“Mind if I help you with that?”
Turning she found Renn looking as gorgeous as ever in running shorts and his sweaty T-shirt clinging to him.His ball cap was turned backwards and his hands on his hips highlighted the muscles in his forearms, but his half-smile was what really had her stomach flip-flopping.This man was like a walking temptation.
“Are you following me?”
“Yes, if by following you, you mean I watched you drive up back and walk in here as I finished up my run.”
His smile was contagious, but she rolled her eyes and turned back to what she was doing.She didn’t have any time for any distractions, especially ones she’d seen naked and knew could make her body sing with one touch.Pulling on the huge post was tougher than she expected, but when it shook loose from the stack it rammed into her chest.
“Please let me help you?”he said, and took the post, lifting it up easily and setting it on her cart.
“I can do it myself.”
“I bet you could do this yourself, but why would you want to be so stubborn you’d turn down a little help?I promise it won’t cost you anything,” Renn said, pulling the piece of paper from her back pocket.“Let me see that list.”
“Are you always so persistent?”
“I think you bring it out in me,” he said looking over the top of the paper and then walking past her toward the two-by-fours.He quickly pulled down eight boards and loaded them onto the cart, then he grabbed a box of nails and started looking around.
“I think we’re going to need a saw unless you’ve got one at the ranch,” he offered.
“We?”
“Ya, I don’t have anything else going on today and I’ve rebuilt a horse pen a time or two.”
But before he could push the cart, she put her hand on his arm and stomped her foot.“I said I didn’t want your help.”
“No, you said you didn’t need it—those are two different things.But you do.You just don’t realize it yet.And I’m not saying that to be sexist or condescending.I’m speaking from experience because the first time I rebuilt a pen, I didn’t know you needed two people to do it.One to hold the board in place and one to hammer.Also getting the old post out is going to be a lot tougher without a chain and a truck with a hitch.”
She practically growled and crossed her arms over her chest.
“Look at it this way, after spending a day with you and your surly attitude, I’ll probably get my fill of you and stop asking you out for ice cream.”
She huffed knowing he was right that she needed his help.She’d be a fool not to accept it.If he could pretend nothing happened between them, so could she.
“Maybe not—you’re pretty cute in those overalls.”Then he leaned in closer and whispered, “And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about your perfect, pink lips dripping wet for me.”
“Oh my gosh,” she yelped.
“Shhh, there are other people in here and we don’t want them to know how you sound when you’re too excited.”Then he walked off toward the hand tools with her cart.
At this point she didn’t have much choice but to accept his help, but that didn’t mean they were going to hook up again.She’d resisted having sex since she had her first boyfriend in high school—she could abstain again.
*
She was insuch big trouble, she thought as she watched Renn cool off using the hose as he mixed the cement in a big bucket on the side of the barn.After he’d helped her put everything in the back of her truck, he’d gone back to the inn to get changed into jeans and work shoes and driven his truck out to her place.And he’d made quick work of hauling away the damaged wood, removing all the nails, pulling out the old post and digging the hole for the new one.He’d been right—there was no way she could have done that by herself.
“Now I know you want to get this done right away, but I have some bad news and some good news.”
“Did we forget something at the hardware store?”
“No, but this cement needs about four hours to set before we can attach the two-by-fours.But the good news, I’m available to hang out until it’s set.”
It was late afternoon and hot.Her brother was at summer school and had football practice until late.And she’d already asked her stepmom’s day nurse to stay a few extra hours, knowing she’d be working on this fence.
“Fine, I guess I should feed you after all this work.”
“And maybe we can go for a swim at the beach?Cool off a bit?”he proposed.
