Berry on Top (A Farm Fresh Romance Book 6)

by Valerie Comer

  * * *

  “I don’t know what to say besides thank you.” Liz followed Linda up the back stairs.

  “Being thankful is enough, dearie. It’s not the Hilton, but it’s better than outside.”

  “I didn’t even know you let people sleep here.”

  “Just when someone seems to need the extra.” Linda’s jaw clenched as she pulled open a door at the landing. “I only wish we could take in everyone who comes through our door.”

  A stack of mats sat under a shelf with white sheets and blankets. Two women looked up from making a bed on the floor.

  Liz stifled something between a gasp and a laugh. She really was homeless, just like the gaunt people she’d seen in the soup kitchen downstairs, like she’d seen on the street. Lord willing, it was temporary for her. What must it be like to have no hope of anything changing soon?

  Lord willing. How long had it been since she’d thought in those terms?

  “Girls, this is Liz. Liz, meet Anne and Martha.”

  Liz smiled and nodded. “Hello.” No response.

  “Let’s just pull out a mattress for you and get a bed made up. A few more women will come in before we lock up at ten. There’s a washroom right through here. Warren and I will be upstairs if you need anything.” Linda expertly tucked a thread worn sheet around the mattress then flipped a blanket over it. “Pick a pillow if you like.”

  They sure weren’t down. Liz reached for what looked like the fluffiest one then glanced at Martha and Anne. Both women had paused to watch her. She selected a lumpy pillow and slid it into a white case. This was no time to assume she deserved the best. She didn’t.

  Who knew what circumstances had caused these women to be here in a shelter in Des Moines? Were they local people down on their luck, downsized from promising jobs and evicted when they couldn’t pay rent? Surely there weren’t too many who were here out of the same kind of stubbornness she possessed.

  In the morning she’d get a phone cord, charge her phone, and call Zach. Surely he’d send money to rescue her. By the end of the day, she’d have her car out of impound and be pointed west to Idaho.

  Home.

  Mason. She pushed the thought of him from her mind. No assuming he’d want her back after all this. Not with the way that woman from the bakery had looked at him.

  No. Tonight she’d think about her parents. They would, once again, treat her like the prodigal daughter. They’d welcome her back and roll out the party. Sure, they’d be shocked at the depths to which she’d fallen, but that wouldn’t matter in the long run. They loved her.

  “See you in the morning, dearie.” Linda turned and crouched beside Anne then slid an arm around the thin shoulders. “How was your day?”

  The woman murmured something Liz couldn’t hear.

  “The good Lord knows all about it, dearie. Warren and I will keep asking with you.”

  Anne nodded slightly.

  “Martha, it’s your turn to help make soup in the morning. You okay with that?”

  Martha glanced at Liz and shrugged. “Sure.”

  “I can help,” said Liz. It must take a lot of work to keep this place humming.

  “Not tomorrow. It’s Martha’s job. You have a busy day ahead and need an early start.”

  “True, but if there’s anything I can do, point me at it.”

  “Thank you. Now, don’t you girls talk all night and keep Warren and me awake, you hear?” Linda chuckled as she walked to the door.

  Liz grinned, but the other women didn’t. The room had been dead quiet since they walked in, and Liz was pretty sure it had been no noisier beforehand.

  A stack of Gideon Bibles sat on the shelf beside the bedding. Liz plucked one off the top and sat cross-legged on her mattress. Opening it made her think with longing of Chelsea’s gifts locked in her trunk. A Bible and a ring of note cards. Tomorrow she’d have a look at those.

  What would she read tonight? Liz cracked open the slim hardback close to the middle. Psalms. She’d memorized tons of those as a child. She didn’t remember the thirteenth, though.

  O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?

  Man, she could identify with those words.

  How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

  No more. Her prayer today in the soup kitchen had broken that pattern.

  Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

  That’s what it was about Martha and Anne. No sparkle. Just a flat gaze that spoke of no hope. Could she help?

  Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall. But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

  Oh, sweet rescue. Inside, she was rescued already, and she’d be bodily rescued soon.

  I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

  Liz’s heart nearly exploded from the songs that wanted to well out.

  Chapter 28

  “Is it my imagination, or is that wind colder out here on the flat lands?” Mason hunched his shoulders against the flurry as he followed Zach to the rented car.

  Zach chuckled. “No mountains to slow it down.” He pointed the key fob at the car and beeped it. “Toss your stuff in the trunk, and let’s get to the hotel.”

  Mason did as he was told then rounded the car. “Heated seats, I hope.” The car purred to life at the press of a button. “This vehicle is a grade or two above mine.”

  “Me, too. I’d have probably just taken city transit downtown if I didn’t think you’d need a car to look for Liz.”

  “Well, thanks. I refuse to feel guilty for the expenditure.”

  Zach glanced at him as he backed out of the parking stall. “I just wish I knew where to start. Maybe I should skip the conference. Two can cover more territory.”

  “I have three days. I’ve been praying like a mad man that God would direct me to her.” Three days. If he weren't back in Galena Landing Monday morning, would Roger really fire him?

  “Yeah, me, too.” Zach sighed heavily as he merged with traffic. “She’s my little sister. I feel like I should be the one searching.”

  “I can’t very well pretend to be you at the conference.”

  At least that got a grin out of Zach. “True enough. But I’m not sure the conference will change my life as much as finding Liz.”

  “I get it.” They’d had this discussion a dozen times if they’d had it once. “Give me a day to do some scouting and we can re-evaluate in the evening.”

  Zach sighed. “Right. That’s probably best.”

  The car’s GPS guided them northeast into the city. Mason stared out the passenger window, trying to get a feel for the layout.

  Lord, where is Liz?

  He couldn’t shake the feeling she might be long gone. Florida might’ve sounded good to escape from this bitter winter. But no. He had to assume she was here somewhere. That was the only way to keep utter hopelessness at bay.

  “Hey, this thing has Bluetooth.”

  Zach’s voice pulled Mason from his circular thoughts. “What?”

  “Here.” Zach flipped his phone at Mason. “Go to settings and try to connect. I should give Jo a call and let her know we’ve landed.”

  Mason did as he was told. It was easier than dwelling on the fact he had no one to call. Kass would be happy to hear from him, but that was more message than he wanted to send.

  The dashboard display showed the connection complete. “Tap Jo’s number,” directed Zach.

  A few seconds later, Jo’s voice sounded through the car. “Zach? Everything okay?”

  “Yep, we’re good. We’re on our way to the hotel.”

  “Well, I hope Mason is driving if you’re on the phone.”

  The guys exchanged a grin.

  “The car has Bluetooth.”

  The GPS announced an imm
ediate left turn.

  “Then you should be paying attention to it and not on the phone. I could’ve waited half an hour to hear your voice.”

  “I missed you, too, Jo.” Zach chuckled. “Everything okay there?”

  “Yeah. I went into town to pick up some items at Nature’s Pantry. Your receptionist was in there shopping.”

  “Nadine seemed glad for a few days off.” Zach turned left.

  “Your destination is on the left.”

  The car slowed as Zach signaled.

  “She said she popped by the clinic to check something and glanced at the phone. An out-of-town number registered on the call display.”

  Mason held his breath as Zach veered into the hotel parking lot.

  “Oh?” Zach asked.

  “Area code five-one-five.”

  The guys glanced at each other then Zach pulled to the side. “That’s significant how?”

  “That’s Des Moines, Zach. Nadine looked it up. She thought it might be about your conference or something, but it was too late as you’d already left.”

  Mason turned in his seat to watch Zach’s face. He couldn’t help the hope burbling inside him.

  “So was it the conference?”

  “Nadine couldn’t find out who the number is registered to, so she took note of it and left it with me.”

  Mason whipped his phone out and poised his thumbs over the notes app. “What was the number, Jo?”

  “Oh, hey, Mason.” She rattled off the number as he entered it in his phone. “Avery’s here playing with Maddie. She’ll go over to Allison and Brent’s at bedtime.”

  “Good enough. Give her a kiss for me.”

  “Will do.”

  Zach cleared his throat. “We’re at the hotel now. We’ll get checked in and give this number a call. I’ll talk to you again in a bit, okay?”

  “Okay. Love you.”

  “Love you back.” Zach tapped the dashboard to end the call.

  Mason tried not to think about the relationship he was missing as he followed Zach into the hotel, his carry-on rattling behind him. A few minutes later they opened a door on the eighteenth floor to reveal a room with two queen beds.

  “Home sweet home.” Zach swung his bag onto the first bed.

  “You going to call this number or am I?” Mason held his phone out to his friend.

  Zach raised his eyebrows as he took the device. “I am. Whoever it was contacted the vet clinic.”

  “So call it.” Mason leaned against the wall.

  Zach tapped the number. “This is Dr. Nemesek calling ... Someone from this number phoned my veterinary clinic in Galena Landing, Idaho ... My first name is Zach ... Yes, I have a sister named Liz.” He clenched the phone and met Mason’s gaze. “She’s not there?”

  Mason’s legs couldn’t hold him up. He slid to the floor, holding his breath, never taking his eyes off his friend.

  “Do you have a way to contact her? ... I see ... I’m here in Des Moines for a few days, and I’d really like to see her. Make sure she’s okay ... So I should be able to call her later or tomorrow? ... Please call me back if needed. Thanks.”

  He thumbed the phone off and dropped to the end of the bed. “Well, that was sort of helpful. Guy’s cautious about giving me any real information, but he says she’s safe. He’ll let her know to call me.”

  A guy? Liz was with a guy? Mason rubbed both hands over his face. She wouldn’t want to see him. Not if she had someone else already. He’d told Kass he and Liz were just friends. He needed to remember. Somehow his imagination had zipped off to envision a moment where he swept a repentant Liz into his arms and kissed away all her fears and doubts.

  She’d left because she didn’t want that. He had no reason to believe anything had changed. Liz was the one who’d broken contact with her family and friends back home. She wouldn’t welcome him as a saving angel. He’d be lucky if she spoke to him at all. If he even had the chance.

  “She lost her phone’s charge cord. The guy said she’d gone out to get a new one. He’s expecting her back within the next hour or so.”

  “So her phone’s dead.”

  “For now. You look a wreck, Waterman. Coming down with something?”

  Mason shook his head. “I’m okay. Really.”

  “Could have fooled me.”

  “It’s not that hard.”

  Zach chuckled. “Let’s go downstairs and get something to eat. We can’t plan much until we see if she’ll call me back.”

  Mason grimaced. “Why would she? She hasn’t called in weeks. Has her cord been missing that long?”

  “Waterman.”

  Mason stood and looked at Zach. “Yeah?”

  “I think you’re not over caring about my sister. I think you have reasons of your own for being here.” He held up a hand. “I’m cool with that. What I don’t get is why when we got our first solid lead it drags you down instead of making you bounce off the walls. Care to explain?”

  “Nothing has changed.” Mason pushed past Zach to the door. “Dinner sounds good.” In theory, anyway. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it justice.

  * * *

  “...and then there was an accident in front of the bus. A semi flipped on the ice and blocked the entire street. We had to wait half an hour for the wrecker to clear a lane.”

  “Why didn’t the bus take another route?” asked Linda, serving up a bowl of soup.

  “It happened seconds before we got there. There was no time for the driver to react before we were packed in like sardines on the parkway.”

  “You must be starving.” Linda set the bowl in front of her.

  “I am. Who knew a quick trip to the other end of the city would turn into an all-day event?” Liz dug in her pocket and held up a package. “But look! I got what I needed.”

  Linda beamed. “That’s wonderful. Plug your phone in and get the thing charging while you eat. How long does it take?”

  “From flat dead? I don’t know.” Liz pried the cord and USB port out of the package. How long would it take to get her car released? Could she sleep upstairs that long?

  She started the charging process, but the screen stayed black. No surprise. Liz turned to the soup. “Thank you! This smells wonderful.” Man, nothing could keep her down for long now. All day, even amidst the struggles of taking transit in an unfamiliar city, she’d felt like singing. She’d actually done a twirl in the mall food court, even without enough money in her pocket to buy lunch. People had looked at her strangely, so she’d stopped.

  The street door opened and Warren entered, carrying a large, heavy-looking sack and stomping fresh snow off his boots. His eyes brightened when he saw her. “You made it back.”

  She grinned. “Sure did.” She pointed at the phone lying beside her bowl. “And I got the cord, too.”

  “Excellent.”

  “Did you get the parsnips, love?” Linda rushed over to give Warren a hug.

  “I did, but it will be a few days before we can replenish the carrots. The contents of one of the storage rooms froze.”

  “Oh, no. But the good Lord will provide, and the parsnips are a big help.”

  Curiosity poked at Liz. “Where do you get all the food you serve here, anyway?”

  The couple glanced at each other. “Local farmers provide some of it. Some restaurants donate at times. Other times the good Lord provides cash and we can go on a shopping spree.”

  When she had a job again, she’d send money. Hands down. These people had saved her life. Okay, maybe God had done that, but He’d certainly used Linda and Warren in the process.

  Warren carried the sack into the kitchen then returned with a bowl of soup in hand. He settled into a chair across from Liz. “Had an interesting phone call while I was out.”

  She paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth. “Oh?”

  “A man named Zach is looking for you. He’s here in Des Moines.”

  Liz shot to her feet. “My brother?” She threw her hands in the air, a
nd the spoon flew across the room. “Thank You, God!”

  Warren grinned as he picked up her spoon and snagged her a clean one.

  “Where is he? Is he coming here?”

  “We never give out any personal information, Liz. It’s not our place. It’s up to you to make contact.”

  Liz jiggled from one foot to the other then reached over and tapped her phone. Still dead.

  Chapter 29

  Zach was in the shower when the cell on the nightstand began to ring.

  Mason rolled over and looked at the lit display. “It’s Liz!” he yelled.

  “Answer it!” called Zach, turning off the water.

  Mason hesitated an instant then slid the phone on. “Hello?”

  “Zach?”

  Oh, her sweet voice. Mason leaned back against his pillow. “No, it’s Mason. Zach will be here in a sec.”

  “Mason?” she squeaked. “But Warren said Zach...”

  He clenched his jaw. “Warren?”

  Silence. Not a good sign.

  “Look, Liz, we’ve all been really worried about you. You just dropped off the map. All I want to know is if you are okay. If you don’t want to talk to me, I get it. Really.”

  “Who said I didn’t want to talk to you? I just thought I was phoning my brother is all. This is his number, isn’t it?”

  “It is.”

  “Warren said Zach was in Des Moines.”

  That name again. “He is.”

  “And you’re with him?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s great, but why?”

  “Because we were worried about you.”

  “We?” Her voice softened. “Or you...”

  Mason clenched the phone. “All of us. Your family. Everyone at Green Acres.”

  “I see. What about Mason Waterman?”

  “Liz. I’ve been sick with worry.” He groaned. “But it sounds like you’ve landed on your feet after all.”

  “Mason? I have no idea what you’re talking about. Although that first bit sounded somewhat promising.”

  How could she toy with him now, when he’d come so far?

  Zach came out of the bathroom in boxers, toweling his hair. He raised his eyebrows and Mason stretched toward him with the phone, shaking his head. Who knew what was going on in Liz’s head?