Megan walked into Grave’s Lumber first thing the next morning. Schools were closed and reporters still in the town, broadcasting news of the storm. The town was taking time to clean up, there was an incredible amount to do. Megan and Mallory had spent the night at her parent’s home, but she was eager to get back into her space, sort things out, start anew.
Randy rushed to greet her the moment she walked into the Yard and gave her a hug.
“Thank God, you’re okay,” he was emotional. “We’ve all heard about what happened to your home.”
“We’re fine,” she breathed, “that’s all that matters.”
“Absolutely right,” said Randy.
Megan brushed her hair back off her face. It was warm, dusty and sticky out, hard to breathe. She wore jeans and a thin yellow T shirt.
“A lot’s still standing,” she went on. “There’s broken furniture though, glass, the roof, of course has blown away.”
“Listen, Megan,” Randy went on. “Whatever the costs are to get that roof back up and take care of whatever else needs fixing, don’t worry about. We’ll get the materials for you wholesale and I have the perfect person here to head up the crew and also do the actual work. That’s on me. It’s my pleasure.”
Megan was amazed. “Why?”
“You’ve been through more than enough.” Randy looked at her sadly for a moment. “This is the last thing you needed.”
“It’s the last thing anyone needs,” said Megan.
“Hey, Hunter,” Randy called out loudly then.
Who’s that? Megan wondered.
In a few seconds, a tall, incredibly handsome, muscular guy with a shock of dark hair over his forehead, dressed in jeans and a shirt, turned around the bend and walked towards them. He had a magnetic, vibrant energy, like the wind blowing through the trees.
Megan trembled a second, and took a few steps back.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw Megan as well.
“Megan, this is Hunter Clay Borden, he’s been working at the Yard here for the past few weeks,” Randy said.
Megan could barely speak. “Nice to meet you,” she managed.
Hunter hadn’t taken his eyes off her, either.
“Nice to meet you, too,” he said in a husky tone.
Thankfully, Randy turned to Hunter then. “Tornado blew the roof of this lovely woman’s home.”
Hunter’s eyes grew wide. “My God,” he said.
“Other damage, too,” Randy continued. “You’re experienced with construction and home repair, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Think this is something you could oversee?” Randy asked quickly.
“Definitely,” Hunter said, without a moment’s hesitation. “Are the walls still standing?”
“They are,” said Randy.
“What kind of materials are you thinking of?” Hunter spoke to Megan directly for the first time then.
“I hadn’t thought about it,” she said. There was such intense energy between them, her stomach fluttered as she spoke.
“If you’re looking for a roof that’s resistant to tornadoes a concrete roof is best, “ Hunter went on. “A concrete roof will make your home unshakeable, but, if the bearing walls can’t hold that, concrete tiles can be a good option, too.”
Megan felt mystified. She’d landed in a world she knew nothing about and to top it off she felt entranced by this person, loved his feel and the sound of his voice.
Hunter then looked squarely at her with his beautiful hazel eyes. Megan had never seen eyes that color before, like a wild cat, she thought.
“Today roofs are usually made of a combination of asphalt and fiberglass, or wood shingles. Metal roofs are good too, they’re lightweight and reflect the sun. Can be more difficult to repair though.” He spoke without taking his eyes away from her for a second.
“Had no idea you knew this much.” Clearly Randy was impressed.
“You pick up all kinds of things as you go along,” said Hunter. “Which do you like best, Megan?”
“I like wood,” Megan replied. “We had a sloped wooden roof that I loved.”
“That’s easy enough,” Hunter turned to Randy. “We’ll need a crew of about three for that.”
Randy nodded. “I can call in a few other guys from Evestone. “ Evestone was a nearby town. “Listen, we’ve got to get this started right away. Megan can’t live in a house with a roof blown off. Hunter, I want you to oversee the job, get the roof back up and fix whatever else is needed.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Hunter said and smiled.
He had a warm, open, breathtaking smile. Megan shivered.
“Great,” Randy said. “Okay, you can go over there now assess the damage, let me know exactly what’s needed and we’ll get on it right away.”
“Mallory and I are sleeping at my mother’s right now. But I’m at the house a lot, picking things up, salvaging papers -,” Megan said, regaining her balance.
“That’s fine,” said Randy. “You’ll be able to move back into the house before you know it. Hunter can start right away.”
“You don’t need me here at the Yard?” Hunter turned to him momentarily then.
“Sure, I need you,” Randy said, “but not as much as she does. You’ve got to put this woman’s home back in order again so she can move back with her daughter. That’s most important. This is too much for her to handle on her own.”
Megan and Hunter’s eyes locked for a quick second and then both immediately looked away. How incredible it would be to have him at her home, building the roof, making repairs. Megan had no idea at all where he came from, or how long he’d be in town. Of course she didn’t have to worry about things like that. If he worked for Randy, he had to be trustworthy, and anyway, he certainly knew what he was talking about.
“In fact, why don’t you follow Megan back to her house now?” Randy said, “Take a tour of the place. There’s no reason to waste a second.”
“Good idea,” said Hunter, his voice husky for a second. “I’ll follow her in the pickup truck.”
Megan nodded. “Thank you so much, Randy, for all this. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”
“Forget about repaying me,” Randy said. “Just take good care of yourself.”
*
Megan got into her car and, through the rear window, saw Hunter climb up into the pickup truck and drive up close behind. She was stunned by her reaction to him. This wasn’t like her. Something about him startled her, like the sudden storm that had whipped through town. At the same time she felt a strange sense of peace looking into his hazel eyes. How in the world had it come to pass that he’d be working in her home every day?
She turned on the ignition and began slowly driving as Hunter trailed along close behind.
When they got to her house and out of the car, they walked up the front walk together without saying a word. Once they went inside he looked around and made a low whistle through his teeth.
“This is something else,” he said. “Incredible that so much of the place was left standing. You sure were lucky.”
“My daughter and I were down in the basement,” Megan said, “becoming more matter of fact. She felt better that way, more grounded.
“Both of you were lucky,” he corrected himself. “Sometimes whole homes are blown away.”
“So I’ve heard,” said Megan. “Let me show you around, and you’ll see what else needs to be repaired.”
Megan walked a few steps in front of Hunter, showing him the places that had been torn, ripped apart, broken, scattered and needed repair. A lot of furniture was blown around, scraps of wood, glass and papers were scattered everywhere on the floor.
“Schools have closed for a while,” said Megan as they walked, “to give the town time to re-organize. That’s lucky for me. My daughter is staying at my mother’s. I’m sleeping there too, until the roof is back up. But I’ll be here during the day.”
“You work at the school?” Hunter stopped a second behind her.
She turned and faced him directly. “Teach fourth grade,” she said simply.
“Nice,” he said simply. “That’s good work.”
Megan wanted to know more about him as well, but couldn’t bring herself to ask. This was a business arrangement and she wanted to keep it that way. It wasn’t smart to become too familiar with someone who would be in her house all day long. She felt good with him here though, very good. He was rugged, strong, respectful, gave her a feeling of confidence. There wouldn’t be any trouble between them.
They both continued walking through the house and Hunter made notes on a pad as he passed along.
“How long do you figure this will take?” Megan asked.
“Can’t say exactly,” he responded, “there’s a lot to do though, won’t be just a couple of days.”
“School will re-open next week. Then in a few weeks the spring term is over. I’ll be at school until 3 o’clock in the afternoons. Then I’ll be back here to do what’s needed.”
“Sounds fine to me,” he said.
“Obviously, the sooner the roof goes back up the better. My daughter and I want to move back home as soon as we can.”
“It’ll be our first priority,” Hunter said in a tone so reassuring, that Megan suddenly felt as if it were already finished and everything was back in place again.