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“Let me show you what the lawyer called about,” I say as I head toward Lucien. I hook my arm in his and we lead the sheriff into the broken-down house.
Eli and Jayce are still standing in the bare room when we enter with the Sheriff. They nod at him but don’t move or say anything.
“I was only just informed today about my uncle and my inheritance,” I start.
“So, you weren’t close with him?” Newell asks.
“No, it’s been years since I’ve been out to the farm. It’s a surprise that he left me the farm at all honestly. But his daughter and I were close when we were little. We came out to take stock of the property to decide which direction to take the inheritance. When we got here, we noticed this room was clear of furniture and had these tools like someone is fixing up the place,” I inform him. “This place was recently disturbed, these shavings are new. So, someone has been trespassing.”
“Yes, Cy mentioned something about that on the phone, but he is a rambler, so I tend to stop listening to everything he spouts. My apologies,” Newell says. “Do you mind if I take a look around?”
“Not at all, just be careful. This place is in need of some TLC. If you need me, I’ll be outside, I want to check it out and wander around a little bit. Relive my childhood,” I say.
He gives me a little nod as I move back toward the door, my men following on my heels.
Once we’re outside, Eli asks, “Do you think you can trust him?”
“He is the sheriff, why wouldn’t I?” I retort. “He seems pretty genuine and the lawyer trusts him.”
“Well, we don’t know him from Adam. He could be in league with whoever cleaned out the room. We would never know until it’s too late,” Eli states, a frown on his handsome face.
“You’re not wrong, but I say let him look around. We have enough on our plate at the moment. I just want to enjoy the fresh air and view, please,” the words leave my lips like a plea. He could be right, but now that it’s out here in the open, I don’t think they’d be bold enough to make another move.
Eli comes over and wraps an arm around my waist before placing a kiss on my forehead, “How are you always the voice of reason?”
“I don’t know about that,” I smile at him, “now let’s see what my uncle has left me.”
“Do you want me to stay behind with the sheriff?” Lucien asks.
“No, I want all four of us to explore this land together. I wonder if there are any animals left,” I say.
“I hope not,” Jayce pipes up, “What do we know about taking care of them? Plus, they’d likely be starved by now.”
“I’m sure there’s a book at the library you could pick up on that,” Eli jokes.
“You may be kidding, but that’s not a bad idea,” Jayce comments like he’s considering it. No matter how hard I try, I can’t picture him tending chickens and goats.
“I think that would be helpful but some of it’s trial and error. Live and learn, right? But let’s not count your chickens before they hatch,” Lucien says.
“Were you trying to crack a joke, Lucien?” I ask, glancing back at him with a smirk.
He doesn’t answer, just returns my smile.
“Let’s check some of these smaller buildings and see if they’re in good shape or if we should tear them down. We have a lot to decide,” I say, rubbing my temples once again. When I woke up today, I was expecting an easy, simple day. This is anything but.
“Do you need something for your headache?” Jayce asks.
My sweet Jayce, always taking care of me.
“Let’s just enjoy this fresh air. If it gets worse, I’ll grab some meds from the car,” I promise as I take in a deep breath.
“It’s really beautiful out here, reminds me of when I was a boy. Seems to soothe my soul from the hustle and bustle of this time,” Lucien comments.
“So, I take it, your vote is the farm,” I laugh.
“I’m not opposed to it,” he says back.
“Wait, where's the old house?” Jayce asks as we walk toward the rest of the buildings on the property. We’d already passed the new barn and equipment and were making our way to the more neglected side of the property.
