Chapter 15 #2
Barry and his colleague carried the equipment through the hedges, and two four-wheel drives pulled into her driveway, one black and one white.
She shaded her eyes as five very fit men got out, each scanning the area as if by habit.
The last person to get out was a short woman who wrapped her arm around a stocky man with a well-trimmed beard who was slightly shorter than the others.
Ethan pushed away from the tree with a grin.
“They’re early.”
His teammates. A bundle of nerves swept over her. These were the men who meant the most to Ethan.
What if they didn’t like her, or think she was good enough for him? No one except Ethan and her mother had ever thought she was good enough.
She brushed a stray hair behind her ear.
Ethan held a hand out to her. “Come on. I’ll introduce you.”
“Ah, why don’t you show them to the cabins and I’ll join you later?”
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
She waved a hand. “I should take more shots. I don’t want to get in the way of your reunion.”
Ethan stepped closer, pulling her into his arms. “Why are you nervous?”
Honesty. That’s what she’d wanted from Ethan and so she had to give him the same. “They’re your brothers, Ethan. They may not like me.”
“They will love you, because I love you. They’ll be thrilled we’re back together.”
She stepped back. He’d said the ‘L’ word.
How could he drop it so casually into the conversation? This wasn’t the right time. She hadn’t figured out everything yet. She couldn’t rush this. Not this time.
There was too much at stake.
But she had to say something. She grabbed onto the other part of his statement. “They know about me?”
“Yeah.” He smiled, not seeming at all concerned she hadn’t said the words back. “We know everything about each other. It’s part of our bond.” He brushed a kiss on her forehead. “Mila’s here too, and you said you wanted to meet her.”
The woman who had saved him after the tsunami. Yeah, Chelsea wanted to thank her.
She let out a deep breath. “All right. Lead the way.”
***
The group was gathered by the fence line, surveying the damage with varying levels of displeasure on their faces.
Formidable was the word that came to Chelsea’s mind.
As she and Ethan walked out from under the shade of the peppermints, the group turned as one to watch them. Ethan raised a hand in greeting and Mila waved back, but the men gave various versions of a nod.
Mila was petite with her long, brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore jeans, a casual T-shirt and sneakers.
The man with his arm around Mila’s waist had to be Dobby, and the blond with the preppy look must be Rhys, but she couldn’t pick the others from Ethan’s descriptions of them.
As they approached the group, Ethan let go of her hand and hugged Dobby. “Thanks for coming.”
“Looks like you need a hand.”
Ethan nodded. “This is Chelsea.”
Dobby grinned, turning his severe expression into one of friendliness. “It’s great to meet you finally. I’m Dobby. This is Mila.”
Before Chelsea could respond, the tall blond man stepped forward with a smile. “Ethan failed to convey how beautiful you are.”
Ethan backhanded him playfully. “This lothario is Rhys, the sweet talker of the group.”
Chelsea smiled. “What did he say?”
“A few things.” A man of Middle Eastern descent stepped up. “I’m Heath, and these other two are Noah—” The tall man with long, dark hair tucked into a man bun and a bushy beard raised his hand— “and Connor. He’s our dog-whisperer.” Shortblond hair, lankier than the others, with an easy smile.
“Mitch had a family thing,” Dobby said, and the rest of the men scowled.
Chelsea glanced at Ethan, but he didn’t explain the issue. “Nice to meet you all. Why don’t you come inside?” She led them towards the house and Mila fell into step beside her.
“I don’t want to sound weird, but I’m so thrilled to meet you. Ethan spoke of you a lot during his rehabilitation and I feel like I know you already. I’m glad you got back in touch.”
This woman had saved Ethan’s life. “I’m glad he was around to reconnect. Thank you for saving him.”
Mila waved her hand. “I didn’t really. I just found him after the tsunami receded and showed the team where he was. They carried him to safety before the next wave hit.”
Chills ran through Chelsea. “It was that bad?”
Mila nodded. “It’s not a day I like to remember.”
Chelsea squeezed her hand and then led them into the house via the front door. She switched on the kettle. “Tea or coffee?”
“The usual?” Ethan asked.
Nods all around.
“Two espressos, two white teas, a black tea and two flat whites.” Ethan grinned. “I’ll help.”
“No, I’ve got this,” Chelsea told him. “You fill them in on what’s been happening.
” She could handle making a few hot drinks.
She placed the last biscuit packet on the table and then searched the remaining cupboards until she found Aunt Maggie’s recipe book.
She clutched it to her chest. This afternoon she’d bake and have decent biscuits in the house.
She made the drinks as Ethan told them about Darren and Johann, the vandalism and the fire. “There’s a trail behind the property I want to check out in more detail.”
“Any security cameras?” Noah asked.
“None. Crime rate is pretty low in Honeybrook,” Ethan answered.
“You want us to set up a watch tonight?” Heath asked.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to scare him off either if he’s watching.”
Rhys nodded. “We can make a show of leaving after dinner.”
Chelsea brought the espressos to the table, and Ethan pointed to Rhys and Noah.
“We’ll do a full survey to make sure all points are covered,” Dobby said.
Chelsea made the tea, fascinated by the way the men understood what each other meant without needing further clarification. She glanced at Mila, who looked equally interested.
By the time the drinks were made, the men seemed to have agreed on a plan, but she wasn’t sure what it was. She glanced at Mila. “Did you understand any of that?”
Mila laughed. “Not much. I’m sure they’ll fill us in.” She gave Dobby a look, but it was Ethan who answered.
“You’re going to show them through the garden and put them to work, while Dobby and I scope the trail behind the house,” he said. “Then we’ll need to go to the shops and buy food to feed this lot for dinner.”
“I can’t ask you all to work in the garden.” These were soldiers who were here to catch the culprit, not pull up weeds.
Rhys shrugged. “We were planning to come and help before the attacks. This place meant a lot to Ethan as a kid.”
And that was apparently all the reason they needed. She could understand why Ethan considered these men as brothers. “I appreciate it, though you might regret the offer when you see my list.”
“Can’t be anything worse than what we’ve done in the past,” Heath said.
Her mind ticked over about where would be the best. “We’ll have to wait until Barry is done in the public garden.” At Connor’s frown, she said, “He’s filming himself and I don’t want to risk him catching you on camera.”
Connor smiled. “It’s not a problem for me. I’m not special forces. I just tag along sometimes.”
Dobby grinned. “You rescue one dog on a mission, and Connor’s your friend for life.”
There was a story she’d like to hear one day.
“I noticed one of your structures burned,” Connor continued. “I’m an engineer as well, so I could check it out for you.”
Chelsea nodded her thanks, too overwhelmed to speak. She’d been wondering how much it would cost her to get someone to review all the structures in the garden and make sure they were still sound. She swallowed hard. “That would be great.”
Ethan gathered up the cups, and the men got to their feet, making the area feel crowded but safe.
So many people willing to help. Aunt Maggie would have been thrilled.
Chelsea led the way out of the house. “Let’s put you to work.”