Chapter 3
THREE
REED
I was still fuming hours later about Roscoe and trying to figure out what his angle was. And though the farm was failing, him saying he was doing a gigantic favor by pulling me out of a financial hole had me wanting to put a fist through a wall.
I spent the rest of the morning thinking about him running out of my office. Had he eaten bad shrimp and was about to puke? Or worse? Though by the time he reached his car, he appeared to have recovered.
Roscoe had come here expecting me to get on my knees and thank him.
An image flashed into my head of me doing exactly that but instead of being grateful, I had part of him in my mouth.
Pushing that thought away, I went over the paperwork he’d brought, along with his description of the community that at best sounded like a group of people who were into what I called woo woo.
And at the opposite end of the spectrum, they were a cult.
Were they running from something? Debts? The police? An angry mob? I didn’t see how leasing my land would prevent anyone finding them.
Despite me being peeved at his savior-like attitude, he acted as if he cared about my predicament. I couldn’t pinpoint why or how I sensed that. Maybe it was me imagining him naked with Christmas lights strung over his shoulders and around his length that swayed my opinion.
I sighed, because as much as I’d enjoy naked time, I needed a solution to my rising debts.
I needed to not focus on Roscoe and his mysterious group but on my land and trees.
After doing a quick online search for Roscoe Curran, I discovered he was an environmental consultant who’d lived outside town and the article hinted he and his family had lost their land.
I was sorry for them but I refused to have my rights stomped on because they needed a home.
But as I was adjusting the irrigation lines for the Noble Firs, a car headed up the drive. Assuming they were customers, I wondered which of my trees they’d choose.
More than one vehicle turned into a small convoy led by Roscoe’s car. I grabbed a spade, not because I was scared of him and his community, but to cover my arousal that refused to deflate when I pictured him.
His car was followed by a few pickups and a mini van and when they pulled up, people piled out including teens and kids. The children raced toward the decorated trees and my instinct was to yell at them not to mess with them, but they didn’t and instead they oohed and ahhed.
“Reed.” Roscoe nodded. “My apologies for earlier.”
He stood apart from everyone, still in his pants with the perfect crease and the nice coat while the rest of the group were dressed more casually.
Was he their spokesperson? While I ran my eyes over the others, I kept returning to Roscoe.
And he was also staring at me, though when I glanced at him, he’d look away.
“I hope you don’t mind us turning up unannounced, but my clients agreed you should meet them before considering any arrangement.”
Nice. I could listen to him talk all day. But he referred to the group as clients or community when I’d read they were a family. And earlier he’s said “we” when talking about the cabins.
A woman with gray hair greeted me. “I'm Zelda, and this is my family. We were hoping you might lease some of your land and all of us wanted to thank you for considering our request.”
So they were a family.
A tall man introduced himself as Erik and he added they ran a small business. “We make organic skincare products called Herbal Harmony. It was a side hustle that went viral on social media and now we can hardly keep up with orders.”
I was intrigued, especially when he said they were made from natural ingredients they sourced themselves. I wasn’t prepared to retract my “woo woo” claim but we’d see. And I’d heard of that company though hadn’t been able to afford to buy anything.
“As well as needing somewhere to live, we’re looking for land where we can grow our ingredients.”
I offered them a tour and decided to warn them I talked to the trees. If they were turned off by that, they couldn’t live here. It was a test. “They like the attention.”
But as we walked, I noticed that the group moved in coordination as if they were in formation and when one person paused to examine something, the others adjusted their positions. It was a little odd, but as I was a tree talker, maybe I shouldn’t judge what was odd.
Erik complimented me on my irrigation system and told me the trees were healthy.
“I listen to them.” That was what I did every day. Gemma used to shush me, saying I was bonkers. But the group nodded as if I’d said it was a fine day and it occurred to me that maybe I was a little woo woo.
Zelda agreed. “Most people don't notice, but plants tell you what they need.”
“Exactly! Doug perks up when I chat to him each morning.”
One of the teenagers tapped the ground with his foot and it reminded me of a deer pawing the ground. “You've named them! That’s so cool!”
Wow! These people got it. Could we be woo woo together?
When we reached the section with the old cabins and the area that would house their new ones if we went ahead with the lease, they took deep breaths, and when Erik did the same on the crest of the hill, I was once again reminded of deer scenting the wind.
The whole time we’d been walking and talking, I’d not looked at Roscoe, but I was aware of him on the edge of the group not saying anything. My trusty spade was back beside Noelle and I hoped I didn’t need it. But gods he was gorgeous. Aunt Mollie would have said he had an aura.
“Roscoe mentioned you needed to be established before Christmas. Is that because of your business?”
Unless they erected a greenhouse, I didn’t see how they could grow the ingredients for their creams and lotions. December had to be their busy time, but I assumed they had planned ahead and everything was ready for the Christmas rush.
The group exchanged glances, and a few of them fidgeted, shifting their weight from foot to foot, which again made me think of restless animals.
Roscoe spoke up. “Something like that. We have commitments that require us to be settled by December 24.”
They didn’t elaborate, and while it wasn’t my business to know the ins and outs of their private goings on, their expressions suggested they were leaving something out.
“Reed, would it be possible for us to discuss this?” Zelda’s smile eased my confusion.
“Of course. I'll be over there.” I pointed to a spot about fifty yards away. “Take your time.” I should have said I hadn’t made a decision or even considered it, but I was drawn to the group and that made me wary, thinking I was longing to be part of a family.
I strained to catch what they were saying.
Everybody appeared to take a turn to speak which was very democratic of them.
My occasional glance at the group showed lots of pointing both at the ground and the sky but it was Roscoe that caught most of my attention and I couldn’t help inspecting his butt.
Roscoe and Zelda walked over to where I was pretending to examine Lara's branches.
“Reed, we'd like to lease the land if you agree.” Zelda sent Roscoe a look. “But we need to be honest with you.” Oh boy, this was it where they admitted they were living under assumed names. “We're not just a family, we’re a found family. We’ve been displaced.”
My mind whirred thinking of all the possibilities why they’d lost their home. The article I’d read wasn’t specific.
“Our previous arrangement fell through. We trusted someone who wasn’t worthy of that. We lost our home and our land along with everything we'd built.”
My heart constricted. This was awful. They were homeless and I could provide them with a safe place to start again. But they must be cash rich and land poor because where was the money coming from?
I pulled back from agreeing to sign the lease immediately and told myself to think critically. Roscoe and Zelda and the others could say anything to tug at my heart strings, but were they telling the truth and were they really scrambling to find a new place to call home before Christmas?
“I’m so sorry.”
Erik chimed in. “But we're resilient. Our hope is to start over.”
The lease terms Roscoe had shown me were generous and would turn around my financial situation. But was I going to agree to this based on my gut? It’d never been reliable in the past when I ate bad sushi. There was no prior warning saying put that nigiri back.
“Why don't you all come back tomorrow afternoon? I'll have an answer for you then, and if it's yes, we can walk through the details.”
Every one of the group, even the kids, let out a huge breath. Roscoe's face lit up and he thanked me. I tried not to think of other ways he could show his gratitude.
As they prepared to leave, the kids lingered near Doug's Christmas lights.
“He likes you.” I gave them a high five.
I watched them drive away, though I couldn't shake the feeling there was something they weren't telling me. But for the first time since Roscoe had shown up, I was considering saying yes. These people needed a home, and despite their secretiveness, I sensed they respected the land and they didn’t laugh when I talked to my trees.
And an added benefit would be seeing more of Roscoe, though he hadn’t stated that he lived with the group.
Doug rustled his branches and I patted his trunk. “What do you think, buddy? Should we give them a chance?”