“Busted,” said Einars, his shoulders slumping as he scrunched the hat in his hands.
“I can’t even pee now without you escaping. You are supposed to be resting with your leg elevated—not cruising over bumpy ground with your leg dangling from a moving vehicle like a broken muffler.” She turned to Isaac and Bass with a small smile. “Morning.”
“I have worked every day since I can remember. I am not stopping now that I’m home,” Einars said, setting his hat firmly on his head. “Besides, Isaac is driving me around. I’m teaching him to prune.”
“Pa, how many painkillers did you take this morning?” Sanna asked. Isaac’s eyes darted to Einars, searching for the signs he knew too well. His muscles relaxed when he didn’t find any. “I will get Isaac and Anders to help me carry you in the house if I have to—but you are going back inside. I can’t get any work done if I’m worrying about you. Then we’ll all be immobile. Right, Isaac?”
“I’ll help, too,” Bass added. Sanna gave a crisp nod and towered over her dad. She could be intimidating when she wanted to be, and Isaac didn’t mind at all.
“Bass,” she started, but never finished, as a silver truck pulled into the parking lot. It stopped and Thad emerged, a foil-wrapped pan in his hands. Sanna’s shoulders stiffened as he walked toward them. Isaac wanted to block him from approaching, but judging by Sanna’s stern face, he thought that might irritate her more.
“Hi, Einars, Sanna.” Thad nodded at them both, yet ignored Isaac and Bass. Dick. “My mom asked me to bring this over for you. It’s her Friday Night Goulash.” He held up the pan as if they couldn’t see he carried something and handed it to Sanna, who held it carefully away from her body. A waft of air brought its aroma to Isaac, and he resisted the urge to gag. Pungent overcooked cabbage and sharp undercooked onions mixed with something not quite right. Tuna, perhaps?
“You’ll need to thank her for us. That was very thoughtful of her,” Einars said, watching the aluminum foil for any sudden movements. “Sanna will take care of it for us. You know where to put it, right?”
Her lips turned up ever so slightly.
“Sure, Pa.” She moved to leave when Thad reached out for her arm.
“Are we still on for this week?”
Sanna let out a small bark of laughter, then pulled her features back into her resting stern expression.
“You serious?” she said.
“Nothing’s changed for me.” He rubbed her elbow, and Isaac hoped she’d dump the stinky pan over his head.
Bass had grown bored with the grown-ups and poked a stick at small rocks stuck in the ATV’s tires, occasionally releasing one to skitter across the gravel. He moved to the tire closest to Sanna and Thad while Isaac and Einars watched the conversation carefully for any sign they needed to jump in, though they knew that Sanna rarely needed help.
“I can’t. I’ll be taking my dad to the doctor that day. In fact, that reminds me. Bass.” Bass’s head shot up, not wanting to miss his part in the conversation even though he was practically on their feet. “I’ll leave you a note in the barn on what to do that day, okay? That way you can still help out.”
Isaac didn’t know if that was true. It sounded more like she meant she’d be “washing her hair” than an actual obligation, but Bass would be happy to help with a ruse.
“Won’t that be during the day? We can push our evening back so it won’t interfere,” Thad said.
Sanna exhaled slowly out her nose and pulled away from where his hand touched her.
“I will be busy.” She headed toward the house, and the three men watched her until the door slammed shut. Isaac didn’t even try to stop his smile. Thad clenched his jaw until a muscle jumped near his temple. Einars just looked tired. They needed to get him inside to rest.
Thad turned to Einars.
“She makes her own choices,” Einars said, giving a weak wave with his hand.
Bass was still poking at the stones stuck in the tires when one flicked out and hit Thad’s cheek.
“What the hell? Watch what you’re doing, kid.” He kicked gravel at him.
Bass scuttled to the other side of the vehicle, and Einars started to rise from his seat, wincing at the pain from the sudden movement.
“Hey now. He didn’t mean anything by it,” Isaac said, moving directly in front of Thad and holding a hand toward his chest. It took all his restraint to not grab his face and give him a much closer look at the gravel, but that wouldn’t send the right message to Bass on how adults were supposed to act. “Accidents happen.”
Thad narrowed his eyes, taking Isaac’s measure, and stepped back.
“Yes, they do. But you still have to deal with the consequences.” He looked at Einars. “Tell Sanna I’ll be in touch.”
They watched him drive away, dust trailing down the road.
“That’s just sad,” Bass said when the sound of the truck disappeared completely. Einars and Isaac laughed.
“Yeah, it is,” Isaac said. “Some guys can’t take rejection so they go after the smallest person to make themselves feel bigger.”
Before they could talk more, Sanna emerged carrying a small white trash bag and dumped it into the cans near the barn, then returned to where they stood.
“I saw the scuffle from the window.” She looked at Bass. “You okay?” He nodded, and she nodded back. “We still need to return the dish, but the worst of the smell is out of the kitchen. I lit some matches.”
Einars shuddered. “I can’t believe that woman is still sending that out into the world.”
“Dare I ask?” Isaac said.
“Imagine every bad school cafeteria casserole, then mix them together. Nothing is as it should be. That’s all you need to know,” Sanna said, looking down at her father. “Time to get you back inside.”
He nodded.
“I can stay with him. Why don’t you and Bass get some work done?”
Sanna looked from Isaac to Einars. Would she trust him to care for her dad? Isaac felt like he was being tested but never saw the questions.
“Make sure he takes it easy,” Sanna finally said. “He’s a stubborn fool.”
“Fear not, fair maiden, your father is safe from all hideous casseroles and dangerous orchard chores while I’m around.”
Sanna scrunched her face at him, a smile peeking through her confusion, then walked away toward the barn with Bass.
“Let’s get going before you’re tempted to say anything else,” Einars said.
Isaac eased him to standing and maneuvered the crutches into the correct position. His silly words might be pathetic, but he was pretty sure he saw a twinkle just for him in Sanna’s eye, and he’d say all the ridiculous things he could just to see it again.
CHAPTER NINETEEN