Madeline:“If you don’t give me work, I’ll stay here and keep annoying you,” I warned.The moment I said it, Baxter rolled his eyes. He stretched out his hand and passed me a coil of rope, then handed me a small hatchet.“Cut thinner branches and stack them near the marked stakes,” he told me in a flat tone.I did not know where he had gotten the tools from, but I silently thanked Ron. He was likely the one who had brought the toolbox.I got to work right away, kneeling to snap twigs and trim rough ends, keeping the piles neat.Elara and Gina gathered fallen branches and carried them over together.Bodhi hovered near Baxter, holding the stakes steady while Baxter drove them into the dirt with a stone.“Keep the branches straight,” Baxter instructed without looking up.“I will,” I replied, tightening the rope around a bundle.He measured the ground again, pulling the line taut, then cleared more space.We worked for four to five hours before I noticed Baxter and my children starting to
Last Updated : 2025-12-16 Read more