Page 2 of A Field of Beauty

Yes. That was exactly what she had thought too.

He turned to look at the tired-looking little carriage house. “Is the owner in that shed?”

“Not a shed. It’s a house.”

“Huh. Really? Want me to be the bearer of bad news and give the owner the diagnosis?”

Tessa inhaled a deep breath. “You just did. I bought it. The full acre.”

His head jerked and his eyes went wide. “You boughtthisland?”

“Yes, sir, I sure did.” She gazed at the field. Was it really so bad? Had she made another impulsive decision that she would regret? She had no faith in her gut instinct. It took her down terrible paths. Had she done it again? “I want to convert the entire acre to flowers.”

He squinted in disbelief. “Flowers?”

“Yes. Cut flowers.”

“Cut flowers?” He sounded like he’d never heard of such a thing.

“Flowers that are grown to be cut. Like, a supplier for flower shops. I’m going to change its name to Mountain Blooms Farm.”

“Flowers? The entire acre?” He sounded completely baffled.

“Yes, sir. That’s the plan. I’m convinced there’s a market out there for flowers. And if all goes according to plan, I’ll start buying up more acreage.” The road Mountain Farm was on was full of dumpy little houses on overgrown, neglected acres. Ripe for the picking.

“You have data? You can support this market demand?”

She was ready for that question. She knew, from the Sustainability Certificate program, that Dawson Greene relied heavily on scientific data. “According to a recent article in theNew York Times, there’s a global upward trend for fresh-cut flowers. Everybody, all the world over, loves flowers.” Except maybe for Dawson Greene. “Did you know that blooms from suppliers are usually two weeks old by the time they arrive at the wholesale house? Think about it! There’s such a huge opportunity for local flower growers.”

Hands on his hips, he turned in a half circle. “And that’s your business plan? Flowers?”

Business plan? She had no idea. She had never heard of such a thing. This venture was all based on a hunch. She could just sense a growing demand for fresh-cut flowers in Asheville. The small city had a hip, trendy vibe, with restaurants and art galleries and upscale boutiques. Of course they would all want cut flowers. Of course!

“But, Terry—”

“Tessa.”

“Do you have any experience as a flower farmer?”

She looked down at her feet. “Noooo, not exactly. But I do have some experience working with cut flowers. And I love them, I know that.”

The look on his woolly face! He thought she was crazy. Maybe she was. Well, if she was, she was going whole-hog crazy.

“You mentioned a cover crop,” she said. “I’ve got the perfect one. Sunflowers.” She’d done research on cover crops. Sunflowers had deep, large taproots that could penetrate compacted soil, breaking up the soil and improving the structure so nutrients and water were able to infiltrate. The blossoms attracted bees too.

He considered that.

“And here’s the best part of all. While the sunflower roots are doing their work, I can sell the flowers.” She snapped her fingers. “Instant cash crop.”

His brows furrowed. “You really think it’s as easy as that?”

Maybe. She hoped so. “So what do you think of my plan?”

“I think you don’t have a plan. You have an idea. But I am in favor of using sunflowers as a cover crop.”

She took in a deep breath.Whole hog.“I’d like you to come work for me as farm manager.” When his dark fuzzy eyebrows shot up, she quickly added, “For one year, just to help me get the flower farm up and running. It’s an incredible opportunity for a man with your knowledge. Dawson, this is what you do! You’re all about transforming soil.”

She had him there. And he wasn’t saying no yet. She had braced herself for a flat-out decline.No thank you, ma’am.

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