Page 15 of Out of Time (Undaunted Courage #3)
EIGHT
WHY WAS THERE a basket of produce next to the back door?
Pausing at the bottom of the steps to Natalie’s wraparound galérie, Cara took a quick inventory of the items in the crude woven container. Apples, beans, greens, zucchini, and tomatoes.
Huh.
She swiveled around and gave the woods-rimmed open area behind the house a sweep.
No one was in sight, but who except Micah could have left such an offering? He was the only other person on the premises, and he had a garden and fruit trees.
After cradling her laptop in her arm, Cara fished out her key, ascended the steps, picked up the basket, and let herself into the kitchen.
The stink wasn’t quite as potent this morning, but until the mess was cleaned up, the olfactory reminder of yesterday’s crisis wasn’t going to go away.
As she set the basket on the counter, Natalie pushed through the door from the hall, a mug in her hand.
“Good morning, Cara.” The older woman smiled, then wrinkled her nose. “What an awful smell. Did you notice if the note I left on the back door for Micah was there when you came in?”
“I didn’t see a note, but I found this.” She tapped the handle of the basket.
“Oh, how lovely. I’ll have to bake zucchini bread.” She crossed to the counter, dug into the basket, and began pulling out moss-wrapped eggs. “Perhaps a Nicoise salad as well, with these and the greens and beans. Such beautiful apples too.” She held up one of the glossy pieces of fruit.
“I assume all of this is from Micah? Steven pointed out his garden while we were walking yesterday.”
“Yes. He often shares his bounty. And if the note was gone, that must mean he went to fetch his tools. I expect he’ll be back soon to sort out the mess in here while we sort out Marie’s journals.”
“Would you like me to put everything in the fridge for you?”
“Yes, thank you. You can set the basket on the kitchen table for Micah to pick up. As soon as I nuke another cup of tea, we’ll be ready to dive into week two of our project. Leave the door unlocked too. I expect he’ll be back soon.”
While Natalie refilled her mug with water, Cara deposited her laptop on the counter and removed the produce from the basket. Her to-do list today included asking a few questions about the groundskeeper, and there would never be a more opportune moment.
“Steven told me that Micah’s been here quite a while.” She kept her tone conversational as she tucked the offerings from the man’s garden into the produce bin of the fridge. “He’s a veteran, right?”
“Yes. I wasn’t keen on him coming here at first, but Papa said the poor man was sinking fast in the outside world and needed a quiet place to regroup.”
“What happened to him overseas?”
Natalie slid her mug into the microwave.
“I don’t know any specifics, but it was enough to break his spirit.
According to his father, he was a gentle soul with a kind heart and a love for animals before he went into the service.
Everyone liked him. But he came home a changed man.
” She shook her head. “Despite his somewhat intimidating appearance, the gentle nature is still there, though. He nurses injured critters back to health down at his cabin.”
A different—and sweet—spin on the reclusive caretaker.
“It was generous of your father to take him in.”
“To tell you the truth, I think he recognized a kindred spirit. Papa was a sensitive soul too, and I believe he realized that if he’d had the same experiences as Micah, he could have come out of the war in a similar state.
” The microwave pinged, and Natalie removed the mug.
“I don’t think he expected him to stay indefinitely, but it’s worked out to everyone’s benefit. ”
Cara tucked the last apple into the bin. “Do you ever ... worry about him?”
“In what way?” Natalie joined her at the fridge and reached past her to extract the container of half and half.
“Like in terms of safety.” Cara leaned back against the counter and wrapped her fingers around the edge.
“Goodness, no. Micah Reeves wouldn’t hurt a flea. Why do you ask?”
Cara shrugged. “I’m not used to people who fade into the woods whenever I see them.”
“That’s just how he is. It’s nothing personal. He’s not sociable with anyone.” Natalie poured a smidgen of cream into her tea and replaced the container in the fridge. “My cousin, on the other hand, is very sociable. Don’t you think so?”
At the speculative gleam in her eyes, Cara tried not to squirm. Natalie must have picked up on Steven’s interest in a certain professor.
And if that was the case, it wouldn’t be prudent to probe for additional information about him, much as she’d like to know more. Questions could add fuel to the fire if Natalie was getting matchmaking ideas.
Keeping her manner casual, Cara pushed off from the counter and moved to the sink to rinse her hands. “Yes. I enjoyed our hike.”
“He did too. I got the impression he was quite enamored with you. I think he expected my professor to be a much older woman—like you expected him to be the grandfatherly type.”
“It goes to show you should never make assumptions about people.”
“Yes. There’s a definite lesson there.” She took a sip of her tea. “By the way, he’s not married. Never has been. Claims he hasn’t met the right woman. But he’d be a fine catch. He’s smart and personable and has a very successful business as a financial advisor.”
While that background answered a couple of her questions about Steven, it also confirmed her benefactor’s proclivity to matchmaking.
“Not all men get married, though. I don’t think the sheriff has a wife either, does he?” Perhaps shifting the focus to the third man she was curious about would distract Natalie.
Some of the brightness in the other woman’s face faded.
“Not anymore. Such a sad story. I’ve only picked up bits and pieces of it since I don’t go into town that much and prefer to avoid gossip, but everyone was buzzing about it at the time and—” She set her tea on the counter and pulled out her phone. “Ah. It’s Paul.”
Quashing her disappointment at the interruption, Cara picked up her laptop and motioned toward the door. “I’ll wait for you in the study.”
“I won’t be long.”
While the older woman answered the call, Cara wandered down the hall, let herself into the study, and booted up her laptop.
So Brad Mitchell wasn’t married anymore. Why not? And what was the sad story Natalie had referenced?
Maybe she could make a few subtle inquiries about him if the opportunity arose.
As for Steven and Micah, the former sounded like a fine man and the latter appeared to be far from menacing.
Meaning she had no excuse not to add a daily walk to her schedule, along with the stretching routine she’d neglected during her first week here.
Cara scrolled through to the translation document and opened it as Natalie came through the door.
“Sorry for the delay. Paul heard about the fire from the sheriff, who called to ask him a few questions. He wanted to check on me—and continue his campaign to convince me to turn over Marie’s journals to the historical society for safekeeping.
” She limped over to her place on the other side of the table.
“After last night, I’m beginning to think his suggestion has merit.
I would hate for the journals to be damaged or destroyed.
And that’s where they’re going to end up anyway. ”
“You’re donating them?”
“Yes. It was Papa’s wish, after they were translated.”
“Which won’t be much longer. And after all the decades they’ve been safely stored on the premises, what are the odds that anything would happen to them while I’m here? The fire was an anomaly.”
“I hope so. But I could let Paul have the later journals until we’re ready to work on them, on the off chance there are any other strange occurrences.”
“I don’t see any harm in doing that if it gives you more peace of mind.”
“Unless we want to look ahead for some reason as we go. Then it would be most inconvenient.” Natalie opened the journal in front of her to the page where they’d left off on Friday.
“I’ll have to think about this. In the meantime, let’s get back to—” Her cell began to trill, and she pulled it out.
Scanned the screen. “Steven. Give me one minute?”
“Of course.” Cara started to stand. “I can wait in the hall until—”
“No, stay there.” Natalie waved her back into her seat.
“We’ve had too many delays this morning.
I’ll keep this short.” She put the phone to her ear.
“Good morning, Steven. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon after your visit .
.. No, I haven’t had any more dizzy spells.
I feel fine ... Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear the phone.
I went to bed early ... No, nothing like that. We had a little excitement here.”
As Natalie briefed her cousin on the events of the evening and answered his questions, Cara read over the transcription. But it was impossible to tune out the conversation.
“No, I didn’t. I may be old, but I’m not careless or absent-minded.
” Natalie’s defensive tone softened as she continued.
“I know you do, dear boy, and I appreciate your concern ... Yes, it would be lovely to have you close by, but this has always been my home ... That’s true, but I’ve never been fond of changes.
Why don’t we talk more about this on your next visit?
... You know I’d love that, but I don’t want to monopolize your weekends.
” Her mouth curved up as she listened. “Thank you for that. And if nothing else comes up, I’d love to see you .
.. Same to you.” Natalie ended the call and set the phone beside her, her upbeat demeanor fading.
“He was quite concerned about the fire.”
“That’s understandable. It could have caused serious damage if we hadn’t been able to contain it fast.”