Chapter 448 Chapter 448
Noah held the four-by-four above his head so Blair could bolt it at the top. He hadn’t needed to talk to Beth about swings or a slide. A truck pulled in after breakfast with delivery and now they were trying to assemble the monstrosity that she had purchased.
“She sent one to your place too?” He looked up to see Blair balancing on the top beam of the ‘jungle set’.
Blair didn’t look at him, just nodded his head. “Yeah, Franki is over there with a couple of the men putting it together.”
Noah watched the snowfall on the ground. “It could have waited until spring.”
Blair paused and looked down at him, “explain that to Beth.” He turned so he was sitting on the support beam, “just hold it there until I get the bottom ones lined up.” He jumped down to the ground.
After unpacking the boxes of dishes, Noah put up curtain rods, assembled shelves, discussed carpeting for the kid’s area, and discussed colors of paint. It wasn’t even lunchtime yet. He realized Blair was talking to him and turned to see he was holding the two-end post up in the air watching him. “What?”
Blair smirked, “I said the outer walls are up on the buildings, so now the interior could be done.”
Noah bobbed his head, “that’s good.”
“That’s fucking great.” Blair looked up at where the beams connected, “it means it’s going to look less like a huge slumber party in the house.”
They both realized at the same time that there was no way for either of them to let go and go up to bolt them together.
“Shit.” Blair looked at him and smiled, “I’m much better as a mechanic than construction.”
Noah looked up, “If you slide that over so the notches line up, I can hold one side.”
Blair looked at him, then moved just his eyes as if to say look.
Noah turned his head to see Cooper standing by the house with that grin on his face, the one he got when one of them did something stupid and he was going to spell out how stupid to them. “How does he always know?”
They both watched Cooper go over to the oldest boy, Julian, who was breaking down boxes, and said something to him. Julian looked over at them and then nodded.
“I should have followed the instructions,” Blair mumbled.
Noah gave him a side glance and then watched Julian jog toward them. He’d suggested that, but Blair had said it was a simple setup.
He stopped a few feet from them. “He said you could use a hand.”
Blair snorted, “of course he did.” He looked at the other end of the swing part, “think you can climb up there and shimmy across to here?”
Julian looked to the other end and then up at the support above them. He shrugged one shoulder, “yeah.”
“Okay,” Blair pointed to the box on the ground, “grab two of those bolts and,” he reached into his back pocket and held out the wrenches, “these. We’ll hold it steady.”
Noah watched him go down to the other end and climb up the cross support then right up to the top like it was nothing. He was a tall boy, making him wonder how old he was exactly and how much more growing he had to do.
As he slid across toward the end they were holding upright, he glanced down at Noah, “we’re staying here, right?”
Noah nodded, “yeah.”
“Good.” He pulled one of the bolts out of his pocket and started to unthread the nut. “It was weird, sleeping in a bed last night.”
“It was comfortable though?”
Noah watched him as he paused but didn’t look down at Blair to answer him.
“It was a real bed inside a warm house, so yeah.”
The places Lindon had dragged them to keep the clan hidden and off the radar had been anything but comfortable. The sheds were probably preferred to shipping containers, tents, caves, and just a bush with no shelter. Noah thought as he watched him frown at the parts in his hand.
“What do I do with these things?” Julian held out the washers.
“One goes at the top before you put it through and the other on the bottom before you put the nut on.”
Julian looked at the pieces in his hand and nodded. “I’ve never done something like this,” he confessed as he leaned slowly toward the end.
“You’re doing great,” Blair told him. “Later I’ll take you over to check out the equipment Noah and I get to play on.”
Noah smirked, some days there was a lot of play between the work parts.
“Just don’t agree to game with him,” Noah said with a smile.
“Game?”
Blair gasped, “oh you wait, my young friend until the internet is hooked up and we get the consoles set up.”
Noah gave Blair a surprised look.
Blair grinned, “of course, Beth got gaming consoles.” Blair jerked his head toward the house, “with so many boys in there, it’s the only thing that soothes them.”
Noah snorted, “it doesn’t sound very soothing when you and Jake are swearing at each other.”
Blair shrugged one shoulder, “not my fault he’s jelly that I’m better than him at every game.”
“You guys are weird.” Julian smiled down at them, “in a good way.”
Noah smiled back up at him, “just get that done before one of the women comes out and yells at us for you being up there.”
“Good point.” Blair nodded.
He was silent as he concentrated on getting the first bolt in place. “You guys are afraid of the women?” He paused and looked down at Blair and then at him.
Blair nodded his head, “if the women aren’t happy, then it’s not a good time, my friend.”
Julian’s expression was focused as he thought that through and tightened the second bolt. “Everything’s different now.”
“But good, right?” Blair asked him.
Julian sat up and balanced on the beam and looked down at the ground, “I think so.” He jumped down to the ground. Noah noticed the way he landed and there was no mistaking the young shifter was in contact with his animal. His landing was graceful and precise.
Noah released the board and backed away from it as it might fall. He turned to Julian, “Blair and I were going to go for a run soon and check the area, did you want to come?”
The first thing Noah noticed was the surprise on his face, and then it changed to fear.
“I, uh,” Julian swatted his long black hair out of his face, “I have only done that once.” He shook his head, “it wasn’t what I thought it would be like.”
“This time no one will be standing over you with a gun,” Noah told him.
Blair’s head jerked to look at him, a shocked expression on his face. He recovered quickly, “that’s right.” He motioned to Noah, “we’re going to need help with patrols and keeping an eye on things here, so it would be great if you’d help us.”
Julian frowned, “I don’t know anything about stuff like that.”
Blair shrugged it off, “your cat will help.”
“My cat?” He rubbed his hand over his chest, a confused look on his face.
“That’s right.” Blair looked around, “take a deep breath and tell me what you smell right now.”
Noah watched as the boy did.
“What did you smell?”
Julian grinned, “lunch cooking.”
Blair looked at the house and inhaled, he turned to Noah and grinned, “he’s right. Guess we’re going for a run after lunch.” His phone ringing had him pause to pull his phone out of his pocket. “It’s Devin.” He looked at Noah, the playfulness gone.
Julian watched him walk away with the phone to his ear. “I still can’t believe you guys got us out of there.”
Noah jammed his hands in his pockets, “you aren’t the first and won’t be the last we help.” It was the only thing he could think of to say.
“This morning,” Julian looked at the front of Noah’s shirt, “those scars, who did that?”
Noah exhaled slowly, trying to keep his cat from reacting as he thought of how to explain it. Then it dawned on him, “do you have scars, Julian.”
Julian looked at the ground, making his hair fall over his face so Noah couldn’t see his expression. “Some. N-not like yours.”
He wanted to reach out and touch his shoulder, offer some sort of contact to let him know he wasn’t alone, but he knew better. If the boy had scars on his body, even the friendliest touch could spook him. “The men that Lindon worked with did it.” Noah watched for a reaction. “No one will ever do it again. Not to me or you.”