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)
“Let me show you where you’ll be living.”
She expected him to continue toward the large house, but he took off to the side. Surprised, she followed him, walking over two small rises.
Where were they going? She had never been good at being out of her comfort zone. Keeping her life on an even kneel had been paramount to her after a childhood filled with upheavals. She had managed to do that until Elizabeth disappeared and she found herself in Treepoint. All she wanted was to get back to the normal life she had made for herself.
“Matthew and Isaac’s work building.” Silas pointed out as they passed a lone structure set to the side. It was the size of a small house.
The trees surrounding them grew denser. Becoming wary when they started through a corpse of trees, Alanna prepared herself to take off running if Silas made any sudden moves toward her. Her imagination was starting to get the better of her, seeing how secluded the Coleman’s property was from town and neighboring homes.
“Almost there. Sorry about the walk, but I thought you would appreciate the privacy …”
“After being locked up in jail?” she finished for him.
Silas gave her an amused look. “To escape being surrounding by family.”
Blushing, Alanna gave him an embarrassed look. “Sorry. I was being oversensitive.”
“I would be, too,” he excused her, “if I was locked up for something I didn’t do.”
Alanna looked at him questioningly. “How do you know I’m innocent? You’ve only talked to me for, like, fifteen minutes total.”
“Other than being a great judge of character, I know you’re innocent because Diamond Bates wouldn’t represent you otherwise.”
At his explanation, she felt as if a tiny weight had been taken off her injured pride.
“Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate you giving me a chance while I get everything straightened out with the authorities.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
Ever since she had stepped out of the truck, an eerie feeling had overtaken her, as if something or someone was aware she was there. She glanced toward Silas as he talked; fear assailed her at his serious expression. Tensing, she prepared to run if he so much as …
“I should have asked you this before you took my job offer,” he continued. “There’s a part of the job that you might not want to do that only a woman can.”
Alanna swallowed the lump of fear in her throat. “What?” she asked, expecting the worst.
“Have you ever milked a goat?”
Chapter Six
“No.” Breaking into relieved laughter, Alanna started walking again. “But I’m game. I like animals.”
“Have you ever been around goats before?”
“No. Why?” she asked curiously.
“Never mind, then. They’re wonderful creatures.”
Alanna was finally catching on that Silas was teasing her, as he had caught on to her nervousness.
“Is there a reason why only a woman can milk the goats?”
“Nope. None at all, other than the goats prefer a woman’s touch. Ginny will show you how.”
“Okay.” She didn’t know much about animals and had never been within ten miles of a goat. They looked cute in pictures. She couldn’t imagine it being hard to do.
Coming out of the trees, Alanna saw a trailer set in a small clearing.
“It doesn’t look like much,” Silas went up the three steps to open the metal door.
Haltingly, she went up after him to enter the trailer. She was out in the middle of nowhere, with a man she knew little to nothing about. If not for Greer Porter, she would have asked Silas to drive her back to town. She’d lived in huge cities her whole life. Treepoint presented one culture shock after another.
The small trailer sitting alone, removed from neighbors within shouting distance, had her pulse leaping in fear. She was a city girl at heart, so living here was going to be an adjustment.
Stepping inside the trailer, she was immediately struck by how homey it felt.
“Jody moved in with Jacob so you’d have your own place.”
The trailer was farther away from the road, so unless anyone was familiar with the Colemans’ property, it would go unseen. The con was it was even more isolated than she had expected.
“Thank you. I don’t want any of you to be displaced from your home just to accommodate me. I would be perfectly happy anywhere—”
“Jody doesn’t mind. He’s usually over at Jacob’s, anyway. Let me show you around. It’s small, but should have everything you need. If you do need something, just let me know, and I can order it for you. Might take a couple of days, unless you need it quicker, then I can go to town.”
“You don’t go to town first?”
“Not unless I have to. Most of businesses or people in town aren’t very friendly toward us. I’m afraid once people hear that you work for us, the welcome mat won’t be coming out.”
Alanna was tempted to ask him why, yet didn’t want another reason to ask him to drive her back to the cell at the sheriff’s office. Besides, probably everyone in town assumed she was guilty of the charges pressed against her anyway, and they had hired her. She wasn’t exactly in any position to throw stones at anyone.