“I’d be thrilled if you’d take on this project. What do you charge?”
“Like I said, the disposal of hazardous materials will be a couple grand, but I’ll do the work. No charge.”
Now she was speechless.
Knox realized the gigantic mistake he’d just made. Why on earth had he offered to do the work for free? He may as well have hired a sky writer to say, “I LIKE YOU.” God, he was an idiot.
“I have time between projects and I don’t mind keeping busy on something like this.” He gestured to the house. “It’ll be fun.”
Madeline laughed. “Not a lot of people think this kind of work is fun.”
“I guess we’re not most people.”
She swiveled back around at his serious tone and studied his face.
“No.” She answered softly. “I guess we’re not.”
“I’ll start tomorrow.” He nodded and headed for the door.
“Wait. Is Kayla here? I thought I heard her car.”
“No, she dropped me off.”
“Oh.” Madeline responded, wondering how he was planning to get back to town. “I was going to call it quits for the day. Can I give you a lift?”
Knox warred with himself. He’d told Kayla to pick him back up in a half an hour, but with Madeline leaving, he’d seem like an idiot for not accepting the ride.
“Sure.”
“I just have to clean up my tools and lock up.”
“Okay.” He nodded and went out the front door and sat on the stoop. The old Knox would’ve offered to help her. He wondered if she thought him rude for not offering. Had Kayla told her anything about his eyes? Knowing his sister, she probably had. But then again, Madeline had agreed to have him do the woodwork without a second thought. He kicked at the gravel path. He needed to bite this particular bullet if he was going to be around her every day. He hated it, but he had to do it.
When he heard her coming through the door, he turned.
“Um, listen. I should probably tell you something before I start on the woodwork.”
Maddie stopped midway down the brick steps and waited. “What’s the matter?”
“Did Kay mention anything to you about me? About…my eyes?” He asked and ducked his head; thrusting his hands deep into the front pockets of his jeans.
“She said you were injured in Iraq.”
“Yeah. I, ah, I don’t see as well as I used to.” Now he looked up and smiled. “Don’t worry, I can still see fine close up. I won’t start gauging the woodwork or anything.”
“No, I mean, yeah. I’ve seen your work and I’m not worried.” She offered.
“I don’t drive anymore, though.”
“Oh.”
“You about ready?” He asked, trying to steer the conversation anywhere else.
“Yep. Here’s Rusty.” She pointed to the old, blue pickup truck parked on the curb.
“Rusty?”
“Kayla nicknamed him. He’s a little—“
“Rusty?”
She laughed as they climbed in. “Yeah.”
Chapter 4
Over the next two weeks, they’d fallen into a comfortable pattern and Maddie was trying with all her might not to get too used to it. She’d never felt like this with a man before. It was so natural, so easy, that she wondered if this was what it was like to fall in love. Of course, there was absolutely no indication he felt the same way. She smiled to herself as she continued chipping off tiles from the old kitchen backsplash. She was getting way ahead of herself. No one had spoken of love, or anything remotely close to it. So far, the most they’d shared was a couple of laughs in the morning when she picked him up in front of his house and driven them to “the job site,” as he called it.
Today, Knox was sequestered in the dining room with heavy plastic sheeting sealing off all the doors and windows. He was dressed in appropriate attire according to the EPA’s strict guidelines. He was filling special garbage bags with all the materials that had come off the painted surfaces and then taped the openings shut with industrial duct tape.
An air purifier was running and made conversation all but impossible. She donned her headphones and tried to block out thoughts of Knox and focus on the task at hand. It was a little over two hours later, when a tapping on her shoulder had her jumping.
Maddie spun around quickly and watched a mischievous smile form on Knox’s perfect mouth.
“Most of the time, people get the jump on me.” He laughed.
She smiled, a little nervously at his first overt reference to his eyes since the day of his confessional two weeks earlier.
“I guess I was pretty absorbed in the music and the tile.”
Knox’s eyes travelled past her and to the area of the wall she’d been working on. He stepped forward and touched it.
“Looks like you’ve made some serious progress.”
“Not as much as I’d like. I don’t know what they used for mortar in the 20’s, but I think this is cement.”
He laughed. “Nothing surprises me anymore.”
She felt their eyes connect and the force of his gaze was so powerful, she didn’t think it was possible to look away.
Finally, the awkwardness of the moment forced her to speak. “Are you finished?”
“Yeah. The disposal company is coming by this afternoon.”
“That’s great.”
“You’re keeping these base cabinets?” He asked as he opened one of the cabinet doors and ran his hand along the interior.
“They’re original and not in bad shape.”
“No, but...”
“I know it’d be easier to gut it. Believe me; I’ve had this conversation with myself a million times.” She laughed.
“I’m in favor of keeping them, but I think you need to remove them and take down the lathe if you’re gonna run new plumbing and electric.”
“I think so too.”
“So why are you chipping off one tile at a time if you’re going to rip down the walls?”
“I want the sink.” She said softly.
He crinkled his forehead in that adorable way of his as he moved to the sink and lifted the heavy drop cloth. “Oh wow. An original cast iron farm sink. It’s in great shape.”
“Yeah, and it weighs about a million pounds.”
He stopped and put his hands on his hips. “You’re going to work all around it because you can’t get it out?”
She didn’t answer.
“Maddie, we can get the sink out. Let me call Jerry and we can do it.”
“I thought you’d think I was nuts for trying to salvage it.”
“New isn’t always better.” He said.
Again he stared at her with that curious expression that she couldn’t quite identify. She watched his hand as he raised it and touched the side of her head. She could feel herself leaning into him.
“Plaster dust.” He said.
“Oh.” She said simply. She waited for him to remove his hand and then continue talking about the kitchen or the tile, or whatever. But he didn’t. His hand stayed there and she kept her eyes locked onto his.
“Maddie.” The deep rumble of his husky voice did something that turned her knees weak. She didn’t know what to think, but instead decided to let her body take over.
Maddie stepped forward and watched the flare of his irises. Her confidence grew a fraction as she reached out and touched his other arm. The heat of his skin radiated through her fingertips and she felt herself holding her breath.
He lowered his head and moved the hand that had been on her hair lower until it was on the back of her neck. She watched him as he moved closer still, and then closed her eyes. His lips touched hers for only a fraction of a second and then he pulled back slightly.
She saw the smile on his face. “Hmm.” He whispered, and then before she could respond, he dipped his head and kissed her aga
in; this time longer. She relished in the softness of his lips and slightly rough texture of the day’s growth of stubble on his cheek. He smelled like sawdust and solvent, but there was also a hint of something else...something wild.
Now he stepped back fully, but ran his hands down her arms until he held her hands in his.
“I had to do that.” He reached up and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. “I’ve wanted to for a while now.”
She smiled. “I did too.”
He smiled at her and was about to speak when the loud rumble of a dump truck interrupted his train of thought. “I think the disposal crew is here.” He released her hands and moved quickly toward the front door to let in the crew.
Maddie stood in the kitchen with her hands on her flame-red cheeks. Had that actually happened? Had she just been kissed by the most handsome man she’d ever met while covered in dirt, dust and grime? Had she just had the most magical first kiss of her entire life? She smoothed her hair into place and tried to calm the sound of blood rushing in her ears. Yes, she thought. Yes, that just happened.
xXx
Two hours later, the truck was gone and the heavy plastic was finally removed from her dining room. She walked over to the wooden built-ins and touched the now-exposed wood.
“I knew it’d be unstained.” He’d said from behind her.
He’d startled her again, but this time she smiled as she turned. “It’s like a little Christmas present.”
“It’s amazing that someone splashed globs of paint on this wood when it was brand new.”
“It was meant to be stained. A medium oak tone, I think.”
“That’ll look nice.” He reached out and ran his hand along the top. “Still needs to be sanded, though.”
“I can handle that. You’ve done more than enough, Knox.”
“I like doing it.”
“Then you can.” She laughed.
“Good.” He reached out for her and was rewarded when she put her hand in his. “I like coming to work with you.”
“Me too.” She said softly. “I didn’t think I was lonely, but…” she shrugged and looked down. “I think I was. Having you here has been…nice.”
“Nice, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, how ‘bout we try ‘nice’ on a date? Friday night. My house.”
“Sure.” She smiled. She felt him squeeze her hand and then release. Friday was two days away. Could she manage to keep the gigantic grin off her face for the next two days while they worked together? She doubted it.
xXx
“I like your house.” She said as she wandered through the small, but charming front room. She let her hand run along the wall of bookshelves. There had to be a thousand books here. She pulled a few titles out and studied them. He had everything from popular science fiction to ancient Greek poetry.
“Thanks.” He said as he came back in with two glasses of wine.
She met him and took the wine from him, sipping slowly in an attempt to calm her nerves. “You have so many books.”
He shrugged as he sat down on the mission style couch. “I like to read.”
Her first thought was to ask if he still could read, but she realized how incredibly insensitive and personal it’d be. Of course, he seemed to easily follow her train of thought.
“I can still read. I do fine close up. It’s distance that’s a problem.” He smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Won’t glasses help?”
“No.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “The problem is in my brain, not my eyes.”
“Oh.”
“Just a little gift from my time in the desert. A lot of guys have it worse. Some didn’t make it out alive, so I can’t complain.”
“Well, I’m glad you did.” She said softly, not really knowing what to say.
“I’m glad you’re here.” He leaned over and kissed the side of her neck. “You smell amazing.”
She laughed. “It’s soap. Actually, it’s fancy soap, so that’s an upgrade. Your sister gave me a basket of girly things.”
“Well, it’s nice. Like apricots.” He continued kissing her. She turned her face so that their lips made contact and soon she felt herself being pulled toward him like a magnet. Finally, he broke the kiss and pulled back.
“I’d better get dinner on the grill or we won’t eat before midnight.”
“Need any help?”
“No, but can keep me company out back.”
She smiled as she rose and followed out the back door to a little patio between his house and workshop. There was a small café table set up with two wrought iron chairs. She sat down and watched as he put chicken and veggie kabobs on the grill.
“I hope you’re hungry.”
“One thing you’ll learn about me…I never pretend not to be hungry.” She laughed.
“That can’t be true. You’re as thin as a willow reed.”
Maddie self-consciously pulled at her dress.
“No, no.” He pulled her up to her feet and ran his hands down the sides of her body. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant…I meant, you’re beautiful.”
He watched the dark clouds form in her eyes. “What?”
“I’m not looking for compliments, Knox. Honestly, I’m not but I know I’m not beautiful.”
“Are you crazy?”
She turned and faced the sun as it dipped behind the high mountains in the distance.
“Maddie?”
She turned back and shrugged. “I just prefer the truth.”
“What happened to you?” He asked softly.
The tone in his voice was her undoing. She didn’t think she’d ever heard such caring and consideration in another person’s voice in her life. Even though she desperately wanted to tell him everything about her life and her family and how she’d ended up in this magical little town, the words would not come.
“I don’t know. I’m just being silly.” She smiled, hoping he’d drop it.
Instead, he marched forward and put both his hands on either side of her head. “You are beautiful, damn it. You’re a gift, Maddie. A gift I probably don’t deserve.”
She was stunned speechless. She’d wished fervently the words would come. She wished she could tell him that she felt the exact same way about him.
They ate outside on the little patio with twilight setting in and lighting the sky in brilliant purples and blues. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so happy inside. She watched Knox with his strong hands and long fingers as he sat back and tipped the last of his red wine into his mouth.
“That was delicious.” She smiled. “You’re a good cook.”
He laughed. “I don’t know about cook. I’m a mean griller, though.”
“That you are.” She laughed as she sipped her own wine.
He stood and started to gather the dishes. She immediately jumped up to help.
“I want to do the dishes. You cooked. It’s only fair.”
He continued back into the house with their plates. “I’d completely let you win that argument except all I’m doing is sticking the dishes in the dishwasher.”
“Oh.” She laughed and followed him inside. She loved his kitchen. It was distinctly male with its dark mahogany cabinets and black granite, but it was also warm. The walls were painted in a rich yellow that complimented the plaid fabric on the chairs at the breakfast bar. Now, she slid into one of those chairs and watched him as he rinsed the few plates they’d used and put them in the dishwasher.
“I brought dessert.”
“I remembered.” He turned and leaned against the sink. Everything about him was causal and easy. She loved just looking at him; from the way his jeans hung low on his hip bones to the way his navy Henley shirt pulled across his muscled chest.
“Should we have it now?” She asked.
“Maybe in a litt
le while. I’m still full.”
“Okay.” She answered. “Can I see what you’ve been working on in your shop?”
“Sure.” He smiled and held out his hand for her. They walked back outside and down the short, pebbled path to the large door of the woodshop. He opened the door and flipped on the overhead lights. Immediately the smell of sawdust and mineral spirits filled her nose. She wondered if she’d associate those smells with Knox forever.
“Here’s the Chippendale bureau.” He said as he uncovered the piece.
“Oh Knox.” She said reverently. It was glorious. The deep walnut of the wood was polished to a brilliant shine. “It’s…it’s…”
“I know.” He smiled.
“What did it look like before?”
He grabbed his phone out of his front pocket and began flipping through the photos. She could see that he was having trouble focusing as he kept moving the phone closer and then further away.
“The light is bouncing off the screen. Here.” He thrust his phone at her and walked back to the bureau.
She felt a stab of guilt that she’d unintentionally caused him a moment of awkwardness. Unsure of how to proceed, she busied herself looking for the photos. When she finally found them, she was stunned.
“Oh my god.” She loudly protested. “What is all that gunk?”
“Bad patch jobs. The wrong lacquer. Dirt, oil. You name it.”
“I cannot believe you restored it to this.” She walked back over and couldn’t resist running her hand along the leg. It was as smooth as glass. “How do you know what to do?”
“My dad taught me a lot and then I learned some from Jerry. But this type of job is sort of a gut thing, you know?”
She knew exactly what he meant. “You have to love it. You have to see it…see what it wants to be.”
He turned at the conviction in her voice. No one had ever quite understood why he toiled and labored over these pieces the way he did. He felt a lump in his throat. “You have to see it,” she’d said. He didn’t know how long he’d be able to do that. For now, things were okay, but what if…
“I think I’m about ready for that apple pie.”
She was a little taken aback by his abrupt change in conversation, but decided to let him lead the evening. After surviving weeks and weeks of one word conversations with him, she’d allow him all the leeway he wanted.
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