“All good. Three months to go and counting.”
“Glad to hear.”
“What I really need is for someone to invent more hours in the day forsleep.”
Penny laughed.
“Also, Penny? Logan’s starting to run, and” —her voice dropped —“he’s sofast. I turn around for a second and he’soff.”
“Oh, my,” Penny said with a chuckle. “I’d offer to help you chase after him if I hadn’t just saddled myself with another babysitting gig….”
Clara laughed. “Don’t worry about me and the little speedster. We’ll be fine.”
“I’ll let you go. Thanks for calling. If I have any questions about Nigel, I know who to call.”
“If you need my help, just let me know.”
CHAPTER 7
The smile on Penny’s face lingered as she continued toward the orchard, the snow-topped fenceposts along the winding lane marking her steady progress. Rows of apple trees, branches bare, appeared as the road began to rise. After cresting a hill, she passed a wooden sign that read, “Welcome to Northland Orchard.”
The road ended in a gravel parking lot surrounded by a white clapboard farmhouse, a big red barn, and a smaller building with a sign that said, “Northland Orchard General Store.”
Penny pulledin front of the clapboard house and parked next to a blue truck with the orchard’s logo stenciled on the side. After turning off the engine, she grabbed her handbag and clambered out of her car. The afternoon air was crisp and held a hint of snow.
She took a moment to admire the farmhouse. Over a century old, the house was typical of its era: wide and tall, two stories plus a basement, with a generous front porch. Through the front windows, she couldn’t detect movement or lights. She was about to climb the porch stairs when she heard, from the direction of the red barn, the familiar sound of a child laughing.
With a smile, she pivoted and made her way to the barn, boots crunching on the gravel. From the outside, the barn looked completely traditional. But inside was a different story. Instead of animals and cut hay, the barn boasted a concrete floor supporting rows and rows of gleaming aluminum barrels filled with fresh cider.
On the far side of the barn, Gabe and his two-year-old son Joshua were playing what appeared to be a spirited game of hide-and-seek. The little boy, bundled up in a red coat and blue boots, was covering his eyes and counting to three with great enthusiasm. Gabe, a few feet away, was crouched behind an aluminum barrel. When the boy opened his eyes, he looked around and quickly found his dad (who, to be clear, didn’t really appear to be trying to hide).
With a cry of delight, the boy ran to his dad, who picked him up and whirled around with him. “You found me, kiddo! You found me!”
Gabe spied Penny and waved her over. A handsome guy with dark hair just starting to go gray, he was dressed in his usual boots, jeans, flannel shirt, and winter coat.
“Look who’s come to visit us, Joshua,” he said to his son. “It’s your mom and dad’s friend Penny.”
The little boy gazed silently at Penny as she approached, his brown eyes wide and watchful.
“Joshua,” Penny said, giving the boy a big smile, “it’s so good to see you. You and your dad look like you’re having so much fun playing hide-and-seek.”
The boy’s eyes lit up. “One two three!” he exclaimed.
“One two three indeed,” Penny said with a laugh. “What a great day for fun and games in the barn.”
“Today,” Gabe informed her, “is Daddy Day. In fact, the next two months are Daddy Months.”
Penny gestured toward the aluminum barrels of fresh cider. “Must be a relief for the harvest to be over. I assume these are all filled with cider?”
“Every single one, to the brim,” he said with a nod. “We had a crazy-busy, crazy-productive year.”
“And now, after all of your hard work, you get to rest.”
“Until the end of January, when things ramp up again.”
She gestured toward the house. “Is it just the two of you out here today?”
He nodded. “Holly’s at the cafe and the orchard team’s taking the day off. But we’ll all be here tomorrow evening for the Wassail. I hope you’re coming?”
