Tess jumped out of the cab when he parked again and offered to help with whatever it was he needed.
“In the back of the truck is a small cooler with our lunch in it,” he said. “Also a bag with chips and a few other things. Why don’t you grab that?”
She started toward the rear of the truck. “I’ve got it.”
When everything was taken care of, and he had changed into a work shirt and put on work boots, they headed off to Mrs. Johnson’s place.
Tess found herself feeling more relaxed. It was like the pressure of a first date was washed away now that they weren’t actually going out. They laughed and talked on the way to the job and it felt like they were in Nectars, flirting, only the bar wasn’t between them.
Just like he’d promised. That thought gave her a little pause but she easily fell back into their conversation. He’d also promised that they could go at her pace and she was going to hold him to that.
Tess was having so much fun that the drive seemed to go by in no time. Soon they were turning up a maintained dirt road toward an older home on a fenced-off piece of property.
Mrs. Johnson lived on an acre set back away from the main road. She had a nice place with a little house and a flower garden in front and a greenhouse in the back.
They pulled up to the house and Gage parked the truck and killed the engine. He was out of the truck and to her side as usual to open the door for her.
“My squash, tomatoes, and green beans need water,” Mrs. Johnson said when she came out to greet them. “I was planning on watering them today. They’re looking a little limp.”
“We’ll have you taken care of in no time.” Gage had switched his western hat for a ball cap and he pushed it up as he talked with the elder woman. “Just sit tight and we’ll get those vegetables watered.”
“I’ve always liked you, Gage McBride,” she said and patted him on the arm. She looked at Tess. “He was always a little devil but a good kid.”
Tess laughed. “I don’t think he’s changed much in that regard.”
With a grin, Gage said, “I’ll get to work on it now.”
The water well and pressure tank were in back of the greenhouse and Gage backed the pump rig up to it.
“What do you need to do?” she asked.
“First I need to check the electrical wires for the pump to see if they’re going to ground.” Gage went up to the well and started his inspection. “Yeah, it’s gone bad,” he finally said after a few moments.
She stepped out of the way as he backed the rig closer to the well, got out of the truck, and then raised the mast. The hydraulics made the loud hum of heavy machinery as it went into place.
Tess didn’t have a clue when it came to anything remotely related to his occupation and she was fascinated by everything he was doing.
“Next the plumbing to the pressure tank and the house need to be undone.” Gage pulled on a pair of work gloves and grabbed tools he needed.
After he’d finished with the plumbing, he centered a cable from the mast over the well. He explained to her what he was doing as he unscrewed the plug on top of the pipe to use some kind of pipe puller at the top to pull out the pipes.
She felt kind of useless as she watched him work. “What can I do?”
He gestured to the truck and pointed to one of the toolboxes built into the side. “In that toolbox are some rags. If you can grab those for me, it would be great.”
She walked around the pump rig to the opposite side, opened up the toolbox he’d indicated, and grabbed the rags he needed.
“If we’re not careful, this could be messy.” He took the rags from her and put some down. “The joints are going to have gunk on them and water will be in the pipes.”
When the water rushed out of the pipes, Tess stepped back to avoid getting her athletic shoes wet, but water still splashed on her jeans.
It wasn’t long before her head was spinning with everything he had to do. Wire the first pipe to the second, secure the second with a pipe clamp, then unscrew the first joint and repeat until the pump was out of the ground. It was a deep well, so it took some time to get the pump out. She helped him with little things like handing him tools when he needed them.
While he worked they talked. She learned that he’d been at this business for fifteen years and his business had grown to spread across northern and central Arizona. When he was young, Gage had worked summers for an older man who taught him the trade. When the man retired, Gage had taken over the business. She liked learning about him as well as watching him and the ease with which he did his job.
They paused long enough to eat the lunch that Gage had packed. He’d filled the cooler with ham and cheese sandwiches, and had brought BBQ potato chips and a package of chocolate chip cookies. He’d also brought along a large thermos of iced tea and a gallon jug of water.
“We’ve been talking about me and what I do,” Gage said as he replaced the old pump with a new one and rewired everything. “I want to know more about you.”
She shrugged. “Not much that you don’t already know. You already know that I have a wonderful daughter. I own a share of the family business and work there regularly. Before taking over managing the restaurant, I worked as an administrative assistant. Other than that, my life isn’t very exciting.”
He finished wiring the new pump. “Has there ever been anything else you’ve wanted to do than work in the restaurant business?”
She hesitated. “Yes. But it’s just a dream.”
“What is it?” he asked.
For some reason she felt a rush of embarrassment. “It’s silly.”
He paused in his work, resting one hand on the rig’s mast. “I doubt that, Tess. Unless you want to be a circus performer.”
She laughed. “How did you guess? I want to be a trapeze artist.”
He grinned. “Come on now. Tell me.”
She looked down and turned the toe of her shoe in the dirt. When she looked back up at him, she said, “I’ve always wanted to write a book.”
“What’s silly about that?” He studied her. “I think that’s great.”
“I don’t know if I have the talent for it.” A breeze caught locks of her short, curly hair and blew them in her face. She brushed the strands of hair aside. “I excelled at writing in school and I have a good imagination, but that’s not enough.”
“You won’t know if you don’t try.” He looked serious as he spoke. “You’ve got to give it a shot. Otherwise you’ll end up with regrets when you look back on your life.”
She slipped her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and slowly nodded. “I guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am.” He gave her a teasing grin. “Have you written anything?”
She shook her head. “I’ve jotted down ideas in a journal for a mystery, but I really don’t know where to start.”
“How about books on writing?” He moved to a switch on the rig. “Or researching more about it on the Internet?”
“That’s a good idea,” she said with a smile.
She felt warmth and a kind of hesitant excitement inside her. No one had ever shown an interest in her dream in the past. Her mother had told her when she was growing up that wanting to be a writer was silly and impractical, and she’d never make any money doing it.
Eventually, she’d buried her desire to write deep inside. Talking with Gage about it was beginning to stir those desires to life again.
“I think I will start exploring what it takes to be a writer.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for encouraging me.”
“I have faith in you,” he said.
He pressed the lever on the rig and the sound of machinery filled the air again. When he had lowered the pump inside the mouth of the well, he stopped the rig. He started reversing the process, putting in new pipe to replace the old. She handed him couplings to connect joints and other things he needed. He told her that they didn’t always need to replace the pipe but that the existing pipe was par
ticularly old.
They fell into easy conversation about his childhood, growing up with four brothers, and his huge extended family. They talked about her childhood and growing up with one sister and her mother and father.
“I almost forgot.” Tess tilted her head to the side. “You said you’d tell me why that Nandra slapped you.”
Gage looked sheepish like he had that day in the bar. “I slept with her twin sister.”
Tess’s back straightened as she looked at him with incredulity. “What?”
“It’s not exactly what you think.” He shook his head. “Nandra’s identical twin sister, Sandra, decided to pay back Nandra for some fight they had. Sandra pretended to be Nandra and we slept together. I didn’t know it was Sandra until afterward. Nandra was ticked at me because I didn’t notice the difference between them.”
Tess couldn’t help herself. She wanted to laugh while at the same time she felt a surge of jealousy at him being with other women. Which made absolutely no sense at all because any women he’d slept with were a part of his past.
It was late in the day when he’d put the above ground plumbing back together and they finally finished and had everything packed up on the pump rig.
They stopped by Mrs. Johnson’s home to let her know they were finished.
“Wonderful.” The elderly woman was clearly delighted to have water to her home again, not to mention in her greenhouse. “Why don’t you come in for some homemade coffee cake?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Johnson.” Gage gave the woman a smile. “But we’ve got to get going.”
“I insist you take it home with you, then. You deserve it.” The woman turned back into her home. “Stay right there,” she said over her shoulder.
Gage turned to Tess as they waited. “When we were kids, my brothers and I loved to ride our bikes or horses over here because she’d feed us one great treat or another. I think she kept goodies on hand just for us. She’s always been a great lady.”
A few moments later, Mrs. Johnson returned with a huge slab of coffee cake on a paper plate and covered with plastic wrap. “Here you go. You two enjoy it.”
“We will,” Gage said.
“Thank you.” Tess nodded. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Likewise,” Mrs. Johnson said. “You’re welcome anytime.”
Once they were back in the pump rig and headed to his ranch, he said, “It’s a shame to end the day with work and no play. How about dinner?”
“I’m not exactly dressed for a night out.” She smiled but shook her head. “I need a shower.”
He glanced from the road to her. “I meant at my place,” he said before looking back at the road.
“Your place?” she repeated. “That’s probably not a good idea. We’re taking it slow, remember?”
“Just dinner.” He glanced at her again. “Promise.”
She studied him for a moment, the strong lines of his handsome face, the sexy stubble on his jaws. Despite having worked all day, he looked good enough to eat.
At that thought she mentally shook her head and wondered if she was the one who needed to be reminded that they were supposed to be taking it slow.
She settled back in her seat. “Okay. After all of that, I am hungry.” She could control herself when it came to Gage.
Right? Sure she could.
Chapter 11
After Tess called the sitter to make sure she was fine with Tess staying out a little later, she helped Gage with dinner.
She glanced at Gage as she held an onion on a cutting board, ready to slice it. The delicious smells of baking corn bread and chili filled the kitchen.
“So that’s what a day is like in the life of Gage McBride,” she said.
“One of the more exciting days.” He gave her a sexy little grin as he stirred the chili on the stovetop. “Because you were there.”
“It was fun seeing you at work and helping out.” She cut the onion in half. “Maybe I’ve found a new career in pulling pumps.” Her eyes stung and watered as she started to slice the onion.
“My assistant just got married and is moving to Phoenix this week, and I haven’t had time to replace her.” Gage set the chili spoon on a small plate he was using for a spoon rest. “How would you like a change in occupation?” he sounded completely serious.
She looked at him in surprise. “You’re offering me a job as your assistant?”
He nodded. “You’re smart, personable, and it’s something you mentioned that you’ve done in the past, before you went into the restaurant business with your parents.” He braced one hand on the countertop. “You work ridiculously long hours at the bar. If you take the job with me, you could work partly out of your home and partly here. That would give you more time with Jenny and no doubt you’d have more time to work on your writing career.”
She was silent for a moment and found she was actually considering it. “My mom would come unglued.”
“The pay isn’t too bad.” He named a figure.
Her eyes widened. It was more than she was bringing in as part owner of the restaurant and bar. Nectars and the Hummingbird were doing well, but still growing, and they needed to put a lot of what was earned back into the business. Her hours truly were long and she was exhausted when she came home.
With a higher income she could afford to let Jenny go to dancing school with Katie Sue. Not to mention having more time with her daughter and maybe even time to get some writing experience.
She let out her breath. “It’s a lot to consider.”
He nodded. “If you’re not too tired after we eat I can show you a little of what’s involved and then you can think on it.”
“Okay.” She scraped the diced onion off the cutting board and into a bowl. “But no promises, not tonight.”
“Agreed.” Gage took a brick of cheese out of the fridge, cut it into smaller chunks, and then started grating them.
She enjoyed dinner with him and she had fun flirting with him as they talked. The more she was with him, the more she found she liked him and liked being around him.
When dinner was over, the kitchen straightened, and the dishes washed and put away, she followed him through his rustic home to the opposite side of the house. When they walked into his office, she nodded with appreciation. Two desks with large screen computer monitors, file cabinets, a copier, and other things you’d find in any office. It had a nice feel to it—businesslike but not sterile. Rather it seemed warm and comfortable.
He briefly showed her a few of the administrative duties and some of the accounting. “That’s enough for this evening,” he said after a bit. “I’ll bet you’re tired from today.”
“I have to admit I am.” She rested her hands on the back of a chair as she watched him from across a desk.
He studied her for a moment. “You know I don’t like it when anything’s between us.” He walked around the desk and moved close to her. “That’s better.”
A little shiver ran down her spine. “It might not be such a good idea to work together.” She didn’t know if she could keep her hands off of him.
“It’s a very good idea.” He took her by the shoulders. “I want you to realize that I’m not offering you the job just to keep you close to me, although that’s a benefit.” He smiled but then gave her a serious look. “I would like to see you get to spend more time with your daughter and pursue your dream.”
“What if you hate the job I do and it doesn’t work out?” she asked. “Or what if I don’t like the job?”
“You’re not going to hurt my feelings if you feel like it’s not what you want to do,” he said. “So you can stop at any time. I just want you to be happy and I need a new assistant. The best of both worlds for each of us.”
“And if you hate the job that I do?” she asked again.
“I’ll just take you out with me and we’ll do pump work instead.” He rubbed her upper arms. “I think we made a good team today.”
“You’re just being nice,” she sa
id but smiled.
Her smile slipped away as she stared up into his eyes. She could tell he wanted to kiss her but was holding back.
She put her hands on his chest and slid them up to his shoulders. “Maybe there would be extra benefits having you as a boss.”
“I forgot to mention the benefits,” he said. “Medical, dental, and vision.”
“And you,” she said without meaning to. But she stood up on her toes and pulled him down to her as she reached up to kiss him.
He groaned as she opened up to him, wanting his kiss more than anything. His taste, the feel of his lips against hers, his tongue dipping into her mouth as he tasted her in return.
She held onto him as he picked her up and she wrapped her thighs around his hips. She felt so much hunger for him that her mind spun with it and her body burned.
He kissed her as he carried her through the house to the living room. She made soft whimpers as she kissed him with a fervor she’d never felt before. Her nipples ached to be touched and sucked and she wanted to feel him inside her more than anything at this moment.
She thought she felt him shudder with desire as he drew his head away from hers and then set her down on the floor. She looked up at him, wanting him more than anything and in her lust-crazed mind she wondered why he was stopping.
“We’d better get you home.” His voice sounded strained.
She took a deep breath. “Slow.” She stared at his chest, trying to convince herself that was what she wanted. “We’re supposed to take it slow.” She looked up at him and met his gaze. “What if I’ve changed my mind?”
He gave a tight smile. “I keep my promises. And if I take you right now, you might have regrets and I don’t want that to happen.”
She searched his eyes. “You’re a good man, Gage.”
“You don’t know how hard this is,” he said, his expression strained.
“I think I do.” She leaned close to him, her head resting on his chest. “Thank you.”
He held her tightly and squeezed her to him, like he didn’t want to let her go. And she didn’t want him to release her.
Fencing You In Page 6
