Tugging on the brim of his Acadia National Park cap, he marched toward the boat ramp where everyone was told to meet. Knowing how much work had to be done, he’d worn his oldest uniform and had foregone the traditional park ranger hat for the cap. His fleece was needed for now, but it would probably be gone once they got going.
“I’m going to let you run this show.” Rico Montenegro, the other ranger working the cleanup, dropped a box of industrial strength yard bags on the ground at their feet.
Theo grinned, trying to ignore the fact Chelsea had moved closer. Her proximity was causing havoc to his system.
“That means I can give you the boardwalk side to supervise, huh?”
Half of the trail around Jordan Pond was a flat, graded path that skimmed the side of the lake. The other half was a narrow boardwalk created by large trees, halved and propped on other stumps. It wended through the woods yet remained within sight of the water. Some of these planks might need to be replaced. depending on how much damage they’d taken over the winter. It would definitely be the harder of the two jobs.
Rico eyed the small crowd. “I don’t care which side I get, but be kind with who you put on my team.”
Gauging the few dozen volunteers gathered around, Theo suspected the group of teenage girls wearing skimpy shorts, snug, revealing t-shirts under their unzipped fleeces, and Uggs were most likely the ones Rico wanted to avoid. The girls were probably here because of him. The man’s dark good looks attracted a fair amount of young female visitors wherever he was stationed.
Theo wasn’t exactly dog meat, but anytime the college girls showed up, he flashed his wedding ring and made it known he was off limits. His gaze moved to Chelsea, who stood by herself staring at the water. Did she still have her ring? Wear it? It had surprised him he’d never gotten divorce papers. That wasn’t something he was going to initiate.
Checking his watch and seeing it was a few minutes past meet-up time, Theo cleared his throat. “If you could all gather over here, I’d like to get started.”
Everyone crowded closer, and Theo sized them up. The four giggling college girls. A number of local couples, ranging in age from thirty to fifty, dressed in typical hiking gear. Two guys in their twenties who kept eyeing the college girls. Yup, keep them apart. Several other men and women who didn’t appear to be together. And then Chelsea. Rico’s group would be the best place for her. No way he could handle having her nearby the whole day.
“We’re the park rangers who’ll be leading you today. This is Ranger Rico Montenegro and I’m Ranger Theo Lapierre. We’ll be splitting you into two groups, so we can tackle both sides of the pond.”
The young girls sidled closer to Rico, who looked decidedly uncomfortable. The man was a bit of a loner and the last thing he’d want was to deal with that crap all day.
“You’ll all need gloves as was stated in the volunteer form you filled out.” Why hadn’t he taken a closer look at the list of volunteers? He’d left that detail to Rico. Grabbing the clipboard his friend carried, he glanced down the names, and sure enough, there it was. Chelsea Woodridge-Lapierre. Seriously? She’d kept his last name? Had actuallytakenhis last name? What did that mean?
After calling and checking off the names on the list, he and Rico took turns explaining what the task was for the day and the rules regarding the wildlife and vegetation. Get the biggest obstructions out of the way and collect any trash and debris. They wouldn’t finish it all today but would do as much as they could. The volunteers grabbed shovels, rakes, and trash bags. Pointing to the two young men, a few couples, and some of the single stragglers, Theo told them to move near the path. They’d do that side with Rico. His crew would take the boardwalk.
As the volunteers grabbed their gear and headed toward their destinations, Rico raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Thought I was getting the hard part today. Plus, you took the gigglers. Looks like I’m going to owe you big time.”
“And I’ll collect, too.”
Rico stashed the clipboard in his backpack. “I noticed the cute brunette is named Lapierre. Any relation? She can’t keep her eyes off you.”
“My wife.” Typically, he didn’t get into details about the relationship he and Chelsea had had, but one night after he and Rico had downed a few too many beers, he’d spilled his guts. Rico had a few secrets of his own, so it evened out. They trusted each other.
“Why’s she here?”
Theo shrugged. “Don’t know. She seemed surprised I was still on the island.”
“Want me to take her with my team?”
Never any prying questions from him. That’s why he liked the man. It would be best if Rico worked with her, since his senses were on overload from simply looking at her. Then again, they always said, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” He wasn’t sure which category Chelsea fell into yet.
“Nah, I need to see what she’s up to.”
Rico slapped him on the back, then indicated the radio on his belt. “Let me know if you need rescuing.”
As Rico marched away, Theo shrugged into his backpack and picked up the small chainsaw he’d brought. There were always a few large trees that couldn’t be pushed out of the way or lifted.
By the time he crossed the small stone bridge and made it around to the path on the boardwalk side, his crew had already started removing the most obvious debris.
“Any small twigs and wood that can be used as kindling can be stacked on the side of the path. I’ll pick it up later. For now, we want to concentrate on clearing the trail.” Anything too heavy or too far in, he’d get with a boat at another time.
His eyes automatically searched for Chelsea as he passed some of the workers. Sensibly, she’d worn jeans, work boots, and a hoodie. Like she had the first time they’d met. He’d been fairly new at the park and had dressed in his best uniform, out to impress. It had gotten ruined with the mud, sticks, and rocks he’d needed to climb over and through.
Something about her had kicked him in the gut as soon as he’d set eyes on her. It wasn’t only her beauty. It was a rare peace that she exuded when she’d looked at the lake. As if standing here was all she ever needed to be fulfilled. That had been proven wrong soon enough.
Shaking his head, he started tugging on the larger branches that had dropped during the winter winds. Chelsea was doing the same. One especially large branch was giving her a hard time, so he grabbed the chain saw and trotted to her side.
