Unexpected Love (White Oak-Mafia #2) (26 page)

“Do you need me to help down here?” Frank asked.

“No.” She saw the disappointment in his eyes. “I’ll be in front of the cart to ensure its front edge doesn’t catch on anything.”

“I can help with that,” he stated softly.

Frank needed redemption. “Okay, you can take the lead on this, and I’ll go up to coach the guys on the best way to get this monster up.”

She patted Frank’s back and headed up the hill.

Steel frowned as he came to her side and whispered, “You sure Frank can do whatever you were going to do?”

“I am, and I think I can help you make this easier on your arms up here.”

“You planning to pull?” Sonny asked as he approached them.

“Not with this much superior muscle available. I plan to be the guy who sits at the front of the boat and yells ‘row’.”

They all laughed, even Dan.

Once they arrived at the top, she gathered her four pullers in a small circle. “Under no circumstances can we allow this machine to go sailing down the hill.”

“That would be bad,” Jack said. “Can’t we use the drag to prevent that?”

“We will. But if you pull too fast, you’ll either waste your strength fighting with the drag mechanism or worse yet, you might pull the drag off the cable entirely, allowing for the scenario we don’t want to happen. So instead we are going to make use of the drag to give you time to regroup on your rope pulling. The box will probably go down an inch as you re-adjust the rope, but I believe your muscles will appreciate the moment of relaxation.”

“We’ll follow your command,” Steel said.

And to her amazement, they did.

Frank attended to the few rocks she thought might catch the bottom of the box.  Otherwise, he walked slightly to the front and left of the GPR.

The drag proved a life saver at the end. As did Frank who had fresh arms. The box was a half inch lower than the top platform. He joined Steel, Tess, and Jack who were trying to lift the box over the top. With his fresh strength, the front edge of the cart lifted over and slid onto the wooden platform.

Everyone credited Frank for his assist.

Tess rubbed her aching arms. “Sorry about not checking the clearance.”

Jack ruffled her hair. “Don’t even go there.”

“Ditto,” Steel said and ruffled her hair. That caused a tsunami of ruffling her hair from every one of the men. When they finished, her hair felt like a bird’s nest gone mad.

“Great,” she said as her fingers tangled in the knots. She gave up and huffed. “Well, you guys gotta look at it, not me.”

“You have a brush,” Sonny insisted.

She stared at him in challenge.

“All females carry brushes,” he added.

“How old are you?” she snapped.

“Twenty-three.”

Steel chuckled. “If you plan to make twenty-four, you might want to shut up now.”

***

Steel tugged at Tess’s tangles with gentle fingers, while Frank and Jack freed the pampered GPR.

“Try it out and make sure it works,” Frank said.

“You think it couldn’t make that trip?” Steel challenged.

“No. A baby could have slept through that trip. I’m worried about the trip to the cabin two days ago. I should have checked it when we got there, but it was dark and I got distracted by wanting to see what we’d found.”

Steel stopped untangling her hair. “You may have to cut your hair when we get home.”

“Better not,” Tess growled. She couldn’t even pretend anger when Steel went to Frank and placed his hand on the man’s back. “I could have done the same. As could have any of your men. We all wanted to see the output. Let’s just hope for the best.”

They all watched Jack as he moved it to a section not covered with lumber and attempted to start the machine.

Nothing.

Everyone groaned in unison.

Jack removed the panel and stared at the electronics. Dan knelt beside him. “Mind if I touch things?”

Jack sighed. “Can’t kill it worse.”

Something Dan pressed made a decided click.

“Did you just break something,” Frank demanded.

“Try it now,” Dan said and looked at Frank. “One of the chips had come loose. I snapped it back in.”

Jack closed the panel and flipped the switch. Green lights glowed, and the screen went from dark grey to light blue. “It’s alive!” Jack cried out.

Frank smiled and gave Dan a man hug.

Dan pushed him away. “In the future, if you feel compelled to send a hug my way, send it through Tess.”

Tess pointed to someone running up the hill. “Luke’s here!”

Frank scowled. “He should have been here over an hour ago.

When Luke arrived breathing too hard to speak, Frank bellowed, “I told you to be here by six. I was beginning to think I’d be running the magneto meters on my own.” Frank handed him his probe.

Having caught his breath, Luke grimaced. “It was touch and go.” He glanced at Tess. “I don’t think you should call the path up here a road.”

“How many ravines did you cross?” she asked.

“Lost count. Seemed like a hundred. One was so wide I used the planks to drive down into it and back up the other side.”

He had to be exaggerating because that wasn’t even possible with only two planks, but she decided not to make an issue of it. “I’ll have to call Andy and see how the other side is. If he can’t deliver, then we may need to send a convoy shopping.”

Luke eyes narrowed. “Is Andy another one of your boyfriends?”

Everyone, including Tess, stopped working and stared at him.

She didn’t like the angry challenge in his eyes. “I don’t have nor want a boyfriend.”

He sneered. “Not what I hear.”

“Then you heard wrong,” she snapped and focused on building the shed.

“Shut your mouth, get to work,” Steel ordered, giving Luke an I’m-talking-to-you glare.

When they stopped for lunch, Frank pulled Luke halfway down the hill. Sonny and Jack immediately followed.

Tess took the moment to lean into Steel’s chest. “Can you find out what Luke heard about me? I need to know if whatever people are saying is going to rile my father into action.”

“I’ll get the down-low right before I send him packing. Your shed looks almost finished.”

She shook her head. “Roofs and doors take a lot of time.”

He kissed her temple. “You are amazing. You know that?”

She smiled and basked in his admiration for nearly a minute before all hell broke loose farther down the hill.

“You’re a damn liar!” Sonny yelled.

“And you’re an idiot!” Luke countered. “When I was at the bar, every guy there claimed to have done her.”

Tess gasped in horror and looked up at Steel. She gripped his hand as he tried to leave. “That’s not true.”

He closed his eyes and breathed in and out before finally speaking. “I know that, but I’m sending Luke off now because I don’t want him ruining any more days with distractions.”

She released his hand. She didn’t want Luke in her house any longer either.

Dan followed Steel down, leaving her all alone to listen to her boss fire Luke in no uncertain terms, declaring him unprofessional, unreliable, and disruptive.

“You really believe she’s only sleeping with you?” Luke replied.

“She’s not sleeping with me or anyone else here,” Steel countered. “And she has nothing to do with my decision to fire you. I’m firing you solely on your actions. Frank, will you escort this ass back to the house and watch him as he packs his stuff? Make sure he doesn’t take anything that doesn’t belong specifically to him. And get him in his truck before two so he has a reasonable chance making it down the road before nightfall.”

“With pleasure,” Frank replied. “Come along, asshole.”

The rest of the guys returned to the mound, but only Steel and Dan would look at Tess.

She approached Jack and Sonny. “Whatever he told you was a lie. Someone is trashing my name. I don’t know why yet, but I will find out.”

Jack stared across the trees in the direction of Dubuque. “Well, if you find out and want us to beat the shit out of them, we’ll be glad to do it.”

Sonny nodded in agreement.

“Actually, I’d rather we just put it aside and focus on our work. We were having a good day, and I want to get it back.”

To set an example, she climbed on the shed and had Dan pass her up a bundle of shingles.

“Where’d you learn to shingle?” Sonny asked. “Oh wait, I know. Your grams taught you.”

She laughed. “That she did.”

“So where’d
she
learn to shingle?”

“I have no idea where Grams learned all the stuff she knew. She was ‘all knowing’ when I arrived.”

Dan had his binoculars out, focused on the trail to the cabin. She presumed he was watching Frank and Luke so when she needed a second bundle, she climbed down and got it herself.

He came to her aid as she struggled to lift the heavy pack onto the roof. “I would have gotten it,” he complained.

“You were doing your job,” she whispered.

His eyes softened, and he nodded. “I can still help you when you need it.”

She rewarded him with a smile and climbed back up and continued shingling.

Dan resumed his bird-brain watching. Still, when she asked for another stack, he handed it up without hesitation. She’d finished the roof and was working on the door when Dan finally returned to helping her.

Less than a minute later, Frank returned, radiating anger. He stared at Steel. “Not that it matters, but I support you a hundred percent for firing that bastard.”

“Actually, I’m pleased you agree with my decision. I’m aware we’ve bumped heads at times, but I value your opinion.”

His statement clearly shocked and pleased Frank. He checked on his men and then got to work.

Dan proved to be experienced at building doors, so Tess let him assemble the right door while she cut the left door. They had the shed done by two.

She knelt beside Steel, working with Sonny. “Shed’s done. I’m going to take the carrier back to the house and find out if Andy can deliver groceries.”

“You okay?” he asked, gripping her hand.

“This day has mostly been excellent.”

He smiled. “Thank you for reminding me of that.” He nodded to her work. “That is one hell of a shed.”

She smiled. “I put a padlock on it, but Dan didn’t seem impressed, so I expect he’ll want to buy a better one. But for tonight, here’s the key in case you lock it and then think of something else you want inside.”

He shook his head as he pocketed the key. “I have no idea how I would get things done without you.”

She grinned. “Same goes for me. I couldn’t have done any of this without my super-duper team.”

He grimaced. “I know you’re mad at Tom, but could you let him know I fired Luke, and I’ll explain why when I get in.”

Frank looked up from his mound. “Sorry, I called him the moment I sent Luke off. I didn’t want that bastard speaking to Tom before he heard our side of the matter.”

Steel smiled at Tess. “You don’t have to call Tom now.”

She wiped her brow playfully.

“You are, eventually, going to have to apologize to him.” He held his hand up to silence her protest. “Even if he was in the wrong. We need him on our side.
You
need him.”

That was true. She didn’t have a chance of getting into the University of Minnesota without Tom’s help. “You’re right. I’ll call him this afternoon and apologize for hanging up on him.”

“Offer him our plan’s latest update. He seems to like those.”

She chuckled. “He really does. But let me work on it a bit more, then you can review it, and we’ll send it later tonight.”

“Sounds like a plan. Now stop distracting me from my job.”

Her jaw dropped at his scold. “I am not distracting you. It must be my beautiful shed that keeps you from your work.”

Steel chuckled. “Nope, it’s you.”

Tess sighed with playful exasperation, then smiled at Frank. “I’m assigning you to be the time lord. You guys need to be off this mound and headed home by four-thirty.”

“Four thirty…off the mound,” Frank repeated.

“Which means you have to stop before that,” she added.

“That goes without saying.”

Realizing she had overstepped and was micromanaging a guy who was accustomed to being the boss, she smiled. “Okay, my work here is done.”

“Tess,” Frank called out, stopping her. “You were a lifesaver this morning, and that shed is a beauty.” The other guys agreed.

“Dan helped,” she reminded them.

Dead silence followed.

She patted Dan’s arm as she passed him. “Well, I appreciated the help.”

He nodded and helped her re-hook the cart to the trolley. When she pulled off the drag, his eyebrow rose in challenge.