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Yeah, shoving that crush to the side might require more effort than she thought.

Chapter4

Heading Into Battle

Despite her nocturnal wanderings, Jolie woke early to a sunshine-filled morning. Perfect for a proper evaluation of the pond.

While part of her would rather tag along with Ford no matter what he was up to, most of her wanted to attack the pond. It was going to be a battle to get it healthy and functional.

Jay’s books proved he’d agreed with Thea and had wanted the pond to be a vital part of the farm. He’d bookmarked and scribbled notes in margins of his books and catalogues. Once the pond was clean, it could be a natural source of irrigation for the back part of the orchard. It would also help bring in a wider variety of animal life.

Achieving Jay’s dream would be her mission. He’d left the farm to them, which meant he thought they would want to be a part of it, would want to help it.

Doing her part would make her feel connected to Jay. And help make up for whatever had gone wrong between the brothers. The added benefit was that it would strengthen her connection to Knox and, hopefully, the others.

Her schooling had taken her away from her family. So had the jobs she’d taken afterward. Now she wanted them closer.

In the kitchen, she made up a pot of oatmeal and sliced in some fresh apples and added a healthy dash of cinnamon. It amazed her that the apples from the previous year’s harvest tasted as if she’d plucked them off the tree that morning. And that was without the magic of Thea’s compost system.

They were already making good progress, and the farm had only been left to them earlier in the spring.

After she cleaned up her dishes, Jolie put the rest of the oatmeal in a container in the fridge and left a note telling the others it was there if they were hungry. If not, she’d have the rest over the next few days.

Jolie headed to her Escape and grabbed one of the tote boxes from the trunk. The fact that it was a Ford vehicle made her smile. Ford’s truck was, predictably, a Ford as well. Now, she’d smile every time she thought of her car.

Jolie set the tote on the ground and locked her vehicle back up. It was likely safe, but she had a lot of equipment in there and she wasn’t taking chances.

Jolie looked at the orchard with a frown. She was good with directions, but she hadn’t paid a lot of attention to where they’d walked yesterday. She and Ford had wandered from building to building. They hadn’t walked in any straight lines. Where exactly was her pond? And how far was it?

From her memory, there weren’t any roads leading to it. Should she take her car and get close? The tote she wanted was heavy, and she wasn’t sure she could carry it all the way without taking a hundred breaks.

A few weeks before, she’d watched her brother and Thea tour the property on an ATV. Thea had driven while Knox had videoed the ride. That proved there was an ATV here. Were they easy to drive? It would be her best option for getting her equipment to the pond, but she wasn’t sure anyone else was awake. She wouldn’t rouse them for that.

If her brain worked like Ford’s, she’d only have to check her list and choose another task. But Jolie followed her gut and her heart. Which both wanted to work on the pond.

Maybe the ATV was in the closest barn. That was the equipment barn. Would it be open? She hadn’t asked Knox if there were extra sets of keys yet. She should have thought this through the night before.

The sound of a door closing had her turning back to the farmhouse. Ford stopped on the porch with his eyes on the orchard and drew in a deep breath. A small smile played across his face and she squashed down her crush.

Her job was to help Knox keep his friend at the farm. To help him feel part of the family, part of the team. Not to lust after him.

Ford headed down the stairs, and his smile widened when he spotted her. “Good morning.”

She couldn’t stop her own smile. “Morning.”

He eyed her tote box. “What are you up to today?”

She patted the box. “I want to work on the pond, but I’ve got a couple of problems.”

His eyebrows shot up. “What’s wrong?”

She grinned. “Nothing serious. I just don’t know the right direction for the pond. And I don’t know if there’s a road leading there. I got turned around on our tour yesterday.”

He grinned. “No problem. Do you need to bring that with you?”

She nodded.

He waved at her to follow him and pulled out a ring of keys. “Did Knox give you a set of keys yet?”