The humor in Alex’s eyes diminished, and he turned away, his hand resting on the back of the tiny dinette. “Do people really pay good money to come stay in such a tiny space?”
Katherine frowned. “They do. It’s quite popular actually.”
He shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
“You always say stuff like that,” she scowled. “Like I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s offensive. When did you get so condescending?”
“Oh, I’m condescending?” he scoffed, whirling around to face her. “Have you looked in the mirror?”
Was he insulting her looks? She knew she wasn’t beautiful, but he didn’t need to be unkind about it. “Look, Alex, I don’t know where you think this is headed,” she pointed back and forth from her to him, “this thing between us, but you can’t just walk right back into my pants!” Her eyes widened and her face flushed when she realized what she’d said.
He blinked in surprise, a grin playing across his lips.
“Ugh,” she cried in frustration, pushing past Alex to get outside where she could breathe.
He followed.
She stopped and dropped her face into her hands. Finally, her arms fell to her sides, and she stared across the field. The back of her neck burned, knowing he was behind her. Would he comment on her stupid Freudian slip?
“I should finish pulling wire today,” he said, his words careful. “Then I can start on the meters.”
She circled around him to slam the door of the little trailer. “Sounds great,” she said flatly, without meeting his eye. Then she stomped back across the field toward her trailer.
* * *
Alex lumbered across the field toward his truck, tossing one last glance toward Katie’s trailer over his shoulder. He chuckled again at her comment. “Walk back into her pants,” he muttered. “Oh, Katie…”
And Yorick, what an awesome memory! That truck had meant a lot to him back in the day. He’d learned how engines work, trying to keep that old thing running. And he’d loved every minute of it.
Reaching the back of his truck, he hauled out the equipment he’d need to finish pulling wire. He’d always been good with his hands. Still was… he just hadn’t tried much since coming home, other than electrical work anyway.
He dropped his tools between the last two ditches containing empty conduit and rubbed absently at his scar. Back when he was in school, he’d planned to restore vintage trucks as a hobby someday. As a kid he’d envisioned himself owning a big house with a shop behind, filled with parts and pieces of vehicles, tool chests -- a real man cave, complete with grease and grime. Where had that dream gone?
But he knew the answer before he asked it. All those dreams were buried along with his buddies. His scowl deepened. Here he was feeling sorry for himself about a stupid old truck, and his friends had nothing. They were dead.
Katie banged tools around in her storage shed behind her trailer, and he shook his head wondering if she was going to try her hand at tree trimming again. He’d brought the saw back a few days before and left it by her door.
He massaged his beard. Never in his wildest dreams had he envisioned her restoring anything mechanical. She’d been the Brainiac, the one who was going to lead the nation; he was the handyman. What kind of a messed up crazy world made soldiers into electricians and librarians into RV park owners?
* * *
An hour later, Katherine swung open the door of her trailer, nibbling at her lower lip. Sure enough, a huge flatbed truck laden with two more trailers lurched down the gravel road toward her She could see the ’57 El Rey and the ‘63 Shasta Airflyte rattling and bumping along causing her heart to jolt along with them.
While she was happy to see the trailers arrive on time, an overwhelmed feeling had her on edge.
Fish barked and jumped against his lead under the tree, going crazy at the sight of the truck, so she closed the door and headed over to calm him down. When she reached the puppy, he bound and yapped, trying to get loose.
She tossed a glance toward Alex, still embarrassed.
“Come here, boy,” she soothed, bending to pick up the little dog. “Let’s get a closer look, shall we?” Without waiting for him to answer, she unhooked his harness from the lead and snapped on his leash, then headed toward the truck. Alex was already talking to the driver, discussing the best place to put the trailers, considering the sheer number of trenches crisscrossing the site.
“What do you think, Katie? I mean Katherine,” Alex asked as she neared. “Where do you want him to put the trailers?”
Certain his eye still held a spark of humor, she straightened her back and looked away. Why hadn’t the jumble of construction mess occurred to her when she planned arrival dates for the trailers? “I’m not sure,” she hesitated. “What do you think? I don’t want them in your way or the plumber’s way either.”
The truck driver grinned and adjusted his ball cap. “Good thing they’re mobile,” he teased.
“True,” Katherine admitted. “I guess for now, let’s just get them off the truck and put them behind my trailer. I can move them over when the utilities are finished.”
The driver agreed so Alex stepped back, and Katherine tugged Fish’s leash to keep him at a safe distance. The truck rumbled forward, and she followed it with her eyes, wondering how on earth she was ever going to finish all the trailers by herself. What had she been thinking? A carefully planned schedule was one thing, working by herself in the stifling heat was another thing altogether.
“You okay?” Alex asked, giving her the once-over.
She tossed her head and raised her chin. “I’m fine.”
“Okay,” he muttered, understanding that he’d been shut down. “Suit yourself.”
Determined not to watch Alex walk away, she ignored him. But she still saw him clearly in her mind’s eye.
The trailers should be in good shape. Burt had spoken with her about his work on them, as well as emailed photos. They mostly needed cleaning up and the appliances and other fixtures installed when they arrived, nothing too intense. Certainly not anything that she wouldn’t be able to handle, it was just that work was stacking up. Her schedule didn’t have much leeway, and she didn’t want to fall behind. This pressure was new to her, and part of her longed for the days when the library had felt like a huge silent vault, blocking out the stresses of the world.
Fish barked at Alex, wanting his attention, but he was already back at work. “Come on inside with me,” she said to the puppy. “You could use a treat, right?”
Fish answered by jumping in the air and grinning.
“I thought so,” she said, tossing Alex a glance over her shoulder, but he wasn’t paying attention. “Hey, Alex!” she called. “I’m taking the dog inside, okay?”
He waved without turning around, and she shrugged off his inattention. Soon enough he’d have the electric lines finished, and the water would be in. The lines could all be buried then, and the place would start to come together.
She opened her door and watched with a grin as Fish scurried up the steps. Yes, Alex would soon be out of her way, she thought as she followed Fish, but— Her smile faded.
Fish ran directly to the cupboard under the sink and turned to give Katherine a hurry-up look.
“You’re impatient,” she said with a chuckle, “But you’re smart.” She got Fish a treat, then watched him gobble it down. But even as she enjoyed the little dog, she realized he belonged to Alex and her smile faded again. How was fate so cruel as to let her fall in love with Alex’s dog, not to mention making Alex the electrician on her project and the perfect person to help her finish all the trailers?
She sniffed and turned her attention back to the puppy. It was a good thing she didn’t plan on needing too much help because spending time with Alex was getting more and more complicated.
* * *
Saturday morning arrived, sunny and hot. Katherine tugged on her work boots, collected her work gloves from the kitchen, then headed out to gre
et Julia and her fiancé, Chad.
The rumble of the excavator reverberated through the humid morning air as Alex filled the last of the electrical trenches. A heavyset man wearing striped overalls extended his hand to Katherine. “Mornin’, miss, I’m Steve.”
“Good morning,” she greeted him and then turned to Julia. “This must be Chad?”
The large man grinned and shook her hand. “You got it. Hope you don’t mind that I tagged along.”
“The more the merrier,” Katherine said, wishing she meant it. The group was feeling more and more like a crew, and she had no idea how to manage the situation.
Julia pointed to the small man standing beside Chad. “This is Bobby,” she explained. “He’s our right-hand man.”
Bobby stuck out his chest at the introduction. Pushing up his thick, black-rimmed glasses with one knuckle, he nodded a welcome. “Ma’am.”
“Well,” Julia grinned, motioning with delicate, petite hands. “Looks like we’re ready to get started.”
Unsure where they planned to begin, Katherine glanced toward the box truck Chad brought. “What do you plan to do first?”
“I wanted to check with you,” Julia said, “Because I know you still need to move trailers.”
“Right,” Katherine said, nibbling at her bottom lip.
“I’m gonna go talk to Alex,” Chad said, dropping a kiss on Julia’s forehead.
The tiny woman blushed at his kiss.
“Shall we look at the plans?” Katherine asked, motioning back toward her trailer.
“Good idea,” Julia agreed.
“I want to say hello to the puppy,” Bobby said.
“Okay, but don’t unhook him,” Julia said, following Katherine.
At the trailer, Katherine opened the door and stepped back for Julia to go in first. Then, without meaning to, she glanced over her shoulder at Alex who was deep in conversation with Steve and Chad. At the same moment, Alex looked up, making eye contact with her. Katherine flushed.
Hoping the men were discussing plumbing, and not her, she hurried up the steps and closed the door.
* * *
Alex stared at the closed door, and the conversation surrounding him faded into the background. He’d finished filling the last electrical trench, now he’d start on the meter boxes. Then, all he had left to do was bury Steve’s water and sewer lines, and he’d be finished out here. He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Steve. But not before Chad noticed his expression.
Chapter Fifteen
Pink, purple, and golden sunset blazed across the sky. The day had been productive. Katherine sat on her front steps, contemplating the sky, the trees, and beyond that, the sound of the river as it tumbled over the rocks. On the breeze she smelled wild grass, summer, and the country roads. She took a deep breath, savoring the moment.
Shading her eyes, she looked out over her property. In the far distance, she could see the top of the well drill rig over the trees. They’d reached water and were almost finished setting up the well.
On the other side of the property, she could barely make out the fresh dirt where the septic system was buried.
Her perusal moved closer. On both sides of the gravel drive, trenches ran willy-nilly, back and forth across the compound. A few electrical boxes with covered meters dotted the mess, sticking up like tree stumps in the construction confusion.
Four little trailers were lined up behind hers, unfinished and waiting for parts.
If she didn’t know better, she would consider the place a disaster, but instead, she focused on the progress they were making. The water lines were half finished, and the sewer lines were going in. The electric lines were in, and the meters would be finished within the next few days.
Of course, she’d need to move her trailer, as well as the others, into the correct locations so she could plug them in, but that didn’t concern her. Between working with Burt, driving cross-country, and dealing with unloading the trucks, she’d learned the hard way how to back up a trailer.
Sweat trickled down her back, and she looked forward to the whir of an air-conditioner running on her roof. She’d taken to enduring a cold shower under the tree every evening, just to cool off enough to sleep. She’d hoped the solar shower would offer water at a friendlier temperature, but that wasn’t the case.
Considering the amount of money she’d spent on bottled water, it was a huge relief to know that the guys had made so much progress on the water and sewer lines. The well-digging crew wanted to move out Monday, so even though tomorrow was Sunday, Steve, Alex, and Chad had agreed to come out and finish connecting her water lines.
If all went as scheduled, the meters would be finished Monday, the sewer lines would be complete, the water lines connected to the well, and all her utilities would be ready to go. And none too soon. This had been the hottest, most miserable few weeks of her life.
Swatting at a mosquito, she conceded that she’d had some fun as well. That silly little Fish was a constant source of amusement, and Alex had been nice to have around, in a strictly having people around kind of way. But that was a lie, because she was practically consumed by his presence. It was just hard to accept.
The memory of their kiss, however, was especially persistent, popping up at odd moments and catching her off guard. She knew how to swallow down her emotions; she was a pro at that. It was the goosebumps and the jumping feeling in her stomach that made her turn the kiss memory over and over in her mind, savoring the sensations it inspired.
But just as quickly, the sweet, sensitive feelings turned to vulnerability. She was still very much alone in the world and left to her own devices. She’d come a long way in her belief that she could handle the trailers and make her own way, but a big black hole remained in her heart. Her mother would never know what her daughter had accomplished. Not that the woman would be happy that Katherine had returned to Smithville, but it wasn’t just her mom she missed. For the first time in a very long time, she yearned for more. The library had offered her safety and security, but she’d also used it as a tomb or a cell to lock herself away. Now that she was opening up and allowing so much more into her world, the vulnerable places in her heart were open as well.
As always, her father came to mind, and this time she searched deep within, inspecting the vast chasm left by the question of him. How could she know who she was if she didn’t even know where she came from?
Stretching her arms out in front of her, she took in the darker skin of her arms. Where did she fit? Not that anyone had ever commented on her differences, but she noticed. Maybe it had always been a question because she looked different than her mother. If she had resembled her mom, would she feel more secure in herself? There was no way to know.
With a huff, she stood and brushed off her backside. She didn’t have time for wallowing. She didn’t have time for anything! If it weren’t for Alex digging the trenches for all the utilities, it might have taken Steve another week to get her water and sewer connected. Alex was getting paid for it, she was sure, but still she was thankful.
Never again would she take electricity or running water for granted. That was one of the things about trailer life that she’d come to understand. Being aware of the resources you have available and appreciating them was a big part of living in the moment. Living with intent, some called it.
Phrases like that had always sounded a little too… what was the word? Unconventional, that was it. She’d lived quietly, after all, not using more than her share of anything, so when she heard of a person speak of living with intent, she hadn’t understood what they meant and had maybe even considered them a bit of a wacko. But now she was beginning to understand.
Her trailer was small, much smaller than her apartment had been square footage wise, and she’d had to carefully consider each and every single thing she chose to put inside it. She’d spent hours paring down the pile of items she planned to keep, going back through the stack over and over, deciding if she really needed eac
h article of clothing or kitchen do-dad. And now when she went shopping, be it for clothing or food, she had to consider the space every item could take. It was a matter of figuring out not only if she could fit it in, but what she’d have to toss out if she bought something new.
It was a strange yet wonderful thing to know that she had everything that she needed and nothing more. She was comfortable and contented. She appreciated each of her belongings and how they served her. This knowledge, this gratification, was something she hadn’t expected. For some reason, she’d expected to feel a bit picked on, like she was going without. She would, however, be much more content once the power and water were on.
This whole experience was morphing into far more than she’d ever imagined. Not only was she now a landowner but also a business owner, a construction manager, a logistics director, and a website manager; she worked with her hands, friends stopped by, and of course she had her dealings with Alex, whatever that was.
She was still so far out of her comfort zone that nothing felt quite right, but she could feel herself stretching, growing.
Changing.
She wasn’t one to look for or enjoy change, so the realization didn’t sit well. She liked who she’d been before Hershel died, even if she’d been socially stilted. She’d been efficient and hard-working, and she’d been a damn good librarian. The people who’d worked under her had revered her. Or at least admired her knowledge.
Her nose wrinkled, and she reached up to scratch a fresh mosquito bite on her shoulder. She’d been a bit of a termagant, actually, with a propensity for criticizing, with no concern for her coworker’s feelings or needs. But she’d gotten the work done in an efficient manner. Still, it stung afresh that she’d not had friends for a reason. At some point, it had become easier to push people away than to deal with them. Yet here, with this park going up, she’d been forced to play nice and deal with other people’s ideas and schedules. And the results were undeniable. The park was coming together, and her project was actually going to happen.
Hometown Series Box Set Page 111
