Page 1 of Pick Your Spot

Chapter1

Upset The Apple Cart

Knox Malssum barely contained his excitement as he drove onto the property. His brothers and sisters might not be thrilled at the prospect yet, but he’d get them there.

He wanted to have his whole remaining family in one place again. This unexpected gift of land from a family member they’d never known existed was what was going to pull them together. He’d make sure of it.

They’d had enough loss in their lives, and it was time to start building again. The Malssum way was to never stay down for long. As their grandfather Fox used to say, “Let it suck for a minute, then suck it up and get back to work.”

It had made Knox laugh from a young age. They’d lost their parents in a crash when Knox, the middle of the five kids, had been eleven. Fox, an Abenaki elder, and their dad’s father had taken them in. Over the years they’d learned many of his phrases. Not always wise or kid-appropriate, but always entertaining.

Like the man himself. Gruff and practical. With a good heart hidden under the scowls and grumps. Much like Knox’s eldest brother, Burke. The comparison always pissed off Burke, but it was true. Knox hoped owning this huge old orchard was going to be the key to giving Burke a piece of the happiness he so deserved. At fifteen, he’d taken on the role of raising the four other kids along with their grandfather.

Fox had lived alone before they’d come along. His wife had died when Knox’s dad had been born, and he’d never remarried. Never shown interest in another woman as far as the kids knew.

But Fox had a brother he’d never spoken about. Jay, the great-uncle who’d left the apple farm to Knox and his siblings. How many secrets had Fox hidden from them?

Fox had died about a year before, so the five of them might never get the answers as to what had happened between the brothers. With the way Fox had always stressed the importance of family sticking together, it was a mystery. One Knox wanted to solve.

Shoving it all aside, Knox drove the truck down the long driveway. They’d grown up in Northern Vermont, but this property was nearer the south of the state. Not far from the town where his army buddy, Troy Phail, lived. He and Troy hadn’t worked on the same team, but they’d worked on several missions together. Troy and his crew were some of the best men Knox had ever met. Once he was settled, he’d have to let his buddy know he was here. Hopefully, here to stay.

As long as he could convince his siblings to keep the property. Burke and Lawson wanted to see if they could fix up the place enough to sell. Amber hadn’t expressed an opinion either way. The youngest, Jolie, was always up for an adventure, and he figured she’d be the first to be onboard with his plan.

Well, plan might be overstating it. So far, Knox had done a shit-ton of research on apple orchards. It excited him like nothing else had done. While he was proud as hell of the good he and his team had done in the army, it wasn’t something he’d wanted to do forever. It was a young man’s game, and Knox hadn’t felt young in a long while.

Thirty wasn’t that far in his rearview mirror, and it was time to find a little fun. If restoring a neglected apple orchard sounded like a shit-ton of hard work, work had never bothered him. In fact, it energized him, just like the rest of his family. Thanks to the work ethic passed to them by their parents and Fox.

The amount of work this farm needed should be enough to keep them all busy and happy for decades to come.

Knox had quit his bodyguard job in Boston without hesitation. It had been a decent job, but it didn’t excite him. He wanted todosomething. To build something.

And, apparently, he wanted to run an orchard.

Just the thought made him grin. It was going to be a blast.

He parked his truck in front of the closest barn. According to the blueprints he’d seen, there were several barns, cabins, and sheds scattered around the property, along with two farmhouses. What had happened in the past that had required two farmhouses? Another mystery that might lure in his family.

Knox stepped out of the truck and drew in the spring air. Nothing like Vermont air.

The keys the lawyer had sent him rested in his pocket but he didn’t pull them out yet. He didn’t want the indoors. He wanted to check out the whole place first. All four hundred acres of it.

There hadn’t been a sign over the entry to the land, so he wasn’t sure if the orchard already had a good name they could use or if they should make up their own.

Amber worked in hospitality. She’d have a good idea of what worked. It would need to be appealing—hah. Maybe something with a pun in the name would be good. Troy had a ton of fun with his surname of Phail and the town of the same name his ancestors had built.

A fun name might be good for business.

He could hear Burke snort at that. They weren’t exactly business-ready. While Knox could see dozens and dozens of trees from where he stood, he didn’t know how far away actually opening the business was.

Looking at the overgrown spaces and the worn buildings, he figured it would take more than a few bucks to bring the place up to speed. They’d need to evaluate the buildings, the trees, and everything else before they made a decision.

He’d love to call in his army buddy Ford who was currently working at his family’s construction business down in Florida. With seven older brothers, Ford had joined the army to be his own man. Maybe he’d consider coming up to help. That would be a lot of fun.

Nodding to himself, Knox walked over to the farmhouse closest to the main road. It was huge, with porches on three sides. Had to hold about a dozen bedrooms. Which would eliminate the need to spend any money on housing for his entire family and anyone they brought in to help.

What looked to be former flower and vegetable gardens, along with more apple trees, separated the two farmhouses. The second looked to be newer and to have been updated more recently.

It was almost as large as the first. If they used both, there’d be more space for everyone. Between the two homes, they would have more privacy and separation from each other, too.

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