3. Harrison
HARRISON
Harrison drove north on Ambler Road, enjoying the sight of the snow flurries swirling like a haze over the little town as he tried not to let himself spin out over Mallory Fisher and who she really was.
Katie sat in the back, silent once again.
She was small for eight, so it might be a while before she could sit in the passenger seat beside him. He found himself wishing again that she had a brother or sister back there with her to shake her up a little.
Katie was smart, and her teachers always said so. She did her work and participated as required at school. But she was so quiet.
Her second-grade teacher had been convinced that Katie was just shy, but Harrison knew that wasn’t it.
Then the third-grade teacher suggested that maybe she was zoning out due to an attention deficit disorder.
The school psychologist tested her and then talked to Harrison about childhood social anxiety instead, giving him an arsenal of ways to help, and reminding him to be patient.
He’d listened and done what he could, but none of her suggestions seemed to make much difference.
The psychologist probably had it mostly right, but Harrison still couldn’t shake the feeling that when her mom died, Katie had simply checked out. She wasn’t engaging much anymore because her heart was broken and the world didn’t seem to be worth bothering with anymore.
He’d certainly felt that way himself, especially in the beginning. Now, he spent too much time worrying about Katie to let himself wallow in memories of Penny.
She spoke to Mallory today, he told himself. She almost laughed when we were at the library. And she said Mallory was funny.
He’d told his father that he was moving here for the farm, which was miraculously in his price range, and included a small house with a new roof and heater and all the furnishings.
But that was only partly true. In his heart, he was hoping that a change of scenery might wake Katie from the spell that had her moving through life like she was asleep.
They passed the fields of the community college campus and the larger stone houses on the north side of town.
So many of them were beautifully decorated for Christmas.
It almost looked like the charming pretend town a toy train would pass in a toy store display, not like a real living town filled with actual people who strung their Christmas lights and left sleds and snow boots on the porches.
Maybe we can decorate the farmhouse, he thought to himself.
He was pretty sure there was still a hardware store in town. They probably sold string lights and decorations. If not, they could go to one of the big-box stores a town or two over.
Before long, the little village was behind them and he was turning onto Route One and headed out into the country.
The sky was like an enormous slate-gray blanket and flurries swirled over the road like little white tornados. The houses they passed gradually melted into more open fields with the occasional red barn dotting the hillsides.
Before he knew it, he was turning onto Meetinghouse Road and making a left at the bumpy gravel driveway with the red mailbox beside it.
“This is it, Katie-cat,” he said, a little nervous for her to see the place for the first time.
He’d been out here himself twice already. Once to see the place and put in an offer, and again with an inspector who kept mentioning things the bank appraiser would want to see.
But there wasn’t a bank appraiser, because there had been enough cash from Penny’s insurance to buy the place outright. It was a bittersweet irony, knowing how much she would have loved for them to have a home of their own.
A leggy rhododendron hedge flanked the driveway for a while, then suddenly opened up to reveal a rolling hillside with two barns and a small white farmhouse with black shutters.
“See the little house?” he said to Katie. “That’s where we’ll live. You can choose which room you want.”
“Okay,” she said.
He tried not to let her indifference hurt him, but his stomach twisted with disappointment anyway.
Be patient, he reminded himself.
Of all the advice he’d gotten about Katie, that bit was the hardest to follow.
He parked the truck and got out. The wind ran its icy fingers through his hair, leaving tiny snowflakes in its wake.
“Chilly up here on the hill,” he said conversationally to Katie, not expecting a reply.
They headed up to the porch together, and he retrieved the key from under the welcome mat.
“Here we go,” he said, opening up and reaching inside to flick on a light.
He’d hoped she would run in and start investigating. But Katie simply stayed by his side, so he stepped indoors himself, sliding off his boots and leaving them on the mat by the door.
Katie did the same, then followed him down the little center hallway, past the antique sideboard and the openings to a small living room and dining room, to the kitchen at the back of the house.
“This is my favorite room,” he told her. “Because when you look out the window, you can see the barn and the hill.”
Katie nodded, not taking a single step toward the window to see for herself.
He would have loved to try and get her attention by showing her the baking things, but sadly the kitchen wasn’t very well equipped yet.
“There’s a back door,” he said, pointing to it. “That’ll get me to the barn a little faster. And down there is the cellar.”
“Okay,” Katie said.
“And we’ve got three bedrooms upstairs,” he said. “You can take your pick.”
“Right now?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s go have a look.”
They trooped up the stairs together and looked at the rooms. They were probably nothing to write home about in anyone else’s book, but Harrison loved them.
Each had a sloping ceiling with built in drawers in the eaves, and sconce lights on the walls with old-fashioned etched globes.
One room looked out on the front lawn and the driveway, another was over the side of the house and the fields, and the last one had a view of the hillside in back and the creek that wended its way along the valley.
“What do you think?” he asked Katie.
“They’re all good,” she said politely.
“Do you want to keep an eye on the driveway for when Grandma and Grandpa come?” he asked her. “Or do you want a view of the cows? Or the hill?”
She didn’t answer, but he decided to wait her out.
“Hill,” she said after a moment.
“Okay,” he told her. “Great. You’ll have the room overlooking the hillside. Should we start carrying stuff in?”
She nodded, and they went back down the stairs and pulled on their boots again.
When he opened the front door, they were both a little startled as a skinny tabby cat skittered off the porch and looked back at them, its eyes wide.
“She’s scared,” Katie said, freezing in place.
“She’s probably one of the barn cats,” Harrison said automatically. “No one has lived in the house for a while.”
“Maybe she’s curious,” Katie said, eyes locked on the cat. “Do we have any food?”
“Just your granola bars in the car,” Harrison said. “We’ll go shopping after we unload.”
“Can I feed her one?” Katie asked.
“Sure,” he said. “If she’ll take it. Barn cats are basically wild animals though, so she probably won’t want to come near you.”
“Okay,” Katie said. “I’ll try.”
They went as quietly as they could to the truck and he handed her a granola bar out of the bag.
She took it and hurried back to the porch, leaving him to carry in all their stuff on his own.
That suited him fine. He was just glad to see her take an interest in their new home, even if it was only in a half-wild kitten. He loved the way her eyes came to life, sparkling with intention when she came out of her silence.
And there really wasn’t all that much to carry anyway. They’d each only packed a couple of suitcases. The truck would arrive in a day or two with everything else.
He grabbed an armload and stopped short when he spotted Katie sitting in the snow, speaking quietly to the shadows under the porch and holding out a bit of granola bar on her open palm.
He walked around the house to let himself in the back door so he wouldn’t frighten the little animal any more than it already was.
She’s only going to be disappointed, he reminded himself. But he was still happy to see her trying.
After a few more trips, Harrison had everything in the house when he spotted a figure approaching from the barn.
“Hey there,” the man called out in a friendly tone, giving Harrison a wave.
“Hey,” Harrison called back to him, striding down to meet him. “You must be Brian.”
“Sure am,” the man said with a big smile. “I’ve been taking care of your cows and horses for you.”
“Thank you so much,” Harrison said, meaning it.
The seller had offered to keep an employee tending to the herd and the pair of horses daily until Harrison’s arrival—something he never would have thought to negotiate, but which had allowed him time to pack and come out here today with Katie without having to hire help from afar.
“It’s my pleasure,” Brian replied with a smile. “He paid me through tonight so you could get settled. But you can join me later, if you want the lay of the land.”
“That would be fantastic,” Harrison said, relief washing over him. “I appreciate it.”
“No problem at all,” Brian said. “Glad you’re keeping it a dairy farm. It’s a pretty place.”
“Sure is,” Harrison agreed. “You live around here?”
“Yep,” Brian said. “We’ll talk about it tonight. I don’t want to slow down your unpacking.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Harrison said.
They headed to the front of the house together, where Katie was still curled up on the ground, holding her hand out.
“That your little girl?” Brian asked with a grin.
“That’s Katie,” Harrison said, nodding. “She’s trying to tame a cat.”
“Skinny little striped thing?” Brian called out to Katie.
She looked up with interest, nodding her head.
“That’s the runt,” Brian told her. “The other kittens wouldn’t have anything to do with him. He’s six months old now, I’d say. Whatcha got there for him?”
“Granola bar,” Katie said, frowning.
“There’s milk in the house,” Brian said. “Mr. Radcliffe had me leave a few things for you—loaf of bread, can of tuna, jar of peanut butter, that kind of thing. He might come to you if you have milk or tuna.”
“Can I, Dad?” Katie asked, her eyes lighting up.
“Sure,” Harrison told her.
She was scrambling up the steps before he could say another word.
“Sweet little thing,” Brian declared, watching after her.
“I’m hoping she likes it here,” Harrison said, his eyes on the ground. “It’s been hard since she lost her mom.”
“Hey, I’m sorry to hear that,” Brian said, his voice deepening with sincerity.
“Thanks,” Harrison said, hating the sympathy, even though it was genuine. “We’ll talk later.”
“Sure will,” Brian said. “I actually parked back by the barn, so I’m off.”
“Good enough,” Harrison said, waving to him.
“I opened the tuna,” Katie called out breathlessly as she ran back out of the house with a chunk of tuna on a china plate.
He watched her crouch down by the porch again. This time, she placed the plate down and backed up a little.
He meant to go on inside and see what else was there so he could make a grocery list. But something about the way Katie was focused on the shadows beneath the porch was so arresting that he couldn’t seem to move.
The wind picked up, but his fierce little girl stayed perfectly still, her eyes fixed on the darkness.
A moment later, the shadows seemed to move as the little cat stole from his hiding place on silent paws.
He was obviously still scared—low to the ground, tail curled under—but the scent coming off the plate must have been irresistible.
Katie didn’t move, but Harrison could sense the excitement coming off her in waves.
The cat stopped a foot away from the plate, sniffed at the air, then ventured a little closer.
Harrison held his breath.
When Katie still didn’t move and the plate didn’t attack, the little fellow was apparently satisfied.
The next thing Harrison knew, the hungry little creature was lapping at the tuna, bolting it down and then licking the plate.
“Good job,” Katie crooned softly. “That’s so nice to eat.”
The cat looked up at her, ears back, and flicked his pretty tail, clearly displeased.
“Yes,” Katie went on, unafraid. “You’re a good eater.”
The cat seemed to decide that she wasn’t a threat and turned back to licking the empty plate. When he was satisfied that absolutely nothing was left, he rose from his crouched position to stand tall for a moment, his tail held up straight as an arrow as he studied Katie with beautiful yellow eyes.
A smile of wonder lit up Katie’s features, and for a moment, Harrison couldn’t breathe.
But the sound of Brian’s car rumbling down from the barn sent the little cat skittering back under the porch again.
“Oh,” Katie said sadly.
“That’s okay,” Harrison told her. “We’ve got more tuna.”
“Maybe we can get cat food at the store?” Katie suggested, longing in her eyes.
Harrison was pretty sure the barn cat was doing just fine on field mice. And it was unlikely to wind up in a collar with a bell, sitting on Katie’s lap by the fire. But he certainly wasn’t going to discourage his daughter from trying to connect with it.
“Sure,” he told her. “Maybe he’d like that.”
She turned back to the shadows under the porch, apparently satisfied.
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, smiling when he saw the message.
MalloryBakes
knock knock
He responded as he always did.
Who’s there?
norma lee
Norma Lee who?
norma lee i don’t meet up with strangers on the internet :)
He chuckled, shaking his head and picturing the real Mallory actually sending him this corny stuff.
Well I’m glad you made an exception. I had fun today.
me too
He waited, but she didn’t write anything more. It was probably for the best, since he had plenty to do today. He slipped the phone back in his pocket and pulled out his keys.
“Ready to go shopping?” he asked Katie, feeling a little more hopeful about everything.