Page 57 of Lead Me Knot

I do a double take. The first snap comment surprised me. The threat bothers me. “Beck, let it go. This is nothing to get upset about. Maple wasn’t calling them bad people. “The two of them falling in love just surprised some people, including myself.”

“Not me. Grandma taught me all about love, so I knew.”

“I think the story is that you knew before they did.” I smile, hoping to ease his defensiveness.

“She told me the recipe.”

I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but I’m glad he’s back to himself.

Looking at Maple, I say, “We have a lot of shopping to do.”

“Yes,” she says, “I’ll leave you to it, but let me know if you need my help.”

“We won’t,” Beckett replies as I guide him away.

I glance down at him, realizing he may not be related by blood, but he still takes after me. I’ve never been prouder. “Damn, kid. We need to get you out on the football field.”

“I started last season. Dad finally talked my mom into letting me play. It was just flag football before. Now, we get to tackle.”

“I don’t envy the player going against you.” I’ll always be his biggest hype man. We turn down the aisle with the tool belts. “Let’s get you fitted.”

Supervising makes me feel old,though I enjoy watching Beckett and his friend Macon piece together the wood on the ground like a puzzle. “What do you think about altering the plans to include a deck you walk onto at the base? Just in case it’s muddy?It gives us a level floor to work from as well.”

They both stop and stare at me, but then Beckett says, “So start with that first?”

“If you do,” I reply, “it’s something you can work on when I’m gone. If you get it done, we’ll be able to move to phase two when I return.”

He looks at his friend and shrugs. “What do you think?”

“Sounds like something my dad would suggest.”

“So that’s good, right?” I ask, hoping to convince them since we’re not making much progress with the current plan. I won’t take it over, though. Beckett has the final say.

He picks up a two-by-four to drag it to the middle of the trees. Dropping it, he says, “It will last longer if we do it right. That’s what my dad always says.”

“Mine too,” Macon adds. “Measure twice, cut once.”

I cross my arms over my chest, entertained by how they work through this.

Beckett finally looks at me. “We’ll build the deck. Promise to help me build the first floor when you visit next?”

“I promise.”

He turns to Macon. “Want to get snacks and play some video games?”

Macon looks relieved. “Yeah, I’m hungry.” They start walking away, chatting about a suit they won in the last round, leaving me behind.

“Wow,” I mumble to myself. “Guess we’re done here.” I’m not serious, so I chuckle as I work my way out of the woods to my dad’s truck. We already unloaded all the wood, so I start the engine and cruise up the hill to his house. As soon as I make the curve around the main barn, I smile at the sight of her.

Dress blowing in the wind and huggingone side of her body. Her hair whipping up a storm as well while she visors her eyes from the sunlight shining on her like the angel she is. My dad sits on the edge of the UTV nearby and directs me to park next to him.

I shut off the engine and toss him the keys as I head for Lauralee. “Thanks for letting me borrow it. We got quite a bit of wood brought down to the fort.”

“How’s it looking after one shift?”

Lauralee’s smile shifts to the side, always trying to control the broad one she wants to share. Our eyes meet, and I smile because damn, she’s a gorgeous sight to behold. Before I get caught up in her, I turn back to face my dad. “About how you’d expect when herding two nine-year-old boys. Might want to step in as foreman while I’m gone. I’m sure you have some knowledge to share on building a deck.”

“I’ve built a few in my time.” He stamps his cane in the dirt.

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