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Rachel was grateful. She knew he didn't understand what had happened, but, once again, he had sensed her distress and intervened.
"I didn't realize you knew Fran Thayer," he said as they passed the charcoal pit.
"Is that her last name? She didn't tell me."
"What's going on?"
She explained.
"It wouldn't hurt you to go see her granddaughter," he said when she was done.
"It would be unconscionable. I'm not a hypocrite."
For a moment she thought he would argue with her, but he didn't. Instead, he gestured toward one of the tents. "It seems to me we were over there when you got bumped. Let me ask around."
He returned a few minutes later, and even before he spoke, she knew the news wasn't good. "Maybe somebody will turn it in to the police later," he said to console her.
She forced a smile they both knew was false. "Maybe."
He brushed his knuckles gently down the side of her jaw. "Let's go on back to the cottage. I think we've all had enough for today."
She nodded, and the three of them set off.
As they moved away, Russ Scudder stepped out from behind the lemonade concession. He waited until they had disappeared then pulled Rachel's wallet from inside the empty popcorn box he'd been carrying around and removed the money.
Forty-three dollars. Too bad there wasn't more. He stared at the wrinkled bills, tossed the wallet into the nearest trash can, then wandered toward the table the Humane Society had set up.
Earlier, Carl Painter had been asking people for donations, but Russ ignored the container decorated with a picture of a sad-eyed dog. Instead, he slipped the forty-three dollars into the plastic cylinder that sat next to it, the one marked Emily's Fund.
Chapter Sixteen
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That night, Rachel read Edward Stellaluna for the hundredth time. The beautifully illustrated story dealt with a baby bat separated from his mother and raised by birds with sleeping and eating habits different from his own. When she was done with the book, Edward took Horse's ear out of his mouth and looked up at her, his too-old eyes worried. " Stellaluna's mommy got in a accident, and then they didn't see each other for a long time."
"But they found each other at the end."
"I guess."
She knew her answer hadn't satisfied him. He had no father, no house, no extended family. He was just beginning to realize she was his only stability.
After she'd tucked him in, she went out to the kitchen and saw Gabe standing by the back door. He turned when he heard her, and she watched as his hand slid into his pocket. He withdrew several bills and gave them to her.
She counted out fifty dollars. "What's this?"
"A bonus. You've done a lot of work that isn't in your job description. It's only fair."
He was making up for the money that had been stolen from her purse and trying to save her pride at the same time. She looked down at the crisp bills and blinked. "Thanks," she managed.
"I'm going outside for a while. I'll be back soon."
He didn't invite her to go with him, and she didn't ask. Moments like this reminded her of how much there was that separated them.
Later, as she was just starting to get ready for bed, she heard him return. She finished undressing, then slipped into his old work shirt. After she'd washed her face and brushed her teeth, she went out to the kitchen where she found him crouched by a cardboard box sitting near the stove.
She walked over to investigate and saw that the box held a heating pad and a green plastic strawberry container lined with tissue. Inside lay a bedraggled baby sparrow.
On Tuesday, with the drive-in opening only three days away, Rachel was beginning to think they'd never be ready on time. She was excited about showing off the Pride of Carolina to the community. Having fireworks on opening night had been her idea, and she was making Gabe put up a row of colorful plastic flags near the entrance.
