by Mary Abshire
He sighed heavily. “Right.”
He stepped up and into the barn. This time she followed behind him. Inside felt a little cooler and seemed spacious, but contained a lot of tools and gardening supplies. Several cans of paint were stacked in one corner. Andrew stopped by the mower and started searching the area.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“A gas can.” He bent to look behind the mower. “Found it.” He reached and lifted a large red container with a yellow spout in the front. Liquid splashed inside.
“Do you want me to run and get some gas?” she asked.
“Not yet.” He set the container behind her, near the wall. “We’ll see how much I can cut first.”
He lifted his leg over and sat on the small seat. Hands on the wheel, a grin formed on his face. He almost looked like a kid who’d received a new toy.
“Have you ever mowed a lawn before?” she asked.
“I used to mow when I was growing up. We had a push mower. My dad would pay me an allowance. We didn’t have a big yard, but it took me a good forty-five minutes to cut it. What about you?”
“We had a really small yard. My parents made me mow it as a punishment. It might have taken me a half hour. I actually looked forward to the days I had to mow so I could get away from my mom.”
“I always wondered what it would be like to drive one of these things.”
She withdrew the keys from her pocket. “I imagine it’s like a car, but with sharp blades underneath.” She handed the key to him.
“You might want to stay back since I’ve never driven one before. Actually, you might be safer in the house.”
Since she was warming up from the temperature, she wouldn’t argue about going back to the house. “I’ll watch from the window. If you need anything, wave.”
She left the barn and headed to the patio. Grass swished against her shoes and tickled her ankles. Given the size of the front and back yard, she guessed it might take forty-five minutes on the mower. Maybe a bit longer since this was his first time.
Halfway to the house she heard the engine come to life. She stopped and looked back. The mower crept from the barn. Slowly, he steered it down the ramp. After he reached the yard, he shot his gaze to her and gave a thumbs up. Emily continued toward the house.
Next door, a man and woman emerged from their patio. They had a ranch home too, but it had lighter-colored bricks all the way around the home and black shutters near their windows. They both had dark hair and wore shorts and t-shirts. Together, they walked to their barn.
Emily slid the screen door to the side before she entered the house. She watched Andrew driving the mower as she shut the screen. The machine jerked forward, then stopped. It moved again briefly. Andrew messed around with something on the dashboard. After he finished, he steered the mower forward. When he neared the fence, he slowed down.
She stood at the window for several minutes. Next door, the hum of an engine roared. Hearing the lawn mowers and smelling the fresh grass reminded her of her lawn-cutting days. Although she’d enjoyed cutting the yard to get away from her mom, she really didn’t miss the chore. If Andrew enjoyed it, she’d let him continue to cut the grass.
Andrew had come a long way since she’d first met him. The angel was kinder and more considerate than any man she’d ever met. He always volunteered to help her. She appreciated his efforts, but she wasn’t the kind of woman to rely on men or anyone for that matter. He quickly caught on, but he continued to offer assistance. Maybe it was time to let him do more. He’d proven he could come up with his own plan to destroy the demon. So far, everything had come together well. While she’d been cleaning off the breakfast dishes, he’d called June at the hospital. He’d told her he could start this evening. Soon, he’d get to know the demon and be able to figure out the best way to kill her. Emily had to give the angel a lot of credit for the work he was doing to destroy this demon.
A yawn emerged and she did her best to stifle it. She hadn’t slept much over the last two days. She’d lay in the big bed alone, wondering what it would’ve been like to take the kiss she’d given him into something more. She dreamed of all the fun-filled and exhilarating possibilities. They were both adults. Why not indulge in a little playtime? Then the tiny voice in her head reminded her they might go too far. Andrew was different from other men she’d fooled around with. She cared about Andrew and he cared about her. They’d spent a great deal of time together over the last month. Their relationship had blossomed and would continue to do so as long as she helped him go after demons. She feared in his heart he’d want more and she’d give it to him. The idea of friends with benefits seemed like a good one, but when the friend was involved a well-endowed and seriously muscular, handsome twenty-six-year-old man, well, saying no to sex would be a struggle.
Andrew had made several laps in the yard. He lifted his arm and rubbed it across his forehead. He had to hate wearing long-sleeved shirts because of his tat. As he neared the fence, the male neighbor next door drove his mower along the side of his property at the same time. He continued up his lawn. When Emily lost sight of him for a while, she wondered what could be taking so long. Then she realized he probably was cutting his front lawn too. Emily quickly realized Andrew needed to get past the fence to reach the front.
She grabbed a cold bottle of water before she left the house. She dashed around the side and then jogged toward the gate. The neighbor drove his machine in the front as she’d suspected. She reached the wood fence and lifted the latches. With a little pull, she dragged each side of the gate open.
Emily strode back to the patio with the bottle perspiring in her hand. The roar of the mower came from the side of the house. She headed toward him, but kept a distance so he wouldn’t be surprised to see her. He passed close to the house and continued down the lawn. When he glanced her way, she held up the bottle. He lifted a finger and she nodded. After he reached the spot where he’d already mowed, he steered the mower to head back toward the house. He brought the machine to a stop near her.
“You look hot,” she said loudly as she handed the water to him.
“I am.” He took several gulps.
“You’re doing good. I opened the gate so you could get to the front.”
He finished the entire bottle before handing it to her. “Thanks, sweet wife.” He winked at her.
She smiled as she took a step back. While they had a fictional marriage, she still felt a sense of happiness every time he called her his sweet wife. She presumed he enjoyed saying it since he did so often.
Emily went back to the house. She tossed the empty bottle into a bag for recycling and then grabbed a cold bottle for herself from the fridge. While she had the door open, she surveyed the contents inside. Since Andrew would be working a ten-hour shift starting at seven, she wouldn’t need to fix a meal until the morning. She should fix him something to take to take with him too, but it would have to be able to tolerate room temperature. She hadn’t thought about buying ice packs when they were at the store. She’d stop and purchase some cooling packs after she dropped him off at work.
Scanning the food in the refrigerator, she noted everything would require a cool climate to stay fresh except for jelly. Sighing, she shut the door. They had plenty finger foods to munch on in the house. She could fix him a PB and J sandwich and send a variety of snacks. She suspected they might be better than the cafeteria food. Decision made, she opened the fridge and grabbed the jelly, carrots, and grapes.
The roar of the lawn mowers continued while she worked on fixing Andrew a couple of sandwiches. After she put the peanut butter and jelly slices together, she started filling Ziploc bags with snacks. By the time she’d finished, he had a banana, apple, grapes, carrots, cereal, a protein bar, and two sandwiches ready to take with him to work. It didn’t look like enough to satisfy his big appetite, but it would probably suffice until she fixed him a meal after his shift. She placed the cold items in the fridge and the rest of the items in a
neat pile nearby so she wouldn’t forget to add them later.
The mowers seemed quieter as she headed for the patio. In fact, she could only hear low buzz in front of the home. She detoured to the bedroom. Upon entering the room, she gazed out the window. Outside, Andrew was mowing the lawn. Most of the yard looked trimmed, which meant he had to be almost done.
Emily returned to the kitchen. Stopping at the fridge, she snatched another cold bottle for Andrew. She suspected he had to be burning up by now. Maybe he’d take his shirt off so she could marvel at his fine chest. Shaking the thought from her mind, she headed for the patio.
She stepped outside and rolled the screen door until it closed. A small stretch of grass remained untrimmed on the side of the house. Beyond the fence, the female neighbor was sweeping the concrete patio. The man who had cut their yard stepped from the barn with a weed eater in his hands. He moved close to his fence line and the weed whacker started buzzing. Although he’d started mowing after Andrew and had finished first, Andrew had worked fast for a first-time rider. He seemed to catch on quick with many things. Andrew gave her a wide smile, showing his teeth as he passed her and drove the mower over the uncut part of the yard. Yep, like a child with a new toy. He continued steering his toy to the barn.
The female neighbor stopped brushing and waved at Emily. Not wanting to seem rude, Emily waved back. The woman set the broom against the house before she started walking toward the fence. Socializing with the neighbors had not been part of any plan, but Emily recognized it would be in her and Andrew’s best interest to be friendly. With a heavy sigh, she crossed the yard to meet the lady.
“Morning,” the woman said. She stood a few inches shorter than Emily and had an average build with a small gut. Her t-shirt had the name of a high school in big letters. She raised her hand over the fence. “I’m Brenda Stevenson.”
“Nice to meet you, Brenda,” Emily said as she shook her hand. “I’m Carrie Reynolds and the handsome man on the lawn mower is my husband, Spencer.”
“Well, I hope I get to meet him soon,” she said with a grin. Her wavy shoulder-length dark hair had a few strands of gray mixed in. Lines near the corners of her eyes gave her an older look. Brenda aimed her thumb behind her. “That’s my old man back there. His name is Rick. You might see a young girl in our house every now and then too. She’s our daughter Rachel. She drives one of those yellow beetle cars, so if you see her driving, you might want to stay back.”
Emily gave Brenda brownie points for having a sense of humor. “Your daughter is a teenage driver?”
“Yes, she hasn’t been driving a year yet. I warn everyone.”
“Thanks for the tip.” Emily presumed Rachel went to the high school listed on Brenda’s shirt, so she didn’t ask. “Spencer and I don’t have any kids yet. I think he’s more ready than I am.”
“Aren’t all men?” She shook her head. “He tried to get me to have another one a few years ago. I’m too old to start over again. Once Rachel goes off to college, I want to hit the road and travel.”
“That sounds like a good plan.”
“Are you buying or leasing?”
“We’re leasing for now. This is our first house together. Fortunately, the owner left his equipment and some furniture for us to use so we don’t have to go out and buy everything new.”
“The couple who owned the house were real nice. I was sad to hear the mother left with the kids.”
“The realtor told us that too. I didn’t bother to ask for details.”
“Well, you moved into a good neighborhood. The Maxwells live behind us and have two kids, both boys. One is in high school and the other is in middle school. The Williamsons are in the two-story behind you. They have three kids, all of them adopted.”
“Wow. I’m guessing they wanted a big family.”
“They adopted the little boy, Brian first. He was two at the time. They adopted Sara a year later. He’s now five and she’s ten. They recently took in a baby from a foster home. I think the name is Justine. The poor thing is sick a lot. Susan told me the parents were meth heads. She thinks the mother did drugs while she was pregnant and now the baby has got problems.”
“Susan is the mother?”
“Yes. She told me she couldn’t have kids because she had problems before, so they decided to adopt and foster children.”
“That’s generous of her, especially since it takes a lot to feed a family of five. Spencer and I barely survive on our own.” Speaking of the angel, he’d backed the mower into the barn and had cut the engine.
“Rick and I have been fortunate. He works for 3M and I work for the local government. We’ve both been at our jobs a long time. I’m not sure how they get by since he’s a manager at a hardware store and she’s a nurse, but they do okay.”
“How long have they lived there?” Emily asked even though she knew the answer from having obtained a copy of the property deed.
She shifted her gaze to the demon’s house. “Maybe four or five years ago. I know they didn’t have any kids at the time.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“We moved in when Rachel was about five. We really liked how small the neighborhood was and still is.”
“Any idea who lives on the other side of the Williamsons?”
“The Hendricksons live there,” she said as she pointed. “They were here when we moved in. They have a daughter in college and their son started high school this year. They’re real nice, but they don’t like to talk to the Williamsons.”
Emily drew her brows together. “Why’s that?”
Brenda shrugged. “Paul said he saw Susan beating on the little boy several times. He heard Susan yelling at him for leaving his toys out and another time for not doing what he was told. He thinks she’s abusive so he stays away from her. He said Mark is nice.”
“Susan’s husband?”
Brenda nodded.
“Have you ever seen her do anything?” Emily asked.
“I don’t pay much attention. Rick and I have been running to help his dad after Rick’s mom died two years ago. His dad hasn’t been the same since.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“He’s in his seventies and thinks he’s still a teenager. Then he gets hurt and can’t understand why.” Brenda shook her head.
From the corner of Emily’s eyes, she saw Andrew walking toward her.
“I’m sorry to hear about your father-in-law’s situation. If I can help in anyway, let me know. I work at home, so I’ll be around the house more than Spencer.”
Brenda shifted her attention to Andrew and a smile formed on her face. “Your handsome husband is coming.”
He scrubbed his arm across his forehead before he stopped by her. “Hey.”
Emily handed the wet bottle to him. Perspiration had formed on the outside while she’d been talking to Brenda. After he took the water, she cleaned her palm on her shorts.
“Spencer, meet Brenda Stevenson. Brenda, this is my adorable husband,” Emily said.
Andrew smiled and quickly shifted the bottle into his other hand. After he wiped his palm on his shirt he offered to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Brenda accepted his greeting. “Welcome to the neighborhood. And if you don’t mind me saying, you two make a cute couple. When you decide to have kids, I’ve got a teenager who can babysit.”
“Don’t encourage him, please,” Emily said, and Brenda grinned.
Andrew stepped back and slid his arm behind Emily. He pulled her close to his body and kissed her head. Heat penetrated through his clothes as if he were on fire.
“I like her thinking,” he said before pressing the bottle to his lips.
“Yeah, I bet you do,” Emily said softly.
“We should exchange numbers. We haven’t had any crime issues, but we try to keep our eyes open for suspicious activity,” Brenda said.
“Good idea. I’ll stop by sometime and give you my number,” Emily said before she gazed up
at Andrew. “And you need a shower.”
He finished downing the water from the bottle. “Feel free to join me.” He planted another kiss on her, but he’d put this one on her forehead. Then he turned to Brenda. “It was nice to meet you.”
“Same here,” she said.
“I’ll talk to you another time,” Emily said.
“You know where to find me.”
Emily started heading toward the house. Andrew stayed close to her side. His heat warmed her as if she were near a fireplace.
“She seemed nice,” he said when they were close to the concrete slab.
“She was chatty. She told me one of the demon’s neighbors won’t talk to her because he saw her hitting the little boy. She told me the names of the demon’s three kids and all of them are adopted.”
Andrew pushed the screen to the side and let her go in first. He shut the patio door before he tugged off his shirt. “Do you think she’s a nosy neighbor?”
She stopped on the other side of the dining table “I don’t know.”
It only took a second for her gaze to survey his torso once he had moved his shirt out of the way. It took another second for her heart to beat faster. How could a man look so damn strong? Was he returned to Earth to torture her with his perfectly chiseled body? Mission accomplished.
“I need a shower,” he said as he walked around the table. He stopped in front of her. “You’re staring.”
Yes, she was. She swallowed hard. “I’m your wife. I’m entitled to stare.”
“I seem to recall a deal you made with me in New York.” He moved in closer until he stood inches from her.
He’d caught her looking at his chest a few times while they were staying in New York. He’d thought it would be fair for him to observe her body since she got to marvel at his. She’d been a bit turned on when he’d propositioned her and had agreed. Fair was fair after all. But until now, she hadn’t eyed him as if he were a delicious hung of man to devour.
And he was. Every solid muscle captured her attention. She couldn’t look away if she tried. His small, light brown nipples were erect, calling her to touch him. She wanted to feel his hard body and his heated flesh, glide her fingers along every curve. Truth be told, she wanted to do more than touch. Her gaze slid lower and noticed his shorts were barely hanging onto his hips. Even they were well defined. A thin line of hair trailed down from his navel to his groin. One tug and his shorts would fall down.
