Page 7 of One Merciful Moment

"They're growing a garden." He wiped his hands on the back of his jeans.

Her spine straightened. She slid off the wall and landed lightly on her feet. "Can I see it?"

"Why would you want to see a bunch of plants?"

"I just want to look." She took a small step toward them.

Everything green and living intrigued her. From a young age, her grandmother had taken her into the garden, pointing out herbs and plants that could heal anything imaginable.

Except nothing had saved her grandma from cancer.

"Please?" she said.

Boone exhaled. "For a few minutes. Then I want you away from the other men."

A pull toward something familiar lengthened her stride. Plants. Soil. Growth. Those were things she understood.

Ashley followed him across the street. The closer they got, the more she could make out the rows of green, patches of turned soil, people bent over their work with quiet focus.

It looked like a community garden, but... not.

The older man who'd visited Boone's house straightened when he saw them approach. He wiped his hands on his jeans, his gaze flickering between Boone and her.

"That's Copper." Boone stopped and faced him. "She wanted to see the gardens."

"Well, this is it." Copper lifted his arms, giving her permission to look.

She stepped closer, eyes scanning the rows. Recognizing the different plants, she tried to understand why they were planted that way. Tomatoes. Squash. Beans. Even corn. All of it healthy and thriving. But their planting method made no sense.

Carrots and onions belonged together because onions kept carrot flies away, but whoever planted this garden had split them apart. She spotted basil, yet none of it was anywhere near the tomatoes where it would've helped. Lettuce and radishes were in different rows even though they grew better side by side. She moved her gaze to the corn and studied that section longer than the rest. They could have used the Three Sisters method with beans climbing the stalks while squash covered the ground. It would've made everything easier, but she kept the thought to herself.

One thing mystified her.

"It's too late in the season for half the things that are growing." She glanced over her shoulder at Copper. "Back home, the frost coming would stunt the corn and stop the tomatoes from producing."

Copper looked up at the clear, unmoving sky. "The weather's been holding longer than it should. Longer than it ever has. We're lucky. What we're growing is keeping us from starving. The first three months while we waited for the plants to produce were... rough. But at least we had the food in the store to ration. Now we're relying on the crops."

Starving?

She gazed back at the rows, at the people working them, at the careful organization, and at the seriousness in every movement. This wasn't a hobby garden. They were using what they grew to survive.

That explained the salads and fresh produce Boone put on the table each day.

There was no meat.

Chapter 5

Boone

––––––––

Boone woke with a start. His eyes snapped open before his mind caught up. The house was too quiet.

He sat up and looked toward the bedroom door. It was open. Ashley always slept with it closed while he took the couch each night.

She wasn't supposed to wander. Not alone. The men were out there. Anything could happen.

And it wasn't only the men who were dangerous. No one knew when the next storm would arrive or what it would bring. When the men got scared, no one was safe.