Page 101 of Taken By Storm

“Do you think we could lose the farm?” There was a tremor of fear in Keith’s voice, and Levi imagined Kasi would likely be feeling that same fear. However, Levi didn’t want to lie to the boy.

“The town could foreclose on the house and land, yes.”

“What happens then?”

Levi leaned back, slowly rocking. “The farm, the land, all the buildings would go up for auction.”

“So anybody could buy it?”

Levi nodded. “Including the Grovers.” Which seemed to rule out the tax bill as an impetus for marriage, at least from Scottie’s perspective.

“What do we do?” Keith asked. “We can’t pay that bill.”

Levi stood up, placing a comforting hand on Keith’s shoulder. “You leave this with me,” he said, lifting the papers. “I’m going to talk to my dad and then pay a little visit to Herb.”

The anxiety in Keith’s expression cleared, and he smiled. “Thanks, Levi.”

“Thank you for bringing this to me. For trusting me with it.”

“You’re good for Kasi. She’s been happier since you, more like her old self. I…” Keith looked down at the floor of the porch. “I missed her.”

Levi hoped he got the opportunity to keep being good to her. “I’ll be in touch soon, okay?”

Keith stepped off the porch and climbed on his motorcycle, giving Levi a wave before driving away.

Levi took another look at the stack of bills, then headed in the direction of his parents’ house, the plans he hadn’t been able to formulate suddenly lining up in a straight row in his mind, along with some suspicions. Unfounded, maybe, but the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced he was right about how Scottie had convinced Kasi to say yes.

The path between his house and his parents’ wasn’t a long one, and soon, he was walking in the back door, straight into the kitchen. He drew in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of bacon frying. Mom was standing by the stove, prepping breakfast for the guests staying in the B&B she and Dad ran.

Levi stepped behind his mom and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. When she turned toward him, he reached around her back to snatch a piece of bacon from the plate. Mom laughed, even as she shooed him away before he could steal more.

“Off with you,” she said. “Shouldn’t you be in the field?”

“Not for a little while. And maybe not at all today. Something’s come up. Dad around?”

Mom nodded, crossing the kitchen to peer into the dining room. “Rex,” she called out.

Dad came in a moment later. “You need me, Claire?” he asked, before spotting Levi. “Son,” he said amiably. “You’re out and about early.”

“Yeah. I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me about the way personal property taxes are collected in town.”

Dad was obviously surprised by the topic. “Sure. Why don’t we grab a cup of coffee and sit?”

Mom poured three mugs, adding a fourth when Sam walked in. “I was walking by and smelled bacon,” he said.

Mom laughed again, tossing a pile of bacon on a plate and putting it in the middle of the kitchen table. “I swear you have bionic smelling,” she said to Sam, as they joined him and Dad.

“Is this some meeting I didn’t know about?” Sam asked, clearly curious about the serious expression on Levi’s face.

“Impromptu,” Dad replied. “What is it you want to know about property taxes, Levi?”

Levi showed his father the bills, explaining that Keith had brought them by earlier, worried about his family losing the farm.

“Gracemont isn’t very big, so we don’t function like other towns that are larger. Farming is a fickle business, and considering how many of Gracemont’s citizens own and operate farms, we’ve always been understanding when shortfalls occur. Bad weather years and failing crops are just a part of nature, and as far as I’ve always understood it, Herb Cline can offer extensions and he often sets up payment plans for farms struggling to pay their taxes.”

“That’s what I thought,” Levi said. “So why isn’t he doing it for Kasi’s family?”

“That’s something you’d have to ask Herb. He just got back to town Friday afternoon.”

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