Page 4 of Pick Your Spot

His eyes narrowed slightly. “He mentioned us?”

She shook her head. “Not a word, but Jay wasn’t much for conversation about much other than the land and life’s big questions. I figured if you shared the surname, you must be the family the lawyers mentioned.”

Knox’s mouth twisted, and she wished she could have told him differently. “I am, along with my siblings.”

Her heart reared at that. Siblings. Family. Things she knew nothing about.

Not in the least threatened by the large stick she held, Knox took his eyes off her and checked out her compost area. There were several huge clumps in various stages of breakdown. She’d started the first section on her first day of work and she was proud of the progress she’d made. They’d have good material for the orchards. Not nearly as much as they’d have if Jay had agreed to spend the money on the Worminator she wanted.

“What’s all of this?”

Thea’s heart sank. If he didn’t recognize a natural composting system, the chances of him wanting to keep the land and her were slim. “These are the composting piles we’ve been working on.”

Okay, thewemight have been a stretch, but Knox Malssum didn’t need to know that.

“For what?”

Her heart sank a bit more. “To improve the soil. Apple trees need lots of nutrients that come from healthy soil. Unfortunately, years of pesticide use, along with a lack of biodiversity, has depleted the soil here. To grow premium apples, we need better soil. For better soil, we need excellent compost.”

Knox continued to frown as he looked over her compost. She wondered if he had any idea of the amount of work required for a project this size. Or if he only saw piles of dirt.

He turned back to her. “Why are you still working? Why are you still here?”

Oh shit. Knox Malssum was going to get rid of her, and she was going to lose not only her job but her home as well.

Chapter2

Sly Fox

Knox watched the woman’s face fall. After his years in the army, he knew false bravado when he saw it. She was afraid and nervous.

As a small woman, alone in the woods with a stranger who was taller and stronger, that made sense. But the fear had been in control until he’d asked why she was still here and still working.

He’d only meant why was she working when she wasn’t getting paid, but her reaction showed she was afraid of the answer. He assumed that meant she was desperate for the job. Which meant she’d like to be paid.

He didn’t have a clue about the financial end of things. That would be Burke’s area of expertise, but his brother had a full-time job that often took up eighty hours of his week.

Another reason for Knox to push for the family to keep the farm. They could reduce the hours of work and replace them with family time. Normal time. As far as he could tell, every one of his siblings worked too much. Himself included. They needed something to putlifeback into their lives.

But that didn’t mean he wanted to take anything away from this woman’s life. And it wasn’t because she was sexy as hell with eyes that tried to reach right into his soul. Nope. That had nothing to do with it.

He decided it was up to him to try to reassure her, although he didn’t know what was going to happen. Might as well be honest.

He tried to look non-threatening. “Sorry if that sounded abrasive. This inheritance came as a huge shock to us all. We didn’t know Jay. Hell, we didn’t even knowaboutJay. He was our grandfather’s brother, but our grandfather never spoke about a brother. We had no idea he existed until we got letters in the mail telling us we’d inherited this farm.”

Her eyes widened. “That must have been a shock.”

He agreed. “A huge one. We’re not sure what to do about it.”

That flicker of fear in her eyes returned. “What does your grandfather have to say?”

And that zing to his heart still hurt. “He passed away just about a year ago. Heart attack.”

“I’m so sorry. Jay passed away after a heart attack as well.”

That was a hell of a thing to have in common with a brother he hadn’t seen in decades. Knox ran his hands through his hair and stared at the trees overhead. They were starting to flower, beginning to bud. Signs of life and growth.

Something his great-uncle had apparently wanted him to experience.

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