Start Building
Chapter Notes
(me in IMs): Lena Luthor... driving a tractor. My life is complete
Okay, so HORRIBLE tractor safety practices here, bad Shatter! But it's too cute to
delete, so I'm going to cringe and leave it.
Sam's POV
Lena was made to build things, to grow ideas into fruition, no matter how simple or outlandish.
Over our years, a big part of me has always felt like she was wasting her talents on a single
building with only a noisy club and landlording keeping her occupied.
Now, an innocent question about upcoming projects has her hunkered down to get her nerd on with
Kara over the puzzle of wood and wire and a polycarbonate roof to house pretty birds simply for
the pleasure of their company. A stage as big as the world or as small as a backyard aviary is good
with her.
My smile borders on idiotic, I can feel it. Ruby just rolls her eyes, but her expression is soft, and
Lily just giggles.
"She's gonna be gone for awhile," the youngest Luthor states in a perfect deadpan and I bark a
laugh.
"Accurate!" Still smiling, I turn to a bemused Alex. "So, I supposed you're stuck with us then."
Those alert, dark eyes take in Ruby at my side and Lily peering around my hip and her warm, slow
smile is like the dawn.
"I can't see how that's a bad thing."
I can feel Lily relax at that smile and I can't blame her, it's a potent charm.
"So, as it seems Kara is off on a tear about her da- err, stupid aviary and dragged your other mom
along for the ride, we've lost them for now." The mischief in her smile is familiar and yet totally
new. Gesturing at herself, the cheerful spiel continues. "I'm Alex, but I bet you already knew that."
Gesturing to where the brown and white dog is glued to her hip, she continues, "and this is BP, but
she's a little standoffish with strangers. Give her a bit to get used to you, okay?"
Astutely, Alex doesn't look right at Lily, but keeps her in the corner of her eye. Interesting. Seems
like she's good with kids too.
"Sam," I introduce myself and offer a hand, which she quickly wraps up in hers. The grip is heavily
calloused and the power behind it is as notable as the gentleness. "My daughters, Ruby and Lily."
"A gem and a flower," she flatters and earns a quiet giggle from the little bloom. Ruby looks
startled when Alex lets go of my hand and extends it again. "Ruby, a pleasure to meet you."
It's been odd for awhile now, seeing my baby well on her way to being all grown up, but first are
these awkward years between. Be it purposeful or this is Alex being polite by treating the teen as
an equal, she's already won points as Ruby's expression warms, a bit of awe in the corners.
Yeah, kid, I feel you.
"Yeah, me too. I'm glad we made it."
"So!" Alex enthuses now that basic introductions are made. "You guys have come a long way I
hear. You up for a tour?"
We Ariases are delighted, but Lily speaks up, still a bit timidly. "But what about Mama?"
"Don't you worry about Mama, sweetheart," I reassure her. "You know what she's like when she
gets into a project. She'll catch up. Then you can tell her about what you get to see!"
That's good enough and she stops hiding and steps out to cling to my hand.
"After Kara runs out of steam about her feathery paradise," Alex adds with faint exasperation, but
her smile is adoring, "I'm sure she'll drag your mama to join us. Now, you seem like the sort of
smart kid that is curious about the animals, hmmm?"
There's no mistaking Lily perking up and she comes along willingly as I respond to Alex's gesture
to follow her.
"So, you know most of our story. Did you have any questions?"
Both girls remain quiet, to my surprise, and I give Alex a little quirk of apologetic smile. She
shrugs affably and that crooked smile is gentle.
"Well, feel free to ask away if you get any, 'kay? We'll go in kind of a chronological order, starting
with-" she swoops her arms in a big, dramatic gesture, "-the barn!"
"It's so big," Lily murmurs and Ruby nods.
"Way bigger than it seems on screen, yeah. Oh! Lils, look, it's…"
Ruby makes a face at drawing a blank at the name of the tabby cat hanging out at the corner of the
barn and Alex gently comes to her rescue. "Pepper. She's the one with the white. Senator is all
tabby."
"Yeah," Lily abruptly enthuses. "I remember! You didn't want a Tony! It was funny."
"Exactly! She doesn't like to be picked up, but she might let you pet her if you don't rush at her.
She and Batman and Liho and Mama B are still mostly wild. Go ahead and try. If she's not in the
mood, Biscotti's always close by."
That's invitation enough for Lily to gingerly walk over and squat down to offer a small hand. After
an aloof moment, Pepper must decide that everything is kosher and sniffs at Lily's fingertips before
rubbing against them lightly.
That smile could warm the coldest heart.
With a sideways twist of her body, Pepper encourages a pet, which Lily delightedly obliges,
pouting a bit when the tabby saunters away.
"Hey, that's pretty friendly for her. You want to cuddle my burnt cookie for a bit? Come inside the
shop, but maybe don't wander. It's a mess and might not be entirely safe."
There's a strange stillness in the old barn. Not stillness… timelessness. It feels like the peacefulness
of a million barns before it and a million more that will come after. A flicker of movement atop the
older travel trailer crammed down the center aisle coalesces into the prick of cat ears, but the
owner could be any of the three black cats.
"There you are!" Alex says to someone through a doorway to our right. "C'mere, lazy-butt, and
meet more admirers."
Bent over to rub noses with a tortoiseshell who lazes atop a dusty blanket, this rugged woman is
seriously the cutest damn thing. Then the black and orange mottled cat licks her nose and it gets
impossibly more adorable.
"Yes, I love you too, kissyface. See that nice kid? Go say hi."
Instead, Biscotti twists onto her back and bats playfully at Alex's face, trilling a little note.
"Flirt. I bet you'd get up for a treat."
That perks up Biscotti, who scrambles to her feet and cries piteously. Grinning, Alex looks over at
Lily and jerks her chin to her right.
"If you like, Lily, there's a little container of kitty crunchies over there."
And so Lily gets to feed little biscuits to her appreciative audience and is rewarded with lots of
purring and friendly rubs. Biscotti even allows herself to be awkwardly held, Alex tucking up
dangling paws while I make sure my starry-eyed kid doesn't trip over her own feet.
In clear deference to Lily's unusual shyness, Alex takes us on a rambling walk along the gravel
where it fronts their village. It really is strange to touch and smell the things we all watched on the
computer, and to listen to her voice live and in person. When I worry about leaving the RV sitting
awkwardly in the middle of the road, she waves it off.
"No one here but us. Everyone's on the premises, Monica and Carol are napping and Lucy is out in
the fields with the big tractor. Yes, silly cookie, I see you getting squirmy. Here, let me have her,
Lily. Have no fear, she'll be plenty cuddly later when she wants to be."
Lily pouts, but lets Alex scoop up the half-grown kitten and toss her up onto a strong shoulder. As
though she's done it a million times before, Biscotti meows happily and snuggles into the hood of
Alex's jacket.
"When she gets bigger, I'm going to need a better cat carrier or she's going to strangle me," Alex
chuckles and reaches up to dole out a rub before continuing on. She only briefly points out the
other buildings in the village, wisely assuming the animals will be a bigger draw.
We're not a hundred feet out into the now-stripped garden when the expected questions start
flooding out.
"Did you get enough plants to eat for winter? How long have you had your doggie? Does Biscotti
do that all the time? Is your head going to get cold? Why did you adopt sheep? What are the
donkey's names?"
And so it goes.
Impressively, Alex patiently answers every question, even providing some details. The barrage
ends in a squeak as we approach a fence line where a crowd of herbivores have gathered. Instantly,
Lily is all big eyes and returns to hiding behind me. Can't say I blame her because… they're all big.
Well, the first line of them are anyway; the mammoth donkeys, the llama and even the alpaca.
In comparison, the waddling sheep and the fat little fuzzball mini donkeys look like muppets. The
contrast is even sillier with their guardians sticking close. They are a quartet of very large, fluffy
white dogs that watch us with disconcertingly intelligent eyes.
"I thought you only had two livestock dogs?" Ruby asks and Alex flashes a grin at us where she's
petting noses and scrubbing her palms over bony foreheads while getting sniffed over.
"We did. They are so great that we got two young dogs for them to train. Once they're used to you
guys being here, I'll introduce you. And speaking of guards, if you see a white wire mounted on
these plastic knobs? Don't touch it or you'll get a nasty shock."
At least said white wire is on the inside of the woven wire fence! It takes me a moment to move
past my own nervousness and coax the girls closer.
"C'mere, Sam."
Alex's calloused hand closes around my wrist and I'm tugged gently forward towards an equine
head that must weigh more than I do!
"This is Davy, and he's very sweet and gentle. Now hold your hand flat so he doesn't accidently
nibble your fingers."
The second giant donkey tries to shove Davy aside to get to the snack that has been placed in my
hand, but Alex pulls the white and mottled brown head away.
"No, Briar, you are far too bossy for strangers. Go ahead Sam, unlike this brat, he'll wait until you
offer it."
With fear receding, I see that she's telling me the truth. The huge brown-black head with those
absurdly huge ears and trimmed in a white nose and spectacles isn't at all getting into my space.
Unlike the curious alpaca, who sniff at the appley smell wafting up from the cookie. Unmovable
as a mountain, Davy simply lets his bulk keep them from getting to close. He seems nice and the
night-dark eyes are calm and restful.
Hot breath and soft, whiskery lips vacuum up the treat when I finally extend my hand and he stays
close so that I can pet over his big face. His forehead isn't warm, little more than sleek, close hide
stretched over bone. But when I'm brave enough to wander my hands under his chin, the fur is
thick and wiry over soft, warm flesh like an enormous dog.
"Um… wow. Thank you, Davy."
As though he understands me, the donkey reaches out those flaring nostrils and breathes over my
torso hot enough to feel through my jacket. It's… disconcerting and my expression must show that
because Alex chuckles.
"He must like the way you smell. Lily, if you want, you can just give his nose a little pat. I know
he's big, but he's not scary and really, the only dangerous part of him are those feet simply because
he's so big and heavy."
"Go on, baby," I coax. "He's nice."
After a moment, Lily reaches out to pat his nose and Davy seems satisfied, snorting grassily and
swinging his head away. The alpaca burble and mumble at being swept aside like water from the
prow of a ship. The lanky woolies are a milling chaos of neutral colors and teddy bear faces,
gathering to Alex as the other donkey follows her partner back out into the autumnal fields.
"There's so many of them," Lily marvels at the alpaca and the sheep puffs underfoot. "How did you
make up so many names?"
"They don't actually have names. Same with the sheep," Alex answers easily and Lily is clearly
aghast at this.
"Then how do you tell them apart?"
"See the colored tags on their ears? I broke them down into three groups, neutral, light brown and
dark brown. Each group has tags in colored sequence, so that they can be identified immediately."
"What's neutral?"
"White, black and silver. We have only one gray." Squinting into the crowd, Alex clearly spots
what she wanted and crouches to point her out to Lily. "That's her. She's not really silver, but more
of a bluish gray."
"She's pretty."
"She really is. Her fleece in spring is going to be magnificent."
"Did the tags hurt?"
"Probably a bit. But I bet mine were worse." Alex smiles with her tongue between her teeth and
wiggles the little pale orange stud in her lower lip. "I didn't like tagging the animals, but it's too
important to know who is who. Better a quick pain like getting your ears pierced, then get them
mixed up."
"Why?"
"Well, we have to keep track of their weight, and when we shave off their fleece in spring, we'll
know who's belonged to who, and if maybe any of them get a chance to have babies, we'll need to
know who to keep a special eye out, or if they had a special diet because maybe they weren't
feeling well." There was no mistaking Lily being both enlightened and exasperated with the
rambling and Alex fought down a chuckle. "But the most important part is that the veterinarian
knows who is who."
"Oh, okay. So that medicines are right and if someone is sick, you and the vet can pay special
attention."
"Exactly. Thankfully, unlike the noisy, pain in the butt sheep, the alpaca are remarkably easy
animals to keep; pretty healthy, they don't eat much and they're quiet. Even Jerkbutt."
Predictably, Lily giggles over the name.
"To be honest, I can pretty much tell them apart now, but the ear tags are safer."
The exchange signals Lily running out of steam and I'm happy to respond to her tug on my coat to
be picked up. Alex coaxes us to walk a bit further where an open-sided building straddles three
fences come together, the narrow lane we've been walking leading to it. There are water troughs
and hay feeders and a trio of curious ostrich behind a different fence that I ignore for the succor of
a rough wooden bench backed up to a big water tank.
It is a simple bliss and utterly foreign to me. It's so quiet, but not at all lifeless, which surprises me.
The animals move about and mumble among themselves while a breeze makes the trees whisper
and even the sound of a passing car on the asphalt road we left behind.
I'm not sure I… like it exactly, but it does tug at some foreign part of myself I've never met before.
With Ruby occupied with the curious herd and Lily mostly asleep against me, I finally feel like I
can speak with Alex as she sits next to me so that her canine shadow can wedge herself up between
bent knees.
"You're good with them."
That expressive mouth tips into a smile as she pets BP and strokes the floppy ears. "Yeah, well, I
like kids. It's nice to interact with them in positive circumstances, y'know?"
I can see the shadows in her before she shakes it off.
"It was rare that kids weren't under duress in the emergency room. But ever so often we'd get in a
school group or the like, and that was great!"
Still, there is no mistaking the melancholy in her smile.
As though sensing her favorite human's shift in mood, Biscotti climbs out of her nest and sends up
a racket of meowing and purring while she rubs up against Alex's head hard enough to nearly
knock herself down.
"Biss, Biss, Biss," Alex gently mocks her sidekick, who just keeps mrowing in her ear. "My Bissy
baby."
"Bissy. Cute," I can't help but tease and Alex's grin turns sly.
"It lets me call her something naughty without actually saying it."
For a moment I can only blink before a belly laugh bursts out of me.
Lena's POV
It's so odd to hear Sam laugh like that for a stranger. For all her humor and playfulness, she is a
private person, careful with her trust. And that is not a careful laugh, but a free display of delight.
Where I've been hurrying to keep up with Kara's big strides, I do my best to deal with those
conflicting feelings.
You're charismatic indeed, handsome Alex.
The ugly shadow of self-doubt, of not good enough looms, but fades when Sam turns that smile on
me. Somehow, she can still make me as giddy as those early days, even after all these years.
Alex braces Biscotti and jumps up to gesture for me to take her seat before retreating off to where
Ruby remains fascinated with the animals. I take the offer willingly. That's a long walk on some
uneven ground and my ankles are feeling it!
"Looks like I missed the tour," I complain mildly as I snuggle into Sam's side and pet my daughter,
soundly napping against that lanky torso.
Tease that she is, Sam murmurs, "you were doing architecture porn with the sister, you hussy."
I don't even try to resist the urge to poke her sharply in the ribs.
The subsequent jump and chuckle wakes Lily with a petulant whine and she squirms around to
snuggle into me instead. "Too squirmy, Mom," she grumbles.
We're still snickering when the approaching rumble of engine heralds Lucy atop the surprisingly
large Kubota.
"Hey, you the folks? A pleasure. Want a proper farm ride back in? Nia's sent out the lunch
bell."
Shaking a cell phone at us earns smiles and well, when in Rome…
Somehow, in the scuffle of the whole lot of us converging on the orange tractor, I find myself in
the driver's seat. Lucy set the bucket just above ass level before bailing out to join Kara in settling
into the filthy curve of steel as though it were a giant, mobile bench. It honestly doesn't surprise me
that Sam and Ruby exchange a glance and follow suit. Before Lily can object, Alex has hopped up
onto the wheel guard and held out a hand with a grin…
And here I am in the driver's seat of a tractor as big as any SUV, even without the huge scoop or
the backhoe jutting from the rear like a mechanical tail, so that my seven year old daughter can
steer the thing. The rest of our family laughs in delight at being bounced about in the big scoop out
at the front of the lumbering vehicle.
"You're doing great, both of you," Alex encourages. "A nice easy speed and no sudden steering
moves. It's a cool tractor, right?"
Whooping it up like she's a NASCAR driver, Lily is having the time of her life. And while I am
most certainly not, I can't stay too alarmed with Alex crouched at my shoulder, keeping us all safe.
The lurch up onto the gravel road bounces Kara clean out of the bucket, Ruby nearly following
suit. With a deft dance move, Kara braces the teen and twists out of the way of the Kubota's
admittedly slow speed. Alex contorts herself nearly over my head to avoid the fiberglass canopy
clamped to the rollbar in order to reach out and give her sister's upraised hand a smack. All within
breathing distance of a tire more than four feet tall.
Madness.
The rest of the farm family is waiting at the very wide steps, applauding the spectacle. I'm not
certain if I like the attention, but the support is nice.
"This is good, Lena. Just leave it in the middle of the road."
"You're sure?"
"Totally. Check it out."
Reaching out, she touches a lever on the right and the bucket suddenly drops, dumping the
occupants onto stumbling feet. Lily squeals with laughter as a twist of the ignition key has the
noisy diesel engine falling silent.
We get to meet Carol and Monica, amused at that shy and bold way of children meeting that passes
between Monica and Lily in particular. Though I am getting concerned about Lily in particular
getting over-stimulated and having a bit of a meltdown. Particularly as this crowd is so effusive
and eager in their welcome.
Somehow, Alex picks up on it, shouting down her pack of wild dogs. "Guys, guys! Bring it down a
notch. They'll be here for a week and a half and have lots of time to do everything. For now, lunch
and then we'll get everyone settled in."
We visitors are swept along in the wave of energy and voices past a clutter of outdoorsy equipment
and down a corridor between the two shed homes built for Kara and Nia. Live and in person they
don't seem so small, I have to admit. Then we're at the bathhouse with its wide overhangs and
smelling of fried food and fresh lavender. There is glimpses of green and white paint and wood
trim we've seen in videos, lit with watery sunlight through the huge windows. Then the tide of
bodies deposits us in the big central room that is half kitchen-dining and half couches-televisionhearth.
I'll be honest, I'm a little overwhelmed as I'm herded into the longer side of L-shaped bench seat
after Sam, Lily sandwiched between us and Ruby crowded into my side. A far too small table for
the crowd stretches away from us, rickety-looking trays set up at the end to extend the real estate.
There's a certain relief that we're half ignored for the moment, folded in with the crowd as trays
come out, piled with plates and silverware bundled in dark blue cotton napkins. There are stacked
cups and a huge bowl of ice, pitchers of water and apple juice, carafes of coffee beside mismatched
mugs and a jumble of condiments.
Then comes the food.
Bowls big enough to bathe a cat in are piled with roasted vegetables and a full four whole chickens
baked to a perfect brown-gold. There are two loaves of crispy-crusted bread sliced thick, ceramic
pots of butter and jam, a huge tureen of gravy and a gargantuan pile of salad that round everything
out.
And this is lunch?
Sam shrugs and hands over her plate when Alex gestures for it and soon a pile of food is handed
back. When I nervously do the same, it's feast enough that I'm fairly certain that I could feed
myself and both kids!
The racket tapers off to murmurs and the clacking of flatware speckled with conversation and
laughter.
"Have some, baby," I encourage Lily. "I can't eat all of this myself."
Kara plies Ruby with just as much food as had been given to Sam and I and also looks faintly
alarmed.
"Don't worry about finishing if you don't want," Alex reassures with a smile. "If we don't vacuum
up your scraps, the pigs will."
"Fair," I agree with her amiably, startled at Sam's sexy hum of delight as she digs in.
A sound I echo when I taste a forkful of chicken and roasted potatoes.
Honestly, I have no idea what it is about the delicious meal that it so extraordinary, but
nonetheless, it certainly is. Lily's nibbling quickly becomes robbing my plate before she shyly asks
Alex if she could have some too. Luckily there is just enough of the feast left to half fill the plate
that shifts from hand to hand around the table until it returns to a delighted Lily.
Somehow, I finish what's left, even if my poor stomach is whining about the feat.
"Kara, your message did promise that Nia is an even better cook than we realized and you
weren't exaggerating. Nia, this is amazing!"
My gushing delights Kara, who turns that sunny grin on a shyly grateful Nia. "Told you!"
There is no rest for the farm crew, all of them leaping up to stack their dishes, Kara and Brainy
setting in on the cleanup. The others begin scattering, Alex gesturing for us to come to her. In
moments, quiet has fallen, only the bumps and splashes of dishes being washed left behind.
"I wanted to make sure you were familiar with this building, because anyone on the homestead has
free run of it, 'kay?"
Ruby must make some movement that catches Alex's attention and she says, "in the videos, I'm
pretty sure we've never seen upstairs."
That startles Alex. "Really? Well, hell, come on then!"
Strong arms herd us back the way we'd come and I can't complain about the fleeting touch of them
on my back. A switchback flight of stairs takes us to the second floor and an oversized foyer with a
big window, choked with plants hanging on steel pipes and resting on open grate shelves.
"So, there's three full bathrooms up here, big and spacious since everyone lives tiny. Throw the
lock and the dial flips to 'occupied'. They were a nightmare to find, but Winn managed it."
We troop past three doors standing open to show glimpses of well-dressed bathrooms with
cathedral ceilings come to the steep peak of the roof above. A fourth leads to a cozy little loft
crowded with a rustic pool table that overlooks the downstairs, the sounds of washing carrying to
us.
"Yeah, the drawback is that it's open to the whole clubhouse. One of those things we didn't think
about when designing and building," Alex explains sheepishly and shrugs. Adorable. "It was sorta
supposed to be a little living room, hence the TV on the wall, but we use the table more. So feel
free to use this or the entertainment center downstairs, no prob."
Abruptly, Lucy's disembodied voice bursts from downstairs. "Yeah, we busted our asses before the
open house to make sure everything was family-friendly. Just stay out of the individual houses,
huh?"
Lucy cackles at her own terrible humor while Alex just looks pained. "Sorry about the cussing."
Her consternation induces giggling from the whole lot of us. Yes, even me. Before Sam can come
up with something, I jump in.
"Oh, we figured the beeping out wasn't for aesthetics."
That makes Ruby actually crack up.