Ellery Mountain 3 - The Carpenter and the Actor Read Free Page A

didn’t recognise him when I first saw him, is all.” Kieran wasn’t sure why he was defending himself.
“He probably needs somewhere to hide for a few weeks,” Daniel said. “He lost his brother really recently, I think. Hang on…” He pulled out his cell and after a few taps and an intense look of concentration, he handed it to Kieran. The screen held a list of links to news items about the actor in cabin seventeen and it would take only seconds for Kieran to click on them and find out what had happened to the exhausted-looking man to make him hide up in the mountains. Cabins at Ellery were perfect places to relax, springboards to the Smoky Mountains, with trails and climbing and water activities. It was also the perfect place to close you off from the real world and find what his dad would call inner peace.
Suddenly determined, he ignored the links and pressed the off button before passing the cell back to Daniel.
“I don’t want to read that,” he said firmly. Something in Jason’s tired eyes this morning spoke of somebody on the edge. Exhaustion and sadness and other emotions that Kieran couldn’t even begin to identify had flickered in Jason’s gaze. Reading all the gossip and stories online smacked of prying and talking behind the man’s back. There was something very wrong in gossiping now that he’d met the man.
Daniel took the phone. His expression was questioning but he didn’t call Kieran on what he had just done. He changed the subject away from Jason McInnery and back to the big project that the group was involved in. Kieran pushed the unsettling questions in his head to one side and tried to concentrate.
“Planning passed most of the things I wanted, but the new roof and the other work isn’t cheap. Contractors got us some quotes in,” Daniel said. He pulled a sheaf of papers out of a laptop bag and passed them around for everyone. Kieran was last to see and he didn’t have to ask why everyone looked less than happy when he glanced at the bottom line figure. Two hundred thousand more than they had thought.
“Ouch,” Kieran said softly. He looked up and exchanged commiserating looks with Daniel. His friend’s idea of a place where young soldiers with PTSD could go to get help when they came back from the theatre of war was a good one. “I have about eight in savings,” he immediately offered. It didn’t matter that he was saving the money for a reason. His life plans could wait a while. Daniel’s home was a worthy project and one he supported one hundred per cent.
“I have another ten,” Finn added just as quickly.
“I have the proceeds from selling the apartment,” Luke interjected. “Maybe twentyeight or so.”
Max began to talk, but Daniel interrupted, “No, guys—no more. You’ve all put too much into this. I’m thinking we can lose some of the bells and whistles, like the therapy pool that Liam wanted.”
Doctor Liam Wolfe had worked out a plan of physical therapy support alongside the emotional support he and Daniel wanted to offer. The house idea wasn’t planned to cater to those with serious physical injuries. The idea was that they would be able to handle minor issues with various levels of rehab. Kieran wasn’t happy at the idea of compromise, but they could get to what they wanted in the end.
“So we start small,” Kieran said simply, “and work our way up to it.” Grabbing his netbook, he opened the spreadsheet program and started a new page. “We need to work some figures.”
The men concentrated on number crunching for about ten minutes before they got to a point that they were happy with. Only then did Kieran close down the computer and help himself to another beer. The men decided on a date for the next meeting that wouldn’t clash with their Friday beer night.
“So Max has this friend…” Finn began.
“No, Finn,” Max said immediately.
“He’ll love him. He worked with Max in the city. A paramedic—tall, dark red hair…”
Kieran tuned back