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She marched closer yet, her sexy shoes tapping across the blacktopped ranch driveway. She seemed to be spoiling for a fight. Although, not necessarily with him, Brad noted.
“Care to elaborate?” Lainey asked tightly.
“Nope.” Carrying the bundles of pipe, Brad headed for the newly painted beige barn.
She skipped to keep up with his long strides. “Don’t be such a—”
Curious as to what she would call him, Brad prompted, “What?”
“Donkey’s rear end!”
He grinned. Somehow, he hadn’t seen her cussing. At least not out loud. Not that her verbal imagery hadn’t done the trick in getting her message across.
Lainey danced across his path, forcing him to detour around her. “Just tell me where he is and I’ll leave you alone,” she said.
Grimacing, Brad set the bundles down on the cement floor of the barn with a loud clank. Then he straightened to face her. “He went to Laramie, to work at his facility there.”
Her expression fell and she took a step back. Sunlight poured down from the blue Texas sky, illuminating the honey-gold strands of her hair. “How long is he going to be gone?” she asked.
Brad shrugged, noting the flush of color across her cheeks, the mist of perspiration at her temples. “You’d have to ask Lewis, but he usually puts in a twelve-hour day, if not more.” So did Brad.
Frustrated, Lainey raked her teeth across her lower lip. “I really need him here, to tell me where he wants me to get started.”
Determined to be as ornery as possible, in hopes she would get ticked off and leave, Brad tipped back the brim of his hat and regarded her with an indifferent gaze. “You’ll have to take that up with him.”
To his disappointment, Lainey looked undeterred. “I guess I could go ahead and move my stuff into the guest house.”
Brad looked back at the SUV. The rear seat was down and it looked packed to the gills with stuff. Even the front passenger seat was heaped with belongings. Brad frowned. “Where’s your son?” Not that it mattered to him, but the other day, Lainey had sounded like her son Petey was a very important part of her life.
“Obviously, he’s not with me today.”
She didn’t look happy about that. Which made Brad ask before he could stop himself, “Everything okay?”
Lainey folded her arms in front of her. “You really care?” she asked.
He shouldn’t, Brad knew. Not if he was going to keep his distance from the lovely blonde.
“That’s what I thought.”
Suddenly, she looked near tears. Brad, who had never been much good in the comforting-others department, had an insane urge to take her in his arms. Instead, he remarked, even more matter-of-factly, “If you want to go around looking like you lost your best friend, that’s your business.”
Lainey swallowed hard, her eyes moistening. “How about if I go around looking like I am losing my only child, then?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” Lainey sighed and shoved her hands through her hair. “It’s none of your business anyway.”
“True enough.” Brad was silent. What was going on here? It wasn’t like him to get involved in anyone else’s private business. He had enough trouble managing his own. “Still, if you want to talk…” he found himself saying.
Lainey’s voice grew turbulent. “He’s at the theme parks in central Florida with his two cousins, aunt and uncle.”
“Why didn’t you go?”
“Because I wasn’t invited.”
Ouch. “That was rude.”
Lainey’s slender shoulders stiffened. “I’m sure Bart and Bunny didn’t mean anything by it. They thought I needed some time to myself.”
She didn’t look like she needed time to herself. Brad strode back to the pickup for another load. “When will they be back?”
Lainey remained in the shade of the barn. “The end of the week, which will give me enough time to get settled in and have everything ready for Petey here—so it’s probably for the best, anyway.”
She didn’t look as if she believed that, Brad noted. Not that it was any of his affair.
“Is the guest house unlocked?” she asked.
Brad dropped the second load of pipe next to the first, then fished in his pocket for the key. He dug it out and handed it over, knowing the reason why Lewis had made himself scarce when Lainey would be moving in. Not that it was up to Brad to deliver the bad news to Lainey. It was her fault. She should have investigated further before taking the short-term job with his brother. “Lewis asked me to give this one to you.”
“Thanks.”
Years of ingrained training had Brad asking, albeit reluctantly, “Need any help unloading your SUV?”
“Nope.” She swung away from him, and walked to her vehicle, spectacular legs flashing in the bright June sunlight. As he watched her go, Brad couldn’t help but notice she looked more like a well-to-do suburbanite, out for a day of shopping, than a housekeeper or—what was it Lewis had called it—personal organizer?—about to embark on the massive task of making the Lazy M ranch house livable.
Telling himself to quit thinking about her and concentrate on the installation ahead, he continued unloading his pickup, laying pipe, sprinkler heads, fans and linear heat sensors on the cement floor of the freshly scrubbed-out barn. He was nearly done when he heard the first scream. Shrill and terrified sounding, it split the air with the intensity of an air-raid siren.
“What the…?” Brad dropped the box in his hand.
Another scream pierced the air, louder and longer than the last.
He took off at a run.
LAINEY WAS STILL SCREAMING when Brad charged through the open front door and found her crouched, still shaking and scared, atop the kitchen counter.
His expression went from panicked to amused in an instant.
“Look, I know the place is a mess, and you must feel frustrated as hell, but don’t you think you’re overdoing the drama just a tad?”
Lainey wished that were the case. Not that Brad didn’t have a point. Perhaps she shouldn’t have yelled like a banshee when she discovered the state of her quarters for the next few weeks.
Unbelievably, the guest cottage was in even worse shape than the Lazy M ranch house. Instead of being crowded with boxes, though, it was heaped with old furniture of various kinds and all sorts of odds and ends. In short, it looked the way many people’s attics looked after being neglected a good ten, twenty or thirty years. But that wasn’t why she’d been yelling her head off for the past two minutes.
“Follow your nose, cowboy!” She pointed to the source of the foul odor that had prompted her to head for the kitchen in the first place. “And get those…creatures out of here!”
“Huh?” His expression perplexed, Brad swaggered through the maze of belongings and stared down at the five exceedingly ugly creatures on the other side of the counter. “Armadillos?”
“Nine-banded armadillos.” Lainey shuddered, not about to admit how glad she had been to see Brad charging to her rescue. Not that she considered herself a damsel in distress, of course. “A whole family of them.”
Brad braced his hands on his waist. “I can see that.”
“I hope that’s all of them, anyway!” Lainey shuddered again. She didn’t know what she would do if she found other creatures in the guest house, as well. The four baby armadillos, weighing about five or six pounds each, were backed into the corner of the U-shaped kitchen, toward the sink. The mama—a behemoth the size of a terrier and a lot less friendly—was guarding the only way out.
Brad flashed her a bad-boy smile that was enough to make her stomach drop. “It is.”
“How do you know? You just got here!” She was the one who had been crouching uncomfortably on the kitchen countertop, her skirt hiked up around her thighs, for what seemed like an eternity as she screamed for help.
Brad’s glance slid from the floor, to her legs, and then to her face. “Because armadillos always have four identical offspring—every time,” he told her in a husky voice that soon had her tingling all over. “They all come from the same egg, hence they are the same sex.”
She couldn’t believe she was talking reproduction with one of the sexiest bachelors alive. “Well then, let’s hope Papa Armadillo isn’t around here somewhere, too,” she declared.
He shrugged his broad shoulders, unconcerned. “Oh, they never hang around for the birth. He probably took off months ago, shortly after, uh, getting her in the family way.”
She felt herself flush. “Do we really need to be talking about the mating habits of armadillos right now?” she muttered, trying to no avail to bring the hem of her skirt down, just a little. Unfortunately, the fabric was too tight and she lacked maneuvering room.
“You brought it up. What did you do to rile Big Mama up, anyway?”
Telling herself Brad’s scrutiny was not sexual in nature, Lainey explained, “I walked in and almost tripped over one of her babies. Next thing I knew, I was surrounded by scurrying…screeching…beasts.” She shuddered again, recalling the panic that had ensued.
He reached over and gave her bare knee a warm, companionable squeeze. “Given the way you were screaming and leaped up here, they probably think the same thing about you.”
Trying not to think about the way her skin was tingling from just that brief casual contact, Lainey frowned at him. “Very funny.”
He folded his arms in front of him. “I suppose you want me to remove them.”
Lainey rolled her eyes. He was enjoying her discomfiture and dragging this out on purpose! “Duh.”
“Okay.” Brad pivoted on his heel. “I’ll be right back.”
“Wait!” She reached out for his shirt, missed. “You can’t leave me here!”
But of course he already had.
She looked back at the armadillos nervously. She hadn’t seen one of them since she was a kid and living in rural Laramie. And she’d never viewed one this close. The mother had a pointed face and large pointy ears that stuck straight up. A hard brown shield covered the mama’s shoulders, another her rump. Between the two were nine bands, hence the name. Her tail was long and tapering, sort of like a rat’s tail, only this was completely covered with disgustingly bony rings. She had scattered yellowish hairs across her body, particularly around her face, and wicked-looking claws on all four of her feet. Lainey had no doubt Big Mama would fight to the death to protect her young—Lainey would, too.
She did not want to tangle with the animal.
What seemed like an eternity later, but was really only a couple of minutes, Brad strode back in, carrying a large metal animal cage and wearing heavy-duty elbow-length leather ranch gloves. “Just so you know,” he warned her, eyes twinkling, “this probably isn’t going to be pretty. Or quiet.”
Unsure whether it was excitement or annoyance speeding up her heartbeat, Lainey said in a strangled voice, “Just get them out of here!”
Brad moved a couple of boxes to block any exit attempt the five armadillos might make, then waded into the kitchen, trap in hand. When the baby armadillos scattered, Big Mama ambled away from Brad and then broke out into an awkward run, slamming into the side of one cupboard, then another. For a while it was kind of like trying to catch a greased pig. As soon as Brad would get near Big Mama, she would head off in the other direction. Unperturbed, Brad stalked the mother armadillo calmly, until he finally had Big Mama cornered, then reached down and grabbed her swiftly by the base of the tail. Big Mama squawked in terror and spun wildly, but Brad held on and somehow managed to drop her into the metal trap and shut it again without getting scratched or bit. The other four babies were caught in the same manner. Once all five were in the trap, Brad locked the lid.
Lainey breathed a huge sigh of relief. She hadn’t realized until that moment how glad she was to have Brad there, saving the day. “Now what?” she demanded.
“Depends.” Brad gave her an assessing look. “You like armadillo meat?”
“You’re kidding.”
The corners of Brad’s lips twitched as he said drolly, “Guess that’s a no.” Brad picked up the cage of animals and swaggered for the door.
“Tell me what you’re going to do with them!” Lainey called after him, belatedly feeling just a tad sorry for the cornered creatures. She was sure, after thinking about it a moment, that they hadn’t meant to intrude or scare her to death.
“You want to know?” Brad’s dark brown eyes held a dare. “Come along and see!”
LAINEY THOUGHT ABOUT IT for a minute, then declined his invitation with a shake of her head. Accepting dares was what had always gotten her into trouble. It was enough of a risk just accepting a job here without disclosing what she hoped to gain for herself, and do for Brad in the end. “Thanks, anyway,” she said.
“Suit yourself.” He headed amiably out the door.
Lainey heard the sound of metal on metal as he put the cage into the back of his pickup, then he climbed behind the wheel and drove off.
When she was sure he and the “uninvited guests” were gone, she climbed down from her perch and started to explore. But no sooner had she cleared the kitchen than a sound near the door had her spooked again…and climbing right back up onto the kitchen counter. Surely Brad McCabe wouldn’t be gone that long, she told herself.
Fifteen long minutes later, he returned. He pushed back the brim of his Stetson. “Any particular reason you’re still sitting up there?” he asked with a curious lift of his brow.
Lainey was beginning to feel pretty darn foolish, but better safe than sorry…. “I thought I heard something over there.”
Brad frowned. He seemed to know instinctively that she wasn’t joking around. “Where?”
Lainey pointed toward the living room window she had opened soon after she arrived. She could handle just about anything except wild animals. Those scared the heck out of her.
Looking more bored than scared, Brad strode over to investigate. He reached the antique sideboard that blocked Lainey’s view, stopped dead in his tracks. “Well, I see the problem,” he said eventually, backing up slightly and rubbing his chin.
“What is it?” she demanded, feeling even more alarmed.
He leaned over. When he straightened he held a half-burned pillar candle in his hand. “What do you think? Look dangerous to you?”
Lainey regarded Brad skeptically, aware her knees were still shaking a little. “That’s all it was?”
He glanced around, looking puzzled. “I don’t see anything else over here. This, however, was on the floor, lying on its side.”
“Why would it just fall off like that?” she asked suspiciously.
“The wind?” He set the candle on top of the sideboard and lazily made his way toward her.
Lainey’s heartbeat kicked up a notch. “You’re sure there are no more wild animals in here?”
“Well, I don’t see or smell anything else,” Brad drawled as he walked through the combination living room and dining room, past the kitchen and half bath, and through the back hall, where the two bedrooms and full bath were located. He returned to stand in front of her, grinning wickedly. “Now, are you going to continue sitting up there or are you going to get down so we both can get back to work?”
Swallowing hard around the sudden dryness in her throat, Lainey moved toward the edge of the counter. “First tell me what you did with the party of five,” she countered curiously.
“I drove them to a distant pasture and turned them loose next to a stream.”
Sounded good to her. “Are they going to come back?” she asked nervously.
He taunted her with an impudent smile. “After the way you were carrying on?”
She tossed her hair—something she hadn’t done since high school. Maybe college. “I’m serious.”
