She made the drinks as Ethan told them about Darren and Johann, the vandalism and the fire.“There’s a trail behind the property I want to check out in more detail.”
“Any security cameras?”Noah asked.
“None.Crime rate is pretty low in Honeybrook,” Ethan answered.
“You want us to set up a watch tonight?”Heath asked.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to scare him off either if he’s watching.”
Rhys nodded.“We can make a show of leaving after dinner.”
Chelsea brought the espressos to the table, and Ethan pointed to Rhys and Noah.
“We’ll do a full survey to make sure all points are covered,” Dobby said.
Chelsea made the tea, fascinated by the way the men understood what each other meant without needing further clarification.She glanced at Mila, who looked equally interested.
By the time the drinks were made, the men seemed to have agreed on a plan, but she wasn’t sure what it was.She glanced at Mila.“Did you understand any of that?”
Mila laughed.“Not much.I’m sure they’ll fill us in.”She gave Dobby a look, but it was Ethan who answered.
“You’re going to show them through the garden and put them to work, while Dobby and I scope the trail behind the house,” he said.“Then we’ll need to go to the shops and buy food to feed this lot for dinner.”
“I can’t ask you all to work in the garden.”These were soldiers who were here to catch the culprit, not pull up weeds.
Rhys shrugged.“We were planning to come and help before the attacks.This place meant a lot to Ethan as a kid.”
And that was apparently all the reason they needed.She could understand why Ethan considered these men as brothers.“I appreciate it, though you might regret the offer when you see my list.”
“Can’t be anything worse than what we’ve done in the past,” Heath said.
Her mind ticked over about where would be the best.“We’ll have to wait until Barry is done in the public garden.”At Connor’s frown, she said, “He’s filming himself and I don’t want to risk him catching you on camera.”
Connor smiled.“It’s not a problem for me.I’m not special forces.I just tag along sometimes.”
Dobby grinned.“You rescue one dog on a mission, and Connor’s your friend for life.”
There was a story she’d like to hear one day.
“I noticed one of your structures burned,” Connor continued.“I’m an engineer as well, so I could check it out for you.”
Chelsea nodded her thanks, too overwhelmed to speak.She’d been wondering how much it would cost her to get someone to review all the structures in the garden and make sure they were still sound.She swallowed hard.“That would be great.”
Ethan gathered up the cups, and the men got to their feet, making the area feel crowded but safe.
So many people willing to help.Aunt Maggie would have been thrilled.
Chelsea led the way out of the house.“Let’s put you to work.”
Chapter 16
Ethan grinned as Chelsea made quick work of assigning his teammates tasks.He loved the way they accepted her lead, even Noah, who had a few issues working with others.As they split into groups, he rubbed his chest.Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine returning to Lilydale and having so many people supporting him.
“She’d make a good drill sergeant,” Dobby commented as they slipped away from the others and headed for the lake trail.
Ethan nodded.“Her brain is incredible.You should see the plan she has for this place and it keeps growing.It’s going to be insane by the time she’s done.”
“You two back together?”Dobby asked.
