Page 22 of Homecoming

“I know,” she sighed.

He squeezed her hand and pulled her close enough to cup her cheek. “Don’t borrow trouble, babe. We’ll take it a day at a time and just be in love, and love our little girl.”

Tears filled her eyes and she nodded, leaning into his touch. “That’s all I ever wanted, Aiden.”

He kissed her sweet tears away, vowing that whatever time they had on the mountain, he would make it as normal and loving as possible.

Black cursed,his hands frozen cold as he tried to manhandle the hydraulic fitting on the tractor. Duck had been plowing snowwhen the line burst, making the plow inoperable. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, but they’d just gotten four inches of fresh powder overnight, and it was a little hard to get around up here if the main road wasn’t clear. Snow continued to fall softly.

He wiped his hands free of hydraulic oil yet again, blew in them to try to warm them up, then went at the fitting again. He just had to push the metal sleeve back and pull the hose…

His hand slipped and he busted his knuckles. Again.

Cursing a blue streak, he stalked away, shaking his hands out. Blood dripped off three of his knuckles.

“Can I help?”

He looked up at Aiden Willingham, standing with his hands deep in his coat pockets. “You can try. Duck and I have busted just about all of our knuckles. It’s someone else’s turn.”

Aiden looked between the two of them, and they held up their hands. Duck’s were actually worse, but he’d been working at it longer.

“You might get dirty,” Duck warned, grinning as he scanned down Aiden’s legs, but Aiden snorted.

“Believe me, I’ve been dirty before.”

Without hesitation, Aiden kneeled down in the muddy slush of the drive, leaned against the huge tire and grasped the fitting. The first and second time, he lost his grip and bashed his knuckles just like they had. The third time, though, he got the fitting off.

“Yes,” Duck said, pounding Aiden on the shoulder as he stood up. “I been limpin’ that bitch along for three weeks, off and on. Just kept replacing the fluid I was losing.”

Grinning slightly, Black shook his head. “We should have called you thirty minutes ago.”

He handed Aiden a blue shop towel to wipe his hands. They’d already gone through most of a roll.

“Happy to help.”

Within just a few minutes, they had the hose replaced and Duck was back out plowing.

“Isn’t your job mostly administrative,” Aiden asked, and Black snorted.

“Right,” he drawled. “No, I end up helping whoever needs help. If it needs done, it doesn’t matter who does it. We’ve all had to pitch in and do a bit of everything.”

Aiden crossed his arms, his heavy jacket rustling. Obviously, his outer gear was brand new. He wore a thick trapper hat, with furry ear flaps. He looked a little ridiculous, but Black had a feeling Aiden’s head was a lot warmer than his own. Cowboy hats kept the weather off, but they did nothing to keep his ears warm.

“Let’s get out of the cold,” he said, and turned to lead the way to the 4x4 UTV. It had a two-man cab and was a good utility vehicle, with a small dump bed. He drove it around to check on jobs, and it was a heck of a lot easier to get around in than his truck. There were 4 wheelers down in the barn, but too much snow and they wouldn’t go anywhere. There was another UTV, but Evan was usually using it at the greenhouse. If the men were really deep in the woods, they had horses they could also use, but he preferred wheels over hooves most days.

Black gave the vehicle hell, and they pushed through the snow, back to the main lodge, or the Den as they liked to call it. This was the heart of the sanctuary, and he was pretty proud of it. Black went around to the exterior door of his office. This was the first section of the Den they’d built, and his eyes traced over a few nagging details, just as he did every time he came through the door. They’d learned a lot since they’d first started, but those little inconsistencies would always be there. He used the office as a gauge against what they did now.

Stomping the snow from his boots, he hung his hat on the peg. Crossing to the wood burner, he opened the damper as hethrew in a couple of logs. The banked coals licked hungrily and quickly enveloped the wood.

“Help yourself to a coffee,” he told Aiden, motioning to the Keurig on the stand, then started removing his layers. Aiden did the same, and he settled at his desk, a hot cup between his hands.

“I feel guilty I’m not out doing more,” Aiden said.

Black made a face. “I wouldn’t. You’ve just moved into your house. Enjoy your time with the baby and Angela. It’s wintertime, anyway. There aren’t as many jobs right now. Once spring rolls around, I’m gonna be throwing jobs at you. I’ve already written up your schedule.”

Aiden chuckled as he sipped from his cup. “I’m not gonna lie. The time in the cabin has been the best. Angie is nesting, and Fallon has been giggling and laughing like a baby should. We were so stifled in the Elton building. More than I even realized.”

Black nodded. “I felt the same. Yes, it was harder than hell when we first moved out here, but I don’t think there’s any way I can ever move back.”

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