4. Rooted To The Spot
Chapter 4
Rooted To The Spot
T he amount of machinery in the barn amazed Knox. Lawson would have a field day with the variety of engines. Tons of stuff to tinker with. Even better, some of the machines were pretty ancient. Lawson loved nothing better than to restore old cars to their full glory. Knox took photos of everything to help entice his brother.
Now, he needed to find something intriguing for his other siblings.
He, Thea, and Fox walked closer to what she called the front yard. On the way, they found three sheds that also held equipment. Not vehicles, but hand tools. Baskets for harvesting, rakes, hoes, and shovels. Wheelbarrows and hoses.
“Jay told me that the land had been fixed up before he bought it. Electricity runs to some of the barns and cabins scattered around the property. There are some water lines, too, but those don’t extend all the way back. The apple barn nearer the front has water, though. Makes it easier to wash the fruit before we sell it.”
“I did some research on apple farms and orchards after I found out we’d inherited one. Nothing I learned matters. It’s all details of the operation and how many apples you can expect per acre. None of that matters until we can get this place operational.”
Thea nodded. “True. And I’m glad you said we. I hope you can convince your family that this is a great investment.”
He agreed. “I’m actually hoping to lure them all to live here. I want my family back together. I don’t want us to lose touch like Jay and Fox.”
Her eyes shone back at him. “I can’t imagine that happening when you care so much about them. I wish I’d known Jay had family. I’d have pestered him to reconnect.”
“What about your family? Are you close?”
Her reaction had him wishing he’d kept his mouth shut. Her eyes lost the glow, and her face blanked of emotion.
“I don’t have family.”
“I’m sorry. It’s so hard when you lose someone.” He couldn’t imagine being all alone.
She shrugged. “I didn’t lose them. I didn’t have any to begin with. As an infant, I was left at a police station, so I grew up in foster care.”
That was like an arrow to Knox’s heart. He couldn’t imagine growing up without his family. “I’m sorry again.”
Thea shrugged again but he could feel the ache radiating from her. Everyone deserved family. And it sounded like Jay, who she’d only known for a year, had been the closest person she had.
He wanted to fix that. Change that for her. Another good reason to get his family here. They would all like Thea. He could see her and Jolie being great friends.
Probably in a move to change the topic, Thea gestured again. “This is the apple barn. It’s where we bring the harvest. I don’t know much about this end of the business, but I know we wash the fruit, check for bruises and blemishes, sort by size, and then send it out.”
The equipment and organization of the barn was overwhelming. Again. Everything about this inheritance was overwhelming.
Including the woman beside him. The woman who’d had a tough life but was succeeding anyway. He wanted to know more. He wanted to help secure her future. The best way to do that was to learn more and use that knowledge to convince the others.
He gestured around the barn. “I’m overwhelmed. There’s so much. And I haven’t seen inside the other barns. I haven’t even peeked into the farmhouses.”
Thea reached out and squeezed his arm. “It’s a lot. The barn in the front is an equipment barn and a place to park the vehicles. Tractors, ATVs, multi-bin trucks. There’s no need to check that out yet.”
He locked up the harvest barn with a nod. “You’re right. I thought I was at least a little prepared for what I’d find here, but I wasn’t even close.”
Thea laughed. “I bet. It’s a big, wonderful place. Jay lived in this farmhouse. I don’t think the one nearer the road has been opened in a while. Not since I’ve been here, anyway.”
They walked to where he’d parked his truck.
Thea smiled. “Why don’t you settle in? Check out the space, and get used to the idea.”
He wanted to invite her in, to keep talking, to find out more. But his family was expecting his call. “Thanks. I think I will. I want to get the conversation started with my family, but I have some thinking and research to do before that happens.”
She nodded and backed up a few steps. “Enjoy your night.”
Dusk had fallen in the time they’d been exploring the farm. There weren’t any cars in the driveway and Thea turned toward the orchard. “Will you be here tomorrow? Can I pick your brain a little more?”
She grinned at that. “Absolutely. I’ll be at the compost piles most of the morning.”
“Do you need a ride anywhere?”
She shook her head. “I’m good, thanks. See you tomorrow.”
With a wave, she headed back the way they’d come. Fox stood from where he’d been napping under the trees and bounded over to her. She gave him a full body rub, and then the two of them disappeared into the trees.
He watched for a while, but they didn’t reappear. Loneliness settled around him along with the darkening night.
Where did Thea live? There must be roads near the back of the land. The thought that she was close helped. He slung a duffel bag over his shoulder and grabbed a cooler from the back of the truck before heading to the farmhouse.
He set the cooler on the porch and thumbed the fox keychain for a moment before opening the door and stepping inside a mudroom. It hadn’t been more than a week since they’d received their letters about the land, but the air in the house was musty.
Knox brought in the cooler and set it on the floor of the mudroom, then locked up. He was fully confident in his ability to take care of himself, but the loneliness of the night made him want to be sure.
There was a laundry area off to the side and another door that led into the main part of the house.
He pushed through the door and found the light switch right where it should be. He’d called ahead to make sure the electricity, plumbing, and WiFi were in working order. It was a relief to see the realtor hadn’t lied.
Leaving his stuff on the kitchen floor, he decided to explore. The kitchen was enormous with older appliances and a huge dining table that would hold at least a dozen people. Another table for four sat off to the side.
Knox wasn’t a cook at heart but even he appreciated the sensible work layout, the organized shelves, and the huge pantry off to one side. A cook’s dream kitchen, even if it was dated. None of his family dreamed of being a baker, but maybe they could find someone who wanted to buy the apples to use in their bakery. Another potential way to make a profit. Another point in the farm’s favor.
A swinging door led to a hallway and a family room that was larger than Knox’s first apartment. This was obviously where Jay had spent a lot of his time.
A worn leather recliner. A side table that held a stack of hardcover books and magazines. Fox had liked to read as well.
An old TV sat on a stand across from the recliner, and the remote rested on top of the magazines. Two old leather sofas and a few chairs filled up the space. No items on those side tables, indicating Jay had spent a lot of time alone.
The outer wall held a stone fireplace that would be a showcase in any house. The mantle was a single piece of live-edged wood. He figured Ford would drool over the piece.
Excitement picked up as he thought of not only getting his family here but his best friend as well. From what he’d seen, there was enough to keep Ford busy for years. The two farmhouses and the barns. Probably fences to designate outdoor areas. He was sure he could come up with more.
Like Thea’s compost facility. Knox didn’t have a clue what that would look like, but he was sure Ford could build it.
Knox found a formal dining room next. This table was bigger than the one in the kitchen. A couple of matching cabinets sat on the walls. Everyone could share meals together, and they’d have room to spare.
Next, he found two more living spaces. The furniture there was dusty and old enough to predate Jay and Fox. He also found a third space that had been turned into a library. Most of the shelves were empty, but there were a few dozen books covering them. Books on farming and Vermont history. Some mysteries. And two on Abenaki history.
Knox’s heart thumped hard. Fox had owned copies of both of these Abenaki books. Like these, they’d had crinkled corners and bent pages. Both sets of books had been read many times.
The timer on his phone beeped. His five-minute warning for his family call. He picked up the Abenaki books and decided to do his video call from the kitchen. It was the most inviting space he’d found so far.
Would anyone else feel the excitement he felt for this place? Would they see the potential and the possibilities?
Only one way to find out.
T hea forced herself not to turn back to see what Knox was doing. The man intrigued her in many ways. She wanted to know what drove him to pull his family together. What had happened to put the loneliness she sometimes saw in his eyes and heard in his voice?
He was confident and sure of himself. And she really wanted to know what it would feel like to follow up on the chemistry that zipped between them. He was gorgeous and sexier than any man should be, but it was Knox’s complete devotion to his family that pulled her to him.
When she’d heard Jay had family, she’d thought maybe a niece or nephew. A middle-aged, cranky version of Jay himself. Why else wouldn’t he have mentioned them? Instead, it was a great-nephew and his siblings. She didn’t know the others yet, but if Knox was any indication, they’d be good people, too. Why hadn’t Jay connected with them before it was too late?
When she’d found out Jay had left his land to his family, she’d been surprised and a little hurt. She’d thought he’d at least have included her somehow. Maybe not with the land, but with a memento of some kind. Or her cabin.
Guilt filled her. She deliberately hadn’t told Knox she lived on the land. Her cabin was further back than they’d walked, and he probably wouldn’t stumble across it any time soon, but she should have told him.
She hadn’t been able to face the thought of being kicked out. Especially as day turned to night.
With a shudder, she forced the thought away. She had at least one more night in her home.
Fox nuzzled her hand and bounded off into the trees. Probably chasing a squirrel or gopher. The squirrels weren’t a problem, but the gophers were. The land needed a few owls to take care of that problem, but that was way down on Thea’s list.
Maybe with Knox’s unlimited funds, she could get some owl nesting boxes built and installed. She didn’t know if the phrase if you build it, they will come applied to owls.
Sadly, that was someone else’s problem. Jay had been interested in all her ideas, and they’d talked about the possibilities while sitting on the back porch of the farmhouse in the evenings when the work was done.
He’d liked her visions to regenerate the earth and bring back the diversity of the land. When she’d brought up the owls, he’d cackled. Gophers belong to the land, too.
She’d retorted that they could belong to someone else’s land. Someone who wasn’t trying to produce apples.
Then he’d cackled some more.
Thea sighed and blinked away the tears and the loneliness. She was used to it.
Time to suck it up and kick herself out of her own pity party. The trees always made her feel better, so she slowed her pace and checked out the buds.
At her compost shed, she dragged over the hose and watered all the sections. The night had deepened, but it was a clear night, and she could see well enough with the moon. The water helped the compost progress. If she couldn’t talk Knox into building her a facility, the more progress she could make here, the better. Even better, they’d have both. Two different types of healthy compost.
When she was done, she returned the hose to the side of the shed. She’d like to put the hose away, but without a key, she had to hope the critters would leave it alone.
She wasn’t sure if the thick material of the hose didn’t appeal to any animals or if the human scent kept them away. Or maybe it was Fox. Whatever it was, she was grateful the hose remained intact.
She hoped her job would follow that trend.
Thea took a different route through the trees than she had in the morning. Her cabin was private and she didn’t want to give away its location by leaving a straight path to it. Some repetition couldn’t be helped, but she tried.
The cabin first showed as a darker spot against the trees which allowed some moonlight to filter through. It didn’t take long for the outline to appear. She was soon inside with the door bolted behind her. Despite being in the rear of the orchard, where most humans didn’t venture, she never forgot to throw the bolt.
During her years as a foster kid, she’d treasured the possessions that were hers and hers alone. Still did. This cabin wasn’t technically hers, but Jay had given it to her. He’d said everyone needed a place of their own.
And he probably hadn’t wanted company up in the house. That thought made her smile. As much as Jay liked to act the grump, he’d been a kind-hearted man.
Her place was furnished with pieces from the farmhouse he hadn’t wanted. They’d used his truck to haul it as close as they could get and then wrestled it the rest of the way. They hadn’t wanted to damage the cover crop by driving on it.
A double bed and mattress. A table with two mismatched chairs. Bar fridge and a stove, probably from the fifties. Even a recliner Jay had deemed an extra.
The tiny bathroom was functional, so she had all the comforts of home. Her home. Which she could lose at any moment.
Sighing, Thea sat at the table and wondered what the next few days would bring.
She’d have to ask Knox if she could borrow the truck so she could run to town and get food. She and Jay had shared some meals, but she’d fended for herself most of the time. Her supplies were down to pantry items, some cheese, a few eggs, and a jar of pickles.
She hated pickles.
Jay had loved them and begged her to try these, saying they weren’t that pickly.
She rubbed her hand over her heart and sent best wishes for Jay out into the universe. “If you’re out there somewhere, Jay, I hope you’re happy. Maybe you and Fox are making up for lost time. Thanks for everything you did for me. But I’m still not eating the pickles.”
K nox set a bright yellow flour canister on the table and propped his phone against it. The canister implied someone baked, and Knox wondered if Fox or Thea was in the habit of making apple pie. He could go for some pie.
And if his imagination went straight to him and Thea baking together in the kitchen while exchanging a kiss or two, it couldn’t be helped. She was enticing. Somehow, he doubted the strong and sexy woman who dug so happily in compost loved to bake, but a man could hope. He could practically hear her telling him to bake his own pie, and that made him grin.
Knox checked his backdrop, then angled the phone to avoid showing the broken tile on the backsplash behind him. The fewer weaknesses they could see, the better.
Sitting down, he took a deep breath and then initiated the family chat.
As usual, Jolie signed on immediately with a happy smile and a wave. Lawson and Burke were next with nods to the others. Finally, Amber signed on. Sort of. Her square was black.
“Are you there, Amber? We can’t see you.”
His sister laughed ruefully. “I’m here. Dropped my phone today and something wonky happened to the camera. But I can hear you fine.”
Damn. Knox had wanted to show her the farmhouses. “Can you see us? Or is it broken both ways?”
“Both ways. Sorry.”
“No problem. I can show you around the next time we chat.”
Burke’s eyebrows shot up. “Next time?”
He refrained from rolling his eyes. “You weren’t planning on talking to me next time? You’re going to ignore my call?”
Burke frowned. “That’s not what I meant. You’re grinning like you’ve got a plan, and I assume it involves the property you went to check out.”
Knox nodded. “I do. It’s an amazing place.”
Burke sighed but Jolie clapped her hands once. “Tell us all about it.”
He loved his youngest sister’s enthusiasm. “It’s full of potential, Jolie. There are acres and acres of trees. At least three barns. Sheds around the property for easy access to equipment close to where it’s needed.”
“Is it functional?”
Of course, Burke asked that. “Not completely. The trees are producing apples, but not at top quality or quantity yet. Jay was working to upgrade the composting area, and apparently, that’s the key to success.”
Jolie grinned while Lawson laughed. “So dirt and shit are the keys? Not sure I’m eating apples ever again.”
He laughed. “Just wait until you see the machinery they’ve got here for you to work on. Trucks. Tractors. ATVs. Something called a multi-bin truck. And all kinds of things I haven’t seen yet. You’d have a blast here.”
Lawson’s eyes widened with interest, but he didn’t comment.
“And Jolie, the soil consultant explained the importance of increasing the biodiversity of the farm. She wants to build a composting center and fix up a pond. I think you’re going to love her ideas.”
Burke scowled. “Of course, she would. That’s not the point, Knox.”
This time he let the eye roll fly. “And what would be the point, Burke? I thought we agreed that I would come out here to explore the options and the possibilities. But as soon as I say something positive, you’re shooting it down. Do you only want me to focus on the negatives? Have you already made your decision without knowing all the facts?”
Burke grimaced. His brother knew Knox had a point. “Fine. Have you seen the books? Is the place making any money at all, or is it a complete financial drain that will only suck up our own money?”
Damn. Burke had a point, too. “I haven’t seen the books yet. I’ve only been here for a few hours. I spent almost all of that time checking out the trees and the land.”
And learning from a sexy woman who intrigued him like no one else ever had. But he didn’t say that part out loud.
He figured he’d either lure Burke in or piss him off completely with his next statement. It was always a toss-up. “The numbers are your department, Burke, but I’ll see what I can find. I’m here to get an overview. So far, I like what I see. Further, I think you’d like what I see. All of you.”
“What’s the best part?” Amber’s quiet voice broke the silence after his last sentence.
He grinned at the camera. “So much, but finding out about Jay has been the best. From what I’ve learned, he was a cranky old man who spouted ridiculous sayings and tried damn hard to hide a good heart.”
Lawson barked out a laugh. “Sounds like another old fart we all miss a whole lot.”
Everyone nodded. Well, Knox assumed Amber did, too. “Everything I’ve learned so far tells me the brothers were a lot alike. I’ve found a couple of surprises.” He held up the two books to the camera.
Jolie gasped, and his brothers’s eyes widened in surprise.
Amber spoke. “What is it? What are you showing?”
“Sorry, Amber. I’ve got two books on Abenaki history here. They’ve got folded corners, coffee stains, and messed up edges. They’ve been well used over the years.”
“Are they the same books that Fox had? There can’t be a huge number of books on Abenaki history.”
“The exact same books. And there’s more. There’s a huge dog that roams the land. A friendly white beast that prefers the outdoors to the inside. He’s a Great Pyrenees. Guess what Jay named him?”
They all shook their heads. Knox waited for a dramatic pause. “Fox. He named the dog Fox.”
More gasps. More surprise. Even better, more interest. He pushed his advantage, and held up the key ring. “I know you can’t see this either, Amber, but he kept his keys on a key chain with a fox on it. I didn’t really look at it until I got here.”
Lawson frowned. “I wish we knew what the hell happened between the two of them. They didn’t live that far apart, and they sound a lot alike. Why didn’t we know about Jay? What could have pulled them apart?”
“Damn good questions. I’m hoping to find some answers here.”
Jolie leaned into the camera, eyes misty. “I’ve got a big project I’m in the middle of supervising. But I’m going to arrange some time off after I wrap that up in a few weeks. I want to come up to Vermont to see everything. We need to figure out the mystery before we make final decisions about the property. I want to know more about Jay. And I want to see if we can figure out what happened between them.”
Even Burke’s eyes softened at that. Jolie was as sweet as she was enthusiastic. None of them would do anything to make her sad or upset. Without knowing it, his baby sister had just given him one of the things he wanted most.
Time.
Now, he had to figure out how best to use it.