“I also found out that the night of the festival, when I was so ill, that was Stuart’s doing, too,” Cam continued. “Whatever he put in your drink, Lucinda, he slipped into mine, as well.”
Lucinda rolled her eyes, and Jake, sitting next to Cam, squeezed her hand.
The subscribers dined on the collection of dishes. They sipped beer or wine, chatted, and watched the girls run around the yard, trying to catch Preston. Jake had contributed sautéed scallops with braised spinach, Cam’s favorite. Each of the rest of the dishes featured at least one ingredient from the morning’s shares, even Alexandra’s cheesecake with strawberries and mint spread over the top.
Cam spied little Natalie looking wistfully at Preston, stretched out on the porch steps. Cam walked to her side and knelt.
“Do you want to pet him?”
Natalie nodded.
Cam rose and took her hand. At Preston’s side, she guided the girl’s fingers over his luxurious fur and watched a smile invade Natalie’s face.
“He’ll let you stroke him. Just stay away from his tail, okay?”
Natalie nodded as Preston’s purr grew louder under her touch.
Cam felt a hand on her shoulder and turned.
Ruth squeezed. “Thanks, Flaherty.” She lowered her voice. “This one never gets as much attention as her fearless sister. Hey, sorry about the fire.” She gestured to the blackened ruins of the barn. “You did good getting yourself and Ellie out of there.”
Shuddering, Cam stared at the charred mess. She’d tried all day not to dwell on the nightmare of the day before, to stay too busy with the harvest to think about it. “It was my worst fear,” she whispered.
“What do you mean?”
Cam nudged her away from Natalie and the rest of the group. They stood together on the driveway.
“Our house almost burned down when I was six. I was in it.”
Ruth’s eyes widened.
“My parents were out, and they left me with a teenage babysitter, a boy named Zachary. I guess he was smoking and was careless. A curtain caught fire while he was outside, talking to some friends who had dropped by. When he tried to get back in, the door was locked because he’d let it latch on the way out. I’d been playing in my room with the door closed. I was trapped, Ruthie.” Cam’s voice shook.
“That’s terrible.” Ruth’s eyes sought out first one daughter, then the other. “What happened?”
“I was so scared. I kept screaming for my mother, even though I knew she wasn’t there. The heat.” Cam’s throat thickened. “I felt it through the floor, burning my bare feet. The smoke started as little puffs under the door. Then it poured in. It choked me, stinging my eyes. I could barely breathe. I hid in the closet, but then I remembered a fireman who visited my preschool had said to get out, not to hide. I managed to crawl along the floor to the window. I knocked the screen out and jumped. Luckily, I landed on the porch roof under my window, but when I jumped off that, I broke my wrist.” She extended her left arm, which still bore a faint white scar, and let out a breath.
Ruth stretched her arm around Cam’s shoulders and hugged her.
“I’ve been careful with fire ever since,” Cam said. “And then this happened. Now Ellie will have to live with the same memories as she grows up.”
“I don’t think so. She wasn’t abandoned. You worked together and rescued yourselves. Just like you did back then, Cam.”
“I’ve never told anyone the story. At the time, I didn’t know how the house caught on fire. My father filled me in on the details later. You can bet that babysitter was out of a job.” Cam smiled, surprised at how light she suddenly felt. “Time to move forward.”
Ruth nodded. Natalie ran up and caught her hand.
“Mommy, Preston let me pet him!”
As Cam watched them return to the steps, David Kosloski approached her. He asked if he could speak to Cam for a moment.
“In private,” he added.
“Sure,” Cam said. They moved farther down the driveway, toward the road.
David cleared his throat. “I need to apologize for being rude to you on Thursday, Cam. I have been very concerned lately.”
“Does this have to do with the militia?”
A dark cloud passed over his face. “How did you know?”
“Just go on.”
“They threatened me because of a mistake I made long ago. I came to this country on a tourist visa, to my relatives in Chicago. I met Myrna, my wife, there. We married, moved here, had Eleanor. I established my business, Myrna discovered she had multiple sclerosis.” His eyes held years of sadness.
“I know. I’m so sorry.”
“So, I was married to a citizen, nobody ever questioned me, but in fact I am here illegally.”
“Ellie told me a boy at school said as much.”
“She never told me! The poor girl. Her mother has a fatal wasting disease, and her father is a liar.” The lines around his eyes deepened.
“David,” Cam said, laying a hand on his arm. “Why don’t you apply for your green card? I don’t really know how it all works, but you have been married for what? Almost two decades?”
He nodded.
“It might take some time, but even if you have to leave the country for a little while, your business is well established, and your employees can cover for you. Then you’d never have to worry again. You could even apply to be a citizen, if that’s what you want.”
David took a deep breath and his face lightened, like a weight had fallen from his shoulders. “I’ll think about it. Thank you, Cam. I haven’t been able to confide in anyone. I don’t even know why I told you, except, well, you saved my Eleanor’s life.” His voice thickened.
“Hey, she saved mine, too. We’re even. And I promise you I’ll watch out for her. I’m getting to like the kid.”
“You’ll have to come to our house for dinner soon, meet Myrna. You’ll like her.”
Cam agreed. They strolled back to the picnic area, David mussing Ellie’s hair as he sat down next to her. Jake relaxed on the ground with his back to the old tree. Cam eased herself down on the grass in front of him, leaning back against his bent knees.
Lucinda sat up straight. She cleared her throat. “Listen, everybody.” She waited until the group fell silent. “I need to thank Cam for believing in me. If she hadn’t, I’d still be in that jail. She got me a good lawyer, she brought me stuff, but mostly she knew I wouldn’t kill anyone. The police thought I did, and they gave up looking for the real guy.”
“That’s for sure.” Cam shook her head, then glanced at Ruth. “Present company excepted.”
Ruth winked at her.
“And it was Uncle Albert here who got you the lawyer,” Cam said.
“It was my pleasure, Lucinda.” Albert patted his heart.
“So thank you, fazendeira. I owe you one. And thank you, Tio Albert. ”
Smiling at her, Cam relaxed against Jake. This socializing thing was growing on her. She cleared her throat.
“It’s my turn,” Cam said. “I need to thank everybody for pitching in this morning. I couldn’t have done it without you. I want you to know I’m going to keep this farm going. The fields are fine, and I plan to rebuild the barn.”
“I’m pretty handy with a hammer,” Alexandra said. “We can have an old-fashioned barn raising.”
“Sounds good to me,” Cam said.
Others chimed in with offers of help.
“It’s the ‘plus’ in Produce Plus Plus.” Lucinda squeezed Cam’s hand.
“I knew there was a reason I let you change the farm name.” Albert pointed at Cam. “You’re doing a great job so far. Don’t let anything stop you.”
Cam knew how close she had come to being stopped. The bulk of the season’s work was ahead of her, but now she knew she wasn’t alone in the effort. Being comforted by that was a new sensation. She decided she liked it.
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
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Copyright © 2013 by Edith Maxwell
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Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number: 2013930674
ISBN: 978-0-7582-8461-7
A Tine to Live, a Tine to Die Page 25
