Jorie poked her way in between Hilary and him.
“This is exactly what we’re going for,” she said, her face flushed.
Hilary’s eyes bugged. “Arestaurant? I thought it was a B & B.”
“No, no.” Jorie glanced back at Dane and rolled her eyes. “The vibe. The look. Everything.” Her phone was poised at eye level. She stood rooted to the spot, taking photos in all directions, even as he and Hilary walked ahead.
“We need an herb garden and chickens if we’re doing breakfasts. Oh, and I’ll need to put in strawberry plants for next seasonpronto.”
Beside him, Hilary inhaled and let out a not-so-quiet breath. He glanced at her, but she’d already looked away.
“Classy yet understated,” said Jorie under her breath when she caught up to them. “Dane if you don’t mind, I’m going to steal Hilary for the rest of the tour. We both need to be taking notes about this.”
Dane shared another look with Hilary as Jorie pulled her away. Hilary was so not on board with her sister-in-law’s scheme it was sad. Hilary needed to grow a backbone and fast. But she hadn’t asked for his advice, so he was going to keep his mouth shut. What he did have a say in though was Jorie’s attempts to separate them. Between the annoyed looks and the butting in, it was obvious Jorie didn’t want them together. And as patient as he was, Dane was losing it fast.
Dane spentan hour after dinner talking with a couple who’d asked him earlier in the week about his goats. George and Lottie Muenchen from Goshen, Indiana, kept a small herd of LaManchas, the breed of goat Dane had on his farm. They wanted to grow the herd to sell milk products, something Dane and his family experimented with when Dane was a teen.
They talked for an hour in the downstairs parlor until the couple thanked him for taking up his time and went to their room. Dane wandered into the kitchen to warm up some coffee before he headed to his cabin. It was still too early for bed, and he’d hoped to see Hilary again, but she’d disappeared after dinner. Most guests had already escaped to their rooms or were walking the grounds in the twilight. Even Darcy and Sean were nowhere in sight.
He pushed open the parlor’s French doors to the outside and stopped.
Jorie sat on the short brick wall surrounding the patio, looking out toward the lake. She turned when she heard the door open. Dane wanted to backpedal and find another door and an escape route. But it was too late.
She saw him and smiled. “Dane.”
“Hi, Jorie.”
If he’d met Jorie Fenwick another time and didn’t know she was Hilary’s sister-in-law, he might have been attracted to her. She was tall and lean and exuded energy. She was pretty in a no-fuss way, with dark blonde hair that swung past her shoulders when it wasn’t swept back in an unpretentious ponytail. But that jealous streak was obvious and unattractive to boot.
“I thought you might already be enjoying peace and quiet in your cabin. They keep their speakers on task here. You’re a pretty popular guy.”
He didn’t plan on sitting, but she patted the spot next to her.
“I’m happy to be of service. Keeping farms sustainable these days isn’t easy.” Dane crossed his arms and looked at her. “Sorry you missed so much of the week. I hope Hilary has filled you in.”
Jorie shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m not too worried. Hil took good notes. The conference was more for her benefit anyway.”
“Really?” He thought Darcy planned a good balance of financial and marketing workshops. “Talking with Hilary, I figured you’d be interested in the business sessions.”
“Oh? Did Hil tell you about our plan?”
Her gaze lingered on him. It made him uncommonly nervous. She’d been nothing short of nice to him since she arrived yesterday in a forced kind of way. He didn’t like how she watched him, especially when he was with Hilary.
Dan crossed his ankles. “A little.”
She looked back out at the lake. “I’m sure I would have learned a few things. But Hilary needs the leg up in this venture. I signed us up with her in mind.”
He laughed a little. “Is she not on board?”
Jorie’s grin faltered. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that exactly. Hil needs a little push sometimes. She doesn’t have a farm background so, you know, I think she feels a little out of sorts.”
“She told me she used to be a school social worker.”
“Yes,” she said. Jorie brushed her hands together and stood. “For a while.”
“Do you think she wants to get back into that?”
Jorie frowned. “She doesn’t talk about it. If anything, she’s excited about the B & B. It was their dream, after all.” She looked at him as if she waited for his reaction. “She told you about Will, right?”
