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She wanted to support all her siblings, find ways to make them all happy. Pay them back at least a little for how they’d always taken care of her.

With this farm, it seemed Knox had the same idea. He wanted to pull them all together, and Jolie completely agreed. The four of them deserved a ton of happiness and she wanted to be a part of ensuring that happened.

Which meant she’d control herself around Ford. While she’d never felt such a deep attraction to any other man, he was part of Knox’s plan for the farm. She couldn’t take the risk.

Knox wanted his friend here, and she could tell Ford was already invested in doing his part in Knox’s plan. Jolie wouldn’t make a mess of it.

She smelled the pond before they reached it and her excitement ratcheted up some more. Beside her, Ford chuckled. She worked hard to not imagine that sexy rumble against her skin.

Focus, girl. Scummy pond ahead.

Imagining her grandfather’s growl helped keep her head in the game. She had great memories of Fox helping her plant the first beans she’d brought home from school. That had expanded to a garden with carrots, onions, and more. Every year, he’d helped her make it a little larger.

That garden had helped Jolie contribute to the family for the first time. Instead of being a burden, she’d helped to put food on the table. And in the mouths of the small animals and birds who’d visited the property. The career she loved was a direct link back to Fox and that garden.

In the last few years, Fox had loved when she’d told him about her work, whether it was trudging through the water to study tadpoles or eliminating invasive plants. She missed chatting with him about the environment. Their Abenaki heritage had been important to Fox, and he’d taught them all the importance of being good caretakers to the planet.

Fox would love this farm. What had stopped Jay from telling him about it? What had pulled the brothers apart?

Ford broke into her thoughts when he spoke. “I don’t need to know a lot about ponds to know this one won’t be an easy cleanup. It’s a mess. I bet it’s been stagnant for years.”

When the trees opened up, it only took a quick glance to see he was completely right.

She turned to study the surrounding land, looking for clues to tell her of the pond’s history and why it wasn’t clear. “I think it’s a natural pond. The land all slopes gently this way.”

“Is that important?”

She shrugged. “It means the land isn’t averse to having a pond here. Once we get it cleaned and get the water moving, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to keep it that way for years to come.”

“How do you clean a pond?”

He didn’t sound anything other than curious. Despite claiming he wasn’t a plant or land guy, he’d shown interest throughout their walk. She’d bet he was one of those people who wanted to know how all things worked. Maybe building things wasn’t much different from fixing things in nature.

“First, I’ll need to do a bit of a study. Find out what plants are native to the area. See if there are signs of any fish or amphibian life in the pond. Take some water and soil samples to get analyzed. Then, I’ll start eliminating the harmful plants. I’ll probably need to add some good predators.”

“Good predators?”

She nodded. “Predators that eat the harmful plants and insect species. Lady bugs are excellent predators, but I don’t know if we have many here.”

She looked up at the forest set back further from the pond. “Bats and owls, too, but that’s further down the road. First, I’d like to make a better buffer around some sides of the pond. More rocks and sturdy plants. That should help keep the nutrients in.”

Ford chuckled. “You’ve got lots of ideas and even more work ahead of you.”

She grinned at him. “It’s going to be fun.”

His answering smile proved he understood. “I get that. This whole place is great. I’ve got more buildings to check out, but I’m excited about getting started. There’s work to do, but it’s good work.”

Jolie nodded. “That’s exactly it. I’ve worked on some projects that feel futile. Projects where we’re trying to fight against the never-ending human desire to destroy and pollute. This feels different. It’s a tiny ecosystem where everyone inside it wants to make it better and stronger. Where no one is trying to destroy anything.”

“Except those good predators of yours.”

She laughed. “You’re right.”

Jolie turned her attention back to the pond, letting her eyes rove over the area. “It’s a good place.” A good place to build. A place to call home.

Jolie took out her phone to take a few overview pictures. Later, she’d get in closer and take photos of individual plants, but this would be enough for now. She wanted to let the ideas simmer for a bit. Letting them coalesce in her brain was vital. If she jumped in too quickly, she always made mistakes. Letting her subconscious work out the solutions was always better.

After a few minutes, she and Ford moved around the back of the pond. “Do you know how far the property goes?”