Free Love's Abundant Harvest by Beth Shriver Page A

heart to heart with her.
    Manny took his time going back to his farm, deciding to check and see whether the
mail had come yet. He looked up at the blue sky. The sun was straight overhead. His
mail should be there waiting for him. It would be a slow ride because he’d brought
Sweet Pea. He liked to get her out now and then, not wanting her to think she was
going to be sent to pasture.
    He’d been delivering the mail to Lucy for over a week now, but he felt a little unsteady
inside each time he rode down the path to her place. Sam wasn’t usually around, so
the awkwardness was at a minimum. The best part was, she seemed a bit more relaxed
around him. But because of her concern that Sam might not approve of him dropping
by, Manny stood in the mudroom, never entering the haus .
    Manny took in a long breath and gave himself a minute to scope out the surroundings
as he pulled on the brake. Sam was nowhere in sight, and neither was Lucy. The path
to the main road was lengthy, so they had time to see who was coming long before
a visitor actually got to their farm. Lucy usually greeted him at the door and asked
him if he wanted a drink of tea or lemonade, but today no one could be seen.
    He looked down at the two letters he held and wondered whether he should shove them
under the door, but he didn’t want to take the chance they might get lost. He decided
to take a walk around to see whether he could find either of them.
    As he strolled along, he started thinking he had chores to do and should be getting
back to his own place, but something about Lucy drew him to her. He didn’t know whether
it was an attraction or a need to make sure she was all right. He’d never seen anyone
so forlorn . . . at least until he got her talking. Then another side of her came
out that he enjoyed very much.
    He was deep in thought when he heard Sam’s voice. The sound grew, and soon Sam was
yelling . . . no, screaming.
    Manny’s first thought was for Lucy, but he held back the thought, thinking it could
be a horse just as easily as a human on which Sam was taking out his wrath. Still,
he found himself running, following the growling force that seemed to surround him.
He tried to decipher where exactly the noise was. There were a number of buildings
to pick from—the bunk haus , chicken coop, barn, and shed, to name a few. Sam’s farm
was so big he could get lost in it.
    A woman’s cry, shockingly loud, made him stop in his tracks. It directed him to where
he should go, and he was at top speed within seconds. His boots felt like concrete,
they were so slow and heavy. He drew up as he neared the door, smacking into it to
stop his pace. The large garage housed farm equipment, which he maneuvered around
to find the source of the sobbing he now heard. Lucy stood against a flatbed covering
her face with her arm. Sam paced back and forth in front of her with balled fists,
squeezing and releasing them.
    “Sam!” Manny didn’t recognize his own voice. It was calm and louder than usual.
    Sam lifted his head and squinted at Manny. “Who’s there?”
    “It’s Manny.”
    Sam stopped and looked at Lucy, who straightened with palms against her thighs, but
didn’t lift her head. “What brings you here?” He growled at Manny.
    “Just dropping off your mail.” Manny was glad he had a reason to come and now understood
why Abner was concerned. It wasn’t clear what was happening, but whatever it was,
it was not good.
    “Take it from him.”
    Sam didn’t have to ask Lucy twice. She was by Manny’s side before he could lift the
letters up to her.
    Manny tried to look in her eyes, but she put her head down and kept walking. He watched
her go, and then turned to Sam. He was back to work repairing a manure spreader.
It was a bold move, but Manny couldn’t let this go, and he took his time walking
down the aisle filled with everything from plows to carts. “Is there anything I can
help you with?”
    Sam continued to bang out a bent piece of metal, but