Songbird Season by Melanie Lageschulte

Author:Melanie Lageschulte [Lageschulte, Melanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780999775240
Publisher: Fremont Creek Press
Published: 2019-04-29T22:00:00+00:00

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Melinda had her pick of spaces in front of the post office at that early hour. Glenn was at the window, watching for her arrival. He disappeared for a moment, and then came around the counter with a perforated cardboard box in his arms.

“Am I glad to see you!” He barely broke his stride and nodded for Melinda to hold the front door. “Where will they go?” he said over his shoulder.

She ran ahead and popped the hatchback. “In the back here. They should just fit.”

“You’ve got quite the stash of supplies along.” A large plastic tote, which would serve as a temporary brooder box, held a sack of bedding, a heat lamp, two tiny feed pans and a small waterer. “So Miriam’s really OK with this, having the chicks at the store all day?”

“She doesn’t mind.” Melinda tried to peer through the window for a better look at her newest babies. All she could see through the box’s air holes was some pale-yellow and cream fluff. “And I couldn’t sneak them in if I tried. It’s not like they’d be a secret for long.”

“That’s the truth. You know, you still might have time to run them home before the store opens, if you hurry.”

“I want to keep a close eye on them today. I really want this to go well, Glenn. I don’t want to lose any.”

Glenn’s irritation gave way to encouragement. “Well, they all made it here safely, in the middle of the night, in the back of a mail truck. I’m sure they’ll do just fine. And you know,” he grinned, “these little guys will be a nice distraction for people, something to talk about other than that mess with the store’s lot.”

“I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right.” Melinda sighed as she opened the car door. “Too bad they can’t stay at the store indefinitely, then.”

The startling sight of a survey crew pacing along Main Street had caused the gossip mill to churn almost immediately. Many of Prosper Hardware’s customers wanted to add their two cents’ worth, whether it was to express outrage or concern, or to rail against the city or bureaucracy in general. Melinda’s talking points came in handy, gave her a script to stick to. The landowners next door were still silent, but she decided it was a blessing they were halfway across the country. The situation was awkward enough; how bad would it have been if they were local residents?

She parked by the store’s front door for once, as it gave her the shortest route inside for the chicks and their gear. She hoped the tote would fit inside the half-walled alcove behind the oak counter, but found the space was too tight, and she didn’t want herself or Bill to trip over the birds. Instead, she slid over a display on the other side of the partition to make a nice gap for the chicks’ container. A nail already tacked in the beadboard paneling was the perfect place to hang the heat lamp.

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