5. In A Tight Spot
Chapter 5
In A Tight Spot
T hea woke to sunshine beaming through the window. She stretched with a smile. Mother Nature was going to cooperate with her plans. Gloomy, stormy days wouldn’t do anything to convince Knox that the farm was the best place in the world to live.
Well, maybe not best for everyone. Best for her. And maybe best for Knox and his family. She could see in his eyes that he was intrigued by the farm and the process of growing and selling apples. She was pretty sure he was also interested in her ideas.
Was she stretching the truth to believe that he was also interested and intrigued by her?
She’d have to be dead not to be interested in him. But it was more than the strong body and gorgeous cheekbones. He was kind and gentle. With the songbirds, with the trees when he’d touched them. With her.
When they’d first met, he’d kept a careful distance so she didn’t feel threatened. He’d respected her physical and emotional boundaries. He hadn’t pushed her to reveal anything she wasn’t ready to reveal.
He could have pushed for answers. Demanded to know why she was on his land. Kicked her off without even a question. That would have been within his right.
Instead, Knox had asked questions and really listened to the answers. He appeared to want the farm to be successful. From the little she knew, he was more interested in long-term success than making a quick buck by selling the place.
Not that a not-quite functional farm would bring in top dollar.
As she showered and dressed, Thea wondered about the rift between Jay and his brother Fox. Were there other siblings? And were their names from nature as well?
Jay had been proud of his indigenous heritage. He was Abenaki and had spent hours telling her about the culture and reading from his books.
The Abenaki beliefs were closely attuned to the world around them. Her views on regenerative farming and bringing the soil back to prime health meshed beautifully with indigenous beliefs.
Something that always made Jay shake his head at. Who’d a thunk that young people weren’t all completely stupid?
Smiling at the memory, she ate some cereal out of a box and added a piece of cheese for some protein. Her job required a lot of energy, and she really needed to get to town for supplies. Hopefully Knox would let her borrow the truck.
At the last moment, she remembered to shove her phone in her pocket. She’d remembered to charge it but there were no missed calls or messages.
After Asshole Andy had trashed her reputation, she didn’t get many of those. Her connections hadn’t been strong enough to stand up to Andy’s lies.
The only one from back in Iowa who’d contacted her had been Andy himself. Offering her job back. Not a chance. Not even with the raise he’d offered. Even if this place didn’t work out, she’d look elsewhere.
She’d never been good at connections but she’d figure it out. Being tossed from one foster home to the next had taught her to fade into the background until she knew who to trust. Few people earned her trust these days.
Jay had been one.
Knox was another. Which was bizarre. She didn’t know him well enough to know it logically, but her heart and her body already trusted him.
At the compost center, she dragged over the undamaged hose and started spraying. After many— many —disasters, she’d learned to judge the wind and angle before turning the hose on the compost. Getting a face full of rotting soil wasn’t her idea of a good time.
Which reminded her she also needed to ask Knox if he’d allow her to use the laundry room in the farmhouse. She wasn’t sure if any of the nearby towns had a laundromat ,but she’d have to find out if he said no.
Which meant she’d need to buy a vehicle.
Her bank account wouldn’t like that.
Her last car had shut down not far from where she’d heard Jay and his buddies talking about farming practices. The repair bill for the vehicle had been more than she had. And far more than the car had been worth. The mechanic had bought it for scrap, so it had a least given her a few dollars for a bus ticket.
Instead, she’d joined in on a debate with three crotchety old men and landed herself a place to live.
And a friend.
Worth it.
As she was watering the compost whistling reached her ears, and made her smile. She imagined Knox whistled a lot, but she’d bet part of the reason was to let her know he was approaching.
This song she didn’t know but it was a happy tune again.
She turned to watch him approach. No ball cap this time and she could see his thick dark hair framing his face. Still gorgeous.
He waved when he spotted her, and she waved back, careful to keep the hose aiming in the right direction.
Her smile was impossible to hold in, so she didn’t. When was the last time she’d felt attracted to a man? Far too long, and her body seemed to be waking up with a vengeance. Even if nothing came of the attraction she felt, it was good to know she wasn’t permanently broken.
When he was close enough to speak, Knox grinned. “Do these compost piles take up all of your day?”
She smiled back. “Pretty much. Nature would do its thing for me but that would take years longer. Watering and stirring speeds everything up. The bacteria activate more quickly, so we get accelerated decay.”
Just look at her talking all sexy to this man. Could she be any more lame?
Knox’s smile didn’t dim. “I have spent exactly zero minutes thinking about compost before yesterday. I’m surprised to say I find it far more intriguing than I expected.”
The twinkle in his eyes said he was amused at himself, maybe at both of them.
“I’m happy to convert you to the dark side.”
He laughed. “A Star Wars fan? I’m glad to hear you’ve got interests outside of compost. Although it sounds more like you’re working with the force.”
Her heart warmed at his smile and his words. Asshole Andy had fooled her with his charm, but Knox was different. His expression was wide open and easy to read. His humor was gentle and didn’t make her a target.
She was sure her body and heart were right. This was a trustworthy man.
So, she braved a request. “I have a favor to ask. Actually, two favors.”
The twinkle in his eyes brightened. “Pretty sure you can ask anything.”
Her body softened at the look and the words. Down girl . “Would you be comfortable with me using the laundry facilities in the mud room? I don’t have any of my own, and Jay let me use his.” Her face flushed at the request. She was a grown woman over thirty, and she didn’t have her own washing machine.
Knox nodded immediately. “Of course. Any time.”
“Thank you. I’ll let you know when I’m going to use it. It’ll likely be today or tomorrow.”
Knox’s sympathetic expression eased her embarrassment. “Your whole life changed in the space of moments, didn’t it? I don’t know if there are extra keys around. If not, we’ll get a few made up. My siblings will need some anyway.”
Her heart leaped. That sounded like good news. As long as they didn’t kick her off. “They’re coming?”
His easy grin returned. “Maybe. My youngest sister, Jolie, is trying to get time off. No one else made a commitment yet but I think I have some interest from the others.”
Relief nearly knocked her knees out from under her. She turned off the hose in case she lost control of it.
Knox rubbed his hands together. “So I have time to learn more about the farm and needed improvements. And we’ve got time to work up a plan to convince them all to move here and run this place.”
A laugh bubbled out of her. “You’re dreaming big.”
He nodded. “Those are the best kinds of dreams.”
K nox worked hard to contain himself when Thea wanted to ask him favors. He was pretty sure she could ask anything, and he’d do his best to grant it.
He’d known immediately she wasn’t going to ask anything sexual, but his imagination had gone there anyway. As had certain parts of his anatomy. Which was ridiculous. He was a mature adult on his third career, not some randy teenager with hormones running wild.
Still, he wanted to know more about what she wanted. The fact that she thought using laundry facilities required a favor was sad. “Hey, where do you live, anyway? I can’t believe I didn’t ask that yesterday. Do you have a place here on the farm?”
Fear flashed in her eyes before she shut it down. Damn it. He didn’t want her to be afraid, so he continued before she could answer. “I imagine Jay set you up somewhere on the farm so you’d be close. There’s no point in driving to the orchard daily when there’s so much space here.”
Thea gnawed at her bottom lip when she nodded. “He gave me a cabin a little further back in the orchard. Maybe I should have moved out after Jay was gone but I hoped to convince the new owners to keep me on.”
Her nerves practically vibrated the earth at their feet. “Sounds like a good deal to me. I can’t promise you forever because I’m not the only one making a decision but I can promise you that as long as we own the farm, you can keep living in your cabin.”
Relief was obvious in her face, and she blinked a few times when her eyes misted. “Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“You’re welcome. It’s the very least I can do to thank you for helping me learn the apple and soil business.”
She smiled. “You’re a good man.”
He shrugged. “Fox would never let me hear the end of it if I didn’t try to help out others.”
There was more sparkle in her eyes this time. “Sounds like Jay. Although he’d prefer to help if no one knew it was him behind the good deed.”
Knox laughed. “I love hearing Jay’s stories. I’m starting to wonder if he and Fox were twins. They sound like almost the same person.”
Her eyes softened at that. “I wish they’d managed to fix whatever was broken between them.”
“Me too. Sounds like they missed out on decades of knowing each other.”
“It’s so sad.”
He didn’t like seeing her sad. “I confirmed with my family that we’ll keep paying you as long as we’re in charge of the farm. We’d like your help to make it better no matter what we decide. I’m also charged with getting to know more about the property and the finances.”
She made a face. “I can’t help you with the finances. Jay never shared much except to gripe about rising prices.”
They shared a smile at that. “Tell me more about the land. You have one cabin. Are there more?”
She nodded. “Three more scattered around. Jay and I figured they were all owned by different families at one point. And then maybe farm workers once the apple farm became a business.”
When she picked up the hose, Knox helped her drag it back to the nearby shed. He wondered at it being kept outside and made another connection. “Do you have keys for the barns and sheds? The cabins?”
She shook her head sharply. “No. Of course not.”
He hadn’t meant to make her feel guilty. “We’ll have to fix that. You need to have access to everything if we’re going to pull this off.”
Thea’s eyes drifted to her compost and the trees beyond. “There’s a lot to do.”
He nodded. “I bet. I can’t say I know because I haven’t a clue what would make that list. Before we tackle it, what was the other favor you needed?”
Her skin flushed again. “Do you mind if I borrow Jay’s truck? I’m running low on food, and I’d like to make a run to a nearby town. I can pick up some things for the farm and for you, so it’s not a total waste of time or gas.”
She couldn’t look him in the eyes and his heart went out to her.
“You can borrow the truck anytime you need it. Consider it yours for the time being. But for today, I was hoping to coerce you into popping over to Phail with me. I have a buddy who lives there. I haven’t told him I’m here yet. It’ll be perfect if we both grab food as well. I’ve got a cooler I brought with me we can use for the perishables.”
She smiled. “There are a couple in the storage space off the mud room as well. Cloth bags, too.”
During the drive to Phail, conversation flowed easily. He discovered she read a wide variety of books. Everything from romance to memoirs, along with a lot of nonfiction, mostly about farming and soil.
“What about music? What do you like best? If you’re from Iowa, I’m going to guess country music is your favorite.”
She shrugged. “I actually don’t know too much about music. I never owned a phone until I was an adult. I only lived in one home where music was important. Actually, that’s how I knew you weren’t a scary person when you showed up yesterday.”
He frowned as he looked over at her. Vermont roads were twisty, so he didn’t take more than a quick glance before pulling his eyes back to the road. “What do you mean?”
“I recognized the tune you were whistling. It took me a moment to remember it, though. A girl in one foster family was auditioning for a musical, and she practiced all the time. She had a beautiful voice.”
“What was I whistling?” He didn’t remember at all.
“‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ and ‘Tomorrow’ from Annie. I haven’t seen it, but I knew the songs from listening to her rehearse. I figured no serial killer was going to prowl through the farm whistling songs from musicals.”
She grinned, making him laugh even while his heart ached for her. She’d been in a foster home where the kid auditioned for a musical, and she’d never even seen it? Sad.
But he figured she didn’t want him commenting on that. “You never know. Maybe there’s a whole criminal subculture based on Broadway.”
As he hoped, she laughed. “Guess I was just lucky then.”
He felt like the lucky one. They turned another curve, and the landscape opened in front of them. “Wow.”
Thea leaned forward. “Every time I see it, I think the same. This area is stunning, no matter the season. My favorite is when the trees change in autumn.”
He hoped he’d be there to see it. They passed tidy farms and farmhouses. No apple orchards, though. At least there wasn’t competition in this direction.
When they drove into Phail itself, it wasn’t long before he laughed out loud.
Phail Phoods.
No Fail Diner.
Phail General.
That was the store Troy owned, but Knox kept driving and grinning.
Doc’s.
The Saloon.
Phail Fire with the I-Phail Tower nearby.
And when he turned down a street beside the park, he laughed again. Phail Jail .
“I shouldn’t be surprised by the names, but I am. My buddy has a ridiculous sense of humor, and now I know why. This place is great.”
“It is. And the people are as well. There’s a parking lot near Phail Phoods if you want to park there.”
He was still smiling when he parked his truck where she directed. “Man, I can’t wait to see Troy. Do you mind if we go there first?”
She shrugged. “I can just do my shopping and wait here for you. I don’t want to intrude on your time with your friend.”
He rounded the truck, but of course she didn’t wait for him to open the door for her. This wasn’t a date no matter how much he’d enjoy that.
“You wouldn’t be intruding. I’d like to think we’re friends too. So it’s a meeting of friends. Do you know Troy?”
She shrugged. “I know Troy but I’m not sure if he’ll remember me. I’ve been in his store a few times with Jay to pick up mail and his online orders.”
Again, the sadness showed on her face. “I’m really glad Jay had you for a friend. I know you made his last year more pleasant than it would have been without you.”
Surprise and pleasure lit up her face. Her eyes misted, but she blinked those clear in moments. “Thank you. That means a lot. I miss him.”
Knox reached out and tugged her into a hug. “I can tell, and I’m sorry for your loss.”
She stiffened for a moment but then hugged him back tentatively. “I think that’s my line.”
He squeezed her lightly. “He was your family, too.” Besides, she’d already offered her condolences.
He enjoyed the feeling of her in his arms, but when she started to move, he released her immediately. No way was he being creepy.
He nodded. “Okay, let’s go to Phail General and see if Troy remembers me.”
Thea smiled. “I’m going to guess that won’t be a problem.”