didn’t work. Far from it! Grandpa had staked out a prime location back in the day, so Pomeroy Orchards maintained a presence on one of the fairgrounds’ busiest corners, right in the middle of everything. They were famous for kettle corn and caramel apples, and ever since Jayce had entered the bakery business, they’d added apple turnovers.
Early on the first day of the fair, Neil helped Grandma Nell manhandle the huge coffee pot into place. Once it was perking, it would lure in the rest of the crews who were still setting up. The weather promised to be gorgeous — bright and clear, with just enough of a breeze to carry the scent of pancakes and sausages from the restaurant run by the Lion’s Club. The only thing that detracted from Prissie’s excitement was the offending presence of her father’s trainee.
She didn’t appreciate Ransom butting in. The very thought made her angry enough to use a little more force than necessary when putting the big kettle corn scoops into their place at the end of the cooling tray. Ransom glanced over from where he was loading trays of baked goods into a glass display case, but didn’t comment. If nothing else, it gave her the chance to turn up her nose at him.
“Okay there, Priss?” Tad asked.
“Grandpa will have a fit if you dent his baby,” Neil remarked warily.
“I know,” she mumbled irritably. Really, it was all Ransom’s fault.
Koji had gently pointed out that the teen was putting in a lot of hours helping Jayce and Auntie Lou stay a step ahead of each day’s turnover quota. Prissie grudgingly admitted this was true, but a part of her had hoped that her father would ask her to lend a hand.
Last night, Dad hadn’t come home until late, and when Momma had gotten them up at the crack of dawn, Prissie had wished she was more like Koji, who didn’t need to sleep. Tad plodded along as usual, but then her oldest brother really only had one speed. Still, she could tell he was sleepy, and Neil’s contagious yawns weren’t helping.
Beau and Koji trudged past, sharing the handle of an old red wagon loaded with boxes of popcorn that were to be stacked against the far wall of their booth. They’d already made several trips, bringing the oil, salt, and the special powdered glaze they needed for whenever Grandpa took it into his head to do a batch of caramel corn. The young angel’s gaze darted around, trying to take in everything at once. Catching Prissie’s eye, he smiled brightly. “This is exciting!”
“Can you believe he’s never been to a fair before?” Beau announced to the rest of the group.
“No kidding?” Neil remarked in surprise.
“Make sure you show him around,” Grandma Nell urged, including each of her grandchildren in a sweeping gaze.
“Thank you very much!” Koji exclaimed, then followed Beau back toward the van to get another load of supplies.
“Weird kid,” remarked Neil.
Prissie gave him a scolding look. “That’s not nice.”
“He obviously grew up with different traditions,” Grandma Nell said in a quelling tone.
Neil ruffled his blond hair with a chagrined expression. “I didn’t mean anything by it. He’s just a little … I dunno.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean,” interjected Ransom, whose gaze followed the young angel. “So where’s he from, anyhow?” Prissie froze and glanced nervously at the teen. He noticed and quirked one brow at her. “You don’t know?”
“I do,” she retorted.
Nell Pomeroy calmly answered, “His paperwork said he’s from the Northern Marianas.”
“Where’s that?” Prissie asked in surprise.
“They’re islands in the Pacific Ocean,” her grandmother explained. “It’s halfway around the world, but they speak English … which is why we haven’t had to deal with a language barrier.”
“Oh,” she managed, realizing that Koji would have to have a cover story. Random kids didn’t just show up on people’s doorsteps. As Prissie puzzled this out, she happened to look in Ransom’s direction. He looked the same as usual in jeans and a T-shirt, though he also wore a plain white apron like the kind her dad used when he was at work. The addition struck her as odd, until her dad showed up, hauling a cooler. Ransom snapped to attention so fast, he practically saluted. “Can I help you with that, sir?” he inquired.
“No need,” Jayce replied amiably. “Did you finish loading that case already?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Prissie was annoyed. In class, Ransom always acted so carelessly, far more interested in making people laugh than in anything the teachers had