There would be no joy in making the midnight runs without Ned asking a million questions the next day about how the car performed. They had been a good team, she and Ned. She didn’t know how she’d carry on without his friendship and support.
A knot started to rise in her throat. She took another swig of hot coffee to settle it. She didn’t want to spend another day crying. She’d lost Ned and she’d lost Lovey. She needed to do this one last big run and start fresh somewhere far from here.
❖
Lovey finally arrived at the dirt driveway of the Duval place. She’d already stopped at Royal’s rented room and left a long note to say that she really needed to talk to her. She wrote that it was important and that she and Joe had broken up. She figured if Royal went back to her place and Lovey missed her, then at least Royal would know part of the truth. She’d left the bag full of her things in Royal’s room because she didn’t think she could carry it all the way to the Duval place.
The house seemed silent, and no one came out to greet her. She covered her eyes with her hand to block the sun as she surveyed the area around the barn. The fog had burned off and the day had turned sunny, warm, and humid. The steam rising off the rain soaked grass almost gave the air the texture of a wet blanket.
Lovey felt she wasn’t at her best. She’d rushed out of her father’s house without changing or freshening up. She felt like a mess. And to heap insult on injury, she was frantic to talk with Royal. Just when she was about to lose hope, she heard a noise down at the barn and went to investigate.
The interior of the structure was so dark that it took her eyes a moment to adjust. She called into the interior, “Hello.”
A scuffling noise greeted her hello, and a young man presented himself. He could have almost been Royal’s twin, although his lanky youthfulness placed him to be a few years younger.
“Can I help you with something?” He pushed blond hair out of his eyes after he removed his sodden work gloves.
“Hi, I’m looking for Royal. Is she around?”
“She was. I just left her sittin’ at the kitchen table a little while ago.”
“Do you mind if I go and look for her?”
“Suit yourself.”
Before she walked away, she turned back. “Are you Royal’s brother?”
“Yeah, Teddy.”
“I’m Lovey. Nice to meet you, Teddy.”
“Likewise.”
“I was very sorry to hear about your cousin.”
Teddy lowered his head and nodded. “Yesterday was a sad day.”
As Lovey walked to the house, she wondered why Royal never talked much about her brother. She’d mentioned him once, talked about how her mother babied him. Despite that, her first impression was that he seemed like a nice young man.
She stepped up on the porch and knocked lightly. No response. She pulled the screen door open and peeked inside. “Hello? Is anyone home?”
Lovey was beginning to feel like she was looking for a needle in a haystack. And the day was swiftly passing her by. It was probably past the lunch hour. She’d not eaten since the previous day and felt a wave of light-headedness.
She heard footsteps behind her just as she swayed a little on her feet. “Hey there, don’t go passin’ out on me!” Teddy stabilized her with a hand at her elbow. “Why don’t you come in and sit down? I was just goin’ to scrounge some lunch. Are you hungry? Do you need some water?”
Lovey nodded and followed Teddy into the house after he kicked off his muck covered boots.
“Take a seat and I’ll fetch you some water.” He primed the pump at the sink, sloshing water into a glass, and then handed it to her.
He took the leftover breakfast biscuits from under a towel and set a few on a plate along with some slices of cured ham, some butter, and blackberry preserves.
“Thank you. I think I do need to eat something.” Lovey smiled weakly.
“Help yourself. There’s cheese too. I’ll get some from the icebox.”
Teddy settled into the chair across from her. His resemblance to Royal was shocking and unsettled her a little. Where was Royal? She needed to see her badly.
“Do you know where I might find Royal?” asked Lovey.
Teddy studied her for a moment as if he was weighing how much to say to her. “You should eat something, and then I’ll help you find her if she doesn’t come back to the house. I’ve one more chore to see to down at the barn. If she’s not back when I’m finished, we’ll go look for her.”
Lovey nodded. She was hungry and exhausted. They ate quietly together and then she settled herself into the porch swing to wait for Royal.
The shadows were getting long across the lawn, and Royal still hadn’t returned. Lovey was emotionally spent, tired from her long walk, but anxious to talk to Royal. She decided to go find Teddy and pressure him to take her to see Royal. She didn’t think she could stand to wait any longer.
She found Teddy behind the barn ushering a calf and its mother into a pen.
“She didn’t come back yet?”
“Not yet. Listen, Teddy, I really need to speak with Royal. It’s urgent. Do you have any idea where she might be?”
“I could take a few guesses, but she might be mad if I told you.”
“It’s really important that I find her, Teddy. I think she’s in for some trouble tonight.”
He seemed to consider her words as he closed the pen.
“I suppose I could take you there. We could
