I didn’t want to even think about how long it would take me to clear away all of the debris. Since I only had nights and weekends, it would likely take me at least a month. That put me even more behind schedule. Not to mention that I had no idea how to cover the cost of building a brand-new barn. And I needed one to house some of the animals I wanted to give homes to.
Tears stung the corners of my eyes. And the fact that they did only made me angrier. Angry that my family hated me this much. Angry that I cared. So damn rageful that it still ate me up inside.
I wanted to let it all go but I couldn’t even do that. I was back here on the land I grew up on, trying to make it right again. To somehow find some peace. But it was nowhere to be found.
Someone let out a low whistle behind me, and I whirled, my hand going to my waistband where my holster usually sat. I hadn’t even armed myself before coming out here, that’s how messed-up my mind was. But instead of my brother or Allen, I found Shiloh.
Her gaze traveled over the destruction before landing on my face. “Shit. You’re crying. I-I’m not good with tears.”
Her panic matched mine, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not good with them either—having them, anyway.”
She nodded, shifting on her feet.
“I didn’t hear you come up.”
Shiloh inclined her head to the tree line where a horse was tied off. “I took Trick. Needed a good ride.”
It was more than good. It would’ve taken her hours to make it over here. “I think we’ll be on hold for a bit when it comes to work. I need to order a dumpster and get all of this debris cleaned up.”
“Do you know who did it?”
“The fire investigator and your brother haven’t said anything, but I think it’s still pretty early.”
“Do you know?” Her gaze bored into mine, cutting through all the noise and carefully couched statements.
I backed out of the rubble and sat on a stump. “Probably my brother. If my uncle did it, he would’ve gone for the building I was sleeping in. Ian is more of a reactor. He probably got pissed off and decided to do something to soothe that anger.”
Shiloh leaned against the fence. “He could’ve killed you.”
“That would’ve been a bonus for him.” But as I thought about it in the silence that Shiloh let linger, I knew that wasn’t true. Ian would want me to hurt. To fear. And if I were dead, he wouldn’t get that pleasure.
The sound of an engine working a bit harder than normal cut through the air. I pushed to my feet, stepping between Shiloh and whoever was coming up that hill. A hand landed on my shoulder, giving an awkward pat. “It’s just Dad.”
Gabe’s truck appeared, along with the reason for the extra noise—a massive dumpster towed behind him. My nose began to sting. “What’s he doing here?”
“You needed help. We’re good with help.”
She said it so simply. As if it were the easiest thing in the world. And maybe for the Easton family, it was. Gabe pulled alongside the burned remains of the barn, lining the dumpster up perfectly. Julia waved from the truck’s cab, but they weren’t alone.
Hayes’ SUV appeared next, followed by another, and a truck I didn’t recognize. I turned to Shiloh. “Why?”
She shrugged. “You need us.”
Julia appeared with another wave and moved to wrap an arm around Shiloh, which she quickly ducked out of. “How are you holding up?”
“I, uh, I’m okay.”
“Sorry for just barging in without calling, but I had a feeling you’d only blow us off if we did.”
The corners of my mouth curved up. “You might be right.”
“Gabe was able to get this bad boy today, so why not get a jump start?”
I glanced at my watch. “It’s after four.”
“Good thing we’ve got that late light. We’ll work until the sun starts to set, and then I brought sandwiches for everyone. It’s not fancy, but it’ll fill your belly.”
Those tears burned my eyes again, trying to break free. “Thank you.”
She patted my shoulder in a move that came easily, as opposed to Shiloh’s awkward one. “This community comes together when the chips are down.”
I’d never experienced that before. My family had been too busy looking at everyone in Wolf Gap with suspicion as if they were out to get them. I’d missed out on this experience. Emotions warred and flooded. Anger that I’d never had this before, and gratitude that I was receiving it now—all of it tossed in with a heavy dose of awkwardness. “I don’t know what to say.”
Julia turned me to face the approaching crowd. “Just say ‘Thank you’ and meet the rest of our ragtag crew.”
I recognized the firefighter from two nights ago, Calder. He held the hand of a little girl, one who looked to be about eight or nine, and gave me a shy smile. Another woman followed him with a little girl on her back who had to be the first girl’s twin.
And behind them, Hayes. My throat went dry as our gazes met. He was out of uniform, clad in dark-washed denim and a t-shirt that might as well have been made for him. I forced my eyes away and back to the first group. “Hi,” I croaked.
“Hey,” Calder greeted. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You, too.” I looked at the little girl holding his hand. She ducked her head slightly. “And who’s this?”
She didn’t answer, but the little girl on the woman’s back did. “She’s Sage, and I’m Birdie. You’re Everly, right? Dad said you’re going to build a home for animals here. That’s cool.”
The smile that came was as natural as breathing. Something about the excitement of little ones. “I am. Think you’ll come visit when I’m done?”
“Duh.”
“Birdie…” Calder warned.
“I mean, yes. I’m definitely coming.”
I chuckled and extended a hand to the woman as Birdie slid off her back. “I’m Everly. You must be Calder’s wife.”
She barked out a laugh. “Oh, God, no. We’d murder each other. I’m Hadley, Hayes and Shy’s sister.”
My cheeks heated. “Sorry, I just—”
She waved me off. “No big. Birds and Sage are just my best pals. It’s really nice to finally meet you.”
“You, too.”
Hayes came to a stop in front of me. “Hey, Ev.”
Ev. It wasn’t a nickname anyone had ever called me before, yet it fell from his lips as if he’d been using it all his life. I couldn’t stop looking at his mouth, wanting him to form the single syllable again. “Hi.”
I couldn’t come up with anything else to say. I was on people and emotion overload. Hadley seemed to sense this and hooked her arm through mine. “Come on, show me where we’re getting this party started.”
I could’ve kissed her. She got me moving and gave me direction. Soon, we were all piling the debris into the dumpster. Even the girls helped by putting smaller pieces into a wheelbarrow. As we worked, I could see the dynamics of the family come into play. The way Shiloh worked away from everyone else. How Hadley and Julia butted heads more times than I could count. The way Hayes or his father always stepped in to play peacekeeper in any sort of dustup.