Page 39 of Love, Lies and Sleigh Rides
“You all right, Fallon, honey?”
She hadn’t intended to go down that road, thinking about the summer her family imploded. Time had numbed her. But sometimes little reminders crept into her conscience.
“I am.” She gave June what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
June’s assistant poked her head into Fallon’s office. “June, Mr. Decker is on line two for you.”
“I’ll take it in my office, Simone. Thank you.” June rose out of the chair.
“Imightcome to happy hour tomorrow.” Fallon gave her a warning look. “But don’t harass me about it. I’ll let you know.”
June’s expression morphed into pure delight. She made a show of sealing her lips and throwing away the key over her shoulder as she left Fallon alone.
ChapterFourteen
Pops had lined up a full weekend of work for them. Already noon on Saturday, Kade, Tim, and their father finished the lunch Elaine prepared for them and donned their winter gear again to finish up with repairs to a section of fence along the road. Tyler left the house a few minutes earlier to meet the vet in the main barn who was coming to check on the new baby.
Luckily, the paddock hadn’t been in use when a truck ran off the road in last week’s storm, crashing through a section of fence. Mick Graham, who lived up the road, apologized profusely and said he’d pay for the damages. Good on his word, Mick delivered a check the next day for an amount three times the cost of lumber at least. He’d even offered to make the repairs himself. Fred wouldn’t hear of it, of course. They’d parted with a handshake and holiday wishes for their respective families.
Kade unbuttoned the top two buttons of his coat as he stood in front of one post and surveyed the length they were replacing. One post remained upright; it was salvageable. But Mick’s truck busted through the three-rail fence, splintering the boards and snapping the other post in half. That one had to be dug out and replaced, which they’d done before lunch. Luckily, the ground had yet to freeze. Another month and that wouldn’t be the case.
“Forgot my glasses on the dining room table. Be back in a sec,” said Pops.
“Want me to go get them?” Kade could make it back and forth a lot quicker than Pops.
But Pops waved him off. “I’ll be back in a flash, you just watch.”
Kade and Tim worked silently for a few minutes, Tim sizing up where to sink the screws while Kade held up one of the one-by-eight planks. Tried, at least. It didn’t take long before they realized they needed Pops’ extra set of hands. Tim leaned against the pole after he’d replaced the drill in his tool belt.
“What do you hear from your lady friend?” asked Tim casually.
“Who?”
Tim laughed. “I forget you have so many females vying for your company they’re hard to keep straight.Fallon.”
“You make it sound as if there’s more to us than there is. I haven’t heard from her since she left town.” He kept his eyes on the ground, scuffing the snow with his boot so Tim wouldn’t catch a hint of the disappointment Kade felt from Fallon’s silence. He’d at least expected to hear from her before she left town. But Bart called right after she paid her bill Thursday morning on her way out of Hendricks.
“So, you’re not attracted to her?” Tim glanced toward the house, probably wondering what was taking Pops so long, then settled against the post again.
“Of course I am. Who wouldn’t be?”
Tim chuckled, knowing he’d got under his skin. “Okay. Settle down. Just making conversation.”
Thank goodness Pops wasn’t here. Every word of this conversation would have been reported to Elaine as if Kade were closer to fifteen years old instead of forty. He told himself they lived in a time warp because of his long absence. Tim was safely married off, no longer fodder for their conspiratorial efforts to get him matched. Tyler had no trouble finding female company, which worked in his favor too. His parents didn’t want to take the blame for setting anyone up with his carefree, commitment-shy brother.
He’d reacted more strongly to Tim than he should have.
“Sorry. I’m just easing my way back into life here, and right away I feel like Mom wants me to settle down.”
Tim lifted a brow. “Maybe she thinks you’re more likely to escape again if you don’t have an anchor.”
He hadn’t thought of that perspective.
The crunch of snow underneath tires behind them caught Kade’s attention. He craned his neck to see around Tim. A silver pickup truck stopped on the road. The driver’s side window rolled down.
“Hey there, neighbors!”
Kade nodded. “Hello.”
