Yep, he could relate.
* * *
“What should we do with it?”Jay asked, crossing his arms to fend off the cold as he took in the rusting Toyota Corolla hatchback. Hood up because the car wouldn’t start, the thing looked like it should have been abandoned by the side of the road ten years ago.
Well past dusk, Zander stood beside him on the brightly lit porch and tried to warm his hands by rubbing them together. “I’ve got some M112 demolition blocks,” he said. “Think Summer will mind if we blow up her car?”
Met with silence, the suggestion hung in the air.
“Okay,” Cody huffed. “I’ll bite. Where the fuck did you get military grade C-4?”
Zander responded with a lazy grin and an even lazier one-shouldered shrug.
“Please tell me you don’t keep it under your pillow,” Adam said, shaking his head.
“Nah. It’s stored in a safe place.”
Grant groaned and zippered his worn Carhartt. “It’s in the fucking barn, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry about it. Like I said, it’s safe. Besides, you never know when you might need some explosives.”
“Jesus,” Chase replied, swinging his gaze from the car to the large wooden structure at the far edge of the clearing. “Do me a favor, Z, and keep that shit away from Gray.”
“I second that.” Cody shuddered. “She’s crazy enough to plant a little brain-blasting nugget under all our pillows.”
Simultaneous snorts of agreement filled the air.
“You know I can hear you, right?” Gray leaned back and reached her arm around Chase’s back to punch Cody in the arm. “That’s for calling me crazy, numbnuts.”
“Ow.” He rubbed his bicep. “So, what do we think? Should we have a little New Year’s Eve car bombing party?”
“Probably not a good idea to destroy Summer’s car on her first day,” Davis said. “It might hurt her feelings.”
“Good point,” Adam agreed, slinging his arm around the teen’s shoulder, and giving him a squeeze. “We can’t leave it out front, though.”
“I can get the tractor,” Davis replied, his excitement about driving the old Massey Ferguson impossible to miss. “We can tow it behind the barn for now.”
“Yeah, good plan. I’ll find the chains. Be right back, baby.” Chase kissed Gray, and skipping two of the four steps, he walked off the porch with Davis right behind him.
“I’ll help,” Grant offered.
“Wait for me,” Cody hollered, his breath fogging around his head as he planted his hand on the railing before hoisting his body over it, beating Grant to the ground by half a second.
“Me too.” Zander ambled his bulk down the stairs. Jay had never seen the man rush to do anything, yet things still got done before anyone asked.
“I’m going inside,” Gray grumbled. “It’s fucking cold out here.” She pivoted on her boot and disappeared through the front door.
And that left two.
Adam looked his way and cocked a brow.
Yeah, Jay had some groveling to do. He’d taken a risk bringing a stranger out to the ranch without Adam’s knowledge or consent. But the man had found fault with every single candidate he and Eve had interviewed over video conference. At the rate he’d been going, they wouldn’t have found a nanny before the baby turned sixteen.
Besides, Gray had gotten it right. Summer was perfect.
At twenty-four, the girl had plenty of experience. Zero social media presence. Few family or friend connections. And needed the job after being fired from her last position with Montana’s governor. Some trumped-up bullshit about Summer breaking house rules and entering Marla Wagner’s home office to pick up Lego.
Who gets fired for picking up Lego?
