Isaac couldn’t help but smile before he nipped this latest verbal tick.
“Perhaps you should keep the backside commentary to a minimum until the Lunds get used to us. As shocking as you may find it, not everyone thinks farts are as funny as you do. Got it?”
“Got it.”
With a skip, Bass took off at a run to weave between the apple trees, juking back and forth. Isaac wasn’t sure if he was envisioning an epic lightsaber battle or an end-of-game touchdown run, but he knew it had nothing to do with their actual surroundings. But it was the surroundings that Isaac was counting on to give the two of them some much-needed sanctuary.
Watching Bass’s unbridled play, Isaac knew he had done the right thing. He didn’t need to know the truth yet. One more summer of innocence.
? ? ? ? ?
As they approached the tree line, Issac saw Einars and Sanna waiting for them at the same time Bass did. He stopped running and returned to his dad’s side, walking half a step behind him, still not ready to leave the safety of his dad’s shadow. Isaac wasn’t used to this reticent side of Bass—but what else could he expect when he took him from everything that was familiar?
Einars and Sanna stood on gravel, twin stalks of denim and plaid. Einars’s wispy gray hair shook in the morning breeze while Sanna’s didn’t move. It was pale with a hint of red, like the first blush on a ripening apple. You had to see it in the sunlight to make sure it was really there.
They hadn’t spotted them yet, so Isaac took a moment to watch her as she plucked weeds from the gravel drive. When she stood, she was almost as tall as her father and she owned every inch. Her spine was straight and challenging, her movements concise and efficient as she bent at her waist and tore the plants up in quick yanks. She moved as much as she needed to, exactly as she needed to. There was a certain unself-conscious grace in it. Her mouth was a straight line on her pale, smooth skin. For someone who must spend a lot of time out of doors, this seemed a mystery until she put on a floppy, wide-brimmed hat with open weaving and a long strap to keep it from falling off.
He wanted to stand there all day drinking her in, enchanted. Before taking his first step onto the gravel parking lot, Isaac paused, his feet still buried in the damp grass of the orchard. He could feel a pull from behind his navel drawing him straight toward her. He hadn’t noticed it in yesterday’s introductions, he’d been too focused on Bass and getting him settled into a new place. But today there was no question.
Good Lord, he had a full-blown, five-alarm crush on the boss’s daughter.
He stepped back, bumping into Bass.
“Dad!” he yelped.
Both Einars and Sanna turned to them. Isaac’s chest thumped as her eyes hit his, then turned to Bass without even a pause, no recognition that she felt a pull in his direction. He straightened his shoulders and gave in to the magical tow line drawing him forward. Not like he had a choice—he couldn’t exactly go back to the trailer. As soon as he gave in, a smile spread across his face and his steps lightened.
“Morning,” Einars said as Bass and Isaac joined them. “Sleep well?”
“Very. It’s been a long time since I fell asleep to the sound of leaves rustling outside my window.” He watched Sanna out of the side of his eye. She stood still, watching her dad speak but clearly mentally somewhere else.
“Good, good.” He nodded, his blue eyes flicking from Isaac to Sanna. “You’ll start the day with me and the young man can help Sanna clean up the mess from yesterday. Isn’t that right, Sanna?”
Sanna jolted at the sound of her name and looked from her father to Bass to Isaac. Isaac gave a little smile to her, but she looked back at Bass, who was standing so close to Isaac he was stepping on his foot. Isaac gave his shoulder a little squeeze to reassure him, and himself. Why couldn’t Sanna be a bit more friendly toward Bass? He was a good kid and obviously uncomfortable with the prospect of being alone with her. Was she completely oblivious to it?
“Yes,” she said. “Follow me.” She turned and walked toward the barn. Bass looked up at Isaac, and he winked.
“Just listen to her instructions and be friendly. I’ll see you in a bit.” Bass nodded, swallowed, then ran to catch up before she disappeared into the barn. Isaac felt a pang as the two walked into the shadows. She was like a thistle, regal from a distance, but get too close and it would prick you. She had better not hurt Bass—crush or not.
“Good luck,” Einars said. Isaac turned to look at him.
“Pardon?” he asked.
“Good luck. I mean it. I looked at my wife the same way you’re looking at my daughter now, and my Sanna won’t make it easy.”
He was looking at her in a certain way? Had she noticed?
“You think . . . Ha! No. Bass is a little nervous so I was making sure he was okay.” And that was partly true.
Einars sucked on his teeth as he took in Isaac’s lie, deciding if he’d let him get away with it.
“Sure.” He grinned. “Let me show you around the place.”
Isaac gave the barn one last glance before following after the older man toward the head of the parking lot. Einars stopped and turned to face the orchard.
“Here’s a quick lay of the land. Nearest the road on the south side.” He pointed to his right. “These are the Earlies—the apples designed to ripen first. As you get farther back, the apples ripen later and later in the season. The same is true for the north side on the rear of the house.” He moved his hand to indicate between the house and the barn. “In the far northeast corner are our oldest trees—the Looms. Those are Sanna’s trees, so defer to her on those. We have about nine thousand trees total, from just grafted a few days ago to very old. This land has been in our family since 1870, and we’ve been growing apples ever since.”
Einars’s eyes scanned across the landscape in front of them and landed on Isaac, taking his measure in response to this information. Isaac sensed the pride and something even more important in Einars’s words. This place wasn’t just trees and dirt, it was a legacy and a home—in the truest sense of the word.
“I’m honored you’re letting Bass and me help out here.”
Einars nodded and clapped him on the shoulder with more strength than he’d expected from those wiry limbs.
“Now, let me show you my new ride,” Einars said, his blue eyes sparkling.
CHAPTER FIVE