Page 5

Well, how the hell did he respond to a comment like that?

Instead of speaking, he angled toward the first barn on the property. He’d seen at least one more, but Knox had told him there were three, four if you counted a little one on the northern edge of the property.

Knox had given Ford a set of keys for the buildings, but he didn’t pull them out. He didn’t want to spend the time inside buildings. Not yet.

He told himself it was because he wanted to get a full overview before he dug into the details, but it was mostly because he wanted to keep talking with Jolie. If he headed inside, she would wander off to see the farm on her own.

And his dumbass self wanted to play tour guide.

The barn stood about thirty feet tall. It looked to be decades old. The wood was weathered and worn. There appeared to be the beginnings of rot around a few of the windows, but there were all high off the ground and it was difficult to tell.

He noted it on his spreadsheet. Jolie’s clean scent neared as she leaned over his shoulder to peek at his list.

She sighed. “You’re one of those organized people, aren’t you?”

Her tone had him grinning again. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not a bad thing at all, it’s just not something I’m very good at.”

“Weren’t you making notes about the gardens back there? Aren’t you doing the same thing?”

Her smile was self-deprecating. “I thought about starting a list, but I took a few pictures instead. I’m notorious for starting lists and then never looking at them again.”

“Maybe your brain doesn’t need them. Not everyone plans the same way. My dad was huge on lists, and I don’t think any of us ever considered not using them. It shocked the hell out of me when I was in school and some people didn’t use spreadsheets to plan their essays.”

Jolie stopped and he turned to find her staring at him. “You used a spreadsheet to plan an essay? Spreadsheets are for math and accounting.”

He grinned. “Spreadsheets are for planning. Like bullet points, only better. I hated writing essays, but with the spreadsheet, I could put the main points I needed to include in some sort of order. Then it wasn’t quite as painful writing the things.” Then he shuddered. “You don’t need to write essays in construction or the army. I’d have never survived if you did.”

Jolie laughed. “I was too young to pay attention to how my brothers coped with essays in school, but it wouldn’t shock me if they did something similar, especially Burke. He loves his spreadsheets.”

Ford knew her brothers from a few joint missions in the army. Burke was the oldest sibling. He’d been fifteen when their parents had died and had helped their grandfather raise the younger kids. From all reports, he was a good guy who took on responsibility for everyone and everything. His army call sign of Boss Man suited him.

Ford knew Knox, call sign Annie, wanted all his brothers and sisters to move to this farm, but Ford wasn’t sure it would be Burke’s thing.

Not Ford’s problem to solve.

But it had taken his mind off Jolie’s curves and sweetness for a moment.

She stood beside him, studying the barn with curious eyes. “I think several bird species are using the eaves for nesting. And while the wood is old, it looks in pretty good shape. I don’t see signs of any insect infestations on this section, anyway.”

“Nice. I didn’t expect you to have insights on the buildings. I don’t think I’ll be as much help with the pond.”

Her brilliant smile had him feeling like he could conquer mountains. Or deal with stagnant ponds.

He’d have to get his own pair of rubber boots.

No duckies, though.

Jolie hadn’t expected to have so much fun touring the buildings on the farm. So far, she and Ford had checked out the exteriors of two barns, three sheds, and one cabin. They’d also studied trees, cover crops, and looked for animal and bird habitats.

The size of the property was a little mind-boggling. Especially when she remembered she was part-owner of the land. She’d been thinking of it as Knox’s farm, but it was hers as well.

As the youngest of five kids, she’d never really been part of any decision making as they’d grown up. She’d been the little one, the one everyone else looked out for.

She’d tried to help over the years, but the others had always been better. Bigger, stronger, smarter.

With this farm, she was determined to contribute equally. Seeing how excited Knox had been for the farm had made her want to support him. Even without the lure of the pond and the task of increasing the diversity in the biome, Jolie figured she’d have jumped on board.