“Let’s hear it.”
After a brief explanation and request for his help, Ranger promised he would hit the road as soon as he got the rest of the boys “off their asses and on their bikes.”
“You better eat a good breakfast, little miss. Papa and his friends are on their way.”
Gabby cheered in excitement just as Ronan entered the room. “Good news I assume?”
“Papa’s coming to help. And he’s bringing his friends!” Gabby shouted.
“Is he?” Ronan asked, trying and failing to sound surprised. “When will he be here?”
“Likely around lunch time,” I answered and clapped my hands together. “We better get busy getting things organized so we can start assigning jobs as soon as they arrive.”
“I’m ready to go, Gigi,” Gabby announced proudly.
“As soon as Ronan has had breakfast, we’ll head down to the field.”
My home was situated on eighty-nine acres of land, most of which wasn’t being used for anything other than looking pretty. For convenience, I thought we could use the section of land closest to the road for parking and have the Christmas village set up in the next field over.
“I’ve already had breakfast. I was just indulging in a second cup of coffee before we get to work.”
I snapped my fingers and headed for one of the cabinets. “That reminds me. I need to fill a thermos with coffee and bring some snacks with us. Gabby, go ahead and get your coat. Be sure to bring your gloves, too, and meet me in the garage.”
Ronan grabbed the thermos and snacks while I put on my coat and made sure I had my own pair of gloves. “Can I ride in the middle, Gigi?”
“Of course, you can, sweetheart,” I said and gestured to the golf cart. She climbed in and scooted as close to Ronan as possible.
“I don’t need that much room, you silly goose,” I laughed and pulled her closer to me.
“She’s fine,” Ronan whispered over her head. With a wink, he opened the garage door and drove us down to the field.
I was surprised to find three trucks with storage sheds waiting for our arrival. “Sorry, Mrs. Marks, we weren’t sure where you wanted the sheds to go,” Seth explained.
I looked to Ronan for help. “Is there an easy way to mark where the ice-skating rink is going to go?”
“Gabby, will you be my assistant?” Ronan asked her without answering my question.
“Yes, sir,” she beamed. Ronan handed her a few flags to hold. Then, he produced a wheel with an extendable stick and started walking. When he came to a stop, he said something I couldn’t hear to Gabby and pointed. She made a show of sticking the flag into the ground. They went on to place two more flags before they returned to where I was standing.
“The flags mark the corners of the ice-skating rink,” Ronan announced proudly.
“Okay, well, let’s start by placing buildings on the corners and work our way in.”
As the words were leaving my mouth, more trucks carrying storage buildings arrived. “Should we leave some space for them to deliver the rink?” I asked worriedly.
Ronan smiled and patted my shoulder. “I scheduled a few of the sheds to be delivered tomorrow afternoon to make sure there was adequate room to install the rink.”
“I still cannot believe you can order an ice-skating rink kit online.”
“I can’t believe you managed to get it next-day delivered,” Ronan added.
I waved my hand dismissively. “That was because the company is only about thirty minutes from here. I just got lucky.”
While the men gave directions on where to place the sheds, Gabby and I went to each one and wrote out detailed painting instructions. Then, we delivered the correct paint colors and supplies needed to each shed. After that, we ordered enough sandwiches, chips, and drinks to feed an army and went back to the house to wait for our helpers to arrive.
I knew Jacob and Ranger would bring a few friends to help, but I had no idea they would round up almost the entirety of not one, but two motorcycle clubs. Their rumbling engines shook the house far worse than Jacob’s helicopter ever had.
Tears were welling in my eyes when I opened the front door to greet them. “Oh, Mom, don’t cry,” Jacob said and wrapped his arms around me.
