Sean nodded and took a careful look at what they’d achieved since they’d started. It didn’t seem like much, but they were slowly getting there. For most of yesterday, they’d focused on the loft and the larger pieces of equipment that had made their way into the barn. It was dirty, dusty work, but it felt good to be making progress.
He turned around when he heard the rattle of an engine behind them.
“I’m using a tractor to move the hay,” Nathan yelled from the driver’s seat. “Otherwise, we’ll still be here at Christmas.”
Sean took his leather gloves out of his back pocket. “Make sure no one gets in Nathan’s way,” he told Liam. “Some of the people here haven’t worked around a tractor.”
“Where will you be?”
“Up front, doing the same thing.”
Liam’s gaze roamed around the dusty barn. “Do you think we’ll get it done in time?”
“We have to.” And with a final wave to his brother, he made sure Nathan had a clear path to the back of the barn.
Later the following afternoon,Becky studied the rickety old ladder leaning against the loft. With everyone enjoying a cold drink, it was the first chance she’d had all day of being in the barn without other people around her.
Perched high above the hay-covered floor, the loft might provide other possibilities for the decorations. Without second-guessing herself, she placed her hands on the rungs of the ladder.
“What are you doing?” Sean yelled from the main doors.
“I want to see if we can hang some decorations from the rail that runs along the edge of the loft.”
“It’s too high.”
“I’ve been climbing ladders since I was a few years old.” Wasting no time, she quickly moved halfway up the ladder. “See. Easy peasy.”
“Don’t go any higher.”
Sean’s voice sounded closer. She looked down at him and smiled. “My gran used to say I was born with wings under my feet. There wasn’t anywhere I couldn’t climb.”
“You aren’t ten years old anymore.” Sean grabbed hold of the ladder as it gave a nervous wobble. “You should come down before you fall down.”
“Matthew and Nathan were climbing up and down the ladder yesterday. If they can do it, so can I.”
She stepped even higher and surveyed the view below. “’Tis a marvel a barn of this age hasn’t twisted and warped beyond repair.”
“They knew what they were doing.” Sean’s face seemed a little pale. “No one will care if there aren’t any decorations hanging from the loft, so you might as well come down.”
“I saw a picture of some large chandeliers we can rent if we have power outlets up here. They would look spectacular dangling from the edge of the loft.”
“Come down, Becky. Who will help me decorate the barn if you break your stubborn neck?” As if to prove his point, the wood under her foot cracked and the rung gave way.
As her foot slipped, Sean lunged forward, stopping the ladder from tipping backward.
With a pounding heart, she stuck her foot on another rung and held on tight. Dear Lord. She’d almost plunged to her death in a barn that was still covered in grime.
“Maybe you’re right,” she mumbled. Taking more care, she made her way down the ladder. She glanced at Sean, hoping he wasn’t the type of man to tell her ‘I told you so’.
One look at his face had her more worried about him than what he would say.
“Are you all right?” His eyes had turned a deep, dark, emerald green and he looked as though he was about to be sick.
“I’m not good with heights, especially when someone I love does an idiotic thing like climbing into a loft.”
“It’s not idiotic to want to…wait…did you say you love me?”
He leaned forward, bracing his hands against his knees. “I did.”
