Luck of the Draw

Chapter 15 - It's All in the Approach

Monday morning was crisp and bright with no breeze. The end of November had waved goodbye and December had taken over center stage. Frank MacDonald set his wheelbarrow down and stripped off the heavy-duty gloves he was wearing and waited for the attractive young woman to cross the back lot of the nursery to see him. Her boots kicked up little puffs of the powdery snow that dusted the lot.

"Are you, Mac?"

"At your service, Miss...?"

"Carly White. I'm a friend of—"

"White's Spices? Welcome to Glen Springs. My wife loves your place." He stuffed the gloves into his belt.

"Thanks." They shook hands. "That's great, I'm sure you'll benefit from her purchases as well." Carly stopped by the barrow and shaded her eyes from the bright sun behind Mac's back. "I'm here for Mickey Schafer."

Mac's face darkened. "Oh yeah, Mr. Accident Prone. He isn't here yet."

"I know, and actually he was accident-prone, at least just lately," she smiled. "I'm his neighbour and I've been kind of tending to him. He really can't get around on his own." She explained all that happened, and when he was expecting to be able to return, and then turned her best smile on the serious, Mac. "I'm kind of pleading on his behalf."

He looked at the ground and kicked at a clump of dirt, sighed and looked back at Carly. "I guess I mighta been a little harsh on him. Trouble is he's always clumsy around here too. I'm surprised all that happened away from work." He pulled his gloves back on and lifted the wheelbarrow handles. "Tell him a week today will be okay, but I expect full days and full effort. We need to prepare for the Christmas rush. I hafta arrange for tree deliveries and that means moving a lot of stuff off the back lot here. Hell, we just finished Halloween."

"I guarantee he'll be ready by then, Mr. MacDonald."

"Just, Mac is fine... Carly. But be careful what you guarantee."

"Deal. And if you tell me your wife's name I'll be sure she gets one of my fall and winter catalogues when they come in."

"Deal to you too. Her name's Katherine. You can send it here if you want, it's easier."

"Thanks, Mac. You won't be sorry."

His eyes told another story but he managed a confident smile.

Carly climbed back into her car and headed back toward the downtown and to work. The drive took her along the highway that ran through Glen Springs and she was pleased to be able to enjoy some of the scenery that was hidden earlier by the trees now bereft of leaves.

She dropped the rear windows a few inches and let the cool air whip about her neck. Staring her own business had taken longer than she'd planned but now that she was up and running she looked on the town of Glen Springs as her commercial roots. It was a long way from her home town and the hard life of helping in a fatherless family of four younger male siblings.

Their abandonment was met with determination and it helped to carry the day. Her mother had been a brick, never refusing to find time to help her with her studies and carefully stashing away every penny necessary to send her to the agricultural college.

She thought a lot about her family lately, thanks to her new helpless friend. When she finally graduated and completed her night school courses in biology and was ready to leave home, her mom sent her away with pride and, love and confidence. The new business was a product of that confidence and so far it was looking promising.

The highway took a long winding curve and Carly held the accelerator down, feeling the eerie pull of centrifugal force. As she came out of the curve she slowed for a farm wagon that was straddling half her lane and the shoulder, and then slowed more as it made a lazy left turn onto a dirt road leading through a field of stubble.