Chapter 2
Droning On
What a beauty.
It appeared to have the original red paint, but it was difficult to tell with the way it had rusted out. He could spend many happy hours buffing out that rust if it hadn’t gone all the way through.
Weeds grew all around it; some plants were even growing through the truck’s bed and the gaps around the hood.
The sweetheart had been there for decades.
Abandoned and alone.
Not for long.
It took an effort for Lawson to remember he was flying a drone and couldn’t simply run through the trees to check out the truck in person. Not until he had his bearings, at least. He needed to know how to find the beauty on foot.
Where was it?
Lawson took another sweep around the truck and then had the drone fly higher to give him some perspective.
That’s when he realized the truck wasn’t alone in the clearing. A woman in a floppy hat and a threadbare sweater over a flowery dress waved her arms at the drone.
He couldn’t see her face because of the broad hat brim but she didn’t appear to be happy to see him. Shit.
Lawson waggled the drone from side to side in greeting. The woman’s hands slammed onto her hips, and a huge, hairy dog moved to her side.
The mountain of fur leaned into her, nearly knocking her over. Her hand touched the dog’s head, and Lawson resisted the urge to fly lower to see her face.
If this was her truck, she would be the one he’d need to negotiate with, and it was always smart to understand your competition.
The woman obviously hadn’t used the truck in years. Her outfit suggested an older woman, and he wouldn’t invade her privacy with the drone to see her. Once he had a location, he’d meet her in person to see how much she wanted for the truck.
Surely, she’d be pleased to see the truck restored and to have a few extra bucks in her pocket.
He flew the drone up and around, studying the area around the clearing.
There weren’t any visible roads leading into it.
The tree cover was heavy on the edges, but there had to be a path leading there.
He could ease a tow truck there once he found it.
If the path was too narrow for a tow, he could use his truck and pull it out with a chain.
Hell, he’d get the other guys on the farm to help him push the damn thing out if that was the only option.
Lawson flew the drone in wider circles around the clearing until he found Jolie’s pond at the back of the farm.
The ducks wandered the area around their Duckington Palace. The name made Lawson grin. His sister was full of fun, and she’d found the perfect partner in Ford Evans, another buddy from Lawson’s time in the army.
The two of them worked along the pond’s edge, and he buzzed the drone down to wave at them.
It took Ford only an instant to spot the machine. His body tightened, and he tugged Jolie to his side. Lawson swore. He should have warned them, especially because of what happened down at that pond the previous summer.
He waggled the drone, flew in a silly circular pattern, then waggled again.
Ford laughed and said something to Jolie. They waved at the drone, and Lawson waggled it again before flying high.
Now that he knew the location of the pond, he used the drone to fly back to the truck. He flew past it until he found the nearest house and road. Then he repeated the pattern until he had the location in his head and a solid idea of how to get there.
It took a few minutes to return the drone to where he sat near the front of the farm. He landed it easily and then set it all back in the box.
As he packed it up, he realized he was still grinning. How long had it been since he’d smiled so much?
All it had taken was a drone and the beauty of a truck. A truck full of potential, as his sister would say. Jolie was big on potential.
Their parents and Fox had instilled that in all of them, but Jolie took it to a whole new level. Between her work on the farm and Ford, she was the happiest he’d ever seen her.
Maybe the truck he’d just found would be the key to finding his own slice of happiness.
Lawson returned the box to his truck and locked down the tonneau cover on the back. The farm had lots of security installed, but it was an enormous property, and impossible to lock down completely.
As had been proved over the past year.
Lawson gritted his teeth as the anger roared through him again. His siblings had all been in danger here at the farm while he’d been in Boston, unable to help.
He knew a large part of his decision to relocate was to reassure himself that they were okay, and to help protect them if more shit happened.
A backup alarm sounded, and Lawson straightened to see a large truck backing down the farm’s driveway. His weapon was in its lockbox on the top shelf of his closet. He hadn’t expected to need it. Who the hell was coming onto their property?
Gray and Amber exited the No Phailed Apples Inn, and Lawson relaxed as his buddy waved at the truck. Gray stood on the step bar and spoke briefly to the driver.
Then he hopped down and took Amber’s hand as they followed the truck.
Part of Lawson settled. Amber had always been the quietest of the five of them. She was the one who took care of everyone else. Gray, another army buddy, had put himself in charge of taking care of Amber.
Her huge German shepherd, Boomer, walked along beside her. The protection dog had been with her since three armed men had attacked her at her job in Chicago. Another thing Lawson had known nothing about until the danger had passed. Too late for him to help.
At least Gray had been there. That was how the two of them had met. And what he’d done for his sister had cemented Gray’s friendship with all the other Malssums. He was a good guy, and he made Amber smile. Actually, she beamed with happiness all the time now.
Lawson walked over to find the truck full of shrubs, bushes, and flowers. Gray’s smile widened as he surveyed the plants.
“Need some help to unload all this stuff?”
Gray nodded. “Absolutely. Amber has the plans, and she’ll tell us where everything goes.”
Amber grinned. “As if you don’t know exactly where each goes without a plan. You guys start unloading, and I’ll see if the driver would like a coffee before I help.”
He and Gray shared a smile. “She’s going to be amazing at running this place.”
Gray nodded. “She has a knack for knowing exactly what people need and figuring out how to make it happen.”
Sure enough, Amber brought the driver cookies, a steaming mug, along with more for him and Gray. The man chipped in to help them unload, and by the time he left, he’d promised to spread word of the No Phailed Apples Inn to see if he could drum them up some business.
His quiet, gentle sister’s eyes sparkled with gratitude. Her kindness wasn’t a marketing ploy, but it probably worked that way.
Unloading the plants and placing them in the enormous field that separated the two farmhouses took a few hours.
They still had to be planted, but Lawson could see his friend’s vision: quiet pathways for strolling, groupings of plants that were native to the area, and would help with the farm’s biodiversity.
Ford was building benches for the pathways, and Gray was planning fountains made of rocks and natural items. He was also growing lots of seedlings and plants indoors, so once he transferred them into place, the space was going to be bursting with life and color.
“This is going to be incredible. Any time you need help, let me know.”
Gray grinned at him. “How about making sure the lawn tractor is ready to go? The aerator, too.”
Lawson laughed. “You got it.” Knowing the ground was still too wet for the machines, Lawson knew he could put it off for a few more days.
Today, he had an old lady and her mountain of a dog to charm into selling him her truck.
Dani kept searching the sky, but hadn’t seen the drone for a few hours. It had circled and returned too many times for it to be a coincidence. The more she thought about it, the more fear rippled through her.
Who was watching her? Why?
Her family might want her to return to the fold and marry the banker, but spying on her land with a drone wouldn’t help them.
Dani’s Frannie B business was doing well, but it wasn’t like she was a large enough company to be a threat to other honey suppliers. She’d chosen this area of Vermont because no other companies were in direct competition.
Was a new apiarist moving into the area and wanting to check out her setup? Were they planning to return to disturb her bees? Annoy them enough that they stopped producing honey? It seemed like a ridiculous way to stop the competition, but it was possible.
She’d have to discover if drones posed any threat to her bees. If the sound bothered or confused them, they might avoid returning to the hives. That would be a disaster for her business.
Dani hadn’t brought her phone, so she couldn’t research it until she returned to her house.
“What do you think, Bibi? Was it a kid playing with a new toy, or a threat?”
Whatever it was, the drone had ruined the day for her. Was there a way for her to set up an alert to let her know when a drone flew over? Was there anything she could do to stop it?
If it returned, she might have to speak to the police chief in Phail. She went to the quirky town whenever she needed supplies, and the people were friendly, but not overly nosy. Dani liked her privacy, and no one had intruded past the shields she put up.
Talking to the police would open that up, but she’d take the risk to save her bees.
She wondered if her family would hire someone to ruin her business. Would they think that would have her run home and agree to their plans, even after all this time?
It was ridiculous. She wasn’t that important to them or their plans. Paul had probably married someone else by now. She imagined her parents pretended to have two children, which was fine with her. More than fine. It gave her a sense of relief. They’d continue to leave her alone.