Chapter 2
H e’d stayed up late the night before studying information about the futures market, and the coffeepot was running full tilt the next morning when Avery heard a noise out front. He peeked out the curtains to see a white BMW sedan sitting on the lawn. Before he could move, the door opened and someone got out.
That next breath hung in Avery’s throat and he almost choked. Two long, straight, firm legs ending in stiletto heels stood in the gravel, and the body attached to them was beyond fine. The hot pink dress the woman was wearing hugged every curve and straightaway, and there were plenty of those on that body. She stood and stared at the house, her long, straight, blond hair barely moving in the breeze. As she made her way toward the house, Avery looked down at himself in his ratty lounge pants and tee shirt with the neck binding worn out. Classy, Holcomb , he told himself. He could see her look around when she stepped up onto the porch, and then he heard the knock on the door.
Swinging it open, he was met with a pair of eyes so blue that the sky looked pale in comparison. Her lips were full and lush, and they were coated with the most perfect shade of pink he’d ever seen. “Hello. Can I help you with something?” he asked her.
She cocked a hip and folded her arms across her chest. “Yes. I’m here to inform you that we can’t continue to honor your lease agreement on this property, whatever my great-grandfather drew up with you. Since he’s passed away and…”
“Sirus passed away?” Avery cried out. “No! When?”
“About two weeks ago.”
“Oh, no!” Avery’s heart hurt. In the brief time he’d known Sirus, he’d gained an enormous amount of respect for the old man. “What happened?”
“Had a heart attack.”
“Did he make it to the Bahamas?”
The woman scowled. “Bahamas? He was going to the Bahamas?”
Avery nodded. “That’s what he told me he was going to use the money for.”
Her brow wrinkled in the cutest way. “What money?”
“The money I paid him for the farm.”
She laughed loudly. “Well, whatever you paid to rent this place, I’m sure the estate can give it back to you once we sell the farm.”
It was Avery’s turn to laugh. “Sell the farm? You can’t sell this farm―I own this farm.”
That blond hair rippled as she shook her head. “No. Our family owns the farm. It was left to us in his will.”
“Sorry, but that won’t fly. He sold it to me. Hang on―I have the title to it somewhere here.” He reached behind him to the table by the door where mail was piled up and dug around until he found the deed, then held it up so the woman could see it. “See? It’s mine.”
The look that passed over her fine features was nothing short of explosive. “You know that won’t hold up in a court of law, right?”
Avery chuckled. “Not what the attorney who drew it up seemed to think. But go ahead. Try it out. And make no mistake, I’ll sue you for the attorney fees if you lose. So fair warning.”
“Tell you what. How about you just admit that this is never going to go in your favor and tear up that title?” she asked, dropping her hands to her hips and glowering at him.
“And how about you just admit that I’ve got a title to the land and this has nothing to do with me?” Avery countered.
The look she gave him would’ve melted titanium. “Never happening. You’ll be hearing from my attorney.” With that, she whipped around in her impossibly-high heels and stormed off the porch―well, it was a tottering sort of storming, but storming just the same. Avery watched her beautiful heart-shaped ass sway as she went and tried hard not to laugh out loud.
And as soon as that car of hers disappeared out the driveway, he called the attorney who’d drawn up the title. The secretary put him right through, and the gentleman assured Avery that the title was legal and binding in the state of Texas. No one had any rights to the property except him.
Avery popped the top on a bottle of beer and sat down in the glider on the front porch. This was going to be an interesting place to live. And that was one beautiful little woman. It was a shame his chances with her were less than zero.
* * *
The letter showed up a few days later, so he took it straight into town and dropped it off at his attorney’s office. The secretary assured him the office that had sent the letter would get one from them in return and the matter would be quashed quickly.
While he was in town, Avery went to the extension office again and talked to them about crop plans and the like. The agent there was very helpful, but then he dropped the bomb. “You had a visit yet from LydiaKinsey?”
“So that’s her name! Yeah. She came out and threatened me, then got some attorney in Dallas to send me a threatening letter ordering me off the farm. My attorney says not to worry about it because they don’t have a leg to stand on.” Then Avery paused and thought before he asked, “How did you know about that?”
“Oh, word gets around,” the extension agent, CletusBooth, told him. “It’s a small town.”
“Yes, it is.” That was one thing Avery had noticed. Every time he came into town, people stared at him. TuckerCity was a tiny place, so they were all curious about him.
Maybe it’s time I started getting to know some more of the local folks and branch out a bit , Avery thought as he left the extension office. And where would the best place be to do that?
On Sunday morning, Avery pulled out his best chinos, an oxford cloth shirt, and a blue and tan striped tie, and took himself to the local Methodist church. He hadn’t even made it inside when a man approached him and stuck out a hand. “Name’s WalterCox. You new in town?”
“Yes, sir,” Avery answered, giving the man’s hand a hearty shake. “I’m AveryHolcomb. I bought the old Kinsey place from Sirus.”
“Oh, yeah! We heard all about that! Seems Lydia’s all stirred up about it,” the man replied, laughing.
“Yes, sir, seems she is. But I have a legal title to the land.”
“Good thing. That youngun’s like a bulldog when she wants something,” Walter said, still laughing. “She doesn’t give up easily.”
“Neither do I, sir,” Avery assured him.
“Good. Hoping to farm it?”
Avery nodded. “Yes, sir, I am.”
“Good for you! I’m an educator, but my brother still farms our family property. His name’s Winston. Give him a shout if you need some advice.”
Finally! Someone was showing him some courtesy, someone other than the boozers down at the bar. “Thank you so much, sir. I’ll do that.”
“Well, come on in. I’ll introduce you around.” Walter swept his hand toward the steep steps up to the front doors of the church, and Avery proceeded in with Walter on his heels.
“Well, what do we have here?” a little lady with bluish hair crowed out as she made her way toward them. “Hello there, young man! It’s so nice to have you! Are you friends with Walter here?” she asked, beaming.
“Ms.Arlene, this is AveryHolcomb. Avery, this is ArleneBrandstetter. She’s one of the fixtures here in town,” Walter said with a laugh as Avery took the hand Arlene extended.
“Why, WalterCox!” she said and snorted. “Saying I’m a fixture here! Makes me sound like a toilet or a sink,” she said and giggled.
“You sure do not look like a toilet or a sink,” Avery said and winked.
“Well, aren’t you the charmer! We’ve got to get him into the membership, Walter. We need a few live ones around here,” Arlene said and slapped Avery on the shoulder.
“Give the boy a break, Arlene! He just walked in the door. We may not be his cup of tea,” Walter warned.
“Do Methodists drink beer?” Avery whispered to Walter, genuinely not knowing.
“They sure do,” Walter whispered back.
“Well, good then! Forget the tea and bring on the BudLight. I’m all in!”
“Danette, get over here and meet this young man!” Arlene called out into the sanctuary.
A woman about Avery’s age but plain as unsalted butter stepped shyly toward them. “H-h-h-hello. I’m DanetteMoyers. Pleasure to meet you.” She held out a hand as though she were afraid Avery would bite, and he took it and gave it a gentle shake.
“AveryHolcomb. Nice to meet you,” Avery responded. He saw the writing on the wall, and it was starting to look a lot like a death sentence to him. From her mousy hair to her dress designed for a woman twice her age, Danette was not where he wanted to go. Uh-oh , his brain screamed. Run the other direction as fast as you can and don’t stop until you’re in Minnesota! He smiled at Danette and she just stood there, staring. Wow, this is awkward , he thought. “Is there some specific place I’m supposed to sit?” he asked in Walter’s direction, trying to break whatever spell he’d obviously, and inadvertently, placed on Danette.
“Nope. But you’re welcome to sit with me,” Walter answered. To Avery’s delight, Walter placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “Excuse us, ladies.”
They found a seat and Avery leaned in toward Walter. “Thanks for getting me out of that,” he whispered to the older man.
“You’re welcome. I was afraid she was going to sprinkle salt on you and take a big ol’ bite if I didn’t get you out of there!” Walter whispered back.
Avery chuckled. “It was looking like a scary possibility there for a second or two.”
“And to answer the question, Danette’s a nice woman. She’s just a little, uh, backward, for lack of a better term,” Walter explained.
“Old maid?” Avery asked. Something about what Walter had said gave him pause, and it made him wonder if there was more to the story of Danette.
“We like to think of them as unclaimed blessings,” Walter threw out.
Avery nodded and rolled his eyes. “I see.” That drew a chuckle out of Walter. “I’m really not looking for attachments right now, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, I can understand that. Say, what brought you to town, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“My truck.” Walter shot Avery a look. “I’m not trying to be a smart aleck,” Avery said, remembering where he was. “It’s the truth. I just started driving and wound up here.”
Walter smiled. “A free spirit, huh?”
Avery shook his head. “More like a tortured soul.”
“Whatcha planning to do for a living?”
Avery was proud that someone had finally asked him, and he smiled so big that his face hurt. “I’m gonna work that farm!”
Walter’s face fell. “You’re not serious.”
Avery’s smile disappeared and his eyes went wide. “Yeah. Why not?”
“Because …” Walter’s face paled, “LydiaKinsey’s on the warpath. She’s out for blood, son. I hope you’re prepared.”
Avery snorted. “Well, I told her to bring it. I’m not scared of her.”
“You should be. She’s…” Just before Walter could finish, the minister rose and stood before the congregation.
“Good morning!” Everyone answered him―everyone but Avery. He really, really wanted to hear what Walter had been about to say. “I trust everyone has had a blessed week. Do we have any visitors today?”
Arlene stood before anyone else had a chance to. “Yes, ReverendPotter. There’s a Mr.Avery Holcomb in our presence today! Avery, stand up so everybody can see you!” Avery could feel his face burning as he stood, unable to find a way to get out of it. “See how handsome he is? I hope everybody will make him feel real welcome!” Arlene sat back down, quite proud of herself, and Avery wanted to slide under the pew.
“So, young fella, I’ve never seen you in town before. Where are you from and what do you do?” the minister asked.
Avery’s heart was pounding and his mouth went dry. He hated speaking in front of groups. “Um, I came here from Clarksville, Tennessee, and I bought the old Kinsey farm.” Avery knew he’d screwed up when there was a collective gasp from the congregation. Hell, might as well go out with a bang. “And I plan to farm it, so if any of you are inclined to help me, I’d appreciate any advice you can give me.”
“Got some. When you see Lydia coming, run and hide,” an old woman three pews in front of Avery and Walter mumbled loudly enough for everyone around them to hear, and half the congregation giggled, chuckled, and twittered.
“Thank you, Ms.Loueva,” the minister huffed. “Avery, we’re glad to have you in our midst today. Now BrotherMichael’s going to come and lead us in a song or two.”
The music minister took his place at the lectern, and Avery wanted to take the first bus out of town. From time to time, this one or that one turned and sneaked a peek at him, and he was horrified. Being there seemed like a huge mistake, and he was pretty sure someone, if not several someones, in the congregation would call Lydia after church and tell her he’d been there.
That kind of fuss was not what he’d wanted―ever. Avery had left Clarksville because he didn’t want the drama and complications anymore, and it seemed he’d unwittingly walked right back into a situation as bad as, or possibly worse than, the one he’d run from. Leaving his past had seemed right, but instead, his future was in jeopardy. Sure, he had the ability to leave and go elsewhere. He had more than enough money.
Thing was, he didn’t want to. The longer he was in TuckerCity, the more he wanted to stay. But was he really up to the firestorm he could see, smell, and feel brewing? After they’d finished singing, everyone sat down and the minister started speaking.
What he said was a salve to Avery’s soul. As he spoke, he talked about finding your home and what that meant, being happy where you were, and doing everything to promote peace and harmony. Avery wanted to be there. Everything about that farm said “home” to him, and he didn’t want to do anything to end that. But listening to the minister speak, he made up his mind about one thing.
Avery the badass, the guy who told everyone to go fuck themselves, had to go. No matter how ugly and mean-spirited that Kinsey woman might be to him, he was going to do everything he could to be kind and honest with her. Having a new life that started out by hurting people and being unkind to them couldn’t possibly have a good result, and he didn’t want that anyway. He’d been sucked into pain and suffering for too long. It was time to make a change, and the change had to start with him.
When the service was over, Avery lined up to head out the doorway and stopped to shake hands with ReverendPotter. “It was wonderful having you visit with us today, Avery. I hope you’ll come back.”
Avery thought for a couple of seconds before he asked, “Could I maybe come by and talk to you sometime this week?”
ReverendPotter smiled. “My door’s always open, son. Come by anytime.”
“Thank you. I will.” Avery gave him the bravest smile he could manage. And he knew what he had to do next.
When he’d settled in his truck, he pulled out his cell phone and hit a familiar contact. She answered the phone with, “Hello?”
“Mom?”
“Avery! Where on earth are you? I’ve left you three or four dozen messages!”
Avery smiled. “I’m fine, Mom. I just didn’t want to talk to anyone just yet.”
“Avery, where are you?” There was a frantic edge in her voice.
“I’m not ready to tell everyone that yet. Just know that I’m fine and happy.” He hesitated, then added, “I bought a farm!”
His mother huffed, “Have you lost your mind?”
“No! I haven’t. I’m very happy about it. I feel like I’ve found where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing. Can’t you just be happy for me?”
“Avery, I think you need some help, honey. Maybe you need some therapy or something. Why don’t you come on home and we can help you? Please?”
Avery sighed. She’d never understand. All her life she’d just done what she was supposed to do and never really thought about it, so there was no way she could relate. “No, Mom. I’m fine. I’ll give you more information in a few weeks or months, but right now I’ve got a lot of work to do. But I promise, I wasn’t ignoring you and I’ll call you every week, okay?”
“Avery, please, just come?—”
“No, Mom. That’s not up for discussion.”
“Your brother wants you to?—”
“I don’t care what my brother wants. That’s his problem, not mine. Bye, Mom. Talk to you soon.”
As Avery took the phone down from his ear, he heard his mother saying, “But Avery, please, just…” He hit END and dropped the phone in his lap.
He’d done the right thing. As he sat there, thinking about everything that was going on around him, there was a tapping on his window. He turned to see Arlene standing there, and he put his window down. “There you are!” she exclaimed. “Would you like to come to my house for lunch? Walter and ReverendPotter are coming. It’ll be fun!”
“Sure!” What could it hurt? They were friendly and he was pretty sure he’d have a good time. “Just tell me how to get there and I’ll see you there.” He listened to her instructions and waited until she pulled her huge eighties-model Buick out of the parking lot, then followed her in case he had trouble finding her house.
They got separated at one of the few traffic lights in town, but he had no trouble locating the house. When he pulled up, there were about six cars in the drive, and he recognized Arlene’s and Walter’s. He’d barely made it halfway up the walk when Arlene popped her head out the door. “There you are! I was afraid you got lost! Well, come on in here, son! Glad to have you!” Avery’s smile was huge until he stepped through the front door.
And there stood Danette. Oh, lord, no. I can’t do this , Avery moaned to himself. Walter and ReverendPotter were already seated in the little living room, and a couple of other ladies were buzzing around the dining room table, one of whom Avery recognized. Arlene grinned and pointed to the two women. “This here’s LouevaParker and that there is BabsColtharp. Ladies, this here is AveryHolcomb.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Loueva called out, but there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice that Avery found alarming.
“Pleasure’s all mine, Ms.Loueva. Ms.Babs?” Avery said, bobbing his head toward her.
“Good to meet you, young fella. Hope you’re hungry. We’ve got all kinds of food here!” Babs sang out.
“Oh, yes, ma’am! I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a while.”
“Well, you came to the right place. Let’s all get in here and dig in,” Arlene called out toward the living room.
Everyone took a seat and, fulfilling his biggest fear, Arlene made sure Danette sat right beside Avery. Okay, just be polite and it’ll be over soon , he told himself, but it was difficult. He could feel Danette’s eyes boring into him all through lunch. He had to admit, though, that the food was delicious, and it was really nice to be able to sit and eat and laugh with a group of people who didn’t seem to want anything from him―well, except for Danette. It was more than clear to him what she had in mind, and he didn’t want anything to do with that.
“So, Avery, how have you managed to stay unattached all this time?” Arlene asked out of the blue.
“I haven’t. I’m just getting past a divorce,” Avery said and watched faces around the table frown. That was exactly what he was hoping for.
“Oh! Children?” ReverendPotter asked.
“No. No children.” He took another sip of sweet tea and tried hard to will away the conversation. “I really don’t like to talk about it. It was particularly nasty.” Oh, if they only knew the whole story , he told himself, cringing internally.
“Of course. And we shouldn’t make you,” ReverendPotter said. “What’s for dessert, Arlene?” he asked, letting Avery off the hook.
“Loueva’s peach cobbler!”
Walter groaned. “Oh, lordy, I’m not sure I can eat any. I’m stuffed!”
The tea was making itself known to Avery, and he looked around for a few seconds before he decided to just come right out and ask. “Hey, which way is the bathroom?” he leaned over and whispered to Arlene when she came to take away his plate.
“Right down the hall there, second door on the right,” Arlene whispered back.
“If you all will excuse me,” Avery said and made his way down the hallway. He found the bathroom with no trouble and when he was finished, he washed his hands with the sweet-smelling lavender soap at Arlene’s bathroom sink and dried them carefully on the pretty monogrammed towel in the ring on the wall.
But when he opened the door, it was to Danette’s face right in the doorway, and Avery jumped in surprise. “Danette! I’m sorry. Did you need in here?”
She smiled sweetly. “No. I just wanted to talk to you.” Moving toward him, she pressed him back into the bathroom until she could almost close the door. “Just thought maybe we could catch a minute alone here.”
“Um, we’re in the bathroom and I’m really uncomfortable with?—”
“Don’t be,” Danette whispered out. “We just need to get to know each other, that’s all.”
“But really, I don’t want to?—”
“Of course you do! I know what men want,” Danette murmured with a smile. “I may look like a churchy little virgin, but I’ve been around the block a time or two.”
Oh, shit! Avery’s brain shrieked. How the hell do I get out of this? “Well, that’s good, I suppose.” Avery prayed that someone would figure out what was going on and come to his rescue. “But I’m really not ready to get involved with anyone just yet.”
Danette let out a little giggle. “I’m not talking about getting involved. I’m just talking about some fun,” she whispered and leaned in to kiss him.
“Hey, your ice cream’s melting!” Walter announced from right behind Danette and she whipped around to stare at him. “I just didn’t want it to get all soupy, that’s all.”
“Oh! Sure! Thanks, Walter!” Avery almost shouted and pressed past Danette. “We should really get out here and eat our cobbler and ice cream,” he said without looking back at Danette, but he could feel her staring a hole right through him.
Avery breathed a huge sigh of relief when everyone took their cobbler and ice cream and made their way out to the back yard. Danette alternated between sullenness and glaring, but Avery didn’t care. He found Arlene’s backyard to be a wonderland. The flowers were huge and beautiful, hummingbirds and bees buzzed around everywhere, and everyone except Danette seemed to be having a grand time.
He offered to stay and help clean up, but he was relieved when Arlene told him it wasn’t necessary. He was even more relieved when Walter walked him to his truck. Once they’d reached it, Avery turned to him and winced a bit. “Thanks for coming to my rescue. I was afraid I wouldn’t get out of there without, well, you know.”
“Yeah.” Walter glanced back over his shoulder toward the house, then turned back to Avery. “It took me a whole second and a half to figure out what was going on, and I couldn’t leave you to fight that battle alone.” He grinned. “She’s tenacious, I’ll give her that.”
“Never married?”
Walter shook his head. “Nope, but left at the altar once.” He stopped, his gaze wandering and turning thoughtful, then said, “And as for Lydia… Avery, everything isn’t always as it seems.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Everything. You’ll see. Just try to remember that.” Walter clapped him on the shoulder. “See you soon, I hope.”
“Yep. Hope so. And thanks for being so welcoming. I needed this,” Avery said, a smile splitting his face.
“You’re welcome any time. Hope you’ll come back.” Avery watched Walter head to his own truck and climb in. Back in the cab of his, he thought about the conversation.
Everything isn’t always as it seems . What had Walter meant by that? Avery hoped he got a chance to talk to ReverendPotter that week. He had a lot of questions he needed to ask, and he was pretty sure the minister could answer every one of them.
* * *
Monday morning was quiet enough until about nine thirty when the phone rang. “Mr.Holcomb?” a female voice asked.
“Yes?”
“This is Wendy at Graves and Martin Legal Offices. Mr.Martin would like to speak with you. Is this a good time?”
Avery’s throat went dry and a pain shot through his right eye. “Sure.”
“Okay. Hold just one second.” He heard the click that told him she’d put him on hold, and then another when the attorney picked up the phone.
“Hello?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Avery? FrankMartin. How are you?”
“I’m fine, sir. How are you?”
Mr.Martin chuckled. “I’m fine. Before you piss your pants, just know, everything’s okay. But I’ve got a strange request, and I hope you’ll honor it.”
“Okay. Shoot.”
“The judge down here wants to talk to you in my office. Off the record. He wants to know exactly what kind of deal you and SirusKinsey struck. Is that agreeable to you?”
“Sure. When?”
“Eleven thirty? Shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”
Avery nodded to himself. “Yes, sir. I can be down there at eleven thirty, no problem. But this is kind of unconventional…”
“Yeah, well, as you know, Sirus was kind of unconventional,” Mr.Martin said with a laugh. “See you then.”
They hung up and Avery sat down with a cup of coffee. What in the hell was LydiaKinsey up to? When his coffee was finished, he headed to the shower. After giving it a little thought, he dressed in something other than jeans―a pair of gray slacks and a green polo shirt―and left early to go to the post office before he went to Mr.Martin’s office.
His post office box held a couple of bills and a letter from the extension agent outlining programs he could get involved in and farmers who’d agreed to be his mentors. That was good news. But that was about it. No one knew where he was, so they couldn’t send him anything, and he was fine with that.
He arrived at the law offices at about eleven fifteen and as soon as the secretary announced his arrival, Mr.Martin came right out and ushered him into the office. “So before the judge gets here, just tell me: This transaction was all legal and above-board, correct?”
“Yes, sir. I paid him for the farm and he had me draw up the title. He came here to sign it, didn’t he?”
Mr.Martin laughed. “Yes, and he seemed right happy about it too. Said he was going to the Bahamas!”
“That’s what he told me, but his great-granddaughter said he didn’t make it before he died.”
“Pity. He was really excited about it too. She told you that?”
Avery nodded. “Yes, sir. I asked when she told me he’d died.”
“She told you he’d died?”
“Yes, sir, when she came out to the house.”
“Wait.” Mr.Martin leaned forward over the desk. “She’s been out there?”
Avery’s eyebrows popped up. “Yes, sir. I thought you knew that.”
“No. I knew she sent you that letter, but she actually came out there?” Mr.Martin seemed astonished, and Avery couldn’t figure out what the big deal was.
“Yes, sir. She came out and told me that whatever lease agreement I’d had with Sirus was null and void and they’d reimburse me after the sale of the land.”
Mr.Martin shook his head. “You know that constitutes harassment, right?”
Suddenly, Avery heard Walter’s words in his head: Everything isn’t always as it seems. “I-I-I-I don’t want to charge her with anything. I just want to be able to live in peace, that’s all. I bought that farm honestly and I don’t want it taken away from me just because some woman thinks she still owns it.”
There was a soft rap at the door and Mr.Martin called out, “Come in.”
“Frank!” An older gentleman crossed the room and the attorney rose to shake his hand. “Good to see you!”
“And you too, Ernie. This is my client, AveryHolcomb. Avery, JudgeErnest Bennett.”
Avery stood and took the hand the judge extended. “Good to meet you, your honor.”
“Likewise, young man. Have a seat.” Everyone took seats and the judge turned to Avery. “Okay, I’m catching a lot of flak from that Kinsey woman. Could you tell me exactly what took place when you bought that farm from Sirus?”
Avery told the judge how he’d found out about the farm and everything that had been said as well as he could remember, especially the part where he kept trying to give Sirus more money and Sirus kept asking for less. “And I told him it was the first time I’d ever had a seller negotiate the price down.”
The judge looked at the attorney. “You know he did this to thumb his nose at his family, right?”
“Yes, I do, but it was a legal transaction.”
The judge nodded. “That’s true.” He turned to Avery. “Did he tell you why he wanted so little for the land?” Avery shook his head. “Because he was furious with his family. He’d been mad at them forever.”
Avery didn’t understand. “Why?”
“Because they didn’t want to work the farm,” JudgeBennett explained. “He wanted his kids to live out there with him and work the farm. And they all got married and wanted to live in town. One of his sons, Lydia’s uncle, tried to work it, but Sirus gave him such fits that he finally just quit and got a job down at the radiator plant building car radiators.”
“Sirus? That doesn’t sound like him.”
Mr.Martin chuckled. “You didn’t know him that well. Sirus was a cantankerous old man. He did everything he could to make his family miserable after they wouldn’t do what he wanted. Oh, and he didn’t see any sense in any of them going to college. When Lydia’s younger brother went off to school, Sirus had a fit. Said he was trying to be highfalutin’ and didn’t want to honor his raisin’.” The attorney shook his head. “He alienated his whole family because they didn’t want to be just like him.”
“Wow.” Avery didn’t know what to think. He’d held Sirus in high regard, but this was a side of the old man he hadn’t seen. Everything isn’t always as it seems . Now he knew what Walter meant by that. “So what do we do from this point?”
“Just let it go. She’s going to try to flex her muscles legally, but it’s going nowhere. I won’t hear it in my courtroom,” JudgeBennett assured him. “It’s a dead issue, as far as I’m concerned.” He stood to go. “Let’s set a golf date soon, Frank.”
“Sure thing,” the attorney answered as he and Avery both stood out of respect. “Thanks for coming by.”
“No problem. And young man?” the judge said, turning to Avery. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
Avery swallowed hard. “Yes, sir. Thank you, your honor, sir.”
“You’re welcome. Hope you’ve got asbestos underwear, because the hot hounds of hell are going to be nipping at your ass pretty soon!” he said and laughed. He was still cackling when he closed the door behind him on his way out.
Avery plopped back down in the chair and put a hand over his eyes. “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”
FrankMartin chuckled. “Just don’t let her intimidate you. She wants to hand you your balls and make you smile and say thanks. Don’t do it.”
Avery nodded. “I won’t. And thanks for this. What do I owe you?”
“To keep you out of LydiaKinsey’s jaws? They don’t print that much money, so it’s on the house. Glad I could help. But if she shows up out there again threatening you, let me know and I’ll put a stop to it.”
“Will do.” Avery rose and leaned out to shake the attorney’s hand. “Thanks again.”
He wandered back to his truck, dazed. As far as the judge was concerned, it was literally a done deal. But he had this horrible feeling that this ending was only the beginning.
* * *
Three of the farmers on the list sent to Avery by the extension office were willing to meet with him, so he invited all three for beer and snacks on Wednesday evening. One by one they showed up, KevinFreeland, BobStandish, and MacMcCutchen, and when they all had a beer apiece and a big bowl of popcorn set in the middle of the table, they sat down and started their discussion.
And halfway through, Kevin asked the ten-million-dollar question: “Why do you want to grow crops when you’ve got almost a thousand acres of pastureland?”
“I’ve been wondering the same thing,” Bob chimed in.
“All you’ve really gotta do is have anything that’s not already being used as pasture bushhogged,” Mac added. “What have you got out there, five cows?”
“Seven.”
“How old are they?” Bob asked.
Avery shrugged. “I have no idea.”
Bob chuckled before he said, “Get a vet out here to give you some ages. We can give you the name of a good one. Then you’ll know what you have to work with. And let them tell you what breed to buy and how many. They can look at the land and tell you about what it will support.”
“Okay.” It was the most positive thing any of the three men had said to him.
“He’s right, you know. A good vet can answer a lot of these questions,” Kevin reinforced.
Avery thought about it. He’d just assumed he’d be driving a tractor, tilling the earth and planting seeds, but everything the men were saying made sense. And he liked animals. No problem there. Plus buying cattle wouldn’t be nearly as expensive as buying equipment and everything that came with it, or at least he couldn’t imagine it would be. The barns were in pretty good shape, and the fencing might have to be redone, but nothing that couldn’t be handled. As he sat, Bob interrupted his musing as he looked at pictures Avery had taken of the house and the work being done to it. “This house is shaping up real nice. They’re doing a good job on it. You’ve got a nice place here.”
“Thanks. I’m pretty pleased.” The construction crew had gotten the bathrooms done, including installing the new one and building the closet area, and the outside was almost finished. “In two weeks, they’re ripping out the kitchen and starting on that. I’m dreading that part and the mess it’ll create, but it has to be done.”
“Boy, don’t let my wife see all of this!” Kevin laughed. “She’ll be asking me for a divorce and courting you!”
Avery chuckled. “Been there, done that! Not interested.”
“Aw, there’s gotta be a sweet thang around here that’s caught your eye,” Mac laughed.
Bob snickered. “Yeah. DanetteMoyers.”
Avery’s eyes went wide. “Who told you that?”
Bob laughed out loud. “I was sitting in the back of the sanctuary! I saw what was going on!”
“Oh, lord. I’ll never live this down,” Avery moaned as he dropped his head and shook it. Mac and Kevin were laughing too.
“Oh, and we heard all about your visitor.” When Avery’s head snapped up, Bob added, “LydiaKinsey?”
Avery snorted. “Yeah. This is a small town, huh?”
“Don’t let her rattle you,” Mac said. “She’s hell on heels, but there’s some stuff going on there that nobody knows about, I can just feel it.”
“That’s what WalterCox told me.”
Kevin nodded. “Walter’s right. We just don’t know what it is; well, we know part of it, but that’s for her to tell, not us. Just know that the blond in the white BMW has been tearing up jack since she was old enough to talk and that ain’t gonna change.”
“And she’ll rip you a new asshole if you let her,” Mac threw out.
“She’s not gonna get that chance. I’ll put a stop to it,” Avery assured them.
“Good luck with that.” Kevin grinned as he spoke. “We’ll all be rootin’ for ya. But I have this feeling it’s going to be a whole lot harder than you think.”