Page 21 of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

I grabbed the robe draped over the chair by the window. Tying it haphazardly, I shuffled toward the front door. My feet dragged as I stifled a yawn, dreading whoever thought it was acceptable to wake a person up this early.

This better be the cops or I’m murdering someone.

When I yanked the door open, the sight on my porch rendered me speechless. Kannon stood there, all six-foot-something of him, broad shoulders filling the doorway, his dark hair mussed from the wind. His leather jacket stretched across his chest like it had been custom-made for him. He had it zipped up. The damn thing fit like a glove. It showed off his very fine physique. Behind him were several guys I assumed were his crew. I tried not to flinch at the assortment of tattoos, beards, and muscles. They looked like they belonged in a chain gang, not on my peeling porch at this ungodly hour. If they had been led by anyone besides Kannon, I would have run for the hills screaming.

“Morning, princess,” Kannon drawled, his gaze raking over me. Slowly. “Did I wake you?”

I froze, acutely aware of the robe I was wearing and the fact that it wasn’t doing much to hide my legs. The heat of his stare seared my skin. His friends had the decency to not stare, which I appreciated. Still, my face flushed and I yanked the robe tighter around me.

“Uh, what are you doing here?” I asked. The air outside was chilly. I wasn’t about to let half the town see me standing there looking like I’d just rolled out of bed. Which I had.

Kannon smirked as he stepped past me, his crew following. “We talked about this yesterday. You needed help fixing up this place. Here we are.”

I gawked at him. “A heads-up would’ve been nice. I wasn’t expecting you to show up here at six in the morning.”

He shrugged, the picture of nonchalance. “I’m not much of a dilly-dallying sort. Figured you’d know I meant first thing. This is a lot of work. We need every minute of daylight we can get.”

I wanted to throttle him. Instead, I huffed and stomped toward the kitchen. “I’m putting on coffee.”

The tiny pot only made four cups at a time.

I slammed it onto the counter with more force than necessary, filling the reservoir with water and scooping beans into the filter. The familiar sounds and smells began to fill the small, cluttered room, grounding me. I leaned against the counter. Kannon and his crew started moving through the house like a storm, assessing the walls, floors, and ceilings.

I tapped my foot while waiting for the coffee to finish. By the time the first mug was ready, the guys were already unloading gear and pulling apart drywall in the living room. I poured a cup for myself, but before I could take a sip, Kannon sauntered in, grabbed it from my hand, and drained it like it was water.

I glared at him. “Seriously?”

He grinned. “Appreciate it, Merritt. Keep it coming.”

Muttering more curses, I filled the second cup and started another pot before disappearing into the bathroom to shower and change. The hot water helped soothe my frayed nerves, but it didn’t stop the creeping feeling that I might’ve made a terrible mistake letting Kannon in my house.

When I emerged, dressed and slightly more awake, the first thing I saw was the mess. Dust and drywall littered the floor. They’d barely been here twenty minutes, and already it looked like a Hurricane Kannon had blown through.

Tools were scattered everywhere. My chest tightened as I took it all in. What had I done? My goal was to make the house pretty and suitable for a small family to live in. What I saw before me was chaos. A disaster.

Kannon must’ve noticed my deer-in-the-headlights expression because he walked over, dust streaking his black shirt. He wiped at what I assumed was drywall on his cheek.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked him. “Is this a joke?”

“Relax, Merritt. We have to tear it apart before we can make it better. I told you we might need to take it down to the studs. We’re checking for water damage. Mold. So far, it looks to be isolated to that spot under the roof leak. My guys will get up there and take care of that today. Trust me, it gets worse before it gets better.”

“You sure about that?” I asked. “Because right now, it looks like you’re demolishing it. If I wanted it demolished, I would have sold it to one of those places that buys houses for cash.”

He grinned, his teeth white against his stubble. “It’s going to be fine. This is what I do.”

I wanted to argue. But he reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. The touch was simple and innocent, but it had a strong effect on me. It kept me from spiraling, which would have been very easy to do. For reasons I didn’t want to unpack, I believed him.

“Fine,” I said, shaking him off and heading back to the kitchen. “I’m making more coffee.”

By the time I had brewed another pot and managed to fry some eggs and toast for myself, the noise was almost unbearable. The pounding, the sawing, the voices shouting over it all were too much. It was sensory overload. I couldn’t think straight, let alone get any work done.

My laptop sat open on the kitchen counter, untouched, while I shoved food into my mouth and tried not to let the chaos overwhelm me. I was trying to be productive but that was impossible in this chaotic scene.

Finally, I snapped the laptop shut. The soft click wasn’t nearly as effective as a slamming door. I headed into the living room, where Kannon was prying a piece of old wood paneling off the wall. “I can’t work like this,” I said, crossing my arms.

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Then don’t.”

I rolled my eyes. “I have meetings. I need to go somewhere quiet.”