Raspberries and Vinegar (A Farm Fresh Romance Book 1) (3 page)

Zach sucked in a deep breath. How many times had they had this discussion? “I need a job first.”

“I’m sorry, Zachary. I just want to see you settled. Happy.” The kettle whistled, and Mom rose to fix the tea.

Time for a subject change. “What did the doctor have to say about Dad’s condition? Give me the details.”

Mom’s shoulders slumped. She set two ceramic mugs on the table and sank back into her chair, burying her face in her hands. “He’s weak as a baby. He can’t even stand up without support.”

“I’m sorry.” Zach reached over and gently pulled her hands away from her face. He rubbed his thumbs along her palms. “I’m sure they’re doing all they can for him. What happens next?”

She tugged loose and reached for a tissue. “Physical therapy. Weeks. Maybe even longer.”

Weeks he could handle, probably. More than that? “I see. Long-term prognosis?”

“Most... victims... resume normal life within a year.”

Victims.
Ouch
. “A year? That’s a long time. How will you manage the farm with Dad out of commission?” So much for changing the subject.

Mom blew her nose. “I haven’t talked to him about it. He’s too busy trying to keep his head up as it is. But I thank God you were able to come home at all. Maybe you’ll stay and help out as long as it’s needed?”

As he suspected. Obviously it was time to clear the air. “Right now I can’t promise a year. I can give you a few weeks, maybe more, depending on the job situation. Remember, I have quite a few résumés out. Someone is sure to call soon.” If they could balance his receipt of the president’s award with the fact that he didn’t have a recommendation from his last employer. That smarted.

“I’m trusting God you’ll do what’s right.”

Zach clenched his fingers against his knee to stop the jittering. “I’m supposed to put my future on hold?”

She bit her quivering lip. “I wasn’t thinking of it as on hold. More
t
hat God could provide what you need right here in Galena
Landing.”

His mother knew this wasn’t
what he wanted. How could she pray against her own son? Zach didn’t have much of an in with God these days. Of course, it was entirely possible He wouldn’t answer her prayer anyway. Didn’t He have bigger things to worry about than this little farm so far north in Idaho they nearly bumped the Canadian border?

Zach pushed his mug of tea aside. “How about praying for one of my sisters to move back here?”

Mom twisted the tissue
into knots. “You loved the farm so much wh
en you were a boy. And your sisters are already seeking God in everything they do.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t say no to Cindy and Tom bringing the grandkids closer. You know I miss being a part of their life. But God called them to a vital ministry in Denver.”

“And I’m not doing anything important because I’m not a youth pastor? Or teaching ESL in Thailand?”

“Oh, Zachary. That’s not what I meant at all.” She dabbed her face with the tissue. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

What other meaning could there be?

“I’m sorry, son. How about I just pray for you and ask God to do what He wants with your life? I’ll try not to plant ideas of my own, though He certainly knows my mother heart.”

Zach pushed his chair back. “Fair enough. I can’t say I’d mind having God on my side.” Once that had been his normal life.

“Then you’ll come to church with me in the morning?”

She had him cornered.

Chapter 3

“Really? This town has no farmers’ market?” Jo leaned against the counter of Nature’s Pantry in downtown Galena Landing. “Why?”

The owner, Gabe Rubachuk, shrugged. “Someone tried starting one a few years ago, but it didn’t last. Nobody quite knew what to do
with it.”

“What do y
ou mean,
do with it
? People sell their garden excess to people who don’t have any, or they purposefully plant in order to sell.” Didn’t seem that hard to her. When she’d met Gabe and his wife Bethany at church the day before, she’d assumed they’d make great allies. After all, they were about her age and owned a health food store. Somehow, though, Gabe didn’t seem to have caught Jo’s vision
.

“Yeah, well. There was some of that going on, but not much. The sellers didn’t come regularly, and then the few people who were counting on fresh vegetables couldn’t get any.” Gabe bit his lip and stared at the far corner of the store before looking back at Jo through his intense brown eyes. “It should have worked, but it didn’t. The final straw was when the town council took notice and figured the vendors should have a business license.”

She could feel her eyes bugging out. “Every single one of them?”

“Yeah. Rules, you know.” He tugged at the cuffs of his university sweatshirt.

“But that’s ridiculous. If they’re members of the farmers’ market association, then one set of annual dues covers all that.”

He frowned. “What association?”

Jo waved her hands, taking in the whole musty herb-smelling store, the whole town, maybe the whole world. “Did they ask anyone from somewhere else how to set things up? A place with a thriving market?”

“I don’t know.” He pulled back. “Look, Josephine, it was while I was away at college. I’m not up on the details.”

There she went again, pushing people until they got defensive. She had to learn to stop that. “Any other ideas of how I can source fresh local food? Not only for my roommates and I, but also for Galena Hills Care Facility. I’m working there part-time. I don’t want those poor old people to keep having to eat produce with all the nutrition drained out of it from so long on a truck.”

Gabe scowled. “I carry a line of organic canned vegetables.”

Did she dare tell him that barely touched her hopes? “I’ll keep it in mind, but they probably don’t come in number ten-sized cans. How about bulk frozen?” That would be a bit closer to the real thing.

“I’ll ask my mother-in-law about volume orders. She used to own
this store.”

Jo nodded. “That’d be great as a st
op-gap, but we’d really like to hook into whatever is going on with food from the area.” She leaned forward. “My roommates and I were thinking of organizing a little festival later in summer, seeing what our neighbors and friends could bring that they’d grown themselves.” Assuming they’d made any friends by then. “We won’t have a lot ourselves, other than from the garden we’ll put in and fruit already growing on the farm. Looks like lots of raspberries, at least. Do you and your wife plant a garden?”

A sma
ll grin played about his lips. “No, we live in the apartment above the store so we don’t have any land. And besides, Bethany is pregnant.”

“All the more reason to have good fresh food.”

He shook his head, the grin mostly intact. “You don’t give up, do you?”

Jo’s grandfather used to call her a little Chihuahua. Yap and grit in a pint-sized package. She tried a deprecating smile. “Not often, no. Sorry if I come on too strong. I’m just really passionate about knowing where my food comes from, the closer to home the better.”

Gabe waved a hand around the store with its wooden shelving and a few metal racks. “Not much here that’s local. I buy from the same suppliers every other health food store does in the Pacific Northwest.”

“That could change. Have you ever thought of putting a produce cooler in here? You could sell vegetables and fruit. Meat, even.”

“Super One Foods has everything most people want.” Gabe shook his head, grimacing. “I’ve got some loyal customers, but most don’t want to pay extra for organics. I do best on the vitamins and supplements. Or I used to.”

“See, that’s the thing. Just because something is organic doesn’t make it better.”

By the look on his face, she’d lost him. She tried again. “Most of the organic companies are mega-businesses, like regular grocery store brands. They may not use the same types of chemicals, but they’re still raping the land. It’s called agribusiness.”

“It’s called free market.” Gabe placed both hands on the counter and leaned toward her. “I can buy some of these organic brands, like the pasta, cheaper now than a few years ago. It’s all about price, and I’m just a little guy. It’s hard to compete with the big grocery chains.”

That wasn’t the point. “You sound about ready to give up.”

Gabe glanced toward the door and lowered his voice. “Look, we bought this business from Bethany’s mother three years ago. Since then, Super One has put in an entire aisle of organic food and expanded their vitamin selection. I honestly don’t know how long I can keep this place running.”

Jo vowed to buy as much from Nature’s Pantry as she could, even if it meant canned vegetables. “So what are you doing? Just letting it slide? Or are you fighting back?”

He closed his eyes for a second and rubbed his hands across his face. “I don’t know. If I could bail without losing my shirt, I probably would. But Galena Landing means everything to us. This is where we want to raise our kids.”

“Does Bethany work in here with you?”

“We can’t afford that.” Gabe’s eyes softened. “She’s a nurse. Commutes to the hospital in Wynnton. It’s nearly an hour’s drive each way, and the twelve-hour shifts are killing her. She can hardly wait for maternity leave, but it’s still a long way off.”

Jo used to dream of marriage and babies herself. She and her friends had all but given up. They’d stopped looking when the Mr. Rights didn’t materialize during college. Instead, they’d chosen to pour their energy into creating the kind of world they wanted to live in. Didn’t mean Sierra didn’t turn the head of every guy who saw her. Didn’t mean Jo didn’t crave the kind of love Gabe obviously had for his wife and unborn child.

“That’s a brutal commute.” It probably wouldn’t be polite to ask about the efficiency rating on Bethany’s car. Claire would kick her shin if she’d been there and Jo asked a question like that. Jo forced herself to focus. “So you’re saying you’re going to fight.”

His brown eyes bored into Jo’s and he took a deep breath. “By default.” He laid his hands palm-up on the tile counter. “But how?”

She couldn’t help grinning, but the bell jangled as someone came into the store. Gabe glanced past Jo and his face brightened.

Jo backed away from the counter to let his new customer in. “It was nice meeting you. We’ll talk again another time.”

“Nemesek!”

“Rubachuk!”

A clenched fist flashed past Jo’s shoulder and thumped into Gabe’s.

She tensed, her traitorous heart zipping at full speed. Zachary.

“Hey, man. What’s up?” Gabe had clearly moved on.

Jo turned and pasted a smile on her face. “Hello, Zach.”

“Jo! Hi there.”

He wasn’t really looking at her but at Gabe. She could take a hint. She shouldn’t even think twice about him. They had nothing in common. Not really. But her heart didn’t understand there was no point doing somersaults in his presence.

***

Zach stepped aside as Jo turned toward the door. She sure seemed in a hurry to leave. He hadn’t meant to break into her conversation with Gabe. “Have you been stealing candy from old ladies lately?” he called after her.

She froze, her back to him. “Pardon me?”

“Aw, you heard me.” He glanced at Gabe. “That’s what she does, man. Goes around that nursing home and makes the old people feel bad for stashing peppermints and gingersnaps.”

Gabe looked uncertainly from one to the other. “Not the way I heard it. She was looking for organic veggies a few minutes ago.”

Jo swung back, glaring at Zach. “That’s how you see my job?” Her face flushed a becoming shade of red.

Why hadn’t he noticed before that she was no taller than his armpit? She was kind of cute, all frazzled. This time she looked like a normal human being clad in jeans and a sleek-fitting fleece jacket, not grungy from cleaning and not formal for work. That green was a nice color on her.

She tapped her foot. “Is it?”

He angled his head. “I was just teasing. I’m sure you have everyone’s best interests in mind. Don’t worry, I’ll just keep bringing her more.”

Now if only he could read the expression on her face as she opened and closed her mouth a couple times. But no go. She swiveled and hoofed it out the door.

Gabe’s voice came out in a drawl. “Pretty little gal, isn’t she?”

“Not that I’m looking. She’s just a fun one to hassle.” Zach watched through the window as Jo mounted a bike and rode off.

“You’re well rid of Yvette, you know. She wasn’t worthy of you.”

Trust Gabe to get right to the point, taking all the fun out of tormenting Jo. “That’s not the way I heard it.”

“Who you going to believe, me or her? You’ve known me since we were yay high.” Gabe measured off the height of his store counter. “You only knew Yvette for few months.”

“Should’ve been long enough.”

Gabe chuckled. “You’re talking to the wrong guy. I knew Bethany for ten years before I popped the question.”

Zach couldn’t help grinning. “Not true. I think you proposed when you were twelve.”

“Fourteen.” Gabe hooted and slapped the counter. “But that wasn’t asking. I told her.”

“Semantics.”

“Hey, I’m sorry things didn’t work out with Yvette.” Gabe straightened a pile of business cards. “But I’m also relieved. She wasn’t the right girl for you.”

“So it turned out.” He still couldn’t believe she’d been sleeping around while professing devotion to him. And he’d been dumb enough to ask her to marry him.

His buddy chewed on his lip and restacked brochures on the counter. Finally he looked up. “I’ve been praying for you.”

Zach took a deep breath. “Well, I could use some divine intervention. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
I took that temp position with the assumption of something permanent at the other
end.”

Gabe grimaced. “So your job’s gone.”

“You guessed it. Not only that, but Jeff already spread the word around that I’m not reliable.”

“Jeff. Who’s that, Yvette’s dad?”