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“Don’t mention it, Eugene,” Tessa said. “You helped me change that flat tire I had back in March. I would have had to walk in the mud to get assistance if you hadn’t stopped.”
Grandpa studied his feet. “That was no trouble, honey.”
“And you were the one who hooked me up with that fabulous electrician when I had that wiring problem at the studio,” Aliza said.
“I happened to know a guy.” Grandpa shrugged.
“You figured out what was wrong with my tractor last month,” Christian said. “She kept breaking down, but she’s purring like a kitten now.”
“I’ve had a ton of tractors in my life,” Grandpa said.
“Let’s face it,” Donovan said. “You can brush it off all you want, but you’ve given so much to this community, Eugene. It’s your turn to need help and we’ve got you.”
Isabel’s eyes pricked. She’d always known her grandfather was a fantastic person, but to hear all these people agree made her proud to be related to the man.
“Thanks, kids,” Grandpa said, his eyes looking a little watery too.
Jackson waved the list. “Okay, people, let’s split these up and get cracking.”
Christian plucked the paper from Jackson’s hand. “We’ll start on this,” he said. “You haven’t even kissed your girl yet. It’s important to start the day properly. Take a few moments and then join us.” He winked at Isabel then herded the family outside.
Blaze raced out the open door, excited over all the people, and Nicole paused. “Is he okay to supervise us out here?”
“Sure,” Isabel said. “Keep an eye on him. I’m pretty sure he finds all of you interesting enough to stay close by, but with Blaze, you never know. Something can catch his attention and then he wanders off.”
“Christian is like that too,” Nicole said.
“Hey!” Christian shot back as he chased Blaze around the area in front of Grandpa’s cottage. “Oh, look, a squirrel!”
Isabel laughed as Nicole rolled her eyes and shut the door. “They are fantastic.”
“You’re lucky to have them,” Grandpa said to Jackson as he gathered up the other papers he’d had on the kitchen table. “I’m heading to the office to do boring stuff. If you have any questions about anything on the list, you know where to find me.”
“Behave in that office, Grandpa,” Isabel warned.
“Yeah, yeah.” He dropped a quick kiss on Isabel’s cheek and cuffed Jackson on the shoulder as he walked to the door.
After the door closed, Isabel and Jackson stood in the silence.
“Wow,” he said. “I never realized how noisy my family is.”
“Good noisy. Kind noisy.” Isabel turned to face Jackson then slid her arms up his chest to hook her hands on his shoulders. “I’ll say thank you now, but I’m totally going to show my gratitude to you in a very naked way later.” She was determined to be there for her grandfather, but she needed to be with Jackson too. She’d be mindful of keeping a balance in how she spent her time.
Jackson’s mouth turned up on one side and his eyes darkened to a deeper brown as he looked down at her, his hands coming to rest on her hips. “I will not object to naked gratitude.”
He leaned his head down, drawing her up against him, and pressed a kiss to her lips. Within moments, his tongue begged for entry and Isabel was eager to grant it. With deep strokes, Jackson had her nearly whimpering for more. His hips ground against hers and she wished she could snap her fingers, freeze time, make their clothes disappear, and have the naked fun she’d mentioned right freaking now.
Fortunately, Jackson had some control and he ended the kiss before they both combusted. He plucked the shoulder strap of her tank top then coasted his gaze down her body. “I like how we match.”
Chuckling, Isabel peeked around him to see the moose-shaped clock on the wall in the living room. “Only took you like ten minutes to notice.”
“No, I noticed the second you opened the door. It took ten minutes for my family to shut up and get out so I could tell you I like how we match.” He opened his mouth to say something more, but a loud, window-rattling rumble sounded outside.
“Did any of the to-do items involve heavy equipment?” Jackson asked over the roar.
“No. It’s all basically preparing rooms, restocking, some landscaping upkeep things, and several handyman-type fixes.” She led Jackson to the front door and they both stepped outside.
Three tractor trailers paraded through the main gates, churning up dust and heading for the woods behind the cottages. One had a skid steer on it, one had a knuckleboom log loader, and the last one was empty and ready to transport logs. A green pickup truck was the last vehicle to drive up behind the convoy. On its doors was the logo for Brenton Sawmill.
“Shit!” Isabel took off for the main office cottage.
Jackson caught up to her. “What’s going on, Isabel?”
“With everything that has been happening,” she shouted, “Grandpa must have forgotten to cancel the loggers!” She ripped open the main office door. “If we don’t stop them, they’re going to trample through your dig site, Jackson!”
