The Mechanics of Mistletoe - Liz Isaacson Page 0,32

off the walls so the texturing could dry. Arizona said she could paint herself, and as soon as the windows were in, she and her mother would move back into the house.

With everything done and the sun shining overhead, Sammy joined the group on the back deck. Ranger and Bishop stood on one side of a table and handed out sections of a sub sandwich, smiling all the while.

“Thanks,” Sammy said, taking her plate. She grabbed a snack-sized bag of chips and turned to find Bear. He sat with a couple of other men, but his eyes found hers easily. He pointed to a spot kitty-corner from him, and Sammy walked over to take the seat.

Sammy was used to working in hot conditions, but today felt like sitting on the surface of the sun. Without air conditioning inside the house, she’d been sweating for a good few hours.

“The only brother you haven’t met,” Bear said. “Is Cactus.” He indicated the man on Sammy’s left. “He’s kind of just like his name. Prickly and to the point.” He smiled at the man, and Sammy did too.

Cactus did not, and her smile withered quickly. “You’re dating our dear Bear?” he asked, his voice indeed quite sharp.

“That’s right.” Sammy picked up her sandwich, well aware of how many listening ears lingered nearby. She took a big bite, hoping it would buy her time to answer whatever Cactus might ask next.

He had the same pair of electric blue eyes as Bear, but his hair was at least three shades darker. He too wore a beard, but his nose wasn’t as pointed as Bear’s. He wore a white cowboy hat too, another difference, and his face seemed wider and rounder than Bear’s.

He didn’t ask another question, and Sammy started to relax. Her phone chimed, and she pulled it out of her pocket. Several other notifications went off, and she knew why when she looked at her phone.

The school district had texted. Please read our announcement regarding the rest of the school year. A link sat there, and Sammy tapped on it with a slightly shaking finger.

She didn’t have great service out here, and her screen turned white and stayed there while the website tried to load.

“They’ve canceled school for the rest of the year,” Squire said, his voice loud and carrying across all the other conversations.

“Really?” Finn asked. “So it’s summer vacation?”

“I don’t think this is a vacation, son,” Cactus muttered, but no one heard him besides Sammy.

Her heart fell into her stomach, and she suddenly didn’t want to eat another bite. No school for the rest of the year. Summer vacation five weeks early. Her job as Lincoln’s mother just got a whole lot harder, and she looked away from the still-loading website and looked at Bear.

“Not good?” he asked.

She shook her head, because she didn’t want to talk about it right now.

Later that night, after she’d finished at Shiloh Ridge, gone to the shop for a few hours, and then stopped by her parents’ yard and got the front grass mowed, she finally walked in the back door of her cottage, the sun already on the way down.

Pure exhaustion pulled through her in every direction, and she found a card standing up on the table. The cottage was otherwise quiet, and regret only added to the negative cocktail of emotions swirling through her.

She picked up the card and took it to the couch, where she collapsed with a sigh. Lincoln had made the card, and he’d drawn a picture of a sports car on the front. He was a good little artist, and Sammy had signed him up for a painting class at the Boys and Girls Club in town. They’d canceled it, as the club building had a cracked foundation from the tornadoes, and they were trying to find somewhere else to hold their programs.

Inside the card, Lincoln had written, Sammy, thank you for being my mom.

Instant tears pricked her eyes, and her chest hitched painfully.

Can I come work with you at the shop tomorrow?

She pressed the card to her bosom and closed her eyes. He was bored here with her parents. It was too hard to send him to a friend’s house, as everyone had work to do around Three Rivers. Those that didn’t were helping those that did.

She took the card upstairs and into Lincoln’s room. The child lay very still in bed, despite the squeak of the door when Sammy opened it. She crossed to his bed and sat