Page 36

Why did she have to be Annie’s sister? It made things unnecessarily complicated. With them both living and working on the farm, it was already complicated enough.

As had become his custom, Ford headed down to the pond with a packed lunch to share with Jolie. They made the lunches in the mornings while they ate breakfast together. Ford could imagine the routine happening decades from now. Just as he imagined them sharing a room upstairs instead of each keeping their own.

He knew Thea and Knox were working on removing invasive species from the orchard that day, so he didn’t bother looking for the ATV. Once Lawson came, he could fix up the other two that were sitting there. None of the four of them could figure out what the machines needed, and no one wanted to waste the time trying to figure it out.

They’d all continued to work on their individual projects despite the heavy rains of the last few days. Ford had mostly worked on inspecting the interiors of the barns and noting where he needed to reinforce foundations or fix boards. Nothing vital still, but stuff that needed to be done.

He planned to work on the farm’s exterior needs until winter. Then he could start working on the interiors of the farmhouses and organizing his barn properly. That could take the entire season by itself.

Today’s sun was a welcome respite, although the rain had given him bonus time with Jolie. He spotted her sitting on the ground near the Quack Mobile. The birds hadn’t taken off so far, and seemed to appreciate the coop at night. Although getting them in there was like an episode of the Three Stooges.

“Hey, Gorgeous. Enjoying the sun?”

She smiled up at him. “Sure am. It’s a nice change. I’m going to use the canoe this afternoon to check out the middle of the pond.”

He sat beside her on the ground. “How are the ducks doing?”

She grinned. “They’re great and seem to love their home. I’m looking up better ways to corral them at night.”

He laughed. “I was just thinking how ridiculous we must look trying to get them into the coop.”

“Exactly. And I haven’t been able to get them up to the orchard yet. I know they’ll enjoy the snails, but it’s getting them there and back to the coop that’s the problem. What if the snails are so delicious, the ducks won’t leave?”

He pulled the containers out of his backpack and handed her a sandwich before taking his own. “Any solutions?”

“I think we need a herding dog.”

He laughed. “I know Brandon had one, but don’t they usually work with cows or sheep?”

“According to what I’ve been reading, they mostly just like to herd anything. I’m a little worried about how Fox might react to another dog on the property.”

As they ate, they talked about other options, but a dog seemed the smartest. “Herding dogs won’t try to eat the ducks, will they?”

“I don’t think so. Knox told me one neighbor used to raise and show a few breeds of dogs. I’m wondering if she could answer some of our questions.”

“Good idea. I’ll go with you. It’s smart to get to know the neighbors. After what happened with Thea, I think we all need to make an effort.”

In the end, he and Jolie decided to check in with the neighbor that afternoon. She would put off her canoe adventure until the next day as the rain was supposed to have stopped for at least a few days.

Jolie called her brother as they walked back to the farmhouse, which made Ford smile. Even though they were on the same property, the size made calling the easiest way to talk to him. She didn’t want to leave without Knox knowing. Another example of how thoughtful she was. And how close she was to her brother.

They took Ford’s truck and a few slices of the apple bread they’d made the previous night. They weren’t bakers, but it had ended up being tasty enough to share.

Lorraine Apostle lived to the north of their land. Her property wasn’t nearly as big as the farm, but it was still an enormous space. Big enough to hold a few Miami blocks.

They drove into the parking area beside Lorraine’s house. At least a half-dozen dogs lazed around the grass and on the back porch where a middle-aged woman was on her knees with a hammer in her hand, repairing a deck board. If she wasn’t finished, he’d offer to help.

Lorraine stood as they hopped out of the truck. One dog rose to stand with her. All the others raised their heads. She patted the dog and smiled at them. “Hello, there.”

Ford returned the smile. “Hello, Lorraine. I’m Ford Evans and this is Jolie Malssum.”

Lorraine’s smile widened. “You look a lot like your brother, Jolie.”

Jolie laughed. “The Malssum genes run strong in our family. It’s nice to meet you, Lorraine. We’re not experts by any means, but we brought you some of the apple cake we baked last night.”

“I just finished up here and I’ve got some fresh lemonade that would go nicely with your bread. That work for you both?”

When they nodded, she gestured to the table on the deck. Then she raised her voice a little. “Okay, troops, these are friends. Relax.”