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“I’ll go inside for the linens,” she told him. “Do you have your bags?”
“Just a suitcase and my briefcase. They’re in the back of my pickup. It’ll only take me a minute.”
“Then I’ll meet you back here.”
Moments later, with her arms laden with freshly laundered sheets, pillowcases and towels, Lainie returned to the yard and found Drew waiting for her. He held a suitcase in one hand and a leather briefcase in the other.
“There it is.” She pointed about fifty yards away from the barn, where a lone structure sat. The outside needed a coat or two of paint, but the inside was probably just fine. It looked sturdy enough and should keep him dry and cozy. “It doesn’t look like much, but I think you’ll be comfortable there.”
“I don’t require much.”
No? She found that hard to believe. She glanced across the driveway at his spanking new Dodge Ram truck, then at his fancy denim jacket, his silver belt buckle and his shiny leather inlaid boots. No, this guy clearly liked the finer things in life.
“This way.” She began walking along the graveled path toward the knoll, and he fell into step beside her.
“There’s something you should know,” she said. “The cell and internet access on the ranch isn’t very good. There are some random spots here and there where you might get a bar or two, but it’s sketchy at best.”
“I won’t need to get online right away.”
“Okay, but when you do, it might be easier and faster to drive to town. Caroline’s Diner offers free Wi-Fi now. And they also have the best desserts you’ve ever tasted.”
“Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll keep that in mind.”
They turned to the right, following the incline to the cabin. A cool winter breeze kicked up a bit, sending the scent of his cologne her way. It was a clean woodsy fragrance—no doubt expensive—that suited him.
For a moment, her femininity rebelled, scolding her for not applying makeup earlier this morning, for choosing a plain white T-shirt and baggy overalls. But her days of enhancing her curves—whether they could be considered a blessing or a curse—were behind her now.
Yet despite her resolve to remain low-key and unaffected by Drew’s presence, she stole a peek at him, hoping he wouldn’t notice. But he caught her in the act. Her cheeks warmed, and she quickly looked away, placing her focus on the pathway.
“Have you ever been to Houston?” he asked.
The first image that flashed in her mind was the swanky hotel restaurant, where Craig had invited her for a birthday dinner. But she shook off the memory the best she could. “I went to college in Houston, but I’m originally from Amarillo.”
He nodded, as if storing that tidbit of information away to use against her someday. No, come on. That kind of thinking is crazy. But she couldn’t help being a wee bit suspicious. For some reason, he seemed to have locked onto the idea that they’d met before, and they hadn’t. She was sure of it.
Still, there seemed to be something familiar about him. Probably his lanky, cowboy swagger.
She cut a sideways glance his way. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious about everyone here.”
She reminded herself that she’d have to stay on her toes around him.
They approached the small front porch, which appeared to have a rickety railing. Maybe the cabin wasn’t so sturdy after all, but it would have to do.
“This is it,” she said, hoping the inside was more appealing than the outside. “I probably should have checked things out before bringing you here.”
“All I need is a place to sleep.”
Lainie climbed the three steps ahead of him, when a crack and crunch sounded behind her.
“Dammit.” Drew lurched forward and, apparently to steady himself, grabbed her hip, sending a spiral of heat to the bone and unbalancing her, too.
She didn’t have to turn around to know what had just happened, but she couldn’t help herself. Sure enough, he was removing his foot from a big crack in the wood, scratching his fancy boots in the process and banging his fancy leather suitcase against the steps.
He grumbled something she couldn’t comprehend, then removed his hand from her denim-clad hip. Yet her skin sizzled from his touch, tingled from his grip.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize that step was loose.”
“The wood’s completely rotten.”
“I can see that. I know the owners plan to refurbish the cabins before the rodeo comes to town, but I don’t think there’s a lot of extra cash right now. Are you okay?”
Their gazes locked, and her pulse struck a wacky beat. His features softened, and his annoyance disappeared.
“Yeah, I’m fine. But this porch needs to be fixed pronto.”
“I agree, but I think a repair like that’ll have to wait.”
“Seriously?” He straightened and slowly stepped onto the porch, testing the wood before placing his full weight on it. “Fixing that step can’t wait. I might break my leg next time.”
She clutched the linens to her chest. “Good point. But...like I said, Nate can’t spare the extra cash right now.”
He shrugged a single shoulder. “I’ll fix it myself. I’m not too bad with a hammer and nails. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go to the hardware store and get supplies I’ll need to rebuild the broken step.” He glanced around. “And the porch. It’s just a matter of time before it falls apart, too.”
“You’re taking it upon yourself to do that?”
“I may as well pay for my keep.”
“That’d be nice of you. And appreciated.” For some reason, she hadn’t expected him to actually do any physical labor. He didn’t look like the kind of man who’d risk getting blisters or building up a sweat.
Lainie turned back to face the entrance and shuffled the linen to one arm. She reached for the knob and opened the door. As she crossed the threshold, into the tidy and modestly furnished interior, she caught a whiff of must and dust. “I guess we’d better open some windows and air it out.”
“That’s not a problem.” Drew followed her inside. He set his suitcase on the hardwood floor near the small green plaid sofa and his briefcase on the oak coffee table.
Lainie carried the linens to the bed and placed them on the bare mattress. Then she took the towels and washcloths to the bathroom. When she returned to the bedroom, she found Drew opening the window. He looked especially nice from the backside—broad shoulders, narrow hips...
Enough of that. Drew Madison was a cowboy—fancy duds or not. And what was worse, Lainie hadn’t lucked out when it came to assessing the characters of men she found attractive.
“The pillows, blanket and spread must be in the closet,” she said.
“I can take care of that. I’m sure you have other things to do.”
She had a ton to do before her day ended. When she’d checked her email at Caroline’s, Mr. Carlton had forwarded the next batch of Dear Debbie letters. But Nate had asked her to help their guest get settled. It wouldn’t be right to take off and leave him on his own.
“No, I—” She’d just slid open the small closet door, when a brown furry streak jumped from the top shelf, landing on her head. She screamed and swiped at her hair to no avail. The damned creature dropped to her chest and scampered under the bib of her overalls. She shrieked again, and Drew was at her side in an instant.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are you okay?”
“No!” She continued to scream and shudder. She hopped up and down in an attempt to dislodge it, but it scurried around her waist and into her pant leg. She grabbed Drew’s arm as if he could save her.
His brow furrowed, his expression one of concern. “What? What is it?”
“It’s a mouse. And it ran down my...” Oh, my God. It was still in there, trying to find a hiding place.
A childhood memory replayed in her mind—the abandoned warehouse in their run-down neighborhood, the innocent game of hide-and-seek, the rat’s nest that turned into a little girl’s worst nightmare...
Lainie let go of Drew, who wasn’t any help, unhooked the overall buckles and shimmied out of the baggy britches until they bagged at her ankles. She struggled to kick off her laced shoes.
“How can I help?” he asked.
If she wasn’t in the midst of a mind-boggling crisis, she might have offered a suggestion. But all she could think to do was to scream yet again.
The nasty little creature was burrowing into the folds of the fabric, squirming to escape almost as frantically as she was. When she finally tugged off her second shoe and stepped out of the overalls, she turned to Drew and pointed at the pile of denim. “Get it. Take it outside.”
Drew bent to do as she’d instructed, but not before the mangy little beast took the opportunity to zip under the bed.
Lainie shuddered and straightened, then she turned to him.
He stood there stoically, his gaze on her. Apparently, he didn’t give a fig about the mouse that could easily burrow into his bed tonight.
He studied her for a couple of beats, then he looked away.
It took her those same beats and another to realize she was standing before him in her stocking feet, wearing only a baggy T-shirt and a pair of pink panties. And skimpy ones at that.
Her cheeks heated and her lips parted. Oh, no. Now what?
Drew snatched a folded sheet from the mattress and held it out to her.
She grabbed it and rushed to the bathroom, but it wasn’t the blasted mouse she hoped to escape this time. It was the dashing cowboy who’d seen more of her than she’d wanted to reveal.
Chapter Three (#u6a8e3cb5-0db0-5d76-af69-b41c9e8fa904)
Now that the crisis was over, some men might have found Lainie’s reaction to a panicked field mouse a bit comical, but Drew had been too focused on her shapely, bare legs and those pink lacy panties. He hadn’t realized what she’d been hiding behind all that denim, but certainly not curves that were that sexy.
Most women would flaunt them, but apparently Lainie didn’t.
When the bathroom door creaked open, she came out with the sheet wrapped around her waist. Her cheeks were flushed a deep pink, and her brow was creased in worry. She scanned the room. “Is it gone?”
No, he suspected the critter was still under the bed and probably suffering from a massive coronary. He didn’t want to lie, but neither did he want to risk having her freak out again. “You’re safe.”
Drew thought about making light of the situation and her reaction, but she was undoubtedly embarrassed by it. And he couldn’t help sympathizing.
She pointed to the pile of denim on the floor. “Would you please shake those out, then give them to me?”
“Sure.” He picked up the overalls, made an effort to examine them carefully, then gave them a vigorous shake before handing them to her. “Here you go.”
It was a shame she was going to hide behind baggy clothes again.
She held the sheet in place with one hand and clutched the overalls with the other. Yet she stood her ground, her cheeks rosy, and gave a little shrug. “In case you hadn’t figured it out, I hate mice.”
“Apparently so.” His grin broadened to a full-on smile. “But just for future reference, it wasn’t going to eat you in a single bite.”
She mumbled something directed at him, clicked her tongue then returned to the bathroom.
When the bathroom door swung open again, and she walked out wearing those damned overalls, he felt compelled to tease her. Instead, he bit his tongue. But he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
“I realize you found this funny,” she said, “and I admit that I overreacted.”
“No,” he lied. “Some people have an aversion to things like mice, bugs and snakes.” He took a seat on the bed.
“And I’m one of them. But you see, one day, when my twin sister and I were playing, we had a bad experience with rats. So that came into play just now.”
“You have a twin?”
She paused a beat, and her eye twitched, just as it had a few minutes ago, when he’d asked her if she’d ever been to Houston. “Yes, I do.”
“Identical?”
“No. People used to think we were, especially since there’s a strong family resemblance and we were the same size and had the same coloring. But no, we’re fraternal twins.”
Had Drew run into her sister before? If so, that could be the reason Lainie seemed familiar.
“Where does your sister live?” he asked.
“I’m...not sure. I haven’t seen her since... Well, it’s been a while.”
He was tempted to ask why, but he suspected they’d had a falling-out of some kind. And he’d had enough drama within his own family to last a lifetime.
“Anyway,” Lainie said, “I need to go back to the house. I only have an hour to get dinner on the table.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“I’ll live. I’m just glad you reminded me that the darned critter wasn’t able to eat me in a single bite.” She smiled and winked. Then she bit down on her bottom lip. “Hey, do me a favor, please. Don’t tell the guys about this.”
“My lips are sealed. It’ll be our little secret.” This time, he winked. “Thanks for helping me get settled.”
“And for providing you with a little entertainment? You’re welcome. I was just doing my job. Or trying to, anyway.” Then she headed for the door.
He nearly added, And thanks for the lovely vision I’ll never get out of my head.
* * *
Lainie had never been so embarrassed in her life. She couldn’t believe she’d screamed like a wild woman and stripped down to her panties in front of a virtual stranger—and a handsome one at that.
So much for getting a fresh start in Brighton Valley. If word of this got out, she’d have to move again. Fortunately, Drew had been nice about the whole thing, but he must think she was a nut job, which she probably was. What normal woman would have reacted like that? And all because of a tiny little mouse.
She blew out an exasperated sigh. As much as she’d like to avoid Drew for the rest of her life—or at least, for the duration of his stay—she was going to have to face him again this evening, at the dinner table. And speaking of dinner, she didn’t have a clue what she was going to fix. She’d been so focused on getting her column turned in on time that she’d neglected to do any prep work. And now she’d have to regroup and think of something that was quick and easy.
