by Mandy Magro
Ivy cracked up and he relished the fact she’d been cheerful and relaxed around him all morning. After the moment between them just before he’d left last night, he wasn’t sure how she’d be around him today, but it was as if nothing had happened. They’d spent the two hours before smoko evaluating what needed doing in the kitchen to make the house saleable, and their conversation had been flowing and easygoing. Even though he hated seeing her in pain, her fall had certainly been a blessing in disguise: it had broken the ice between them and now it felt as though they were actually on their way to being great mates.
He stepped into the shower. ‘You weren’t bloody wrong in saying it was pretty bad in here. With all the colours and patterns I don’t know where to look first.’ He imitated temporary blindness by blinking and covering his eyes.
‘Yep, I’m hearing you.’ Ivy nodded and pretended to shade her eyes. ‘The weird thing is, I never noticed it when I was a kid. I used to think all the colours and patterns were pretty cool.’ She tipped her head to the side, her long hair swishing around her shoulders. ‘But now, it kinda makes me feel as though I’ve been sucked into a seventies vortex and I should be wearing bell-bottomed pants and a tie-dyed shirt.’ She gave him the peace sign and grinned.
‘Hmm, sounds pretty damn stylish to me, I reckon you would’ve made a good seventies hippy.’
‘Why thank you.’ Ivy tried to playfully curtsey on her crutches but failed miserably as she stumbled to the side.
Ronny dived towards her, saving her from hitting the deck as he grabbed hold of her arm. He placed his hands on her waist and left them there as she tried to regain her sense of balance. The sparks that flew between them made him swallow down hard. ‘So I’m gathering you haven’t got the hang of them yet.’
‘I’m such a bloody oaf, it’s like I’ve forever got two left feet. The amount of injuries I’ve sustained in my lifetime …’ She rolled her eyes. ‘… You’ve got no idea.’
‘I reckon I might have after the past couple of days with you, and also after the stories your aunts told last night,’ Ronny replied gently, his lips softly smiling but his heart breaking for what this beautiful woman had been through. And I’ve witnessed your worst injury too, he wanted to say, as his eyes subtly passed over the place on her torso where a scar would most certainly be. God, how he wished he could be honest with her. This was a hell of a lot harder than he’d thought it would be. Ivy eyed him a little curiously, as though reading his thoughts. Ronny felt as though the bathroom was slowly closing in on him, the weight of keeping the truth from her almost too much to bear. Yes, he had his reasons for doing so, and he felt they were warranted – he owed so much to Lottie – but there was also a huge part of him that truly believed Ivy deserved to know who he was. Who was he to take that right away from her? He tried to calm himself, employing the meditation techniques he’d used in prison to slow his racing pulse. He couldn’t let Ivy see his angst, and he couldn’t go blurting out everything just because he felt compelled to in the heat of the moment.
The questioning look faded from Ivy’s eyes as she smiled. ‘You’ve come to my rescue a few times, so I suppose you do have a fair idea I’m a professional klutz. I feel like a bit of an idiot, to be honest. First you find me in the garden and have to rush me to hospital and now you’re constantly stopping me from falling off my crutches.’ She sighed. ‘And here I was trying to pretend I was your composed and self-assured boss.’
Ronny’s heart sank even further. ‘Please don’t feel like that, Ivy. I reckon you come across very composed and confident – in all the right ways of course.’ He wished there was some way he could take away her self-doubt. ‘And just for the record, I actually find your clumsiness cute.’
‘Really? You find it cute? Come on, you don’t have to be nice just to make me feel better.’ Ivy graced Ronny with a shy smile that had the power to send him crumbling to the floor.
He shrugged casually as he fought to keep his emotions in check. ‘I’m not playing nice, I’m just being honest.’
‘Well, I have to say I like you being honest, thank you.’
The look in Ivy’s eyes made heat flame through him, and as she gazed at him, he felt something evanescent, profound, pass between them. Ivy’s cheeks flushed as she bit her bottom lip. Ronny quickly looked away before he lost all sense and kissed her. He knelt down to give Jessie a pat, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
‘And while I’m being honest, even though I find it cute, you and your two left feet are going to send me grey before my time.’
‘My aunts would probably agree with you on that one.’ Ivy laughed a little self-consciously as she took refuge from her crutches by leaning against the doorway. ‘And back to the subject we were on before you heroically came to my rescue – I would’ve loved living in the seventies. They had the best music back then.’
She offered a dreamy smile that was laced with delight, the gesture making Ronny want to reach out and trace his fingers over her full, glossy, kissable lips. Instead, he gave one last pat to Jessie’s head and stood. Grabbing his cup from the vanity he sculled the last of his coffee before placing the empty cup in the sink. ‘Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd – I’d have to agree with you there. I would’ve very easily lived back then, too, when life was simple, and music and peace and love was everything.’ He shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘And they had really cool cars back then too.’
Ivy raised her eyebrows. ‘Even though you like to meditate, I would’ve never picked you for a peace-loving hippy kind of bloke, Ronny Sinclair.’
‘Really? Why’s that?’
‘I dunno.’ Ivy shrugged. ‘You just look more … Viking-ish … like you should be bearing a sword or a battle axe and a shield, and you’ve kinda got a don’t-fuck-with-me aura to go with it. Definitely not something a peace-loving hippy would exude.’ She grinned.
‘Well, I’m glad my grand plan is working …’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I want people to believe I’m hard as nails and can’t be fucked with.’
Ivy’s brows furrowed as she eyed him inquisitively. ‘Really? Why would you want people to think like that? Wouldn’t you rather they thought you were approachable?’
‘Not really, because as much as we like to think everyone around us is virtuous, there’s a lot of people out there who just want to take what they can get from you, no matter the cost. So, if they’re wary of me from the start it means they’ll tread carefully and not try to take advantage of me as easily as they would, say, a peace-loving hippy kind …’ He smirked playfully as he wriggled his eyebrows.
Ivy nodded. ‘Fair point, I guess.’
‘If you haven’t already noticed, underneath the hard exterior I’m a bit of a softy, though.’ He dropped his voice to a whisper. ‘But make sure you keep that to yourself, so I don’t ruin the reputation.’
Ivy winked as she zipped her lips. ‘Your secret’s safe with me.’
Ronny laughed as he turned back to stare at the wallpaper above the sink, the swirling design making him feel a little woozy. Or was his light-headedness because he was in the presence of the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen? Whatever it was, the wall was a welcome distraction. He had to divert his eyes from Ivy before she noticed the hunger in them – if she hadn’t already – her long, boho-style skirt and tight singlet doing more for him than a woman dressed to the nines in some flash clothing would. And the hint of her musky perfume made him want to brush his lips over the place her pulse was rhythmically throbbing in her neck. This desire was driving him insane.
Pushing it down, Ronny pretended to be focused on the job at hand, even though he already knew what needed doing and how he’d do it. ‘It’s no worse than the kitchen, really. But, yep, it is pretty out there. That wallpaper is so bloody bright you almost need to wear sunnies in here.’ He gave the vanity a rap with his knuckles then kept chatting as he investigated every nook and cranny. ‘It’s all cosmetic stuff, really. I c
an deffo do a revamp on the cheap by painting the tiles rather than replacing them, and I can resurface the claw-foot bathtub and vanity to make them look like new. And we can just replace the fixtures and maybe even install a rain shower to snazzy the room up and make it feel modern – most of that can be bought off eBay for a steal. It’ll look amazing in here and probably add about ten to fifteen grand to the sale price, at the very least.’ He spun around and flashed her a smile. ‘Sound good to you?’
Ivy’s eyes darted to his face from where – he was certain – she’d been checking out his arse. Busted. She gave a slight flutter of her lashes as her cheeks faintly flushed. Ronny couldn’t help but feel flattered.
‘Um, yup, all sounds perfect to me.’
‘Great, I’ll make a start on it today. I’ll just have to head into the hardware store first, grab a few things, and then I’ll get cracking.’ She turned away, the pulse in her neck now quickened. God, how he wanted her with every fibre of his being, but she was forbidden fruit and that was that. He crossed his arms over his chest as if to stop his heart reaching out to grab hers. When she turned back to him she was composed, the flush in her cheeks gone.
‘I need to sit before I ask you the next question, and because my ankle is throbbing like hell.’
‘Here, let me help you.’ Ronny reached out and placed his hand on her arm, but her skin scorched him and he pulled away, tucking his hand into his jeans pocket. He had to stop touching her as he was treading very dangerous waters, his desire for her growing by the millisecond.
‘As much as I’d love you to carry me around all day, I have to learn to get around on my own, but thank you,’ Ivy said as she hobbled past him and then eased herself down on the side of the bath. ‘How much do you reckon it’s going to cost now you’ve had a good look around the cottage and seen what needs doing?’
‘Well, let me work it out … but it will only be a rough estimate. Is that okay?’
‘Of course, I just want a ball-park figure so I know what I’m looking at spending.’ Ivy offered a resigned sigh. ‘And so I know I have enough to cover the costs before you make a start. We don’t want to go overboard and leave me with a massive bill I can’t pay.’
Ronny sat down beside her and pulled out his notebook from his shirt pocket. He began jotting down figures. ‘Seeing as we’re going to keep the kitchen benches and cupboards and just refinish them with some timber-look laminate as well as replace the handles with some new ones, and I can get some really cool lighting off the internet so the biggest cost will be a new stove and cooktop, it’d be safe to say the kitchen will be around the six thousand dollar mark. And that includes putting new vinyl flooring down too.’ He looked to Ivy. ‘Is that all right?’
Ivy nodded, smiling broadly. ‘That’s much less than I’d thought I’d be looking at, so, so far, so good.’ She gave him a friendly pat on the back. ‘I envisioned I’d have to cut corners a lot more than you’ve suggested, so I’m pretty damn stoked.’
‘Excellent.’ Ronny went back to scribbling. ‘I’ve been researching stuff on the internet the past couple of days so I can get up to speed with costs of building materials these days, and with everything we’ve talked about for the bathroom, I reckon three or four thousand should cover it.’
‘Sounds great, but I’m confused – I thought you’d be well aware of the costs of building, seeing as you’ve been doing it for so long.’
Shit, he’d put his foot in his mouth again, just like he had yesterday with Alice. He seriously needed to be a hell of a lot more careful with what he said. He faltered before recalling what Lottie had mentioned in her last letter to him. ‘Oh, yes and no, I’ve been mustering up north for a few years now so I’ve kinda fallen out of sync with the costs of building materials.’
‘Oh, okay.’
‘And then we’ve got to think about repainting the inside of the house, redoing the vinyl flooring throughout to match the vinyl you want for the kitchen, and then you’ll be looking at about two grand to do the internal laundry because we’ll have to call in a plumber for part of the job.’ He ran his fingers over his razor-short hair as he mumbled a few more figures to himself. ‘So, I’m guessing twenty grand should cover it, take or leave a few grand … plus my wages on top of that.’ He whistled through his teeth, his features twisting with concern. ‘Is that cutting the mustard for you?’
Ivy beamed from ear to ear. ‘It sure is.’ She reached over and squeezed Ronny’s arm. ‘Thank you.’
‘What for? I’m just doing my job – a job I love, by the way.’
‘For coming into my life exactly when I needed you.’ She held his gaze and smiled appreciatively. ‘Seriously, I believe in fate, and my aunts and I have been praying for a miracle to get us out of the deep shit we’re in, and then you come along and make this renovation feasible.’
Ronny’s heart skidded to a stop as he found himself at a complete loss for words. If only she knew he’d done what she was speaking of once before, in a massive, yet so different, way. He smiled, trying to hide the heaviness of the guilt he felt at keeping everything from her. After heaving in a deep breath, he said, ‘Well, Ivy, you’ve come into my life at exactly the right time too. I needed some work to help with the running costs of Sundown, so I reckon we’re square on that one.’ He grabbed his tape measure and began working on the list of what he’d have to buy from the hardware store in town. He needed to do something, anything, other than sit and look into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes any longer. ‘Why don’t you go and rest a bit while I get started, you’re looking a little weary.’ She was actually looking gorgeous, as always, but he needed to get some time on his own, away from the hypnotic effect she had on him, to get his head straight before he had a change of heart and spilled the beans to her.
Ivy grinned. ‘Oh shucks, thanks, so you’re kicking me off the job already?’
‘Sure am, I work much faster alone anyway, and you need to follow your doctor’s orders by resting that ankle of yours.’
Ivy glanced at her watch and then stood, this time properly balanced on her crutches. ‘It’s time for me to take my painkillers anyway, and they tend to knock me out a bit, so I might do as I’m told and go and have a bit of a rest – maybe read for a while.’ She looked back at him as he measured up the bath. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind me not going to the hardware store with you? I feel bad leaving everything to you.’
Ronny stopped what he was doing and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. ‘Seriously, I’ll be fine. It’s not like you can drive at the moment anyway. And it’ll be a lot faster for me to grab what I need and get back here without you hobbling along beside me.’
Ivy glanced down at her bandaged ankle. ‘Hmm, very good point. We have an account there so just put anything you need on that and I’ll fix it up when they send me the bill.’
‘Righto, easy done. And, Ivy, I meant what I said at the hospital about being able to do it on my own and you being the supervisor.’ He gestured at the doorway, where Bo was snoring and Jessie was flicking her paws like she was running in her dreams. ‘So go and rest before I carry you into the bedroom myself and padlock the door so you can’t get out.’
‘Well, seeing you’re putting it so sternly …’ Ivy saluted him. ‘Yes sir.’
Wish I could lock myself in there with you and pleasure you senseless, was the next thing that came to Ronny’s mind as he watched her leave. He silently swore. Damn it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t control his thoughts. But for God’s sake, he was going to have to learn to.
He waited until he’d heard the clunk of the bedroom door closing before he downed his tools. What the hell was the universe playing at? Leaning on the bathroom sink, he stared out the large bathroom window and looked to the endless blue sky. ‘What do you want from me?’ he whispered, shaking his head. Running his hands over his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning from the throbbing behind his temples. How the fuck was he going to get through a
n entire month of this? He’d come here thinking he was going to be able to handle it like a man should, but clearly, given Ivy could mesmerise him simply by being near him, it wasn’t going to be as simple as that. With the amount of times he’d bitten his tongue to stop from telling her the truth so far, it was a wonder it wasn’t bleeding. Being around her was dangerous, but there was no way he could back out of it now. He had to help her and her aunts. There was no way in hell he was going to walk away and risk being the reason they lost everything, because Ivy Tucker deserved to have all she dreamed of, and more.
CHAPTER
16
Ivy slowly blinked open her sleep-heavy eyes. She couldn’t even remember closing them in the first place, so it was a nice surprise to be floating out of slumber, enjoying the fact she didn’t need to jump up out of bed and hit the ground running. Not that she’d be able to but it was a welcome change for her mind to not be going a hundred miles an hour as soon as she woke up. The luscious, relaxed feeling floating through her was something she hadn’t experienced for ages, and it felt damn good to not be wound up like a coil. Was it the painkillers she’d taken, or because she finally had a man in her life she could rely on? She wanted to believe it was the latter.
She glanced at her watch, surprised it had been four hours since she’d lain down. Ronny had been right in saying she’d needed a rest; she hadn’t realised how exhausted she was. Ah, the hunky, spunky carpenter, Ronny Sinclair. What a blessing he was turning out to be. She’d grown very accustomed to having to do everything on her own, so it was a nice feeling to have a man about the house. She allowed herself the luxury of fantasising about having a man like him to call her own, to go to sleep beside every night and to wake up to every morning, to love with all she had, and to be loved equally in return. How beautiful that would be. If only Ronny wasn’t with Amy, and as much as she hated the fact he found a woman like Amy someone he could care intimately for, Ivy considered allowing herself to fall head over heels for him. And the way she’d caught him gazing at her a few times, and the warmth in his touch, she had an inkling he felt the same way.
