Songbird Season Read online

  A new face soon appeared in the meeting room. Shelby Dunlap was the music teacher at the elementary school, and Amy had invited her to join the club. Ashley was the last to arrive, running late because the high school’s newspaper was trying to wrap up their coverage of last weekend’s prom.

  May’s selection drew a variety of reactions from the group, just at Bev suspected it would. At the end of the meeting, Nancy asked if the club wanted to meet through the summer. “I hate to put the brakes on when we have such a good thing going. But the next few months are always so busy, with vacations and all.” In the end, they agreed to gather in early June, but take July and August off.

  Several members of the group lingered over the last of the treats, enjoying the chance to discuss more than just books. Bev, who was sitting next to Melinda, tactfully avoided mentioning the mess with Prosper Hardware’s lot. Instead, they chatted about their garden plans and how eager they both were to get the growing season started.

  “We had such an awful winter,” Bev said. “I can’t wait to get out there and get my hands in the dirt.”

  Melinda shared her excitement. Cassie and Susan were coming down from Minneapolis for the weekend, and were going to help her transplant the seedlings waiting on her front porch. There was so much to do before her old friends arrived in just a few days. But deciding on the garden’s layout wasn’t one of them.

  She had been dreaming about it for months, ever since the seed catalogs appeared in her mailbox in January. She’d spent hours with paper and pencil, adding to her design while sitting at the kitchen table or curled in her reading chair with a kitten or two in her lap. At first she considered replicating Horace’s layout, then decided to make her own. There were some changes in the vegetable lineup, after all, and she wanted to create a rotation schedule to use in the coming years.

  While she wasn’t going to have as many tomato plants as Horace did, Melinda regretted not taking the time last fall to save any seeds. Too late, she learned half of his vines were a vintage plant not easily found in catalogs and stores. Struggling her way through winter, she’d forgotten to hunt down new seeds in time to start any of that variety indoors. So this year, common tomatoes from the greenhouse in Swanton would have to do.

  The next afternoon, Melinda was restocking the garden seed display when Bev came in with a small cardboard box in her arms.

  “Hey, Bev. Can I help you with something?”

  “Yes, in fact, you can.” With a wide grin, she gently set the box on the oak showcase. “Goodness, I hope this isn’t leaking. I’ve forgotten how lovely this cabinet is. What an heirloom! Anyway, Melinda, these are for you.”

  A tangle of green vines and leaves peeked over the box’s rim. “Starter plants! Bev, these look like they might be tomatoes.”

  “You’re right, but they’re not just any old tomatoes. These, my dear, are German Pinks. It’s a heritage variety, came all the way from the old country way back when. A neighbor shared them with me years ago, when I was first married. Got carried away, of course, and started way more than I need. There’s only a few places you can get these seeds nowadays. And besides, I think passing them around is more fun.”

  Melinda had already forgotten about mentioning tomatoes last night, but her new friend remembered. And stepped forward with just what she needed.

  “Oh, Bev, thank you.” She carefully set the box behind the counter. “These are special, for so many reasons.”

  Bev leaned in and lowered her voice. “I know things have been rough around here lately. I was at the co-op yesterday, and those damn stool pigeons don’t seem to have anything else to chew on except what’s going to happen with Prosper Hardware.”

  Melinda rolled her eyes. “I just wish it would work itself out, somehow.”

  “It will. Things always do.” Bev’s brown eyes twinkled. “I wanted to thank you, Melinda, and Nancy too, for starting that book club. It’s been good for me to get out more. You were talking about your first garden last night and, well, I thought you might like to try some of these.”

  Melinda smiled. “I’ll think of you every time I pull a tomato off the vine.”

  “I’d be honored. Well, I better get started on my list.” Bev reached into her battered purse and pulled out a folded scrap of paper. “No reason to run all the way into Swanton when I can get what I need right here.”

  She turned back before entering the grocery aisle. “Oh, and Melinda? Put me down for two kitties for that spay clinic. I’ve been buttering up these strays since they arrived at our place last month. I think it’s time they made the trip to town.”

  CHAPTER 19

  It took a moment, there in the half-light of sunrise, for Melinda to remember why she couldn’t find Grace. “Of course!” she said to Hazel, who stretched out a paw and closed her eyes again. “I bet she’s bunking with Cassie.”

  Susan and Cassie arrived late yesterday afternoon, just as Melinda was finishing chores. After dinner in Swanton and a quick stop at the greenhouse for more tomato cages, the women enjoyed several hours relaxing in the living room with a bottle of wine. Her old friends were impressed with her new stuff, exclaiming over the dining-room table and other second-hand pieces that now filled the home’s awkward, empty spaces. Her farmhouse felt whole again, but Melinda was just as thrilled with the Eagle River shop owner’s promise to bring five or six of his cats to the spay clinic.

  Melinda pulled on her chore clothes and padded out into the hall, still groggy but already looking forward to a few days with her friends. The garden would hopefully be planted by lunch, giving them time to run to Mason City for that room-size rug she had her eye on. And tomorrow, the drab brown paint in Horace’s old bedroom would be erased by a fresh, pale blue.

  Hobo greeted her at the foot of the stairs as usual, but he wasn’t alone. Susan’s strawberry-blond bob was pushed back with a headband, and her faded jeans and tee shirt were ready to get to work.

  “I’m going out to the barn.” Melinda smiled at her friend. “Don’t feel like you have to get going just yet. Cassie’s still asleep.”

  “That’s good, she needs her rest.” Susan glanced up the stairwell. “How about I come with you?”

  The sky was turning a soft pink as they came down the back porch steps. Susan took in the still-quiet yard with an awe-filled shake of her head. “It’s so beautiful out here! Your peonies should be opening in a few weeks. Look at those pussy willows over there, by the garden. And those bushes … what are those, bridal wreath? My grandma had them in her yard, too.”

  “I think so, I should ask Mabel.” It was so warm, Melinda almost didn’t need her sweatshirt. “And the strawberries are starting to come up. Another week, and the lilacs will be blooming down by the road.”

  Susan took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. “I told Ray I was going to leave all my stress behind the minute we drove out of the city. I hope this weekend will help Cassie do the same.”

  Melinda unlatched the barn door, and the excited calls from the sheep and lambs nearly drowned out her voice. “Well, she seemed in good spirits last night. I know the divorce has been hard on her, though. Wait. Did something happen?”

  Susan’s face had clouded with worry. She looked toward the house, as if to be sure Cassie hadn’t followed them outside. “It’s not any one thing, but she’s in trouble. Or she will be, if she doesn’t get it together. She’s made friends at her new job, which is great, but they’re all out partying three, four times a week. And she’s hooking up with random guys. A lot.”

  Melinda frowned as she stopped to pet Stormy and Sunny, who were eager for their breakfast. “I’d seen her posts online, but I figured she’s just letting off a little steam. Who’s watching Clara and Matthew, then?”

  “I guess her mom is, sometimes. When she can’t find anyone else, she’s relying on a neighbor. But I think it’s getting to be a problem. Yesterday, on the way down here? She said Jim’s threatening to take her to court to get full custody.”

>   Melinda nearly dropped the oat scoop. “What? He’s only got a loft downtown, there’d never be enough room and …”

  “It’s not just the kids that Jim wants.” Susan frowned. “He’s threatening to take the house back, too, if he can get the judge on his side. Melinda, she could lose everything. And I’m not sure if she even cares.”

  “Oh, my God! Susan, we have to talk to her.”

  “I tried. She won’t listen to me.” Susan reached over the fence to pet the ewes. “I don’t know what else to do.”

  “We’ll try again, then. We have to.” Feeling a pang of guilt, Melinda dropped to the straw bales stacked in the aisle. “I feel terrible that I didn’t know. I haven’t been calling her like I used to, I’ve been so busy. You’ve stayed close to her, but I’ve sort of drifted away.”

  Susan patted her arm. “Distance doesn’t matter.”

  “Maybe the miles don’t. But inside … You’re right; this is bad. We have to help her if we can.”

  Cassie was waltzing around the kitchen when they came back from chores, her dark waves rolled in a quick bun and a big smile trying to compete with the shadows under her eyes. The kitchen table was already set, and the coffee pot bubbled on the counter.

  “Good morning, farm hands!” Cassie trilled as she added chopped apples to a bowl of grapes. “Melinda, that French-toast bake smells wonderful. I don’t know about the two of you, but I’m famished.”

  “It’s crammed full of cinnamon, nutmeg and cream cheese.” Melinda accepted a mug of coffee from Susan, then noticed Cassie’s unusual footwear. Her always-on-trend friend sported a pair of hiking boots that apparently had scaled a mountain or two. “Wow, Cassie, where did you get those shoes?”

  “Oh, these old things?” She paused and turned a scuffed heel. “Well, they actually are old. I got them at a second-hand store last week.”

  “Cassie Blake visited a consignment shop?” Susan laughed as she set the milk and orange juice on the table. “Are the fashion police aware of this crime?”

  “That’s Cassie Gallagher to you; or at least, I will be next month.” Melinda saw her friend’s eyes darken with sadness, but it was gone as fast as it appeared. “Now, you girls remember what happened the first time I was here. Those crazy sheep ruined my favorite pair of sandals. I wasn’t about to take any chances this time. When we come down, we always end up getting dirty.”

  “Well, you’re right about that.” Melinda pulled the casserole from the oven. “I’m not sorry I stayed, not for a minute. But my to-do list never seems to end. I’m glad I got such a deal on my furniture, I’ll need every penny I saved to buy some better appliances. The pasture fences need work, and I’ve got someone coming next month to update the farm’s electrical system. As soon as I find a way to pay for it, I should put on a new roof, too.”

  “Oh, that sounds … not very exciting,” Cassie said as she stirred the fruit salad. “I thought you might do some fun stuff, like get new kitchen cabinets, or granite counters, or upgrade the light fixtures.”

  “What I want to know,” Susan asked, “is what’s going to happen to those crazy birds in the dining room?”

  “The blue birds are staying. At least for now. Maybe forever. They’re glued on tight. And I don’t know how many more layers of wallpaper are under there. It’s like what Horace said, about so many things: ‘It comes with the house.’”

  “For better or worse.” Susan laughed and raised her mug, then quickly changed the subject when she saw the pain flit across Cassie’s face. “Well, let’s eat so we can get started on that garden.”

  ✽✽✽

  The plot was turned and ready, and Melinda had its future rows marked with lengths of twine stretched between twigs.

  “Pumpkins in the far corner, and the patch of pole beans goes here.” She pointed this way and that. “A row of carrots, then green peppers, sweet corn hills along the back. This is where we’ll put the lettuce, and the tomatoes go on this other end. And here,” she could barely contain her excitement, “is where I’m going to plant the sunflowers.”

  “Sunflowers?” Cassie wrinkled her nose. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just buy seeds at the store? Salted and ready to eat?”

  “Oh, they’re not for me. I’m planting them for the birds. If they get as tall as the packet says they will, I’ll have to stake them before the summer is over.”

  It took the women several trips to get the young plants out of the front porch and across the yard, then they started an assembly line of sorts. Melinda dug the holes with her hoe, Susan settled the seedlings and gently packed dirt around them, and Cassie followed behind with the watering can. Hobo dashed back and forth at first, trying to help everyone with their tasks but rarely succeeding, then finally flopped down in the sun-warmed grass on the south side of the garden. Sunny and Stormy made one casual stroll past the plot and then retired to the shade of the bridal-wreath bushes, where they could supervise without getting their fur dirty.

  The pumpkins had just gone in the ground when Melinda heard the rumble of tires on the gravel and spotted a gray truck turning up her lane. She hurried around the side of the house, Susan and Cassie right behind, and sighed when her suspicions were confirmed.

  “Oh, great. Him again! At least I’m not as dirty as the last time he showed up.”

  “Who’s this?” Cassie shaded her eyes for a better look as the well-polished pickup pulled in by Susan’s SUV. “Melinda, have you been holding out on us?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Hardly. He’s only a salesman. A salesman with a product I’d love to purchase, but his prices are outrageous. I’ll just shoo him away, and we’ll get back to work.”

  Chase was already out of his vehicle and, to Melinda’s irritation, was greeted by Hobo with the sort of enthusiasm usually reserved for Ed and Mabel. Stormy and Sunny had disappeared.

  “Hey there!” He flashed his bright smile and extended his hand. Melinda had to admit he was rather good-looking, but decided he was the kind of guy familiar with the inside of a tanning booth. This time, at least, he was dressed in dark jeans and a navy polo shirt.

  I guess he’s catching on, she thought as she reluctantly shook his hand. Dark colors are the way to go out here.

  “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” Chase gestured at the clear sky. The weather, as always, was an easy conversation starter. “Those rains we had this week really got everything growing, didn’t they?”

  When Melinda only nodded, he reached for the clipboard and tablet tucked under his other arm. “Well, then, I guess you’re wondering what brings me back. I just had to come by and tell you …”

  “Look, Chase, I’m really sorry, but I just can’t afford that print. I’m afraid you’re wasting your time. So, I hope you have a nice day and …”

  “Hello there, I’m Cassie.”

  She stepped in front of Melinda and took Chase’s hand, then nodded toward Susan, who waved half-heartedly from the other side of the picnic table. “We’re visiting from the Cities, old friends of Melinda’s. I’m guessing you are … maybe a new friend?” She smiled sweetly.

  Melinda stifled a groan. Was Cassie trying to play matchmaker, or hit on Chase herself? She wasn’t sure, and she didn’t care. The sun was climbing higher in the sky, and she really wanted to get the garden planted before they went to Mason City.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say we’re friends,” Chase said bashfully, glancing at Melinda.

  She felt sort of sorry for him, and tried for an apologetic smile before turning back to her friends. “Chase was kind enough to help me unload sheep dirt on his last visit. His company shoots farm aerials. They got a beautiful pic of this place last summer, but their prices are insanely high. Way out of my league.”

  “Wait! That’s why I’m here.” He slipped a flyer off the clipboard. “There’s a special going on. A pre-summer price break, if you will. Mother’s Day is next weekend, and the coming months will be full of wedding anniversaries. Our prints are twenty percent off right now
, but only through Monday.”

  Melinda sighed.

  “I know, I know, it’s not enough, is it?” Chase shook his head in frustration. “I told my dad he needs to drop it further if he really wants a jump in sales. Melinda, if it makes you feel any better, I haven’t had one person say yes this morning.”

  She thought of her frugal neighbors and laughed. “If you’ve been making the rounds in this township, I’m not a bit surprised. Maybe you’ll get lucky, and someone will take the bait.” That made Chase smile, at least. “Anyway, we need to get that garden planted, so …”

  “I’ll head out, then.” He started for his truck, then turned back. “And yeah, the last time I was here? I had to soak that shirt for two hours to get the manure out. Ladies, good luck with your planting.”

  Melinda reached for Hobo’s collar and they all stood there in the shade of the oak tree, watching Chase’s truck disappear in a cloud of gravel dust.

  “And there he goes,” Cassie said wistfully. “Melinda, he’s so cute. And I’d say he’s only a little bit full of himself.”

  Susan smirked as she took the flyer from Melinda’s hand. “What a ringing endorsement. Melinda, don’t let him get away! Quick, run after him before Cassie beats you to it!”

  Cassie swatted at Susan with her dirty chore gloves, then wandered back to the garden. Susan’s mouth fell open when she saw the prices on the flyer.

  “Dang! I see why twenty percent off isn’t much of a deal. Even if you could afford the photo, you’d still have to buy the mat and frame ‘that will preserve your memories for a lifetime and beyond,’ like it says here.”

  “Yeah.” Melinda poked at the driveway’s gravel will the toe of her yellow rubber boot. “That’s an extra hundred. I wish I had the money, I really do. It’s a one-of-a-kind view of this farm. But, it’s not meant to be.”

  The area rug, however, was the perfect fit for Melinda’s budget as well as her dining room. When they returned from Mason City, Susan and Cassie lifted the new table out of the way while Melinda rolled the flecked-tweed mat across the hardwood floor.