feet of pasture and I’d be standing in front of the grand, twelve-foot-high stone wall. Moving within a foot of the wall, I could see moss growing in a few crevasses. The hours, days, weeks, years, it took to build this wall—I couldn’t help but stand in awe. However, I wanted to be on the other side.
I desperately wanted to touch it, but was afraid I’d damage it somehow. I thought about Rule 9–anyone caught damaging the stone wall would be quarantined for six months.
Birds chirped. Walking parallel to the wall, I found a group of large rocks and sat. My feet needed a break. I reached inside my purse and pulled out a baggie containing a blueberry muffin left over from this morning’s breakfast.
The spot was peaceful. Especially since Jaime wasn’t here telling me about the rules.
Closing my eyes and tilting my head back, I basked in the sun. Moo. Moo. Cows. I hadn’t thought there might be an actual farm in Shadow Pines. I grabbed my purse and started my trek toward the cows.
Ten minutes later, I came upon a faded white wooden fence. Following it, I saw a herd of cattle—Holsteins. I figured a farmhouse must be nearby. I continued along the fence until it led me to a barn. Walking around the corner, I spotted a woman carrying two metal buckets.
“Hello!” I shouted.
The woman turned my way, dropping the buckets. “Oh, goodness. You startled me, Isabella. It’s Gloria Pettit. From the clinic.”
“You look a little different.” Instead of the perfectly white nursing uniform, Gloria wore a red bandana on her head, a plaid shirt, and jeans tucked inside black rain boots. “Is this your farm?”
Gloria picked up the two buckets and walked toward me. “It’s the Pettit family farm. My son is the farmer in the family. I come out and help on my days off.”
“I had a friend in grade school who lived on a farm. Twice a year I’d ride the bus home with her and stay for the weekend. I loved being a farm girl.” I smiled at the memory.
Gloria put down the buckets full of feed at my feet, then with a hand on her hip stretched to one side. “Easy to say when you’re a city girl. Living on a farm is hard work. Even for a youngster. What are you doing way out here?”
“Well, I went to look at the gate. Wanted to see the only way out of Shadow Pines for myself. Then I wanted to see the stone wall up close. Kept walking until I heard the cows.”
Gloria furrowed her brow. “You aren’t thinking of leaving, are you?”
Even though I was basing my trust level on an old piece of paper found in the safe deposit box, I decided to take a risk and tell her the truth. “I was brought here without my permission. I want to get back to my life in Darden.”
Gloria gasped, shaking her head. “No, that can’t be. The town council told everyone that you wanted to join Shadow Pines.”
Standing tall with conviction, I said, “They lied.”
Gloria walked around the feed buckets and stood next to me. Before speaking, she looked across the farm as if she was expecting someone else to be there. In a whisper, she said, “Why haven’t you told anyone?”
It struck me as odd that she would be whispering. We were in an open area on the farm, far enough away from the house, barn, or machine shed that no one could overhear our conversation. But I followed Gloria’s lead and whispered back, “It seems this town knows a lot about what I do. I didn’t know if I could trust anyone.”
“So why tell me?”
“I opened the Luster family safe deposit box this morning. Inside was a piece of paper with two names and the word trust . Your name and Thomas Moe’s were written on the paper.” I swallowed hard and a hint of tears welled up in my eyes.
Gloria smiled. “I spent a lot of time with your grandparents. Your grandmother saved my life when I was a teenager. I got stung by a bee and had a terrible allergic reaction. She knew what to do so I could breathe. She’s the reason I went into medicine.” Gloria took
I desperately wanted to touch it, but was afraid I’d damage it somehow. I thought about Rule 9–anyone caught damaging the stone wall would be quarantined for six months.
Birds chirped. Walking parallel to the wall, I found a group of large rocks and sat. My feet needed a break. I reached inside my purse and pulled out a baggie containing a blueberry muffin left over from this morning’s breakfast.
The spot was peaceful. Especially since Jaime wasn’t here telling me about the rules.
Closing my eyes and tilting my head back, I basked in the sun. Moo. Moo. Cows. I hadn’t thought there might be an actual farm in Shadow Pines. I grabbed my purse and started my trek toward the cows.
Ten minutes later, I came upon a faded white wooden fence. Following it, I saw a herd of cattle—Holsteins. I figured a farmhouse must be nearby. I continued along the fence until it led me to a barn. Walking around the corner, I spotted a woman carrying two metal buckets.
“Hello!” I shouted.
The woman turned my way, dropping the buckets. “Oh, goodness. You startled me, Isabella. It’s Gloria Pettit. From the clinic.”
“You look a little different.” Instead of the perfectly white nursing uniform, Gloria wore a red bandana on her head, a plaid shirt, and jeans tucked inside black rain boots. “Is this your farm?”
Gloria picked up the two buckets and walked toward me. “It’s the Pettit family farm. My son is the farmer in the family. I come out and help on my days off.”
“I had a friend in grade school who lived on a farm. Twice a year I’d ride the bus home with her and stay for the weekend. I loved being a farm girl.” I smiled at the memory.
Gloria put down the buckets full of feed at my feet, then with a hand on her hip stretched to one side. “Easy to say when you’re a city girl. Living on a farm is hard work. Even for a youngster. What are you doing way out here?”
“Well, I went to look at the gate. Wanted to see the only way out of Shadow Pines for myself. Then I wanted to see the stone wall up close. Kept walking until I heard the cows.”
Gloria furrowed her brow. “You aren’t thinking of leaving, are you?”
Even though I was basing my trust level on an old piece of paper found in the safe deposit box, I decided to take a risk and tell her the truth. “I was brought here without my permission. I want to get back to my life in Darden.”
Gloria gasped, shaking her head. “No, that can’t be. The town council told everyone that you wanted to join Shadow Pines.”
Standing tall with conviction, I said, “They lied.”
Gloria walked around the feed buckets and stood next to me. Before speaking, she looked across the farm as if she was expecting someone else to be there. In a whisper, she said, “Why haven’t you told anyone?”
It struck me as odd that she would be whispering. We were in an open area on the farm, far enough away from the house, barn, or machine shed that no one could overhear our conversation. But I followed Gloria’s lead and whispered back, “It seems this town knows a lot about what I do. I didn’t know if I could trust anyone.”
“So why tell me?”
“I opened the Luster family safe deposit box this morning. Inside was a piece of paper with two names and the word trust . Your name and Thomas Moe’s were written on the paper.” I swallowed hard and a hint of tears welled up in my eyes.
Gloria smiled. “I spent a lot of time with your grandparents. Your grandmother saved my life when I was a teenager. I got stung by a bee and had a terrible allergic reaction. She knew what to do so I could breathe. She’s the reason I went into medicine.” Gloria took
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