Tarr held up his phone. “I found the camera and disabled it, so we’re good on the entire basement level.”
Briar grinned at him. “That is good news.”
“Sorry I had to go take those phone calls.” He didn’t slow his pace as he reached her, and he wrapped her in his arms and lifted her right off her feet. She squealed and held on to his shoulders until he put her down.
“Who called?” she asked.
“The first was the general contractor, and he said he’s going to be out on Tuesday to look at my site and see what we need to do to get the house built by spring.”
“That’s great news,” she said.
“And I’d put out a few feelers about a different RV,” he said. “Though I think the one I have is fine if I can get it hooked up to water and electricity.”
“Yeah, but how are you going to do that?” Briar stepped back and laced her hands through his. “I thought we’d sit in the second row, so we’re still pretty high up, but we’re not right by the door.”
“Sure.” Tarr didn’t care where they sat in the theater room at all. He let Briar lead him down a couple of steps to the second row of luxury loungers, where she’d positioned the cooler on the floor between their feet and the popcorn and red licorice on the armrest between them.
“My friend Jentzen is going to come move the RV next to the barn,” he said. “I talked to Ashton, who said he stays in the loft sometimes when he can’t get off the ranch due to weather, and he said there’s a semi-bedroom up there—just a queen bed with a blanket and a pillow. And of course there’s a bathroom in the arena. Tuck has a space heater out there for the winter, and it does okay, because, you know, we keep the arena air-conditioned and heated.”
“Right,” Briar said.
“But Ashton then said we can just hook the RV up to the water and electricity in the arena, and if I park it on the southside, I’ll get all the winter sunlight and get some shelter from the wind.”
He sank into his chair and looked over to Briar as she did the same. “You’re going to sit all the way over there?”
“I’m not going to sit on your lap during the whole movie,” she said, with some measure of disgust in her voice.
“There’s plenty of room in this chair for both of us, sweetheart.” He grinned at her, but Briar just rolled her eyes.
“Eat your treats first, and then maybe I’ll come sit by you.”
“That would be gift number five, that’s all I’m saying. I’m pretty sure we could get to thirty-three.” He lifted the bag of popcorn. “This could be number six. The Diet Dr. Pepper, number seven. Root beer, number eight. Red Vines, number nine.”
Briar smiled and simply shook her head, but Tarr’s happiness would not be contained.
“So Jentzen said he can come look at my RV, help me with the stovepipe, and help me move it, since I’m not sure I can get it off the corner of the property where it is right now.”
“That’s great,” Briar said. “When’s he going to do that?”
“Wednesday,” Tarr said. “And Bobbie Jo and Tuck don’t get back till Thursday, so I might be able to get out of here before then.”
“You could just stay here with them,” Briar said. “I don’t get why you don’t want to. You have your own suite up there on the second floor, and they’re a really sweet couple.”
“Yeah, I know,” Tarr said. “I just feel lame. And besides, Ashton said that Tuck’s new client is going to be living here with them, and Rosie is going to stay for a while too, so I can’t have the suite and then put both of them down here.”
“Why not?” Briar asked, in her usually salty way. “There arethreebedrooms andtwobathrooms down here. How much room do you think they need?”
“I don’t know. It just feels weird, with them not being married at all. It’d be nice if they could each have their own floor.”
“Well, I’m sure Tucker and Bobbie Jo can explain the situation to them.”
“Yeah, but if I can get the RV moved next to the arena, then I can steal some of that electricity and water, and if it’s really bad, I can sleep in the room where Ashton sometimes does.”
“Well, it sounds like you’ve got a plan,” Briar said. “I didn’t know there was a bedroom in the arena.”
“He said it’s up on the second floor, along the row of offices. And he said it’s pretty bare, but he’s managed to make do with a case of water and some beef jerky. And then, of course, he can come to the house and eat with Tuck and Bobbie Jo.”
“Maybe you could put a microwave and a mini-fridge there.”
