Page 6 of Pick Your Spot

“To thrive, the trees should be supported by a complex biome. If you strip the soil of a variety of sources, you strip the land of its potential. By letting the orchard lie dormant for years, the biome is already more complex. Natural flora and fauna are returning.”

Knox frowned. “So it’s better to grow apples in a forest?”

“No. We don’t want it to get too far. We need to have flowers, grasses, legumes, and more, but it’s better if we choose what will work to support the trees in the best way possible.”

When he nodded and walked toward the trees, she followed but didn’t drop her stick. So far, Knox appeared to be a good human being. Unfortunately, her experience had taught her she couldn’t trust her own senses all of the time.

Knox squatted down beside the tree and studied the bark and the ground cover. “What parts of what’s here would you keep? What needs to change?”

The man asked good questions. His easy grace and confident manner spoke to strong mental and physical training. He trusted his body and himself.

“The trees in this section are mature and in their prime. They can handle cover crop being this close to their roots systems.”

“Cover crop?”

It was the same kind of conversation she’d had with Jay so many times. The old man had been interested in learning new things. He’d also loved to play devil’s advocate about every point she made. Every single point.

Her heart ached. It had been fun to debate with Jay, and she wanted to do it again. Instead she gathered her thoughts about how best to explain it all to this beginner. “Cover crop consists of the plants covering the ground throughout the orchard. Some plants are better than others. Weeds can choke out the good plants, including young trees, and take over the area. To be most effective, the helpful plants should have roots that grow down to different levels. That helps retain water and slow erosion.”

Another frown of concentration. “Isn’t erosion usually connected to rivers and moving water?”

“Sure. But water moves in lots of ways. When it rains, the water lands on trees and the ground quickly. It also drips down at different speeds from plants of various heights. It seeps into the ground the same way. Sometimes fast, other times slow. If there aren’t enough roots, the fast water will wash away the top layer of soil and all its nutrients. Slow water can be captured by the roots at different levels, keeping everything healthy.”

He grinned at her. “Why do I feel like you’re dumbing it down for me?”

She laughed. “If you’re new to farming, there’s a lot to learn. I’m trying not to overwhelm you and scare you off.”

He stood with that easy grace and smiled. “I take it you liked working for Jay.”

It wasn’t a question, but she nodded. “I did. Jay was a feisty old man who loved to grump about everything, even while he loved learning new things. He didn’t like to give away a penny without getting a quarter’s worth of value.”

Knox barked out a laugh. “That’s a damn good description of my grandfather. The brothers must have been a lot alike.”

She smiled. “Sounds like you loved your grandfather.”

He nodded. “I miss him a lot. His grumpy attitude. His challenging questions. His interfering pushiness.”

She wondered if he was even conscious of how he rubbed his chest as if he could ease the pain resting there. She understood the need, as she’d found herself doing that often over the past few weeks.

A happy bark had Thea smiling and turning to the far side of the orchard. The dog made everything better. He was a great judge of character, and she would see how he reacted to their new boss. Well, hopefully, their new boss.

Knox was interested in the process, but he was only one voice in his family. How many would she have to convince if they were going to take on the project?

She caught the flash of white as he bounded through the trees with another bark. The Great Pyrenees could be sloth-lazy or baby-bunny energetic. He loved these woods, and he was a great friend.

Knox drew her attention. “I take it this is your dog?”

She shrugged, wishing she could say the animal belonged to her. “He belongs to the land. Jay said he was here when he bought the farm. He roams at will and keeps the bobcats and coyotes away.”

The dog loped around a few trees and ran straight at Thea. Having learned from her bruises, she planted her feet firmly and held out her arms.

He jumped joyfully at her and put his forelegs on her shoulders, giving her a hug. She wrapped her arms around his warm body and squeezed. He rested his head against hers and they cuddled for a long moment. She figured he was the best friend she’d ever had.

Fox wiggled and hopped down, then turned his attention to Knox. The fact that the names rhymed made her smile. She waited to see how the two would react to each other.

Knox’s grin was huge. The man obviously loved dogs. He squatted and held his hand out for Fox to sniff. “Hey, there. You’re a beauty.”

While Fox sniffed at him, Knox turned his smile to her. “Not your dog, my ass. He’s a hundred percent your dog.”

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