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Burke rolled his eyes. “When work slows down, I’ll see what I can do.”

The other siblings groaned, and Lawson frowned. “You’ve been saying variations of that since you started working at fifteen. You need to take some time off.”

Burke simply shook his head. “Did Marcus say anything else about McConnell or the next steps?”

And with that, Boss Man changed the subject from his workaholic tendencies.

It took a few minutes to have the three on the screen believe they were all fine after the events of the previous day, but eventually they were reassured and ready to sign off.

Before he signed off, Burke pinned Ford with his gaze. “Don’t screw it up, Dodge.”

“Don’t plan to, Boss Man.”

Jolie sighed and started to respond, but her brother ended the call.

Ford kissed her hair again. “It’s fine, Jolie.”

And it wouldn’t ever be anything but because he planned to make sure he never screwed it up.

Later that day, Jolie had mostly shaken off her annoyance with her brothers. As the youngest, she knew the others looked out for her. Always had. Probably always would.

It had never bothered her much. She’d been scared when their parents had died and having the others always ready to help had been amazing. Comforting.

But she’d applied to school in another state in order to learn to cope with life on her own. Part of the reason she’d taken jobs in the Carolinas as well.

Not that she hadn’t loved the area. It was a beautiful part of the country, but it wasn’therpart of the country. Vermont was her place. And this apple farm in particular.

She stopped outside Jay’s room on the top floor of the farmhouse. He hadn’t taken one with a quiet view of the orchard. He’d chosen one that looked over the driveway. From there, she imagined he could see how the farm changed throughout the year.

In the spring, the apple blossoms would have filled his view. She wasn’t sure if the apple leaves changed colors in the fall, but the surrounding countryside would be gorgeous.

In the winter, he’d be able to see at least one barn. And in the summer, he would have seen his trees bursting with life and apples.

At all times, he would have been able to see the driveway into the farm before it split into the roads leading to the various areas of the farm itself.

Had Jay watched who came? Had he thought of inviting Fox? Or her and her siblings?

Once again, she wondered if he had known about Fox’s death the year before. She imagined he had because he’d obviously kept up with the news enough to know about the five of them.

Jolie leaned against the doorframe and let her eyes wander the sparse room. Like Fox, he hadn’t surrounded himself with physical luxuries. No fancy linens or expensive knick-knacks. Instead, a comfortable quilt covered the bed. Books and farming magazines covered the nightstand.

She imagined the bathroom contained the essentials only and wondered if he and Fox had shared similar tastes there. But she couldn’t step into the room to find out.

Maybe when the others came, they’d do it together. Because they would come. It might only be for a visit, but she and Knox would make sure they were all here together for at least a while.

“Would you like that, Jay? Would you like us all together, knowing we’re thinking fondly of you and Fox?” Her whisper was barely audible, but she had to swallow against the tears.

Family had been important to both of the brothers and she wished they’d figured things out decades earlier.

She heard Ford moving up the stairs and wasn’t surprised when he stopped behind her. He wound his arms around her and stepped in to hug her. “Thinking about Jay?”

She nodded. “I was thinking about him and Fox.”

He kissed her hair and squeezed. “They’d both be happy to know you and Knox are here and taking care of the farm.”

She smiled. “I think so, too. Jay should have had that reward for the diamonds. They were on his property.”

Ford’s chin brushed her hair as he nodded. “In a way, heisgetting it. If we all invest it back into the farm, we can make some of his dreams come true.”