Where the Forest Meets the Stars(46)

“I’m going to park between the nests we have to monitor. We’ll walk the road and do some nest searching first.”
Early morning was a great time to look for nests. After a long night, nestlings were hungry and their parents visited them often, sometimes leading Jo straight to the nest. She stopped the car about a quarter mile past Gabe’s driveway and pulled off the road into the weeds. Ursa put on the cheap spare binoculars Jo let her use and hopped out of the car. She stared longingly in the direction of Gabe’s house. “Can we see Gabe today?”
“We may see him very soon,” Jo said. “It’s Thursday. He sells eggs in the morning.”
“Unless he’s sick again,” Ursa said.
Jo didn’t admit that was part of the reason she was working near his house on egg morning. She wanted to make sure he was okay.
Ursa looked up at Jo as they walked. “What makes Gabe get sick?”
“I’m not sure,” Jo said.
“I think Lacey makes him sick.”
“It’s more than that. Human bodies are very complicated. Inside us there are all kinds of genes, hormones, and chemicals that affect our moods, and sometimes people have a certain combination of those things that makes them feel sad.”
“All the time?”
“Usually not all the time.”
“Gabe wasn’t sad until Lacey came.”
“Our environment—what’s happening around us—affects the chemicals inside our bodies.”
“Lacey made my body’s chemicals feel bad,” Ursa said.
“Mine too,” Jo said.
They checked the nest at the far end of the length of road, then headed in the direction of the Nash driveway. They were on their way to monitor a cardinal nest, wading through vegetation powdered with lime-rock dust, when they heard Gabe’s truck. “Gabe! Gabe!” Ursa called, waving her arms.
Gabe slowed the truck, smiled, and waved back but kept on driving.
“Why didn’t he stop?” Ursa asked.
“I guess he didn’t want to bother us when we’re working. He has work to do, too.”
“But he could have stopped for one minute!”
He could have.
An hour later, they finished the work and drove to the intersection where Gabe was seated beneath his blue canopy and FRESH EGGS  sign. Jo parked in the ditch behind his truck. Ursa sprang outside and ran to his table. “We missed you!” she said. “Why haven’t you come over?”
“I thought it best to let things settle down,” he said, his eyes on Jo as she approached.
Jo stood next to Ursa. “Did Lacey leave?”
“She left the day before yesterday.”
Which meant she’d stayed at the cabin one more day. “How have you been?”
“Just great,” he said brusquely, aware of the question’s implication.
“Can I stay at Gabe’s farm today, like I used to?” Ursa asked. “Can I? Please?”
“That would be up to Gabe,” Jo said.
“That can’t happen anymore,” he said.
“Why not?” Ursa said.
“You know why. If my mother tells my sister you’re spending days at the farm again, Lacey will call the police.”
“I could stay in places your mom can’t see.”
“It’s not a good idea,” he said, watching a car pull up to his stand.
“Can I see the kittens tonight? When Jo and I get back? Your mom won’t see me in the dark.”
“How’s it going, Jen?” he said to the approaching middle-aged woman in a nurse’s uniform.
“I’m beat and ready for bed,” the woman said. “I’ll take a dozen.” She handed Gabe a five.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said, giving her change.
She took a carton off the table. “Have a good one, Gabe.”
“You too.” As Jen walked away, he lifted a battered copy of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance out of his lap.
“Can I?” Ursa said.
“Can you what ?” he said.
“See the kittens tonight.”
“I told you why you can’t be at my place anymore. If the sheriff comes again, they’ll be set on taking you where you belong.” Looking at Jo, he added, “They have to do what’s right.”
Ursa stared at him like she didn’t know who he was.
“Come on,” Jo said. When Ursa didn’t move, Jo took her hand and tugged her toward the car. Gabe kept his eyes fixed on the paperback in his hands.
“Why is Gabe mad at us?” Ursa asked when they were driving again.
“We shouldn’t assume he’s mad.” She wished he were only angry. Because what he was doing was much worse. He was freezing them out, shutting down his emotions.
They worked a typical day, but everything felt strange. Ursa was more subdued than Jo had ever seen her. She barely even reacted when they saw a fox running along the edge of a cornfield. At the end of the day she was still quiet, and Jo thought they might make it past the Nash homestead without reference to Gabe.
That would not be their fate. As the Honda’s headlights hit the dark Nash driveway, they shined on Gabe seated on his open pickup gate. He dropped to his feet and waved them down.
“What’s up?” Jo said out her window.
“I’ve been waiting for you. You’re getting in late.”
“I had to run to the grocery store.”
“Are you too hungry to see the kittens?”
“No!” Ursa said.
“Follow me in,” he said.
At the barn, Ursa jumped outside as Jo shut down the car. “Can I go in?” she said.