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Chapter 13
Hope wasn’t home when Cade arrived late Sunday morning. He knocked several times before he realized she wasn’t there.He could hear Shadow barking on the other side of the door. He checked to see if she’d locked the door, and sure enough Hope had left it unsecured. She was far too trusting.
Speaking calmly, letting Shadow know it was him, Cade eased open the door. As soon as it was wide enough, the dog shot outside. It was a relief to know Shadow had seen Cade enough times to know he wasn’t a threat, with or without Hope’s presence.
Shadow immediately went into the yard to do his business and then lay down in the grass to watch as Cade went to work testing the railing. As he suspected, the wood had rotted and needed to be replaced.
As he was dismantling it from the porch, Preston came out of the house. “I’ve been meaning to get to that for weeks,” he called out as he approached. “Hope isn’t one to complain, so it was easy enough to let it slide.”
“No worries, I enjoy this kind of stuff. But it looks like it’s going to take more than a few nails to set this in place, there’s wood rot here.”
“I thought as much. I bought the wood to replace it a while back. I’ve got it stored in the garage.”
“Great, that will save me a trip to the hardware store.”
Together they walked over to Preston’s garage, and Preston moved a few items aside to reach the stacked pieces of lumber that rested against the garage wall. Together they carted what was needed back to the cottage.
“The entire porch could do with a paint job,” Preston said, “but that will need to wait for better weather.”
Intent as he was on the task, Cade hadn’t noticed the darkening skies.
“Listen, I know you’re doing this as a favor to Hope, but this is my responsibility,” Preston said. “I’d like to pay you.”
“No need.” Cade was quick to brush aside the offer. He wasn’t doing this for the money. He’d been looking forward to the project. From the time he could remember, he’d loved taking things apart and learning how they worked and then reassembling them. He was good with his hands and figuring out problems. His father had never understood that part of Cade. In fact, Cade felt his father had never understood him at all.
Preston wasn’t hearing it. “I’ll give you what I feel your time is worth and I won’t accept an argument. Fair is fair.”
“Okay, fine,” Cade reluctantly agreed, “but you aren’t paying me for putting in the door for the dog.”
“Agreed.” Preston nodded, accepting the deal.
They chatted for a few minutes longer before Preston returned to the house.
Cade had removed the rotted railing when he noticed Shadow quickly coming to his feet. “What is it, boy?” Cade asked.
The words had barely left his mouth when Hope’s car turned the corner and parked in her spot beside the cottage. He wondered where she’d gone and been disappointed when he arrived to find she wasn’t home. She knew he was coming, and he was a bit annoyed that she’d left.
Hope was all smiles as she climbed out of the vehicle. Cade noticed a Bible in her hand, which gave him the answer. She’d been to church. It’d been a good many years since his figure had darkened a church door. As a kid, his mother had faithfully attended and dragged him along to Sunday school class. He remembered he’d been awarded a Bible for memorizing the names of all sixty-six books that made up the Bible. He had no idea where that was now and guessed it was stored somewhere in his old bedroom closet. His father had never been interested in faith or religion, so it came as no surprise that his mother attended alone.
“Cade,” Hope said, “I wanted to be back before you returned. I didn’t keep you waiting long, did I?”
“Not long at all.” His slight irritation immediately evaporated. “Preston got me started and I have everything I need.”
She lingered outside for a few minutes, petting Shadow’s head as he came to stand at her side. “Do you need me to do anything?” she asked.
“Nope,” he said with an easy smile. “Got it under control.”
“Okay. I’ll change clothes and put something on for lunch.” She bounded up the few stairs and ever-faithful Shadow followed behind her. It came to him that the shelter had aptly named him. Hope’s pet had become her shadow, following her wherever she went.
Now that he had everything gathered, Cade went to work. Just as he finished measuring and cutting the two-by-four to nail into place, he felt the first drops of rain. He didn’t let that deter him, as he continued pounding the new railing into place.
A couple minutes later, Hope appeared in the doorway in jeans and a plaid shirt with a red sweater vest. She’d changed out of black slacks and a wool blazer. The easy transformation from a fashionable sophisticated woman to a down-home country girl got his attention. He liked both versions.
“Get out of the rain, soldier boy, lunch is ready.”
Cade grinned and joined Hope and Shadow inside the cottage. The table was already set. She had toasted cheese sandwiches on a plate and was dishing up steaming bowls of tomato soup.
Cade washed his hands and sat down. Already his mouth was watering. He was hungrier than he realized. All too often he subsisted on take-out or something prepackaged. He had to admit his diet wasn’t the best.
