Page 35 of Rumors in Bayberry
Immediately, a string of questions popped into her mind.Where did she start?“Where is theRumor Quilllocated?”
“The home office is in Chicago, but we own numerous newspaper offices.Most of them are in the mid-west, but I’m planning to stretch the business from coast to coast.”
“And these newspapers, are they all small town papers?”
“Yes, they are.”
She asked questions about the relationship between the small papers and theRumor Quill.She was surprised by what she’d learned.The purchased newspapers still existed in their own right, but a few of their regular articles were replaced with pieces from theRumor Quill.In turn, the home office would curate the cream of the crop articles from all of the small papers, and then they would use those articles to create a national paper that also included advertising for national companies.
It sounded a bit complicated to her.She wondered how they selected the articles that would make their way into the national paper.But she didn’t have a chance to ask more questions, because they’d arrived at their destination.
She bypassed the farm house and instead parked by the big old white barn with a red roof.The part that was unique about the barn was that an artist had painted a ginormous American flag on one end of the barn along with a bunch of sunflowers.It was quite spectacular.
“Wow,” Reed said.“That’s beautiful.You should include a photo of it in your article.”
She arched a brow.“Are you telling me what to publish?”
He dragged his attention from the barn to her.“What?No.Of course not.It was just a casual observation.”
“Good.Keep it that way.”She opened the car door and got out into the fresh autumn air.
He was right.A photo of the barn should be published but not with the pig and duck article.It wasn’t the only barn in the region that was painted.She could do a series on the painted barns with each of their stories.Well, she could if she stayed in Bayberry…
As they walked, the sunshine disappeared behind a cloud.She looked up and noticed a number of gray clouds gathering in the sky.The forecast said there would be some rain that week and the potential for some thunderstorms.She just hoped the storms held off until much later in the evening so they didn’t disrupt the Pumpkin Festival.
Reed stepped up next to her.“What are you thinking?”
“That it’s going to rain.”
He craned his chin upward.“You think so.Maybe it’s just a few dark clouds rolling through.”
“I hope you’re right, but the forecast said to expect the occasional shower.So, we better get a move on.”
As they made their way toward the barn, Reed stopped.He stared down at the mud.“I don’t think I wore the right shoes for this visit.”
She glanced down at his shoes, which already had a bit of mud splattered on them.She smiled.“Even if you knew where we were going, do you have any shoes that would be appropriate for stomping around in a barn?”
His brows rose.“Come to think of it, no.Absolutely not.I can’t even tell you the last time I was in a barn.”His gaze lowered to her pink work boots.“Those don’t exactly look like they belong in a barn either.”
“Oh, they might be cute, but they are also practical.They are waterproof and easy to clean.”
His gaze rose to meet hers.A frown pulled at his mouth.“And you couldn’t have warned me that we were going to be visiting a barn?”
“I thought that was obvious when I mentioned a story about a pig and a duckling, but then again, you are from Chicago.”She continued walking.
Most of the barn was empty, but she did notice there were a couple of momma cows and their babies in their stalls.They were faced away from her, so she kept going.
“Hey, Ms.Cow,” Reed said, making Sadie smile.
When she no longer heard him behind her, she had a thought.“Hey, don’t—”
A groan that was more like a growl sounded behind her.She swung around to see Reed jumping back.The cow next to him had its tail raised as it took a dump.
Reed was frowning as he stared down at his shoes.“Hey, that cow just took a dump on my shoes.”
She struggled not to laugh.“I was going to tell you not to approach a cow from behind and certainly not when their tail goes up.”
He scowled at her.“A little late with that warning, don’t you think?”
