Vanz looked slightly confused. “Right off the tree?”
“That’s right,” Mitch replied. “We’d all planned to gotoday, but it wouldn’t be the same unless you were there. Best pie you’ve ever tasted, too.”
Vanz hesitated, but the pie angle worked. “That sounds good, I guess.”
Bennett rose from the table. “Let’s organize everyone. Doesn’t take too long to get there. We’ll put the extra seat in the back of the SUV. Come help us, Vanz.”
As he walked behind Mitch and Vanz, Bennett was struck by how much they looked alike, even the way they walked. No wonder Shelly had thought Vanz might be Mitch’s son. Bennett was proud of both how Mitch was handling the situation and the generosity that he and Shelly were extending to Vanz.
This solution was temporary, but depending on what the boy’s mother decided, it could turn into a permanent situation. Bennett didn’t know if Mitch and Shelly were prepared for that possibility.
15
“What a great idea for a road trip.” Ivy turned to Bennett, who was at the wheel winding through the mountains in his SUV.
She breathed in the fresh mountain air, happy that they’d all managed to get away from the inn for a short trip to the nearby Cuyamaca Mountains. Shelly, Mitch, Daisy, and Vanz filled the two back rows of Bennett’s SUV.
They’d left Poppy in charge at the inn. Sunny had begged off for plans with friends.
The small town of Julian was known for its apples and apple pies, and this weekend was their annual harvest event, a tradition that dated back more than a century.
Ivy glanced back at Vanz, who pressed his fingers against the window, eyes wide with wonder. Since coming to stay with Mitch and Shelly, he’d started to relax. His shoulders were less hunched, and a shy smile crossed his face from time to time. But this was the first time she’d seen him look guardedly excited.
“Those trees don’t look real.” Sitting in the last row,Vanz pointed at a cluster of trees, their leaves turned golden yellow in the autumn sun. “What are they?”
“California black oak trees,” Shelly replied from the middle row. “The leaves are losing their chlorophyll, which causes them to turn yellow. Wait until we get higher up on the mountain. It gets even more impressive.”
“I’ve never seen leaves change colors before.” Vanz’s voice held amazement. “In Palm Vista, leaves go from green to dead.”
“That’s because Palm Vista is in the high desert.” Shelly twisted in her seat as she spoke. “Here in the mountains, we get four real seasons.”
“Trees, trees.” Daisy bounced gleefully in her car seat between Shelly and Mitch, pointing out the window.
Shelly had dressed Daisy in an apple-red dress with a blue denim jacket and cowboy boots. She wanted to take photos of her daughter today.
“All these trees are amazing.” Vanz’s voice held a sense of awe that Ivy found endearing.
She caught Shelly’s eye and sensed they were both wondering what kind of life he’d known. Clearly, this was quite a departure from his usual life.
Bennett navigated a hairpin turn, and a new vista opened before them. Mountains rose around them, with a valley visible far below.
Vanz caught his breath. “It’s so beautiful.”
Ivy’s throat tightened with compassion. This runaway boy who’d been existing in an underground bunker and had been so angry and lost that he’d vandalized property, needed to see this kind of natural beauty that soothed the soul.
“Look at that.” Vanz pointed again. “Are those cows?”
In the distance, Ivy saw a small herd of brown and white cattle grazing in a meadow.
Bennett grinned at the question. “Those are Holstein dairy cows. A lot of small farms up here have livestock.”
The boy’s eyes lit up. “Can we stop and see them?”
“We’ll have plenty of animals to see at the orchard,” Bennett said. “They usually have a petting zoo with goats and chickens. Maybe some pigs.”
“Pigs, pigs,” Daisy echoed, clapping her hands.
Something caught Bennett’s attention, and he slowed, pulling into a turn out off the road. “I saw a deer. Let’s watch for a minute and see if she comes out again.”
