flowers—or maybe a few sapphires.
“Now I’m sure I’m going with you,” Sara said brightly. “Mr. Lang comes into town on Thursdays, day after tomorrow, for the Farmers’ Market, so that’s when we’ll go.”
“No, you can’t possibly go with me. I need to—”
Sara got off the couch. “Do you think those scallops were burned? I could eat a dozen of them. What can I do to help make dinner?” Turning, she left the living room to go back to the kitchen.
As Mike watched her leave, there was one thing he was sure of: Sara was not going with him. Until he found out a great deal more about this Merlin’s Farm, she wasn’t getting near the place. Of that, he was absolutely, totally certain .
6
O N THE DRIVE to Merlin’s Farm, Mike couldn’t help being pleased with himself. All through dinner last night, Sara had given him multiple reasons why she should join him on Thursday while Mr. Lang—as she called him—was at the Farmers’ Market. Mike had been polite, had even pretended to consider what she was saying, but the truth was, he’d never come close to wavering in his decision to not allow her to go.
However, to ensure that nothing went wrong, he decided to go a day early. That night, after the kitchen was cleaned up, he went outside to call Tess. He asked her to do whatever she needed to in order to secretly get Lang off the property the next day so Mike could make a thorough inspection without Sara knowing.
“I’ll call Luke,” she said. “He’s the only one who can manage the old man.”
“Luke seems to run this town.”
“I think it comes with owning the Big House. But then,knowing Edilean, it’s probably some leftover from medieval times. So you’ve been thinking of the farm?”
“Yeah,” Mike said, but he didn’t tell her about Sara’s fiancé’s interest in it. Maybe it was a coincidence, but it could be the break they needed.
Tess said she’d arrange it, and ten minutes later she called back to say that Luke would take great delight in causing Brewster Lang enough problems that he’d have to stay away all day. Over the last few years, whenever Luke tried to repair anything at Merlin’s Farm, the old man had followed him around, complaining so much that Luke had wanted to strangle him.
After Mike hung up, he went back inside the apartment. Sara’s light was off, and he was glad. He didn’t want to hear any more reasons of why she should go with him. On Thursday he planned to tell her he’d already seen the farm and that would be the end of the discussion.
This morning when Mike left early to go to the gym, Luke was outside, filling the bed of a red Kawasaki Mule with tools. “I’m preparing for my day with ol’ Brewster,” he said as he threw in a posthole digger. “Are you sure you want to take on something like that old place?”
“The last thing on earth I want is to own a farm. This is purely my sister’s idea.”
Luke grinned. “Wants to tie you down, does she? So how many blind dates have they tried to set you up on?”
“So far, two. There’s—”
“Let me guess. Ariel Frazier and Kimberly Aldredge.”
“Those are the names. Tell me, does anyone in this town have any secrets?”
“You seem to have more than a few,” Luke said quickly.
Mike didn’t reply, just got in his car and put down the window. “Why don’t you go to the gym with me tomorrow?”
“I was there yesterday, remember? And I caught the last of your routine. Forty-six minutes of hell. I don’t think I could stand working out with you.”
Mike continued to look at him. Luke was a big guy with quite a bit of muscle on him.
“I’ll be ready at six tomorrow,” Luke said.
As Mike drove away, he wished he didn’t have to go all the way into Williamsburg to a gym. He wondered what kind of zoning Merlin’s Farm had. Could he put in a mixed martial arts studio there? Maybe he could have a few paying clients. After he retired, he’d have his pension from the police force,
“Now I’m sure I’m going with you,” Sara said brightly. “Mr. Lang comes into town on Thursdays, day after tomorrow, for the Farmers’ Market, so that’s when we’ll go.”
“No, you can’t possibly go with me. I need to—”
Sara got off the couch. “Do you think those scallops were burned? I could eat a dozen of them. What can I do to help make dinner?” Turning, she left the living room to go back to the kitchen.
As Mike watched her leave, there was one thing he was sure of: Sara was not going with him. Until he found out a great deal more about this Merlin’s Farm, she wasn’t getting near the place. Of that, he was absolutely, totally certain .
6
O N THE DRIVE to Merlin’s Farm, Mike couldn’t help being pleased with himself. All through dinner last night, Sara had given him multiple reasons why she should join him on Thursday while Mr. Lang—as she called him—was at the Farmers’ Market. Mike had been polite, had even pretended to consider what she was saying, but the truth was, he’d never come close to wavering in his decision to not allow her to go.
However, to ensure that nothing went wrong, he decided to go a day early. That night, after the kitchen was cleaned up, he went outside to call Tess. He asked her to do whatever she needed to in order to secretly get Lang off the property the next day so Mike could make a thorough inspection without Sara knowing.
“I’ll call Luke,” she said. “He’s the only one who can manage the old man.”
“Luke seems to run this town.”
“I think it comes with owning the Big House. But then,knowing Edilean, it’s probably some leftover from medieval times. So you’ve been thinking of the farm?”
“Yeah,” Mike said, but he didn’t tell her about Sara’s fiancé’s interest in it. Maybe it was a coincidence, but it could be the break they needed.
Tess said she’d arrange it, and ten minutes later she called back to say that Luke would take great delight in causing Brewster Lang enough problems that he’d have to stay away all day. Over the last few years, whenever Luke tried to repair anything at Merlin’s Farm, the old man had followed him around, complaining so much that Luke had wanted to strangle him.
After Mike hung up, he went back inside the apartment. Sara’s light was off, and he was glad. He didn’t want to hear any more reasons of why she should go with him. On Thursday he planned to tell her he’d already seen the farm and that would be the end of the discussion.
This morning when Mike left early to go to the gym, Luke was outside, filling the bed of a red Kawasaki Mule with tools. “I’m preparing for my day with ol’ Brewster,” he said as he threw in a posthole digger. “Are you sure you want to take on something like that old place?”
“The last thing on earth I want is to own a farm. This is purely my sister’s idea.”
Luke grinned. “Wants to tie you down, does she? So how many blind dates have they tried to set you up on?”
“So far, two. There’s—”
“Let me guess. Ariel Frazier and Kimberly Aldredge.”
“Those are the names. Tell me, does anyone in this town have any secrets?”
“You seem to have more than a few,” Luke said quickly.
Mike didn’t reply, just got in his car and put down the window. “Why don’t you go to the gym with me tomorrow?”
“I was there yesterday, remember? And I caught the last of your routine. Forty-six minutes of hell. I don’t think I could stand working out with you.”
Mike continued to look at him. Luke was a big guy with quite a bit of muscle on him.
“I’ll be ready at six tomorrow,” Luke said.
As Mike drove away, he wished he didn’t have to go all the way into Williamsburg to a gym. He wondered what kind of zoning Merlin’s Farm had. Could he put in a mixed martial arts studio there? Maybe he could have a few paying clients. After he retired, he’d have his pension from the police force,
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