Mom plunked the platter of steaming pancakes on the table and removed her apron. “Well that must have been good practice, because I think you’ve finally caught one.” She winked. “Okay, I’ll humor you. We’ll just celebrate life.”
Lil hugged her, happy to see her zest for life returning. “This is a good day.” Over her mom’s shoulder, her gaze went to the window, and she stepped back. “Are we early, or are the men late?”
“They’re late. I hope the pancakes don’t get cold.”
Lil swallowed. Her mom seemed better. This might be the only time that she would be receptive to Lil’s plans. “Mom, I need to tell you something. Jake and Katy found a house.”
“How nice,” she said with uncertainty.
Pushing aside the light tension, Lil went on. “I would like to move back in with Megan the first of September.”
Mom sank into the nearest chair. “But today is the fifth of August. That’s less than a month away. Anyway, how can you afford it?”
Lil pulled out the chair next to her mom. “That’s plenty of time for me to find a job. In fact, I thought I’d go looking today.”
Staring at the sausage, Mom shook her head. “You are forgetting that Michelle needs our help.” She looked over at Lil with hurt-filled eyes. “Or was that all some farce to get me out of bed?”
“Mom! Of course not. I just figured that by the time I actually started working, you’d be able to handle chores here. That you would want to do the things you love doing. I can put in all my spare time at Michelle’s. Her cast will be off by September.”
“Love doing?” Mom said mockingly. She sighed. “Look. I’m trying Lil, but I’m not ready for this. It was so lonely here the last time you left.”
Fear gripped Lil as she watched her mom’s fragile expression flit from emotion to emotion. She remembered that day at the doddy house when Katy had suggested that Mom’s depression might have something to do with an empty-nest syndrome. Panic cupped Lil’s heart, and she tried to reassure Mom. “This time I’ll drop in all the time, and you can come to the doddy house, too. We’ll do stuff together. You can help me start an herb garden.”
“You know I don’t drive,” Mom snapped.
Lil scratched her damp, freshly showered hair. “But one of the boys can drop you off. It’s not far. It will be different this time. You’ll see.” I won’t be so selfish.
Mom tipped her chin upwards. “I see you will have it no other way. I hate when you act like your father.”
The hope Lil had felt when she’d caught Mom and Dad kissing dissipated. Her mom had a myriad of problems. But Lil couldn’t miss the especially bitter tone she directed at Dad. Was it resentment over her lot in life? Did that come from some distant “outsider’s gene” that got handed down to Lil, too?
Only moments earlier, her mom had announced they were celebrating life. Now Lil regretted bringing up the doddy house. She should have gone job hunting without mentioning it. Her mom was too delicate. A setback now would be disastrous for all of them.
She touched her mom’s tensed fist. “Let’s not fret about this, Mom. This morning we are celebrating life. Remember? Let’s—”
Mom stood. “You celebrate life, Lil. You are young. Yes, you go and fetch your dreams.” She started across the kitchen.
“Mom!” Lil called out with panic.
But her mother slumped her shoulders and left the room.
Lil followed as far as the hallway, watching her mother turn into her bedroom and slam the door. From behind, she heard her father and brothers entering the mudroom. Needing to escape, too, she ran the other direction, through the living room. She turned the deadbolt and ran outside, shutting the door behind her. Her back against the door, she looked around. She needed to escape! To get away from this madhouse before it pulled her down and sucked away her life.
Her heart beating wildly, she hurried around the side of the house, unconsciously starting toward the cottonwood at the back of the farm. But she came to a halt at the sight of the blue Ford Focus. That meant Fletch had come without Vic. With the men inside eating breakfast, Fletch would be alone in one of the barns. She glanced at the woods, then at the barns, envisioning his strong open arms.
She wanted to feel his tight embrace. To pour out what had just happened and tell him about her mom’s downturn. She longed for words of affirmation, telling her it was all right to go job hunting. She needed somebody who would understand.
Lil slowed her steps as she neared the first barn. When she reached it, she tried to calm her rapid heartbeat by going through a rote routine that everybody used before they entered. She squirted disinfectant on her hands. Next, she pulled on a pair of men’s muckers over her white sneakers. They were one of her brother’s extras, several sizes too big, and made her walk like a duck, but she’d done this a million times, even if never in front of a boyfriend.
She shuffled past pens filled with routing, snorting hogs devouring their breakfast. She needed Fletch. He understood her like nobody else and wasn’t concerned with her appearance. He’d told her that on their date.
Once she would have run to Jake. Those days were gone. She missed him. And some of that need had been transposed onto Fletch. He was more resourceful than Jake had ever been. And with Fletch, there was more. There was the physical attraction, the need and desire. She hurried deeper into the barn, her eyes gradually adjusting to the darkness.
Then she saw him. But she froze in puzzlement at his peculiar behavior.
Fletch moved slowly about the stalls, slightly crouched. He peered through a palm-sized camera aimed at the sick piglets, pushing various buttons. Next he leaned over a short wall and aimed the lens at the sow. He slowly backed away and turned.
When the camera caught Lil, he jerked it away from his face.
He stared at Lil as if she were someone horridly intrusive and shoved the video camera into his jeans pocket. The alarm on his face was all she needed to know that she’d caught him doing something wrong. Even though she didn’t understand what, her heart sank.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m working,” he said defensively.
“Why were you taking pictures of our hogs?”
Fletch turned more pale than when she’d first caught him. “It’s not what it looks like.”
She tried to think. What did it look like? What did he mean? She strode forward with growing distress, forgetting momentarily her huge waders, and stepped out of her boot. Angrily, she stopped to replace it, then marched forward. She placed her hands on her hips. “Perhaps not, but I’m waiting to hear the reason. Why are you filming our sick hogs?”
She hoped for a reasonable explanation, perhaps some protocol that Vic demanded since Fletch was a student and Vic hadn’t accompanied him to the farm. But in her heart she knew that there was no reasonable explanation. Something was terribly wrong.
Fletch acted increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, he sighed and started toward her. “You’ve heard me talk about Marshall?”
She could tell this wasn’t going anywhere pleasant. “Yes.”
“He has a farm shelter.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a place where they take in abused farm animals.”
She narrowed her eyes in confusion, feeling pangs of betrayal. “Go on.”
“Vic and I volunteer there. Marshall asked me to take some videos of sick animals. That’s what I was doing.”
“Why?”
“The shelter is doing a documentary that they’ll use for fund-raising.”
“I can’t believe this. You’re going to put our farm on a documentary for abused animals?”
“No. The name of your farm won’t be mentioned.”
“Are you doing this behind Vic’s back?” Lil’s hands flew to her temples, holding her head, which throbbed with betrayal and disillusion.
“You don’t understand. Marshall paid for my tuition. He’s never asked me for any favors before this. I had no choice.”
“You betrayed us, acting like you were Matt’s friend, and my—” Boyfriend? She clenched her jaw. When she could speak, she said, “I’m getting the men.” Her trust in him crumbled like chaff.
“Wait!”
She paused, turned around. “You are unbelievable! I never want to see you again!” Her eyes burning, she started to run, but her feet came out of her boots. For fear that he would catch up to her if she stopped, she left them behind. She ran through the muck, the squishy sound of her white tennies adding to her hopelessness.
She broke into the morning light and ran down the lane, scattering a group of squawking chickens. In a blind flash, she passed the clothesline, Jezebel, and the azalea bush. She hit the house screaming at the top of her lungs. “Da-a-ad!” She didn’t care about tracking up her mom’s house, but ran straight through the mudroom into her father’s solid arms.
He towered over her, so strong and comforting in his worn overalls. “What? What’s wrong?”
Two of her brothers stood behind him, their eyes wide and frightened.
Her chest heaving, she spat out, “He betrayed us!”
“Who?” Dad asked, looking fearfully over her shoulder.
“Fletch. He’s filming our sick hogs.”
“What?” Matt demanded, his eyes darkening in anger.
Lil wept and gasped, “He’s doing a documentary on animal cruelty. He’s … He’s …” She couldn’t finish.
Dad pulled her into his arms, but her brothers rushed past them. She heard the screen door slam. But she couldn’t be consoled. She tore out of her father’s arms and pushed him. “Go. See for yourself.” She placed her fist to her mouth to keep her sobs at bay and ran down the hall. She hesitated outside Mom’s closed bedroom door. Removing her fist from her lips, she opened it and stepped into its dark interior. Kicking off her ruined shoes, she climbed into bed with her mom and let the anguish spill.
Mom’s arms clutched her, pulled her close. “What’s wrong?”
Lil hiccupped, “I didn’t catch one after all, Mom. Fletch is a big disappointment.”
“Oh, honey.”
Lil broke into inconsolable sobs.
CHAPTER 17
Fletch followed Lil out of the barn and watched her run toward the house, his own heart breaking for her. She thought he had betrayed her and her family, which was so far from the truth. At least his intentions. Part of him wanted to run after her, but he knew that given the state she was in, she wouldn’t listen. Her eyes had become green frigid glaciers when she shouted that she never wanted to see him again.
He hoped he would get the chance to explain things again once she calmed down. Maybe he had done the wrong thing, but if he hadn’t gotten caught, the video would have pacified Marshall without hurting anybody. Nobody would have known the hogs came from the Landis farm. He would have made sure of that.
When Fletch had asked Marshall about Char Air, the other man had used it for negotiating power. He would get Megan another interview if Fletch got him the requested footage. Fletch had wanted to refuse, but he couldn’t dismiss Megan’s enthusiastic face.
Fletch knew that once Lil reached the house, the Landis men would come after him. Feeling like the traitor he was, he hid the camera in his car until he could decide what to do with it. His survival instinct told him to drive away and never look back, but of course he couldn’t do that. He needed to finish this. It wouldn’t end at the Landis farm either. He would need to deal with Vic next. The vet would be furious if he lost the Landis account.
Fletch had only taken a few steps back toward the barn when he saw the men barreling out of the house like a herd of angry boars.
“Stop!” Hank shouted.
Fletch clenched his jaw and set his feet.
Hank screeched to a halt just a few feet from him. But Matt pushed past Hank and grabbed Fletch’s arm. “Is it true? Are you filming our farm for a documentary on animal cruelty?”
Fletch jerked his arm away. “Not exactly.”
Infuriated, Matt brought his arm back as if to hit him. Fletch’s arm automatically went up to block the blow, but it never came. Will had caught up with his sons and snatched Matt’s arm in midair.
“Don’t lower yourself to his level.”
Matt shook off his father’s hand.
“I know you don’t abuse animals,” Fletch explained in his own defense.
“Of course we don’t! So why are you filming our hogs?” Matt demanded.
“The man who is footing my college tuition owns a farm shelter and wanted me to film some sick animals to use in his fund-raising documentary. But it was just to stir up some sympathy. The footage would remain anonymous and not indict your name or farm in any way.”
“That’s pathetic,” Matt sneered. “And I thought you were a friend. If you needed pictures, you should have come to us first.”
Fletch said wryly, “As if anybody would let me film their sick animals.” In truth, he would have asked Matt the last time they were together if Matt hadn’t been in such a foul mood.
Will accused, “We are just trying to survive, yet you perch here like a vulture, waiting for us to do something wrong so you could film it? Is this the kind of stuff they teach you at your church?”
Matt cringed. “This has nothing to do with church.”
“Doesn’t it?” Will demanded. “Is Vic a part of this?”
“No,” Fletch replied.
Will thrust a finger toward Fletch. “You tell him we want to see him. He has some explaining to do. And I want you to stay off our property.”
“And stay away from our sister,” Hank added.
“I’m going. But regarding Lil—”
Hank grabbed Fletch by the shirtfront. “You sleazeball. Don’t even say her name.”
“Let him go. Violence is not our way.” The older man looked Fletch in the eyes. “She doesn’t want you, anyway. You betrayed her.”
“Stay away from Lily,” Hank warned in a low, deadly voice.
Fletch’s own anger flared at the way the others were attacking him and had so readily turned on him. If Hank didn’t let go of his shirt soon, he was going to find himself sitting on his John Deere pockets. Just when Fletch thought he couldn’t contain himself any longer, Hank released his shirt. Fletch jerked it down into place, gritting his teeth.
Glaring at the lot of them, he restrained himself. It wouldn’t serve any purpose to say another word to this clan of blockheads. They were not receptive to any reasoning, especially regarding Lil. Words were finished.
Fletch turned away. Strode toward his car. Once he reached it, he started the ignition and backed down the lane, understanding why his dad had preached so many times about having to turn the other cheek—the Mennonite’s practice of nonresistance. He imagined all of them had been tempted to break that stance today. Lil’s brothers had wanted a piece of him as badly as he’d wanted to knock sense into them. The adrenaline continued to course through him. He didn’t look back but peeled out of the lane.
When he arrived at the clinic, Buddy heard Fletch’s car and was at the door waiting for him. He knelt down, scratching the basset’s head. “It’s over. I got what I needed on film, but I lost the girl, and I detest myself.” The anger was gone. He should have refused Marshall. What he’d done was unethical.
Even if Marshall had withdrawn his support, he could have applied for a college loan. It might have added an extra year to his education, but it would have been better than this mess he’d gotten himself into. He should have let Megan find her own job. Buddy licked his hand, but it did little to lessen the hard lump in the pit of Fletch’s stomach.
“How’s it going at the Landis farm?” Vic asked. “Any more sick hogs?”
“No, but there’s a problem.”
Vic turned from the notes he’d been writing, giving Fletch his full attention. “What kind of problem?”
“They caught me filming their hogs.”
Vic closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his n
ose. “So you did it anyway? Well congratulations. In this small town, word will get around. By this time tomorrow night, not a farmer in town will trust me with their animals.”
Fletch grew even more glum.
“I don’t suppose we could get somebody from the shelter to apologize?”
Fletch shook his head. “Not a chance.”
“You cover here. I’m going to the Landis farm and see if I can get them to listen to reason. Maybe they’ll understand Marshall’s hand in this if I explain it.”
“You don’t have to mention your part in this,” Fletch said. “I don’t want to be responsible for taking your company down. Just blame it all on me.”
“Yes. That was my intention.”
Fletch realized that if he couldn’t set foot on any of the farms, his time with Vic was finished, and just when the fall term was starting. He probably wouldn’t be able to get another vet to work with. He didn’t think he could muster a passing grade if Vic let him go.
“If nobody wants me on their farm, how are you going to fulfill your obligation to Marshall?” Fletch asked.
“You’re going to get him off my back.”
That wouldn’t likely happen. “What if the farms won’t let me help you?”
Vic sighed. “Let’s just take this one step at a time.”
Fletch nodded, but the moment the vet was out the door, he sank to his knees in prayer.
Lil clasped her teacup, glancing up at her friends. “I’m so humiliated.
To think that the first guy I fell for was only using us for some farm footage.”
“He seemed so down-to-earth, so honest,” Katy replied.
“I thought he had a good heart, being a missionary and everything,” Megan bemoaned.
“He’s not a missionary!” Lil corrected, still a bit miffed that to Megan anybody associated with mission work was more than holy. “His parents are. There’s a big difference. He’s just a student who will do anything to get his degree.”
“Well sure, I knew it was his parents, but I still thought he had a good heart.”
“I’m sorry.” Lil gazed out the doddy house window. When she looked back, she said, “I guess he fooled us all.”
Plain City Bridesmaids Page 48