ROOTED IN GOLD

Feeling the Sun and Soil in the Peak Summer Garden

Enjoy this sunny summertime snippet from Impervious: A Sean McPherson Novel, Book Three, where Niall MacCullough is in the garden at Pines & Quill:

Niall steps into the heart of his garden, where the afternoon sun blankets his face and hands in a heavy, comforting warmth. The air is thick with the intoxicating, musk-sweet perfume of tomatoes ripening on the vine—a scent so potent it feels almost golden. Beneath his feet, the dark, turned soil breathes a deep, grounding aroma of rich earth and ancient fertility, cool and damp just an inch below the sun-baked surface.

Everywhere he looks, life is pulsing at its absolute peak. His eyes drink in an overwhelming symphony of greens. There are the fierce, lime-bright fans of lettuce, the deep, bruised jade of lacinato kale, and the prickled, emerald umbrellas of zucchini leaves stretching wide to catch the light.

Reaching out, Niall's fingers brush against the rough, bristled stems of the tomato plants, instantly releasing that sharp, resinous fragrance that clings to his skin like a secret. Buzzing insects orchestrate a low hum around him. At the same time, the heavy, pregnant weight of the impending harvest hangs beautifully in the quiet heat, locking him completely into this single, fertile moment.