The Falcon in the Barn (Book 4 Forest at the Edge series) by Trish Mercer Page A

“Something
wrong?”
    “ No, no, it’s just that I
was, uh, the Briters. Do you mind if I go visit them? I had some
ideas for . . . broccoli planting, and I wanted to get Mrs.
Briter’s opinion. There’s something on the End of Year exams about
farming, and I—” She wasn’t very good at lying, but fortunately her
father hadn’t been very good at listening, either.
    He shrugged. “I’ll have the sergeant walk you
over there.”
    Jaytsy knew better than to argue that she
didn’t need a guard. Besides, it was rather dark and cold outside,
and she didn’t want Captain Thorne suddenly deciding she needed warming up .
    Five minutes later she nodded goodbye to the
sergeant and knocked on the Briters’ kitchen door. A moment later
it opened and Mrs. Briter exclaimed, “Jaytsy! Oh, it’s been
weeks—come in!”
    “ Thank you,” she said as
she stepped into the bright and warm kitchen. She sighed as the
tension of the evening melted away like the snow on her
boots.
    Mr. Briter was already pulling out a chair
for her. “Miss Jaytsy, why are you out on such a night like this?
Won’t your parents be worried?”
    “ My father knows I’m here,”
she told them as she unbuttoned her cloak. “I was at the fort for
Game Night, but I told him I had an idea about broccoli plants and
wanted to check it with you.”
    Mrs. Briter placed a mug of hot broth before
her as she sat. “Interesting. And what’s your question, dear?”
    Jaytsy squirmed in her chair. “Uh, I really
didn’t have a question about broccoli, except to wonder why people
eat it.”
    To her relief, both Briters laughed. She
joined in a moment later, not used to the sound.
    Sewzi Briter squeezed her hand. “Well, you
come on over and chat about any vegetable you want, at any time.
Ah, how I miss the garden on nights like this!”
    “ I know,” Jaytsy said
wistfully. “I never realized how fun it is to dig through the dirt
finding potatoes, and realizing that just as you thought you were
done, there’s another one hiding from you. Or pulling the corn from
the stalks and banging them against my knee to see how many bugs
fall out. Or the taste of a green bean, straight off the vine! I
can’t believe I spent almost sixteen years of my life never knowing
the wonders of plants—” She stopped, suddenly realizing she’d been
rambling, and blushed at the Briters.
    But they just beamed back at her. “Oh, how I
understand you, Miss Jaytsy,” Sewzi said. “You truly have brown
fingers!”
    Jaytsy refrained from examining her stubby
nails as she had several moons ago the first time Mrs. Briter told
her that. She was now a proficient enough gardener to know that
“brown fingers” was a compliment.
    Cambozola Briter elbowed his wife. “Now why
didn’t we have a child like her?”
    Sewzi playfully slapped her husband.
    “ I mean it,” Cambozola
exclaimed. “But at least our son gets to be with his love all year long.”
    “ His love?” Jaytsy
asked.
    Cambozola leaned over. “Cattle. The boy’s
obsessed with them. Oddest young man you’d ever meet.”
    Jaytsy giggled and Sewzi swatted her husband
again. “Don’t listen to him, Jaytsy. He thinks our Deckett is a
little crazy just because he appreciates cattle.”
    “ Oh Sewzi, I
appreciate cattle,” Cambozola said, his face becoming vibrant,
and Jaytsy knew it would be another one of his overly energetic and
lively discussions.
    No wonder he made Perrin Shin nervous.
    “ But our Deckett? Sewzi, if
he just appreciated cattle, that would be one thing. But
what Deckett does . . .” and he made his eyes as big as the moons
and fluttered his eyelashes.
    Jaytsy covered her laugh with her hand and
Sewzi smacked him yet again, this time a bit harder. “Cambo, now,
stop! Jaytsy, our son is a very smart, thoughtful young man. This
is just what they do,” she glared at her husband. “In Mountseen
they study cattle to improve production. Or something.
That’s what a university is for, Cambo.” To