In the midst of the windiest weather, a loud crack of thunder hit so close, the windows shook and the air was filled with an electric charge that made the hairs on Ellie's arm stand on end. The lights went out and a huge thud was heard, followed by a crashing sound outside.
Ellie and Nora let out small startled yelps as the two children screamed and leapt toward each other, groping in the dark until they found one another. Mendel, who was actually home for the evening, cursed until he found a flashlight and flipped it on.
The mothers immediately sought their children to comfort them, and Keller's father tried to peek out the small, foggy windows to see what had happened.
"Tree got hit by lightning," Mendel announced. "Took out the electric wire."
"Was it our tree house tree?" Keller asked, hurrying toward his father and trying his best to see out the window, but he was so short he couldn't see anything. Dr. Young didn't bother to answer his son but went to find his cell phone so he could call in the outage.
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Ellie peered out the window to see which tree had fallen.
"It's not the tree house," she assured the children.
Cassie and Keller cheered and hugged each other, dancing in a circle and celebrating until Mendel told them to hush.
Rubbing at her chilled arms, Ellie glanced out the window again and swallowed when she took in the sight of the tree that had fallen.
Half of the massive trunk had landed in her yard.
Boston arrived to quite a scene Saturday morning. He could hear Cassie and Keller in the backyard, only for their voices to be cut off by the sound of a chainsaw firing up. He strolled around the side of the house and came to a surprised halt when he found them. The two kids chased each other, playing tag as an adult male in the Young's backyard sawed at a huge fallen tree. Boston gaped at the mess until he spotted Ellie alone in her yard, wearing a pair of worn jeans, an old college sweater, and gardening gloves. Her face was red with exertion as she tried to drag a single large limb toward a pile she'd already gathered.
He lifted his eyebrows, thinking she had the makings for one hell of a bonfire.
Nora Young stood near the man with the chainsaw, trying to talk to him. He had to shut off his engine to hear her.
"You're going to cut up the limbs on Ellie's side too, right?"
she asked.
Giving her an annoyed frown, the man grumbled, "I don't think I'll have the time."
"But she can't—"
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Turning his back on her, the man started his saw again, cutting off the rest of her words.
Nora glared for a few moments, her hands set on her hips.
But then she shook her head and turned away to march toward Ellie's yard.
"I'll help you, El," Boston heard her call. She grabbed another end of the limb, and together the two women were able to drag the partial tree to the pile Ellie had already collected.
Boston sighed, realizing exactly what he'd be doing for the rest of the day. He started toward Ellie when Keller finally spotted him.
"Hi, Cassie's dad," he called and dodged just as Cassidy was about to tag him.
At the boy's greeting, Cassie stopped running and grinned, waving madly. "Look. Our tree fell down." Then she barreled into his legs and hugged him.
Boston sucked in a breath and knelt down to give her a full hug. Okay, so Ellie had been right. Cassie was quick to get over her anger. But it still felt good to know for certain she didn't hate him.
Pulling back before he got emotional, he forced a grin. "So I see." He stayed kneeling beside her because he liked being close. He enjoyed it when she was happy and affectionate like this. It'd been the same way with her mother.
Glancing unconsciously toward Ellie, he was surprised to find she'd stopped her work and was watching them. She gave him a small smile when their gazes met, and he immediately straightened to his feet.
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Ellie dragged off her gloves as she strolled his way. "I completely forgot you were coming today."
Boston jammed his hands in his pockets because they were itching to reach for the stray hair clinging to her cheek.
He forced his attention to the felled tree. "Hmm, I have no idea what might've caused you to forget."
Ellie gave him another smile and looked over at the tree as well. "Yeah, a storm passed through last night."
"I saw that on the Weather Channel. But I didn't realize it'd been so bad."
He took an instinctive step back as Nora Young joined them. The last time he'd talked to her, she'd been ready to tear his head off. Not sure if he was still listed on her bad side, he held his breath until she spoke.
"Thank God you're here. Ellie's been on the phone all morning trying to get a hold of a yard-cleaning service. But with the storm that came through last night, they're all tied up." She looked at him expectantly.
He opened his mouth to respond but Ellie broke in,
"Boston's only here to visit Cassie. I'll take care of the yard myself." She glanced at him with a meaningful look. "One of the services should call me back any minute." When a ringing came from her back porch, she brightened. "That's probably one of them now." She turned away and hurried to her deck where she'd left her portable phone.
As soon as she was ten feet away, though, Nora whirled to him.
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"I'd like to apologize for absconding with your son the other night," he said before she could speak. "I honestly had no intention of scaring you."
She blinked a few time, clearly startled by his remorse.
"Well," she said, clearly not sure what to say. "I guess if Ellie's forgiven you, so can I. I actually gave you permission to take Keller to Chuck E. Cheese's, and besides, he's back now. No harm, no fowl. I'm willing to let bygones be bygones.
If..." she added archly, making him lift a curious brow. "You give Ellie a hand with cleaning up her yard."
For a moment, he could only blink at her. Then he finally asked, "You actually think I'd let her take care of a mess this big by herself?"
"Haven't you before?" she asked, glancing Cassie's way.
Biting back a nasty retort, Boston cleared his throat and quietly answered, "I don't think you know enough about me to make that kind of observation."
Her eyes narrowing a little too perceptively on his face, she said, "Or maybe I know too much."
The chainsaw in her own yard stopped and the man running it yelled, "Keller! Stop playing around and come pick up these sticks." Then he glanced Boston and Nora's way.
"Nora. I need you."
"Be right there, dearest," Nora called back, her voice so sweet, it sounded fake even to her husband, who scowled before returning to his chainsaw and starting it again.
"That's my husband, Dr. Mendel Young," Nora murmured to Boston, watching her husband work. "He's a cheating bastard too."
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She turned to Boston, eyebrows arched in challenge.
He gave a slight nod of defeat. "Then I guess he and I will get along fine together, won't we?"
"I was right," Ellie said, breaking into the conversation as she hurried over, a bit breathless from her rush. "That was a lawn service calling me back."
"And?" Nora asked.
Looking momentarily uncomfortable, Ellie glanced toward Boston before answering, "They can be here in two weeks no problem."
"Two weeks!" Nora exploded. "Oh, Ellie. That's awful."
"Got a chainsaw?" Boston asked.
Ellie's head snapped around. She stared at him as if he were crazy. "No."
He nodded even as he pulled his iPhone from his pocket.
Dialing a number, he returned his attention to her as
he waited for someone to answer.
"Boston, you don't have to worry about my yard," she started. "Why don't you take Cassie somewhere and spend the day with—"
But he held up a finger, cutting her off. "Hey, beautiful,"
he spoke into the cell, grinning as he did so. "Can I talk to your loser husband?"
After pausing to wait a moment, he spoke into the receiver. "You using your chainsaw today? Yeah, Ellie's got a tree down in her yard. It's pretty big."
He glanced her way and said, "Sure, we could use that...or better yet, grab Monty and bring his trailer. There's enough tree here for a few ricks. Great. Thanks. Oh, and stop by my 185
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place on your way to grab an extra pair of work clothes for me."
After rattling off Ellie's address, he disconnected and turned toward the women. With a proud nod, Nora grinned and was off toward her own yard. Ellie didn't look so grateful.
"Got a trash bag and a rake?" he said before she could start.
She nodded. "Yes, I have a rake. But I don't want you to worry about any of this. This is my yard, Boston. It's not your problem."
He turned away and called, "Hey, Cass. Come here."
The girl had been in the Young yard with Keller, picking up twigs and sticks. But at her father's voice, she hurried his way. As she approached, he knelt down to talk on her level.
"You want to make some money today?"
Lured by that offer, she moved closer. "Sure."
"Uncle Cam and Uncle Monty are going to be here soon.
We're going to help your mom clean up this yard. It sure would be a big help if you could rake all the small twigs into a pile. I'll pay you ten bucks an hour."
"Okay," she said brightly.
"And if you do a good job," he added, tugging playfully on her ponytail as he pushed back to his feet, "I'll make sure you get pizza for lunch."
"All right!" she cheered.
"Then get to work, young lady," he said, clapping his hands. She hooted and raced off toward the small shed by the back of the house.
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"Good Lord, Boston," Ellie commented, clearly amused.
"Ten dollars an hour? I would've raked the yard for half that."
Boston turned to her, his smile growing. "Oh, I have other plans for you."
By noon, Ellie was sweating her butt off. It'd taken a good hour for Boston's brother and cousin to arrive. The two men had been impatient for an introduction, refusing to start any work until they met her, which threw her for a loop. She hadn't expected any of Boston's family to want to meet her, much less be excited about the prospect. So, this...eagerness they had to simply talk to her caught her totally off guard.
She would've thought they'd be more anxious to see Cassie. But she soon learned they already had.
"You didn't get a chance to meet either of these two the other night at Chuck E. Cheese's," Boston started. "But this is my cousin, Cameron Banks, and my brother, Monty."
A little sick at the realization that these two strangers had seen her in her prime—chewing Boston out—she gave them a small smile, hoping they didn't think she always acted as bitchy as she had at the pizza parlor. But they both surged forward with warm smiles, making her jerk and take a leery step back.
Just as Montgomery stuck out his hand, Cameron butted him aside with an elbow and took her fingers, tugging them to his mouth. After pressing his lips to her knuckles, he glanced at her with a devastating, yet ornery smile.
"It's an honor to finally meet you," he murmured in a husky voice.
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Ellie blinked, not sure how to take this green-eyed hunk who couldn't seem to stop grinning at her with the orneriest look in his gaze. She glanced hesitantly toward Boston and was surprised to find him scowling at his relative.
"Banks," he growled. "That's enough."
"What?" Cameron asked innocently. "You flirt with my wife nonstop. I think I'm entitled to—"
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence," Boston warned.
"You're such a moron," Montgomery told Cameron, shoving him back with his own elbow so he could gain Ellie's gaze.
The jostling for her attention made her blink in bewilderment. At best, she would've hoped they'd attempt to be cordial. But this...this was downright flattering.
Montgomery once again stuck out his hand. "You probably don't remember me, but I had a class with you in college."
"Calculus," she answered, taking his fingers.
He beamed, his smile spreading wide. "Hey, you do remember."
How could she have forgotten? She'd been in love with his brother at the time.
"You knew my brother?" Boston asked, sounding startled, as he shifted a somewhat accusing look her way.
Simultaneously, Monty and Ellie turned toward Boston.
"We never actually met," Montgomery started. "Remember? I said so the night we received Cassie's letter?" But Boston wasn't paying any attention to him.
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He was too busy pinning Ellie with narrowed eyes. "But you knew who he was?"
Ellie gave a slight nod. "I knew he was your brother," she affirmed.
His mouth dropped. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"
Her back went straight and her shoulders squared righteously. "You never bothered to tell me you had family on campus, so I didn't think you wanted me know about him."
" What? That doesn't make any—" He must've realized he was about to start a fight if he said one more word, because he sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I didn't realize I'd never told you about Monty," he grudgingly admitted.
"Oh, come off it." Ellie let out a harsh laugh. "Every time I asked about your parents or your siblings, you changed the subject. Every time I asked about your childhood or home life, you buttoned up."
He shook his head in denial. "I never purposely kept my family from you."
"Yes, you did. Because clearly, I wasn't important enough to meet them. You put me right in my place from the very beginning, and I was just too stupid and blind to notice it."
Okay, so the fight was on anyway.
"Now who's the moron?" Cameron asked Monty. Ellie whirled around to find both of Boston's relatives grinning with their arms crossed as they watched avidly.
"Don't worry, El. We're cheering for you," Montgomery assured her, looking way too amused.
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think I should've been mentioned at least once a day. I'm your best friend, for crying out loud."
"Not then you weren't," Boston grumbled.
"I can't believe you never even told her I was going to school with you," Monty exclaimed. "And why didn't you ever introduce her to me?"
Boston balled his fists in a threatening stance. "Will you two go away?"
"But you just told us to get our butts over here," Cameron reminded him.
Growling out a sound of frustration, his cousin sneered,
"Just...go cut the tree, will you?"
"Geez," Cameron muttered, tugging on Monty's arm and pulling him away from them. "Someone forgot to take his anti-anger pill this morning."
As soon as they were far enough away, Boston turned to her. Ellie held her breath, bracing for the explosion.
"Ellie," he started as if he was going to spill out a whole crap load of pathetic excuses. Then he stopped himself and shook his head miserably. "I was awful to you," he said in a tired voice. "I know that. But I paid for it big time by losing you. My sentence has been served. So, I think we should get to start over with a clean slate. Today, I just want to help you clean your yard."
Ellie folded her
hands over her chest, suddenly upset he was once again making her out to the be the wicked witch, and he was the good guy, only wanting peace. Her jaw was still hard with resentment, and she knew she couldn't speak, so she merely gave a terse nod.
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It was unfeasible to believe he thought losing her had been the worst punishment possible, so of course she kept replaying that line over and over in her head. He could've kept her if he'd wanted. She'd been such an idiot back then, she would've let him back if he'd said sorry. But he hadn't.
And she'd be the fool if she believed his fancy little words now...except...he wasn't the same person anymore. He'd changed. In everything he did, she could see how he'd changed. Which made her even more confused.
"Come on," he told her, holding out a hand. "I'm going to show you how to use a chainsaw."
Ellie met his gaze, not sure what to do, what to believe.
But it didn't take long for her to be held captive by those blue orbs. The man had a look that would turn her into his little puppet.
"Get over here," he urged, almost playfully, a smile hovering over his lips. "You're going to work for your lunch, woman."
Drawn by the challenge in his statement and the excitement in his eyes, Ellie followed him to the back of Monty's truck, where a third unused saw sat, waiting for them. Glancing toward her daughter, she grinned when she caught sight of Cassie diligently raking sticks. Montgomery and Cameron had already moved to the main trunk and were slicing away, wood chips flying past their shoulders.
"I'll get it started," Boston offered, making Ellie arch a brow.
"Oh, no you won't," she said. "If I'm going to work this thing, I'm going to learn how to do every step."
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He grinned. "Well, okay then. Come here."
She strolled forward, not knowing what he intended until he was standing behind her and helping her hold the chainsaw with both hands, practically embracing her as he did so.
"Just relax," he said after explaining the procedure. "You're as stiff as a board."
"And just how, pray tell, am I supposed to get comfortable with you back there, like that?"