hundred yards, we’ll have a corridor to the highway.”
“Will do,” said Travis. “By the way, it was nice of you to let Seth organize that equipment donation.”
“His idea,” said Caleb, flipping the switch and setting up to restart the chain saw. “Besides, Lyndon will be lucky to have him as mayor.”
Mandy hopped up onto the tailgate of a pickup truck to take a break from the heavy hauling work. She was tired and sweating, and her shoulders were getting sore.
Somebody put a cup of coffee in her hand. She offered her thanks and took a grateful sip. She normally took cream and sugar, but she wasn’t about to complain. It was nearly two in the afternoon, and she’d been hauling brush steadily since breakfast.
Her animosity toward Caleb had been forgotten when the sun came up and they saw what the storm had done. In fact, it seemed frivolous now to have even been thinking about lovemaking this morning.
“You eaten anything?” Danielle’s voice startled Mandy, and she glanced up to see the perfectly pressed woman picking her way across the debris-strewn road to the pickup truck.
“What are you doing here?” Mandy couldn’t help exclaiming.
Danielle was wearing slacks today, but they looked like expensive, dove-gray linen, and they were topped with a jewel-encrusted mauve sweater and paired with pewter-colored calfskin boots. Her makeup was perfect, and not a single hair was out of place.
“Travis brought me into town.”
“Travis’s here?” Mandy glanced around, but didn’t catch a glimpse of her brother.
“I was hoping to catch a flight to Chicago. But the airport’s closed.”
As Danielle arrived at the truck, Mandy looked for a blanket or a stray piece of clothing to throw on the tailgate to protect the woman’s expensive slacks. She spotted a quilted shirt, grabbed it and shook it out, laying it inside up on the tailgate and motioning to it.
“Thank you,” said Danielle, awkwardly hopping up and settling herself. She snapped open her designer handbag and extracted a deli sandwich, handing it to Mandy.
“You’re a saint.” Mandy sighed, accepting the offer.
“You’re amazing,” Danielle returned. “How on earth can you work this hard?”
“Practice.” Mandy took a big bite of the thick sandwich.
“Well.” Danielle smoothed her slacks, setting her handbag down in her lap. She gave a delicate, self-deprecating laugh. “I’ve been dialing my fingers to the bone.”
Mandy smiled at the joke. “Nobody expects you to do manual labor. Anymore than they’d expect me to compose a legal brief.”
“That’s very kind of you to say.”
“Don’t even worry about it. Thanks for the sandwich.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the sound of chain saws, truck engines and shouts surrounding them. Bainbridge Street was a hive of activity.
“I’ve been working with your brother Seth.”
Mandy swallowed. “On what?”
“Caleb’s having him coordinate a donation from Active Equipment to the town of Lyndon, loaders, backhoes, etc. He’ll be on Channel Ten to make the announcement in a few minutes.”
Mandy’s tone went thoughtful. “Really?” Her gaze went to where Caleb was bucking up trees. “I assume it’s a political stunt?”
“Move,” said Danielle. “A political move. And a smart one. Everybody wins.”
“I suppose they do.” Though it seemed a little slick to Mandy, she couldn’t say she saw any serious flaws.
“Speaking of everybody wins…” Danielle looked straight at Mandy. “I have an idea.”
“For Seth’s campaign?” Mandy hoped it didn’t involve her. She was planning to stay firmly on the ranch and out of sight throughout the mayor race.
“For finding Reed.”
Mandy swallowed, her attention perking up. “I’m listening.”
“I don’t know how long it normally takes to sell a thirty-million-dollar ranch. But, I’m assuming it’s a while.” She brushed some imaginary lint from the front of her slacks. “So, I’ve been
“Will do,” said Travis. “By the way, it was nice of you to let Seth organize that equipment donation.”
“His idea,” said Caleb, flipping the switch and setting up to restart the chain saw. “Besides, Lyndon will be lucky to have him as mayor.”
Mandy hopped up onto the tailgate of a pickup truck to take a break from the heavy hauling work. She was tired and sweating, and her shoulders were getting sore.
Somebody put a cup of coffee in her hand. She offered her thanks and took a grateful sip. She normally took cream and sugar, but she wasn’t about to complain. It was nearly two in the afternoon, and she’d been hauling brush steadily since breakfast.
Her animosity toward Caleb had been forgotten when the sun came up and they saw what the storm had done. In fact, it seemed frivolous now to have even been thinking about lovemaking this morning.
“You eaten anything?” Danielle’s voice startled Mandy, and she glanced up to see the perfectly pressed woman picking her way across the debris-strewn road to the pickup truck.
“What are you doing here?” Mandy couldn’t help exclaiming.
Danielle was wearing slacks today, but they looked like expensive, dove-gray linen, and they were topped with a jewel-encrusted mauve sweater and paired with pewter-colored calfskin boots. Her makeup was perfect, and not a single hair was out of place.
“Travis brought me into town.”
“Travis’s here?” Mandy glanced around, but didn’t catch a glimpse of her brother.
“I was hoping to catch a flight to Chicago. But the airport’s closed.”
As Danielle arrived at the truck, Mandy looked for a blanket or a stray piece of clothing to throw on the tailgate to protect the woman’s expensive slacks. She spotted a quilted shirt, grabbed it and shook it out, laying it inside up on the tailgate and motioning to it.
“Thank you,” said Danielle, awkwardly hopping up and settling herself. She snapped open her designer handbag and extracted a deli sandwich, handing it to Mandy.
“You’re a saint.” Mandy sighed, accepting the offer.
“You’re amazing,” Danielle returned. “How on earth can you work this hard?”
“Practice.” Mandy took a big bite of the thick sandwich.
“Well.” Danielle smoothed her slacks, setting her handbag down in her lap. She gave a delicate, self-deprecating laugh. “I’ve been dialing my fingers to the bone.”
Mandy smiled at the joke. “Nobody expects you to do manual labor. Anymore than they’d expect me to compose a legal brief.”
“That’s very kind of you to say.”
“Don’t even worry about it. Thanks for the sandwich.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the sound of chain saws, truck engines and shouts surrounding them. Bainbridge Street was a hive of activity.
“I’ve been working with your brother Seth.”
Mandy swallowed. “On what?”
“Caleb’s having him coordinate a donation from Active Equipment to the town of Lyndon, loaders, backhoes, etc. He’ll be on Channel Ten to make the announcement in a few minutes.”
Mandy’s tone went thoughtful. “Really?” Her gaze went to where Caleb was bucking up trees. “I assume it’s a political stunt?”
“Move,” said Danielle. “A political move. And a smart one. Everybody wins.”
“I suppose they do.” Though it seemed a little slick to Mandy, she couldn’t say she saw any serious flaws.
“Speaking of everybody wins…” Danielle looked straight at Mandy. “I have an idea.”
“For Seth’s campaign?” Mandy hoped it didn’t involve her. She was planning to stay firmly on the ranch and out of sight throughout the mayor race.
“For finding Reed.”
Mandy swallowed, her attention perking up. “I’m listening.”
“I don’t know how long it normally takes to sell a thirty-million-dollar ranch. But, I’m assuming it’s a while.” She brushed some imaginary lint from the front of her slacks. “So, I’ve been
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