Page 17 of Pick Your Spot

They shared a smile at that. “Tell me more about the land. You have one cabin. Are there more?”

She nodded. “Three more scattered around. Jay and I figured they were all owned by different families at one point. And then maybe farm workers once the apple farm became a business.”

When she picked up the hose, Knox helped her drag it back to the nearby shed. He wondered at it being kept outside and made another connection. “Do you have keys for the barns and sheds? The cabins?”

She shook her head sharply. “No. Of course not.”

He hadn’t meant to make her feel guilty. “We’ll have to fix that. You need to have access to everything if we’re going to pull this off.”

Thea’s eyes drifted to her compost and the trees beyond. “There’s a lot to do.”

He nodded. “I bet. I can’t say I know because I haven’t a clue what would make that list. Before we tackle it, what was the other favor you needed?”

Her skin flushed again. “Do you mind if I borrow Jay’s truck? I’m running low on food, and I’d like to make a run to a nearby town. I can pick up some things for the farm and for you, so it’s not a total waste of time or gas.”

She couldn’t look him in the eyes and his heart went out to her.

“You can borrow the truck anytime you need it. Consider it yours for the time being. But for today, I was hoping to coerce you into popping over to Phail with me. I have a buddy who lives there. I haven’t told him I’m here yet. It’ll be perfect if we both grab food as well. I’ve got a cooler I brought with me we can use for the perishables.”

She smiled. “There are a couple in the storage space off the mud room as well. Cloth bags, too.”

During the drive to Phail, conversation flowed easily. He discovered she read a wide variety of books. Everything from romance to memoirs, along with a lot of nonfiction, mostly about farming and soil.

“What about music? What do you like best? If you’re from Iowa, I’m going to guess country music is your favorite.”

She shrugged. “I actually don’t know too much about music. I never owned a phone until I was an adult. I only lived in one home where music was important. Actually, that’s how I knew you weren’t a scary person when you showed up yesterday.”

He frowned as he looked over at her. Vermont roads were twisty, so he didn’t take more than a quick glance before pulling his eyes back to the road. “What do you mean?”

“I recognized the tune you were whistling. It took me a moment to remember it, though. A girl in one foster family was auditioning for a musical, and she practiced all the time. She had a beautiful voice.”

“What was I whistling?” He didn’t remember at all.

“‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ and ‘Tomorrow’ from Annie. I haven’t seen it, but I knew the songs from listening to her rehearse. I figured no serial killer was going to prowl through the farm whistling songs from musicals.”

She grinned, making him laugh even while his heart ached for her. She’d been in a foster home where the kid auditioned for a musical, and she’d never even seen it? Sad.

But he figured she didn’t want him commenting on that. “You never know. Maybe there’s a whole criminal subculture based on Broadway.”

As he hoped, she laughed. “Guess I was just lucky then.”

He felt like the lucky one. They turned another curve, and the landscape opened in front of them. “Wow.”

Thea leaned forward. “Every time I see it, I think the same. This area is stunning, no matter the season. My favorite is when the trees change in autumn.”

He hoped he’d be there to see it. They passed tidy farms and farmhouses. No apple orchards, though. At least there wasn’t competition in this direction.

When they drove into Phail itself, it wasn’t long before he laughed out loud.

Phail Phoods.

No Fail Diner.

Phail General.

That was the store Troy owned, but Knox kept driving and grinning.

Doc’s.

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