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Ford agreed. “Chances are good that they’re just gathering intel. I can’t imagine anyone with nefarious plans showing up in broad daylight. Not with four of us here.”

Once everyone was on board with the plan, they headed back to the clearing around the pond. The women were both stilted, and their eyes kept returning to the woods. He grabbed Jolie’s hand and spun her into a slow dance. “Relax.”

“By dancing?” But her laugh had her body moving more naturally.

“Whatever it takes. Maybe this’ll help.” And then he kissed her. As always, his body revved. The woman tasted like perfection, and he’d never tire of her taste, of her reactions to his touch.

Before he could get carried away, Knox’s whistle had him lifting his head and flipping off his friend.

“Hands off my sister. I’m standing right here.”

Ford grinned and dipped Jolie over his arm before bringing her up for another kiss. He kept this one short.

Annie rolled his eyes and slugged him on the arm as they moved to the ATV and removed the equipment they’d brought. Thea and Jolie were both far more natural, especially with an actual task to work on.

When they’d put the tools they planned to use near the pond, Knox headed back to the farm.

The person watching was likely doing it from their phone, probably while sitting at home. If they were even out of bed after their late night. And if they’d retrieved Cyril, they might not be watching at all. Especially if they were sloppy and hadn’t spared the game cameras a thought after they’d served their purpose.

No matter what had happened during the night, the people probably weren’t close by. Not close enough to attack them before Knox returned with weapons. They’d have to drive in from wherever they were holed up, then take the ATV through the woods. That gave him and Knox plenty of time to have their weapons ready.

Still, Ford kept his senses wide open even as he contributed to the work and the conversation.

“Okay, ladies, you’re the experts. Tell me what to do and I’ll get it done.”

As he’d hoped, they both laughed and Jolie’s eyes sparkled. “Carte blanche. I like it.”

He spread a tarp where they pointed. Then they walked around the pond’s edges, checking the plants out closely. He pulled what he was told to pull and moved what they told him to move. The wet ground had him wishing for his own pair of rubber boots. Plain black with no ducks, though.

Knox returned with a couple of long metal poles and more tarps. And the weapons. He holstered both of his out of sight of the cameras. Knox did the same.

They brought the canoe over to the shallow edge. Jolie hopped in and paddled out, taking the stick she’d used the previous day.

Wearing Jolie’s chest waders, Thea waded in to the shallow end. She and Knox worked on improving the slope following Jolie’s instructions, while Ford moved around to the far side of the pond, where he could see the woods without being obvious. He used a long pole to rake through the plants along the edge, looking for the invasive species Jolie had described.

The pond was large, but not so big that they couldn’t talk comfortably across it. He was sure the conversation about improving the biome kept the entire scene natural. Non-threatening to the people watching. He doubted anyone would approach or attack, but there were ready if they did.

As they’d decided earlier, Jolie didn’t head straight to where she’d found the cylinder. Instead, she moved around the edges of the pond, using her stick to probe the bottom.

When she neared him, she used her stick to yank up some of the debris from the bottom. She captured some of it using a fishing net. Then she dumped a bit into one of the jars she’d brought along.

He paused to watch her, to appreciate her work ethic, her absolute commitment to the environment, and her beauty. “Hey gorgeous. Find anything fun?”

She smiled at him and held up the jar. “I’ve got samples from the bottom near the edges. I’ll be able to analyze them to see if there are any contaminants we need to combat.”

Which was probably all true, but it let him know she hadn’t found any more cylinders. Smart woman.

For another hour, they worked on the pond. Jolie didn’t find any more manmade objects, but she reported that her friend Cyril was still hanging around.

Even if the cameras had audio, that phrase wouldn’t alert anyone. He was in love with a brilliant woman.

When it was time for a break, Jolie brought the canoe ashore and they all sat down to share some tea and muffins.

When Jolie’s phone beeped, she pulled it out. Her face lit up with a smile. “It’s Lorraine. She’s got a dog for us to meet. She’s pulling into the driveway, and wants directions on how to find us and the ducks.”

Perfect. A natural distraction that would keep them here in sight of the pond.

Along with helping with the ducks, a dog would be another layer of protection for the farm.