don’t know. I tucked him in bed, and I didn’t check on him. I mean, I never do. Why would I? He’s asleep.”

  Jo nodded as she handed Maddie off to Zach. “So you haven’t seen him this morning?”

  Numbly, Allison shook her head. “I went to look a few minutes ago, thinking this was rather late for him to be sleeping in. But he wasn’t there. His shoes and backpack are missing.”

  Jo and Zach exchanged a glance.

  “You’ve checked the house, I gather?” Zach’s chin jutted next door.

  Allison nodded. “Not a sign of him. That’s as far as I’ve gotten.”

  “I’ll go roust out Noel and Claire,” Zach said. “And Keanan. We’ll find him in no time.”

  “I’ll come, too,” said Jo.

  Zach shook his head. “We need someone to stay put in the big house, and that’s you and Maddie. A command center.”

  “But—”

  Zach leaned over and kissed her. “No buts, love. It’s you.”

  Jo gritted her teeth and accepted Maddie back from him. “Okay, fine. But hurry. It may be July, but he could still have gotten really cold last night.” She looked at Allison. “Do you think he wandered up the mountain?”

  Allison spread her hands. “I don’t think so? But I don’t know. He’s never seemed really interested in it.”

  “What is he really interested in?” Zach guided Allison back out the door.

  “Brent.” The word came out with bitterness.

  “Let’s check Keanan first. He likes him, too.”

  Allison pulled away from Zach’s hand at the bottom of the steps. “You talk to Keanan. I’ll go find Claire.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute!” called Jo as she shut the door.

  Zach nodded. “I’ll meet you back at the big house. If no one has seen him, we’ll make a plan from there.”

  Allison ran down the trail. First she’d grab her phone, then she’d find Claire. Surely Finnley wouldn’t have gone too far. She could imagine him perched on a tall stool at the peninsula while Noel whipped up breakfast for him.

  Only someone would have let her know.

  * * *

  “Your mind seems elsewhere, Brent.” Patrick glanced his way before lining up his next swing.

  Brent was an indifferent golfer at the best of times, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he should have stayed in Galena Landing this weekend. For the five thousandth time he reminded himself that the ball was in Allison’s court. He’d made it clear how he felt about both her and Finnley. Hanging around on his days off wouldn’t accomplish anything.

  “She pretty?”

  Very. Brent grimaced. “Nice try, Patrick.”

  “Well, you do keep a man guessing.” Patrick drove the ball. “Still have Allison Hart on your mind?”

  And on his heart. Brent watched as the ball flew toward the distant green. The way he’d been golfing today, it was going to take at least four swings to get his ball where Patrick’s had gone in one.

  “Guess that answers my question.”

  Brent angled a look at his uncle. “What does?”

  “Your silence. A few months ago you couldn’t stop talking about how much she annoyed you. Last time, you dropped a bombshell. Now you don’t want to talk about her at all.”

  “She’s not talking to me.” Brent lined up his golf club and eyed the distance.

  Patrick shook his head. “And the boy?”

  Brent pulled back and swung the club, connecting with the ball. It soared toward the green, but a bit far to the right. Shouldn’t be too hard to get it back on course.

  “Tell me what’s happening.” Patrick climbed onto the golf cart.

  Brent rejoined him. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  “What about the litt
le boy, your son? Have you talked to her about him?”

  Brent’s phone rang, and his heart jolted. Allison. He hadn’t heard that ring tone nearly as often as he’d hoped when he’d added it to his contact list. He pulled the phone from his pocket with trembling hands and thumbed it on. “Hello?”

  He held his breath. Which Allison would be at the other end? An Allison ready to yell at him some more? An Allison who had discovered something wrong with the house? Dare he hope for an Allison who’d decided she loved him back?

  “Brent? It’s Finnley. He’s gone missing.” Her voice broke. “Do you have any ideas where he might have gone? Anywhere he talked about to you?”

  Brent stumbled off the golf cart, barely noticing it was still running. “Missing?” He pulled in a deep, shuddering breath. “Since when? Tell me what happened.”

  “I-I tucked him in bed last night, same as usual. And I thought he was just sleeping in this morning but when I finally checked, he wasn’t there. Then I noticed his shoes and backpack were gone, too.”

  “You’ve checked the new house.”

  “Yes. Zach and Keanan and Noel and Claire and I have combed the entire farm. We’ve searched every building and the horse corral. We’ve gone next door to see if Rosemary had seen him, but she hasn’t.”

  Numerous possibilities whizzed through his head, only to be discarded. He could only grab onto one thought. “I’m coming. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.”

  “But—”

  “Allison.” His voice choked up as he walked further from the golf cart. “Allison, I love you. I love Finnley. I can’t stay here doing nothing when you guys need me. Okay? I’m coming.”

  “Okay. But I just wanted to know if you have any ideas.”

  He had ideas all right. They included kissing her. They included gathering Finnley up in both their arms in a group hug. They did not include not finding his son.

  His son.

  Brent glanced back at the golf cart, where Patrick sat with a smirk on his face. “Allison, I’ll give you a call again as soon as I’m on the road. I have Bluetooth in the truck, so we can talk without me causing an accident. I’ll let you know if I think of something.”

  She hesitated. “Okay.”

  “I love you.”

  The line went dead, but that was okay. She’d heard his words. She’d called him when she needed help, and she’d accepted his offer. He jogged back to the cart.

  Patrick’s eyebrows rose above twinkling eyes. “Anything you want to tell me?”

  “You get the short version. Finnley has gone missing, and I’m leaving for Galena Landing right now. Sorry about the golf game.”

  Chapter 33

  Noel and Keanan had taken Domino up the hillside behind the building site. Zach and Claire were going over both farms one more time, looking for places a little boy in dark green pajamas might be hiding.

  Allison borrowed Keanan’s bike with its little trailer and rode down Thompson Road, calling Finnley’s name. If she found him, she’d have a way to carry him home. If no one did, they’d meet back at the farm at noon and call the police to activate a search team. Would that be a mark against her for maintaining custody?

  How could he have disappeared right out of the duplex while she was sleeping?

  What if something more sinister had happened? Maybe someone from Lori or John’s past had grabbed Finnley as some kind of dark punishment. No, she couldn’t think that. He’d just wandered off. He wasn’t a pawn in some ominous game, just a little boy who’d gotten something into his head and let himself out the door.

  But what?

  “Brent live there?” he’d asked when he saw the Timber Framing Plus truck at The Landing Pad.

  He’d gone in search of Brent. She was certain, but it would take too long to cycle into town. She tapped Zach’s icon in her phone. “Check at The Landing Pad. He may have tried to find Brent there.”

  “Where are you?” Zach asked.

  “Just past Elmer’s.”

  “Finnley couldn’t possibly have walked as far as Galena Landing, but I’ll get Claire to drive in and see. Noel and Keanan are still up the mountain. I’ll hop on my bike and join you as quickly as I can.”

  She thumbed the call off and her phone rang again.

  Brent. “How are you holding up?” He didn’t even bother to ask if she’d found Finnley. He had to know she’d call and tell him if she had.

  She took a deep breath and willed the panic from her voice. “I don’t know.”

  “I’m just south of Galena Landing. I’ll be there really soon. Where will I find you?”

  “On the road. We think he may have tried to walk to town. He saw one of your trucks at the hotel one day and asked if you lived there.”

  “Oh, no. That’s much too far. Does he even know the way?”

  “Depends on how closely he’s paid attention, I guess. We’ve driven it often enough.”

  “I’ll stop by The Landing Pad and see.”

  “Claire’s on her way there.” Literally. The farm’s old VW hatchback roared out of the driveway toward Allison. She scooted the bike a bit farther off the road and waved as Claire shot by.

  “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Then, as he’d done the other five times he’d called this morning, he began to pray into his headset, asking God to take care of Finnley and to give Allison and the others wisdom to find him. And peace.

  She really needed that peace he asked for.

  His “I love you” lingered in her mind after the call disconnected. She stared blankly into the nearby field. Did the future hold anything for her and Brent? Not if she couldn’t find his child.

  A self-propelled swather churned toward her down Elmer’s field, cutting the tall grass for hay. What if Finnley was hiding in there? Would the driver see him in time to stop?

  She scrambled off the bike and ran into the field toward the contraption, waving both arms. The gears shifted and the machine slowed. A creak of brakes, then the blades stopped turning.

  Elmer peered down at her through the cab’s open window. “What’s wrong?”

  “My little nephew has gone missing, and I’m worried he might be hiding in your field. He’s only about so high.” Allison measured off hip height. Below the top of the grass. “I’m not sure if you’d even be able to see him if he’s in here.”

  Elmer glared at her for a second, shaking his head. Then he took a long look around the field. “Doubt he’s in here. I’d be able to see if someone pushed through. Makes a kind of trail.” He pulled a lever and the blades began to whirr again.

  “Please wait!” Allison shouted.

  “Perfect weather to get the hay off,” he called back. “It’s supposed to rain by next weekend. Got no time to lose.”

  “But a little boy—” She jumped in front of the machine and stood, arms akimbo.

  Elmer gave an irritated wave. “Get out of my way, missy!”

  She shook her head. He wouldn’t dare run her over on purpose. That would be murder, plain and simple, the way those blades cut.

  He waved both arms in a shooing motion, his face pulled into an angry glower.

  “What’s going on here?” yelled Zach.

  Allison glanced over her shoulder at the man making his way through the waist-high grass toward them. She nearly wept in relief. Zach could make this man stop.

  Elmer pulled the lever and the blades stopped churning. “I might ask the same thing of you folks. Get off my property and let me cut my hay.”

  Zach glanced at Allison then looked back at Elmer. “We’re looking for a little boy who could be hidden in the tall grass.”

  She didn’t feel so crazy standing in Elmer’s way with Zach jumping to the same conclusion she had.

  “Look, you can’t tromp all over my field, flattening my crop, on the off chance your runaway is here. You’ll ruin my cows’ winter feed supply.”

  Zach raised his chin. “You’d rather run over a little kid with that machine and kill him?”


  Allison quaked.

  “Of course not.” Elmer shook his head. “But what’re the odds he’s here? Practically zero. I got work to do.”

  “Look. Give us two hours. I’ll get Jo to fix you lunch and bring it over along with some of that raspberry vinegar she makes. Go inside, out of the hot sun—”

  “Tractor’s got air conditioning—”

  “—and give us some time to find the child. Please.”

  The man shook his head, glaring at them both.

  Where was Noel, anyway? He was the only one who knew Elmer well. Maybe he could talk sense into the man.

  Of course, Finnley could be somewhere on the farm between this one and Steve and Rosemary’s. He could be across the road. He could be halfway to Galena Landing. There was no real reason to think he was on Elmer’s property.

  “Two hours?” Elmer shut off the tractor.

  The silence was near deafening.

  “That’s all I give you. I gotta get this whole field cut today or I’ll never get the hay off before it rains.”

  “Thanks, Elmer.” Zach pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Jo and ask her to bring some lunch down for you.”

  Elmer waved his hand dismissively. “No need. You can’t bribe me that way. I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart.”

  The what? Allison managed to keep her face expressionless. Two hours wasn’t long, but hopefully it would be long enough. If rescue crews had to be called, doubtless they would tromp all over this field and ruin Elmer’s hay.

  Who ever let her pretend to be a responsible adult? She was no better than Lori or John. No, she hadn’t starved or beaten Finnley, but she also hadn’t made him feel loved and secure.

  If she’d done it right, he’d be safe and sound right now. Wouldn’t he?

  * * *

  Brent hit the brakes as he rounded the final corner before Green Acres Farm. Two bicycles, one with a kiddy trailer he recognized as Keanan’s sat along the roadside. Jealousy surged through him.