Page 35 of Alder Woodacre and the Acorns of Affection (Amaranthine Interludes #3)
It was moving day for Harrison Peck.
Technically, it was moving night , since the Nightspangle wolves had chosen an auspicious moon, and the Woodacre squirrels wanted to pull off a midnight flit. Not that Harrison was a rent-dodger. He was simply letting his friends have their fun.
So Joe was up way past his bedtime, stashed in one of the rockers on the front porch of the cottage that Harrison was borrowing for the remainder of his time in the States.
Kurloo rummaged in an oversized tote and handed Joe a thermos before sitting in midair at a companionable distance.
“How’s it going?” Joe asked.
Kurloo bobbled his hands in a purely human gesture. “He’s as happy as he is sad. But he’s sure of his path, and that’s always a comfort.”
Not long after, Harrison emerged and lowered himself to another rocker.
“All unpacked?” asked Joe.
“I shipped almost everything ahead, so it’s just the basics.” With a weary smile, he added, “ And my spring-themed bowties.”
The crossers piled outside, each sporting borrowed neckwear, and Jarrah dragged them into a convoluted game of tag. Or keep-away. Joe wasn’t entirely sure what the rules might be, but they were definitely playing to win.
Boniface strolled out, quietly closed the door, and took the last rocker. “How long until they want us at the song circle?”
Kurloo checked the height of the moon. “Scant hour. Kip’s not done with finishing touches. Coffee or tea?”
Two more thermoses found their way into grateful hands.
“You’ll have your own little house?” Joe asked. “Kind of like Tami?”
“Yes. Lord Mettlebright has been so generous. I’ll be close to the main house, in what’s becoming a little neighborhood.” With a bright look for Boniface, Harrison added, “I’ll be near enough to Boniface to be considered a neighbor.”
The man hummed. “My plot is situated along a little lane between you and Timur, with Kyrie behind, since he’ll be overlooking the sea.”
Just then Jarrah came tearing over and clambered onto Joe’s lap, where he rested for a full ten seconds, a serene expression on his face.
Boniface and Harrison exchanged bemused looks.
Joe guessed this wasn’t normal for the boy, but even squirrels needed to rest and recharge. He set his thermos beside his chair and hugged Jarrah close.
“Do you have a garden?” the boy suddenly asked.
“More than one. Some of my gardens are fields, and some of them are called orchards. There’s also a pasture, which is a kind of garden. Probably.”
“Do you grow flowers?”
“Sure. Lots of them.”
“And vegetables?”
“Yes, we have a big vegetable garden.”
“So that’s the same,” the boy said, nodding to himself.
“How do you mean?” checked Joe.
“Stately House has gardens, too. And a song circle. Is a pasture like a meadow?”
“Not exactly, but … sort of. It depends on the plants and their purpose.”
“Stately House has a whole meadow just for the bumbers.”
Joe glanced at Harrison for help.
He said, “They’re a type of Ephemera. Bee-like pollinators.”
“Oh. We do have beehives,” said Joe. “And many types of Ephemera. But I don’t think we have bumbers.”
“They’re cute,” announced Jarrah. “Can we get some here?”
Joe couldn’t help but notice that we . “We could ask our preservationists.”
“We can? That’d be good. You won’t forget to ask?”
“I’ll remember.”
Jarrah ran off again, and Kurloo cleared his throat. “You might not be able to bring in bumbers. They’re rare. Almost priceless. Their honey is one of the key ingredients in star wine.”
Harrison held up his thumb and forefinger, describing a length of three or four inches. “They’re sort of a cross between a honeybee and a kitten. They purr when they’re happy. Not unlike a certain little boy. Jarrah’s so happy when he’s with you.”
“Umm … I’ve always liked squirrels.”
“I can see why you developed a bias. Kip’s always been a charmer.” Harrison’s gaze turned thoughtful. “Say, Joe. Have you ever considered fatherhood?”
“No. Really … no.” The biggest reason he’d been so quick to agree to bonding with Kip was to avoid all the paternity bids that his beacon status would have triggered if word had gotten out.
Harrison nodded, but he said, “Lord Mettlebright does sometimes place the children. He fosters them out to people he trusts.”
Boniface spoke up. “My brother and his bondmates have established a hearth within Stately House proper. They’re fostering Sibley and Etienne, both dragon crossers. And in the same vein, Suuzu is fostering Trinity and Twosies, two children with impish heritage.”
Joe considered that. “And you have Christobelle.”
“More to the point,” countered Boniface. “You could have Jarrah.”
“Umm … oh.” Joe let himself consider it. Thought about what it might mean for him and Kip, but more importantly, what it might mean for Jarrah.
Boniface suddenly half-rose from his seat, peering into the darkness beyond the porchlight. “Good lord, I can’t be the only one who felt …! It was like a shiver? Or … resonance. Am I catching some kind of weird, reaverish resonance?”
“Peace, friend,” said Kurloo. “That was the land.”
“The what now?”
The wolf rolled his wrist, indicating Joe with a fanning of fingers that was more avian than anything. “Joe likes your idea, and so the farm rejoices.”