Page 7 of Pick Yourself Up (Heroes to the Core #3)
Over the couple of months since the Chicago incident, he’d thought about Amber a lot. Hell, he’d even reached out to her brother with thoughts of her in mind.
The peace of toiling in the gardens with friends working on the same overall project had a strong appeal, but he’d be lying if he didn’t admit to himself that Amber herself had been the main pull.
Finding her here made everything better.
He wanted to get to know her. Having her sister act as a buffer would help them both. Amber was obviously nervous that he might share the details of how they’d met. He hoped spending the day together would help her see he wasn’t about to spill her secrets.
Although he wished she already had. Her brothers and Jolie would be pissed they hadn’t been there to help her through it. The Malssums were as tight a family as he’d ever known.
He could almost hear his mamma saying, A good Italian family.
The Malssums weren’t Italian at all. They were fiercely proud of their Abenaki heritage, another fact Rosina would love. Calling them Italian would be her highest compliment.
Jolie began the tour by giving them both a set of keys.
“These are for all the buildings on the property. Ford keyed the deadbolts so they all use the same key. There’s another for padlocks on the sheds and one for the ATV we have working.
We need Lawson to figure out what’s wrong with the others, but we’ve gotten along well with only the one so far. ”
In the driveway, she pointed toward the road. “You passed the other farmhouse on your way in. None of us have been inside it yet. We’re saving it for you, Amber. You should be the first to step inside when you’re ready. Let’s focus on an overview of the farm today, and you can check it out later.”
Amber’s eyes widened, and she looked longingly up the road while Jolie turned to Gray.
“You also saw the complete mess that is the garden space between the two farmhouses. From what I can tell, there were originally two vegetable gardens, two herb gardens, and several flower gardens scattered throughout. I don’t think anyone has cared for that space in decades. ”
He nodded. “From first glance, I agree. It’s going to be a lot of fun figuring out what exactly to do with the space.”
Amber shot him a wide-eyed look. “Fun? Seriously? All those weeds don’t have you thinking second thoughts?”
He grinned. “Not a chance. It’s a blank canvas, full of potential and possibilities.”
The women shared a look and laughed. Before he could ask why, Amber explained. “Potential is one of Jolie’s favorite words. Looks like you’re going to fit in well around here.”
He sure hoped so.
Jolie nodded. “There’s a ton of space. You could do dozens of different things with the field. I’m hoping touring the farm and seeing what it needs will give you plenty of ideas.”
He kept his eyes off Amber at that comment. He already had plenty of ideas where she was concerned. Now he needed more about the gardens.
Jolie pointed out the large barn across the farm road from the building where they lived. “That barn’s full of the machinery and equipment needed to run the farm. If we can talk him into it, it’ll be Lawson’s domain.”
They walked into the orchard with Hemsworth roaming and Boomer trotting along at Amber’s side. The dog’s ears and eyes tracked everything in the area.
Another large barn, located further into the orchard, housed the harvesting center. It was where the apples would be separated and cleaned.
“When do the apples get picked? They look ready to me.”
Jolie smiled. “Me too, but apparently there’s still a few weeks to go. They won’t be at their peak until then.”
“How are you planning to pick them all?”
Jolie laughed. “No clue yet. We’re still learning. Knox is researching that part of things, but I’m sure we’ll all need to chip in.”
Amber nodded. “Of course.”
Because he was pretty sure the woman would do anything for her family, including protect them from the details of what she’d experienced in Chicago.
Jolie told them a third barn sat on the other side of the property. Ford used the space for his woodworking projects. They couldn’t even see a glimpse of it from where they walked. “This place is huge.”
Amber nodded with a smile.
Jolie grinned. “It is. And it’s all wonderful. I can’t wait for you to see the pond and our ducks.”
Amber’s face lit up. “How are the additions blending in with your original flock?”
“They’re getting along well. It only took a few minutes for them to figure things out. Daisy’s still the leader and the first one in and out of the coop.”
Amber’s smile was soft. “And Quackerjack?”
“Still at the back of the flock. Or wandering around looking for them when she forgets to check behind her.”
A few minutes later, Gray spotted a medium-sized building through the trees. It was larger than the sheds they’d passed, but much smaller than a barn. More the size of a garage but not shaped the same.
When they approached, Jolie waved her hand like she was spinning letters on a game show. “And this is the Worminator. The heart of the farm.”
The building wasn’t completely enclosed. A second floor housed a large metal cylinder, while the space beneath held raised beds, similar to flower beds, but without plants.
It clicked, as did the broken-off conversation at breakfast. “Worminator. I didn’t fully clue in over breakfast. You’ve got your own composting facility?”
Amber raised an eyebrow, eyes sparkling. “First excited about weeds, now about compost?”
He laughed. “I’m a gardener at heart. This is almost the best thing I’ve seen all day.”
It wasn’t the best because Amber held that spot.
But a compost facility that appeared to be fully functional and produced quality compost was high on his list of things to be excited about.
A bark signaled the arrival of another dog, and he turned to see that Boomer was already on alert, eyes trained on the orchard.
Amber’s hand went immediately to Boomer’s head. She played with his fur and murmured to the dog to wait.
Jolie didn’t notice the stress because she was smiling at the forest. “That’s Fox. He’ll be happy to meet you in person, Amber.”
Hemsworth bounded away into the forest, and Amber’s shoulders relaxed.
He decided to try to help her relax. He leaned down to whisper. “I take it Fox isn’t a fox?”
Amber smiled at him, and this time it was genuine. “No, Fox is a Great Pyrenees who lives on the farm. He prefers the outdoors to the inside and was living here when our great-uncle bought the farm. He’s a wonderful dog.”
Sure enough, Hemsworth returned, loping beside a huge white dog who bounded straight up to Jolie. He leaned into her legs while she rubbed him down.
Amber rubbed Boomer’s head. “Boomer. Friend. Free.”
Her quiet commands had the dog settling, and Gray wondered again exactly how well trained this dog was. From everything he’d seen, Boomer had worked with experts. Probably for personal protection.
Amber said she’d had him for about a month, so she’d gotten him after the attack. She obviously didn’t feel safe, and he wondered if the threat from the incident continued.
Was she afraid of repercussions?
Had she received threats?
Jolie’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Hey, Fox. I’ve got two new people for you to meet. You know Amber from the video chats, but you haven’t met yet.”
When Amber squatted beside Boomer and held out her hand, Fox licked her and moved in closer for some pats.
Boomer watched passively, not expecting trouble. Because he followed commands and trusted Amber.
“And this is Gray. He’s a friend of Knox and Ford. He’s going to be living with us here at the farm and helping with the plants. You’re going to be good friends.”
Gray squatted down and rubbed down the dog, who apparently demanded rubdowns every time he saw his humans.
Not only was he a great dog, but he was another layer of protection that should help Amber feel safe.
It was a little shocking to realize how much he wanted that. Not just her actual safety, but for her to believe it. For this strong woman to find a place where she could relax and be at home.
He was going to work his ass off to help that happen.