Chapter 51

Two Months Later

 

Brynn watched the photo shoot in the crisp autumn air, with the colorful Blue Ridge Mountains as a natural backdrop. Chelsea spun around and the photographer ate it up, camera clicking. Petunia stood next to her and she even seemed to be enjoying it. Chelsea ran her hand along Petunia’s nose and the cow lifted it in obvious pleasure.

“Perfect! Daughter of the Stars!” Mick, the photographer, said.

It was the name of Brynn’s new award-winning cheese, the cheese that Wes sent off to a contest without telling her, a contest in which she came in first place and won enough money to launch the cheese into national markets, while still keeping her focus on the local, artisanal market. Branching out was always in the plan, just not so soon.

“She’s doing a great job,” Wes said about Chelsea as he came up beside Brynn.

Brynn never thought to hear kind words about Chelsea coming out of Wes’s mouth. But after everything that had gone down, he’d stopped talking about her.

A gust of wind prompted Brynn to pull her sweater in closer. “I hope it’s not going to rain. She’s perfect for the job.” And the situation made Brynn’s lie seem like less of a lie. Granny Rose always said one lie led to another and that it would always come back to bite you. She was right, most of the time. This time, Brynn’s lie led to a plan.

When she found out that Wes had entered her in the contest, she imagined what she’d do if she won. Daughter of the Stars cheese was a new cheese she crafted when moving to the Shenandoah Valley. “Shenandoah,” as close as anybody could tell, meant “Daughter of the Stars.” At least it has been interpreted that way for generations.

Hiring Chelsea became a plan, not a lie. She was Daughter of the Stars personified.

“It’s amazing how far we’ve come in a few months,” Wes said.

“True.” She still didn’t want to think about Wes being accused of murder, nor any of the other weirdness happening at that time for which David Reese was responsible. The ransom ware. The remote-controlled tractor. And worst of all, the murders. Thank goodness he’d be in prison probably for the rest of his life. Good riddance to bad trash.

As Brynn had read over the article in the paper about him, she wondered how many young people had been affected by his hideous porn scams. They would never know. Most victims would not step forward. No victim had—except Chelsea, who was made of sterner stuff than anybody had given her credit for, including Brynn.

“Are you ready for a break?” Wes asked the photographer. “Lunch is ready.”

“We’re almost there,” Mick said, turning to them and then back to Chelsea, smiling, emanating wholesome energy and goodness.

“What’s next, boss?” Wes said.

“Lunch?” Brynn grinned.

“You know what I mean. This has fast-tracked your business. What other plans do you have?”

Brynn thought about it for a few minutes. Wasn’t this enough? More than enough? A few years ago, she just imagined this farm, this business. Now it was real—and more successful than she imagined.

“We’ve got plenty to deal with right now,” she said. “We’ve got the new calf coming along and we’ve got Jewel. I might like to experiment with cheese from a Highland cow.”

The wind picked up even more and dark clouds moved quickly across the sky. Shadows moved across the mountains, in a play of light and shadow that Brynn had come to love.

“I read that their milk is high in butterfat,” Wes said. “It’d be fun to experiment now that she’s fattened up so nicely.”

Jewel had indeed fattened up and her coat had taken on a bit of a sheen. It was almost hard to believe she was the same frightened, half-starved cow that Schuyler brought to her a few months back.

“We should.”

“That’s a wrap!” Mick said as he sauntered over to them. “I’ve got some great shots. I’ll e-mail the proofs. But in the meantime, look at them here.” He held up his camera for Brynn and Wes to view the screen. He flipped from one photo to the next, then stopped on a perfect picture: Chelsea smiling straight at the camera, Petunia looking straight at the camera, and the sunlight hitting them both just so.

“Perfect,” Brynn said. The only thing that would’ve made it more perfect was if Becky were there. But she was back in Richmond.

Later, with all of them sitting at the kitchen table consuming pimento cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, contentment washed over Brynn. She didn’t think she’d ever heal completely from Dan and his cheating on her, but she could honestly say she was happier now than she’d ever been.

Even with the bad events that had happened after she moved to Shenandoah Springs, including the latest murders, she knew this was the place for her and her cows. Maybe it was the place for Wes, too. Maybe he’d outgrow it. Chelsea certainly would.

A serenity washed over Brynn. Maybe she’d spend the rest of her life doing what she’d always wanted to do. She’d dug her heels in and made this home. She’d been here almost a year and she’d realized she hadn’t really embraced the place—with all of the strange events and murders right after she moved in. It was almost as if she hadn’t exhaled into her new life. Ridiculous. After all, it’s such a small community. What were the chances of any more murders?

She took in the scene. Food on the table. Friends gathered around. Her cows in the field. She was home. Finally.