Page 29 of Wanted By You

I grab two bottles of water from the fridge, handing one to Butch. “Sorry, no beer. I try not to keep it in the house.”

“It’s all good,” he mumbles and breaks the seal, tipping his head back and chugging half straight away. I watch his strong neck work, the way his throat moves as he swallows, the heavy bob of his Adam’s apple. I absently wonder what it would be like to—

“This your brother’s room?” he asks, making his way toward Garrett’s door at the front of the trailer.

I set my water on the table, hurrying after him. “Yes, but—” He pushes open the door without a second thought. “—I don’t think he’ll be happy we’re in here,” I finish with a sigh.

Butch scoffs. “He should be thankful I’m even checking for mold.”

My eyes widen. “Mold?”

He merely grunts in response, moving further into the tight space.

I stand off to the side, watching Butch inspect the tear in the popcorn ceiling surrounded by brown water stains. It looks awful, and I can’t help the wave of embarrassment that washes over me.

Life in a trailer park isn’t luxurious, it’s simple living. You make it what you can. I’ve always tried to create a comfortable space for my brother and me, especially after Mom left and Dad passed. Garrett hasn’t always been the tidiest and he doesn’t have much in here aside from a dresser, an old-school TV that should be trashed, and a twin bed that’s far too small for a grown man.

I spare a glance at my brother’s only beloved possession. His guitar is propped in the corner of the room. Cleaned, tuned, and dusted even though it hasn’t been touched in two years. My chest tightens at the memory of how far gone my brother has fallen, and how badly I wish I could bring him back to me.

Hopefully, this little repair to his room will—I don’t know, convince him to come home more often and…

Stay away from the bottle, I think to myself.

I sigh, staring up at the ceiling as Butch shoves Garrett’s bed further toward the far wall. “It’s dry,” he says, grabbing his tool bag and setting it on the bed. “I can patch it with some spackle now, or I can get a piece of drywall to cut this damaged area out and replace it another day.”

I shrug. “Whatever you think is best.”

He takes out a brand-new container of spackle and a putty knife, eyeing the spot up for repair. “I think I can get it lookin’ right with the texture up here,” he says, flipping the tool in his hand. He peers over at me. “If it looks like hell after, we can try option two.”

I give him a small smile. “Sounds good.”

Butch gets to work on the repair, reaching up and slapping a wad of white paste and spreading it gently.

“Thank you again for doing this,” I start, crossing my arms and leaning against the open door frame. “I know I’ve already said it, but I really appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it,” he huffs, focused on the task at hand.

“If you ever need help on the mountain, let me know.”

“Oh, yeah?” Butch chuckles, glancing over at me. “You know how to work a yarder by chance?”

I exaggerate a scoff. “Oh, for sure.”

“Do you know what a yarderdoes?”

“Yeah…it’s, uh, one of those log pulley things, right?”

His eyes sparkle with mirth as his smile grows. “It’s a system of cables that pull the logs up the mountain to the collection site. So, yeah, a log pulley thing.” Butch’s laugh is so deep and contagious, I can’t help but join him.

He finishes up quicker than I expected. Taking a step back, he ushers me further into the room. “How’s that look?”

I inspect the freshly spackled area that looked hideous a moment ago. The white is brighter than the rest of the ceiling, but unless you’re looking closely, you wouldn’t know it was patched at a passing glance. “It’s perfect,” I admit. “Five stars.”

He chuckles, scraping the putty knife on the side of the container before closing it up. “I’ll have to let Rhett and Levi know I’m encroaching on their construction business.”

When my eyes meet his, I smile. “Thank you.”

Hefting his tool bag off the bed he takes a step closer to me until we’re a breath from touching. I breathe in deep, inhaling his leftover cologne mixed with his natural musk and sweat. If the heat from his body wasn’t already drawing me in, that deep yearning in his dark eyes right now would do the trick.

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