The Mechanics of Mistletoe

by Liz Isaacson

  “You could call Evelyn, I guess.” He set his now-empty coffee cup down on the table beside him.

  “Nah,” Ranger said, standing up. “I have an idea now.” He gathered Bear’s cup and went back inside the house. Not a moment later, the rumble of a truck’s engine met Bear’s ears, and he sighed as he stood too.

  “Let’s do this,” he muttered to himself as he went down the steps. “Let’s go, guys,” he called louder, and the squeal of the front door met his ears, indicating his family had followed him outside.

  Squire Ackerman got out of the truck on the passenger side and grinned at Bear. He turned to the back door and opened it, and a boy about fifteen years old spilled out. His son, Finn, and then another child. This one belonged to Brett Murphy, who also got out of the truck on the driver’s side.

  “You remember my son Finn,” Squire said, putting his arm around the boy’s shoulders. He wasn’t as tall as Squire yet, but he looked strong enough. “And Brett’s boy, Reid.”

  “Sure,” Bear said. “Thanks for coming, you guys. I haven’t seen you at the other ranches.”

  “That’s because we’ve been working them to death at Three Rivers,” Squire said with a smile. “At least if you ask them.” He shook Bear’s hand, the laugh lines around his eyes testifying that Squire had indeed lived a good life. He was a couple of years younger than Bear, but he felt so much farther ahead of him.

  Teenage kids. Married for a dozen years. Bear didn’t have any of those things, but he kept his smile in place.

  Pete Marshall arrived next, and he’d brought his two oldest children too. Ethan Green arrived with Garth Alhstrom, his son, and Cal Hodgkins. Beau Patterson and Bennett Lancaster came in another truck, with Tanner Wolfe, Gavin Redd, and a few more teen boys that looked like they could hold hammers.

  Ranger had brought out a table and set up the pastries Cactus and the women had made, and he said, “Come get something to eat, everyone,” which caused a big uproar.

  The Rhinehart’s arrived, as did Tammy Fullerton, her husband, and four of her orchard workers. Bear didn’t even know what to do with all the people.

  And when the Walkers showed up, the party really started. Only Tripp brought his son, Oliver, as the rest of the Walker kids were tiny. Every man was there though, and they looked like a wall of solid muscle, loud voices, and big personalities.

  After ten or fifteen minutes, he raised both hands and whistled through his teeth. That got everyone to settle down, and he said in a loud voice, “We’ve got most of the ranch put back together. Thank you all for coming. Ranger and I and the other boys appreciate it.” He looked out at them, such a sense of community moving through him.

  “The real problem is my mother’s house,” he said. “I got all the materials I could, and we’ll do the best we can with the time and goods we’ve got.” They definitely had enough people, and Bear thought they just might be able to get the house livable in just one day.

  He nodded down the road a bit. “It’s up that road a few miles. We can pile into trucks, as many as we can fit. There’s not a lot of room up there to park.”

  “Let’s move out!” Ranger yelled, and everyone started walking to nearby trucks as conversations broke out again.

  Bear just watched for a moment, his heart full. “Thank you, Lord,” he whispered. “Please keep us all safe and well. Help those who don’t have a crew like this to help them, and bless us all that we can be aware of those around us who need help we can give.”

  With that, he headed for Ranger’s truck. Before he could get in, a big, blue truck Bear knew he’d seen before came trundling up to his house. Sammy got out, a smile on her face. “I’m not too late, good.”

  “Not too late,” he said, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here to work.” She put her hands on her hips. “We’re heading up the road?” She turned and watched the trucks as they started to move out. “Looks like I need a ride.” She walked toward him, and Bear wasn’t sure how to greet her with Ranger standing right there and Bishop, Judge, Mister, and Preacher all sitting in the back.

  She didn’t look at any of them. She stepped right into his personal space and balanced herself by lightly touching his shoulders. She swept a kiss across his cheek and said, “I guess I missed breakfast,” as she settled on her feet again.

  Bear’s mind blanked. His cheek burned, and that fire licked up into his brain, rendering him thoughtless.

  “There’s more inside,” Ranger said, his voice somewhat awed. “Want me to grab you something?”

  “Oh, I’m fine,” Sammy said with a smile. “Is there room up front? Or should I pile in the back with your brothers?” She moved toward the tailgate, and that got Bear to thaw.

  “Sammy,” he said. “Have you met all my brothers?” He cleared his throat as he looked at the gaggle of them in the truck bed. “This here’s Judge, Bishop, Mister, and Preacher. And my cousin, Ranger. Guys, this is my girlfriend, Sammy Benton.” He nearly choked on the word girlfriend, but Sammy just beamed up at him like he’d spoken normally.

  He hadn’t seen her much over the past several days, but he did text with her a lot. He had been by her parents’ place to oversee the new window installation. She’d texted him pictures as if he hadn’t been there, along with her gratitude.

  “Nice to meet y’all,” Sammy said. “I’ll ride back here.” She climbed into the back of the truck, and Judge moved over for her and immediately engaged her in a conversation. She shone like a star among the Glovers, and Bear felt like the luckiest man in the world.

  Bear, with nothing else to do, got in the passenger seat while Ranger moved in behind the wheel.

  “Holy cow,” Ranger said once the doors were closed. “Just…holy cow, Bear.”

  “Yeah,” Bear said, because he didn’t have anything else to add to that sentiment. Nothing at all.

  Chapter Ten

  Sammy had never rebuilt a house that was partially there and partially destroyed. It seemed like no one else had either, but one of the men there, Brett Murphy, owned a construction company. Bear had turned things over to him pretty darn quickly, and Brett had a plan for everyone.

  Sammy worked with a few of Bear’s brothers and a couple of the Walker brothers, hauling furniture and other items out of the house. Arizona, Bear’s only sister, manned a huge area of the yard outside that had been covered with blue tarps, bossing everyone about where to put the things they brought out.

  “We need Brett at Seven Sons,” Liam said on one trip back into the house. He walked with Skyler, who Sammy knew helped manage the ranch with Jeremiah. The Walkers were semi-new to Three Rivers, but they’d turned their ranch into a shining spot of beauty among the Texas landscape. Seven Sons had won Ranch of the Year a few years ago and everything.

  “Yeah,” Skyler said, glancing over his shoulder. “Your house is worse than this one.”

  “Yeah, but Sky, how do I talk to Brett without hurting Micah’s feelings?” Liam asked. He met Sammy’s eye, and she put a smile on her face. This wasn’t any of her business, but she couldn’t move away either.

  “Why can’t you tell Micah?” she asked. As far as she knew, Micah was reasonable about things. He’d always been fair to her, and she liked all the Walkers a lot.

  Liam and Skyler exchanged a glance and then looked around for their brother. “He has a general contractor’s license,” Liam said. “He’s great. Like, amazing. He can build any custom home. Designs them and everything.”

  “Right,” Sammy said. “But you don’t want him working on your home….” She looked back and forth between the two Walkers. “I don’t get it.”

  Plenty of activity happened around her, with people carrying baskets and fireplace tools outside, some coming back in for more, and Squire and Pete coordinating the removal of the dining room table.

  “He wants to redesign the whole place,” Liam said. “We just want the damage repaired.”

  “Every man who can even hold a hammer i
s in high demand right now,” Sammy said. She knew, because she hadn’t been able to get someone to come fix her parents’ roof. Bear had been coming after a long day of working around his own ranch and someone else’s, and Sammy’s guilt was starting to keep her up at night.

  She could do things without Bear Glover. At least, she’d been able to in the past.

  “Maybe he just needs another job,” she said, an idea forming in her mind. “My parents need their whole roof redone. I could ask him if he’s available to do it.”

  Hope lit Liam’s face. “That’s not a bad idea.” He looked at Skyler. “What do you think?”

  “I think you should tell him you just want the house fixed,” Skyler said. “And then Sammy can hire him.” He grinned at her and nodded. “He’s not a baby, Liam. Just talk to him.”

  “Talk to who?” Micah asked, and Sammy looked between the two Walkers. Liam said nothing, his jaw tense and his eyes nearly black they were so dead.

  “I heard you have availability to work on a roof,” she said, breaking the silence between them.

  Micah looked at her with a crease between his eyes. “I don’t know about that.”

  “My parents’ house got hit pretty hard,” Sammy said, glancing at Wyatt Walker and Gavin Redd as they walked by with what looked like a very heavy trunk.

  “Wyatt,” Rhett Walker said. “Put that down right now.” He hurried by too, glancing at Liam and Micah. “A little help here? He’s going to end up in the hospital again.”

  “Excuse me,” Liam said, but Micah and Skyler stayed with Sammy.

  “Your parents’ house?” Micah prompted.

  “Yeah,” she said, glancing over as Squire Ackerman joined them. “The whole roof needs to be replaced. You can see the sky through it and everything.”

  “Pete’s arena is like that,” Squire said. “Are you roofing, Micah?”

  “Yes,” Micah said. “I know how to do roofing.”

  Skyler paused with a stack of magazines in his hand. “Liam thinks you’re trying to redesign his whole house, and he doesn’t want you to do that.”

  “It could use an update.”

  “According to you,” Skyler said, glancing at Sammy. “Maybe you would feel more useful helping Sammy.” He continued toward the door, the truth out.

  She nodded as Micah looked at her again. “My dad’s almost eighty. He can’t do it. I can pay you.”

  Bear stopped at her side too, sliding his hand into hers. “Are you hiring Micah to do the roof? That’s a great idea.”

  “Everyone thinks so,” Sammy said, smiling up at Bear. She felt like a dwarf among the three men, and she glanced around at all of them. “What do you think, Micah?”

  “I can pay for the roof,” Bear said.

  Sammy whipped her attention to him. “I don’t need you to do that.”

  “Okay,” he said, releasing her hand. “But if you do, just let me know.” He took a few steps backward, his bright blue eyes earnest, and then turned to leave the house.

  “I’m not charging for stuff right now anyway,” Micah said.

  “But I can pay you,” Sammy said.

  “The disaster relief we’re getting from the state covers the materials,” Micah said. “It’s just labor, and I can donate that.”

  “Deal,” Squire said with a chuckle.

  Micah smiled too. “You’ll already get my free labor.”

  “We need it too,” Squire said, moving away. “But it sounds like the Benton’s need their roof done first. I suppose I can wait.” He grinned as he went into the kitchen, and Sammy just looked back to Micah.

  “Is it true the disaster relief covers supplies?”

  “Yep.”

  “And you’ll really come donate the labor?”

  He watched Rhett and Wyatt walk by, bickering about how much Wyatt could carry and how much he couldn’t. He finally focused back on Sammy. “Of course. And I’d love to help, Sammy. Apparently, I’m not wanted at The Shining Star.”

  “I never said that,” Liam said as he passed.

  “You didn’t say anything,” Micah quipped. “You had Skyler do your dirty work.”

  “Dirty work?” Tripp asked, pausing next to Micah. “What’s going on?”

  Sammy shook her head as Micah started telling Tripp what was going on, a smile stuck to her face. Bear had texted her about this group of ranchers who’d been so willing to help one another. The life and energy they had was absolutely intoxicating, and Sammy was so glad she’d come.

  It would put her a day behind at the shop, but she was forever lagging there anyway. People had to understand that everyone was just doing their best, only eight days after the tornadoes had touched down.

  Sammy had started to hear rumors that school wouldn’t start up again, even if the electricity and water was restored town-wide. Her parents had been watching Lincoln during the day, but if school wasn’t going to resume, Sammy needed a different plan.

  Momma and Daddy could help with Lincoln for a couple of hours, but all day was too taxing for them. She usually enrolled him in a summer camp and lot of activities so they wouldn’t have to care for him for too long.

  As of right now, all of those had been canceled until the clean-up concluded. Pressure landed on Sammy’s chest, and she took a deep breath, trying to release it. It budged slightly, but not enough to make breathing easier.

  Her to-do list was never-ending, and she felt like at every turn, she added several items to it without removing any.

  She put her head down and worked. She let the men patch the roof and the walls with the lumber Bear had procured, and she helped hold the sheetrock in place while Pete Marshall screwed it into the studs. She waited outside while Brett and a couple of others made sure the wiring was intact and the HVAC system had been replaced or repaired so the house would be heated and cooled properly.

  The same company that had replaced her parents’ windows would come do the ones here, and she textured a wall that would then be painted as others screwed on new light switches, swept out the evidence of construction, and someone set out lunch on the back deck.

  People started to reload the house with what they’d taken out before, leaving the art off the walls so the texturing could dry. Arizona said she could paint herself, and as soon as the windows were in, she and her mother would move back into the house.

  With everything done and the sun shining overhead, Sammy joined the group on the back deck. Ranger and Bishop stood on one side of a table and handed out sections of a sub sandwich, smiling all the while.

  “Thanks,” Sammy said, taking her plate. She grabbed a snack-sized bag of chips and turned to find Bear. He sat with a couple of other men, but his eyes found hers easily. He pointed to a spot kitty-corner from him, and Sammy walked over to take the seat.

  Sammy was used to working in hot conditions, but today felt like sitting on the surface of the sun. Without air conditioning inside the house, she’d been sweating for a good few hours.

  “The only brother you haven’t met,” Bear said. “Is Cactus.” He indicated the man on Sammy’s left. “He’s kind of just like his name. Prickly and to the point.” He smiled at the man, and Sammy did too.

  Cactus did not, and her smile withered quickly. “You’re dating our dear Bear?” he asked, his voice indeed quite sharp.

  “That’s right.” Sammy picked up her sandwich, well aware of how many listening ears lingered nearby. She took a big bite, hoping it would buy her time to answer whatever Cactus might ask next.

  He had the same pair of electric blue eyes as Bear, but his hair was at least three shades darker. He too wore a beard, but his nose wasn’t as pointed as Bear’s. He wore a white cowboy hat too, another difference, and his face seemed wider and rounder than Bear’s.

  He didn’t ask another question, and Sammy started to relax. Her phone chimed, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Several other notifications went off, and she knew why when she looked at her phone.

  The school district had
texted. Please read our announcement regarding the rest of the school year. A link sat there, and Sammy tapped on it with a slightly shaking finger.

  She didn’t have great service out here, and her screen turned white and stayed there while the website tried to load.

  “They’ve canceled school for the rest of the year,” Squire said, his voice loud and carrying across all the other conversations.

  “Really?” Finn asked. “So it’s summer vacation?”

  “I don’t think this is a vacation, son,” Cactus muttered, but no one heard him besides Sammy.

  Her heart fell into her stomach, and she suddenly didn’t want to eat another bite. No school for the rest of the year. Summer vacation five weeks early. Her job as Lincoln’s mother just got a whole lot harder, and she looked away from the still-loading website and looked at Bear.

  “Not good?” he asked.

  She shook her head, because she didn’t want to talk about it right now.

  Later that night, after she’d finished at Shiloh Ridge, gone to the shop for a few hours, and then stopped by her parents’ yard and got the front grass mowed, she finally walked in the back door of her cottage, the sun already on the way down.

  Pure exhaustion pulled through her in every direction, and she found a card standing up on the table. The cottage was otherwise quiet, and regret only added to the negative cocktail of emotions swirling through her.

  She picked up the card and took it to the couch, where she collapsed with a sigh. Lincoln had made the card, and he’d drawn a picture of a sports car on the front. He was a good little artist, and Sammy had signed him up for a painting class at the Boys and Girls Club in town. They’d canceled it, as the club building had a cracked foundation from the tornadoes, and they were trying to find somewhere else to hold their programs.

  Inside the card, Lincoln had written, Sammy, thank you for being my mom.

  Instant tears pricked her eyes, and her chest hitched painfully.

  Can I come work with you at the shop tomorrow?

  She pressed the card to her bosom and closed her eyes. He was bored here with her parents. It was too hard to send him to a friend’s house, as everyone had work to do around Three Rivers. Those that didn’t were helping those that did.