Inside the bag he found a small bottle of ibuprofen, a microwavable heat pack, and a glass jar of salve with a copper lid and a picture of a tiger on the label.
There was also an enormous chocolate bar, which seemed an unlikely addition, but he was definitely hungry enough to wolf it down before dinner.
Ella was a surprising woman. She was quiet and not overly friendly, and Dalton could hardly blame her. He wasn’t sure how a woman so young could have sustained so much tragedy and still put one foot in front of the other every day. It came as no surprise that she didn’t have the bandwidth to pay him much mind.
But her thoughtful gift had told him shewaspaying attention, at least a little. She had predicted that he wouldn’t want to complain in front of her parents, butknew that he would be hurting. And she had done something to help.
He didn’t want to think about how long it had been since someone had done something like that for him. She’d told him about the bag like it was nothing. But to Dalton it felt like acceptance and caring, like she was telling him he belonged.
He’d allowed himself a single square of chocolate before dinner, and while the sweet flavor melted in his mouth, he’d tried not to think of anything else about Ella besides her kindness.
But since then, he found himself paying extra attention to her each day. He gave her the space he sensed she needed, but he did all he could to make her life easier, whether it was working hard to lighten her load, or talking and playing Uno with Dove to give Ella a chance to catch her breath before jumping from farm tasks into one of Dove’s endless happy interrogations.
He glanced over at the animal shelter booth and saw the lady behind it bent toward Dove now, smiling, and obviously listening to a stream of questions from the bright and curious little girl.
Beside her, Ella watched as her daughter got the other lady talking, the hint of a smile at the corners of her mouth.
Beautiful, he thought to himself without meaning to.
“She’s a special one, isn’t she?” Mary asked him quietly.
He turned to her, fear prickling his scalp for a moment, as if he’d been caught doing something criminal.
She’s talking about Dove.
“Yeah,” he said, recovering. “Such a smart kid. No one could help loving her.”
“Well, I think maybe Helena Fox sees a potential volunteer in her,” Mary laughed. “She can always use a hand over at the shelter.”
“Oh yeah?” Dalton asked.
“It’s a no-kill shelter, so she’s got the pets there that no one else wants,” Mary said. “Some of them need a lot of care, so she’s always got her sleeves rolled up, doing what needs to be done, or finding someone to help if she can’t.”
“I’ll bet Dove will be a great volunteer when she’s older,” Dalton said. “She’s got a lot of energy and a positive attitude.”
“Just like her mother at that age,” Mary said fondly.
Surprised, Dalton allowed his eyes to go to Ella for another moment. It seemed impossible that the practical young woman had ever been as open-hearted as her daughter.
“She’s been through so much,” he said softly.
“She has,” her mom agreed. “But she’s a remarkable mother and she does everything she can for her father and me. We’re very lucky. Hopefully, she’ll let her sunshine come out again soon.”
“She deserves happiness,” Dalton said without thinking.
“She does,” Mary said, her voice a little odd.
He glanced down and found her looking up at him thoughtfully.
He cleared his throat and turned away, shamecreeping up his rib cage. He was supposed to be here to help Andy’s family, not to obsess over his little sister.
“Hi there,” an older lady said brightly as she approached their table. “Looks like you’ve got a good crop this year, and a new worker too.”
“Hi, Betty Ann,” Mary said, turning to the woman with a smile. “This is Andy’s best friend from the military, Dalton Tyler. He’s come to lend us a hand on the farm, and he’s been a real help.”
“I imagine he has,” Betty Ann said, eyeing Dalton up and down approvingly, as if trying to estimate exactly how many sweet potatoes he could harvest. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Tyler. What you’re doing here is commendable.”
“Nice to meet you too, ma’am,” he said. “And it’s just Dalton.”
