that ran along the west side and Katya sighed, getting back into her car.
The old bridge turned out to be a single-lane section of road, which spanned a small river. Luke’s truck was parked nearby, and Katya pulled off the road and tucked her car into the space next to it. ‘Luke. Luke! Are you there?’
‘Under here.’ His voice echoed out from under the bridge, an edge of annoyance to it that was so unlike Luke that she hardly recognised it. His head and shoulders appeared from the shadow beneath the brick arch and when he caught sight of her his eyes, dark with rage, softened a little. ‘Hey, there.’ He stood up straight and pulled off one of his heavy work gloves, running one hand through his hair. ‘Welcome.’
That might have been a smile, but then again it might not. Katya gave him the benefit of the doubt. ‘Thanks. I got coffee from Olenka’s. As it’s my first day.’
Now, that was a smile. ‘Thanks. I could do with one.’ He began to climb the riverbank towards her.
‘What’s going on?’
The shake of his head told her that this was one of those situations where words were pathetically inadequate. Taking the cardboard beaker that Katya had fetched from her car, he took a swig. ‘Some idiot’s been dumping stuff.’ He gestured towards the far side of the bridge, where water was building up, haemorrhaging out into the grassland on either side of the stream. On the near side, water was spilling sluggishly through the blocked opening.
‘What’s down there?’
He rolled his eyes. ‘Two old mattresses. Someone must have stopped on the bridge and just tipped them over the side. The water’s taken them under the bridge and they’ve stuck there. I’ve been trying to shift them, but they’re waterlogged and that makes them heavy.’
‘Perhaps we can do it between us. You push and I’ll pull.’ Katya grinned at him. He might have skipped the induction session but there was no doubt that they were working together now.
The lines of tension melted into a smile. ‘Yeah. Perhaps we can. Have you got waterproofs?’
‘I’ve got wellies.’ Katya reached into her car and brought out the new pair of dark blue wellingtons.
‘Very smart. I like the polka dots.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t think they’ll do the job.’
‘No. Probably not.’ Her own boots looked like a fashion accessory next to Luke’s workmanlike waders. Katya shifted uncomfortably. Did it look as if she was just playing at this?
‘Never mind.’ He grinned at her. ‘They’ll be great for day-to-day stuff, around the reserve.’
They matched the shirts as well. Katya decided this wasn’t the moment to mention that. ‘So what are we going to do? Is there someone we can call?’
‘We could try towing them out …’ He gestured towards the tow bar on the back of his truck. Katya followed his drift. They could position the vehicle on the path by the river and she could ease it forward, while Luke guided the mattresses out, making sure that they didn’t catch on anything. But he was waiting for her to approve the plan first.
‘Yes. I’ll get to keep my feet dry in your truck.’ He nodded. ‘Let’s give it a go.’
It took half an hour, but the extra leverage as Katya inched the truck forward made all the difference. Once the mattresses were out of the water, Katya joined Luke, helping him push them up the sloping riverbank.
‘One last push!’
She was trying not to notice the way he encouraged her. How he praised her for jobs well done and egged her on to do more. He was way stronger than her but he made her feel like an equal partner, the extra bit of strength that made all the difference, and when he swung the mattresses onto the back of his truck, it felt like her achievement as well as his.
Katya had been trying not to notice him either. Or the muscles in his arms and shoulders, swelling to meet the challenge of the waterlogged mattresses, which twisted and buckled every time you tried to get a grip on them. Or how there were few things more beautiful than the lines of a male body when it was in good shape. And Luke was in very good shape.
‘Nice job.’ He inclined his head towards the river. ‘See, it’s already back to its usual flow.’ The gush of water that had surged under the bridge when they had dislodged the second mattress had soaked him.
He wasn’t just perfect, he was wet and perfect, and now that she wasn’t giving all her energy to shoving as hard as she could, it was difficult not to look at the way his wet shirt stuck to his skin.
He held out his hand as she scrambled up the sloping riverbank, and Katya ignored it. It would be foolish to get any closer to him than necessary at this point.
‘Careful!’ Almost before she realised that her foot had slipped in the mud and she was falling, he had hold of her. Instinctively she tried to twist away, but he had one arm around her waist, pulling her up and towards him. Her chest hit his with a slight squelch, and all she could feel was his warmth and the safety of his all-too-solid arms around her.
If he’d had the chance to think about it Luke would have hesitated before he’d grabbed her and stopped her from falling, but there had been no time. And she’d been about to careen backwards down the muddy slope of the riverbank and onto the rocks below. Instinctively, her arms had flown outwards, searching wildly for something to hang on to, and instinctively he’d reached out for her and pulled her into his arms.
‘I’m … I’m sorry.’ Sorry for touching you. Sorry for intruding into that well-guarded space you keep around yourself.
She moved against him and it was only by a superhuman effort of will that Luke managed to loosen his arms around her, rather than pull her closer. She was trembling, and Luke wondered if it was from the shock. He’d better let her go before she realised that he was trembling, too. As he did so she stumbled slightly, as if her legs weren’t quite ready to hold her yet, and he steadied her. ‘Careful. Are you all right?’
‘Yes, I’m fine. Just a bit dizzy. Give me a moment.’
Just one? She could have more if she liked.
He let her lean against him, holding on to his shoulder. Wherever she touched, his skin seemed to warm slightly, defying the chill of the morning breeze on his wet shirt. Luke hoped against hope that she wasn’t aware of what she was doing to him.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab at you like that.’
‘It’s all right, Luke. You can touch me.’ She tipped her face up towards him, her emerald eyes clouded in thought.
He didn’t know what to say. Wasn’t quite sure what she meant by that. If this had been any other woman he would have kissed her right there and then, and he was pretty sure that she would have kissed him back. But if this had been anyone other than Katya, he probably wouldn’t have wanted to kiss her.
Luke decided to concentrate on the practical. ‘Feeling better now?’
‘Yes, I’m fine.’ She didn’t move. Then, suddenly, she stepped away from him, as if what she was about to say needed a little distance. ‘I’m a bit jumpy at the moment.’
‘Yeah.
