23. Hop On
CHAPTER 23
Hop On
I sla moved another pot of hops to the plot she’d created behind her greenhouse. The structure wasn’t tall enough to accommodate the plants any longer. She would keep some in pots so she could change the soil elements and test the results. Others would be planted together to see how the varieties coped growing beside other. Maybe they’d get some cross-pollination and create a new strain.
Surprisingly, the hops appeared to be doing best with regular Vermont soil without a whole lot of treatments. That was good news for Levi and his crops, although she’d keep testing and looking for ways to improve and help out Mother Nature. It was going to be an interesting season. Excitement at the possibilities rippled through her.
Stacks of windows and doors rested alongside the barn for her next greenhouses. They had plans to build the second one soon. With the things she’d learned working with the hops, she had new ideas of what to try with some with some other plants with bines. Runner beans in particular could benefit from the things she’d learned. She couldn’t wait to dive in.
Hopper jumped up from where he’d been snoozing in the sun and barked. It had been days since Glen and Ed had been arrested and removed from town, but her nerves were still jumpy. Hopper faced the front of the property and Isla drew in a deep breath as she pulled out her phone.
Three missed texts from her dad. She’d been too caught up in her plants to notice. With dismay, she looked down at herself. Overalls, wellies, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. No flannel or hoody today because it was warm. She’d hoped to change before her dad arrived with Elaine, but it looked like time was up.
“Hey, Glass Farmer, your dad’s rental just pulled in.”
She smiled up at Levi. “Do you think you can stall them while I go change? I lost track of time.”
He laughed and swooped her into his arms for a kiss. “You’re gorgeous and sexy as hell.”
That made her laugh. Nothing about what she wore was sexy. Except to Levi. Her Fairy God Farmer.
After another kiss, he slung his arm over her shoulder and they headed to the front, with Hopper at their side.
Because it was Levi, she was able to say it out loud. “I’m nervous.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “I know, but it’s going to be fine. You’ve spoken with Elaine over video calls and she’s excited to meet you in person.”
Her dad’s girlfriend seemed very nice. No nonsense, which made sense seeing as she’d been CEO of a non-profit for years. The woman had been a corporate power house and Isla was about to meet her with grass stains on her knees and soil under her fingernails.
Reg rounded the hood of the car and opened the side door, offering his hand to Elaine. She rose from the car and pressed a quick kiss to her dad’s cheek, then took his hand.
The couple turned to the cottage, but it only took a moment for them to spot Isla, Levi, and Hopper approaching from the back. Reg grinned and called out a greeting. Elaine smiled and waved as well.
Levi squeezed her shoulder. “You’ve got this.”
She gave a sharp nod. He was right. After all they’d been through in the past few weeks, meeting her dad’s girlfriend should be easy. But it was too important to be easy.
When they neared, Reg grinned. “Elaine, I’d like to officially introduce you to my wonderful daughter, Isla and her friend Levi. Isla, Levi, this is Elaine Conrad.”
Elaine laughed. “Such a formal introduction. It’s so nice to meet you both in person.” Then she stepped up and pulled Isla into a hug.
The warmth of the hug seeped into Isla and helped settle her nerves. “It’s great to meet you as well, Elaine.”
“Thanks for keeping Reg safe. I’m so sorry you got hurt saving him.”
The woman’s voice wobbled. Isla squeezed her harder and nodded, swallowing hard against the tears.
With a thick laugh, Elaine hugged her again and then released her. She turned to Levi and pulled him into a hug as well. “And thanks to you for everything you’ve done for both Isla and Reg.”
Finally, Reg waved his hands. “Okay, enough with the big emotions. No crying. It’s a happy time.”
Laughing, Isla stepped back. “Agreed. You’ve had a long drive in from Burlington. Did you want to head to the B&B to rest up for a bit?”
Elaine shook her head. “We’re good. I can’t wait to see your farms, along with the greenhouse and the hops I’ve heard so much about. I know nothing about plants, so talk to me like I’m an excited five-year-old.”
They toured the two plots of land, and Isla found Elaine to be bright, curious, and ready to laugh. A perfect fit for her dad who was obviously enamoured.
When they were back in the cottage, Isla put the lasagna she’d bought from Fiona into the oven. Fresh bread and salad too.
Elaine smiled. “That smells and looks amazing.”
Isla grinned even as she waited for the potential judgment. “I’ll pass the compliments on to Fiona in town. I’m not much of a cook myself.”
Elaine’s eyes twinkled. “Me neither. I prefer leaving that to the experts.”
Another reason to like this woman.
As they enjoyed the meal, they talked about Glen and his obsession with money that had caused him to become a criminal.
Reg shook his head. “I can’t believe I was going to leave my money to that jerk. I’m glad we reconnected, Isla. You were always a much better heir. I just couldn’t see it for a long while.”
She smiled at him. “That’s a lovely thing to say, but I don’t want your money, Dad. I’ve got everything I need.”
Reg frowned. “But I want to leave it to you. I want to make up for being such a terrible father. You could do so much good in the world with it.”
She shared a glance with Levi who nodded at her. They’d talked about it, and he’d encouraged her to follow her heart. “I do have an idea about how you could use some of the money to do some good of your own.”
Reg’s eyebrows shot up. “You do?”
“I wonder if you might want to create scholarships for young people who don’t have the funds to attend college.”
Eyes wide, he studied her for a moment, then also looked at Levi and Elaine. No one said anything as he digested the information. Finally, he nodded. “I think that’s a terrific idea. Especially if the people are studying in the fields of agriculture and environmental sciences.”
Warmth flooded her heart and she had to swallow the surge of emotion. “I love that.”
Elaine patted Reg’s arm and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Me too.”
He pointed at Isla. “But not all of it. I’m planning to fund some of your research, and I want to ensure that you’re never in need. And you can’t talk me out of that.”
That made her smile and Levi chuckled.
Her dad’s attitude was everything she’d ever hoped for. And she’d only had to come to Phail to find it.
T he next day, Levi wrapped up his chores quickly. He hadn’t told Isla about this afternoon’s surprise, but he’d let Reg and Elaine in on the fun.
He leaped the fence between their properties and realized he should probably put in a gate. Or not. He loved helping Isla over that fence, and they’d had several magical kisses while sitting atop it.
But the gate would make it easier to move the equipment back and forth. So, a machinery gate, not a people gate. Not for him and Isla anyway.
He spotted her in her greenhouse, working with her bean strains. Hopper snoozed at her feet. Despite the gloomy day and the misty rain, he thought this was another picture that would sell magazines. His Glass Farmer in her element.
When he approached, Hopper lifted his head and barked an acknowledgment. Isla’s head immediately popped up. The worry on her face melted into the smile he loved. The chaos with her cousin wasn’t far enough in the past for her to not worry.
Phail would improve that. Which still sounded ridiculous, even it it made him smile. Isla pulled off her work gloves as he entered and grinned. “Perfect timing. I finished planting the new strain I’ve spliced. I think it’s going to be an improvement.”
He kissed her. “I have a surprise for you. We’ve got enough time to clean up.”
Her eyes twinkled. “A shower surprise? I think we just did that a few hours ago.”
She could always make him laugh. “That wasn’t what I meant, but that sounds like a hell of an idea. Come on.”
When they were clean and satisfied, he whistled for the dog and they headed out the back door and into the continuing rain. Hopper headed straight for the tractor, but Levi let out a sharp whistle. The lab shot Levi a sad glance and then moved to relieve himself on a bush instead. Why did the dog like to pee on rubber?
Levi rewarded him with a belly rub for listening and then took Isla’s hand and headed for the fence. They climbed over and he snuck another kiss at the top of the fence. His cowboy hat shielded them from the rain and he realized he should get her one instead of the ball cap she’d thrown on.
Instead of heading to the farmhouse where Sean and Branna lived, they crossed the land. When they reached the fence to the empty property next door, Isla’s eyes widened. “Did you buy the next property? Do you need more land for your hops? You can use my fields if you need room. You don’t have to put out any more money.”
No wonder he loved this woman. “I’ll keep that in mind if we do decide to expand, but I don’t currently need more room. The farm is the perfect size for six varieties of hops and us. Over we go.”
He lifted her up to sit on the top rail, kissed her quickly, then helped her down the other side. Hopper eased himself under the bottom rail.
“So you’re not telling me what the surprise is?”
“Nope.”
“You’re the worst.”
“That’s not what you were panting twenty minutes ago.”
She laughed and swung his arm as they crossed the land. It had an animal barn as opposed to a farming barn, and he wondered about the people who’d lived here before. What animals had grazed here? Cows or horses? Maybe goats or sheep?
At the next fence, he lifted Isla again. There were trees along this fence, and they didn’t have a good view of the property yet.
“I’ve never come this way? Where are we now?”
Instead of answering her, he took her hand again. Before they took a step, a donkey’s bray had her laughing. “That has to be Snoops. We’re at Kimi’s?”
They walked through the trees and into Kimi’s land. The vet had an ever-changing collection of animals. Those who were there for treatment along with the many rescues she took in. Some of those rescues found new homes, but others stayed on and lived out their days in this happy place.
Movement off to the side had them both turning. “What are those things?” They looked like mini ostriches, but weren’t as big as any pictures he’d ever seen.
The flock moved as a unit to the far side of their paddock, and Isla shook her head. “Not a clue. I’ve never seen anything like that before. I’m guessing they’re not the surprise.”
He laughed. “No, although they are a surprise. We’ll have to ask Kimi about them.”
“So, we’re here to see Kimi?”
Her voice held some confusion, but he didn’t answer the implied question. They’d crossed the fields rather than taking the roads to avoid her seeing the other cars in the lot.
They passed a paddock filled with sheep and goats, then he led her to the animal barn where Kimi had her office and vet practice.
When he opened the door to the office, cries of Surprise! and Happy Gotcha Day! filled the air.
Isla whirled to him, smile big enough to brighten the gloomy day. “We get to keep him? Hopper’s ours?”
Then she turned to Kimi and repeated the questions.
Kimi grinned. “Yes. Hopper is officially your dog.”
Isla hugged Levi, eyes misty. “He’s ours.” Then she dropped to the floor and pulled Hopper in for a hug. Always willing to believe he was a lap dog, the lab settled in for some loving.
Levi squatted down beside them and Hopper licked his face. “Welcome home, Hopper.”
Isla blinked to stop her tears but Levi brushed away the ones that fell anyway. He wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Surprise.”
At his gruff whisper, she laughed, and the rest of the tears dried up. “I’m so happy.”
“So am I, Isla.”
Across the room, Oreo yipped and Hopper’s attention turned to finding his friend. When he spotted the little guy sitting with Jabba and Jetson, the lab bounded off to play with his buddies.
Levi helped Isla to her feet and Kimi hugged her. “Congratulations. Happy Gotcha Day.”
Those others in the room also came over to shake his hand and hug Isla. Sam and Tansy. Sean and Branna. Troy and Piper. Reg and Elaine.
Isla hugged everyone with a huge smile on her face. “Dad. Elaine. I can’t believe you’re here, too.”
Reg grinned. “We had to be here to welcome the newest member of the family.”
Levi and Isla posed in front of the Gotcha Day sign Kimi had painted on one wall. The vet snapped pictures of them, and then she added Elaine and Reg to the mix for more photos.
It wasn’t long before Kimi had a framed photo of him, Isla, and Hopper. Another wall in the office had a banner across the top that read Gotcha Wall Of Fame . Photos of other Gotcha Days covered the wall. Troy and Piper with Oreo. Sean and Branna with Jabba. Tansy and Sam with Jetson. And more of the Midnight Lake and Phail people.
Kimi hung up their new picture and then handed extra prints to Isla and her dad.
Reg grinned. “A family picture to add to the office when I get home.”
Kimi moved to a small table. “Bring Hopper over here and we’ll get his paw print for the wall.” Paw prints of each animal decorated the wall beside each photo.
On the table, paper plates held small amounts of paint of various colours. Hopper sniffed at them all, but kept making his way back to the red. “Red it is.”
Levi held the lab still while Isla dipped his paw in the paint. Then he carried the dog to the wall and they got his print on the wall beside their photo. Hopper kept looking between him and Branna and the wall as if trying to figure out this new game.
When they came back from the washing station, Hopper loped off to play with his friends. Kimi brought treats for the dogs and then brought out a Happy Gotcha Day cake for the humans.
Isla hugged her friend. “This is amazing. Thank you so much.”
Kimi hugged her back. “You’re welcome. This is my new favorite part of my job. Oreo was the first, but now we’re building a whole wall of happiness.”
Tansy smiled. “You’ll have to send a new photo of the wall to Piper so she can update the website.”
They spent some time laughing with their friends and enjoying the dogs playing as a group. They checked out Kimi’s new flock of rheas. While they wouldn’t reach the height of ostriches, they would grow to about five feet tall. He shouldn’t be surprised to find the South American birds in Vermont. At this point, he wasn’t sure much about this town could surprise him anymore.
Later, he, Isla, and Hopper returned to their fields through the rain. The hops stretched further up their trellises and all the variations appeared healthy. Isla’s comparative strains were growing as well. It would be interesting to tweak the results at the end of the season to see what needed improvements and what worked well.
And it would be interesting to be doing it in another dozen years. And another couple of dozen years after that.
Levi tugged Isla to a stop in the middle of the field. “Despite the ridiculous name, Phail is a good place to be.”
Isla leaned into him. The wet weather didn’t bother his Glass Farmer. “It is. I’m so glad we both ended up in the same place.”
He nodded, wondering how Troy had known all along this was where he was meant to be. Levi might have to help put pressure on Heath and Garrett to check out the town. Maybe they’d find their place here as well.
Using his cowboy hat to shield her face from the rain, Levi leaned down and kissed her. “Let’s go home, Isla.”