Greensborough was entirely covered in white by the time the snow stopped. There were no snow removal vehicles that were in service in the district, so the townspeople split into teams to shovel snow off the roads and clear out all the paths that led into town.
“Heave-ho, everyone! We’ve gotta clear these roads for the builders or we’ll never get our houses fixed for the rest of winter!” “Come on, guys, put your backs into it”
“Mr. Burton’s here!”
“Mr. Burton!” The townspeople who were shoveling snow stood upright when they saw Justin, who had only just come out from his meeting with the town committee. “Good day, Mr. Burton,” they greeted politely.
Justin nodded at them in acknowledgment and said nothing more. He wasn’t much of a talker, and he looked so stern all the time that the townspeople hesitated to approach him. Right now, they exchanged looks among themselves, and one of them piped up boldly, “Mr. Burton, what are you doing here? You shouldn’t be out here in this freezing weather. Go back and stay warm by the fire.”
Upon hearing this, Harry shot the townsman a sharp look and snapped, ‘Mr. Burton has been on his feet ever since he got to Greensborough, and not once did he take a break from distributing aid to us, but that’s not stopping. you guys from calling him lazy.”
The townspeople collectively flushed when they heard this and averted their gaze guiltily. Harry had been holding a grudge against these. townspeople after hearing their harsh commentary following the shortage in supplies. Young and full of righteous fury, he was understandably upset at their unfair remarks about Justin, and he had no qualms putting them in their place.
Justin, on the other hand, was relatively unfazed as he said plainly, ‘Don’t let me keep. you from your work. I’m just waiting for someone.”
Waiting for someone? While everyone was baffled by this, the sound of an approaching car came from the village entrance. Justin visibly lit up at once and hurried over. One of the townspeople pulled Harry by the arm. “Do you know anything about the person Mr. Burton is expecting?”
Harry gave him a sharp look. “Don’t you have work to get back to? You’d make better progress if you weren’t so nosy.”
“I’m just curious, that’s all. Who could be so important that even the great Mr. Burton would choose to welcome them personally? Should we have a welcoming party or something like that?”
“A welcoming party in the middle of a disaster site? Don’t be ridiculous. Save your energy for clearing out the snow instead. Hey, anyone who slacks off will have their houses repaired last!”
This made the nosy townsfolk snap to attention. They couldn’t afford to have their houses still be in shambles now that it was the depth of winter, so they doubled down on their efforts to shovel snow out of the way. That said, they couldn’t help their curiosity, and some of them craned their necks to get a better look at the town entrance.
Presently, a sleek metallic-gray car rolled to a stop not too far away from where the townsfolk were clearing the paths. The road was somewhat muddy now that the sun was out after the snow.
Frankie got out of the car and made his way to the door of the backseat, thereafter opening it and saying, “If you please, Miss Hudson.”
Justin heard this and stopped in his tracks, then waited for the passenger to get down from the car. Seconds later, a figure clad in gray stepped out of the vehicle, and she stood by the door as she flashed Justin a warm smile. Frankie beamed proudly as he glanced at the two of them and announced, “I’ve brought Miss Hudson to you, President Burton.”
Justin blinked out of his reverie and pointed out grimly, ‘Looks like my words mean nothing to you anymore. Started to do things your own way, have you?”
He had only learned that Frankie was bringing Rachel down to Greensborough five minutes ago, by which it was too late to stop them. He ended up leaving the town meeting before it was properly wrapped up just so that he could stand by for Rachel’s arrival.
Sensing that Justin was unhappy with him, Frankie threw a pleading look in Rachel’s direction. She took the cue and gave Justin a smile, saying, “Now, now. Don’t go blaming Frankie for this. I was the one who insisted on dropping by to see how things are.”
Frankie was grateful to have her speak up for him, otherwise, he might be on the receiving end of Justin’s wrath. Sure enough, Justin let the matter drop and closed the distance between Rachel and himself. He appraised her perfunctorily, then pointed out, “You look like you might freeze to death in those clothes.”
“Frankie turned the heater on in the car, and it was getting a little stuffy in my coat,” Rachel explained with a nonchalant shrug.
“But you’re not in the car anymore, are you? Besides, you could catch a cold in these temperatures. Just forewarning you, we’re short on medical supplies, especially flu meds.”
“And yet, you’re still keeping me here with your nagging,” she countered in amusement. It was only then that he realized what he was doing and quickly said, “This way.”
He led her past the townspeople who were busy shoveling snow out of the way. She was all smiles as she greeted them, and they were stunned at the sight of her. The young men who saw her blushed and looked away bashfully, then stared at her silhouette as she left with Justin.
When the couple was out of earshot, one of the townspeople grabbed hold of Harry and asked, “Was that Mr. Burton’s wife? She’s so pretty, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was a celebrity!”
Harry rubbed the back of his neck. “She might be his wife, yeah.” It made sense that Justin would brace the brittle cold just so he could greet his wife when she arrived.
Meanwhile, Justin brought Rachel to the community hall where the town committee was still waiting for him to elaborate on the plans to rebuild the houses. “Go on, then. I’ll be fine on my own,” Rachel said.
Justin did not like the idea of leaving her alone; Frankie had left for the Greensborough district center after dropping her off.
At that moment, Harry jogged up to them and offered to keep Rachel company while Justin attended the meeting. “Just leave it to me, Mr. Burton. Have a good meeting!”
Nodding, Justin gave the young man a grateful look and went into the hall. Harry wiped his hands on his jacket and introduced himself to Rachel. “Hi, Mrs. Burton. I’m Harry, and I’m a college student volunteering here in Greensborough. It’s nice to meet you.”
Mrs. Burton? Rachel blinked at him, then explained with a flustered smile, “I’m Rachel, and you’ve got it all wrong; I’m not married to Mr. Burton.”
“Huh?” Harry panicked. “Oh, I’m sorry. I only assumed that you were his wife. I didn’t mean to offend you, ma’am.”
She laughed. “It’s fine, and please, call me Rachel. I have a brother about your age, and I’d prefer if you call me by my name just as he does.”
“Rachel it is,” Harry agreed earnestly. “Come on, I’ll take you to the house you’ll be staying at while you’re here.”
“Okay.” She followed him past the front yard of the community hall.
“Here we are. I know it looks a little shabby, but I promise it’s clean inside. Mr. Burton was staying here before you came too,” Harry said as he brought her baggage into the house. “It’s chilly now, but it’ll warm up after the stove gets going.”
“Frankie told me that most of the townsfolk lost their homes. If you don’t mind me asking, where are they staying now?”
He sighed. “Small towns like these are all about community spirit, so those who have extra room will offer the victims temporary shelter until the houses are rebuilt. If they really have nowhere else to go, they’ll be put up in the community hall for the time being.
I can’t tell you how excited they were when they found out that Mr. Burton’s charity foundation would be funding the snow removal and infrastructure. rebuilding process.” He almost added that the funds allocated for the townspeople’s personal use were an added bonus.
Rachel nodded thoughtfully when she heard this. Harry suddenly shuddered and jogged in place to keep warm. “Jeez, it’s freezing in here! The stove is taking forever with those coals. I’d better take you to Mr. Burton’s before you get hypothermia, Rachel.”
She was obliging. “Alright.” Justin was in the house next door, and the stove there kept the space blissfully warm.
Rachel had grown up in the city, and this was the first time she was seeing a stove at work. There was a rustic appeal to the house, so she decided after taking a look around. It was shabby, but it was relatively clean.
There were pictures hanging on the brick walls, and there was not a speck of dust on the table, which had toiletries laid out on it. Justin’s suitcase was propped up in one corner of the room, and it was left open to reveal the few pieces of simple clothing within.
“Mr. Burton has been living in this house since he got here, but he hardly ever takes a break; he’s almost always on his feet, and today’s the first time I’ve seen him put his work aside for five minutes just to welcome you. I’m not sure if he even slept here.”
She pursed her lips at this, not knowing how she should react. If these were old times, it would be impossible to imagine Justin giving up his material comfort and staying here in this disaster zone. He’s changed so much, she found herself thinking. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Rachel asked, “Is there a kitchen here?”
“Yeah. Why do you ask?”
