Read Online Loving The Country Boy (Barrett's Mill Book 4) by Mia Ross - Free Book Online Page A

belts slinging through their paces as if nothing had ever stopped them. “This is fabulous, guys. What did you end up doing?”
    “A little of everything,” Heath answered in a voice that was equal parts tired and proud. “Those maintenance manuals you found are worth their weight in gold, so make sure you put ’em somewhere safe.”
    “Will do. I hate to bring this up,” she added with a hesitant look around, “but this place is a mess. Should I call the crew and tell them to stay home again tomorrow?”
    “Not a chance,” Jason replied with a determined shake of his head. “We can’t lose another day, so we’ll get it cleaned up somehow.”
    “Would you like some help?”
    The three of them looked toward the door, where Amy and Jenna—the newest Mrs. Barretts—stood holding all manner of cleaning supplies. Jason’s wife, Amy, set down the mops and paper towels she was holding, while Jenna plunked down two enormous buckets filled with cleaning solvent from the studio she shared with Scott.
    Wow, Tess thought with genuine admiration for her friend. The slender artist was a lot stronger than she looked.
    “But first,” Amy announced in the authoritative voice of someone who spent her days teaching kids to dance, “we eat.”
    “That sounds great,” Jason told her with a quick hug, “but we emptied the fridge around four.”
    “Oo, shocker,” Jenna teased with a bright laugh. “Good thing we already guessed that.”
    Linking arms with Scott, she led them through the lobby and out to one of the picnic tables where tourists ate when they visited the old mill. Spread on top was a checkered tablecloth that held everything from pork to ham to two apple pies steaming in the cool evening air. All thickly sliced, of course.
    “Olivia’s over at Paul and Chelsea’s with your mom, whipping everything into shape,” Jenna explained. “But she didn’t forget about all of you slaving away out here. As soon as she heard what was going on, she started cooking.”
    “Man, she’s the best.” Heath sighed as he sank down onto a bench beside the other two who were busy piling food onto their plates. “I’ll have to come up with a way to thank her. Think she’d like a sunroof on her car?”
    They all laughed at that then spent the next few minutes passing dishes and filling glasses. Suddenly, Tess had a sobering thought. “Paul doesn’t know about these awful equipment problems, does he?”
    “Absolutely not,” Amy replied. “None of the family will tell him, and Aunt Helen’s making sure everyone in town keeps quiet. As far as Paul and Chelsea know, this place is running like a top and they don’t have a thing to worry about.”
    “Except the baby,” Jason said quietly.
    That stopped the lighthearted conversation in its tracks, and he silently held out one hand to his wife and the other to his brother sitting beside him. The others followed his lead, and despite her earlier misgivings, Tess went along without a second thought. Bowing her head, she silently introduced herself to God and sent up a heartfelt prayer for the littlest Barrett. While no one spoke, the love circling around that table set in the woods was like a living thing, wrapping her in the kind of warmth she’d never experienced before.
    This was how it felt to belong somewhere, she realized. To be surrounded by solid, down-to-earth folks who valued each other above everything else in the world. Not money, not prestige, but people. Lavish parties and decadent weekends away with Avery had been fun at first, but after a while they’d gotten to be just one more stuffy obligation she had to meet. Struggling to fit into his lofty world, she’d gradually forgotten what it was like to enjoy a spontaneous girls’ night out with her friends.
    As the others raised their heads and began eating, Tess’s heart swelled with gratitude to them for making her feel so welcome. She was as new to them as they were to her, but they’d gone out of their