a mule.
If he’d known she was going to be so stubborn, he would’ve brought Craig with him. But Nathan hadn’t been thinking about getting the job done quickly or efficiently when he’d offered to bring the lumber. The fact was, he hadn’t thought much past those long legs and smoky hazel eyes.
“I changed my mind,” he said when she returned for more boards. “I’ll take some water.” He hefted six slats onto his shoulder and caught her eyeing him with a suspicious frown.
“I saw a whole big bottle of water in your truck. Think I don’t know you’re trying to get rid of me?”
“You have some interesting paranoia issues you might want to get checked out.” He lowered his load to the second stack they’d started and then reached for the two boards she’d snatched off the truck. “Your water is probably cold. Mine isn’t.”
She narrowed her gaze, staring him down and holding firm to her bundle...until his knuckles grazed her breast and she let go. He hadn’t meant to touch her like that, but her startled reaction made him smile all the same. Luckily she didn’t see because he’d already walked past her.
He set down the boards and shook his head at the pair of new dark green shutters. The loose white siding around them was in sorry shape. A good wind could carry off the weathered clapboards. “You do realize you’ll have to take these shutters down again.”
“Yes, I do.” She pulled off a glove and scratched the tip of her nose. “To fix the walls and windows. And the new door will have to come off, too,” she said, stepping back to admire the repairs. “That’s okay. We won’t get to the front for a while. The place can look nice in the meantime.”
The right side of the porch had been reinforced, but the plank floor on the left was still sagging. At least the steps had been replaced. “You working mostly on the inside?” he asked.
“Yes, I know I should make the most of the good weather but I take whatever labor I can get when I can get it.” She removed her second glove and stuffed them both between her clamped knees while she loosened her ponytail. A breeze played with her long wavy hair, the honey-colored strands getting away from her as she tried to secure them in one hand. She put her hair back in the ponytail, more tightly this time. “I’ll admit, at first I hadn’t considered the weather turning quickly. I’ve never tackled anything like this before.”
The sound of someone gunning a neglected engine snapped him out of his trance. “You’re a brave woman,” he said, annoyed that he’d been staring when he should’ve been hauling lumber.
Pulling her gloves back on, she followed him to his truck. “Or stupid. Guess I’ll know in a couple of months.”
He threw a look at the tired white structure as he grabbed another load. “That might be too optimistic.”
“I know.” Bethany sighed. “I wouldn’t care when it got done except I promised Rachel I’d have it completed in time for her wedding. She has friends who’ll need accommodations.”
“Rachel?” He stopped and thought for a second. “Little Rachel McAllister? She’s getting married?”
Bethany laughed, and she didn’t hold back. “Little? Are you sure you’re thinking of the same Rachel I’m talking about?”
Nathan smiled. “I don’t know her well. I went to school with her two older brothers until the eighth grade,” he said, and caught her puzzled frown. “County-line dispute. When the dust settled, my brothers and I went to Twin Creeks High.”
“That must’ve been awful for you.”
He shrugged. “We already knew every kid within a hundred miles. And I got to play football without having to compete with the McAllister brothers. I wonder if those boys ever stopped growing.”
She laughed again. “Cole might be taller than you, but I doubt Jesse or Trace is.”
“I’m only six-two.”
“Only?”
He watched her balance the pair of boards she’d grabbed, trying hard to keep his attention off her legs and butt. “You’re pretty tall yourself.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but then tilted her head to the side and looked past him toward the street.
“Nathan Landers? My word, is that really you?”
“Ah, Jesus,” he muttered under his breath, though he didn’t recognize the excited voice coming from behind him. This was the third time someone had slowed down to convey their heartfelt shock at seeing him. The boardinghouse was located at the edge of town, but right on Main Street. He should’ve known it would be a circus.
He turned and saw that it was the white-haired Lemon twins. One sat behind the wheel with a pinched frown aimed at the sister leaning across her and doing the talking. He couldn’t remember either of their first names or tell them apart. What he did know was they probably shouldn’t be driving, since the big old Chevy was taking up both lanes.
“Afternoon, ladies,” he said, touching the brim of his Stetson and keeping an eye out for oncoming traffic.
“How long has it been since we’ve seen you in town, Nathan? Two years? Three? I see you’re helping Beth. She’s such a wonderful girl. Very considerate, and pretty to boot. Won’t it be nice to have the old boardinghouse open again?”
“For heaven’s sake, Mabel, give the man a chance to answer.” The driver jerked her shoulder and shifted to face him, obviously trying to force her sister back to the passenger side.
“Miss Lemon?” He gestured to a black truck heading toward them.
Her eyes got wide and she fumbled for the column shift. “Darn it, Mabel. Give me some room before we have another accident.”
Nathan winced. He saw she was growing more nervous and jerking on the stick. The car lurched to the rear. “I think you have it in Reverse,” he said, releasing his load back into the bed and putting a warning hand up to the driver of the approaching truck. As soon as Nathan reached the sedan, he crouched to check the steering column through the open window.
Miss Lemon found Drive. The Chevy pitched forward, and he jumped back, stumbling out of the way. He sensed Bethany behind him. Felt her hands grip his shoulders.
“Oops.” She slid her palms down both sides of his spine, trying to steady him. Then she ducked her head around his body, keeping an arm wrapped across his back, and said, “Go ahead, Miss Lemon, steer toward the right lane. You’re doing fine.” She gave him a brief glance. “You okay? All body parts accounted for?”
“I think so.” He hadn’t actually lost his balance, but he liked having her so close he could smell her floral-scented hair. Feel the warmth of her skin through his shirt. “Might have to take inventory, though.”
Her gaze snapped back to him. She gave him a long look, then let out a laugh and lowered her arm. Stepping away, she watched the Lemon sisters inch down the street.
Already regretting the inventory crack, he couldn’t tell if she’d decided the words were innocent or loaded with a message he wasn’t sure he could deliver on. Playing with fire without a means to extinguish it
