Chapter 10
Ten
“ T hat was interesting,” said Bucky. He lifted a bag of compost and headed toward a raised bed.
That’s what Jane thought, too.
Once again, Sheriff “Clueless” McQueeney had brushed off her concerns. She also hated that he questioned Bucky like he was a criminal.
“Well, the sheriff seems to have a blind eye when it comes to my problems,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t know what his problem is with me. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman or a flatlander.” She shrugged. “I’m not going to worry about it.”
At least Adam, his deputy, was friendlier. She had seen him at the diner a couple of weeks ago, and they hit it off. Not in a relationship way, because Jane wasn’t looking for one.
Truth be told, she was actually attracted to Ethan. At least when he wasn’t dismissing her. She’d always had a thing for tall, dark-haired men.
Despite Ethan’s disbelief, someone had indeed been in the barn.
But who? And why?
Jane wondered if she was in danger. Or if it was only kids, as the sheriff suggested. Maybe she should get a gun? She never thought about having one in Boston, but then she wasn’t living by herself.
“I didn’t know you lived in Framingham,” said Jane. “Of course, I never asked. It’s funny you mentioned that city, though. That’s where my late husband grew up. What are the odds?”
He shrugged.
“Did you know Mike Jeffers?”
“Jeffers?”
“Yes, I never took my husband’s last name.”
“Oh.” Bucky took a deep breath and hesitated. “Not that I remember.”
“What did you do there?”
Bucky paused what he was doing and turned to face her. “A little of this, a little of that.”
“Okaaay.”
“I’m a wanderer.” He shrugged. “It’s hard to stay in one place.”
“It’s all good,” Jane said. “We’re all on our own journey, trying to find ourselves. Some people just take longer than others.”
He finished dumping the compost and neatly rolled up the plastic bag. “Yeah,” he sighed. “I’m getting there.” Bucky picked up the rake to smooth the dirt over. “I really appreciate you taking a chance on me.”
Jane leaned against the wall and watched him work. “I’m a firm believer in giving everyone a helping hand. My husband, Mike, was the same way. He was a kind person and never met a someone he didn’t like.”
“He sounds like he was a great guy.”
She gave him a small smile. “He was.”
Jane pushed herself off the wall and walked back into the barn to grab a hoe. She wiped an errant tear and took a second to take a deep breath. It still hurt to talk about Mike. She missed him so much.
An hour later, they finished the greenhouse.
Next, she had to order seeds to plant in the flats to prepare for spring planting. There was enough sunshine during the day so she could grow vegetables throughout the winter.
Removing her gloves and saying goodbye to Bucky, Jane went back to the house.
Lost in memories of Mike, she felt a pang of sadness that she hoped would diminish with time.
She turned on the stove and put a kettle of water on to make tea. On the edge of the counter, she found the mail Savannah had brought from Boston and the latest pile from her mailbox. She’d totally forgotten it was there.
Jane sat at the kitchen table, thumbing through the envelopes, setting invitations to past events in Boston and junk mail aside to be thrown out. One plain, white envelope caught her attention. It had no address or stamp on it, only her name printed on the front. Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at it. It must have been in the mailbox. But for how long?
Who was it from? Was it related to the strange happenings in the barn? She felt a mix of fear and curiosity. Silly! Staring at it didn’t help. Wiping her hands on her pants and taking a deep breath, she cautiously opened the envelope. A single piece of paper dropped out with writing on it.
Only five words, printed in bold letters.
You have something I want.
Bucky stared at Jane as she left. She was a kind woman, and Mike was lucky to have had her in his life.
He was fortunate to come along when the sheep got loose and he helped her gather them. Well, not really fortunate since he’d been watching Jane for a couple of weeks. He knew little about sheep, except like any other animal, if you shake a feed bucket at them, they’ll come running.
Prison hadn’t prepared him for farm work, but he was smart and a fast learner. It didn’t take much to understand how to feed animals, build a fence, or any of the other chores Jane needed him for.
The sheriff was going to be a problem. Bucky noted the exact moment McQueeney put two and two together. He was an itinerant worker from Framingham. Plus, his name would be in the system.
Would the sheriff harass him? Run him out of town even though there was no reason to? He hoped not. At least not until he found what he was looking for. Where would Mike have put the information? Better yet, had Mike kept it? Would Jane be upset when she found out who he really was?
The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted Bucky’s thoughts. He turned to see Clarence walking into the barn.
“Bucky.” Clarence greeted him with a nod. “How’s it going? Is the greenhouse finished?”
“Yeah,” Bucky replied. “We dumped the rest of the soil. Jane’s back at the house.”
Clarence nodded. “Great. I’m glad you’re here to help her. The woman has tons of ideas and energy but little knowledge of how a farm works.”
Bucky smirked. “True.”
He liked Clarence. The man was talented and fair. He knew a little of Bucky’s history, correctly surmised the part about prison, and never said a word.
“Well, I just stopped by to see if anything was needed in the greenhouse.”
“We’re all set.”
“Okay then. Talk to you soon.” Clarence left.
Somehow, he needed to get into the house. One afternoon he’d helped Jane move boxes marked personal into a small bedroom upstairs. If Mike still had what he was looking for, perhaps it would be in one of those boxes.
Bucky picked up a couple of tools and was putting them away, getting ready to leave, when he heard a vehicle approaching. He peered out of the barn and saw Sheriff McQueeney get out of his truck.
Shit. Was this the end for him? Bucky’s heart raced. There wasn’t anything he could do or say that would convince the sheriff he wasn’t causing trouble.
Bucky waited for him to walk down to the barn. Instead, the sheriff headed in the opposite direction toward the house. He exhaled slowly. Would the sheriff mention his prison stint to Jane? Of course he would, and that could ruin everything.