No Ordinary Day by Tate, Harley (best large ereader .txt) 📕

men now after her and Gloria. When she finished, she voiced the concern that woke her so early. “In retrospect, we shouldn’t have come here. I see that now.”

“Why not?”

Emma held out a hand, “Because we put you at risk. Whoever is after us might come here. You didn’t ask to be roped into this mess.”

“But Holly is family. She deserves to be with people who love her and will care for her.”

Emma cut Vince a glance. “Is that you talking, or your wife?”

He looked over her head to the farmland beyond. “Their relationship has been strained for years. With Zach not allowing contact—”

“Excuse me?”

Vince’s eyes snapped back to Emma’s. “I’d been under the impression it was Zach’s decision to not allow Sandy in Holly’s life.”

“It wasn’t Dad.” Holly spoke up from the doorway to the guesthouse. Emma had no idea how long she’d been standing there, but long enough to hear Vince’s explanation. “I tried for years. Writing letters, sending birthday cards and Christmas cards. Every time I made something in school, I’d beg Dad to send it to Mom.”

She swallowed hard and focused on the porch steps. “Everything always came back in the mail, return to sender. Eventually I stopped trying.”

Vince rubbed his hand across his chin. “You’re telling me Sandy cut you out?”

Holly nodded. “She never got along with my dad. They fought all the time.”

“That’s no reason to turn your back on your own daughter.” Vince’s jaw worked as if he wanted to say more, but he forced the words back. “I’m glad you came, Holly. Even if your mother isn’t.”

“So does that mean we can stay?”

Vince clasped his hands in front of him. “I’ll tell you what, if you agree to help out on the farm, then you all can stay as long as you’d like.”

Holly brightened. “You mean it?”

Vince held up a hand. “It’s hard work. We’ve got a sizable operation here. Over four hundred acres. One by one, my farmhands—some guys had been working here for years—left and never came back. I don’t blame them, everyone’s got to watch out for their own now, but it’s left me in a bind.”

Gloria poked her head outside. “I’m assuming you are to thank for the food?”

Vince nodded.

“Well, then it seems only fair you join us for breakfast. I’ve made oatmeal and peaches—we should eat while it’s warm.”

Holly smiled at Vince, hope coloring her cheeks. “Would you come?”

He smiled. “I’d love to.” He tied the mare to the porch railing and followed Holly inside.

Around the large wood table, they fell into comfortable conversation, each adult introducing themselves to Vince and him in return sharing a bit about the farm and the town of Valleyville.

“We used to be the main pig farm in all of northern Mississippi, but I sold off the last of the operation to a commercial outfit a few years ago. Now we’re solely crop-oriented. It cost a few jobs in town, but I needed to slow down. Not getting any younger, you know.”

Raymond sipped on a glass of water. “I see the horse out there. How set are you on feed for your animals?”

Vince thought it over. “We’ve been fortunate this year. I should have enough to see us through the spring, then the alfalfa comes in and if we don’t sell this year, it should take us through the winter. It’s a lot of work, mind you, the harvest and all. But with all of you as added hands, it should be doable.”

Holly practically beamed. Emma wanted to share in her enthusiasm but the prospect of staying in one place that long intimidated her. Surely Dane’s men would find them here, wouldn’t they?

“What about food?” John glanced at Raymond before continuing. “We brought all we could fit in the vehicles, but it’s not more than two weeks’ worth, at most.”

Vince leaned back in his chair. “I’ll admit, shelf-stable food stuffs are my weakness. If it’s a good year, we’ll can and dehydrate and do the best we can to save everything, but Mother Nature is fickle, as we all know.”

John nodded. “If we’re going to stay here, it seems only fair we try and shore up your supplies.”

“That’s mighty kind of you, but Valleyville is wiped clean. There might be a few stores closer to Memphis with supplies, but it’s a long shot.”

Emma caught John’s eye. “I agree. If we’re going to stay, we should contribute as best we can.”

She didn’t say it out loud, but she thought a hefty dose of goodwill in the form of food and water might alleviate some of Sandra’s misgivings. Even if the woman wasn’t happy to see her own daughter, she couldn’t deny the utility of more food and willing workers.

If it gave them a place to stay for a while, then the risk would be worth it.

Chapter Eighteen

Emma

“Are you sure you shouldn’t go with them?” Gloria ran a hand up and down her husband’s arm. “If things get dicey…”

Raymond shook his head. “I’m not leaving you here alone like last time. What if someone shows up?”

“Raymond’s right.” Emma stood by John at the door. “Raymond needs to stay here and keep you and Holly safe. John and I can handle the trip.”

While Emma hoped Gloria believed her, the prospect of driving into the outskirts of Memphis filled Emma with dread. Was there even anything left worth fighting for? John checked the rounds in the rifle’s magazine before slipping it over his shoulder. “We’ll be back before dark. If for some reason we get held up, or we’re not back by the morning, assume the worst.”

A chill coursed through Emma, but she forced her body to stay rigid. “Ready?” She plastered on a smile.

John nodded and headed for the door. They hopped into the Jeep and headed north with the help of a paper map from Vince and John’s innate sense of direction. Farmland stretched as far as the eye could see on both sides of the two-lane road, barbed wire fences separating