Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
The hour-long drive wasn’t as bad as she had expected it to be. What had been unexpected was her queasy stomach from the curvy mountain road. At one point, she thought she was going to vomit.
“Silas, you might need to pull over,” she gasped out, putting a hand over her mouth.
Greer turned around to give her a handful of strange-looking candy. “Suck on one of these.”
She glanced down at her bandaged hand, holding the candy suspiciously. “What are they?”
“Homemade ginger candy.” Greer frowned. “What do you think they are?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh …” Greer turned back around.
Matthew gave her a laughing look. He knew what she had been suspicious of it being.
Opening one of the hard candies, she put it in her mouth. After a few minutes, her stomach quit rolling with each curve of the road.
“None of your brothers or Ginny wanted to join us?” she asked to take her mind off the twists and turns.
“No.” Matthew gave her a sympathetic glance. “Ginny’s stomach couldn’t handle the turns any better than you, and all the boys went out hunting this morning.”
“They better not be hunting on Porter land. They’ll get their asses shot off,” Greer snarled from over his shoulder.
“They won’t have to,” Matthew assured him. “All the deer are on Coleman property.”
Alanna was relieved when Silas took a turn-off marked with “Sunlight Farm and Orchard.” There were several cars parked when they arrived.
Getting out of the truck, Alanna could hear the squeals of children’s voices.
“Save me,” Greer groused. “I couldn’t get away from kids for a day to save my life.”
Greer walked alongside Silas, while Matthew and her walked behind them.
Greer gave her a cautionary glare. “Make sure you stay within my sight. You aren’t going to escape on my watch.”
Alanna couldn’t take it anymore. She raised her hand to—
Matthew caught her hand. “It’s not worth it.”
“Not to you, but it would be to me.”
“Be the bigger person.”
“Okay.”
She decided to pretend Greer wasn’t there and not let him ruin her day.
“Where are we heading first?” Matthew called out to Silas.
“The barn. I need to place an order.”
“They don’t have goats, do they?” she whispered aside to Matthew.
“No. They have cows, lambs, and pigs.”
“Do you think I could be allergic to them?”
“Just don’t touch any of them, and you should be good.”
The barn was a pretty good walk. They had to pass the apple orchard and what seemed like a produce stand attached to a building where people were coming in and out, carrying bags.
“It’s a longer walk than I expected.”
Matthew nodded. “To keep the customers from smelling the animals.
Her nose told her when they were getting near before she spotted the big red barn.
As they walked inside, a stocky man, who was talking to another, excused himself to greet Silas.
“Hey, Silas. Haven’t seen you around in a while. I was beginning to think you went vegan.”
“Jimbo.” Silas took the hand held out to him. “Brought some company with me today. You know Greer and my brother, and this is a friend of ours, Alanna.”
“Nice to meet you.” Alanna took the hand extended to her, quickly pulling back after a second. The man might be friendly, but she recognized a familiar meanness in his eyes.
Shivering, she edged closer to Matthew, who wrapped his arm around her waist and gave a brief glance in her direction.
The friendly façade began to fade when Jimbo’s ruddy face turned in Greer’s direction. “I thought I told you not to come here anymore.”
“He’s here with me,” Silas interjected smoothly. “I’m paying for his order today.”
Alanna looked at Matthew. Now she understood how Silas had gained permission to leave the Colemans’ property.
“In that case, let’s get your orders written up.” He pulled up what looked like a handheld computer dangling from his jeans. “I have several you can look over. I have a real beauty over here.”
Jimbo started walking to a stall that had a metal gate, and they all followed him
“I hoped she would be a prize-winning milking cow. She’s been dry as a bone, so I’ve been fattening her up.”
Alanna instinctively stepped forward, unable to resist the big soulful eyes.
“Aw … She’s so sweet.” She reached out to touch the nose that was trying to get through the gate.
“Nuh-uh. Let’s not chance it,” Matthew warned, pulling her hand away.
“I’ll take her,” Greer spoke up right away.
Jimbo pressed the keys on a machine.
“How do want the meat parceled out?”
“Parceled out?” Alanna whispered, horrorstricken.
“Give me out forty percent in a variety of roasts, ground me up around thirty percent—the youngins like their hamburgers — and the rest in steaks.”
Alanna reached into her pocket for another piece of ginger candy.
“I’ll get as many out of her as I can.” Jimbo let the machine go to hang back as his side and nodded at another stall, one over. “Now, this one over here is a little smaller, but she’s grass fed.”