Anna sighed, standing and going inside. She spent the next hour or so writing out price sheets and drawing up invoices. The day before they had stopped a total of six times. Aside from the first stop with it’s absent owner, she had made sales at each place. Anna totaled the orders together on the calculator three times before she would believe what she was seeing. On her first string of orders, she would be making about a thousand dollars.
She didn’t have many living expenses. The mortgage was paid off years before and there was no air conditioning or cable. The water came from a well on the property. Aside from taxes and electricity, she really only had to worry about food and her wireless internet. If she could keep these vendors and expand on it slightly, maybe sell some herbs in town or set up some kind of online boutique shop, she might actually be able to do more than just keep her head above water. She could, if she was careful and frugal, be able to put some money away for a rainy day.
Anna spent the next hour typing up invoices, mailing the ones she had email addresses for and printing the ones out that she needed to fax. She jotted down a list of things she needed to look into buying in town: herb containers, freezer bags, and a large ice chest for storage.
The sun started shining through the windows and she knew before long the entire house would be stifling. She made her way outside, manually switching on the sprinkler systems Mam must have installed not long before she died.
She walked past bed after bed full of strong, healthy plants. She felt pride swell up in her chest, making it feel hard to breathe. She had done this. She had planted most of the seedlings and they were growing and healthy because of her.
Anna made her way back toward the back few acres of unused land with string and stakes, planning to map out the spots of future beds. For bay leaves like Lenny recommended. And lavender so maybe she could make her own soaps to sell at the town pharmacy or even to the inn to use in their rooms. It was getting too late to plant anything, but it would save her a lot of work next planting season if she at least got the land ready.
Anna felt her pulse start to pound, noticing tire prints running from the far side of her property toward the back ten. She followed them, dread filling her. She knew like she knew like she knew that something else had happened. Someone had done something else. Someone was still trying to hurt her.
Then she noticed the land underneath her feet, oddly crunchy and whiteish. She knelt down quickly, grabbing a handful of crystals she found sprinkled across the ground.
Salt.
Someone had salted her land.
Anna’s memory flashed to high school history class. The tales of the Roman empire. The story of Carthage. The roman general sowing the land with salt after finally winning the third Punic war. Crops wouldn’t grow for a hundred years as the tale went.
She felt her heart sink to her stomach.
It was a curse on rehabilitation. It was a dare to her to try to rebuild her life.
Her hand closed around the salt, its roughness biting into her flesh as she finally sat down and gave up.
Sam woke up feeling disoriented, later than he usually slept in. He felt the fuzzy memory hanging on like a dream. He rolled over and realized it wasn’t a dream. Anna had been there. She had been there. In his bed. Naked. Moaning and grabbing at him as he licked her sweet wetness. The memory had his cock up and hardening before his eyes even cleared of sleep.
But she was gone. “Anna,” he called, his voice gruff. He got up slowly, glancing into the bathroom before heading downstairs. “Anna,” he called and got nothing back but stony silence. He walked into the kitchen and saw the glass of water on the counter and wondered when she had left. Why she had left.
He wanted to wake up next to her. He wanted to go down on her again. He wanted to slip his fingers inside her this time. He wanted to feel her hands close around his cock and stroke him. He wanted her mouth around him. He wanted her beneath him. He wanted to feel her body clench at his cock as he penetrated her slowly.
Sam cursed, shaking his head. Maybe that was why she left. She wasn’t ready. He hadn’t stayed awake to make it clear that they would go at her pace. Even if he was about to burst from sexual frustration. He could wait for her.
He went upstairs and showered, changed into clean clothes, and went outside to greet his staff, giving them a few directions before heading off toward Mam’s land.
Her house and the immediate backyard was empty but the coffee in her mug on the back porch was still warm. She must have walked out further onto her land. Sam grabbed a mug of coffee for himself and casually walked straight down her property, looking at the beds of sturdy plants and feeling pride for her growing.
She really was amazing. She had left her whole life behind and come to a town she had never seen before. To work on a farm when she had never even tended a garden before. And she made it work. Her determination was impressive. She was a hurricane wrapped up underneath all the shyness and carefully constructed walls of insecurity. She had no idea how great she was.
Sam walked for ten minutes, frowning down at the strange tire marks on the property. There were wide and deep, definitely not ones that matched the old green hatchback Anna drove.
Then he saw her, sitting on the ground, her knees pulled to her chest, her head resting on them turned toward the side. Like a scared child. Like someone trying to protect themselves.
“Anna,” he called, his boots suddenly crunching on the ground. He looked down, his eyebrows drawing together but moving toward the figure of Anna a few feet in front of him. “What’s going on?” he said, crouching down next to her, his hand touching her shoulder.
Anna opened her eyes slowly, reaching her hand out toward him and opening her palm revealing the crystals inside. “Someone salted my land,” she said, her voice numb.
“Salted,” Sam repeated, looking down and outward. Then it hit him how far spread it was out. Half an acre at least. “Jesus. What the hell is going on?” he asked to himself, to the universe. He scooped up a handful of the salt himself, inspecting it. “Does it actually do any damage?” he asked, knowing the tales in history. But he thought they were just that… tales.
Anna dropped her forehead to her knees. “It pulls all the moisture out of the earth. Nothing will grow because its too dry.”
“Shit,” Sam said, reaching for her and pulling her to his side. “I’m taking you to the sheriff. He needs to know about this. The town needs to know about this. Something has to be done. There’s tire tracks. Maybe…”
“This isn’t a crime show,” Anna said, her voice quiet and defeated. “Everyone here has a truck. They probably all use similar tires.”
“Regardless. We are going into town. Right now,” he said firmly, trying to get through to her. “Come on, Anna. Right now,” when she didn’t respond, he sighed, leaning down and pulling her onto her feet.
She followed him across her land, toward the front of the yard and into her car. Sam drove, his knees almost hitting the steering wheel. It wasn’t a car meant for a tall man.
They drove in silence, town coming into view bustling with people. There was a flower fair and the main street was closed for stands to be set up. Sam parked the car on a side road and led Anna down the street, her silence and slumped shoulders making him worry.
Thirteen
A burst of cold air hit them as they opened the door to the sheriff’s office. The old worn tile on the floor was blue and the walls a faded tan. There was a desk up front set up like it required a secretary. But no one was situated behind it. Sam led her toward the back where three desks were situated. A foosball table was pushed up in a corner.
At the first desk, a man was sitting in his chair with his feet up on his desk. He was holding a newspaper up, masking all of his upper body.
“Aiden,” Sam called and the man’s newspaper came down a few inches to view them.
“Sam Flynn,” he said, putting the paper down and standing up. “What can I do for you?”
“
This is actually about Anna,” he said, brushing her shoulder. “Anna Goode.”
“Mam’s relative,” Aiden said, walking toward them. He held out a hand to her and she shook it.
Aiden looked to be about forty with dirty blonde hair. There was a tiny bit of gray peeking through at his temples. His face was rectangular with a broad forehead and a square-cut jaw. His eyes were a deep sapphire shade of blue with tiny crows feet at the edges. He was tall, taller even than Sam but thinner in build.
“What can I do for you Anna?” he asked, holding a hand out to two empty chairs.
Sam sat down next to her, looking over at Aiden when she didn’t speak. “She’s had two acts of vandalism on her property in the past few days.”
Aiden’s eyes looked suddenly alert, his brows rising. “Vandalism?”
“Yeah a few days ago,” Sam said when Anna still remained silent. “someone uprooted an entire bed of her crops.”
Aiden pulled a pad out of his drawer and started scribbling quickly. “Okay. No one saw anyone on or near the property?”
“No.”
“And what about your property Sam? No damage there?”
“No. Nothing.”
“Okay. And the second act of vandalism. When did that happen?”
“That’s not entirely clear. The tire marks were new.”
Aiden looked over at Anna, his eyes pleading for her to speak. “Miss. Goode?”
Anna shook her head. “I was going to open some new beds out there this morning. It was on some of the back acres. I don’t walk there everyday.”
“Alright,” Aiden said, nodding. “Fair enough. So you walked out there this morning and what?”
Anna took a deep breath. “Someone drove up on my property and salted my land.”
“Salted? As in no crops for one-hundred years, salted?” Aiden asked, his head flying up when she spoke.
“Yeah,” She answered.
“Do you have any idea who might have…Sam,” he said, giving him a weak smile. “will you excuse us for a few minutes? I need to speak to Miss. Goode alone.”
Sam nodded, sending Anna a tight-lipped smile and patting her knee before getting up and leaving.
“Sorry, I just need to ask about any of your personal connections and I know that can get… awkward in certain situations.”
“You want to know if I think Sam or Eric could have done it because of their interest in me.”
Aiden’s lip quirked to the side, not quite smiling. “Exactly.”
“Sam walked up on me right after I found out myself. He was just as confused as I was. And Eric…” Anna shook her head. “I know Eric has this awful reputation around here, but he would never do something like this.”
Aiden wrote as he spoke. “I’m inclined to agree. I’ve never seen him care about a woman enough to try to ruin her property. Oh… sorry,” he said, looking up and sending her a guilty smile.
Anna found herself smiling back. “It’s alright. I’ve heard all of the stories. Do you think it’s some bored kids just trying to stir up trouble?”
Aiden shrugged. “I dunno. We have never had a problem before. But there’s always a first time for everything. I’ll ask around. So you haven’t come across anyone in town who you haven’t hit it off with?”
“No. Honestly, I haven’t had a lot of time to spend in town. I know maybe three or four people outside of Sam and Eric and Maude.”
“Hmm,” Aiden said, scratching his cheek with the end of his pen. “If you don’t mind, I am going to drop by your land in a bit and look around. See if anyone left anything that might help.”
“No please do. There are the tire tracks, but like I said to Sam… everyone around here has a truck.”
“Yeah. It’s a tough situation. But usually someone will slip up and say something eventually. It will come out. I’m going to do everything in my power to figure this out, I promise,” he said, leaning forward. His eyes were so genuine, she believed him in a heartbeat. “And I’m really, really sorry about your land.”
Anna nodded. “Thank you.”
Aiden stood, and she rose with him. “I will be in touch with you as soon as I have any information.”
“Thank you,” Anna said again, taking his outstretched hand before walking outside.
The air outside was humid and sticky. Anna stood out front, looking around for Sam but he was nowhere to be seen.
She walked down the street, eyes finding her and shooting her looks of sympathy. Apparently Sam had already spread the word.
As she walked past the bookstore, the door flew open behind her. A hand grabbed her forearm, stopping her.
Anna turned to find Liam standing there in the choking heat in a deep brown button-up sweater. He dressed like an old man. “Anna,” he said, letting her arm go like it suddenly turned into a snake. “Dig it up.”
Anna’s brows drew together. “Dig what up?”
Liam shook his as if he was being forced to explain something to a small child. “Your land. I heard about it getting salted. Dig it up. If you get the salt up and the ground immediately under it, it wont ruin the soil. But you have to get every bit up and before it rains.”
Anna felt her eyes go wide with understanding. Her face spread out into a huge smile. “Oh my god,” she said, her voice high and hysterical. “That’s it? I can just dig it up?”
Liam rubbed the back of his neck. She watched in amazement as his serious face smiled a little. “Yeah, that’s it. But you need to get on top of that like right now. It will be ass-breaking work. And you’re gonna need some help.”
Anna laughed. “Wow that sounds like you are volunteering,” at his horrified expression, she reached out and patted his shoulder. “So I will see you tomorrow at nine sharp.”
Liam practically sputtered and Anna enjoyed the idea of leaving him speechless.
Anna backed away from him. “I noticed your sign the other day. You’re closed on Tuesdays. I really appreciate it, Liam.”
Her heart thawed with the idea of hope. All she needed was a few more able-bodied people to pitch in.
“Girl,” Maude called, hustling into step beside her. “I’m already on it. Hank and Devon will be there in the morning. I assume Sam will be there.”
“Oh I don’t…”
“Sam will be there,” Maude interrupted. “Did I just see you con Liam O’reilly into lending a hand?”
“Yeah,” Anna grinned.
“You’re really something, you know that? I ain't never been able to get that boy to do anything since he was toddling,” Maude lost some of her humor as she looked where they were heading. “You’re going to ask Eric.”
Anna felt an embarrassed flush rise up her face. “The more people to help, the better,” she replied.
“You need to settle that.”
“I know,” she said, sadly.
Maude patted her cheek. Her look was almost maternal for a moment. “Go on then. I will see you tomorrow. I’m bringing the lemonade.”
--
Eric wasn’t in the shop. Anna had a moment of bewilderment. She never stopped to think about what he did when he wasn’t working. Then she heard music from above the shop. Apparently he lived and worked in the same building. It seemed insane that she never knew that.
She knocked on the entrance through the garage but there was no response. She let herself through, climbing the narrow stairs carefully up to the second landing. She reached up and pounded on the door enough to make it shake in its frame to be heard.
The music got turned down drastically and a second later, the door was pulled open.
There Eric stood in a pair of black sweatpants, worn low on the waist and tight black t-shirt. Barefoot. Anna focused on his feet, not realizing how unusual it was to see a man without shoes on.
Eric cocked his head to the side, looking at her. “You know, I think I might like this look even better than the black dress. It’s more… you.” He watched her face for a second, his brows furrowing with… conce
rn? Surely Eric O’reilly wasn’t the concerned type. “What’s wrong?”
Anna took a deep breath. “Someone has been destroying my crops and my land for the past few days and…”
“Wait, hold up. What?” he said, throwing his door open. “Why didn’t you come to me?”
Anna jumped back, shocked. She was supposed to come to him with problems? “There’s… there was nothing for you to do.” A strange shadow crossed his face for a moment. She rushed on, “But I need your help now.”
“Come in here,” Eric said, walking into his apartment. There was an open floor plan with a small kitchen with an island with two stools that lead into the living room. “What can I do?” he asked, walking into the living room and leaning against the kitchen island.
“Someone salted my fields,” she started.
“Like Roman empire salted?” he broke in.
Anna smiled. Apparently everyone had paid attention in history class. “Something like that yeah. And Liam told me that if we remove the salt and the earth underneath, the land wont be destroyed. I need help doing that. I already have Hank and Devon and Liam coming to…”
“Liam,” Eric broke in, incredulous. “You got Liam to agree to help?”
“Well I… tricked him into it. But he’s coming.”
Eric laughed, a wicked sound. “You’re too much. Come here,” he said, his voice dropping low and deep.
Anna felt her feet moving forward despite herself. Despite hooking up with Sam. Despite her awful day. Despite the fact that she hadn’t even come close to making up her mind yet.
But she wasn’t in a relationship with either of them. She made no commitment. She didn’t agree to be exclusive. She had every right to date them both until she figured out her own mind.
Eric’s arms went around her waist, pulling her onto her tip-toes against his body. He looked down at her for a minute, a small smile playing at his lips. His hands slid downward, circling underneath her ass and pulling upward. She flailed as the floor disappeared beneath her, throwing her arms around his neck.
What The Heart Wants Page 11
