12. Knox It Off
Chapter 12
Knox It Off
A few days later, Knox spread his resources across the table. He had several files uploaded and ready to share. Lots of photos, too.
Using a technique taught him by a sergeant in the army, he fisted his hands tightly and focused his eyes in the middle distance. Inside, he gathered the nerves and the worries and shoved them into a knotted ball. Drew in a deep breath and kicked the ball hard enough to knock it into next month.
Or at least until the phone call was done. Settled, he sat at the kitchen table and started up the call. Jolie signed in first with her bright smile. Lawson grinned. Burke nodded. And they didn’t have a clue what Amber did because her square was still black.
Before any of them could inquire, she spoke. “I know, I know. It’s still black. I hardly ever use my own phone and I forgot about the glitch until right now.”
Jolie laughed. “Why don’t you log on with a hotel computer?”
His sister’s laugh was immediate. “And get myself fired for misuse of company property? No thanks.”
Sensing an opening, Knox spoke. “Wouldn’t it be great to be your own boss?”
Amber laughed wryly. “I’m not at that rung on the ladder yet. Nor am I likely to be.”
“How about running your own B&B? Would you like that?”
Another laugh that didn’t hold a lot of humor. “What’s going on, Knox?”
He wished he could see her face. “I’ve got an idea. Actually, I’ve got plenty of them. A whole spreadsheet full.”
Jolie and Lawson grinned at him. Burke raised an eyebrow. “Let’s hear it.”
“This place is amazing. The more I explore and learn, the more I like it. To use Jolie’s favorite word, it’s practically bursting with potential.”
“Even though there were only two of them working on the farm last year and only Jay the year before, they managed a small harvest. They not only sold fresh apples but any apples that weren’t perfect were sold to people for baking and cooking. If any of us liked to bake, it would be an obvious add to the property and to the profit column.”
Before they could see that as a negative, he bulldozed on. “But that’s something to think about adding later on. For now, we have a ton to keep us all busy and happy.”
Jolie grinned, and he knew he had her in his corner. “The trees themselves are still producing good quality apples. There are dozens of acres of mature trees. From what I can see, there’s no reason not to manage a small profit this year. Let me show you the harvest barn. Hang on, Amber, and I’ll email you the files.”
He kept talking without giving anyone a chance to respond. “As you can see, the system is already in place, and it’s simply a matter of using it and refining it as we learn more. There are even apples in the cold room from last fall.” He held up one he’d brought in. “They’re delicious and fresh. A product to be proud of.”
Lawson looked intrigued by the barn, so he pulled up a video. “This is the equipment barn. I now know this is a multi-bin truck. During harvest people stand on the side rails and pick the apples. It has to be done by hand so that the apples don’t get bruised.”
Burke frowned. “What happens to the apples that fall? I’m guessing they get bruised.”
Knox grinned. “There’s a hierarchy. Perfect apples get sold fresh. Anything with bruises gets sold for baking and cooking. Peels and cores go into making cider and pectin. It doesn’t sound too hard to add in cider-making. Anything that’s left goes into compost.”
Jolie laughed. “And we’re back to the importance of compost and biodiversity.”
He grinned. “We are. A smart business move would be to lean into regenerative farming. It would eventually give us a classification and have us stand out from the crowd. Not only would it be good for the earth and the farm, it would be a smart business move. People know what’s happening to our planet, and they want to support products that are helping, not hurting.”
Lawson nodded. “Upgrading the equipment to electric or solar would be smart. Better for the environment and more economical in the long term.”
“Our first step would be a Worminator.”
A beat of silence prefaced grins from the family he could see. Amber’s voice held a smile. “A Worminator? Do I want to know?”
He laughed. “It’s Thea’s name for a farm-sized compost facility. Apparently, there is magic in worm poop. The Worminator speeds up the process. Ten tons of compost per acre is an ideal number. With good compost, we’d have even better apples.”
Jolie nodded. “Better biodiversity would help with that. If the farm has been exposed to pesticides for decades, it will need some help to return to top form. This is where the pond comes in. If it’s stagnant, it’ll need some work before it’s helpful.”
Lawson looked at their baby sister. “Do you know how to do that?”
Her smile lit up the screen. “I do. It would be a lot of fun to revitalize the water and the land.”
He had momentum on his side, so he kept pushing. “If we kept the farm, it could be a home base for all of us. We could learn the process together and find out where we best fit to help.”
He wished he could see Amber’s face. “The other farmhouse on the property is even bigger than this one. It would be perfect for a B&B. Well, after some renovations. It would need to be unique to draw people to the area.”
Burke frowned. “Not trying to be an asshole, but why would anyone want to come to the area? It’s a farm in the middle of nowhere, Vermont.”
Amber took that one for him. “A lot of people want a break from the cities. They want to relax and get away from their jobs and their tech. Spending a weekend or a week on a working apple farm could be enticing. It wouldn’t be difficult to add in a few attractions. There’s no need for a lot of action and excitement if it’s billed as a relaxing vacation.”
That was a huge speech for his sister. Even without seeing her, he could hear the positivity in her voice. “Exactly. The farmhouse needs work, so it wouldn’t be an immediate profit but I think you’d have a blast deciding how it should be and making that happen.”
“Can you send me more pictures of the place?”
“I haven’t been inside it yet, but I’ll take some tomorrow. And Lawson, you’ve always wanted to run your own business. You love restoring old vehicles, but you don’t have the time or space. I bet you could find that here.”
“And Burke, you’d love this place. I know you do a ton of your work remotely. You could do it from here. And you could help me with the books and the numbers. I’m competent. You’re better.”
Burke rolled his eyes, but couldn’t hide the smile. He was at least considering it.
“What do you think, everyone? I love this place and think you all will, too.”
Lawson shrugged. “It sounds great. A nice change. I’ve got commitments here for a while, but I can get a week off here and there to help.”
Jolie grinned. “I’m in. I can quit my job and move up to help.”
“Are you sure?”
A shadow passed over her face, but she smiled again. “A hundred percent sure.”
Something was going on with her. He’d have to dig into that when she arrived.
Amber spoke next. “I need to see more before I decide. I’m not sure I’m qualified to renovate, restyle, and run a B&B.”
They all laughed, and Burke spoke. “You’re more qualified than anyone I know. This sounds like the dream for you, Amber.”
She made some kind of noncommittal noise, and Knox wondered if he’d miscalculated. “I’ll send you all the things, Amber. Look, everyone. I don’t want to pressure you, but I have a great feeling about this place. It feels like home. I think you’ll all feel it, too. Wouldn’t it be great to have us all in one place, working on one project? Learning more about Jay and trying to figure out what went wrong between him and Fox?”
Everyone except Amber shared glances.
Taking a deep breath, he asked. “What do you think?”
The others looked to Burke. Amber waited quietly.
Burke turned his attention to everyone he could see. “We don’t have to make a firm commitment at this time. We can hang onto the farm and see how it goes. There’s enough money to cover taxes and some investments. We can reevaluate in six months.”
Knox’s heart leaped. “So?”
Burke shrugged. “Looks like we’re buying a Worminator.”
T hea wound the hose and returned it to the side of the shed. She hoped it wasn’t for one of the last times.
It was going to be a long night of wondering. She hoped Knox’s call with his family went well. He had organized a ton of data and taken a million photos.
Would that be enough to convince his family? Would anything? He was optimistic, but she wasn’t as sure. Optimism came with a heavy price if it turned out you were wrong.
Even before she’d met Knox, she’d wanted desperately to stay at the farm. Jay had become a friend rather than an employer. He’d wanted to spend time learning the seasons of the farm, but he’d had plans to expand. To grow.
Had some of those plans involved Knox and his siblings? Would Jay have contacted them if the heart attack hadn’t taken him first?
The farm was home. Her cabin was a safe haven, and Fox was nearby when she was lonely.
Now, Knox was part of it as well. Part of the feeling of home. Of rightness.
She had wanted to go slow with their physical relationship, but now it felt right. Completely right. Even thinking about sex had her body tingling in a way it never had before.
Their kisses the day before had her wanting more. Wanting it all. She felt safe with Knox. As if he liked who she was and who they were together.
That hadn’t happened in a while. Okay, that hadn’t ever happened.
She might be ridiculous thinking of a longterm future, but for the first time in her life, she was willing to take a chance on a man. A real chance.
Fox bounded out of the woods with a happy smile. She ruffled his fur. “I need to distract myself, Fox. Do you want to check out the pond with me? We can see if the trees are showing any signs of rot. I need to do some research on regenerating ponds. We need a clean and reliable water source for the lower part of the orchard.”
Over the years, the pond had become stagnant. There wasn’t an irrigation system back here so the trees had suffered more than the ones near the front.
Her cabin was the separating line and the wilderness was trying to take over. Cover crops had been replaced by weeds. The mature trees could handle some of that, but they weren’t thriving. Some buds, but not as many as she’d seen the previous year.
The back half of the property definitely needed more help than the front. With a Worminator, she could improve it all. It would take time to build up to the amounts they needed for the entire orchard, but if they worked section by section, it wouldn’t take long. And the Malssums would see the improvements, and believe in the potential.
Thea smelled the pond before she could see it. “It definitely needs some help, Fox. If we can fix this, it would help everything.”
The murky pond was lifeless and choked with weeds. Leaning against a tree, she looked and listened for wildlife but didn’t hear or see a thing. No songbirds back here or fish. It was sad.
“Big wish, number two. One step at a time. First, we need the Worminator. Actually, first, we need the Malssums to want the farm. Come on, I think I’ll make some tea.”
She and Knox had shared another supper, then she’d headed out so he could speak to his family. She was glad he hadn’t asked her to stay. Meeting them all would have been awkward and pushy. The family needed to make a decision together, and she wasn’t part of that family. Or any other.
Laughing at herself, she ruffled Fox’s fur. “It’s a beautiful night, and I’ve no reason to feel sorry for myself. Let’s run.”
Fox loved it when she ran with him. He led the way in a game that resembled hide and seek and tag combined.
When she was out of breath, she stopped to gulp in air. “You win, my friend. Like always.”
The dog always boosted her mood and reminded her of the simple joys. “You’re right. Everything will work out. We’ll find a way to be okay.”
Fox raced around her in three quick circles and headed to the northern part of the farm. She wondered where he spent the night but hadn’t followed him. It seemed rude when he obviously wanted to be on his own.
Thea checked the trees as she meandered back to her cabin. Snails had been active in one section. They needed a solution for those pests as well.
One big dream at a time.
The orchard always felt safe, night or day. She’d spent many easy hours wandering the land. Like the Merck’s farm, it was a happy place. The solitude wrapped around her, reminding her she didn’t need a lot to be content.
The notes of “It’s A Hard Knock Life” reached her, making her smile. Making her realize she wanted more than to be content. She wanted to be happy. Knox made her happy, and she wanted to explore that. Fully.
Tonight.
Her own whistling skills were painfully inadequate, but she sent a few notes out into the orchard.
The tune changed as she moved toward it. It took her a few seconds to recognize the new song. Somewhere Over The Rainbow from the Wizard Of Oz.
She sent out her few notes again, and his returned louder. And in tune.
Her smile widened when she spotted him through the trees. His returning grin had her heart jumping and her pace increasing. It had only been a couple of hours since she’d seen him but her body and heart didn’t care. Tingles shivered over her skin, and every part of her softened with happiness and desire. So much desire.
When they were close enough, Knox widened his arms, and she threw herself at him. Laughing, he lifted her easily and swung her around in a circle.
Their lips connected before her feet touched the ground. His were hungry, as hungry as hers. She kept her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his thick hair, enjoying the silky smoothness.
They broke off from the kiss, gulped in air, grinned at each other, and dove in again.
And again.
Finally, they managed to slow the kiss. He smiled at her, desire evident in his eyes despite the deepening evening. “Missed you.”
She grinned. “Missed you, too. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.”
“Want to take a walk?”
“I think I want to do more than walk.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Oh, yeah?” He took her hands in his and kissed her forehead. “What do you have in mind?”
Feeling bold but not daring enough to speak the words loudly, she reached up on her tiptoes, and whispered into his ear. “I want to make love with you. Right here. Right now.”