They would have a nice Thanksgiving at home too.
She found herself wondering if Dalton would still be with them.
The man was such a mystery.
Why was he here? How long would he stay?
When we go around the table, what will he say he’s thankful for?
But she was nearly home and there was no time to ask silly questions while there were still potatoes in the ground.
She pulled her little car up by the house and got out with her purchases, quietly slipping in the front door and placing the bag on the hall table to give to Dalton later before tiptoeing out again so as not to rouse her father.
As she walked out past the house to the fields, she noticed that Mom and Dalton had made some real progress.
Even more interestingly, Mom was smiling up at Dalton and talking with him, her hands dancing in the air the way they did when she was really happy about something.
Maybe he’s good for us,Ella thought to herself as she headed out to join them.Maybe it doesn’t matter how long he stays.
5
DALTON
The following week, Dalton stood at a table in the farmers market and looked around the library parking lot, amazed at all the activity in the tiny town.
It was Saturday morning, and though he could still feel the soreness from harvesting in nearly every muscle in his body, he mostly felt proud of the crates of sweet potatoes on their table and excited to see how many locals would buy them.
Mary stood beside him, wearing a bright green scarf that looked hand knitted. Ella counted out the change in the little register while Dove scampered around among the crates, arranging and rearranging the potatoes on display, clearly excited to be included in the work with her family.
Michael sat nearby at one of the café tables in front of the bakery with a man called Reggie Webb. The two of them were talking up a storm, paper coffee cups in front of them, looking very pleased.
As far as Dalton was concerned, Ella had worked a miracle there. He’d noticed her mentioning worriedly to her dad that poor Reggie looked lonely. Dalton was pretty sure Reggie had been just fine shouting hello to everyone who passed. But when Michael rushed over to keep the man company, Dalton realized that of course Ella had just been looking for a way to get her dad off his feet. Happily, it had worked.
“We were blessed with an excellent crop this year,” Mary said, nodding to herself. “The harvest is going so well with extra hands.”
Dalton felt another rush of pride in his chest. It was good to be a part of something.
“Can we go look at the puppy booth?” Dove asked Ella excitedly. “Can we? Can we?”
“We’re fine here, honey, if you want to take her,” Mary offered.
“We’ll just be five minutes then,” Ella said. “Right, Dove?”
“Right,” Dove said, smiling that infectious smile that Dalton couldn’t resist.
He felt his own mouth tugging into a matching smile as he nodded to her. He wasn’t usually the type to stand around grinning at things. But there was something about this family…
I’m changing.
But he had to put that thought behind him. He was only here to fulfill a promise. If he didn’t keep that at the front of his mind, he was going to be in a world of hurt when his time here was over. He wasn’t actually part ofthe family, no matter how much they might treat him like it.
As he watched Ella head off to the local animal shelter’s fundraising booth with Dove, he couldn’t help thinking back to her gift. After his first day on the harvest, she’d mentioned leaving a bag for him by the front door.
It was a simple green shopping bag, not too heavy. He’d carried it upstairs with him, not wanting to examine the contents in front of everyone.
His back, hips, and knees were so sore from all the bending and picking up potatoes that he let out a sigh like an old man when he sat on the edge of the bed to open it up.
A huff of quiet laughter had escaped his lips before he could stop it.
