AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It’s not because of Jake though. It’s because it’s the Christmas season, and I have customers to see later today.
Once I’m showered and ready, I step outside. Immediately, the crisp smell of winter hits me, reminding me just why I love living on the land. Waking up like this, you get to be really a part of nature. You get to be connected to it. As I’m breathing in the scents of pine and earth, a few goats wander over, nuzzling my legs and begging for attention. I give them extra scratches, and they smile in a way that only goats can.
Some people think that goats don’t smile, but I know the truth. Once you’ve seen a goat smile, you’ll agree that they’re the best animal ever.
Their smiles might even be contagious, because now I’m smiling too. In fact, I’m practically skipping as I walk to the barn to find Jake. I remind myself that we said one night only, but I can still ogle him.
Also, perhaps one night could mean a twenty-four-hour period?
Boundaries, Sutton, I remind myself. Remember, he’s trying to destroy your life.
But is he really? I mean, after last night, maybe he’s changed his mind. Maybe I can talk to him more about Goatvana, and he’ll see that something like that is way better than a golf course. Maybe he’ll even be interested in investing in Goatvana. I mean, who wouldn’t be?
So it’s with a little pep in my step that I stride into the barn, ready to see him. Maybe I’ll get really lucky and he’ll have taken his shirt off to toss some hay around. Yeah, yeah, it’s winter, but a little visualization never hurt anyone. It’s the key to manifesting your destiny.
Spotting him, I’m about to open my mouth to say good morning when I stop cold. Because I hear another voice.
Not in the barn, but on the phone. Jake’s talking to someone and even though I can’t make out the other end of the conversation, I’m hearing more than enough.
“Examine… permits… open land… map the area… see you later today for our appointment.”
This asshole. This absolute asshole.
Somehow between all the chores yesterday, Jake found the time to schedule an appointment with the city surveyor to discuss permits? How is that even possible? Does this mean… did he get a surveyor to come here today?
My goodwill goes directly into the trash. I spin on my heel before Jake can see me and retreat back to the Airstream. It’s hard to move quietly when I’m absolutely furious and all I want to do is stomp.
I slam the Airstream door shut and grab my phone, then dial Maggie faster than humanly possible. I don’t even know what time it is, but thankfully, Maggie answers on the second ring.
“Maggie? Maggie, we have an emergency,” I tell her, and then, because it’s Maggie, I add, “A Christmas emergency.”
“What’s going on?” Maggie asks, sounding immediately alert. “Are you okay?”
“Of course I am,” I say. “This has nothing to do with me. But I do need you to ticket Jake Sheppard.”
I can practically hear Maggie’s mind whizzing on the other end of the call. “You want me to ticket Ryan’s brother? The lawyer?”
“Yes, that’s the one,” I tell her. “He’s trying to evict me!”
And then I tell Maggie everything. Or almost everything. I decide to leave out the fact that we hate-banged last night, and I keep it to the basics of Jake stealing my farm and putting me and my goats out on the streets.
“That’s a violation of some kind, surely? You have to give him a ticket for un-Christmaslike conduct. Think of all the Christmas gifts he’s ruining by putting me out of business and out of a home!”
“Okay,” Maggie says. “While I’m completely on your side, obviously, the issue is, the farm isn’t in my jurisdiction.”
“But surely—”
“But I can still try to get his paperwork misplaced,” Maggie says. “We’d have to involve Linda in planning. You might be able to help with that part.”
“I’ll get her a Goat Ball,” I say. “No, I’ll get her three!”
Goat Balls are my most popular offering of the year, a goat cheese ball studded with pistachios and pomegranate seeds, rolled in chopped herbs, and topped with little pretzel horns. The ladies at the farmers’ market have been known to pull some very dirty tricks to secure their balls, and that includes Linda from planning.
“I’ll do what I can,” Maggie promises. “You focus on the cheese balls, okay?”
I tell her I will, and then I decide I might as well get right to it. With a sigh that is extremely dramatic and also extremely called for, I exit the Airstream and walk to the little barn.
The little barn is off to the side of the big barn, and it’s an animal-free zone where I make my cheese. I’m glad because, right now, I don’t want to look at Jake. He’s not even ogle-worthy at this point and I’m sure he’s still in the main barn, probably making more secret, lawyer-y phone calls.
