“Haven’t figured it out yet. Just wanted to make sure it wasn’t a family heirloom or anything before I took it apart and fixed it.”
“Go forth and be carpentery.”
He rolled his eyes. “Do you want to ask your mom?”
“No, it was from an old bed when we moved into the house.”
“Wow, older than I thought.”
“Is that a carpenter hard-on I see in your eyes, Shane?”
He stood up and brushed off the dust and shavings before hanging the heavy apron on the hook by the door. “Not a carpenter hard-on.”
“Oh?”
He angled in between her knees and brushed the tips of his fingers along her spine. “Nope.”
Enjoying the playful side of him, she leaned in and nipped his lower lip. Instead of the usual teasing torment, Shane caught her mouth in a sinfully full-on kiss. He ate at her lips, dissolving her brain as he opened her wide and took what he wanted.
They were both breathing heavy by the time he took a step back. She curled her fingers into the edge of the desk and moaned. “Can’t you break your rule?”
He shook his head and took another step, then turned toward the open door, and she could see him drinking in the cool night. She let her chin drop to her chest before she hopped down and crossed the room to slide her arms around him. She pressed her cheek against his hard, muscular back.
He brought her hand up and kissed her palm. “What time are the Simmons coming?”
“Crack of dark.”
He laughed. “So that means you’re actually going to go to bed now?”
She brushed the tip of her nose into the dip of his spine. She was exhausted enough to be able to do just that. But she didn’t want to lose any time with Shane.
“I’ve got hours of work yet, so it’s probably a good thing you’re tired.”
“Don’t you sleep?”
He laughed. “I really don’t need much. Four hours and I’m good.”
“I knew you were superhuman.”
He tugged her under his arm and around in front of him. He dropped a chaste kiss on her lips and turned her toward the night and popped her on the butt. Incredulous, she skipped forward on the momentum. “Good night, babe.”
She trudged across the snow and up the stairs. When she turned back, he stood in the door, but this time he waved before backing away to the golden light spilling around him.
With the dawn came two cars full of the Simmons clan. Her mother hadn’t stopped fussing over towels and linens. She even plumped pillows on the sofa at the sound of gravel popping under tires.
Kendall met them at the door. An older, salt-and-pepper-haired gentleman skipped up the steps, his hand outstretched. “You must be Kendall. I recognize you from your picture on the Web site.”
“Yes, I’m Kendall. Welcome to the Heron.” She stood aside. “This is my mother, Lily.”
“I’m Mark, and this is my wife, Jennifer.” He turned and pointed out the rest of the visitors who were piling onto deck. She hoped to God she’d keep the names straight before the end of the day.
Laurie and Todd, Susan and Scott, and their two teen girls, Micah and Abby, all spoke over each other. Happy laughter and the excited chatter of females oohing about the landscape and lake filled the air.
The teens were unimpressed until she showed them the back. The huge bench swing propelled them both into action.
“Be careful on the water. It’s freezing,” Susan called out.
Kendall smiled. “Don’t worry. The swing’s very sturdy.”
“Should it be so close to the end of the dock?”
Kendall led Susan down the dock. “See, not as close as it seems.”
“Oh, wow.”
Kendall folded her arms. “Beautiful, isn’t it? This is my favorite view.”
“I can see why.” Susan’s face was flushed with cold, and her smooth complexion spoke of days indoors.
Unlike Kendall’s chapped cheeks that wouldn’t stay moisturized this time of year even if she slicked her face with Vaseline.
Susan turned bright blue eyes in her direction. “I can’t wait to see our room. This whole place is so cozy and inviting.”
Kendall smiled and saw even more improvements thanks to Shane’s hand with the landscape. Shoveled walkways, boards replaced, and a few heavy blankets were folded on the chairs scattered around the swing. A bright cobalt-blue-stained Adirondack chair sat in her favorite spot on the deck.
She swallowed down a lump in her throat and showed Susan and her sister-in-law Jennifer the paths along the back of the house that hugged the lake.
Half an hour later she had all the couples divvied up on the second floor and the teens a few doors down. She remembered what it was like to be fifteen and on the cusp of independence.
She found her mother in the kitchen pulling two coffee cakes out of the oven with one already cooling on the table. “Smells amazing, Mom.”
“I want you to take half of that one to Shane. I saw all he did outside early this morning even before we were up. He might be antisocial, but he likes my coffee cake.”
Kendall laughed. Shane certainly had disappeared the minute the cars had come up the drive. She’d thought he was sleeping, but the plowed drive said otherwise. She wrapped half of the cake in tinfoil and kissed her mom on the cheek. “The Simmonses are getting situated, and I know that Todd and Mark were already looking for coffee.”
Lily nodded to the large coffee dispenser and a row of mugs. “All ready for them.”
“You are a wonder, Lily Proctor.”
“I know.”
Kendall shook her head and escaped through the back door, crossing the lawn to Shane’s domain. The whir of a drill and the scent of the strong brew he called coffee met her at the door. He was crouched beside the table, clamping a vise across the span of rich wood. With a deft hand he smoothed thin slats of the koa wood along the middle of the table, giving it a distinct stripe.
“It’s gorgeous.”
He looked up, then quickly away. “Thanks.”
The man was really bad at taking a compliment when it came to his art. She held up the foil package. “Mom sent this.”
He quirked a brow. “Coffee cake?”
“You’ve got her wrapped, Oscar.”
He took the pastry. “I had to put up a heavy bag out back.” He patted his belly. “Your mother’s going to give me a spare tire.”
She doubted it. The man was nothing but sinew and muscle under the layers he always wore. She walked around the table and slid her finger over the glass-smooth finish of the table. “I saw the Adirondack chair you left out there.”
He shrugged. “You kept stroking the one I made for a client. I figured you wanted one.”
“Did it hurt your heart to stain it blue?”
“A little.” He leaned against the table and crossed his arms over his powerful chest. His arms seemed larger, if that was at all possible. From all the labor he’d been doing on the Heron? Or maybe that heavy bag?
She curled her fingers under the fuzzy mittens she wore. “Well, I love it. You didn’t have to do that, though. I know what a good price you can get for them.”
“It makes the dock look good.”
“I’ll be sure to think that when I sit with a cup of coffee later.”
He stood up straight and walked to her. He swiped the pad of his thumb along her lower lip. “Merry Christmas, Kendall.”
“I…I didn’t get you anything.”
“I don’t need anything.”
“Will you be coming over for dinner tonight?”
“I’m not big for crowds. Looks like you’ve got your hands full at the house.”
Disappointed but not surprised, she looked up at him. “Mom’s doing the whole turkey deal. I’ll put a plate aside for you.”
He lifted the end of her braid and stroked the tail around his finger. “Appreciate it.”
She swallowed. He smelled like snow and sawdust, and she wanted to cur
l right into his chest. But she had a ton of things to do, and now wasn’t the time to look for a cuddle. “I better get back.”
He set her braid against her jacket. “See ya, Sunshine.”
Kendall turned and forced one foot in front of the other. Under two layers and a jacket, her nipples were so tight they were painful. The man was driving her nuts.
She threw herself into the Christmas Eve preparation but never did get back to her chair that day or that night. The Simmons family were laid-back and fun. The house was filled with conversation and the wreckage of a huge meal.
Micah and Abby kept wandering outside. Considering how many times they checked out the barn, she figured they’d caught sight of Shane. No matter how heavy his beard got, you couldn’t take away the slicing arch of his cheekbones and the flash of amazing eyes.
The man was walking sin, and if she were fifteen, she’d be swooning just like the girls. Hell, she was a moment away from a good sigh herself. Especially when she’d brought the plate over to him only to hear him pounding the holy hell out of his homemade bag.
She’d peeked around the back and glimpsed a sweat-soaked back and fist-sized dents in the old canvas army bag. Already too keyed up, she’d left before he’d seen her.
As tired as everyone was from their drive, they stayed up well past two a.m. talking and laughing by the fire. She didn’t have anything else in her but to check out for a few hours.
Christmas Day was filled with a quieter group. The girls went exploring on the trails, the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. She caught a rather randy Jennifer and Mark in the hallway, both of them sneaking back into their room while everyone else was outside.
At least someone was getting laid.
She and her mother managed a quiet hour when the family went out to drive around the neighborhood. They exchanged small gifts and ate leftovers before putting in a quick cleanup.
By the time the family got back, they were filled with laughter and excitement. Lake George was close and always put on a good Christmas display. They’d also bought lift tickets for skiing close by.
Both her mother and Kendall were so busy with the family and another unscheduled visit that every room save one at the B and B was filled through the end of the month.
She didn’t know what magic Shane had put into the Web site, but every time she remembered to look at it, she was too tired to open her laptop.
New Year’s Eve came before she was ready for it, and the entire group had decided to throw an impromptu party. Her mother scrambled to cook, and Kendall enlisted Bells to help decorate.
Thirty minutes later Kendall opened the door to find Bells on the porch with two dress bags. “An excuse to wear a party dress in Bradley? I’m there, sister.”
Kendall frowned. “I was just going to wear jeans.”
Bells pushed past her. “I’m definitely going to take away your right to call yourself a girl if you don’t make at least an effort to glam up tonight. You’ve been working like a dog for weeks now.”
Kendall flipped her braid over her shoulder and closed the door. “I’m just happy we have customers.”
“Me too, babe. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take a little time and gussy up. Especially when you have that hot piece of action in the barn that needs to grow a clue.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have called you.”
“No, you definitely should have called me. I’m your best defense. Besides, I wield a makeup brush better than anyone at the Macy’s counter. And you have some serious circles that I need to correct.”
That was true. Only Bells could get away with saying it, but it didn’t make it any less true. On both counts. “Okay, fairy godmother. I will leave myself in your capable hands.”
Bells spun about her deep auburn corkscrew curls dancing around her shoulders. Her makeup was already done, and her huge blue eyes were even more pronounced thanks to her deft touch with smoky shadow. “Wait, I didn’t have to talk you into it? Okay, it’s worse than I thought.”
Kendall turned her toward the stairs. “I’m just tired, and if you have tricks in that huge trunk of makeup you call a to-go bag, then I’m all for slapping on an artificial happy face.”
“All right, don’t get pushy. Throw yourself in the shower and use the loofah until you’re pink. I brought a sexy lotion to go with your sexy dress.”
“I like my lotion.”
“The girl-next-door thing works three hundred sixty-four days out of the year. Tonight? I’m going with vamp and the scent to match. The boy will be groveling by the time I’m done with him.”
Kendall nibbled on her lower lip. Any help in getting Shane out of the let’s-play-it-safe mode was welcome. She wanted the hot, hard length of him between her thighs tonight. Or that relentlessly patient tongue—she wasn’t picky which one she got at the moment.
“Don’t blow up my bedroom.”
“Oh, honey. There’s no doubt that your room will be trashed. It’s a freaking closet.”
She sighed and grabbed one of the fluffy towels from the linen closet and allowed herself a ten-minute shower. And because it was a good idea to use the loofah, she listened to her friend and exfoliated until her skin buzzed.
Kendall wrapped her hair up in a towel and brought her hair dryer with her. Bells was on a rampage. Might as well just let her take care of everything. When she was in steamroller mode, there was no stopping her.
Bells had pulled her bed out into the middle of the tiny room and left leg space to walk around. Two garment bags hung from the door, and her best friend’s makeup bag had exploded across Kendall’s bed.
“Here.” Bells handed her a thin tube of lotion.
“That’s it?”
“It’s very special, very expensive lotion.”
“Then you should wear it.”
“Oh, I am. A different scent, of course, but I am.” She held her wrist up to Kendall’s nose.
The rush of dark and exotic flowers and a hint of jasmine wafted over her. “Oh, wow, how come you get the delicious one?”
“Smell yours.”
Kendall popped the cap and rubbed a little on her pulse point. Orange blossoms and spice clung to her, leaving a light pearly sheen to her skin. “No wonder it’s pricey.”
“Worth it for a special occasion. Now sit down and let me make you a girl.”
“I am a girl. Just a busy one who doesn’t care about this stuff.”
“New Year’s Eve is the night to get in the mood. Besides, I have to keep my talents fresh.”
Kendall knew her friend was just trying to make her feel better, so she sat down and let Bells fuss.
“Now tell me what’s been going on.”
“Lots of hostess stuff.”
“I don’t care about the Heron crap, Ken. I want to know about the hunky carpenter dude. Why didn’t you tell me this guy was beautiful? I had to find out when I walked up the drive.”
“He actually came out of his workshop?”
“Yeah, he was shoveling or something. I saw two girls giggling from the window.”
Kendall laughed. “We’ve got a couple of teenagers who are totally crushing on Shane. He’s so uncomfortable.”
“Not used to being objectified? Close your eyes.”
Kendall did as directed. “He’s not a fan of big crowds. Especially when there’s a surplus of females. He’s gone out on the trails with a couple of the husbands, but other than that, he likes to stay in the background.”
“Is he shy?”
“No, more like antisocial. His nickname is Oscar for a reason.”
“And you’re in love with him?”
“Afraid so.”
“I know I said he’s your match, and it’s obvious he is—somehow. But he doesn’t sound like your type.”
“I know. He really isn’t. But I love that he’s so gruff. It’s even better when I manage to get him to laugh or smile.”
“If you say so.”
The conversation dropped as Bel
ls hit her hair with the dryer and followed up with the curling iron. She swept the mass of curls over her shoulder, leaving one side sleek.
A fat brush distributing powder over her cheeks was the last step.
“Okay, now I don’t want you to say anything. Just put the dress on.”
“Oh, God. What did you bring?”
Bells looked down at her more than ample chest. “Well, not one of mine, obviously.”
Kendall snorted.
“Now don’t get all uppity. I got a ridiculous deal on it. Not many people in Bradley are a size puny like you are.”
Bells was a bit on the lush side, but she embraced her body. She liked being a bombshell and used every inch of her God-given curves to make men beg. And they usually did.
Kendall opened the first bag and found a slinky teal number.
“That one’s mine.”
Thank God. She was sure that would just fall around her like a tent. Kendall went to the next bag and unzipped. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Chapter Nineteen
Shane smoothed his hand down the buttons of his white dress shirt. The house was teeming with people, some guests and some friends from town. He recognized people from his trips into the lumber store, market, and diner.
Lily had nagged him and threatened to drag his butt over to the house if he didn’t make an appearance. Because it was good business, for both Avery Furniture and the Heron, he agreed to at least show up for a few minutes.
He forced himself not to roll his eyes when the two girls started giggling and watching his every move from the porch. For Christ’s sake, he was way too old for them. He slipped in the open back door and grazed at the assorted appetizers table.
He snagged a beer from one of the tubs under the table and snicked the top off for a long sip only to choke.
Kendall came around the corner, a wineglass in her hand and miles of pale flesh on display. One shoulder was completely bare. Some sort of shimmery dress draped across her chest and arms. It was like liquid silver over smoke. The dangerous part was the skirt that molded her hips and stopped a good five inches above her goddamn knees.
Her legs were bare, and strappy black mile-high heels tightened her calves. She’d done something to her face. Her dark eyes looked like aged bourbon, and her lips were slick with gloss.
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