Page 21 of Flint

I open my mouth to tell them that they're welcome to ride with me, but Ronnie shakes her head. “You boys are with me right now. Flint will meet us over there.”

Branson opens his mouth, and I suspect he’s about to argue.

“Best listen to your mom, boys. The sooner we get over there, the sooner you get to see the farm.”

Ronnie looks exhausted when we arrive at my cabin. She’s out of her car fast and fighting a yawn. “If we can get the beds unloaded tonight, then tomorrow, I’ll finish unloading the trailer if that’s good with you.”

“Actually, there’s something I want to show you and the boys,” I say suddenly nervous that maybe I’ve made a terrible mistake.

Chapter 10

Flint

She nods, and the four of them follow me into the house. I don’t bother to unlock the door. I can’t remember the last time I worried about locking it, probably since before I moved to Courage County.

“I have a surprise for you two,” I tell the boys.

“For me?” Brock asks.

“He said two which means both of us! Tell him!” Branson demands.

“Cool it. The surprise is for both of you,” I say in my most authoritative voice when I see the deep lines on Ronnie’s face. She looks dead on her feet. She’s started a new job this week, packed up her home, and moved in with her future husband. It’s a lot to process.

I lead them through the kitchen and living room that they barely glance at because they’re busying trying to guess the surprise.

“It’s not a rocket ship or a horse or a race car,” I tell them as I open the door to the bedroom that’s going to be theirs. I step back and wait, letting them go in before me. I smile when I hear their gasps of delight.

“This is better than a rocket ship!” Branson shouts.

“Inside voice,” I remind him gently.

I turn to see Ronnie has pressed a hand to her mouth. Maybe it's my imagination, but it looks like there are tears in her eyes. “You built this for them?”

“I’ve been known to own a hammer,” I answer, rather than tell her that Kane, Ridge, and I have been working on this round-the-clock for the past five days. We built the boys a set of bunk beds. Except that the bottom is lined with a wooden cutout that looks like T-rex teeth, the same as the top.

When the boys go to sleep at night, it’ll look like they crawled into the mouth of a giant dinosaur. Judging by the way they throw themselves on the dinosaur themed bedspreads, I think they’re pretty happy with it.

“I can’t believe you did this,” she murmurs.

“I had a few spare minutes on my hands this week,” I explain.

Alice makes a disbelieving noise from where she’s standing. I'm not going to be able to get anything by her.

“Why don’t you both set up their room? I’ll get their boxes,” I tell the two of them. It’s been obvious from the moment I showed up to help them move that Alice and Ronnie both care the most about making sure the boys feel safe and loved.

Whistling under my breath, I make sure to unload their stuff first. It doesn't take me long to get everything unloaded. It’s not that the boys were difficult, but they definitely slowed me down when I was loading the truck at Ronnie’s house. Now at my cabin, it’s easier to move everything while they’re distracted.

By the time I'm finished, the boys have their room completely set up thanks to Alice and Ronnie. They go to fuss over Ronnie’s room while I grab the hardware for Alice’s ancient bed. I make a note to have a new mattress delivered when I see the springs poking out of hers.

Clearly, their little family has been making do for a long time, and I want to be the man that changes things. I want the chance to spoil all of them day and night.

After the bed, I slide Alice's armoire into place followed by her armchair. I wonder again what she meant when she was referring to Ronnie’s condition. Maybe she has a bad back, I decide. I’ll ask Alice later if I should buy a heating pad for my girl.

“You kept that hammer handy,” Alice says with wonderment in her tone when she steps into the bedroom that’s become hers and sees the bed put together already. She pins me with a hard look. Her chin wobbles when she opens her mouth, “I love the most special girl in the whole world.”

I pause, setting down my screwdriver. “That makes two of us.”

She sinks into her white armchair covered in clear plastic. The fabric has a pattern on it, pink and red roses that women seem to love so much. “You know, I’ve buried two husbands and one son. I loved all of them fiercely, and I believe each one died knowing that…which means I’m left with only one regret in life.”