Page 36 of The Road Back to Us

“I don’t see why not,” Lyric replied, glancing at the piles of denim fabric we had picked up while we were out.

Kara squealed and clapped her hands in excitement while Chloe shifted on the couch beside me before looking up and giving me puppy eyes.

I frowned, wondering what she was up to because I knew that look.

“What’s up, buttercup?”

“I’m bored,” she grumbled, pouting.

“What do you want to do?”

She shrugged and let out a sigh that was way too heavy for someone who only had to worry about eating, sleeping, and playing.

I looked out the window, the sky a beautiful blue, with a few light clouds hanging overhead, providing enough shade to keep it from being sweltering.

“Want to go check on Rufus and Magnolia?” I asked, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees.

“Yes!” she shrieked, getting off the couch and rushing to put her shoes on.

“Potty break first,” I called, hoping she would hear me down the hallway.

“Want to go with us?” I asked Ben, knowing that he had zero interest in learning to sew, or whatever the girls were going to tackle next.

He nodded and got up, following me to the back door while we waited for Chloe.

The weather was nice, a soft breeze floating past us as Chloe talked with Rufus and Magnolia. I knew that they were still just babies, but they were some of the calmest goats I had ever seen, especially with Chloe. It was like they knew she was little, too, and didn’t try to knock her over or hurt her. Or maybe it was because she started her journey with them with several stern tones as she told them how they needed to behave.

We walked around, Ben kicking small rocks as we kept an eye on Chloe.

“I was thinking,” Ben said, pulling my attention to him as he stopped and stared at the old, abandoned barn that needed to be torn down.

“Yeah? About what?”

“Aunt Lyric and her work. I know she’s tried setting up an office in the house, but it always seems like she doesn’t have enough space. Especially now that she is making her own clothes. Dad said he planned to tear that down, but I was wondering if there was any way to save it?”

“You want to save the barn?”

Ben nodded, reminding me so much of his dad with the tight determination on his face.

“If it’s salvageable, I thought we could turn it into a space for Aunt Lyric. We could fix it up and make it comfortable for her, but this way she’d have room for everything she needs to get her business started.”

“Wanna go take a peek and see what we’re up against?” I asked, loving how big his heart was and that he wanted to do something nice for his aunt.

“I mean, it couldn’t hurt, right?”

“Not unless a beam comes loose and whacks you in the head,” I teased.

He laughed and called Chloe over so we could keep an eye on her without worrying about the goats.

I pulled open the large door, stepping back as dirt and dust clouded in the air in front of us. I waved my hand in front of me to clear it as Ben picked Chloe up and turned her away from it. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone had been inside the barn, but I knew that it had needed a lot of work.

The barn was empty, aside from a few large pieces of equipment that needed either restoration or donation. I walked inside, thankful that Ben was smart enough to stay outside with Chloe until I could make sure it was safe. I looked around, taking note of the small things that needed to be fixed. Clay had replaced the roof a few years ago, and it had held up pretty well, given how clean it was inside the barn, which was better than I had expected.

Part of me wondered if Clay had been coming out to work in the barn without telling anyone, because it was in a lot better condition than I last remembered. The outside still looked like shit, and while I had been worried that one strong gust of wind could knock it down, it was actually structurally sound.

I pulled out my phone and sent my dad a text message, asking if he had a few minutes to give me a second opinion. While I knew a lot as a carpenter, I learned much of it from watching and helping him when I was younger. He had worked in construction for so long that he could tell within seconds whether a building was safe, which came in handy when he shifted careers and became a building inspector for Willow Falls.

“I think it’s actually doable,” I said, more so to myself than Ben after he came inside and let Chloe down to run around.