Her gaze landed on the paperwork she’d brought home from her interview with Wolfe. She skimmed it over for the hundredth time in the past three days. She’d gone so far as to put her first name and her address, her cell phone number. However, the lines for her last name, social security number, and date of birth were still blank.
She needed to take the job. No way could she turn down that kind of money. For one, it would give her something to do. Plus, she wouldn’t be out in the open; she’d be safely hidden inside a building, not dealing directly with customers all the time. And, as a side bonus, she didn’t see how it could hurt to surround herself by men who didn’t take shit from anyone. If she was lucky, maybe they’d befriend her, and should he come for her…
“Shower,” she said to the empty house, her gaze darting to the locks on the door, ensuring they were engaged. “Then I’ll go in.”
She could only hope Wolfe was still willing to hire her.
If not…
Well, she’d deal with that when the time came.
Wolfe had just plugged in the power sander when he heard tires crunching on gravel out front. He glanced over at the coffeepot, realizing he hadn’t bothered to start it yet. God help him if Lynx had showed up early. It was anyone’s guess when the guy would show up for work. He rarely came in at six, other times closer to seven. But generally, Lynx strolled in at eight. He wasn’t known for punctuality, that was for sure.
Before he could get the coffee can off the shelf, the door opened.
“I’m makin’ it,” he hollered, not bothering to turn around. Time was of the essence here.
“Making what?”
The sound of her voice went straight through him. He took a breath, then peered over his shoulder to see Amy standing in the doorway. She was wearing jeans and boots and a formfitting black T-shirt, hair pulled back in a ponytail, her bangs sweeping across her forehead. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
“Mornin’,” he greeted. “Thought you were Lynx. Figured he was gonna rip me a new one if I didn’t have coffee ready.”
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. He noticed there were dark circles beneath the long fringe of her lashes. The woman looked tired and a little thin. Too thin.
“I can make that,” she offered, coming to stand beside him. She peered down at her clothes. “And I didn’t really know what the dress code was. I hope this is okay.”
“Perfect.” Literally.
Granted, he’d have to pay attention in the event she walked across the room while he was working. One look at her ass in those jeans and it was likely he’d cut his damn finger off.
“So, does he like it strong? The way he drinks it at the diner?”
Wolfe paused, staring down at Amy as he tried to understand what she was talking about.
She nodded toward the coffee. “Lynx. Strong coffee?”
He grinned. “Yeah. Stronger the better.”
When Amy reached for the coffee can, Wolfe released it, his fingers brushing hers in the process. The slight touch had his breath shuddering in his chest. Her eyes flew up to meet his briefly, but then she looked away quickly. This time he didn’t see fear, he noticed something else burning brightly in her espresso-brown eyes. Interest, maybe?
“I filled out the paperwork, too. It’s in the car. I’ll … uh … I’ll get it to you in a bit?”
“Perfect.”
Looked as though his vocabulary had been reduced to few words.
While Amy prepared the coffee, Wolfe unplugged the power sander—a safety precaution—then grabbed a few other things he’d need, set them out for when he returned. When she was finished and the pot was brewing, he nodded toward the stairs. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”
Amy’s eyes made a quick sweep of the room before she followed. “You’re the only one here?”
“Right now, yeah. My old man usually stops by on his way to the shop, but not quite this early. Who knows when Lynx’ll get his lazy ass outta bed. Some days he goes right to the store to check on things before bringing his happy ass on this way.”
It was clear the woman was on edge. Every minute of every day if he had to guess. Whatever it was she was running from, Wolfe wanted to eliminate it for her. Rhys had been right when he’d accused Wolfe of being protective. He wasn’t sure what it was about this one tiny woman, but he vowed right then and there that he’d keep her safe from harm.
As for keeping her safe from him … well, that was still to be determined.
Wolfe opened the first door they came to. “You remember this room. This is our office. No one’s usually in here, and if you’re lookin’ for anything, chances are you won’t find it.” He smiled sheepishly. “We’re not the most organized bunch.”
“I can fix that.”
He nodded, then closed the door and moved to the next one. “This is a makeshift break room.” He pointed to the far wall. “There’s a love seat, recliner, and a television. Refrigerator’s over there. No sink though. But if you ever wanna take a break, you can hide out in here.” He smiled down at her. “That is if Lynx ain’t asleep in the chair.”
Amy smiled.
Wolfe closed the door and moved to the next one.
“This is your office.”
“I have my own office?”
“Trust me, you’ll want one. It gets kinda loud out there when we’re workin’. Plus, you’ll need the computer and the phone.”
Amy stepped inside the small eight-by-eight room, and Wolfe did his damnedest not to stare at her. It was difficult, considering. The woman stoked a fire in his blood that hadn’t been kindled in a long damn time. He knew absolutely nothing about her, but he found he wanted to know every damn thing.
“The restrooms’re downstairs,” he informed her. “Back wall. Men and women’s. Patty, our previous office manager, insisted we have a women’s restroom,” he rambled. “You know, because we’re guys.”
Amy smiled, a real one this time, and the move made her prettier than she already was.
“There’s also a phone on the wall down by the coffeepot in case you’re not in your office when it rings.”
“Does it ring a lot?” She seemed genuinely curious.
“It does. We mostly make custom furniture. There’re some standard pieces we’ll put in the store, but most of what we work on are customer-specific pieces. We ship all over the country, but the store does a steady business.”
“Who runs the store?”
“My old man. I tend to steer clear of it if at all possible, but you’re welcome to go over there if you’d like. I’ll introduce you to Calvin.”
Amy nodded.
“Well, why don’t you get familiar with it all. When Lynx gets here, I’ll have him run down the accounting software with you.”
“Lynx? Really?” Amy blushed. “I mean … uh … you don’t handle that?”
Wolfe smirked. “Not on your life, darlin’. You don’t want me anywhere near it. I’m an IRS audit waitin’ to happen. And don’t let all those tats fool you. Lynx is pretty damn smart for a dumb ass.”
Amy laughed, exactly what he was hoping for.
Turning, Wolfe prepared to leave her to it, but Amy stopped him with a hand on his arm. He felt the jarring impact from his arm straight to his dick.
He looked at her pale fingers against his much darker skin. Her hands were covered in thin scars, and his gut tightened, anger simmering at the thought of someone—anyone—hurting this woman.
“Wolfe … I … uh … I just want to say thank you.”
He peered down at her, his eyes raking over her face. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re here.”
With that, he turned and left the office, doing everything in his power not to run.
Figuring he was probably crossing a line by stopping by twice in one week, Rhys decided to run over to Wolfe’s shop after he left the diner. If Wolfe wanted to call him on it, he’d deal with it. His curiosity was what was driving the social visit this m
orning though. Not official business.
He hadn’t been surprised to find out that Amy wasn’t at the diner this morning considering Donna had mentioned she’d turned in her notice a few days ago. However, he had been shocked when he realized the Caine cousins hadn’t come in for their morning breakfast. Wolfe and Lynx were creatures of habit, and there was hardly a day that went by when they didn’t go into the diner for breakfast. Hell, they were there so much, everyone knew to steer clear of the table they’d claimed as their own.
When Rhys arrived at the shop, he found the cousins’ trucks parked in the lot—Wolfe’s black four-door Silverado and Lynx’s new shiny blue Ford F-350—and Amy’s little silver Nissan beside them. That explained why she wasn’t at the diner.
The door was open, so he stepped inside and quickly took stock of the room.
Lynx was at the far end, digging something out of a box, and Wolfe had the power sander going as he bent over what appeared to be a nightstand. Amy was nowhere in sight. He quickly glanced up at the second floor. The third door was open and he caught a glimpse of Amy on the phone, talking to someone.
The power sander quickly shut off and the silence was jarring.
“Ah, hell,” Lynx grumbled, carrying a handful of bronze hardware toward Wolfe. “What’d you do this time, Wolfe?”
Everyone knew that Lynx would be the first person Rhys would be seeking out if it came to trouble.
Wolfe briefly glanced at Rhys before he stood to his full height, stretching his back as he did. The move caused his T-shirt to lift, offering a quick glimpse of the muscular V that disappeared into his jeans. Rhys tried not to look but couldn’t help himself.
When he met Wolfe’s eyes again, there was something akin to amusement in the emerald depths.
Yeah, the guy was fucking with him.
“Should I be worried that you’re makin’ another house call?” Wolfe questioned, moving toward him.
Rhys nodded toward the parking lot and then stepped outside. The temperatures were going to be record-breaking today.
Wolfe stepped outside, keeping to the edge of the building, where there was some shade. “What’s up, Sheriff? You know I run a business here. I don’t have time for this shit.”
His tone belied his words. Wolfe sounded more amused than put out.
“Just thought I’d stop by. See how things’re goin’,” Rhys admitted, moving around to the side of the building. The sound of boots crunching on gravel told him that Wolfe was following.
“Not to check up on me?”
Rhys turned to face the taller man.
And Wolfe Caine was a big man. A couple of inches taller and a good twenty-five, maybe thirty pounds of solid muscle more than Rhys, the guy made Rhys feel small almost. Not that he was a little guy, but next to Wolfe…
Wolfe seemed to be closing the distance between them, and Rhys had to keep his boots firmly planted to keep from taking a step back. He wasn’t intimidated by Wolfe, and he damn sure wasn’t going to pretend he was.
When they were nearly toe to toe, Wolfe stared down at him and Rhys held his gaze.
“What do you want from me, Sheriff?”
Well, hell. That was a loaded question if he’d ever heard one. He had a million answers on the tip of his tongue, but he wasn’t about to admit his interest.
Not yet.
Wolfe moved closer, but Rhys held his ground even when the warmth of Wolfe’s body surrounded him.
“Is it information on Amy you want?”
“Yes and no,” he confessed. “Not for reasons you might think.”
“No?” Another inch disappeared between them. “You’re not seekin’ information so you can protect her? Or maybe that’s just bullshit and you’re sniffin’ around ’cause you’re interested.” His dark eyebrows lifted.
Rhys didn’t respond. Hell, he could hardly breathe.
“Or is it me you want?” Wolfe’s tone dropped an octave, lower than Rhys had ever heard it. The growl that accompanied the words suited his name.
Rhys knew Wolfe was baiting him, but he couldn’t deny his attraction.
“Right here? Right now?” Wolfe continued, his voice dropping lower.
When Wolfe leaned in closer, his breath fanning Rhys’s ear, it took every ounce of willpower he possessed to not shift closer.
“Is this what you’re comin’ ’round for? Tauntin’ me? Teasin’ me? You tryin’ to see if I’m interested?”
Rhys swallowed hard.
Wolfe’s voice was hardly a whisper when he added, “Because I might be.”
Rhys was trying to catch his breath when Wolfe pulled back and stared at him.
Without another word, the big guy smirked, then turned and headed back inside, leaving Rhys standing there, staring after him.
Even if he’d had a reason for coming to the shop, Rhys would be damned if he’d be able to remember what it was.
Not after that.
Lynx Caine smirked to himself when Wolfe followed the sheriff out the door.
He wasn’t the most perceptive person on the planet—by choice—but even he noticed the sheriff had taken a special interest in Lynx’s cousin in the past week. Whatever it was, Wolfe was taking the bait. Hook, line, and sinker. And perhaps that was what was most surprising. Lynx couldn’t even remember the last time Wolfe had shown genuine interest in anyone.
Well, anyone other than Amy Smith. He did seem to have a hard-on for the girl, although Lynx had to give the guy props. He was doing a damn good job of pretending otherwise.
Lynx glanced around. Damn, he missed his dog. He understood Wolfe’s request for Lynx to keep Copenhagen out of the shop for a bit, but that didn’t mean he liked it. His three-year-old German shepherd was his buddy and they spent all their time together. However, he knew Cope enjoyed hanging out at the store, and more importantly, his uncle enjoyed the hell out of having him there.
Glancing up at the second floor, Lynx considered going up to talk to Amy but decided against it. The girl was a nervous wreck. Seemed every time he got near her, she shrank in on herself. He didn’t think she was scared of him, but she was damn sure scared of something. He figured it was best to talk to her when Wolfe was around. Put her at ease a little. He wasn’t an asshole, after all.
Plus, he didn’t want to make Wolfe think he was sweet on the girl. Sure, she was cute, but no way could that girl handle him. Not even at her absolute wildest.
But there was one girl who could. A fucking spitfire of a woman who’d held his damn interest since he was eighteen fucking years old. Unfortunately, that girl was completely off-limits. Hell, if she didn’t have a fuckup for a boyfriend, Lynx would still keep his distance.
A woman like Reagan Trevino could break a man.
And Lynx had absolutely no intention of being broken.
Not in this lifetime, anyway.
5
__________
One week later
By the following Friday afternoon, Amy had gotten the hang of her new job.
Well, the parts they’d told her about anyway.
It had taken a full week to get comfortable, though. She wasn’t sure if that was normal or not, but she felt good about it.
Answering the phones was simple; taking the information to pass along to Wolfe or Lynx wasn’t hard most of the time. When someone wanted to go into detail about a design, Amy had a little difficulty. She wasn’t artistic by any means, but she’d learned that having Lynx take those calls worked well. He could draw something up in a few strokes of the pencil, then he’d pass it along to Wolfe for more detail if needed.
The quick tutorial she’d received from Lynx in regard to the accounting software had been the hardest part. He promised he’d only show her the things she would need to do when the time came so she’d get plenty of practice.
Other than that, Amy had spent the past week organizing things on the second floor. She’d quickly learned that the Caines didn’t utilize an alphabetized filing system, so she’d implemented one
and gotten to work.
Which was what she was still doing now when she heard the sound of footsteps outside the door.
“It’s about quittin’ time,” Wolfe informed her.
Sitting up straight, Amy stretched her neck. She had actually been dreading this part. She didn’t want the day to end, preferring to do the mindless task of alphabetizing paperwork instead of going home and pacing the floor. Every day this week, she had bolted out of bed before her alarm, eager and excited to spend the day at the shop. With something constructive to do, she found she spent far less time worrying.
“Okay,” she finally said, pushing to her feet. “I’ll finish this up on Monday?”
“It’ll be here waitin’ for ya,” he said, grinning.
Smiling, Amy moved past Wolfe, knowing he was waiting so he could close the door behind her. She’d gotten used to his gentlemanly gestures. Opening doors, walking her to her car, bringing her coffee or water during the day. One day he’d picked up lunch and brought her a hamburger without even asking. He made being around him comfortable. So much so, Amy wasn’t looking forward to going home to an empty house. Granted, she did have to work at Reagan’s tonight, but she didn’t have to be there until seven, which meant she had about four hours to kill.
“You ever shoot a gun?”
Jerking around to face him, Amy stared at Wolfe, shocked by his question. “I … uh … no.”
“You wanna learn?”
Swallowing, she found herself nodding. She wasn’t sure if Wolfe was offering because he could sense the terror that lurked just beneath the surface or if that was simply something they did here in Embers Ridge during their downtime. She knew the cousins were comfortable with firearms. Namely shotguns. It seemed they had one everywhere she turned.
“You got any plans now?”
She shook her head.
Wolfe jerked his chin in the direction of the stairs. “Come on. I’ll drive.”
Amy had to hold back the words that hung on the tip of her tongue. She was going to say that she could drive herself, but she didn’t want to. She needed to prove to herself that she really could trust this man. He’d given her a job and hadn’t questioned her about anything. Even when she’d turned in her paperwork, although some of the information was missing, he hadn’t asked about it.
Hard to Hold Page 6
