“Thank you.” Beth eyed her son’s dirty hands and the now sticky food. She discreetly set the food aside. “I’m still full from breakfast, though.”
Hunter knew she’d probably skipped eating that morning to deal with all the preparations, and doubted she’d taken the time for a snack. He made her a second plate with an untouched brownie and the orange slices Lynne had brought for them to counteract all the junk food. He slipped it to her when the kids weren’t looking.
“Thank you,” she whispered. A smile stretched across her face, and she addressed her kids. “What did I miss? Did Mr. Lejeune leave already?”
“He had an appointment across the street.” He leaned in, so only Beth could hear. “To be honest, I think he really wanted an escape route.”
“I can’t say I blame him. I heard lot of squeals and giggles coming from here.”
April came back to the table. “We had fun, Mommy. We played bimbo.”
Beth’s eyebrows shot up and she jerked her gaze his way. “Bimbo?”
“Limbo,” he corrected. “We played limbo.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
“I won,” Dex announced, his chest puffing with pride. “I got to pick from the treasure chest.”
Hunter realized he hadn’t asked permission to use her reward stash. “I hope that’s okay. I should have asked first.”
“It’s fine.” She pulled Dex onto her lap. “What else did I miss?”
“We made cards.” April, never one to stay still, ran to a table and grabbed the handmade Valentine’s Day cards. She handed one to her mom. “Here, read mine first.”
Beth made a show of holding the folded paper in front of her. “This is a beautiful bumblebee you drew. I love the colors.”
April beamed. “I know they’re supposed to be yellow and black, but I like purple.”
“It’s perfect.”
“Look inside.”
“Bee my valentine,” Beth read out loud with a smile on her face. “Of course, I will be.”
“Mine, next.” Dex hopped off her lap, took his card from April and handed it to Beth.
“It’s a truck. A very nice red and grey truck.” She kissed Dex’s cheek. “You did a great job.”
Hunter moved in close again so he could whisper without the children overhearing. “I tried to get him to add more, even offered to write it for him, but he insisted he only wanted the truck.”
“I still love it.” She held it to her heart. “I’ll treasure it always.”
“There’s one more, Mommy. Mr. Hunter made you a card.”
He cringed, wishing they could forget about the card he’d made. He hadn’t planned to make one at all, but Dex and April had insisted. Then he’d started out creating a silly one, but the sad expression in her eyes earlier that day haunted him. In the end, he’d made a serious one with hints of humor, but he was embarrassed by the emotion he’d put into it.
Beth stood as she read his. “Ten Reasons You’re A Great Person to Have Around.”
After the first one, she read them silently, for which he was grateful. Different emotions flickered across her brown eyes as she skimmed the list. Moisture dotted her lashes. To his surprise, she reached out and gave him a quick hug. “Thank you. I really needed this today.”
“You’re welcome.” He stood rigid, uncomfortable with the contact and the feelings it caused to well inside him. “I should finish up here and get outside to clear the porch and walkways. It looks like another few inches fell this morning.”
“Go ahead. I’ll clean up in here.” She stood and picked up the plates. “The first of our new arrivals should be here within two hours.”
Hunter flicked his wrist and looked at his watch. “I didn’t realize it’s lunchtime already.”
“Time flies when you’re having fun.” She swept a hand over the mess left from the party. “By the looks of it, you all had a good bit of it.”
He chuckled. “We did, but you shouldn’t have to clean up our mess.”
“I don’t mind.” She gathered the remaining trash from the table and tossed it in the receptacle. “I’d rather make sure the premises are safe for our guests. The last thing we need is someone getting hurt.”
“Point taken.”
April grabbed hold of his hand. “Can I help?”
“It’s up to your mom.” He wasn’t trying to pass the decision, but he didn’t want to take authority from her.
“Fine with me, but you have to help me clean up first.”
“Me too?” Dex shot his mom his best puppy dog eyes.
Beth glanced at him. “Do you mind having them both?”
“Not a bit. They can help with the porch, right guys?”
April and Dex both nodded vigorously.
“All right. Let’s clean up, then you can help for a little bit before lunch.” Beth was giving her children directions when Hunter walked out of the room.
He went to the coatrack by the door and pulled on his heavy coat and hat, then wrapped a wool scarf around his neck. He put his gloves on last, then went outside. The shovel was where he’d left it that morning, leaning against porch rail. Knowing he’d be back at it, he hadn’t bothered to lock it in the shed.
The temperature hadn’t risen he’d been out that morning. If anything, it felt colder from the higher winds. Another two inches of snow had fallen, and it showed no signs of letting up. He worried about their guests showing up. For Beth’s sake, he prayed they would.
Today, this weekend, was one of the biggest for the bed and breakfast. He knew she wanted to prove her competence to Addy, but she failed to realize Addy had full faith in her. One day, hopefully sooner rather than later, she would understand that.
He had finished the porch and was on the steps when Beth opened the door to let April and Dex out. They looked like colorful marshmallows in their cold weather gear. Dex carried a toy broom, and April carried a shovel that looked like it came from the same set.
“You listen to Mr. Hunter carefully and obey him.”
“We will. Promise.” April looked at her brother. “Right, Dex?”
He nodded. “Right.”
Hunter sent them to the corner of the porch. He’d already cleaned it, but they’d be happy to sweep the flakes that continued falling. Plus, they’d be in his line of vision where he could keep an eye on them.
They sang Christmas songs, apparently confused by the snow on what holiday was today. Little work was accomplished around them, but he’d not expected them to help. What mattered was they had fun and enjoyed the snow day.
After a half hour he sent them in for lunch when he saw their noses turning a bright red. He closed the front door behind them once he alerted Beth they were back inside. Returning to his work, he continued clearing the paths, a futile effort when the snow kept falling.
He finished the front then moved to the back yard. It took an hour and a half to clear the back deck, and he could have done more but his hands were frozen. He took a break and stopped by the back door and stomped the excess snow from his boots then brushed the flakes from his coat.