Reno’s head jerked up, and he banged it painfully on the hood. Rubbing it, he straightened and looked at Boone. “Why are they worried about her?”
Boone shrugged. “She’s fragile. Tender-hearted. Charlotte says Grace is too good for this world. That she’s naïve about there being anything or anyone bad and would be an easy mark if someone wanted to take advantage of her. And the ladies worry that something bad would break her.”
Huh. He commented to Reno, “She survived losing her husband tragically. And before that she survived him having a dangerous career. And weren’t she and Liam apart for a good chunk of his time in the Navy?”
“Yeah,” Boone said slowly. “But have you looked at her? A strong wind would blow her away. I get why the other ladies are protective of her and worry that she can’t take care of herself.”
And with that, Boone lay down on his back on a mechanic creeper and rolled himself under the pickup in the bay beside the mustang.
Reno pulled out his phone and texted Cooper and Wheeler the information about the Apple Pie Creek bakery.
He went back to work unbolting the water pump from the engine block so he could clean and replace it. He had the water pump mostly reassembled an hour later when Hank strolled into the garage with a paper sack from Buns ’N’ Roses. “Brought you guys glazed donuts, fresh out of the fryer. They’re still warm.”
"Charlotte's running a thermos route. You're running a pastry route. What kind of operation is this?" Reno demanded.
Hank shrugged. "Tessa told Dillon to tell me to check on you. Gotta follow the WoWS chain of command, Dude."
He took one of the sticky, sweet donuts from Hank, bit into it, and groaned in delight. It tasted like sugary goodness and melted like air in his mouth.
Reno finished, licked his fingers, and said ruefully to his eldest brother, “What do you want?”
“Can’t a guy bring his brother and his buddy donuts?” Hank retorted.
Reno shrugged. “Sure. But you bringing sweets is Hank for, I’m about to ask you for something.”
“Shouldn’t you be sitting and not standing on your knee like that for long periods of time?” Hank asked in his mildly accusing doctor voice.
Reno sank down carefully onto the crate Boone had sat on earlier and made a mental note not to mention sanding and painting Grace’s dock or repainting her house’s trim.
Hank leaned against the Mustang’s front fender and gestured at the car. "You actually planning to make this thing run?"
"Eventually." Reno waited, silent for hank to spill the real reason he was here.
Hank exhaled hard. "The preliminary hearing in Bozemen went well. The judge gave Lorraine’s parents temporary custody of Madi pending a permanent custody hearing.”
“That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” Reno asked.
“Yes.” A pause. “Madison's coming to visit me. Thursday."
"That’s great!" Reno exclaimed.
"She wants to see the house. Pick a bedroom. She wants to know if the bathroom upstairs is going to be done in time for her to bring her friend Eliza out to visit in August."
"It will."
"It might."
"It will,” Reno repeated firmly. “The three of us will do whatever it takes get it done." He heard the echo of Boone’s words from before about parents doing anything for their kids.
Hank nodded. Then he looked out at Main Street for longer than it usually took him to collect his thoughts and choose his words. Finally, he said quietly, "The Bozeman hearing is in a month."
"That’s pretty fast for a family court. I’m glad you don’t have to wait long to get Madi’s custody sorted out."
"Lorraine's been civil for two weeks. Claims to be off the pills and booze. She’s hired the same lawyer who handled the original custody arrangement and he was sharp then."
Ahh. He saw where this was going, now. Hank wanted him to recommend a really good family law attorney.
"Reno." Hank turned his head and looked at him directly. "I might need you there."
