“Was that before or after EMS brought him in to you?”
Ian laughed, surprised by her humor. “Before.”
She sighed. “We really need to get that teen hangout going. After the cabins, of course. And you really need to let me come to your house and watch Tia when you get called in.”
At the trauma center lot now, he checked his phone. Kate hadn’t texted. He motioned Bri toward the lodge. “I’ll walk you home and work on renovations until Kate texts me Tia’s awake.”
“Think about what I said, Ian. Your house is a four-minute jog from mine. But I can make it in two.” She blushed. “I timed that route this morning. You have a beautiful place.”
“You will, too, once the lodges are fixed up. You did a nice job with your personal cabin.” Ian walked her to her door. “I’ll be back with my truck in a bit.”
He really wanted to run another lake lap, but that would take time he needed to get crackin’ on Bri’s second cabin.
He finished replacing windows when Kate called. “She awake?”
“Yes, but I need to borrow her for a few hours.”
“Okay, what—”
“None of your beeswax. Christmas secrets.”
“That’ll give me time to get Tia’s gift, too.”
Kate scoffed. “You ruin everything, you big brute.”
“I’ll pretend to be surprised.” A terrible feeling went through him. “Kate, don’t be disheartened if, when you bring the whole buy-Daddy-a-present-thing up, Tia doesn’t want to get me anything. She’s still resentful and angry over her life being turned upside down. Right now, she considers me the enemy.”
“Take heart, Ian,” Kate said in childproof tones. “Tia is the one who brought it up. This was her idea. She asked me to take her.”
Emotion throbbed behind Ian’s eyes, and it took a second to compose himself. “Thanks, Kate.” He hung up and turned.
Bri stood in her patchy yard with iced teas and a curious expression. He dipped his head so she wouldn’t see evidence that he really wasn’t all that strong. Aerosmith riffs blasted his phone again. Kate’s camouflage monkey avatar lit the screen.
Had Tia changed her mind? Decided to give him nothing for Christmas except a hard time? He swiped the phone face. “Hey, Kate.”
“Hey. Bri nearby?”
“Yeah, need to speak with her?”
“No. Walk nonchalantly away, out of her hearing range.”
Kate never lost her military leader bossiness. Ever. “Okay, what’s up?”
“At PRAYZ the other night, Bri casually mentioned not being able to shop and decorate her place for Christmas because of her arm. I think facing this first holiday without her mom has given her a case of the winter blues. She could use some holiday cheer. Take care of that for me? Like, today?”
“Sure.” The sad thought dawned on Ian that, if someone didn’t intervene, Bri would be spending Christmas all alone. “You planning on taking Lem up on his invitation to come over and join him, Lauren, Mitch and a bunch of the pararescue jumpers for Christmas Eve dinner?”
“Yeah. You’re not bailing on him, right?”
“No, actually, he’d mentioned to bring a friend if we wanted, that he’d have enough food to feed an army. Maybe we should invite Bri.” Meaning maybe Kate would take it from here.
“Great idea, Ian. Let me know what she says when you ask.”
“Wait—”
“Gotta run. Take your time shopping with Bri and have fun.” She clicked off before he could formulate a coherent response.
The way Kate urged him to take his time, Ian got the distinct impression she was matchmaking him and Bri. He needed to disabuse her of that crazy notion.
Ian sighed at Bri’s ramshackle cabins. If he was doing one a week, he needed help. “Time for backup,” he told the curious woodland creature watching from a barren branch. The squirrel skittered up the tree. Ian smiled at Tia’s depiction of trees that lose their leaves, aka pajamas, according to Tia—pj’s!
Ian instantly thought of renovation recruits. A human PJ, though, not the cotton variety. “We’re calling in air support,” he informed the sniffing, bushy-tailed squirrel. “That bank doesn’t stand a chance of leveling your home, little buddy.”
He dialed Brockton Drake, the only unmarried holdout on a pararescue jumper—aka PJ—team stationed at Eagle Point Air Base near Refuge, a town away. The special operations skydiving paramedics helped at the trauma center sometimes to keep their medic skills up between combat and civilian rescues. Brock always told Ian to call if he needed anything. Today, he did. “Hey, Brock. What are you doing today?” Ian asked the hardworking air force PJ.
* * *
Whose pretty red truck is that? Bri watched it rumble past her cabin and park near the one Ian hammered on. Pausing her organizing of books for Lem’s annual library fundraiser, she stepped onto her deck to see.
A strapping redheaded man with a bright smile and true military bearing exited the cab with construction supplies. Ian greeted him and together they unloaded wood from the truck bed.
Bri fought the urge to rush out and apologize for her shabby cabin. Yet the way the two men bantered back and forth, ribbing good-naturedly while working, suggested they didn’t consider helping her an inconvenience. Ian laughed. It was such a rare occurrence, Bri smiled. She felt bad he was strapped to her cabin today when she wasn’t watching Tia. Kate had volunteered to take her for a few hours of shopping.
The last time she’d asked Eric downstate to help her mom with the lodge so it wouldn’t have to close, he’d scoffed. Told her he didn’t have time for something so trivial.
The month away from him had made Bri see she’d be better off without him. He’d brainwashed her to believe she couldn’t find a better guy. She stared at Ian. Was he a manipulator with moodiness, too? Bri rubbed the chill off her arms. Best get busy inside.
While the guys worked, Bri continued sorting mass amounts of books for Lem’s annual library benefit. She had a hard time not cracking a book open and indulging.
Too tempted by the books, and sleepy from insomnia over worrying about Caleb, she set about sewing new curtains for each of the cabins. Seven cabins’ worth later, a knock sounded at her door.
Ian and his pal stood on her landing.
“Hi, come on in. I was about to make lunch and bring you refreshments.”
“I bragged on your tea,” Ian said. “This is Brock, a buddy of mine from the Refuge side of Eagle Point Air Base.”
“Nice to meet you, Brock.” She shook his hand. “I’m Bri.”
His dimples deepened as he smiled. “Ma’am.” He eyed the floor. “Whoa. That’s an avalanche of books.” He bent down to peer at the titles. “Who reads all these?”
“I do. Ever since I was little, I’ve had an obsession with reading.”
Ian poured tea in the two glasses she’d set down on the kitchen counter. He grabbed a third glass and filled it, too. “Join us on the deck?”
He handed her the glass and gestured. “Ladies first.”
“Nice place,” Brock commented, eyes gazing over the land.
“You should see it fixed up.” Bri settled in the farthest seat across from Ian at the outdoor table.
“I will soon,”