For Love of a Dog

by Janice Carter

  Luca sat and watched her for a moment longer. He’d begun to notice qualities in her he had clearly overlooked before. She was tough and resilient. Anyone who could shift from big city to rural Ohio overnight, take charge of an eight-year-old orphan who refused to speak and then decide—against common sense—to plow and plant fifty acres of land that had been left fallow for a year as a gift to her father, had to have guts and determination.

  “All set to go back to work?” she asked, facing him so suddenly he blinked, caught deep in thought. She smiled. Luca liked her smile, too. It lit up her face, smoothing out the worry lines around her eyes.

  Wearing her customary uniform of jeans and basic T-shirt, her lustrous chestnut hair tied back in its usual messy ponytail, she looked more beautiful than any woman he’d set eyes on in years. Then he reminded himself of that moment in the field and his confusion about her reaction. Maybe he wasn’t the only one with flip-flopping emotions. He needed to clear his head. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll take this shift.” He got quickly to his feet, sending the chair clattering to the floor.

  She threw back her head and laughed.

  * * *

  MARGARET AND HARRY sat side by side while the team packed up their papers. Dr. Charles lingered behind.

  “Are you sure you don’t have any questions?” she asked, clutching a folder to her chest.

  Margaret shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

  “You still have some time left in the program, of course, but when you get back home, a community care nurse from Lima will call you to schedule a few visits. I highly recommend the outpatient physio at Memorial Hospital. The nurse will give you information and set up a first appointment for you when you’re ready.” She paused, adding, “But I advise you not to wait too long. Harry’s made such wonderful progress. He’s worked hard, haven’t you, Harry?” She looked at the man, who was still staring down at his hands, folded in his lap. Then she shifted her attention back to Margaret. “Please give me a call anytime. You have my card. And keep up the good work, both of you.”

  Margaret watched her leave the room before she reached out to clasp one of Harry’s hands in hers. “Let’s focus on all the positive things we heard today, love. Your speech is coming along nicely. Your large and small motor skills continue to improve. There’s nothing wrong with your cognitive abilities and you’re in good health in every other way.” She squeezed his hand. “All we have to do is make a few adjustments at home. A ramp leading into the house and we can move our bed down into the family room or even consider moving into the bungalow.”

  Harry said nothing. Margaret pressed on. “The physiotherapist also said she saw no reason why you can’t drive again, given that the residual problem is in your left leg.”

  He raised his head. “Residual problem?” he snorted. “They said I’ll be dragging my leg along for the rest of my life!”

  Margaret stifled a sigh. Some of that glass half-empty man was still there. “But you’ll be walking, Harry, and talking.”

  He nodded briskly, turning away but not before Margaret saw the tears. She used her free hand to wipe her own eyes. Walking and talking were good outcomes, the team had assured them. But Margaret knew—and Harry knew—the other outcomes didn’t bode well for farming.

  CHAPTER NINE

  KAI HUNG UP the phone and sat still, her heart racing. She stared at the notes she’d taken as if to reassure herself that the unexpected call had actually happened. An assignment. Nothing spectacular, but one she could carry out right here in Lima. The Columbus Dispatch was doing a special story on Memorial Day events across Ohio. The editor of the Life and Times section was an old journalism-school friend who’d heard via the grapevine that she was back home temporarily.

  “So how does it feel to hang out in Lima, Ohio, again after all these years?” Jeff had asked.

  “Well...um...”

  “Say no more.” He’d laughed. “Let me give you the details. Not the kind of money you’re used to, Kai. Sorry about that. And I apologize for the late notice. But we’d love to have you do this, if you’re willing.”

  Willing? She was tempted to say she’d pay him for the chance to work. Since coming to the farm, Scott and Alice had sent Kai a few job opportunities they’d heard about, but she’d followed through only once, without success. The assignment had required her to be in NYC for at least a week, and her parents had been about to leave for the rehab center. If she’d had more time to figure out the logistics, she might have been able to negotiate something with her mother’s friend Janet, but there had been Amigo to consider along with Thomas, not to mention the chickens.

  As Jeff had warned, the assignment wasn’t going to pay much, but money wasn’t the point. Her bank account was healthy because she’d inherited both parents’ genes for frugality. Due to often unexpected travel, she always paid her rent in advance, and she didn’t owe her landlord a cent until the end of the summer. What mattered was getting back into the loop. Getting her name out there again—even in a local daily like the Dispatch—would be worth more than the paycheck.

  She doodled circles around the key points in her notes, her initial excitement giving way to planning. Memorial Day was next Monday. She needed to scope out the Veterans Freedom Flag Monument and contact the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for details of the upcoming celebrations.

  Fortunately, she and Luca had finished more than half the planting and should easily complete the last few acres by midday tomorrow. Rain was in the forecast and would help give the seed a good start. If all went well, the soybeans might even be sprouting by the time her parents came home.

  Since she and Luca had begun their work, she’d slept right through every night and awakened with a clear plan for the day ahead. Nothing like physical labor for keeping the mind occupied, although the nagging fear of her career slipping away from her was always present. She hoped today’s good news would be a shift from the doldrums of farm living, although she had to admit that Luca’s arrival had made things more interesting. No, she told herself at once. Interesting didn’t come near to describing the elation she felt every morning when Luca walked in the kitchen door. Or the quiet enjoyment of a cold drink with him at the end of a hard day’s work. As much as this new opportunity was exciting, it was also a reminder that these days with him and Thomas would eventually come to an end. That realization troubled her, shadowing even her good news.

  * * *

  KAI COULD TELL from Thomas’s little hop and skip as he led the way out of the Kewpee Café that his high over the unexpected dinner in town was still keeping him afloat. His eyes had widened and he’d lit up with a smile when she’d told him Luca was treating them. A big difference from the downcast expression she’d seen as he’d stepped out of the bus. She’d have asked him about that, but seeing the change in his mood when she shared the news, decided to wait till later. Now they were on their way to Ice Delights for dessert, just to top off the day.

  Thomas ran ahead to get into the small line that was beginning to form inside the ice-cream shop. A man with two children was leaving when Kai and Luca approached the door and stood aside to let them pass. When the man suddenly grasped Luca by the forearm, Kai jumped.

  “Hello again,” the man said, smiling broadly. “This your family?”

  Kai couldn’t see Luca’s face, but noticed red creeping up the back of his neck. He cleared his throat and said, “Um, no. My, uh, friend, Kai Westfield. And that’s her nephew, the boy who just ran inside.”

  The man looked over Luca’s shoulder. “Nice to meet you,” he said to Kai. Then, “It was great talking to you the other day, Luca. Don’t forget to pop around sometime. You know where to find us.” He clapped Luca lightly on the shoulder and followed his children out onto the sidewalk.

  Luca went on into the shop, leaving Kai hesitating in the doorway. He has a
friend in Lima?

  Thomas and Luca were ordering by the time she caught up to them after waiting for two exiting groups to pass. “What would you like?” Luca asked, scanning the display.

  “Nothing for me, but thanks, Luca. I couldn’t eat another thing.” She noticed a small table at the back and headed for it.

  Luca was chatting to Thomas about something when they sat down across from her. That was another thing she liked about him, Kai mused. He wasn’t put off by Thomas’s lack of a verbal response and never failed to include him in any conversation he was having with her.

  When Thomas left the table to get a glass of water from a cooler, she asked, “Who was that man we met coming in?”

  “Last Saturday when I came to town, I visited the flag monument. While I was there, that fellow—Brian Boychuk—came up and introduced himself. He’s the president of the local VFW chapter. He was very warm and welcoming. Wanted to know about my history, so I gave him a snapshot. We didn’t talk for long, but he suggested I might want to go to a meeting sometime. Get to know some other vets.”

  “He seemed like a nice guy,” she said, wondering why he hadn’t mentioned any of this before. “You said he’s president of the local chapter? I wish I’d realized. He’s the person I need to contact for my assignment.”

  “Your assignment?”

  “I got a phone call this morning from an editor at the Columbus Dispatch. He’s an old acquaintance of mine and heard I was back home. The paper’s doing a feature on Memorial Day celebrations throughout Ohio, and he asked me to cover the event here in Lima.”

  “I’d completely forgotten about Memorial Day.”

  “Next Monday.”

  “Right.” He peered down at his sundae before looking up at Kai. His face was pale and his voice strained. “Well, I have his phone number if you want it.”

  “Great. Thanks.” She was about to tell him some of her ideas about covering the day when Thomas came bounding back to the table and stood expectantly at her side. “Ready to go?” she asked, taking his hint. He bobbed his head.

  On the walk back to the car, she wondered why Luca seemed so uninterested in her news. She couldn’t understand why he might be put off by it. At the same time, she asked herself why she cared so much. Soon he’d be going his way, and she’d be heading home to Brooklyn, as she’d reminded herself that very morning.

  She’d been living day by day, relishing the time with Thomas and awakening to the possibility of an attractive and complex man in her life. A man she wanted to know and understand better. There was no reason that couldn’t happen after she and Luca left the farm. But too often in the past, her work and the travel it entailed had led to the demise of her relationships. Kai worried a deeper involvement with Luca would inevitably follow the same path.

  Another problem was that she had no idea how Luca felt. And there you are, Kai thought, right back where you started.

  What exactly did Luca Rossi want?

  * * *

  AS SOON AS Thomas walked into the kitchen for breakfast the next morning, Kai could tell he hadn’t slept well. There was no customary morning smile as he sat and reached for the cereal box, which he half-heartedly upended into his bowl.

  “I think there are some blueberries left in the fridge. Want some to go with that?” Kai asked, hoping for some positive response.

  He shook his head without looking up, busying himself with drizzling milk into the bowl.

  Kai sat across from him. “Thomas, if you have a problem at school, you need to let me know. Or if something else is bothering you today, then tell me about it so I can fix it.”

  He wouldn’t meet her eyes, but after a moment, he nodded, picked up his spoon and began to eat. Kai watched him for a few seconds until she realized he wasn’t going to communicate further. She downed the last of her coffee and said, “I’m going outside to look for Amigo. The bus will be here soon, so finish up. Your lunch is in your backpack already—you just have to brush your teeth.” She leaned over and tousled his hair. As she walked out the door, she cast one last look at him. He still hadn’t raised his head.

  The weight of Thomas’s mood stayed with her as she made her way around the yard to look for Amigo. Something was going on with him, and she couldn’t put off dealing with the problem any longer. Later, she’d call the school and speak to Thomas’s teacher.

  “Amigo!” she called, rounding the garage and heading to the barn. He’d taken to hanging out there lately, no doubt picking up the scent of a groundhog or rabbits. “Amigo!” She whistled, but there was no sign of the animal. No time to investigate further. She arrived back at the kitchen door as Thomas came out.

  “All set?”

  He nodded glumly and followed her up the drive to wait for the bus. “I can’t find Amigo,” Kai muttered as they walked. “He must have cornered some creature.”

  Thomas plodded a few feet behind her. Just as the bus came into view, Kai placed her hands on Thomas’s shoulders. “Listen, honey, I’m going to call your teacher today and see if something’s going on in class, okay?”

  His head shot up. The bus stopped and the doors opened before Kai had a chance to reassure him. “Bye,” she said as he slowly climbed inside. She watched him make his way to the rear of the bus, rather than sit beside Robyn, who was waving at him. Whatever is bugging him, it must be serious if he’s ignoring Robyn.

  There was still no sign of Amigo on the walk back to the house. Luca was standing on the bungalow porch, coffee mug in hand.

  “Have you seen Amigo?” Kai called.

  “No. He spent the night with Thomas, I assume?”

  “Yes, and I let him out about an hour ago. He usually comes back to walk us to the bus.”

  “I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually. Probably chasing down some poor rabbit.”

  Kai pursed her lips, hoping the rabbit hunt was restricted to the Westfield property. “Yeah, you’re right. Had your breakfast?”

  “Yep, and ready to go. Meet you at the barn?”

  “Great.” She watched him head into the bungalow. No comment or follow-up about her work assignment. Clearly Luca Rossi didn’t follow the same social patterns as other people. In spite of these random awkward moments, they worked well together, figuring things out as they went.

  Kai hadn’t helped with the soybeans since high school and had forgotten a lot. Thank heavens for Jim, their neighbor two farms over from Bryant Lewis. He’d been happy to give her advice. “It’s late in the season,” he’d said, “but if you keep the rows narrow you should get a pretty good yield. For the size of your acreage, of course.” And his suggestion to not bother with setting up an irrigation system was especially welcome. “A lot of trouble,” he’d said. “And your tract is small. We’re supposed to get our average rainfall this season, so you shouldn’t have a problem.”

  She made one last circuit in search of Amigo. Normally, she tied him up or put him in the house while they were working in the fields. No way would she risk a repeat of last year’s accident with Bryant’s dog.

  Amigo still hadn’t turned up by the time she was wheelbarrowing two large canvas bags of dried seeds from the barn.

  “This should do it.” She pointed to a bag. “That’s yours. I’ll carry this one.”

  “No wheelbarrow?”

  “It’ll be a nuisance pushing it over the fields. This is easier.”

  Luca hoisted the bag onto a shoulder. “Not as heavy as I thought. Any sign of Amigo?”

  “Nope. I just hope he hasn’t wandered too far.” She didn’t need to spell it out for Luca.

  “Yeah. That would not be good.”

  They were halfway to where they’d left the tractor and seed drill overnight when a yellow streak several yards away caught their attention.

  “Whoa! Was that Amigo?”

 
“Looks like it.” Kai whistled, but the dog kept running toward the barn. “Should we go see if he’s okay or continue?”

  “Let’s load up the drill. If you take the first shift, I’ll take care of Amigo.”

  “Maybe we should both go, and I’ll get the water bottles I forgot.”

  They trod over the seeded rows to the tractor, filled up the drill and slowly made their way back, finding Amigo huddled in a far corner of the barn. After some coaxing, he followed them, tail between his legs, to the farmhouse.

  “He’s been spooked by something,” Luca said as they went into the kitchen. “Maybe we should leave him inside instead of tying him up.”

  “Good idea. Here.” She handed him a water bottle. “You first or me?”

  He shrugged. “I’m easy.”

  “Well, I’m used to being first,” she said, smiling. “Comes of being an only daughter. The kind who had her father wrapped around her finger.”

  “I can imagine that.”

  His thoughtful appraisal inexplicably sent her heart racing. She felt her face heat up.

  “If we finish early,” he said, keeping his eyes on hers, “maybe we could go into town later.”

  “I’d like that.” Kai held his gaze until the shrill blast of a car’s horn made them both jump. She looked out the kitchen window. “Bryant Lewis. And I don’t think he’s come for the seed drill.” She connected the dots about the same time as Luca.

  “Amigo?”

  “Let’s hope not.”

  By the time they were on the kitchen porch, Bryant was getting out of his car and striding toward them, his right arm extended, index finger pointing.

  “That dog of yours! Where is it?”

  Luca placed a restraining hand on Kai’s forearm as she moved forward.

  “I guess you mean Amigo, Mr. Lewis?” he asked.

  Lewis slowed down and came to a halt, steps away from Luca. “Unless there’s another dog here, then darn right I mean Amigo—or whatever his name is.”