Red Delicious Death Read Online Free Page B

scratch behind Lolly’s ears, and after accepting her due, Lolly strolled back toward the dining room. Meg pulled out a package of chicken breasts.
    “Yo, Meg—you wanted me?” Bree clattered down the back stairs that led from her room above to the kitchen.
    “I just wanted to know what your dinner plans are. I asked Seth to come by and eat, because we’re going to the selectmen’s meeting after dinner.”
    Bree grinned at her. “That makes, what—three times this month already? You two are moving right along, hmm?”
    “We’re moving at our own pace, thank you very much. Anyway, he’s here, I’m here—it just makes sense to eat together. Heck, you’ve eaten with us most of those times,” Meg blushed despite herself. “Besides, we’re both busy. How about you and Michael? You’ve been spending a lot of time together lately,” Meg parried.
    “We’re fine. Point taken.” Bree didn’t volunteer any more.
    Meg didn’t want to pry, so she changed the subject to plans for the harvest. “How’s the hiring going? Will we have the same crew as last time?”
    “Looks like.”
    “Did you have any trouble getting them to sign on?” Meg knew that when he had been running the show, Christopher had usually employed Jamaican pickers, as did many of the orchard growers in the area, but she had had some concerns about Bree handling the crew of mainly older men. Bree had Jamaican parents herself, but she was also young and female, and Meg hadn’t been sure how well the men would accept her.
    Bree shrugged. “Not really. A few made some comments, but my auntie set them straight. She knows them from way back.”
    “Good. Then we’re all set?”
    “As soon as we have apples. You decided who you’re selling them to?”
    “Um, I’m working on it.” In fact, Meg had fallen behind in her marketing plans. At first it had seemed unreal that her bare trees would produce a crop. And then she had wanted to be sure she understood the ins and outs of selling her apples: Supermarket chain? Local cooperatives? Setting up her own farm stand? The end result was that she hadn’t done anything yet, but she knew she couldn’t put it off much longer. The first apples would ripen in less than two months.
    “How’s the barn build-out coming?” Meg asked instead. Seth had promised to fit out the climate-controlled holding chambers she would need when her crop ripened, and that date was approaching fast.
    “We’ll get there. Seth’s got a lot going on—trying to put his offices together, handling your orchard stuff, and making a living besides. That’s one busy man.”
    “Tell me about it. Plus he’s a selectman, which eats up more time.”
    “No wonder he doesn’t have any time for romance, eh?” Bree grinned wickedly.

    Seth arrived promptly at six. He still knocked, rather than walking right in, which Meg thought was both sweet and silly, given how much time he spent at the house. But he was always careful not to intrude. “Hi, Meg, Bree. Something smells great.”
    “Bree offered to do the cooking,” Meg said. Bree waved and turned back to stirring something. “So, who’s going to be at the meeting tonight? I don’t know if I’ve met them all.”
    “There are three members of the Board of Selectmen: me, Tom Moody, who you should know from the Town Meeting, and the redoubtable Mrs. Caroline Goldthwaite. Then there’s Jeannine Crosby, the selectmen’s secretary, who keeps the minutes, and Jack Porter, the town treasurer. I don’t think Jack’s coming, though.”
    “What about a finance committee?” Meg asked.
    “Five members, appointed by the selectmen. They meet separately. Tonight is just a regular working meeting.”
    “Who handles zoning?”
    “Sally Thayer—I don’t think you’ve met her either.”
    “Should we be talking about the restaurant deal if it’s not finalized?”
    “I think we can talk about it in general terms—there are a lot of details to be worked out, things that the