by Vivian Arend
She winked.
Minx. “Well, I haven’t seen you fix a fence in a long time, Slick. Maybe you do it differently nowadays.”
The hammer jerked and slipped from her grasp, her body falling back to land hard on her ass in the middle of the hen-scratched dirt. Blake stepped forward quickly to help her, and she chuckled, brushing the dirt from her jeans as she smiled sheepishly. “Maybe I do.”
He checked to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Seeing nothing but amusement in her eyes, he joined in the game. Nodding seriously, he teased, “I’m sure the last time I fixed a fence I didn’t end up on my backside, but I suppose this method is more modern and sophisticated.” He tugged the hammer she’d retrieved from her fingers and scooted around to remove the final staples, handing them one at a time for her to hang on to.
It was as if they’d gone back to the days when Jaxi would follow him around the farm all summer long, talking her head off about everything and anything. They worked together, putting the new boards into place and pounding in a stake to hold the chicken wire tight to the ground. All the while, Jaxi shared stories about taking care of the doctor’s little ones, and her work at a local greenhouse the past spring. She even rambled about a book she’d just read that taught how to build a fishpond.
“That’s interesting, but we don’t need to stock a pond around here. It’s a short ride to the river and part of the fun of fishing is heading out to somewhere unsoiled and untouched by human hands to sit for a while.” Blake tugged on her ponytail gently like he used to when she was a kid. It had been good to work with her for a few minutes doing an everyday task. Something about it eased the tension within him, and for the first time in a long time, he simply enjoyed her company as he had for many years before his unspoken sexual longings had come between them.
Jaxi snorted. “You don’t need to stock a pond, but the Mitchells are considering it. I promised to head out there next Saturday for a bit and see if I can help them get things ready. You want to come along?”
Blake nodded slowly. “I think I should be able to. Ask me later and we’ll see what’s on the schedule.”
Her grin lit the whole area and Blake’s heart gave a leap. All his calmness left abruptly. He squatted to gather the tools together, and their hands bumped as Jaxi grabbed for the hammer and clasped his wrist instead. Heads close, bodies near enough her scent filled his head and his body tightened with need. This was no little tagalong girl at his side, no matter how much he wanted her to be. No matter how much safer it would be.
Jaxi stared at him, and her pink tongue snuck over her bottom lip to moisten the smooth swell. Blake bit back the urge to lay his mouth on hers and lick over the wetness, tasting her skin and her sweet flavor. He needed to retreat, needed to stand and flee from temptation and the heavenly smell of her warm breath on his skin before he did something they would both regret. But heaven help him if he could budge.
She released her fingers slowly, drawing back with a butterfly softness that stroked up his arm and zipped back down in a direct line to his cock. Jaxi stood quickly, her hip bumping him hard, and Blake fell backward in the dirt. He stared into her laughing eyes.
“Why, Blake. You do know how to fix fences the modern way after all.” Jaxi’s skin remained flushed but her smile was innocent as she gathered the scrap lumber and loose staples. “Can you let the chickens out before you leave, and return the tools? I’ve got to get dinner on the table.”
She waved briefly at him before she headed back to the house, whistling. Blake chuckled as he sat and watched her go. Wasn’t her fault his body slipped into overdrive every time she got near. He needed to tamp down those feelings that should never have surfaced in the first place. Maybe this would work, like in the old days, and he would look out for her, as a big brother should.
He spotted the time and swore, scrambling to his feet to finish his work in a rush before dinner.
Chapter Five
Jaxi eased the heavily laden cart around the corner of the grocery aisle, finally headed for the checkout. A brief glance at her watch warned she had an hour—hour and a half at the most—before Marion got home for a rest.
An hour to get things put away so Marion would rest instead of attempting to help. She chuckled to herself. Mrs. C was a lousy patient, probably because she had rarely had a chance to slow down while chasing after the boys and taking charge of things. Jaxi stacked the cart contents on the conveyer belt as rapidly as possible and smiled at her friend Cari, who manned the till.
“Jaxi, you having a party or something? You’ve got enough food here to feed an army. Oh, hang on, you’re at the Coleman place, aren’t you?” Cari rang through the items, her mouth and hands in a contest to see which could move faster. “Course I figured you’d help, what with being neighbours and all.”
Cari winked at her but Jaxi shook her head.
“Don’t push it, girlfriend. Just get me through double quick so I’m back before Marion gets home and decides to scrub walls or rearrange furniture. It’s been a week since she got the cast on, and she’s attempting to take on her full workload again.”
“Typical for her, though. Hey, are you going to be busy, or are we heading out tonight for our usual R and R?”
“I don’t think I’ll make it, if that’s okay with you. I want to stick close so I can sit on my patient if she needs controlling.”
Cari shrugged. “Fine with me, I’m free all weekend. We can meet whenever.”
Jaxi paused in the middle of shuffling loaded bags back into the cart. “You’re free? What about Leo and the big date? That’s Saturday night, right?”
Her friend sniffed. “Wrong. He messed up one time too many. I’m done with him. Jerk.”
Jaxi hid her smile. Cari and Leo, the ultimate star-crossed lovers. A week didn’t pass without one pissing the other off, and yet they couldn’t stay apart. “What did he do this time?”
Cari propped her fists on her hips, her jaw hanging open. “You didn’t hear? He went trolling with those wild Six Pack twins, and they weren’t down by the lake from what I heard. They were fishing for females barely above the legal limit.”
Something was off in Cari’s information. That wasn’t Leo’s style, nor the twins. Women chased after Jesse and Joel. They didn’t need to prowl to find willing partners. Besides, Leo was rock solid when it came to Cari, but the two of them didn’t communicate and assumed far too much. “When was this?”
“Two nights ago. Marcy told Karen who told Janice she saw them.”
Jaxi fought back the urge to rub her temples. “Cari, the boys were home two nights ago. All night. Jesse and Joel suckered us into a Monopoly tournament and a game of Thirty-one that lasted until late. Everyone crashed after it was done.”
Cari’s mouth closed tight. “You’re not just saying that? I mean, to protect someone, ’cause I’d be really pissed to find out—”
Enough. Cari could rant for hours, and Jaxi’s spare time was fading away. She handed over cash for the bill. “Trust me. Games all night and a popcorn fight when Mr. C lost his last penny. The man is a hoot—he cheats at cards like a shark, then distracts everyone. I don’t know where Leo was but I doubt he was anywhere near any jailbait. He loves you, girl. Just call him and ask him. Go out on Saturday. Have fun.”
Cari slipped from behind the counter to hug her, and Jaxi squeezed her briefly before whirling to escape the store. She’d arranged for Marion to have coffee with a couple of the ladies from the church. They’d return to the house far too soon. The clock ticking, Jaxi shoved the cart outside and looked around for the truck.
“You need a hand?” Jesse pushed off the wall, his bright gaze trailing over her with admiration as he sauntered closer. His sexy drawl was nice, but it simply didn’t create the same chills big brother Blake’s rougher tones conjured.
“Are you my ride? I want to beat your mom home.”
Jesse shook his head sadly, his arms reaching around her to pull out a bag of M&M’s. “Sorry, I’m meeti
ng Joel to buy some supplies for the workshop. You’re making Blake’s favourite cookies this afternoon, aren’t you? I like peanut butter better.”
He lingered in her personal space, opening the bag and offering her a candy. Jaxi let a sigh loose from deep within her. He was incorrigible. “You want to move it or lose it? I’m not interested, Jesse, I told you before.”
His gaze continued to caress her body. “That was a long time ago, almost a whole week. Maybe I can change your mind. There’s no harm trying.”
Jaxi prodded her thumb into his chest, snickering at his hopeful expression. He was damn sweet, but he wasn’t Blake. “There’s harm if I decide to lift my knee abruptly.”
Jesse danced backward and shook his finger in her face, his grin stretching from ear to ear. “You don’t play fair.”
She raised a brow at him. “Nope, I don’t. I play to win. Remember that.”
A truck horn blared, and one of the Coleman trucks slid up to the curb, Blake’s dark expression framed in the window.
“You needed a ride?”
Between the three of them the grocery cart was quickly emptied, and Jesse handed Jaxi into the passenger side before waving farewell. Blake peeled away, tires squealing, and Jaxi looked over her shoulder to see Joel join Jesse, the twins disappearing into the hardware shop.
She dropped her head back for a minute, closed her eyes and rubbed at the tight muscles in her shoulders. The past few days had rushed by in a blur. Marion’s warning that the workload for a family of eight, nine with Jaxi added, was hellish had been a complete understatement.
Jaxi loved every minute of it.
They were halfway home, sitting in what she thought was a companionable silence, before she turned to Blake. “Thanks for the lift. I hope I didn’t pull you away from something.”
He shook his head. “Had to drop off a delivery at the post office.” His lips clamped shut and Jaxi frowned. What bee did he have up his butt? Must have been a rush order or something.
“Jesse and Joel told me earlier you boys are playing pool tomorrow night.” She stretched her shoulders and neck slowly, working out the kinks.
He kept his gaze on the road. “Yeah.”
“Pass on a message to Leo for me? Cari’s feeling neglected, and he’d better not cancel his Saturday night plans or she’s going to give him hell. In fact, he might want to make sure it’s an extra special evening to smooth things for a bit.”
Blake grunted but otherwise didn’t respond.
Jaxi frowned at him, his reaction baffling. “What? What’s that look for?”
“Listen to you, handing out romance advice. Leo and Cari are old enough to take care of themselves. They don’t need little girls telling them how to live.”
Her jaw fell open, and she bit back the swear words she wanted to hurl. What the hell was he talking about? “I’m not a little girl, Blake. I’m twenty-one, and Cari and Leo are good friends of mine. I hate to see them screw up their relationship because they’ve forgotten to talk to each other.”
“I still say it sounds ridiculous to hear you giving out advice on relationships and romancing. Leave them be.” He took a corner too sharp and she collided hard with the side door.
“Slow down, Blake. What’s gotten into you?” Jaxi had never seen him this way. He was pissed about something, and damn if she knew what it was. “I’m sorry if I messed with your schedule asking for a ride.”
He glared at her for a second before his gaze darted away. “I said it was no trouble.” He stared forward at the road. “You look beat.”
She snorted. Good to know he found her attractive. “Thanks for the compliment.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Blake protested. “You’re burning the candle at both ends. Between helping Ma keep house and all the things you do in the community, you’re working too hard. The phone’s been ringing off the wall for you the last couple hours. A whole bunch of ladies called with information for the upcoming fall picnic, you got three calls from a guy named Royce, and the Taylors wanted to know if you could babysit for them tomorrow night.”
Crap, no wonder he was upset. He’d spent the morning acting as her answering service. “Sorry, Blake. I told people to call my cell phone but the battery died. I guess since everyone knows I’m staying with you they decided to try the house. I’ll tell them to stop.”
“Who’s Royce?”
She blinked in confusion for a moment. “Oh, a guy from college. He’s trying to convince me to sign up for another class.”
Why was he asking about Royce? Especially in that gravelly voice that made shivers scurry up her spine.
“The twins are already registered and ready to start. Can you still get into classes at this point?” Blake kept his gaze straight ahead on the road, but his hands hung on to the wheel a trifle tightly, his knuckles white.
Curiouser and curiouser.
The moment had come to be blunt. It was hardly right for her to fault Cari and Leo for not communicating when she was guilty of the same thing with Blake.
“I’m not interested in taking any more classes. I figure I need to move on to the next stage of my life. Meet new goals, fulfill new desires.” Okay, it wasn’t a totally blunt declaration of wanting to jump him, but it was a start. Especially as she opened her shoulders to face him, pulling one leg up on the bench seat so that her knee bumped into his thigh. A gentle caress. Barely there but enough to get her heart pounding.
“Where’s he live?”
Her mind clouded with the image of Blake reaching to touch her, smoothing his strong fingers over her thigh. His work-hardened hands opening her jeans and unbuttoning her blouse, caressing her bare skin…
“Jaxi, where does he live?” Blake demanded.
She shook her head and lifted her gaze from his hands. What the hell were they talking about again? “Who?”
“This Royce guy.”
The urge to giggle rose, and she beat it down unmercifully. Acting like a teenager wasn’t the impression she wanted to project right now. “Don’t worry about Royce. He’s a nice enough guy but I’m not interested in him.”
She adjusted her leg casually, rubbing his thigh again.
Blake changed gears, his leg shifting away from hers. “Well, you let me know if he gives you any trouble, alright?”
She leaned toward him slightly, letting her body soften, letting her desire for him show in her eyes and the tone of her voice. “Now why would you do that? You’re not my father to watch over me and save me from the big bad wolves.” Come on, Blake, make a move. She was sure she’d seen signs of his attraction, but the man was damn stubborn. Whatever held him back was driving her up the wall.
“No, I’m not your father, but I’ve thought about you a lot lately. I haven’t been taking care of you as well as I did before you began college classes. I’m going to work on that, Jaxi. You need someone to watch out for you.”
Hope rose in her heart. Was he coming around? Maybe his earlier anger was because he felt responsible for her and wanted more?
Then he dumped cold water on her dreams as he reached to pat her knee gently. Playfully. As far from a lover’s caress as possible. “You’re a good girl, and you deserve to be cared for. I’m going to be the best big brother you could ever have.” With a final squeeze to her knee, he turned up the radio, and his strong hands thumped the wheel in time with the song, a peculiar pinched smile on his face.
Jaxi stared at him slack-jawed, her body and mind both reeling as she tried to understand what he’d just said.
He’d gone insane.
A big brother? Like hell that’s what she needed. If he wanted to care for her, it wouldn’t be as a big boy reluctantly playing house with a little girl. Making mud pies good-naturedly when he would prefer to be anywhere else. They’d done that already, years ago. It was time to shake things up, to show Blake she was no little girl and he was definitely not her big brother.
She’d told Jesse earlier she played to win. The game started now
in earnest, and Blake wasn’t going to know what hit him.
Chapter Six
The testosterone in the room was driving her crazy.
Jaxi dipped her hands into the sink and tested the water, turning her face away to hide the smile that rose unbidden as Jesse and Joel scrambled to impress her. They carried in dirty plates, scraping and cleaning the few leftovers into the slop buckets for the animals. They were well trained—Marion Coleman had never let any of her boys slack off, in or out of the house. Jaxi turned to the stack of hand washing and began.
If it hadn’t been for the other chores, and helping Marion, she bet she wouldn’t even be here now. Between the guys’ skills at batching it, and the fact the twins would occasionally be home on weekends from school, there were a lot of hands around.
Just not enough when you added Marion’s work to the list.
“You sure can cook up a storm.” Joel nudged her hip lightly to get her to step aside as he rinsed one of the large roasters in the second sink.
“How come you seem to know how much to prepare to have enough for us all? You’ve only got three in your family.” Jesse stacked plates in the dishwasher, standing to flash her a grin. “And for the record, I agree with Joel. That was great. Thanks.”
She shrugged, rinsing bubbles from utensils and passing them to Joel to dry. “You’re welcome. And I estimate, then double. You know, to be able to feed you two bottomless pits.”
Their good-natured responses made her smile. That’s what she wanted from them—friendly, not sensual. If she could just keep them on the right track.
“Hey, you guys looking forward to college? What you got on your schedule this semester?” Jaxi wasn’t going to miss it. Not with the plans she was finally moving on, but there was a part of her that was real happy she’d gotten a chance to go for a few semesters.
