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"Careful," April said aloud in a neutral tone, making sure not to spook the tall wild horse.
April could see the determination in Jackson's eyes as he worked, his hands moving with incredible precision. It was clear that he had experience with this sort of thing, and she couldn't help but feel grateful that he was here to help.
Finally, with a soft grunt, Jackson was able to extract the post completely. He held it up triumphantly, and the horse let out a relieved whinny.
After backing up quickly, he threw the metal in the bucket beside the barn and watched the horse begin to buck around the trees.
April couldn't help but be impressed by his skills. If she wasn't so interested in Nigel, she would have been taken by him completely.
As the horse galloped away, April turned to Jackson with a look of gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you so much for your help. I wouldn't have known what to do without you."
Jackson shrugged modestly. "It's no problem. Just doing my job." He flashed her a smile that made her heart skip a beat.
April couldn't help but admire him even more for his humility. It was clear that he was a man who knew his strengths but didn't feel the need to show them off unnecessarily.
It was hard not to admire the handsome, mysterious man in front of her. Especially when things had been so rocky with Nigel. Did that mean it was okay to look at Jackson like she was now? With such admiration?
She shook off the feelings as they walked back to the front of the barn, where the weeds were waiting for them.
But that's not all that was waiting there. An older woman with a clipboard at her side was walking through the property. She wore a pantsuit, less fancy than the ones in April's closet that she used to wear to court. But still professional-looking nonetheless.
April swallowed hard and looked over at a confused Jackson. He shrugged his shoulders and got back to work. She liked that he knew when to mind his own business.
As the woman approached them, April could see that she had a stern expression on her face. She straightened her posture and put on her best professional demeanor.
"Good afternoon," the woman said, her voice firm and commanding. "I need to know what you're doing to this land."
It wasn't a question. It was a clear statement. "We're cleaning it up. Who wants to know?" April responded, annoyed at the woman's tone.
She tried to recall if there was anything she hadn't done properly. Was there something wrong with clearing out the debris in a two-hundred-acre property with your name on it?
"I'm Trisha. I come from the island's council. I've been sent to talk to you about your intentions on this ranch."
Now April was thoroughly annoyed. "My intentions? Why is that any of your business?"
The snooty woman crossed her arms in front of her chest, the clipboard clanging against her chunky necklace. "Because you need permits. Lots of them. And once you get permission for the permits, you'll need to file an intent to change the zoning. Technically, all two hundred acres here are residential. So if you plan on making this into a commercial horse ranch, you're going to need to jump through a lot of hoops."
April had just begun the process of cleaning up the areas she wanted to transform. She knew that there would be paperwork, but what this woman was describing was so much more than she expected.
"Wait a minute, how did you even know I wanted to turn this into a horse ranch? Maybe I'm using it for residential purposes. Can't people have yards anymore?"
Even Jackson's head turned at her comment. It would have to be an extremely large yard, but it could be a yard. Unfortunately for April it wasn't. But she wasn't about to show all of her cards to this woman who intruded on her property.
She chuckled. "Listen, April. We've heard the rumors. Everyone in town is aware of what you're trying to do."
"You have no idea what I'm trying to do."
Trisha looked past her to Jackson, pulling weeds. The only thing April could do was keep her face. If she faltered, Trisha would win. "Right. We could make a few educated guesses, and we're nervous about your ideas."
April gritted her teeth. She hated small towns and the way everyone seemed to know everything about everyone else's business. "Well, I haven't submitted any paperwork yet. So technically, I haven't done anything wrong."
Trisha raised an eyebrow. "That may be true. But I suggest you get started on those permits and paperwork as soon as possible. And don't even think about starting any construction until you have the proper approvals."
With that, Trisha turned on her heel and walked away, leaving April seething with anger. April sighed heavily, feeling relieved that the unpleasant encounter was finally over. But at the same time, she was overwhelmed by all the new information that had just been thrown at her.
This town was trying to stop her from creating this horse ranch even before she had begun building it.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
