Roz nodded. “Yes. All the glass will be double glazed and the walls insulated.”
“Great.” I bit my lip. “From a design perspective, perhaps you could put a ledge across the back wall, to hold more flowers?” I pointed to the wall. “I saw something similar at a wedding I went to in a Brooklyn warehouse a few years ago. It would break up the brick wall.”
I looked up at Roz, who was staring at my finger. We were only inches apart. She nodded and turned her gaze to me. Our eyes locked, and a shiver shot down my spine. Instinctively, I wet my lips. Roz was so close. And her soft, generous lips were so inviting. What would happen if I just leaned?—
“Shit!” A loud yell cut through the silence. We flinched.
“What the hell?” Roz turned and sprinted out of the room. I jumped out of my seat and followed closely behind, my heart pounding in my ears.
Oh god.I hoped there hadn’t been a terrible farming accident. Growing up in a small town and having a sister as a doctor, I’d heard enough stories about them.
We raced down the hallway, through Roz’s kitchen and out onto the back deck.
Ronnie and Dana stood near the petting zoo, Ronnie gesticulating wildly. I scanned them both, looking for any sign of injury. I couldn’t see anything obvious from this distance.
“Is everything okay?” Roz yelled as we ran over to them.
“Thelma and Louise have escaped,” Dana said. “Again.”
I scanned their field. No sign of the cows. While the farm was fairly quiet today, having two cows on the loose, even if they were good-natured cows, was less than ideal. Despite that, I couldn’t help taking a little jab at Roz. “You didn’t sneeze again, did you?”
Roz narrowed her eyes at me. “Well, they must be around here somewhere. How long ago did they escape?”
“I’m not sure. I just noticed they were missing a minute ago,” Ronnie said, his brow still furrowed in concern. “I don’t know how the gate was open. I know I locked it this morning.”
Roz froze, the blood draining from her face. “Shit. It might have been me. I went into the field earlier with the plans for the new buildings.”
Dana’s jaw clenched. “Well, we’d better find them ASAP before they cause any damage.”
She’d just been telling me how busy she was. A cow search party was probably the last thing she needed.
Roz nodded, her face still pale. “Let’s split up and search for them. Olivia and I will head over to the flowers and Christmas trees, and you two take the front of the farm and the orchards.” Without waiting for a response, Roz strode toward a pick-up truck parked behind the house and jumped in.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed you’d help,” she said as I eased onto the bench seat next to her. “If you want to leave, that’s fine.”
“That’s okay. Maddie is working today and I’ve got a vested interest in ensuring Thelma and Louise are found without damaging the farm… or anyone on it.”
As the truck bumped down the road, I scanned the farm. “They better not have stampeded any flowers.”
“Surely they wouldn’t have gotten that far,” Roz said, gripping the wheel. We bounced over a pothole as we drew closer to the flower fields.
“Cows can run faster than you’d expect.” I glanced at Roz. “So, Dana told me about the heat pump breaking.”
Roz’s brow wrinkled. “Yes. Very unfortunate. I’m going to hold off on fixing it until I hear from Fred about the investment.”
“And she said the lawn mower isn’t working either. I’m sure Prue would be happy to lend you hers while you’re getting yours fixed. The grass is looking pretty overgrown.”
Roz’s frown deepened. “That’s okay.”
“Jim and Prue used to help each other out all the time. She won’t mind at all. You could just borrow it for half a day.”
“I don’t like asking people for favors.” Roz’s fists tightened around the steering wheel.
I raised my eyebrows and was about to insist that it really wasn’t a big deal when something brown in the distance caught my eye. My heart shot into my throat.
“Shit! Theyarein the flowers!” I pointed to where Thelma and Louise were standing, in the middle of the field. “Shit, shit, shit!”
Roz slammed on the brakes. I jumped out and sprinted toward the cows, running beside a row of vibrant-orange ranunculus. I slowed as I got closer to Thelma and Louise, not wanting to startle them and cause even more destruction.
