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Of course, he didn’t answer. Neither did his brother. From what Jolie’s brother Knox had learned so far, the two men had more similarities than differences. Same crusty exteriors. Same marshmallow insides.

She wanted to be part of bringing this farm to life. Jay had wanted that. Was this his way of reaching out? Had he even known that Fox died the year before? Of a heart attack as well.

Jolie shook herself out of her thoughts and opened her phone. Sheshouldmake a list of everything that needed doing. It was going to be a long list. Several long lists. This place was full of potential and she couldn’t wait to dive in.

These gardens weren’t priorities, but they’d need to be helped at some point. When she had time and motivation, she’d find out what they needed. Even though she wasn’t passionate about gardens, she took a few pictures to help her remember the state of disrepair.

Time to see the rest of the land. When she’d arrived the previous night, she’d followed the farm road to the orchard. It had been lit up in the distance, and when no one answered her knocks at the farmhouse, she’d investigated.

It had been too dark to see much, but she’d had an impression of peace. The shadows of nature never bothered her like the shadows in cities. Here, the shadows were simply nature resting. Exactly like Fox had taught her when she’d been afraid of the dark.

Shortly after they’ve moved in with their grandfather, Jolie had been too scared to sleep in the dark. Sharing a room with Amber had helped, but she’d felt like a coward crawling into bed with her sister.

One night, Fox had taken her outside to sit on the back porch with a couple of blankets. He’d pointed out constellations, shown her how various plants acted differently in the night so they could rest.

She’d learned which animals enjoyed the night and which slept. Watching the bats fly overhead had soon become a favorite pastime.

Bats. The farm could use some. They were excellent predators and helped control harmful bug species. When she toured the farm today, she’d look for signs of them. If there weren’t any, she’d build a few bat boxes to see if she could attract them.

Owl nesting boxes too. Owls were also excellent predators and would help the farm thrive.

She should probably talk to Thea and Knox to see what they thought before she went ahead with plans, but she couldn’t imagine any objections. Thea wanted to improve the biodiversity of the farm because that was the best way to improve the compost. And compost was key to regenerative farming. Helping the land heal from all the harm humans had caused. Giving the soil life and embracing the diversity of nature.

Jolie didn’t know a lot of specifics about apple farms yet. She’d find out what the trees needed before she got too deep into her plans. The last few weeks hadn’t allowed her a lot of time for her own pursuits, but she could make up for that now.

Every biome had different needs and challenges. Vermont was so unlike the Carolinas where she’d done her schooling and post grad work. The principles would be the same, but the details would differ.

Eliminate invasive species harming the native plants. Encourage good predators. Increase the variety of flora and fauna. All keeping in mind the main crop of apples.

It was going to be fun.

The basis of all her plans was going to be the pond Thea told her was in the back part of the orchard. Jolie hadn’t gone that far yet, but was looking forward to exploring.

She shoved her phone into her pocket and turned to the main driveway. Ford Evans was walking down from the top of the drive. The man looked yummy in his jeans and a t-shirt that stretched across his chest. He wore a plaid flannel shirt over top, making her smile. “Trying to imitate a true Vermonter? I didn’t think it was legal to buy plaid flannel in Florida.”

He grinned at her. “If you order it online, no one has to know.”

She laughed. The crush she’d had on Ford since the first time she’d seen him during a video-chat with Knox showed no signs of abating.

The men had been working for the army overseas. Special forces, she thought, but her brothers never mentioned specifics. Ever. She suspected Ford would be the same.

Not that she wanted to know the things they’d dealt with in the army. Her three brothers had all been deeply affected by what they’d seen overseas, but none of them talked about it. She hoped they at least they talked with each other. No one should deal with that kind of trauma alone.

Thinking of what they’d faced in the army always reminded Jolie that her own problems were small. And in the past. Now that she was in Vermont, they were behind her.

Ford waited for her as she crossed over the overgrown garden beds. Her imagination pictured him waiting for her to take her on a date. Or haul her into his arms for a kiss.

Silly imagination. The man was only being polite.

His smile widened as he spotted her rubber boots. “Nice. I didn’t realize adult boots came in that kind of pattern.”

She lifted one of her bright blue boots, covered in images of yellow cartoon ducks splashing in the rain. “These are one of my favorite pairs.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Oneof your favorites? How many pairs of rubber boots do you own?”

That made her laugh. “Probably a dozen.”

His eyes widened. “Why? I think most people get by with one pair. Or none. Lots of people have none.”