Evelyn's heart thumped wildly as she closed her book ("Gardening for Dummies") while the bus's automated PA system monotoned her upcoming stop. Castanet Junction. Her hands shook over the book's spine. Some man named Cain Horn would be meeting her at the depot to take her and her things to… to her new home, Clarinet District. Seriously what was with all the musical names? Not that she didn't appreciate a good running theme.
The bus trundled to a stop and Finn literally buzzed, flying around her head in excitement. Evelyn had to control the urge to flinch or reach out and snatch him while people watched her disembark. The driver was already hauling out her three huge luggage bags. Surprisingly, a barrel-chested, broad-shouldered man about the age of her dad and wearing an eye-popping yellow shirt and heavy work gloves was already hefting her baggage unto a nearby… wagon. A horse-pulled wagon. Filled with hay.
"Should I be horrified or childishly giddy about this?" Evelyn muttered as she adjusted her backpack and laptop satchel straps. It was one thing to know about it, and another to see it.
"Why would you be horrified?! We're home," Finn cried happily while still whizzing around like a deranged hummingbird.
"Good morning! You must be the long awaited rancher girl Hamilton's been all fussy over," the yellow-shirted man boomed in a voice so warm and friendly that Evelyn couldn't help but smile.
"Evelyn Tallesin, or Miss Rancher Girl, to strangers," Evelyn joked back easily. She was instantly gratified by a just as booming and cheerful a laugh. "You're Mr. Horn?" she asked hesitantly.
"Cain, to friends and strangers, Miss Rancher Girl," Cain replied with a wink. Evelyn's smile became a grin.
"I'll be off then. Nice seeing you again, Cain. My husband will appreciate this goat cheese. It's been awhile since I stopped here to get any," the driver piped up with a cheerful clap to Cain's shoulder. He tipped his hat towards Evelyn. "You enjoy your stay here, miss." He swung up into the bus, and a moment later it chugged away. Cain waved farewell until it drove out of sight with a pensive, almost sad look on his ruddy face.
"Mr. Cain?" Evelyn prodded gently. He seemed to shake himself out of a fog before grinning down at her and clapping a large hand on her shoulder.
"Just remembering how long it's been since we saw a new face come in, rather than old faces leaving. Castanet's been waiting for you," Cain told her, almost gently.
"It's true! More than he knows," Finn agreed, snuggling under her chin as Cain turned away. Evelyn giggled under her breath and cuddled him back.
"Little moonbrain. Your faith in me is still unbelievable. But hey, I'm here," Evelyn whispered.
"So, you can ride up on the seat with me, but it's probably more comfortable back here in the hay," Cain suggested.
Evelyn nodded. "I'm about numb from sitting on that bus. I'll stretch out in the back, thanks." She hopped up into the wagonbed before Cain even had a chance to offer her a hand. He chuckled, then, climbed up onto the bench while Evelyn laid out, hands behind her head and Finn sitting just below her collarbones. As Cain clicked at the horse to get it moving, Finn levelled a serious look at Evelyn.
"You may not believe in yourself, but you believe in us, in magic and fairies. That's gotta be enough for now. The Harvest Goddess will help with the rest."
"If you say so, Finn," Evelyn hummed, eyes sliding shut.
"Hey! You're not taking me seriously, are you?!"
"So, Miss Rancher Girl, mind telling me a bit 'bout yourself? My wife will be disappointed if I don't bring home something to tell her. We're two old gossips, really," Cain laughed unrepentantly.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I mean, what do you want to know?" Evelyn asked, petting Finn's ears to calm him down. His grumbly purrs were ridiculously adorable.
"Knowing my wife… what's some of your favorite foods? She's gonna wanna cluck over you like a motherhen once she sees you, young and alone like you are," Cain warned with laughter still in his voice.
"I've been pretty independent for a few years now… but well, I'd never say no to anything smothered in cheese. I love pretty much anything dairy. Oh, and breakfast! Eggs, pancakes, French toast, omelets, any and all of the above please!" Evelyn admitted. She smiled down at Finn, "and I'm not so alone as I look," she muttered. Finn preened.
"You'll fit right in at Horn Ranch. You ever wanna come by for early breakfast, you have an open invitation. On Wednesdays, my wife, Hanna, makes the best waffles. I'm partial to yogurt, myself. Can't start a day without it. What about your birthday? You gonna be staying in Castanet to celebrate it?"
Evelyn smirked at his oh-so-nonchalant, yet very pointed question. "Very late autumn. We'll see, I guess, if I manage to stay that long," Evelyn answered vaguely with a shrug.
"You look like a stubborn kind of independent young woman. I don't see a girl like you giving up on anything," Cain threw over his shoulder. Evelyn stared at his broad back, eyes wide and surprise… and gratified.
"I hope I prove you right, Mr. Cain," Evelyn replied softly.
"So… how 'bout I tell you a bit about Castanet?" Cain offered a long moment later.
"Sounds good to me."
By the time the wagon stopped rolling, Evelyn felt like she'd known Cain and his family her entire life. Stories of his daughter's antics as a girl, along with her large group of close friends, the struggles he and his wife had faced early in their marriage, the short-lived prosperity that Cain somehow managed to make sound wonderful and fulfilling, the good-willed nosiness of neighbors, and the disparaging yet indulgent affection of the townspeople towards their Mayor, all of that and more Cain narrated in easygoing, fond chatter. Evelyn spent much of the conversation (mostly one-sided conversation) wondering if she'd hate or love this little county of busybodies.
"Here we are," Cain announced, his cheerful tone sounding a little strained.
"Time really flies in a hay-filled wagon," Evelyn joked.
She sat up, stretching with a quiet groan while Cain already began to lug her bags out of the wagon. She hurried to help him, lifting the bags up high enough for him to grab them and lower them to the ground. She was so focused on the task, moving quickly to keep up with Cain, she hadn't noticed Finn's uncharacteristic silence. As she swung her laptop bag over one shoulder, Evelyn glanced around for Finn. Just as she caught sight of his tiny form hovering just beyond arm's reach, she also caught sight of what had arrested his attention.
Which was a barely more than shack sitting next to an almost ruined coop and weathered-beaten-down barn. Shutters were hanging crooked and shingles were just missing from the roof. The steps sagged leading to a door that desperately needed a new coat of paint. In fact, the entire house needed a fresh coat, as the white sides and blue trim looked more like a sad grey and sadder, darker grey. The yard was overgrown with weeds while somehow also being dead and bare in large, ugly patches. The coop and barn looked even more dangerous than the house, probably needing some serious 'tetanus shots required' signs posted on them.
"These building haven't been lived in for a few years," Evelyn's snort almost broke her nose at Cain's hesitant words, "but they're solid and livable. Dale, the carpenter, he'll give you good prices to spruce this all up once you're on your feet, and he and his son work fast." Cain clapped her shoulder encouragingly, adding a little squeeze for good measure. "I bet you'll get this old shack lookin' homey and pretty afore summer's in, Miss Rancher Girl. You come and get some good meals from me and my wife as often as you like, too. We'll be lookin' out for you," Cain reminded her gently. She glanced up into his fond, brown gaze and barely scrounged up a tremulous smile.
"That's shiny, Mr. Cain," Evelyn forced out. He cleared his throat and patted her back.
"The Mayor will be along in a mo'. Take care of yourself." He swung himself into the wagon and rattled away, waving back to her until he disappeared from sight.
Evelyn stared silently at the shack, fingers slack where they held the laptop strap, and Finn at her shoulder.
"Halloooo there!" puffed a new voice from behind her. Evelyn spun around as Finn zipped to her head and clutched at her hair. A tiny, rotund man with hair done up in shining, grey curls, like pictures of those old US presidents in powdery wigs, gasped his way towards her. He stopped to chuckle into his sleeve and wipe a bit of sweat away from his forehead and lips with a handkerchief. "It's been such a long time since I walked this far from town. It's quite warm today, too," he apologetically explained with a kind smile. Evelyn eyed the heavy layers his fancy blue suit seemed to be made of and was not surprised at all that the little man was hot even though the day still had a bite of winter to it.
"I'm… Evelyn Tallesin. Are you–"
"Mayor Hamilton Goldstein, yup yup, that's me! So good to see you! I kept expecting you to change your mind every day, I was quite wracked with nerves every day expecting that call, but it never came and here you are! A cute, cheerful, strong-looking girl, too! How lovely! Wonderful!" Hamilton enthused as he took her hand in both of his and pumped it rapidly. Evelyn felt her mouth twitch up awkwardly with a hesitant chuckle.
"Uh, thanks?" She probably should've been offended, or at the least annoyed, but there was something so endearingly ridiculous about Hamilton, she couldn't help but be amused instead. "Is this the right place? I thought, from the ad, it would be a bit… newer?" Evelyn asked as diplomatically as possible. Hamilton finally dropped her hand and hummed sadly while shaking his head.
"When the ad was placed it wasn't quite so run down, it's true. But last summer there was more than one terrible typhoon, and winter was just as hard. My son updated the site once or twice since it was made, but he hasn't been around recently to do so and I can't make heads or tails of that confounded webnet or interspace, what-have-you." He flapped one hand through the air impatiently. Evelyn felt her eyebrow twitch.
"That's lying! How mean! Why didn't he tell you on the phone? At least you don't have to pay for this!" Finn exclaimed as he flailed and kicked all his limbs around.
"It's a bargain, though, that I promise you. Just 5000 auree and you can take your time paying the town back, however long you need. Although, the carpenters won't be able to fix anything up until the property is paid for, so work hard and you'll get it paid off in no time," Hamilton assured her with a bright, sunny smile as he tucked his thumbs into the lapels of his coat and rocked on his tiny, heeled boots.
Evelyn's jaw dropped as Finn just about fell out of the air. He caught himself before he hit the dirt and rose back up with wings buzzing angrily.
"What!? That's not fair! How come you have to pay so much, that is a lot, isn't it? 5000 is a big number! I don't like him! What a big meanie!" Finn cried indignantly.
Evelyn rubbed a hand over her face, then pasted a big smile on her lips. "Okay, that sounds good to me. Thank you for the greeting. I better get started if I want to see anything before the day's over," Evelyn gritted out past teeth in danger of cracking they were clenched so tightly into a smile.
"Oho, so energetic! That's what I like to hear! Come by Harmonica Town tonight and meet all your neighbors. There's a few tools left from the last resident, oh, and I have a few gifts for you. A housewarming, welcome to Castanet, sort of deal. Here we go." Hamilton handed over a small canvas bag and rolled up scroll as he spoke. He preened happily, superbly proud of himself and his generosity. His ridiculousness was getting less cute by the moment, but really, Evelyn shouldn't have expected everything would be so easy.
The gifts ended up being a small sack of potato eyes neatly cut up for planting, and a large map of the area. It was beautifully drawn, but… nothing was labelled. Except for her little bit of property. The district her home was in was actually a pretty decent size and her house was the only one in the neighborhood other than a watermill she could see from where she was standing, but her property was not the entire bloody district. She'd have a while to walk or run in any direction before hitting any other civilization.
At least no one would see her talking to a fairy, a.k.a thin air to their perspective.
"Thank you, Hamilton. These will be very helpful," Evelyn told him in what she hoped passed for a grateful tone.
"Yes, yes, I thought they might. I made sure you got you a nice, new map and told Simon to leave off any labels. It'll be like a treasure hunt, ohoho," Hamilton chortled from behind his sleeve.
"How… fun," Evelyn ground out through a smile.
"Indeed. I will see you soon, Miss Tallesin," Hamilton told her. He bowed, making Evelyn blink in confusion, before he began to puff away the same way he'd come.
Evelyn sighed roughly, dragged a hand through her hair, and made her way towards the front door of her new house with as many bags as she could carry at once. The key she found on the windowsill by the door, under which lay a hoe and a rusty watering can. Evelyn dropped her bags inside with loud thumps, mouth back to gaping and eyes wide. Finn flittered by her ear anxiously, letting out whimpers of dismay at the piecemeal mess of the shack. There was water damage covering most of the ceiling, promising leaks whenever it rained, the floorboards were uneven and warped, the kitchen sink was rusty, and the furniture old and shabby. The bathroom was miniscule, without tub or even a shower stall– just a toilet, a sink, and a movable shower-head connected to a water tank in the corner that was barely curtained off, and the whole room made of tile with a drain in the middle of the floor. There were dishes in the kitchen cupboards, though, mismatched and clean, and the bed wasn't that bad a size with brand new sheets and pillow. The windows were all whole, though gaps showed between glass and panes. The wallpaper was rather drab– off-white with strange faded circles of various colors. Really, the outside looked worse than the inside, with the gaping holes in the roof, the mess of old, unusable lumber and bricks around the perimeter, and the chipping, peeling, fading paint. Evelyn set her laptop down on the center table and slowly sunk into a nearby chair. It wobbled slightly, but didn't creak or splinter into pieces, so… Win. Really. Win. Evelyn slumped over the table and dropped her head onto her arms.
"Evie? Evie, are you mad? Are you going to give up? I don't blame you, I had no idea it'd be so bad! But please don't leave! We can make it homey and pretty, together! And… and I'll help you make up the money, I will. I'll pick all sort of vegetables and steal eggs from Horn Ranch for breakfast!" Finn declared timorous, but desperately brave. Evelyn rolled her head to the side to peer up at Finn.
"It's shiny, Finn. Really. Serenity won't be winning any beauty contests anytime soon, but she's solid. Ranch like this, be with you 'til the day you die," Evelyn joked, a playful smile hovering around her mouth.
"What? Does that mean we're gonna die?!" Finn exclaimed, flailing and flapping around. Evelyn laughed outright.
"Tonight we'll watch Firefly on my laptop together. You'll get the reference, and where I got the ranch's name soon enough," Evelyn promised as she pushed herself upright. "All right then, time to go venture 'round. I got an empty map to fill with place names. Not to mention a field to clear up. Those potato eyes need to be put in the ground pronto. The sooner things start growing, the sooner we get money to pay this shack off and then get an actual upgrade to the place."
"Yeah! And we have to find the Harvest Goddess! Don't forget, Evie!" Finn cheered, rushing to her shoulder to perch beneath her chin again.
The rest of the morning and most of the early afternoon was spent on her own farm. Learning how to use the hoe and clearing out weeds and, lastly, planting the bag of potato pieces. It was rougher than it really should have been, even with her lack of experience. Most of the soil was coarse and dry and rocky, and the weeds were old souls with roots deep and thick in the dirt. She was sweaty and covered in soil by the time she managed to water the last potato square. The watering can and hoe were set on the porch before she took out the map and squinted down at it.
"So, obviously over here is the town, Harmonica Town. So over here, in the opposite direction is either Garmon Mine or Flute Fields. Nah, definitely Flute Fields, the Mines are gonna be up by the mountain and the whole vasty nothingness are probably the Fields over there," Evelyn muttered, pointing to each area as she said it. "Where's this Goddess Spring you said we need to find?"
"I… I don't really know. I never left the Spring until Mother sent me away and I didn't go over the town. I went over the mountains," Finn admitted sheepishly, his wings slumping wearily. Evelyn smiled fondly and patted his head.
"It's all right, sweetheart. I need to go to every place on the map eventually. Let's head out to the Fields first. I need to buy seeds and find Cain's ranch, anyway. It'd be nice to meet his daughter and maybe make a friend. Plus, check out the prices of chickens or cows," Evelyn decided with a firm nod. She rolled up the map, tucked it in the pocket of her rucksack, swung the 'sack over her shoulder, and stood with a wince and stretch. "Ready?"
"Ready!" Finn agreed with wings flapping. She grinned and took off jogging.
The road was sandy, but hard-packed, making it an easy path to jog. Along the way were blueberry and raspberry bushes, the little fruits glistening in the spring sunlight and catching her eye. Evelyn and Finn ate a couple, both of their tummies rumbling after their morning of hard work, and the berries were tart and juicy. She couldn't help but appreciate the taste of them more than any grocery-bought carton. There was something refreshing and wild about berries right off the bush that had her smiling as she jogged along the road. There was a short branch off to a small, beautiful, little beach where she found pretty pink shells and black, spiky urchins that Finn urged her to pick up to sell. 'Cain said they'll buy anything we put in the box, Evie! They've gotta be worth something!' So tucked carefully into the front pockets of her rucksack they were, along with a private promise to come swimming as soon as possible. As she rounded up the path toward a huge brick bridge and waterwheel, Evelyn caught sight of a fair-haired person… maybe a man… standing by the river with a fishing pole and tackle box. Other than Hamilton, well and Cain, this was the first person Evelyn met and she couldn't help but slow down and discreetly run her gloved hands over her mussed hair and flushed, sweaty, dirty face.
"How bad is my face?" Evelyn muttered to Finn as they walked over the bridge. She rubbed at her chin with the back of her glove as she tugged at her red shorts anxiously.
"It's not any worse than it usually is?" Finn replied in confusion. Evelyn burst out laughing at the unintentional insult, laughing even harder as Finn zipped around wildly. "What's so funny? What did I say? Why are you laughing at me? Are you laughing at me!? Evie!"
"It's nothing, really. Shh, shh, there's someone down there and they'll think I'm crazy if they hear me talking to myself," Evelyn gasped out, face even redder as she giggled breathlessly. She turned down towards the waterwheel just then.
"Speaking of them, here they come!" Finn squeaked, hiding under her chin needlessly as, sure enough, the pale-haired stranger walked up the road towards her.
"Good afternoon," drawled the now obviously male person as they neared one another. His voice was pitched enough to carry through the air, but it was somehow still quiet and slow, an dialect similar to Hamilton's if a bit stronger. His hair was so pale it seemed silver and his eyes were almost fox-like in shape. He wasn't much taller than she and his frame was slender rather than broad, though perhaps his large, shapeless clothes, in shades of light blue and white, hid most of him. His eyes opened wide as they stopped just a few feet from one another and Evelyn was thankful her face was already red because the full effect of those leaf-green eyes would've made her blush outright. "I don't know you, do I?" he realized out loud. "I thought you were Renee coming to fish, but you're new. The rancher Hamilton told everyone about, right?"
Evelyn felt her face somehow grow hotter and she wondered if one could possibly sweat from blushing too hard. "He told everyone?" she squeaked, not unlike Finn.
The pale-haired man laughed, a slow, relaxing laugh that soothed Evelyn's embarrassment and anxiety.
"You'll get used to everyone knowin' everything in Castanet. It's too small a place not to," he explained with a mischievous little smile that somehow wasn't a smirk. There was something so easygoing and pleasant about his face that Evelyn couldn't help but smile, too. "I'm Toby Fisher. And yes, I do love to fish. My uncle runs the Fishery in town, too. Fishin's in the blood," the man, Toby, joked mildly.
"I'm Evelyn. Eveyln Tallesin. I am the new rancher, farmer, whatever. I just got here this morning," Evelyn introduced, holding out a hand to shake. Toby took her hand easily, grip firm, though he didn't bother to shake, just held on for a moment before dropping his hand away. She couldn't feel them through her gloves, but his palms looked rough from calluses and a few light scars lined his sun-tanned hands, mostly around his knuckles and palms.
"And already working hard," Toby pointed out as his roughened hand reached up to rub dirt off the side of her nose. His slow grin had Evelyn laughing even as she blushed. "'m surprised you didn't turn right back around after seeing the ol' Clarinet house. It's in bad shape these days," he added with thin brows arching.
"Well, yes, and it's kinda a steep price to pay, but… I made a promise and I'm gonna keep it," Evelyn said stoutly as Finn chimed giddily by her ear.
His smile grew soft and impressed. "A hard worker who keeps promises. Sounds like a good person to have 'round here. Welcome to Castanet, Evelyn Tallesin."
Evelyn ducked her head a little and scratched the back of her head. "Nah, you make me sound a lot cooler than I am. Thank you, though, for the welcome."
Toby nodded, then his half-lidded eyes opened wide again. "Do you like fishing? It used to be a lot easier to fish, they don't bite like they used to, but we still have a variety of fish to catch 'round Castanet."
"I… I haven't fished in a long time… but I guess I don't hate it?" Evelyn replied slowly in confusion.
"That'll do for now. Here, I have this old pole. It's not the best, but it's dependable. Take it. You can sell fish for a few auree while you're waitin' for your plants to grow," Toby suggested as he handed the pole over.
"Oh! I couldn't, let me pay you–" Evelyn protested, hands waving wildly between them.
"It's a welcome gift. Take it. I live at a fishery, Ms. Tallesin, I have plenty more and this pole isn't new," Toby insisted firmly. He took one of her hands and placed the pole to her palm and wrapped her fingers around the handle. "It's collapsible, so you can carry it around in your pack, and there's a little bobber and hook. Perfect starting pole," he detailed in satisfaction as he stepped back.
Evelyn pulled the pole close to her chest in both hands, like a staff or cane instead of a fishing pole, and gaped at Toby speechless. Then, she shook her head and smiled ruefully.
"Small town folk sure are nice. Thanks, Toby. Call me Evelyn. We're definitely friends now," she told him. He nodded and smiled back, easy and slow. "Could you… tell me where I am?" she asked then.
He threw his hand back and laughed, one hand curled around his stomach as his shoulders jerked. She grinned and laughed with him. Finn fluttered between them, bewildered. "What's so funny, Evie? It's a good question!" She shook her head at Finn and mouthed 'later' at the little pixie while Toby recovered. Said pixie then pouted at her and crossed his arms sulkily.
"This is Flute Fields. Anywhere close to what you wanted?" Toby asked, his half-lidded eyes twinkling in amusement. Evelyn made a fist and pulled it towards herself in a self-congratulatory cheer.
"Yes! I was right. The map the Mayor gave me is unlabeled so I made an educated guess. Looks like my schooling really did work," Evelyn joked as she pulled out the map in question. "You wouldn't happen to have a pen, would you? Actually, no, wait, I have one… Here!"
"You just carry around pens?" Toby asked, slightly amazed.
"I'm a Classics major. I write about a million papers a semester and am about halfway done with my senior thesis on gender ambiguity in ancient Rome and Greece," Evelyn replied as she tried to roll out the map and uncap the pen with her mouth at the same time. She grimaced a little ruefully with a twitch of her shoulder. "The title is a work in progress…as is the thesis itself, but yeah, I always have a pen in case I come up with an idea," she finished explaining just as the cap fell from between her teeth and map re-rolled itself. "Da–snichel!" Evelyn blurted, eyes darting to Finn.
"Da Snitchel?" Toby repeated as he easily scooped the cap up and handed it over.
"I… I'm trying not to cuss so much? A little town like this, I wanna have a good first impression?" Evelyn ventured hesitantly.
"It's definitely a first impression to remember. Why don't we walk over to the Waterwheel? There's a fence post you can use and I can point out everything around here," Toby offered, gesturing towards the nearby building. Evelyn nodded eagerly and followed him there.
"So what is around here?" Evelyn prompted as she perched up on the fence and smoothed the map over her thigh. She was already frowning down at paper, carefully writing out 'Flute Fields' in the area she figured just to the left of where they stood. Because her attention was so focused, she didn't notice his keen gaze on her face and the strange smile curving up the corner of his lips as he dropped an extended– and unseen– hand.
"Well, right there, near where you wrote, that's Marimba Farm. There's an extra house there that Chase just moved into, but the Marimba family has lived on that land for generations. They sell seeds and crops and the like. Ruth and Craig own it now, Anissa and Taylor are their kids. Anissa's my age, though, probably a little older than you and real motherly. It's a shame she left. She'd be a great help to you and love doing it," Toby explained slowly, pointing out the areas as he spoke and leaning against the fence near her knee. This close, she could smell the faint salty tang of the ocean, but mostly sun-warmed cotton and something uniquely him. Evelyn kept her face turned down to hide the pink dusting across her nose and cheekbones.
"Ruth, Craig, Anissa, Taylor. Oh, and Chase?" Evelyn muttered to herself as she wrote in 'Marimba Farm'.
"Yup. Let's see, over here would be Horn Ranch. It's just the three of them–"
"Cain, and Renee, right? And Cain's wife?" Evelyn interrupted, a little eagerly at the fact she knew something. Toby's slow smile had the pink brightening on her face.
"Yes, that's right. Mrs. Horn is Hanna. She's just as motherly as Anissa. She'll feed you even if you say you're full, and want to know everything about you 'cause it's the best way to take care of you. She's a good old soul, if a bit nosy. Renee is a good friend of mine, however, a little younger, and sweeter than anyone I've ever met. Never has a mean thing to say and a real hand at animals and fishing, too. 's how I've gotten to know her so well the past couple years," Toby listed off. "She'll lend you a hand with any animals you've got and be a good friend, you'll see. You two will get along."
"How can you tell?" Evelyn asked, brows contracting over her nose in confusion. His glowing recommendation of this unknown girl made it seem like, perhaps, Renee would be too good to like someone like Evelyn, who was messy and irritatingly headstrong.
"I can tell you're a kindred spirit. Friendly and earnest," Toby complimented easily. Evelyn laughed incredulously even as she ducked her head.
"You sound just like Anne of Green Gables," Evelyn murmured. "Calling me a kindred spirit…"
"Or a race that knows Joseph as Miss Cornelia would say," Toby teased, his green eyes dancing. Evelyn outright gaped.
"You have read them!"
"Renee's idea a year or two ago and I truly enjoyed them. Reading and fishing are the best ways to pass the time, especially at the same time," he said without an ounce of shame. Evie couldn't help but like him at that. "Let's head up to Horn Ranch. It's getting past lunch time and Hanna's goat cheese is calling to me." He straightened up and held out a hand to help her down.
Evelyn missed his proffered help (again), jumping down herself and dusting off the seat of her skort absently. He shook his head to himself, but just dropped his hand without a word. In Evelyn's mind, she was still thinking about Anne of Green Gables, excited that already two people knew one of her favorite book series and perhaps she could borrow them from Renee, too, to help pass the time at night. It would be her first time ever living totally alone… well, with Finn… but with no other adults, or friends, to keep her from feeling lonely, or worse, afraid. A good old nostalgic book would help, maybe.
"Lunch sounds fantastic. I don't have much, but I should have enough for a meal at Ocarina Inn once I find it," Evelyn figured aloud wistfully. She still had half of Castanet to jog over to get to Harmonica Town, after buying seeds and being neighborly with a well-known busybody first. Toby laughed next to her, bringing her out of her musings.
"If you think Hanna, or Renee, will let you out of Horn Ranch without lunch and a good hour's worth of conversation, then you're in for a surprise. Hanna will have your entire life story out of you before you walk out the door and Renee will probably force you into the barn to make friends with every chicken and cow while giving you all of their life stories. Then Cain will probably send you on your way with a pitcher of yogurt and a new cow or sheep. The Horn family will make you part of their family in an hour," Toby warned jovially. Evelyn shook her head, eyes wide.
"No, they wouldn't! I'm not that interesting!"
"You are to Castanet. Chase was the last new person to come and he's… not so friendly as you," Toby replied wryly.
Evelyn pressed her knuckles to her mouth a little anxiously. They continued walking, but Evelyn's pace began to falter; it was more a trudge than her usual energetic stomping. Deep in the pit of her stomach, there was a churning and boiling as if she were just seconds away from tossing up the little bit of breakfast she'd had on the bus so many hours ago. The ground was inclined upwards under her feet and the two of them, with Finn flicking in and out of her peripheral vision, were slogging up a hill.
"Horn Ranch is right on the other side of the hill," Toby's voice stated, foggy and distant in perception as if her ears were stuffed full of cotton.
Oh man, I'm so not ready for this…
