Page 42 of Touch the Sky

I tilt my head. “Of course they do.”

“It’s just…”

She glances down the aisle to check if Shel is listening, but she’s drifted down to the far end of the barn and looks caught up whispering something to one of the ponies.

“I really want to find somewhere we fit, you know?” Tess says. “Somewhere Shel can feel at home. I need to make this all worth it for her, and I know it will take time, but…it just means a lot that people actually want to show up and meet us.”

She’s practically shaking with relief, and I have to clasp my hands behind my back to keep from throwing my arms around her in a hug.

“You don’t have to worry about that, okay?” I stare her down to make sure she hears every word. “La Cloche is all about making people feel welcome, and if anyone does anything that doesnotmake Shel feel welcome, you tell me, okay? I’ll sort it out.”

She holds my gaze, neither of us blinking.

“Or, you know, if they don’t make you feel welcome either,” I add. “I can sort that out too.”

I fidget with my hair, tucking a lock of my bob behind my ear while I kick at a pebble on the floor.

Tess lets out a soft laugh. “Do I want to know what sorting it out would entail?”

I look back up at her and flex one of my biceps. “The strength and courage of ten men. Remember?”

She chuckles. “Right. Of course.”

Shel comes over to ask us what’s so funny, and I tell her that her mom doesn’t believe I have secret MMA fighter skills. She says she doesn’t believe me either, which leads to me chasing her out of the barn while pretending I’m about to karate chop her head.

She screeches with laughter all the way up to the house, where I pretend to be winded and tell her she’s defeated me this time but not for long.

I really am almost winded by the short run. All I’ve eaten today is a cereal bar and an apple I scarfed down in the kitchen before stumbling over to the barn while it was still dark out.

Right on cue,Mamanbursts onto the porch to announce no one is allowed to start working until we come inside for coffee and bacon.

We’ve all loaded up plates with bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs when a couple cars full of my cousins, aunts, and uncles arrive. Natalie isn’t far behind them.Mamaninsists on frying up more food even though most people have eaten already, and soon we’re all sprawled on the porch, balancing plates on our knees and sipping from steaming mugs.

Everybody has a thousand questions for Tess. I perch next to her on the porch railing, watching for any sign that she’s getting overwhelmed.

I feel a bit like a guard dog being so protective of her, and I tell myself it’s only because I know how loud and overenthusiastic my family can be.

Tess actually seems to be enjoying herself, fitting in a few bites of toast every few minutes as she explains how she came to take over Léon’s farrier business.

Shel has escaped the spotlight by taking a spot on the porch steps, where she’s having a quiet chat with one of my youngest cousins, Jeanette. She’s seventeen, so it’s not like they’ll be besties, but still, I can’t help thinking of all the times I’d sit out on those steps with Maddie during family events.

We’d pretend we couldn’t hear our parents calling us in to eat. I’d usually be keeping myself busy whacking something with a stick while Maddie shared science facts from the latest non-fiction book she’d taken out at the library in Saint-Jovite.

“She seems sweet.”

Natalie’s voice pulls me back to the present. Maddie is on reception duty at the inn today, so Nat promised she’d stop by and get all the updates for her.

No one is safe from the La Cloche gossip mill.

“Her name is Shel, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right,” I answer. “She’s a cool kid. She really likes animals. Even the weird ones like Joaquin and Monsieur Fromage.”

Natalie chuckles. “Seems like she’s going to fit in here just fine.”

Chapter 10

Tess