Contents ( 66)
- Cover
- Books by Valerie Fraser Luesse
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Map of Florida
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- thirty-eight
- thirty-nine
- forty
- forty-one
- forty-two
- forty-three
- forty-four
- forty-five
- forty-six
- forty-seven
- forty-eight
- forty-nine
- fifty
- fifty-one
- Epilogue
- Keep Reading for a Preview of Valerie Luesse’s Next Book!
- Prologue
- one
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Back Ads
- Back Cover
“Psssst! Bonnie! Bonnie, turn around!” he said in a loud whisper. Then a little louder. “Bonnie! Bonnie, come here!”
Slowly, she turned around. She wore the same dead expression as all the others—until she saw Peyton. Then her mouth flew open, and she suddenly came alive. He motioned for her to come back into the store.
Bonnie whispered something to Jasper, then pulled him backward into the store, never taking her eyes off the truck. Once inside, she wrapped her arms around Peyton’s waist and burst into tears. “Please help us, Peyton. Please?”
“Climb onto my back. We need to get outta here before that driver figures out he’s short a couple o’ kids.”
Lisa held her arms out to Jasper. “Will you let me carry you, sweetie?”
He timidly raised his arms and let her lift him. The busy clerk didn’t even notice as two teenagers hurried out the back of the store with a couple of kids. Once on board the Skidaddle, they all went down below to a small captain’s cabin, the children desperately clinging to Peyton and Lisa.
“It’s okay, Bonnie,” Peyton said as he held her on his lap and wiped her tears away with his hand. “Who was that man?”
Bonnie had collected herself enough to talk. “He bought us from Daddy.”
“He what?” Peyton said.
“He bought us to work in his orange groves.”
“Sweetheart, people can’t buy other people,” Lisa said as she held a whimpering Jasper, gently rocking him on her lap.
“If you’re poor, they can do whatever they want to,” Bonnie countered. “All I know is that after Mama died o’ the pneumonia, Daddy carried us to the orange groves and a mean man named Hiram Elrod give him some money. Daddy said we had to go to work for Hiram and live at the grove. Said he couldn’t find him another woman to cook and look after him with me and Jasper a-draggin’ him down. I pick oranges an’ Jasper puts ’em in boxes. Who’s that purty girl holdin’ Jasper?”
“That’s Lisa,” Peyton said.
“Is she a good person?”
“The best.”
“Am I a good person?” Bonnie asked him.
“Absolutely.”
“Then how come nothin’ but bad things happens to me? If I’m a good person, that ain’t fair.”
“No, it’s not. And I’m real sorry about that. But you found Lisa and me. That was a good thing, wasn’t it?”
Bonnie smiled and nodded. “What you and Lisa gonna do with us?”
“Well, lemme see. Are you hungry?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll start by fixin’ you something to eat. Then we’re gonna put you to bed and figure it out from there. But I’ll promise you this—you’re never goin’ back to that orange grove.”
“Let’s leave a light on so they won’t be scared if they wake up and don’t remember where they are,” Lisa whispered.
Peyton switched on a small light in the cabin and led the way back up to the deck. Just as he and Lisa emerged, they spotted the burly truck driver and ducked down beside the captain’s seat. He appeared to be questioning fishermen as they came off the dock because each one shook his head and walked on.