When Tiara reentered the kitchen twenty minutes later, Jayce stood in front of the stove, a spatula in one hand and the frying pan handle clutched in the other.
"Hope you like your eggs scrambled," Jayce said with a grin.
"I thought I was supposed to do that." She gave her best imitation of shock while cheering inwardly. Jayce had unwittingly let her off the hook, even if she hadn't agreed to make breakfast. Tiara's breakfast usually came from the frozen food aisle to be toasted or nuked, or picked up in drive thru lanes.
"I didn't think you'd mind. You did do the coffee," Jayce said putting down the spatula and lifting a mug. "You can finish if you want."
"No, no," Tiara said hastily, "I wouldn't want to spoil your fun."
Jayce raised an eyebrow. "You want to set the table?"
"Sure." She took a hesitant step forward. Tiara didn't remember which cabinet had the plates, or from which Jayce had retrieved the coffee mug.
"Plates on the left, silverware in the drawer below the plates," Jayce stated as if aware of Tiara's predicament. "If you want coffee, the mugs are over here." Jayce indicated the cabinet by her shoulder with a quick tilt of her head.
It was a challenge, and Tiara never turned down a challenge. Tiara had the impression Jayce waited to see if Tiara would ask her to pull one down, or come and get it herself. The atmosphere in the kitchen had subtly changed. It was too friendly--too cozy.
"Afraid I'll bite?" Jayce asked quietly.
"Yes, you would." Part of Tiara wanted to forget the coffee. Another part wanted to take up the dare, if only to get close to Jayce. Would Jayce brush her with a touch? Tiara simultaneously hoped she would and wouldn't make physical contact.
"I guess you're not thirsty," Jayce teased.
Tiara swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. Tiara was thirsty, but not for coffee, instead she longed for one small touch, one kiss, anything would do if it involved Jayce's body and hers. The thought terrified her.
Her terror must have registered on her face or in her manner because Jayce's next words startled her. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I was kidding."
"You didn't frighten me."
"Oh? You always look like a scared rabbit ready to flee? I'll get a mug for you, Bugs."
"Don't be ridiculous. I can get one myself." Jayce had given her a chance to avoid any possible touching and satisfy her logical side. Instead, Tiara had taken the dare--most illogical.
With legs feeling heavy, Tiara walked forward. Jayce shifted slightly to allow room, little though there was, and, edging close to the counter, Tiara squeezed into the space. She managed to open the cabinet door without touching Jayce. Then she inwardly cursed. The mugs were on the middle shelf and with her size--or lack of it at five-foot-two--she had to stand on tiptoe to reach.
"Would you like some help?" Jayce asked.
Her breath was warm on Tiara's ear. "I've got it." She really didn't. Lifting herself onto her toes, Tiara lost her balance as her fingers grasped the mug's handle. She fell against Jayce.
Goose bumps rose on her flesh and multiplied like the rabbit Jayce had mistaken her for only a moment ago. Tiara put her empty hand on Jayce's abdomen and pushed herself away. She felt surprise at how solidly Jayce was built, yet how unmistakably female she appeared outwardly. Her fingers trembled and Tiara didn't know if it was from her awareness of Jayce's physical strength or that Jayce sapped Tiara's energy, leaving her paralyzed in both mind and body.
Tiara took a deep breath to calm her rapidly beating heart. Her brain didn't register the scents she inhaled because Jayce bent her head forward and Tiara became mesmerized by the blue of her eyes.
"You're more beautiful up close," Jayce said. "I'm glad you've kept a few freckles."
"It...um...wasn't a choice."
"I'm glad anyway."
Jayce moved lower, closing distance. Tiara wanted Jayce to kiss her. Her lips were a breath away when Tiara recognized the mysterious scent. "Your eggs are burning."
Spinning around, Jayce mumbled, "Damn, so much for breakfast." She tossed the pan and its contents into the sink, ran water into it and stared at the resulting steam.
Tiara felt a blend of relief and disappointment. She'd come here to help her father, not be mixed up in an old relationship. Not that it ever had been one, except in her childhood daydreaming. Tiara was better off not starting something she wouldn't stick around to finish. Nevertheless, their physical contact made Tiara's heart leap. Even a simple kiss from Jayce could rekindle those old feelings, and dreaming was better than having nothing at all.
What would it mean to Jayce? Would a kiss from Tiara send Jayce rushing home with another scowl? Would they avoid each other? Tiara didn't want to find out. Of course, if Jayce responded that way again, it would be one less distraction for Tiara. "I wasn't hungry anyway," she said, as she clutched the cup and walked to the coffee pot. She had to concentrate to control the trembling in her hand as she poured.
"I could try again," Jayce turned toward her with a smile and crossed her arms, "if you promise not to distract me."
Tiara choked on the coffee. "You could've saved breakfast if you'd taken two cups down in the first place."
"Spoil sport."
If Jayce hadn't said it with an exaggerated pout, Tiara would have lost her temper at Jayce's implying her actions were a game. Jayce looked so beautiful with her eyes sparkling with mischief and her lower lip pushed forward that Tiara could forgive her anything at the moment. As it was, Tiara found it difficult not to reach up and tug at the extended lip.
Tiara needed a distraction. "What'd you do with Majestic?"
Jayce must have recognized the question for what it was, since she leaned casually back against the counter. "Put him in the corral, then went over to my place for the feed and other items he'll need later. Not sure what to do with that damn goose, it's not in my critter repertoire. It seems content enough just to be with the horse. You'll need to make those repairs to the fence, though. One misplaced bump and the whole thing will come down. I can make a call for supplies."
"Great, I can work on it today." Tiara felt relieved to have the topic on safe ground. "You know what to order. I'll get you my credit card."
"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Jayce asked.
Tiara frowned, knowing she'd said a lot earlier. "About what?"
"Fixing the house, too?"
Actually, Tiara hadn't given it much thought as she'd made her comment in anger. Did she mean it? "The house could use it. Since we don't know when Dad will get back, it would keep me busy."
"Good." Jayce seemed genuinely pleased.
"What?"
Jayce appeared to do some internal evaluation. Her eyebrows almost met in the center of her forehead in her concentration. "It will make Slim happy."
From her frown, Tiara expected her to say something different. What about you? Tiara wanted to demand. Would it make you happy, Jayce? Instead, she said, "I'll get my credit card."
After Tiara handed the card over, she walked Jayce out the front door and toward the driveway. "How long do you think it'll take for them to deliver?"
"I'll have it here in a couple of hours. Brad, who owns the lumber company, is a friend of mine. He owes me a favor or two."
"That always helps," Tiara added with a dollop of sarcasm.
"Yup." Jayce grinned. "I'll bring this back later." She stuffed the card in a shirt pocket.
Much as she wanted it returned, Tiara wasn't sure she liked this messenger coming with it, creating a flurry of emotions in her head and the pit of her stomach. "No hurry."
"Oh, yeah? What if I use it for my own purposes?"
"Just keep it under the limit."
"Which is?" Jayce lifted an eyebrow.
"For you?"
"Who else?"
"Maybe a lady love," Tiara said, suddenly saddened by the prospect, confused by the surge of jealousy she felt. What if Jayce had a lover? Why do I care?
"Nope, none--yet. If your cre
dit's worthy, I could find a temporary one fast enough."
Tiara was tempted to slap her. "I bet you could. Your limit's the cost of a day at the gym."
"Don't need that, or didn't you notice when you were mauling me in your kitchen."
"I wasn't mauling," Tiara felt her face flame with embarrassment.
"Well, maybe you could later." Jayce winked. "I'll leave the stove off next time."
"There won't be a next time," Tiara hissed through clenched teeth.
Jayce laughed, and Tiara realized that the tall beauty was enjoying her discomfort. "I'll go call this in. It'll give you time to see what you're up against. The fence is a lot of job for anyone, much less a little thing like you. I'll be back later."
"Don't hurry," she shouted as Jayce walked away. Tiara stared after her--observing that cute little swagger--until Jayce reached her property. "Sexy, arrogant witch," she finally breathed when certain that Jayce couldn't hear.
Tiara turned and surveyed the house, noting it wasn't as bad as she'd originally thought. Okay, maybe it was bad. A new roof, replace most of the siding, build a garage on the existing concrete slab, reinforce the porch and it would be good as new. Better, even.
Tiara couldn't understand how her father had let the house go for so long. Didn't he care? Or had her leaving with her mother, Angie, ten years ago destroyed any love he'd had for the house?
To Tiara, the deterioration had started with her mother's sullen moods. The house had been alive once, beautiful, comfortable and warm. Perhaps whatever demons had driven Angie to hide in the bottle had seeped into the wallboard and the hand-carved moldings, causing the house to become sad and depressed.
She would follow through and make the more immediate repairs. Tiara couldn't rebuild the last ten years, but she could infuse a new look, some new life. If it wasn't enough for her father, so be it. At least she'd have given it a shot.
If only emotions could be as easily repaired. Plaster, sanding and painting could mend a hole in a wall to sleek perfection. But how did a person fix a hole in the soul?
Maybe Tiara couldn't fix a soul. Instead, she'd focus on the house. When completed, Tiara could start rebuilding her relationship with her father--if Slim ever came home. It wouldn't be easy, but neither was construction work. Both took sweat and exertion.
"I'll do it."
The affirmation was like a deeply drawn breath, refreshing and cleansing. It didn't last long, and the tension returned. "How does Jayce really feel about this idea?" she asked aloud.
A beam of sunshine hit the windows and Tiara almost believed the house smiled at her. She blinked and the image disappeared; yet she felt happy with her decision knowing the house was pleased. Having something to do would make the time go faster, take her mind off Jayce, and keep her busy until her father arrived.
Good as she was, Tiara knew she couldn't do this alone in a short time. She rushed into the house and to the kitchen telephone. Tiara punched the numbers to the company's cellular phone Harry kept with him.
She laughed softly as a plan formed in her head.
Chapter Four
"SUMMER'S CONSTRUCTION, HARRY Carter speaking."
"Hi, Harry, it's me," Tiara said.
"Boss Lady. How's it going?" His tone became serious. "Everything okay?"
"Just fine." Tiara couldn't help smiling; his concern warmed her. "How's the work on the chiropractor's house coming along?"
"Great. We're ahead of schedule. Any adverse summer weather's been holding off here. Unfortunately, probably means drought later."
"Glad to hear the work schedule's good since I need to take a couple of the guys off the project. Kind of cosmic, you know, with the job going so quickly."
Harry snorted. "What's going on in that head of yours, Boss?"
She shrugged, though he couldn't see it. "Can you spare Craig and Mark?"
"If you need 'em, you got 'em."
Tiara didn't want to disrupt their personal lives, but she couldn't do the work alone, either, not with the schedule she had in mind. "Make sure they don't have a problem with this first, but I need them immediately for an extended stay. If Mark agrees, he can certainly bring Darla. I've enough room here for all of them. I'll understand if Mark prefers not to come, considering Darla's current health issue."
"Your father doesn't mind the extra company interrupting your reunion?"
"Dad hasn't arrived yet."
"But..."
"Don't ask." Tiara sighed. "It's a long story."
"Just remember to tell me all about it when you get back," Harry ordered playfully.
"Not like I'll have a choice in the matter. You'll nag like an old woman until you get all the details." After a few more moments of banter, Tiara gave him the directions to the house, her father's house phone number, and a list of supplies and equipment she needed. Anything else she could probably get locally from Jayce's friend. "Honestly, if this is inconvenient even a little bit, to any of you, let me know, Harry. Maybe you could recommend somebody else I could use."
"You'd be the first to know. I gotta ask, Boss, fixing or rebuilding? This is quite the list."
"A little of both, and I don't know what might be available here without a backorder. Besides, you know I like busy work." She chuckled. "Okay, then. That leaves the corral for me until the guys arrive with everything else."
"Do I have to wait for you to explain that, too?"
"Trust me, Harry, I've a feeling the story will be worth the wait. You'll get one heck of a laugh, and at my expense, as usual."
Harry's tone turned serious. "Tiara, the teasing is never meant--"
"I know, Harry," she replied honestly. Tiara didn't want him to feel a need to apologize. Harry was the closest she'd come to having another father around her. Fatherly-types were supposed to laugh at a child's antics, especially when the child was as clumsy as Tiara. The mood shifted, and she didn't want that to happen, didn't want Harry worrying. Cheerfully, she added, "It's all good, honest. Talk to you later, Harry."
She hung up, excited. A new project always pushed her adrenaline into hyper-drive. She ran upstairs to her room and took her work sunglasses from the gym bag; then, as she turned to leave, stopped short noting the picture of her mother and father on the wall by the door.
Tiara hadn't really noticed it this morning and was too tired last night. It was an earlier picture of her parents, from right after their wedding. They looked so happy. Tiara wondered what had changed their relationship so drastically. Whatever had happened to them came before her birth. From her earliest memory, her mother had a drinking problem and her father bet on anything he could. Which started first?
A thought nagged at her, like an itch she couldn't reach. Had their problems resulted from her birth, her disruption to the family? Was she the reason their blissfulness had gone? Tiara shuddered. It was too late to change what had occurred. All she could do was move on. With one last look, she rushed down the stairs and out the kitchen door.
The fence material arrived two hours later. Jayce, on horseback, was not far behind. Tiara had already inspected the corral, which covered a three-acre area, and made mental notes of what needed to be done and prioritized the jobs. The project would be a bit of a change from building homes, and would expand her repertoire. She was excited and it must have showed.
"You won't be so happy once you get started," Jayce said, dismounting.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I've been there. It's a lot of work, and physically exhausting."
Tiara frowned. "What's with you?"
"What?" Jayce squinted.
Was the squint because of the sunshine or confusion? Tiara decided she couldn't care less. "Why is it so hard for you to believe me capable of hard work? I never expected you to be a--a--chauvinist. Guess I was wrong." Tiara said, shaking her head.
"Ouch. I'm no chauvinist," Jayce replied.
"Whatever." Tiara walked over to the lumber truck's driver and indicated where to deposit the material
.
Jayce followed her. "Wait. I didn't mean to imply you couldn't do the job."
Tiara spun around to face her. She remembered they had an audience and entertaining the locals was the last thing she wanted to do. "The implication is strong enough, Jayce, meant or not. Now, there's work to accomplish, so please leave."
"We should settle this misunderstanding first."
"Okay," Tiara said, "then go ahead and tell me."
Jayce frowned. "Tell you what?"
Crossing her arms, Tiara said, "That you believe I can do the job, and do it right."
"If you say you can, I can't argue. It's just a fence, after all."
"But you don't think I can handle even that task," Tiara snapped.
"All right, let's be honest." Jayce shoved her hand out with her palm up. "Look at yourself. You're too little for the kind of work that will be needed here, let alone do it by yourself."
"Thanks for your honesty," she said sarcastically.
"See. Truth hurts and you forced me into voicing it."
"You're right, Jayce, the vice grip on your arm as I twisted the confession from you was too much pain to stand. Oh, poor little baby."
"Now you're mad," Jayce said.
"As hell." Tiara closed the distance between them and jabbed a finger into Jayce's firm stomach. "I've nothing to prove and I'll be damned if I'll kill myself trying. I couldn't possibly care what you think I'm capable of doing."
"Then why so bent out of shape?" Jayce asked, slapping Tiara's hand away.
"Because the sexier you got as you grew, the dumber you became." The two deliverymen stopped unloading the truck. Tiara sighed and lowered her voice. "Size has nothing to do with any of this. All those years of training and breaking horses have knocked the last shreds of brain-matter from your thick, albeit gorgeous, skull.
Throwing a quick glance at the men, Jayce lowered her voice, too. "We aren't getting anywhere by arguing, especially about something so trivial."
"You're wrong. We each know where we stand. I didn't ask for your help, and I won't. So get on your horse and ride away, cowgirl."
A Majestic Affair Page 3
