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TRIXIE

T rixie almost convinced herself that Hunter’s weirdly formal hand kiss had been some kind of hallucination. She paid the bill, chattered inanely about the weather, made determined conversation with the waitress, and marched to the truck without looking back to see if Hunter was following.

He was, of course. She was keenly aware of where he was, careful of their proximity when they did the awkward dance of opening doors for each other through the arctic entrance to the restaurant.

She fumbled the key fob to unlock the truck and found Hunter standing at the driver’s side door, politely opening it for her.

“I… ah… this is… it’s been a long time since I did this, but I should be super clear that nothing can really happen while I’m your boss.

” Trixie didn’t particularly want to take the high road.

She wanted to see the rest of Hunter’s shoulders without the tourist T-shirt over them, and scrape her nails down his chest. But she had to think about the big picture, and she knew better than to mix business and person al affairs.

She and Jay had almost done that dance and she’d never been sorry that she took the high road, even though she regretted it at first.

Hunter gave her such a long, thoughtful look without speaking that Trixie immediately spiraled into self-doubt.

Was she so rusty that she’d seen flirtation where there was only chivalry?

No, she was pretty sure that no one casually kissed hands anymore, and she could still remember the brief feeling of his mouth and the tickle of his whiskers there.

She hadn’t imagined all the sizzling tension between them.

“I could quit,” Hunter proposed, and Trixie felt a rush of heat and relief. He really was interested. Interested enough to shirk his obligation, and Trixie felt like she knew enough about him to understand that wasn’t a minor concession for him.

“That wouldn’t be a record,” she said as lightly as she could. “You worked a solid half day. I’ve had kids who weren’t up to the work give up after a few hours.”

Hunter frowned. “I’ll catch your thief first,” he promised, standing aside so she could get in the truck.

Damn them both for being honorable, Trixie thought. She swung up into the driver’s seat and Hunter shut the door behind her. She would like nothing better than to take him back to her trailer and see how good his stamina really was.

He didn’t say anything on the way back to the property, despite several attempts at conversation that even Trixie recognized were inane.

They finished framing the rest of the interior walls before the day’s end, and Trixie was glad that the spark between them didn’t seem to interfere with working together.

Having acknowledged their mutual attraction only made it easier.

If their hands brushed close, they let them touch briefly instead of startling back and then pretending it hadn’t happened.

They let admiring looks linger a moment on purpose.

By the end of the day, Trixie was more worked up than if they’d spent the entire afternoon making out.

She looked at her watch—she still liked having an old-fashioned dial on her wrist to mark time—and told Hunter, “I’ll clock you out at five on the dot to keep the math easy, though it’s a few minutes to go. You did a great job. We got even more done than I’d hoped.”

Hunter gave a grumble that sounded pleased.

He wasn’t chatty, but Trixie was starting to be able to recognize distinct qualities to his various grunts and growls.

He had a sly sense of humor beneath his gruffness that Trixie appreciated more than the crude jests she was more used to.

She started to clean up the worksite, stacking the scrap lumber and sweeping up sawdust, and Hunter joined her in the effort voluntarily, coiling up cords and hoses.

The site was buttoned up swiftly. “Will you be okay here?” Hunter asked, as she set the camera to start capturing motion and walked over the plank to the driveway.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him. “Nothing about any of this suggests home invasion. I’m more at danger from moose here than anything else.”

Hunter looked like he wasn’t sure if she was joking. “Moose? Not… bears or wolves?”

“Moose are way meaner. Bears and wolves will avoid humans. Moose think they run the place. And this is coming into… ah… rutting season.” Trixie reminded herself that she was a grown-up woman who could talk about nature without turning into a thirteen-year-old boy.

Hunter nodded sagely. “I can see how horny moose might be a problem. ”

Trixie couldn’t quite catch her laugh before it snorted from her in a very unladylike way. The best part of Hunter’s sense of humor was how unexpected it was. He looked constantly constipated, but then came out with these dry quips that hit Trixie right in the funny bone.

When Trixie had regained command of her respiratory system, she smiled at Hunter. “Thanks. For everything. It was a solid day’s work, and I… appreciated the company.”

It was very quiet with the generator off and the inevitable construction sounds of a work day silenced.

Hunter was standing close, looking at her in that frowny way that Trixie had already figured out wasn’t actually mad.

For a tense moment, she thought he might kiss her, and she really, really wanted him to.

“We’re going to catch the guy,” he vowed. “And then we’re going to see what this is.”

The promise thrilled Trixie to her toes.