Page 194 of Hidden Nature

When she started to turn into her drive, she braked. Stared.

The bumpy, potholed stretch now ran smooth and level with a thick blanket of fresh gravel.

None of which she’d arranged to have done.

As she turned, the house came into view, and she had to brake again. That level, gravel drive now curved toward what would be her carport and mudroom.

And her house sat, a sweet, pretty cottage now dressed in blue siding, her new windows gleamed, now framed in bright, clean white. The deck of the porch she’d envisioned had become reality. Even now she saw her father and cousin installing a section of railing.

And on the side, wonder of wonders, stood the posts of her carport and the framing of her much-desired mudroom.

A scatter of daffodils, buttery yellow, creamy white, danced along the edge of her currently scrubby, muddy front yard and the woods.

On the drive up, she heard the hard buzz of saws, the pop and bang of nail guns. It sounded like music.

She nosed in beside her father’s truck.

As she got out, he pushed up the bill of his cap and stood grinning.

“So, what do you think?”

“I can’t believe it! When I left this morning, I had footers. Now I have a porch, an almost carport, and the start of the mudroom. And the siding! It looks good, right?”

“Nice choice.”

“But the driveway. I didn’t order that work yet.”

“It’s a gift. Say ‘thank you.’”

“Dad.” She rushed to him, hugged hard. “Thank you.”

“Hey. I’m right here.”

Laughing, she hugged Jonah, rubbed a hand over his beard-free face. “Thank you. You’ve been working on this all day?”

“Us, and the Littlefield crew.” Dean gestured toward the side of the house. “After Jonah and I got the windows in the other day, we decided, hell, let’s go for it.”

He took a glug from his water bottle. “We juggled some scheduling, and so did Nash, so we could get this going good.”

“It’s going really good.”

“Your mom says those azaleas we had to dig up for this should stay in the back where we put them. What you need here are the smaller ones, more to scale. She says you want the ones that bloom a few times a year.”

“Yes to everything. I love it.”

“You’ll love it more when we finish the front door and replace this one. Should be ready to go in no time.”

“And I’ll have a Made-by-Cooper front door.”

“On the mudroom, too. You want consistency. You’ve got a nice little place, baby.”

“Thanks to you, and you,” she said to Jonah, “and the Fix-It Brothers crew. And I guess Big Mac took care of the driveway.”

“He sure did.”

“I’m getting in on all this and dealing with my bedroom this weekend. I’ve got to go see the rest!”

She jumped off the porch, hurried around toward the sound of building. Nash set down his nail gun, and in the way of men, put hishands on his hips as he looked up to where Theo and Robo finished the last of the roof trusses.

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