was damn cruel, putting the perfect woman before him but creating barriers so they could never be together. But then fate had never seemed to like him.
He thought back to the helicopter flying toward him and his crew. But for the need to change a damn spark plug, the correct helicopter would have arrived first and everyone would have lived.
He paused mid-bite as he considered another possibility. Or it could have been attacked before they ever got off the ground or in the air, killing everyone. It did no good to wish things were different. He stopped with the self-lectures when he noticed Tess studying him intently.
“I’ll go straight to the mounds. I’m sure you have your own plans with the trails.”
“Do you need help?” she asked.
He sighed and shook his head. How could he tell her she couldn’t be near those mounds until he proved they were authentic?
“Oh…I understand,” she said softly and then grinned. “Honestly, I’ve got so much to do. Sam will be returning our lumber today, and I’m going to extend the swamp boardwalk so it returns walkers to the lower forest…since we’ll be closing the old Indian trail up the cliff.”
That was a great idea, but one that required more than one person. “Once you get the lumber where you need it, may I suggest you return back here and start sketching out what you’ll need in skills for our rangers? Then when Tom arrives around noon, feed him and bring him out to the mounds. Once you’ve delivered him, return here and see if you can grasp how to use the project planning software. Tom won’t give us people until we give him a project plan.”
Instead of being outraged, Tess glanced at her grams and then smiled with gratitude. “I’ve already had my class in project planning, so hopefully it will be similar to the software I used.”
He looked up. “Thank you, God.” He then stood. “I have managed to skirt doing that crap up ’til now, but Tom is holding my feet to the fire. No employees until we get him a plan.”
“I’ll have you a plan within the week,” she promised.
They geared up and headed out. When they came to the fork where they would split, she dropped her pack then dug about, retrieving his lunch and hers. “Take them both in case you need more energy to get home.” She then handed him a gun. “I grabbed this out of your drawer. You can shoot, can’t you?”
He nodded, trying to repress his grin.
“I’m serious. I don’t want Grumpy eating you just because I failed to teach you how to shoot.”
“I served in the British Army as a marksman.”
She smiled for a second but lost it. “If he starts charging, don’t try to scare him. Shoot him right between the eyes. I can’t risk losing such a nice boss.”
Before he could reply to her disturbing advice, she’d already turned to head down the trail.
“Hey!” Steel called out.
She stopped and faced him, her head tilting to the right.
“What’s going to keep Grumpy from eating you?”
“My excellent climbing skill, my hatchet, and a very loud helicopter.”
He tried to hand her back the gun, but she stepped back like he had the plague. “Grumpy likes the mounds…so you need it more than me.”
“All right,” he said, “but keep yourself safe…and don’t forget to be back at the house to receive and feed Tom.”
Her eyes turned glassy. “I will. Thank you.”
Her response confused him until he realized she believed he asked her to stay home so she could care for her grams. Shame lambasted him. He should have thought of that first and foremost.
Tess needed time with Helen.
***
Tess sprinted to the swamp, hoping to finish this chore as fast as possible and get back to Grams. The speed of her grandmother’s decline frightened Tess. Yesterday, she had saved them from Grumpy, and today she evidently didn’t have the strength to get out of her chair.
How long had she been hiding her pain?
Tess slowed as guilt overwhelmed her. God, had she been so
He thought back to the helicopter flying toward him and his crew. But for the need to change a damn spark plug, the correct helicopter would have arrived first and everyone would have lived.
He paused mid-bite as he considered another possibility. Or it could have been attacked before they ever got off the ground or in the air, killing everyone. It did no good to wish things were different. He stopped with the self-lectures when he noticed Tess studying him intently.
“I’ll go straight to the mounds. I’m sure you have your own plans with the trails.”
“Do you need help?” she asked.
He sighed and shook his head. How could he tell her she couldn’t be near those mounds until he proved they were authentic?
“Oh…I understand,” she said softly and then grinned. “Honestly, I’ve got so much to do. Sam will be returning our lumber today, and I’m going to extend the swamp boardwalk so it returns walkers to the lower forest…since we’ll be closing the old Indian trail up the cliff.”
That was a great idea, but one that required more than one person. “Once you get the lumber where you need it, may I suggest you return back here and start sketching out what you’ll need in skills for our rangers? Then when Tom arrives around noon, feed him and bring him out to the mounds. Once you’ve delivered him, return here and see if you can grasp how to use the project planning software. Tom won’t give us people until we give him a project plan.”
Instead of being outraged, Tess glanced at her grams and then smiled with gratitude. “I’ve already had my class in project planning, so hopefully it will be similar to the software I used.”
He looked up. “Thank you, God.” He then stood. “I have managed to skirt doing that crap up ’til now, but Tom is holding my feet to the fire. No employees until we get him a plan.”
“I’ll have you a plan within the week,” she promised.
They geared up and headed out. When they came to the fork where they would split, she dropped her pack then dug about, retrieving his lunch and hers. “Take them both in case you need more energy to get home.” She then handed him a gun. “I grabbed this out of your drawer. You can shoot, can’t you?”
He nodded, trying to repress his grin.
“I’m serious. I don’t want Grumpy eating you just because I failed to teach you how to shoot.”
“I served in the British Army as a marksman.”
She smiled for a second but lost it. “If he starts charging, don’t try to scare him. Shoot him right between the eyes. I can’t risk losing such a nice boss.”
Before he could reply to her disturbing advice, she’d already turned to head down the trail.
“Hey!” Steel called out.
She stopped and faced him, her head tilting to the right.
“What’s going to keep Grumpy from eating you?”
“My excellent climbing skill, my hatchet, and a very loud helicopter.”
He tried to hand her back the gun, but she stepped back like he had the plague. “Grumpy likes the mounds…so you need it more than me.”
“All right,” he said, “but keep yourself safe…and don’t forget to be back at the house to receive and feed Tom.”
Her eyes turned glassy. “I will. Thank you.”
Her response confused him until he realized she believed he asked her to stay home so she could care for her grams. Shame lambasted him. He should have thought of that first and foremost.
Tess needed time with Helen.
***
Tess sprinted to the swamp, hoping to finish this chore as fast as possible and get back to Grams. The speed of her grandmother’s decline frightened Tess. Yesterday, she had saved them from Grumpy, and today she evidently didn’t have the strength to get out of her chair.
How long had she been hiding her pain?
Tess slowed as guilt overwhelmed her. God, had she been so
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