Page 60 of Harvest Moon (Riverbend 3)

Gavin walked hand in hand with Emma, and Sunny flanked the child protectively. Beyond them, the harvest crew was still hard at work. They should be finishing soon.

“I see the apples are coming in.”

“Just the Red Delicious. The bulk of the orchard are Cameo and Fuji.” Those would ripen late September to early October. Laurel wouldn’t even be here then. Who knew where Emma would be or what would happen to the fruit ripening on the trees?

Her stomach bottomed out at the thought.

The microwaved dinged. She’d forgotten about the lasagna she was defrosting. She removed the casserole, slipped it into the oven, and set the timer for thirty minutes. “I think I’ll make a salad and use your fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.” Then—and only because she felt she should—she asked, “Can you stay for supper?”

Mom folded the produce sack and glanced outside. Gavin and Emma were headed back in. She checked her watch. “Thanks for the offer, but I should get home to Brad. Call me when you hear from the aunt.” Mom gave her a half-hearted hug and waved to Emma through the glass door before heading out.

Laurel began setting the table. After supper she or Gavin would give Emma her bath and the other would put her to bed. They’d slipped into a routine in the past week—and Laurel wasn’t sure if that was good or bad.

Chapter24

Gavin knew he was dreaming, but try as he could to extricate himself from the nightmare, he couldn’t seem to wake himself up.

Jesse was screaming from his car seat as Gavin hitched the trailer to his truck. “Hang in there, buddy.”

The trailer coupler was now poised over the ball. He unlatched the coupler and lowered the trailer until the hitch was fully seated.

What was next? He’d done this a thousand times before, but his thoughts were muddled. He had to get this right. It was important—he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

But Jesse’s cries distracted him. He couldn’t think. He gave his head a shake.

Close the coupler.Right. He did that, his hands trembling, his heart thudding against the confines of his rib cage. What was wrong with him?

Think, Robinson!

The pin. Right, he had to slide the pin into place. As he did so Jesse’s wails escalated. “It’s okay, son. Daddy’ll be right there.”

But Jesse cried on. Was something wrong with him? Should he go get him? But no, he had to get this trailer hitched right.

If only he could figure it out. He blinked at the hitch and saw the dangling chains. He grabbed them and secured them in place. A memory flashed in his head, prompting him to connect the breakaway system and hook up the seven-way plug. He set the jack in place and secured it with the pin. There. He’d done it. Hadn’t he?

He stepped back. Had he done everything right? Why were his thoughts so scrambled? What was he forgetting?

The sway bar.Thank God he’d remembered.

When he turned to fetch it, his truck was gone. His house was gone. In its place stood a construction site. A framed house squatted on a mound of dirt. From somewhere inside the building Jesse screamed.

His heart kicked into gear. “I’m coming!” As he ran toward the structure, the house morphed. Now the building was nearly complete with siding and stone and a front door. From its confines Jesse wailed on.

Then a plume of smoke rose from the roof and fire licked at the windows.

A cold chill swept up Gavin’s spine. “Jesse!” he screamed above the sudden roar of fire.

He vaulted onto the porch and tried the front door, but it was locked. “I’m coming!”

He darted to the nearest windows, made a fist, and struck the glass. No good. He scanned the area. There. A cut piece of two-by-four. He grabbed it and jammed it into the window with all his might. But the window didn’t break.

***

Laurel stirred from a deep sleep. Had a noise awakened her? Emma? Listening intently, she heard nothing but the tick of the wall clock. She rolled over and pulled up the covers. It seemed like the middle of the night, but if she checked the time it would only make her more alert.

Best she got some sleep while she could. Emma was prone to waking in the middle of the night. When she did, Laurel would rock her in the nursery until she was sound asleep again, then put her back into the crib. Sometimes Laurel fell asleep in the chair, too, and woke in the morning with a crick in her neck.

A cry jolted her from her thoughts. Not Emma. Maybe Sunny was having a dream. She slept just outside the nursery door.

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