Free Falling for Rayne by Shannon Guymon Page B

out.
                  “Rayne, they’re not cutting down Grandma’s tree are they?” Ivy asked in horror.
                  Rayne’s eyes were huge with shock. “They better not be,” she breathed out before sprinting for the door. She ripped it open and ran full out toward the side yard where the tree her grandmother had planted when she was first married to her grandfather was about to become sawdust.
                  “ Stop !” she screamed, waving her hands in the air like a madwoman. The engine of the saw hooked onto the end of the bobcat was so loud that no one was paying her any attention though.
                  “Stop!” she screamed again and put on a burst of speed. It was a Douglas-Fir and although not the prettiest tree in the world, it had been planted by her grandmother.
                  She finally reached the bobcat and pounded on the side and immediately the engine turned off and the blades came to a stop. Becket Lowell frowned and stepped down taking off his safety goggles and not looking happy.
                  Rayne felt Ivy and Cleo join her as she fought to catch her breath. “You’re not cutting down that tree,” she wheezed, pointing to the large sloppy looking tree that towered over the house.
                  Becket sighed loudly and rubbed his forehead. “Actually, I am. Yesterday you signed a contract approving the landscape plan and taking out this tree is the first thing we need to do before anything else.”
                  Rayne’s mouth fell open in surprise. True she’d spaced everything Garrett had been saying yesterday but in her defense she’d still been reeling from seeing Graham on her doorstep.
                  “I signed off on this?” she asked staring up at the tree her grandmother had loved.
                  Becket nodded patiently as he crossed his arms over his chest. “To be honest, the thing is a monstrosity. It’s right in the middle of your side yard and it ruins the symmetry. Garrett is going to put a walkway through the middle that leads to your new gazebo over there,” he said as he turned and pointed.
                  “Gazebo?” she asked stupidly.
                  Becket raised his eyebrows at her and shook his head before grabbing his phone. He slid his finger across the screen and pushed a few numbers.
                  “Garrett, I’m over here at the Nyman’s and we’re having a little tussle over this Douglas Fir. Rayne wants to keep it . . . I know it’s ugly . . . I’m not sure she’s aware . . . No way man, this is not my fight, and I mentioned the gazebo and she has no idea what I’m talking about. You need to head over. If I’m not taking down this tree, I’m just wasting money over here. I could be over at the Latham’s digging out the trench for their waterfall.”
                  Rayne stared moodily at Becket as he talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. When he did, he didn’t look any happier than she felt.
                  “Garrett will be over here in five minutes,” he said as if that fixed everything.
                  “Fine, I’ll just wait over on the porch for him,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster and turned and walked away. Cleo fell in step with her, but Ivy was leaning up against the bobcat and pointing to the different gauges while Becket patiently explained them to her.
                  “Sounds like they’re not a big fan of Grandma’s choice and placement of trees,” Cleo said dryly.
                  Rayne grit her teeth and nodded. “Well, I’m not a fan of people who want to chop down perfectly beautiful trees for no reason. Symmetry? Who needs it?”
                  Cleo grinned at her and sat down on the top step of the porch. “Yeah, who needs symmetry,