Gray nodded.“Me neither.But the first time he sees them for the day; it’s a full hug.He puts his front paws on their shoulders and leans right in.”
“Very cool.”
Nash agreed.After he and Charlie patted down Fox, they continued their way through the farm.The sight of a building had them grinning.Charlie slapped his hand against his chest.“Civilization!We found it.We’re not lost and alone on this planet after all.”
Laughing, they headed to the two-story structure with a huge metal cylinder on the second floor.There wasn’t a wall on this side of the structure, and they could see raised beds placed in organized rows in the interior.
A wooden sign above confirmed they’d arrived at The Worminator, the farm’s compost facility.
Charlie grinned.“Just our luck.We finally found civilization here on Planet Apple, and it’s all about worm poop.”
Fox had loped along with them, and when Thea climbed down from the second floor, the dog hugged her, exactly as Gray had described.Nash found himself blinking back tears when he saw the expression on his son’s face.Awe and yearning.
Nash was definitely going to be the King of Christmas because his boy needed a dog.
To no one’s surprise, Charlie had a million questions for Thea as she showed them how the facility worked and discussed the importance of good compost to the orchard and to the world.
After lunch, they left the orchard behind and dug into the trailer to grab whatever they thought they’d need for the next bit.Charlie grinned at their bikes.“This is going to be a great place to bike in the spring.There’s so much room and so many trails in the orchard.”
“We’ll have to find out if bikes are allowed on the cover crop Thea told us about, or if we need to stick to the farm roads.”
Charlie nodded.“We don’t want to mess things up.And this place is huge.Even sticking to the roads will be fun.I wonder how long it would take to bike into Phail?”
As it was a thirty-minute drive, Nash wasn’t sure he wanted to find out, but he imagined it would probably happen one day.If Olivia and Ella stayed in Phail, he was sure he wouldn’t even argue about finding out.
Since he and Charlie had left them at their B&B yesterday, Olivia had been on his mind far more than he’d expected.There was trouble following her, and he worried about their safety.
Still, he avoided texting to find out how she was doing.That seemed a little too high school.She was an adult and completely capable of taking care of herself and her daughter.
He just wanted to know.To be a part of her support system.
He’d always been protective of Charlotte.She’d lived a good life with her mom, and hadn’t been exposed to the evils of the world.Nash had worked hard to ensure it remained that way.He’d rarely talked about his missions overseas, hadn’t wanted to expose her to the tough stuff.
He figured Olivia had already seen some of those evils.Not overseas.There wasn’t a hint of soldier about her.She might not have seen warfare, but she’d seen evil.
And Nash wanted to ensure she never saw it again.
Olivia dressed Ella Mae for the winter weather and then strapped her into the baby pack.When the girl was just a baby, Mary Mae and Liam had often used the pack, with Ella snuggled in facing her mom or dad.
Now that she was bigger, the pack adjusted, and Ella could face the world as Olivia walked.Because they’d been on the move, Olivia hadn’t used it often, but it was far easier than carrying the girl in her arms.She was almost too heavy for the pack now, but it was a good solution at the moment.Once the snow melted, she’d need to get a stroller.
Jim and Carl met her in the foyer of the B&B.Jim took Ella’s hand and squeezed.“Are you going on a winter adventure, Ella?’
Carl rubbed his hand over her pompom.“Have fun, sweet girl.Be good for your Mama.And you, keep an ear open for any job opportunities.We’ll have hot chocolate and cookies when you get back.”
Ella kicked her legs and clapped her hands at the word cookie.She knew that one, and it wouldn’t surprise Olivia if she used it soon.She understood far more words than she spoke, but those words were closer every day.
Olivia blinked back the tears and headed out to the streets of Phail with the town layout in her mind, thanks to Carl and Jim.They were great men, and they were nudging Olivia to stay in town.
If she could find reasonable lodgings and a part-time job, she would consider it.She really didn’t want to leave.But her job needed to be something where she could keep Ella with her.Paying day care costs would be too much, and she simply couldn’t let her girl out of her sight.Way too risky.
Olivia didn’t have drawing or design skills.If she did, website work would be a good fit.Her accounting skills were adequate for her own needs, but nothing she could do as a job.In the past, she’d served in bars and restaurants to supplement her writing income, but she couldn’t do that with Ella.
Freelance writing?She didn’t know anything about that career, but she would look into it at least.Tonight, after she got her words in on her book.
On Phail Way, she soaked in the sight of the pretty town as she walked.The coordinated Christmas decorations made it magical.
The yoga studio, Yoganna Love It, would be fun if she found a way to stay.In the city, Mary Mae had taken a tiny Ella with her to some Mama And Me classes.Maybe they’d have something similar here.It would be another way to help Ella remember her Mom.
