Page 57 of No Man Left Behind

Wanted. Arrow. For protecting the Phailites.

The final picture wasn’t a wanted poster. It held a cartoon of him and his team in their army gear. The caption read Phail’s Heroes.

Emotion swamped him. He looked them over in absolute silence as his team did the same from behind him.

Elina’s hand trembled in his, and he had to swallow hard to keep the tears at bay. Instead of speaking with his heart in his throat, he wrapped Elina in his arms and just breathed her in.

She clung to him, still trembling, and that helped him pull it together. “They’re amazing, Elina. You’re amazing.”

“You’re sure? It’s okay if you don’t want them here.”

He chuckled into her hair and took in another deep breath. “They’re going right here where I can see them every day. I love them.”

Her body relaxed. “I’m glad. I thought they would be fun. Piper agreed.”

He nodded and was finally able to lift his head. He framed her face and leaned down to rest his forehead on hers. “They’re more than fun. They’re incredible. Thank you.”

Then he kissed her until his team wanted their own turns to hug her and thank her. Watching these tough men with misty eyes had his own emotions swelling again.

With each hug and whispered thank you, Elina’s eyes widened and filled with tears of her own.

He hugged her again when Scooby released her. “Thank you. They’re truly perfect.”

She grinned and leaned into him as Piper stage-whispered, “Told you so.”

Elina was thrilled the men loved the posters. She’d worried that she’d overstepped, but Marcus convinced her he loved the gift. From the responses of the other men, they felt the same. It filled her up because it gave her a small way to thank these men for being such a touchpoint for safety.

They hung the posters on the wall behind Marcus’s desk, with the team in the middle and the others grouped on either side.

Marcus grinned as he studied the posters. “Do you think you can make up another one without a face?”

Elina frowned at him. “Sure, but why?”

“Remember you said the other day that we didn’t want dour curmudgeons to apply for the job? If you make up a Wanted poster for new officers, I bet we keep the curmudgeons from wasting our time.”

“I love that idea.” And maybe she could use Phil Fox or Fancy Firefly somehow. Ideas for the individual businesses had been flitting through her head, but she and Piper hadn’t figured out how best to use the mascots there.

They’d finalized a series ofPhail Fun FactsandDid You Know?cards to use on the trails. Each of them showcased one of the mascots explaining the facts or asking questions. Piper planned to change them out monthly, so they’d need a lot of cards. Sean, Aisling, and a few other townspeople were building a series of markers for the trails. They were all posts topped with a space for the cards under glass on top. The markers would have the same basic dimensions, but each post would be unique. The creators were adding their own flair to their posts. It was going to be a perfect setup for a unique town, and she loved being part of it.

She pulled out her tablet and jotted down her ideas. Usually, she remembered them, but she wouldn’t take chances, especially on something Marcus requested. The Deputy Wanted posters would be fun.

Marcus looked up from his phone. “Tansy says we’re free to look for furniture on the property. How do you feel about a hike and an overnight stay?”

She’d heard so much about Midnight Lake and the group out there. “I’d love that.”

An hour later, they pulled into a lot and parked behind a sawmill. Marcus plugged his car into one of the slots. “Tansy has pulled the entire property off the grid. Even the electric car chargers run off the solar panels.”

Elina was glad she’d already met Tansy. If she’d only known about her through what she accomplished, Elina would be intimidated. But Tansy wasn’t intimidating. The quiet woman was warm and friendly, always looking for a way to help.

“Let’s see if anyone is in the sawmill. I know they have stacks of extra items in there. Like her, Tansy’s ancestors were all about reusing. They kept almost everything.”

The sawmill was a huge barn with large extended wings off the back. “This is so much bigger than I imagined, and I have a good imagination. With the leaves changing, it’s a gorgeous picture. I hope they’re using that in their marketing.”

Marcus grinned. “No idea. This whole place is amazing. Wait until you see the inside. Graham had his mechanic shop up front. Aisling uses the back for her woodworking.”

A small door on the side of the barn opened, and the pair exited the sawmill, along with two dogs. Graham waved them over. “Hi. Tansy let us know what you’re looking for. Aisling’s got some treasures back here.”

The gorgeous redhead laughed. “They are. As long as you’re not looking for sleek and modern. Everything in the sawmill is handmade. Some of the pieces are well over a hundred years old. A lot of them are made from the wood that was milled right here.”

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