Kristina Knight - Christmas In A Small Town

Levi put the last shovel full of hay and manure into the truck bed. He’d drive the load to the composting area. It would be ready for the local home and garden store by spring. He should check with Collin to see if they needed more compost at the orchard, too.

Then he needed to check on the cattle over on the Harris property. He’d been renting several acres from the older couple since making the dairy an organic operation; the cows couldn’t mix with the organic cattle, but that didn’t mean they had no value. Of course, they didn’t have much monetary value, but that was beside the point.

And while he was at the Harrises’, he’d probably run into Camden, could maybe learn why she was back in town after being gone for so long. Maybe seeing her again—hopefully wearing something other than that dress—would get her out of his head.

Another image of Camden, naked, popped into his head. Levi rapped his fist against his head, hoping to dislodge thoughts of Camden—in the wedding gown and out of it—from his mind.

He turned on the hoses to begin the rest of the cleanup.

“I still say you should install a sprinkler system in here so you can do away with the shoveling altogether.”

Levi turned to see his sister, Savannah, in the doorway.

“Yeah, because what everyone wants to breathe are minute manure particles.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Maybe a vacuum and sprinkler system then.”

“If you aren’t going to be helpful, you can just leave.” He took the sting out of the words with a smile. Not that he’d intended any sting to begin with. Savannah could be sensitive about things, though. He hadn’t known how sensitive until she returned to Slippery Rock last summer. She was settling in now. Practically living at the orchard with Collin, and in another few weeks would be married to him.

Levi couldn’t have picked a more perfect man for his sister. It was good to see her so happy lately.

She was dressed for the orchard today, in old jeans and a fleece hoodie, with gloves poking out of the big front pocket. The ripped big front pocket. He tilted his head to the side. The sweatshirt had to be about three sizes too big for her. She looked like a kid with the hoodie hanging past her hips and her skinny legs clad in ripped jeans.

“Is that my sweatshirt?”

“I don’t know. I found it in the mudroom. Collin said to dress warmly. We’re pruning today.”

Another change in his life. Savannah pruning apple trees. Savannah working, in general. She’d waited tables in town for a while then run off to sing in a talent competition. But before returning to Slippery Rock, Levi had never seen her do agricultural work. It was interesting to see that now. Especially because she seemed to enjoy it. Whether it was football or dairy farming, no feeling was better than the knowledge he’d done a solid day’s work. It was good that Savannah had that now, too.

“Do you want it back?”

“Nah, you can wear it. As long as you don’t mind that it’s been covered in cow dung too many times to count.”

Savannah gave the hoodie a side eye, wrinkling her nose.

“It’s been washed just as much,” he added. “You know Mama Hazel wouldn’t let anything hang in her mudroom unless it had been thoroughly cleaned first.”

“True.” She put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and rocked back on her heels. She wore rain boots today, the rubber kind that reached almost to her knees, with a plaid design on them. “Anyway, I wasn’t just here to talk about the sprinkler system. I was wondering what you’re planning for the old cows. The ones on the Harris property?”

“Not really planning anything. We’ll feed them, make sure they’re comfortable. Let them live out their lives in peace over there. Why?”

“I was thinking a few of them might be a nice addition to the camp when it’s up and running in the spring. They’re so gentle. It might be nice to have... I don’t know, not a petting zoo, but actual farm animals that the kids can interact with.”

“I thought this camp was a musical one?”

She’d had the idea to form a program like the one she’d volunteered with in Nashville. A music program for kids in the foster care system—kids like she had been before Bennett and Mama Hazel adopted her at the age of seven. Police officers had found her, abandoned and dirty, on the steps of their precinct in Springfield, and Levi vividly remembered her quiet demeanor and how skinny she’d been when they first brought her to Walters Ranch. How she’d jumped at loud noises for a while. That early beginning had left scars on Savannah he hadn’t realized until she came back to Slippery Rock last summer. Seeing her blossom like this, planning a camp for kids like her, it was something he wished he’d thought of.

Still, to add dairy cattle? That seemed a little...off.

“It is. I was talking to one of the therapists who has agreed to spend a few days each month at the farm. She told me about horse therapy and mentioned that having other animals around could give the kids more responsibility. You know, feed the cows, clean up after them.” She wrinkled her nose again at the cleaning part, and Levi bit back a smile.

“And you’re going to teach them this cattle feeding, cattle cleaning stuff?”

“Ah, maybe?” She looked around the milking parlor. “I did learn how to milk them, after all.” Levi raised an eyebrow at his sister. She laughed. “Okay, so it took me a while to get the hang of it, but I did. If I can do it, the kids in the program can figure it out. Especially if one former star defensive back from the NFL is around to encourage them.”

And the other shoe dropped. She wanted him to be part of the camp. Levi shrugged. “Sure, I’ll pick out a couple of the really docile cows.” And he’d volunteer as much time as Savannah wanted. After all, wasn’t that what family was for?

Savannah rewarded him with a big smile and reached up on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his cheek. “We can talk it through more whenever you have some free time. Hey, you’re coming to the downtown lighting tonight, right?”

“Do we know yet why Thom has called, emailed and texted everyone in town to be there?”

“Do we ever know why the mayor does something?” Savannah asked and shrugged. “He invited the TV stations from Springfield to come, too, because most of them covered the Branson lighting on Thanksgiving. My guess is he’s trying to drum up more winter tourism. You know, tour the small-town lights, drink hot cider, spend your money in our town. That kind of thing.”

“But we don’t have anything for people to see. Only lunatics hit the lake at this time of year—the water’s too cold.”

Savannah shrugged. “Thom always has his reasons. Listen, I need to get to the orchard. We’ll save you a spot tonight, though,” she said, looking at her watch. She hurried out of the parlor, and he heard one of the ranch four-wheelers start up and then fade into the distance.

Her plan wouldn’t hurt anything, Levi told himself as he got into the truck and turned it toward the compost area. The camp wasn’t set to open until the spring, and cows were adaptable. Adding another thing to his calendar wouldn’t be a bad thing, either. With Aiden, James, Collin and Adam deep in relationship heaven, he was kind of the odd man out.

Levi liked people. He liked conversation and camaraderie. Those were two of the things he’d loved about football. There was never a lack of backslapping or talking on a football field. There had been plenty of both here, too, before his buddies started dropping like flies under Cupid’s bow. He didn’t want to be a third wheel to any of them, so he needed to find something else to do with his time. Savannah’s camp was a good starting place. The new product lines for the dairy would take up more time, too.