Free Diane Greenwood Muir - Bellingwood 06 - A Season of Change by Diane Greenwood Muir Page A

only two fifteen and she felt like she had already dealt with an eighteen hour day. This one needed to be finished.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SEVEN

     
    Polly woke the next morning feeling much better. Henry had waited until the boys had gone home and come over with pizza, ice cream treats and Mountain Dew. He’d reluctantly gone to his own home after they watched television, worrying that the vandal might try something, but Polly made him leave. She assured him that if something did happen, his presence wouldn’t stop it. Today she was heading to his house to start cleaning. She could strip beds and scrub down cupboards, vacuum and dust. If that made him feel better about having his parents return to Iowa, she was glad to do it.
    When she and Obiwan got to the barn, Rachel was there.
    “Good morning!” Polly said, stopping at Daisy’s stall. “What are you doing here this morning?”
    “I miss hanging out with Daisy, so since I’m working late tonight, I thought I’d come down and hug her. Is that okay?”
    “Of course it is. I’m glad you want to be here. How did the birthday party go last night?”
    “It was great! Sylvie helped me set up, but I did most of the work, so I got the tip. And it was big!”
    “Congratulations.” Polly loved the idea that Sylvie, who had been barely scraping by when they first met, was now enabling someone else to find success.
    The three of them fed the horses and turned them out. The morning was crisp, but held promise for sunshine and warmth as morning turned to afternoon.
    Polly took Obiwan back up to her apartment and called Henry.
    “Good morning, pretty girl!” he said. “How are you feeling today?”
    “Much better. Thank you for taking care of me last night. I was worn out.”
    “No signs of vandalism?”
    “None that we’ve seen yet, so I’m hoping for the best.”
    “I was worried about you last night.”
    “I know, but there’s nothing we can do until we figure out who’s doing this. Do you have cleaning supplies at the house?”
    “Everything is on the kitchen table. There’s a box of old rags there if you need them. Do you know where the laundry room is off the kitchen?”
    “I’ll find it. Don’t worry. And it’s not like I can’t call if I have questions.”
    He chuckled. “You’re right. Are you sure you want to do this?”
    “It’s not often I get to take care of you. I kind of like it.”
    “Can I bring lunch? I’ll even go to your place first and let Obiwan out for a walk.”
    “That would be fantastic. Whenever you show up will be fine. I’ll be the girl covered in dirt.”
    “I’ll still kiss your nose. Thank you again. See you later.”
    She fed the animals, pulled her hair back into a pony tail and looked down at herself. It was a good thing Henry loved her. Between dog hair and horse hair, she was a mess and it would be worse by the time he saw her for lunch.
    Polly opened the garage door, got into her truck and backed out onto the driveway. She waited for the door to come back down and then jammed her foot on the brake. In bright red spray paint were the words, Pretty girl deserves this .
    “Deserves what, dammit!” Polly slammed her fists on the steering wheel. She took her phone back out and called Henry back. “I found the vandalism.” Her voice was flat. Anything else would bring more tears.
    “What happened?”
    “Here, I’m sending you a picture. Call me back.” She snapped a picture of the door and sent it to him and then waited. Her phone rang. It was Henry.
    “I’m so sorry. I can’t believe this is happening. Call Aaron.”
    “I’ll call Ken. He took reports on the last vandalism.”
    “Damn it, Polly. Call them both. How did no one see this? The place was lit up when I left last night.”
    Polly got out of the truck and went over to the light by the garage door. She reached up, gave it a quick turn and it came back on. “It was unscrewed out of the socket, Henry.”
    “But the lights were