Page 56 of Pick Your Spot

She kept the message, knowing she’d wanted Knox’s point of view on the wording and the tone of the message. Then she’d block the number sooner rather than later.

Whatever Triple-A wanted from her, he wasn’t getting it.

Fox barked and loped into view. She’d seen him earlier, so this greeting was a simple rubdown. “You know how to make the days brighter and happier, don’t you, Fox?”

“If he wasn’t a canine, I think I’d be jealous.”

Thea laughed at Knox’s wry comment. When Fox bounced over to him, she followed suit and walked straight into Knox’s arms. “Hi.”

He lowered his head and kissed her until her head spun. “Hi. Missed you.”

She grinned. “It’s only been a few hours, but I feel the same.”

“Good to know. I talked to Ford.”

The excitement in his eyes had her smiling. “Good news?”

He shrugged. “Not bad news. He’s going to call back tonight or soon, and I’m going to take him on a video tour of the place.”

“He didn’t shut you down, then. There’s a chance he’s interested?” She was curious to meet Knox’s friend, and every extra set of hands would be very welcome. It would be a huge step toward fulfilling Knox’s dream.

“I think he’s frustrated being the youngest brother. When he retired from the military, his brothers had already established their places in the family company. He hasn’t found his yet, and he’s not sure there’s even room for him. I’m hoping he can find his place here.”

“I bet he could. There’s always lots to do on a farm. The farmhouse alone would take him years to renovate and update.”

Knox nodded. “And the barns could use some work. I imagine that’s always the case with a property this big. Something always needs fixing.”

That made her look at the pile of plants and roots she’d tossed onto the black tarp she’d brought with her. “You’re so right. And most of it isn’t easy.”

“I’m guessing this needs to head to your compost pile.”

“No.” Her sharp answer had Knox’s eyes widening. She laughed. “Sorry. Slight overreaction. I’m a bit on edge. These are invasive plants that we don’t want in the orchard. They choke the roots of the trees and cover crop. If we compost them, their biomaterial will be in the compost, and we’ll actually end up spreading them wherever we use the compost.”

He tilted his head and studied the pile. “That’s too bad. That’s a lot of plant material. Do we burn it?”

She shook her head. “No. Same problem. It often makes the problem worse by spreading bits that can spring to life elsewhere.”

Knox frowned at her pile. “That’s why you’ve been tossing it on the tarp?”

She nodded. “Exactly. Jay bought some thick garbage bags for exactly this reason. We have to leave the bags in the sun for a week or two. That’ll kill what’s inside. Then we need to find a local landfill that takes invasive species for proper disposal.”

“There’s so much to learn about this business.”

She heard the worry in his voice and smiled. “Jay always said that learning never goes to waste.”

Knox smiled. “Fox, too.”

“I’ve heard it a million times. We really need to learn more about those two.”

He nodded. “I agree. Remind me to show you the photos I found of Fox and Jay earlier. They were about five and out fishing for the day. I can’t even tell which is which. Maybe we’ll find out more somewhere in the farmhouse when we have time to go through everything. Now, tell me what had you on edge?”

“What?”

“You said you overreacted because you were on edge. What’s wrong?”

Thea pulled off her work gloves and set them on the edge of the tarp. She pulled out her phone. “Triple-A left a message.”

He growled softly. “Asshole Andy earned a new adjective?”

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