Organically Yours: Sanctuary, Book Five by Abbie Zanders (love letters to the dead txt) 📕

O’Farrell’s and then headed back toward the farm. The urge to return to Sanctuary was strong, but she forced her hands to turn the truck back to the caretaker’s cottage.

She’d already leaned on Doc quite a bit, and her biggest fear was becoming too dependent on anyone. She needed to prove to him—and more importantly, to herself—that she was still a strong, capable woman.

That didn’t mean she didn’t spend hours on the phone with him that night, telling him about her day and asking about his. They made plans to see each other on the weekend, but as Tina curled up alone in her bed that night, the weekend felt very far away.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Tina

Saturdays were typically spent at Ziegler’s, where Obermachers had a permanent stand. Word had spread like wildfire through their small community, and Tina was inundated with locals stopping by for a scoop. So inundated in fact that actual paying customers had difficulty getting close enough to buy anything.

By lunchtime, Tina had had enough of the clicking tongues and nods of sympathy. She closed the stand, loaded up everything in the back of her truck, and left.

The plan was to head up to Sanctuary later that night after Ziegler’s closed, but Tina didn’t want to wait. She made a brief stop at her cottage, packed a bag, and drove up early, hoping Doc wouldn’t mind.

Even though she’d been there several times before, she felt weird about just walking into the lobby of the main building. Those prior visits had been when she was expected or when she had someone else with her.

Did she believe Rick’s assertions that Sanctuary was a stronghold of paranoid mercenaries with an evil agenda? No, not even a little. But she was a strong believer in common courtesy and respecting others’ privacy, so she rang the bell on the front door and waited. Noticing a security camera pointed down at her, she offered a smile and a tentative wave.

She didn’t have to wait long. Within seconds, Matt Winston opened the door and invited her inside.

“You could’ve come in,” Matt told her with a smile.

“I didn’t want to be rude. Besides, if the rumors are true, I had half a dozen sights on me, just waiting for me to make a move.”

She’d meant it as a joke, only realizing after the words were out of her mouth that they sounded terribly offensive. Thankfully, Matt’s grin grew.

“Good thing you have clearance then. Shouldn’t you be at Ziegler’s?”

“I was, but the lookie-loos and gossipmongers were out in full force today, scaring away business, so I decided to close early. Is Doc around?”

“No. He usually spends Saturday afternoons with Mr. O’Farrell.”

Tina had forgotten about that. “That means he’s spending the day with my grandmother, too. She’s been staying with Mr. O’Farrell after Rick and Bonnie got into a drunken fracas.”

“A fracas, huh?”

“A drunken fracas. Bonnie ended up taking the kids to her mother’s. I’ve been avoiding the house.”

“Smart. From what I remember, Rick has quite a temper.”

“That hasn’t changed,” Tina told him. “Anyway, when I was here the other day, Sam mentioned she uses stuff from The Mill. The back of my truck’s loaded if you want it.”

“That’d be great. Let me get some guys to bring it in.”

Tina inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Her muscles and joints were aching even more than usual—a direct result of poor sleep and lots of stress.

Two of the guys who came to help she recognized; two of the guys she didn’t. They made short work of unloading the crates, and then Matt beckoned her toward his office.

“Come on in here, and I’ll write you a check. How much do I owe you?”

She waved him off. “Nothing.”

“Unacceptable.”

“Seriously. Consider it a long-overdue welcome-home gift. It might be the last I can offer for a while.”

Matt looked like he wanted to argue, but he wisely clamped his lips together and nodded. “In that case, thank you. You know we’ll help you in any way we can, right?”

“I do, and I appreciate it. Do you mind if I hang around and wait for Doc?”

“Not at all. Make yourself at home.”

“I was thinking of checking out some of the trails, if that’s okay.” Her hopes were that a leisurely stroll would loosen her joints and help her clear her head.

“That’s fine.” His eyes even twinkled a little when he winked and said, “Just give me a moment to disarm the booby traps.”

She laughed and wondered if that was a running joke among everyone who lived there. At least they had a good sense of humor about it.

Tina started at the greenhouses. It was a nice day. Many of the glass panels were open, allowing in direct sunlight and fresh air to circulate. She breathed in the comforting scents of soil and plants, pleased to see that they’d added some dwarf lemon trees to their inventory. The lemons wouldn’t survive outside in the northeast Pennsylvania climate, but they definitely could in a climate-controlled greenhouse. She wondered vaguely about adding natural lemon to some of her existing products.

Leaving the greenhouses, she followed the trail she’d been on before, down toward the stock pond and then farther out toward the small lake. The sun was bright and hot, reflecting off the water in beautiful, shimmering bands. When her skin began to tingle, warning her that she was approaching the limit of her exposure to direct sunlight, she opted for a fork that led into the woods.

Here, the sunlight was broken up by tall, stately evergreens and an assortment of budding deciduous trees, like oaks, maples, and massive walnuts. The trail was well-worn and clear. By the looks of it, it was used often by horses and motorized vehicles.

It was peaceful there amid the dappled sunlight, abundance of mountain laurel, and the scents of wet earth and leaves that hadn’t fully decomposed over the winter.

As she walked along, Tina caught occasional glimpses of cabins through the trees and wondered if that was where some of the permanent residents lived.