Page 62 of Steers and Stowaways
Watching the snowflakes fly off the glass felt like a bad omen.
“Wow!”Chip stood in the doorway of the guest room, which Tucker had completely transformed. Though he’d splurged on a decent mattress, he’d personally built the bed frame from trashable treasures he’d scrounged from the barn and elsewhere.
The base was crafted from old wooden pallets. An equally rustic desk anchored the opposite wall, but notsome run-of-the-mill, boring old desk. It consisted of a refurbished door resting atop two ancient barrels.
“This is great! Really great!” Chip stepped into the room and dropped his backpack on the floor.
“It comes with a laptop,” Mallory sang out, dashing from the room and returning with the device he’d first started studying for his GED on.
“And a TV.” Tucker stepped across the room to tug on the dark blue sheet he’d used to hide the flat screen from view. It was mounted with a bracket that allowed the TV to be pulled away from the wall and turned toward the gaming chair tucked in the corner of the room.
Chip looked ready to pass out. “I don’t know what to say.” His voice shook.
“You don’t have to say anything.” Mallory stepped closer to sling her arm around his waist. “I promised your mom I’d look after you.”
The last Tucker had heard, Martina and Dexter were attempting to negotiate a lighter jail sentence in exchange for giving up the locations of several cartel members. It was a dangerous undertaking that had landed them in federal witness protection. It was unclear whether Chip would ever see them again.
“Sounds like her.” He blinked rapidly, swallowing hard.
“You’re gonna make all of us proud,” Mallory added softly. “I can feel it in my bones. But to earn your keep, I’ll be relying on you to pick up the slack with the bookkeeping.” Not for free, though, like his mom had done. Tucker knew she would pay him an honest wage.
“Yeah, sure. No problem.” Chip sounded dazed as he swung in a full circle, taking in the room and its furnishings.
“We’ll let you get settled in.” From behind Chip’s head,Tucker signaled for Mallory to return with him to the living room. “I’m gonna whip up some eggs and waffles soon. Just follow your nose when you’re ready to eat.”
“I will. Thanks, man!” Chip’s voice had a faraway quality as Tucker and Mallory left him alone in the newly refurbished guest room.
“When did you find the time to do all of that?” she hissed.
He’d made the time, that’s what. She and Chip were worth it to him. He threaded his fingers through hers as they stepped back into the living room together.
“Uh-oh!” He dropped her hand to rush to the aid of the kittens, which were tumbling out of their overturned box. Had Braveheart knocked it over?
However, Mallory stopped him by grabbing his hand back. “Wait,” she whispered.
They watched in silence as Fox crept around the corner of the box, hissing and batting at Braveheart. To his credit, Braveheart kept his head resting on his paws. The only evidence that he was enjoying every second of the altercation was the way his tail landed against the floor every so often.Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Ohhh,” Mallory breathed when Fox caught sight of Braveheart’s tail.
The next time the dog thumped it, Fox pounced on it.
Mallory pressed her face against Tucker’s arm to muffle her explosion of hilarity. “They’re the best!”
“You’re the best.” He dipped her over his arm to claim her lips in the tenderest of kisses.
He loved her so much…and the life they were building together.
In a few minutes, he would fire up the kitchen stove and take his new Christmas gifts for a test drive. Then he,Mallory, and Chip would sit down to their first Christmas meal as a family.
It didn’t get any better than that. It just didn’t.