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She wondered if Jay would have had the same reaction. If he would have been as protective of the siblings as Fox had been. She was pretty sure he would have called Rick all kinds of names as well.

Jolie didn’t find anyone in the kitchen, but a note from Thea let her know there was fresh oatmeal for the taking.

Once she’d filled up, she cleaned the kitchen and wondered what to do. She could explore the farmhouse a little more. While she’d been there for a while, she hadn’t spent a lot of time indoors. There were several rooms she hadn’t entered. Including Jay’s room.

She wanted to know more about Fox’s brother, but she couldn’t face his room alone. Even though her curiosity was almost a physical thing, discovering family secrets by herself wasn’t part of the plan. She wanted at least one of her siblings with her when she looked into the past. All of them would be better.

Jolie grabbed a pink ball cap and her raincoat, then headed outside. The rain whipped through the trees, making them dance.

Smiling, she walked beneath the questionable cover of the branches. The apples were taking shape. The blossoms that had littered the ground were now starting their composting process. Returning to the earth to nurture the soil and the trees. So they could bloom again next spring.

The joy of nature doing her thing filled Jolie with wonder and banished her earlier gloomy mood. Rain only bothered her when it messed up her plans.

She walked through the trees, looking for areas that needed care, checking how each section differed.

Thea’s efforts in removing unfriendly plants were showing improvements. According to Thea, the trees in the front had been tended most recently. Focusing on that part made sense. They didn’t have enough people to harvest hundreds of acres of apples, anyway.

Some trees had been planted decades ago. How would the people who’d planted them feel about the state of the farm now? She imagined they’d be happy to know someone cared about their land and appreciated the work they’d put into it.

Imagining the farm as a fully functional enterprise wasn’t difficult. As long as she didn’t look too far beyond the surface. Her schooling and background meant she knew a lot about nature and how to care for plants and wildlife. She knew nothing about running an apple farm.

What would she see happening if the farm was fully functional? How many people were needed to tend the trees?

In her imagination, it wouldn’t take that many people to do most of the yearly tasks. Harvest time would be another story. There were so many trees, it would take dozens and dozens of humans to collect all the apples. Then they needed to be prepared for sale. What did that part look like?

This learning year was going to be fun. She couldn’t wait to see the trees laden with apples, ready to pick.

Apple pie and cider would be great. She hoped Knox’s dream of finding someone to bake with their products came true sooner rather than later.

She didn’t doubt her brother for a moment. It would all come true. Knox was good at taking care of people and making things happen. His enthusiasm had brought her on board easily. She’d help him get the others to completely buy in.

Amber was leaning toward showing up for at least a bit. She figured once her sister was here and saw the potential in the farm and the other farmhouse, she wouldn’t want to leave.

Once Amber was here, they’d work on Lawson next. He’d love the mechanical angle to the business. And if all four of them were here and on board, Burke would cave. Burke would always do what was best for the four of them. He’d been taking care of them since that horrid day they’d lost their parents. He’d taken on the mantle of parenting right alongside Fox.

Burke deserved to relax his vigilance. She knew his focus was on building enough finances so he could protect them all if anything happened. He wanted them all safe and happy.

She wanted his focus to be on finding himself some happy, too.

Jolie smiled when Fox bounded through the trees to greet her. The friendly dog was another lure. No one could be sad when Fox rubbed their legs and demanded his pats and rubdowns.

This place was full of happy, and she wanted to share it with the others.

And she wanted to share it with Ford.

“Where do you think he’s working, Fox? Maybe I can talk him into a kissing break.”

And soon, she’d be ready for a whole lot more than kissing.

Ford enjoyed the sound of rain battering against the barn’s roof. Working in a warm, dry barn while nature was intent on drenching the land was comforting. He could handle weather of any kind. Working in the army had shown him nature at her best and her worst. They’d worked in all of it.

Dry was always better.

Because of the heavy rain and crazy winds, he could devote some time to these new projects. He didn’t even have to feel guilty for ignoring the outdoor tasks that could wait for another day.

The farm was a giant work-in-progress. There was a grand overarching plan with a million sub-lists. He imagined there wouldn’t ever be a lack of things to do. Which was awesome. He thrived on work and being busy.

None of his family had ever been the type to sit and watch TV. They’d always been doing. Because he and Mara were the youngest, they’d been playing with adult tools from a very young age. He’d been using a real drill in kindergarten. Mara too, but she’d always preferred using the kitchen tools over the woodworking ones. She’d baked and decorated her own cupcakes for the school bake sale when she’d been six. They’d been the first item to sell out.