Page 53 of Hometown Girl

Besides, he needed work if he wanted to calm his mind.

He’d called Elkhorn the night before to tell them he’d be gone a little longer than he’d thought. As expected, his boss wasn’t happy, but Drew needed answers.

Jess deserved that.

He only hoped he could give her some.

Now, standing behind the main barn with his tools spread out on a picnic table in front of him, he forced his weary heart to stop racing.

“There you are!”

He spun around to see Molly walking toward him with a grin as wide as a jack-o’-lantern’s.

“Heard you took the job.”

Roxie ran to her, and she welcomed the dog with excited pats and a good, long ear rub. It struck him how different these two sisters were. Molly was open and welcoming. Beth was closed off and mysterious. He had a feeling that wasn’t where their differences ended.

His pulse had returned to its normal rate—thankfully. “You heard right, I guess.”

“Beth said you’re going to put together a list for us?”

“That’s the plan.”

She stood in front of him now, squinting up at him in the morning sun. “She also said you’re acting weird and wants me to make sure you’re not a lunatic.” Molly tilted her head and sized him up. “So, are you?”

Drew stared at her. “Am I what?”

“A lunatic?”

“I don’t think so.” Though his actions not long ago suggested otherwise. He’d frozen. Panicked. He didn’t know how to manage the onslaught of emotions he’d been burying for twenty years.

“Good.” Molly pulled her messy brown hair into a ponytail. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I have to show you something. I haven’t shown Beth yet because she’s going to kill me, but wait till you see.” She walked around the east side of the building, putting the barn between them and the house and shielding them from her sister’s sight.

They rounded the corner, and Drew couldn’t help but notice the pride on her face.

“It’s a sheep,” Drew said.

“Her name’s Bluebell. Blue for short.”

The black sheep had been tied to an old pipe near the edge of the barn. She looked up, seemingly confused by her new living arrangements.

Drew ran a hand over his chin, made a mental note to shave at some point this week. “You bought a sheep?”

“Someone was giving her away. Do you believe it? Who would want to give away a cute little sheep?”

Drew watched as Molly approached the sheep as if she were a dog. Blue let out a disconcerted baa and hobbled away from her.

“What exactly are your plans for Bluebell?”

“Put her in the barn. Feed her. Let kids pet her when we open.” Molly took another step toward the sheep, but Blue scurried away. “She’s kind of shy.”

“And your sister doesn’t know about this?”

Molly shielded her eyes from the sun and stared at him. “We need to get something straight, Cowboy. If you’re going to work here, we need to form an alliance.”

“That right?”

“Beth has a reputation around here.”

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