Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

T he sharp crunch of her boots against frozen earth filled the air as Taylor trudged toward the barn. Her breath came in visible puffs, mingling with the crisp scent of hay and animal musk. She stopped at the goat pen and leaned against the wooden gate, taking in the scene. Jo, clad in her pink flamingo muck boots, men’s Carhartt pants and a flannel shirt, was knee-deep in the goat pen, wielding a shovel like a knight with a sword.

“Hey, Jo,” Taylor called, resting her forearms on the fence.

Jo glanced up, brushing a strand of hair from her face with the back of her hand. “Hey, Tay. What’re you doing all the way out here?”

Taylor smiled faintly. “Needed some fresh air. Want some help with that?”

Jo scoffed, waving her off with the shovel. “Help? You? The new mom who can barely stay awake past eight? Nah, I’ve got this.”

“Jo,” Taylor protested, stepping closer. “Come on, I can muck a pen. I used to do it all the time before life got crazy. ”

Jo planted the pitchfork in the straw with a decisive thud. “Taylor, I’d love your company, but you’re not picking up a shovel and, before you ask, you aren’t putting down hay, either. Just sit there and supervise.”

Taylor sighed but relented, perching on the edge of the fence. One of the goats, a mischievous-looking doe with a patchy brown coat, sauntered up to her and bleated loudly in her face.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Taylor said, gently nudging the goat’s nose.

“That’s Dandelion,” Jo said with a smirk. “She’s got a crush on Quig. Follows her everywhere because, right now, she’s the biggest Houdini of Walsh Wild Hearts Rescue. Always getting out of the pen and we haven’t figured it out yet.”

Taylor laughed, picturing Quig trying to fend off the goat’s affections. “I can only imagine how Quig deals with that.”

“Oh, it’s a riot,” Jo said, grinning. “Yesterday, she was trying to feed the chickens, and Dandelion kept sticking her nose in the feed bucket. Quig finally gave up and tried to distract her with a handful of alfalfa, but Dandelion wasn’t having it. Ended up knocking the bucket over and scattering feed everywhere. The chickens had a field day.”

Taylor shook her head, chuckling. “Quig and Dandelion. Sounds like a comedy duo.”

“Yeah, it’s good to have some laughter around here,” Jo said, her tone softening. She leaned on her pitchfork, studying Taylor. “How are you holding up, really?”

Taylor hesitated, kicking at the dirt with the toe of her boot. “Better. It helps having Quig around. And Sam’s been great. But … I can’t stop worrying about Lucy. She really worried me the way she was acting at my house. Anything changed?”

Jo sighed, tossing a pile of soiled straw into a wheelbarrow. “Nah, she’s the same at my place. Now she’s spending hours doing her hair, blasting music, and making a mess of Levi’s room. He didn’t mind giving it up at first, but now he’s getting salty. Says it looks like a tornado hit it every day.”

Taylor winced. “I hate that she’s putting you through all this. You’ve got enough on your plate.”

“Don’t start,” Jo said firmly, warding off any talk of her own personal struggles. “She’s a great distraction. And I don’t worry as much as you do because, let’s be honest, this isn’t new. Lucy’s been wreaking havoc since we were kids. Remember when she convinced everyone in junior high that the Principal Clark was running some secret conspiracy? She had the whole school in an uproar.”

Taylor laughed despite herself. “Oh my gosh, I forgot about that. And didn’t she glue all the classroom locks shut one night to ‘prove her theory’? Dad was so mad when he got called up there.”

That was a memory they’d never forget. He’d dragged all of them with him and they’d been embarrassed because he smelled like a brewery, but she didn’t mention that part.

Jo nodded, her smile fading. “See? She’s always been this way—paranoid, rebellious. I used to think it was just teenage drama, but now … I wonder if it’s something more. Like, maybe she’s had this … thing brewing in her head all along, and it’s just gotten worse over time.”

Taylor’s expression sobered. What she meant by thing was mental illness. It was still hard for them to speak the words. “I always thought it was the trauma of losing Mom so young. Like she was acting out because she didn’t know how to process it. But … maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s something deeper.”

Jo shrugged, her gaze distant as she moved to the bales of straw. “Who knows? I just hope we can figure it out before it’s too late.”

“The fact that she’s going longer and longer without spending time with Johnny is especially concerning. He’s starting to not ask about her as much, too.”

They fell into a contemplative silence, broken only by the rustle of straw and the occasional bleat from the goats.

Finally, Jo straightened and stretched, her hands resting on her hips. “Speaking of figuring things out,” she said, glancing at Taylor. “I know I’m not supposed to ask but I’m dying to know. Any updates on the Colburn case? Heard anything from Shane?”

Taylor shook her head quickly. “Nope. Haven’t talked to him. Swear.”

Jo raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Uh-huh. Sure, Taylor.”

“I’m serious,” Taylor insisted. “I’ve been staying out of it. Trying to focus on the kids and getting better.”

Jo sighed, propping the pitchfork against the fence. “I keep thinking about the two daughters. It’s all so tragic, though. Losing both parents and their brother in one night? And now Seth and Erin’s kids … They’re sure gonna have to grow up leaning on each other. Makes me think of us. How we’ve always had to stick together. Well, at least when one of us wasn’t battling with another. I’ll admit, sometimes we were at war but look at us now; we made it without killing each other. So far—knock on wood.” She thumped her knuckle against the fence post.

Something about Jo’s words sparked a thought in Taylor’s mind. Her brow furrowed as a memory surfaced, something she’d come across while digging into Seth Colburn’s background before she went on leave.

“I need to get back to the house,” Taylor said abruptly, hopping off the fence .

Jo frowned. “What is it?”

“Just remembered something,” Taylor said vaguely, already heading toward the barn door. “I’ll tell you later.”

Jo called after her, but Taylor didn’t stop. Her heart raced as she made her way back to the house, her mind spinning with possibilities. If what she suspected was true, it could change everything.