Peg waved at the hil side. “The crew. I suspect they

figured if the twins had their own construction toys to play

with that they wouldn’t try to play with the big ones.” She

looked at Bea. “What brings you ladies here this

afternoon?”

Bea’s face lit up. “We’re auditioning.”

Peg’s mom walked over, her own face bright with

laughter. “I told you that you’d give in, didn’t I?” she said,

waving at the twins. “Boys and trucks belong together.” She

sat down beside Peg. “Land sakes, I can’t remember the

last time we’ve been able to sit outside in the middle of

April like this. We’re usual y stil knee-deep in snow, and

there they are digging dirt already.” She wrapped an arm

around Peg and gave her a squeeze. “And here you are,

final y on your way to financial independence. You should

be al moved in to your new house before the snow flies

again.”

Peg saw Alec get out of the excavator and start jogging

down the road they’d built along the west side of her old pit,

and she stood up and faced the women. “What did you

mean, you’re here to audition?” she asked. “Audition for

what?”

“We’re hoping to get a job cooking for MacKeage

Construction,” her mom said, also standing up when she

spotted Alec. She pointed toward him. “We overheard Alec

talking to Ezra this morning, saying he was looking for a

cook for the camp they’re building for their crew and

MacBain Logging to stay at through the week.”

It took al of Peg’s wil power to keep her composure,

even as her stomach tightened in dread. “No,” she

whispered, her gaze darting between her mom and aunt. “I

don’t … You can’t …”

Bea also stood up. “We butted right in to the

conversation,” she said excitedly, “and told Mr. MacKeage

that feeding thirty men required two people in the kitchen,

and that we just happened to be wonderful cooks.”

“But—”

“We told him we also happened to be looking for jobs,”

her mom said, cutting Peg off. “And that we have

experience running a camp kitchen.”

Peg gasped. “No, you don’t.” She glanced over her

shoulder to see Alec was almost to them, then narrowed

her eyes on her mother. “Serving pancakes one day every

year on Maine Maple Sunday at a sugarhouse is not camp

cooking experience,” she softly growled.

“Hush,” Jeanine growled back, turning to smile at Alec.

“Mr. MacKeage,” she said with a nod. “We’ve brought you a

sample of the meals we plan to serve if you give us the job.”

She gestured toward the picnic table. “We thought we’d

cook you and your crew and Peg and the heathens supper

tonight right here over an open campfire.” She beamed him

a bold smile. “I promise no one wil leave the table hungry.”

The smile Alec gave Jeanine disappeared when he

looked at Peg and she didn’t turn her scowl off quickly

enough. “Is there a problem?” he asked.

“No, there’s not,” Jeanine said at the same time Peg

said, “Yes.”

“Mom,” she softly hissed, darting a glance at Bea.

“They’re going to be here for two years; five days a week

times three meals a day.”

Jeanine also lost her smile. “I can read a calendar,” she

said, striding to the car.

“But you don’t understand,” Peg whispered tightly,

fol owing her. “There are people in town who don’t want the

resort to be built, and anyone who works for anyone

building it is going to become a target.”

Her mother opened the trunk and blinked at her. “What

are you talking about?” she asked, not bothering to

whisper. “Everyone is excited about the resort. It’s going to

create a lot of good paying jobs.”

“Not everyone,” Peg hissed. “There are some who are

violently opposed to it.”

Jeanine reached in the trunk, picked up a box of food,

and shoved it at Peg. “They’l change their minds soon

enough,” she said with a dismissive wave. “And Sister and I

intend to be the first in line for those jobs.” She touched

Peg’s arm. “We’re so excited about this, honey. You know

how much Bea and I love to cook, and we … wel , we need

to feel needed.”

“But you both already have jobs.”

Her mother picked up another box and handed it to Bea

when she and Alec walked over. “I can do the bit of

freelance bookkeeping I have on weekends.”

“And I already told Sylvia Pinkham I wasn’t coming back

to housekeep at her resort this summer,” Bea chimed in.

“With the cost of gas now, I was losing money driving al the

way to Turtleback for five hours of work every day, and she

wasn’t wil ing to give me a raise.” She smiled, nodding at

Alec when he also picked up a box from the trunk. “And

even including the tips I made at the Pine Point Resort, I’l

stil be earning twice as much working for Mr. MacKeage.”

“Please, ladies, cal me Alec,” he said. He looked at Peg

and arched a brow. “Mind tel ing me what seems to have

you worried?”

Jeanine made a dismissive sound before Peg could

answer and grabbed the last box out of the trunk. “My

overprotective daughter is afraid we’re going to get the

cold shoulder from the few people in town who are opposed

to Olivia’s new resort if we work for you.” She balanced the

box on the bumper and closed the trunk with a snort. “But

it’l be a cold day in hel —pardon my French—before I’l let

a bunch of idiots tel me who I can or can’t work for. Now,”

she said, carrying the box to the picnic table. “You just go

back to whatever you were doing, Alec, and we’l ring the

dinner bel .”

He stepped in front of Peg when she started to fol ow

them. “Where’s your van?”

“It’s taking a real y long, wel -deserved nap.”

He sighed. “We’re going to find it, ye know. And

personal y, I’d rather not be standing in your shoes when we

do.” He canted his head, studying her as she glared at him,

and smiled. “I’ve never actual y seen anyone stand up to

Duncan and … survive. Are ye not even a little bit afraid of

pushing him too far?”

“What’s he going to do,” she drawled, stepping around

him, “use the flat of his sword on my backside?”

“Nay, lass,” he said with a chuckle as he fol owed. “I’d be

more worried about seeing him with a short length of rope

in his hands if I were you.”

Having absolutely no idea what he was talking about,

Peg stopped and turned, making him nearly bump into her.

“The moment I so much as hear anyone in town has

threatened my mother or aunt,” she whispered tightly, “I

swear I’m ripping up my agreement with MacKeage

Construction and chaining off the pit.”

Alec’s usual y warm eyes turned deadly, and he stepped

closer. “Where’s your van, Peg? Did someone run you off

the road?”

“And you can tel Duncan that I don’t make idle threats,

either,” she said, turning and walking away on rubbery legs.

Dammit, she had to figure out how to stop them from

hiring her mom and aunt, even if she had to dump a whole

shaker of salt in tonight’s supper when no one was looking

—especial y her little tattletale son.

Chapter Thirteen

Duncan showed Jacob and Pete how to buckle themselves

into the booster seats he’d set in the second row bucket

seats, and handed them each the books on heavy

equipment he’d brought them. He then stepped to the side

to usher Charlotte and Isabel into the third row seat and

handed them the magazines he’d brought—that he’d had

his mother pick out because what in hel did he know about