Winter Falls (Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe)

Chapter 9

nine

He put his phone down on the desk and considered their conversation. Maybe Asher could do it or prep the horses and transport them to town.

Amos was all for Rescue. He'd rescued horses, pigs, donkeys, and of course, dogs. His dog golden retriever Jack. And right now, he was under his desk, curled up on his bed making his funny little yips and growls in his sleep. Amos smiled and watched him dream, but he swore Jack had some kind of radar and knew when he was watching him. He opened his eyes and looked at him from under his expressive brows, his chin never leaving his paw. The soft thump-thump of his tail warmed Amos's heart. Lord, he loved this dog.

Yeah, if Asher couldn't do it, then he would for sure and sent him a text to give him the choice. He was glad Asher came for the weekend; it'd be much easier with his help and one of the hands to get everything organized.

Caleb had been a great help the past few weeks, getting the team to town on Fridays and Saturdays since the beginning of the festival. Caleb had turned up one day looking for work and Amos found him in the barn a few times mucking out and doing chores. After a conversation and checking references, Amos hired him, sensing he needed a place to hang his hat.

He was a quiet, hard worker, knew his way around horses, livestock, and farm work. He didn't complain. He looked to be in his late twenties, and Amos suspected Caleb had a tricky past and was a bit of a drifter. Who knew how long he'd stay in Evergreen Lake, but for the time being, he was welcome on the farm.

Amos looked at the papers sitting untouched. He didn't know why he was having such a difficult time looking at the offer. Since picking the package up, all he'd done was take out the sheaf of papers and put them in the middle of his desk and avoided giving them much thought. He was sure there'd be a deadline in the paperwork to get back to the investors, but he hadn't looked.

The way he saw it, what would be would be. If he missed a deadline, then he missed a deadline and nothing would change. If he missed the deadline and the investors reached out again, then he'd be forced into a decision. Or, maybe it would all just go away and he wouldn't have to decide.

He thought about that for a minute. It was the easy way out and not the right attitude. He couldn't leave it to fate. He had to make an informed decision so he could advise Asher and Alana. He would tell Asher this weekend since he'd be here, but he preferred it if both were. She was the worst communicator, which baffled him since her phone was never out of her hand. He decided to text her right now.

Alana, I need to know if you're coming this weekend. Asher is here and there's something we need to talk about. Answer me!

He didn't expect to hear from her right away, so he took a deep breath and removed the cover sheet and began to read.

Everything he and the investor had discussed appeared to be addressed; the financials were significant. It would mean the three of them would never have to worry about money again, not that they had to now, but they'd never be able spend it all in their lifetimes. That's why he needed to discuss it with them. He couldn't make this decision on his own, even though he had the final say.

This was the family ancestral home and had been since the early 1800's. If they accepted this offer, then it would no longer be theirs. The tradeoff was they’d be financially secure for life.

Jack jumped up and rested his head on Amos's knee, disrupting his thoughts.

"What's up, boy, do you need to go out?"

Jack's ears perked up and his eyes brightened. His tail waved back and forth like a flag. "All right, let's go."

Amos stood and put the envelope over the papers. He'd think about it all later. But he paused, fingertips resting on the old desk. His office was in the original homestead which had housed the first family settlers and some livestock. He couldn't imagine how they all coped in the space.

Now, the rest of the house sprawled out from this restored cabin, which was kept as authentic as possible. Over the years each generation added to the previous additions and the home nicely fitted into the landscape.

The structure was built on the land that his great great great great grandparents had settled on. It might be weird, but he felt a presence of history within these four walls. As if the ghosts of family members past still walked the plank flooring and had left an indelible mark. The thought of ghosts and such didn't spook him. When he felt a presence, whether it was real or not, Amos embraced it. There was history here and Amos loved the house and the land.

He and his siblings had a big decision. And it wouldn't be an easy one.

Jack bumped his knee. "Okay, okay, let's go."

Amos came around the desk and Jack backed up like a champ, never taking his gaze off Amos. His tongue lolled out. He wanted to run and play.

"You don't need to back up, just turn around." He laughed, but Jack stayed put, firmly in front of Amos and back stepped all the way out the door into the hall then stopped to wait so he could follow Amos.

Jack led the way through the rooms to the mudroom, which was actually a room in itself. Bead board paneling, a wall unit/bench with baskets underneath holding all manner of gloves, hats, scarves, neatly folded sweaters. Everything that someone might need in case they forgot something.

Antique hooks hung in a row beneath a higher shelf that held more baskets with all sorts of paraphernalia in them. The stone floor had been quarried out of the property and a large oval handmade rag rug sat in the middle of the room.

The pantry was off the mudroom. It was like a second kitchen, with two chest and an upright freezer, cupboards and drawers similar to the kitchen, a stone counter with a sink. His mother had often used it as a prep room.

Yep, he did love this place.

He zipped up his coat and pulled on gloves, ignoring the fresh ache in his chest when thoughts of his parents ran through his mind, or he was hit with nostalgia.

When he opened the door onto the covered back porch, Jack was out like a shot and raced off down the path to the barn. Amos decided he could put the horses to bed early and trudged through the fresh skiff of snow; it wouldn't need shoveling. The dumping they'd had last week was piled knee-high along the path. Which of course, Jack jumped in and out of. The dog loved the snow.

He opened the main door of the barn and was greeted with warmth and sweet aroma of hay and horse. Jack went off to investigate the nooks and crannies and a radio softly played country music, mostly to give a sense of calm for the horses. After closing the door, he faced the horses who were all watching him with interest.

"Yes, my beauties, I'm here to put you to bed," he told them, and they nickered their greetings to him. He stopped at each one, spoke quietly, and gave them some loving.

Amos was a listen-to-your-gut kind of guy, and the unsettled ache in his chest grew. He knew it all came down to the possibility of selling the homestead. Was it the right or wrong thing to do?

He sighed and opened a bale of hay from the stack he always kept in the aisle. He carried flakes to each horse, tossed them over the stall doors and thought about the impact selling would have on him, his siblings, the livestock, and even the town.

Did he need to put the town in the equation? Maybe to a minimal degree because Amos suspected there could be big changes if he sold. He felt a kinship with Evergreen Lake--it was hard not to when your family was one of the original founders.

However, on a personal level--family level--he was thinking about his siblings and it was something that needed to be explored. He wasn't sure how receptive Asher and Alana would be. They had left to pursue their own agendas, and he had stayed back. His dream of traveling and seeing the world almost forgotten.

In the feed room, buckets of grain were lined up on the feed cart. Caleb must have prepared it earlier. When he pushed the cart into the aisle, whinnies and stomping of hooves told him he wasn't moving fast enough.

While he dumped the feed into their buckets, he also checked the water bowls, mainly to make sure all were full and working. He'd switched to an automatic and heated watering system a few years ago, which meant no more lugging buckets or dragging hoses. The best thing... no ice to smash. The outdoor stock tank and tap were also heated.

He'd made some significant changes over the years with the buildings, paddocks, orchards, vineyards, and main house. Modernizing systems, installing solar panels, moving to an eco-friendlier way of doing things. Obviously, it had been a tremendous amount of work and cost, but he was certain it would pay off. Plus, it was his small contribution towards ecological sustainability, saving the planet. Would the new owners be as conscious, or would they raze it all? The proposal made no mention of those particular details and he tried not to dwell on it.

Amos swept the aisle, turned off the lights.

A last look around to make sure all was in order and he called for the dog.

"Jack! Let's go." Amos waited for Jack to come from wherever and whatever he was investigating.

"Night all, see you in the morning," he said to the horses, and closed up the barn.

He was thoughtful on his way back to the house. A lot was on his mind.