Page 23

“Hey, are you okay?” He jolted me out of my thoughts.

“Yeah. Sure. Looks like we’re almost done. Only the steps left to go.” We’d planned this just right, leaving ourselves an out at he steps.

“We can finish before sundown, unless you want to put it off until tomorrow?” He quirked a brow.

“I’m game to keep going if you are.”

He was right. When we finally finished, the sun threatened to go down behind the hills.

My skin glistened with sweat, and his did too. We sat under the old cedar tree in the yard, gulping tea like it was a lifeline. We both took off our shoes and socks, wiggling our toes in the cool grass. My glass empty, I took to sucking on the ice. Then I ran an ice cube around my neck and collarbone, sighing with relief at the coolness of it.

Hudson stared, lips parted. I caught a hint of groan from him.

“Bet a dip in the lake would feel amazing right now,” I said, tipping my glass of ice toward him. He took a cube and did the same on his skin as I eyed the drops of water descending down his muscular ridges.

“Too bad I don’t have the energy to move.” He laid back in the grass and tilted his cap over his eyes.

I spotted the hose still coiled near the flower beds and got a flicker of an idea. “Be right back.” I grabbed our glasses, making like I was going to refill. He only grunted something that sounded like thanks.

I twisted the hose spigot, waited a second, then tiptoed back.

“Hey Hudson,” I called sweetly.

He lifted the brim of his cap, and I blasted him with cold water.

He shot up, cursing and laughing, water dripping from his shorts. “Think you’re some kind of fire fighter, like you can handle a hose? You’re gonna regret that!”

I squealed and ran, but he caught me fast, wrestled the hose out of my hands, and sprayed my back. I shrieked, drenched and trying to catch my breath between laughs. But blessedly cooled off.

Then I tackled him, hoping to wrestle him for the hose, but he was stronger, faster. He caught me mid-lunge and I landed against his chest, gasping.

Then he kissed me. His mouth hot and wild. His arms strong like oak, hands cradling my ass. My legs circled his waist before I even thought twice. He walked us straight to the porch, up the steps that somehow managed to dry fast, still kissing me like I was his oxygen.

Anyone in the neighborhood certainly got their eyeful. We were really good at play acting. Soaked and laughing when we stumbled inside, we dripped all over the hardwood floor.

Suddenly, a horrible rattling noise echoed from the basement.

We froze.

“What was that?” My face scrunched and I flew behind him as if he’d be my shield if a monster attacked.

“Uh. Could be your air conditioner? It’s pretty warm in here.” Hudson scratched the back of his neck.

“Oh, no,” I groaned.

“I’ll check it out. Grab us some towels?”

I nodded and darted to the hallway closet while he bolted downstairs. By the time he returned, the noise had stopped, and he shook his head.

“I think it’s shot, but I don’t know. Your mom’s system is older than sin, and HVAC is beyond my pay grade,” he explained.

“Crap,” I whined, towel-wrapping my hair. “I don’t think I can afford a whole new unit. If I stay here all summer, I’ll die of the heat. Oh, it’s no use. What made me think I could keep this place going on my own and with no job yet? But I can’t bare to sell it. It’s all I have left of Mom.”

“No. You can’t do that.” He placed his hands on my arms, reassuring. “Look, let me call Dawson. He’s helped with our Firehouse system now and then and has done some work on houses we’ve fixed up and sold. He might be able to repair it for a whole lot less.”

“Really? That’d be great. Can you call him now?”

“Sure. Unless you’d like to pick up where we left off before the air conditioner stole my thunder.”