The Clue at Black Creek Farm (Nancy Drew Diaries #9)(30)

“Nancy!” he greeted me. “Have you met Owen?”

“This is Owen?” I asked, leaning in and gently touching the baby’s tiny curled-up fist.

Jack nodded, smiling. “He almost slept six hours straight last night.”

I laughed. “Is that good or bad?”

“It’s good!” Jack said. “For his age? It’s very, very good. But anyway, thank goodness for my parents. If they weren’t here, if they hadn’t offered to let us move in, I don’t know what I’d be doing.”

After the dust had settled in the case against Julie, it had become clear that Julie had been lying about Jack sitting outside my house with the gun. Jack really hadn’t known anything about her plan to convince Sam to close Black Creek Farm. Julie had the baby shortly after being placed in custody and was still in jail, awaiting trial, along with Holly. Things didn’t look good for Julie, but Abby had told me that Jack still brought baby Owen to visit her every other week. Their marriage was over, but Jack wanted Owen to know his mother.

“I’m so glad it’s working out for you,” I said honestly. “You look—happy!”

Jack smiled. “You know what? I am happy,” he said. “This isn’t how I pictured this happening at all, but the whole experience has brought me a lot closer to my family. And it’s made me realize—all the silly, petty things I was worried about before Owen was born? Complaining about my inheritance, which Julie clearly took a lot more seriously than I thought? None of that matters. The more I learn about the farm, the more I like it. I’m just enjoying getting to live here with my parents.”

“It sounds like you’ve really come around to Black Creek,” I said, smiling.

“I have,” Jack admitted. “It’s a great place. And I’m excited for this little guy to grow up here.”

Just then I spotted someone I really wanted to see out of the corner of my eye. I asked Jack if he could excuse me, put my plate down on a table, and ran over.

“Sam!”

The gray-haired, rosy-cheeked farmer turned and faced me with a big smile. “Nancy! I’m so glad you and your friends could come.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

“I’m great,” said Sam. “Not completely cured. But it looks like the first round of chemo is working, and my doctors seem optimistic.”

“That’s fantastic!” I cried.

“It is!” Sam agreed. “Plus, the farm is thriving. I mean, look at all the people here. This is only about half of our CSA members. It’s weird, but the publicity we got from the whole Julie debacle has really driven a lot of customers our way. We’re breaking even for this year, and if this continues, it looks like we’ll do much better next year.”

“I’m really happy for you,” I said sincerely. I’d grown fond of Sam in the short time we’d worked together. It was great to see how his life had turned around in just a few short months.

“Well, we have you to thank, Nancy,” Sam said, patting my shoulder. “Meeting you at that buffet was the best thing that could have happened to me. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you’ve done for our family.”

I shrugged. “Give me a hug, and we’ll be square.”

So he did—and we were.

I went back to pick up my plate and move through the rest of the buffet. Then I joined George, Bess, and Ned at a small table at the edge of the tent. They had already dug into their dinner, which they all agreed was delicious. I took a bite and let out a little sigh of pleasure.

“This tastes amazing,” I said.

George smiled. “So, Nancy,” she said with a mischievous look, “has working on this case made you want to get more involved in the growing of your food?”

I poked a carrot with my fork. “Actually,” I admitted, “I think I’m done with farms for a while—though I did sign my family up for the Black Creek CSA next year!”





Dear Diary,



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THOUGH IT’S FAR FROM AN IDEAL SITUATION, I’m happy that Jack is making the most of it at Black Creek Farm. And who knows—maybe little Owen will grow up to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps? I’m just relieved that Sam can continue to follow his dream, with his family supporting him every step of the way.

And luckily for my dad and me, Hannah has already started planning healthy menus around our Black Creek Farm CSA share. For now, though, I have to run—Ned’s picking me up for a decidedly unorganic burger-and-fries date.



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READ WHAT HAPPENS IN THE NEXT MYSTERY IN THE NANCY DREW DIARIES,


A Script for Danger


Dear Diary,



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A FEW MONTHS AGO, THE RIVER HEIGHTS Tribune announced that Alex Burgess, an exciting new director, was shooting a film in River Heights—starring Brian Newsome! Since then, everyone has been buzzing about how exciting it is to have one of Hollywood’s biggest stars in our little Midwestern town (especially Bess, of course).