Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“I pointed out those old buildings that we don’t use anymore, but I thought you might like to go explore them a bit.”
“Uh, yeah.” She bounces in her seat. “I love abandoned buildings.”
“You do?”
“Hell yes. I like to think about who lived there before and what it looked like when it was new.”
“Well, that was the first barn built on the farm.”
“Why so far away from the first house?” she wonders.
“We don’t know for sure. Anyway, my three times great-grandfather bought this land almost a hundred and fifty years ago. So, that structure would date back that far.”
“Crazy,” she says. “The walls are caved in.”
“Yeah, we don’t ever go inside. It’s long past the days of being stable. But it’s fun to walk around and look at. There are a couple of other smaller buildings, too. One was a feed shack, and we’re not sure what the other was used for.”
I pull to a stop and cut the engine.
“Wait here for a second. I need to make sure we’re not disturbing any wildlife.”
“Bears?”
“Among other things.” I take my gun out of its case and walk around the perimeter, happy when I don’t have any altercations with animals. I walk back to the Jeep and open Erin’s door for her. After she steps out, I stow the gun away. “There’s nothing here.”
“Good.” She walks over and peers through the door of the barn. “Wow, it just collapsed in on itself.”
“Before I was born,” I agree. “Dad always talked about using the barn wood for other projects, but he never got around to it.”
“Are you kidding me?” Erin turns to stare at me. “This could be used for so many things. Flooring or furniture, jeez, anything. But it would make a really gorgeous floor.”
“Do you hate the floor in the farmhouse now?”
“Not at all. But someone could use this. It’s been all the rage for years now, Remington. Someone would pay a lot of money for it.”
“Dad used some of it on their new house. We won’t sell it or take it off the property. It stays here.”
“That makes sense.” She props her hands on her hips, looking in again. “Do you know if the wood was harvested from trees here on the property?”
“They likely grew right where we’re standing,” I confirm. “There’s too much timber here to bring in wood from somewhere else, especially back then, when it was all by horse and buggy.”
“Good point. I hope you find a project for it. Or you could even reuse it right here.”
“How so?”
“Well, you could take it apart, board by board, and then rebuild it, adding in fresh lumber to keep it sound. Hell, use it for something. A guesthouse, an event space for weddings and big parties—heck, you could do anything. Weddings would be huge out here. With that view?”
She points to the mountains.
“Can you just imagine the photos? Holy shit, that’s every girl’s dream. A beautiful, rustic event space and this incredible view for the best photos ever. That’s what I would do.”
I can see it, plain as day. “It sucks that it’s in the middle of one of my pastures.”
“Could you move the pasture?” She taps her lips with her finger as she paces back and forth. “Fence off just this acre or two? So guests could still see the cows, but they won’t wander into someone’s nuptials.”
“Yeah.” I turn in a circle, mapping it out in my head. “That could work. It’s a hell of a project.”
“It would be big,” she agrees. “And I’m just talking. It’s none of my business if you use this or leave it as is, but man, it feels like a waste.”
She’s right. It does. I’ll have to think it over and talk with my family about it. If we decide to move forward with something like that, I hope that Erin would be interested in helping. It’s her vision.
“So, you don’t know what this was for?” she asks, pulling me out of my own thoughts as she points at the smallest building.
“I’m pretty sure that was an outhouse,” I reply and laugh when she pulls her hand back from trying the door. “If there was anything in it, it’s long gone.”
“Still, I’m good here. And that was the feed shack?”
“Yep.”
“It has solid walls,” she says as she just walks right inside. “You know, you could make this a little bigger and turn it into a coffee stand for events or a bar area. Or you could make it a bridal suite, where the bride can privately get ready for her big day.”
“Not a bad idea,” I murmur.
“So, this is the mystery building?” Erin points to the last building, farther away from the other two.
“Yes. It might have been used in the fall and winter to store meat after hunting season, but we don’t know.”