by Ashlee Price
Kallie spent most of the rest of her day cleaning. The place had been taken care of in some ways, but it looked like her father hadn’t lived there in a while. There was a thick coating of dust on pretty much everything and it was dark before she got through enough rooms to be satisfied. There was still an upstairs and a basement that she had not even investigated. She didn’t have the energy when it came down to it.
Sitting down with a glass of wine, she sighed to herself, feeling accomplished to have a place to sleep that wouldn’t give her hives. It was strange how quiet it was out there. Kallie could actually hear the cricket and frogs outside by the creek and she closed her eyes to the natural melody. Her body started when she head a crash. Something had been thrown through the window just feet from her. She saw the large brick on the floor and her mind instantly went to Craig. Was he capable of that or was she just being paranoid?
Either way, there was glass all over the floor and she could imagine mosquitoes getting in through the broken glass. Sighing to herself, she got up and waited to see if she heard anything. Maybe it was just some local kids that were causing mischief. She liked that idea better than someone in the dark being malicious.
After a moment of indecision, she decided to just got to the hardware store before they closed and picking up some wood or something to cover the window until she could hire someone to fix it. It was going to be harder than she thought, to say no to the man, but things like that just made her want to stay more. She was hard-headed in that way.
So, getting dressed and heading out, she turned all of the flood lights on around the house but saw no one. She cursed whoever it was and went towards the other side of town where the store was that she needed. Parking in the parking lot, she looked at the clock and she had about fifteen minutes before the place closed. One of the bad things about smaller towns was that everything closed down by eight o clock. It was as if people should all be at home at that time, so either you get it earlier or you don’t get it at all.
Her eyes squinting to the bright fluorescent light, she looked at the overhead signs to find the aisle she was looking for. Happy that they had some precut boards, she looked around for something to put them in. Walking through the aisles, she still couldn’t find anyone to ask or anything to use. Checking her watch, she realized that it was almost time to close. Going back to the wood, she grabbed as many as she could carry and headed towards the checkout.
“Do you need some help with that?”
Turning around, Kallie groaned inwardly. Of course she was a mess and looked strange surely carrying eight foot boards. Kallie had just thrown on some muck boots over her pajama shorts and a coat on over her tank top. Her hair was in a knot on top of her head and she was void of any makeup. It was not the way she was hoping to see anyone of consequence, least of all the man that made her knees grow weak.
“Caspin. What are you doing here?”
“Had to grab a couple of things for the night. You?”
He grabbed all of the boards out of her hand. “Let me go back and get a few more.”
She was gone before he could say anything. He didn’t know what she was doing, but he had to admire her long thighs in the shorts that barely made it passed her ass. Looking down at the bundle in his hands, she came back with just as much on the second trip. “Okay thanks. I think this will be enough.”
“Enough for what?”
“I’ve got to board up a window.”
“Really? What happened?”
“Well I moved into my dad’s old house on Johnson and someone threw a brick through the window. So unless I get the window covered, I am going to get eaten alive by mosquitoes. I don’t know how you guys live with those things. They are huge here. I hear that everything is bigger in Texas, but somehow that is not what I had in mind when I heard that.”
He chuckled and it made him even more devastatingly handsome. His dark features made him look mysterious, but his eyes made not issue about what they wanted. That part of him was not a mystery at all, but she remembered what Andre said about him.
“Why don’t you seem upset that someone threw a brick through your window?”
Kallie watched the cashier come around and start to count the boards. She tried to tell her twice, but she just ignored her and restarted the count. Kallie was trying not to get aggravated, but she was. She was upset that someone had done it and that the cashier was taking forever, her arms burning with the load. But the worst part was that she had run into him and she looked like she did.
“There isn’t much getting upset will solve. I am pretty sure I know who it is.”
Caspin stopped and looked at her as she finally got to set them down and take out her card. “The Wheelings?”
“I see that everyone can tell what a lovely guy he is. He seems like the type to throw a hissy fit when he doesn’t get what he wants.”
“And he wants the oil underneath it.”
“See, not so hard to figure out.”
“Not a very nice welcome to Conroe.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay. I am used to pissing people off, I guess.”
Kallie had managed to get her card back into her pocket and since he had grabbed some more boards from her stack, she picked up the rest as he followed her out to one of the feed store trucks that she had taken home. Loading them up, she thanked him again and was about to get in when he stopped her. “Why don’t you let me help you?”
“No I couldn’t take up anymore of your time. I am sure you had something to do.”
“I can’t even remember why I am here. Let me help you, I will follow you there.”
It didn’t seem to be a question, so she nodded and started off in the darkness towards her new home. Her heart raced and she sighed at the reflection of herself in the mirror. There was something poetic about seeing him like that. He would never look at her the same again and though she knew it was probably just as well, she wished that he would look at her the same way he had before.
Pulling up behind by the front, his headlights cut off next to her and he got out. Helping her unload, she noticed that his jacket was covered in saw dust. She wiped a few pieces of saw dust off of his jacket and noticed the hard muscles underneath. Pulling back, Kallie looked up into his dark eyes for a minute. “Sorry about that. I keep getting your clothes dirty every time I am around you.”
“That’s perfectly okay. It’s well worth it.”
She giggled a little before she stopped herself. Why was he affecting her in such a way? Just the nearness, the feel of him under her fingertips was enough to make her breathing quicken. Moving away, she walked into the house and started to get the broom and dustpan, grabbing her glass of wine as she went.
“I haven’t been here in years.”
“Oh, you’ve been here before?”
“Yes, I knew your father pretty well and he lived here off and on for over a decade.”
“It seems like everyone knew him except me.”
“I am sorry. I didn’t know that you two weren’t close. I guess I just figured because of the will.”
“Yes, well I don’t know what that was about, but here I am. To be honest I don’t know what I am doing here. That man offered me enough to buy my own island and here I am, picking up broken glass from a hundred year old floor.”
“So why then?”
She shrugged, Kallie really wasn’t sure. “Because my father didn’t want to sell. I guess I am just as stubborn as he is.”
Chapter 6
Caspin was finding Kallie more delightful by the minute. Her soft natural looks made her seem easier to engage and her personality drew him in faster than the curves of her hips did. He tried to focus on fixing the window, but he would catch her bending over out of the corner of his eyes and the shorts would rise dangerously high. Caspin almost wanted to tell her to change, the view so distracting.
“Do you have a saw?”
She looked at him like he was crazy or growing horns. “Why would I have a sa
w? Can’t we just nail them up there? It’s only temporary.”
“Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”
“If you say so, but I don’t know if there are any tools here.”
“He kept some in the mud room I think.”
Once again a look of not knowing what he was talking about lit her face. Was she supposed to know what that meant? “The mud room is the room right off the front door.”
“Oh, okay. Do you want me to go look or do you know where they are?”
“I’ll go.”
Caspin pulled his jacket off as he walked into the dark room. Kallie tried to ignore the large muscles straining underneath his shirt. He was not made for the offices. “So how did you know my father?”
“He helped me out when I was younger. Pointed me in the right direction.”
“Were you going in the wrong one?”
“Unfortunately I was.”
“Well I am glad he could help you then.”
Caspin came back out with a tool box and she looked away quickly. It wasn’t before he caught her blue gaze falling over him. She was interested and it made his body respond in kind. He rolled up his sleeves as she avoided his gaze. Their bodies moved close together as she held the boards for him to cut. He was covered in saw dust when they were done, but the job was far better than she would have done by herself. Kallie was starting to think that it didn’t need glass, but looked better that way.
“Do you want something to drink?”
He nodded and she gave him the choice between tea and wine. Caspin chose wine and had a glass with her as they sat on the couch. “You might want to think about getting some security out here Kallie. You are too far out if something happens.”
“Do you really think I will have to worry about it?”
“I do. You don’t know the Wheelings. They tried many ways to get your dad to let this property go.”
“Well he will have to do worse than throw a brick through the window to get me to change my mind.”
Caspin could see that and it bothered him in a way because he didn’t want anything to happen to her. Of everything that had been going on, the last thing he wanted was for her to get mixed up with those types of people. The family had money like his, but it was the way they came to have theirs, that made the two of them so different. “Just be careful. You have a bunkhouse in the back if you want to hire a couple of guys to handle some animals and the gardens. This little house was a homestead not too long ago and could be again. Then you would have people around you instead of it being just you out here.”
She looked at him to see if he was being serious. “I am not really into the whole damsel in distress thing and I am not hiring men to feel safe. It will be fine. It’s just a brick Caspin, but thank you for your concern.”
It was a polite way to tell him to piss off and he knew what it was. Caspin had no problem reading between the lines. She was so adamant of her independence. He just wondered how far Craig was willing to go. It was far easier to intimidate a woman than it was a man and though she claimed she wasn’t one, Kallie made a very pretty damsel. She was the type of woman a man would do anything for, but it was because of the delicate nature of her. While she could try to be tough, Kallie had an innocence about her that he was sure Craig had picked up on.
Caspin wanted to stay, to give another excuse or reason to stay. His eyes looked around the old house and he could see many things that needed work.
“So have you talked to someone about fixing this place up or do you do that too?”
She blushed a little and the naïve look made blood flow to his groin. It was moments and looks like that, that drove him to want to stay. He wondered if a suggestion to sleep on her couch would work. Looking at her and the determined look in her face, he knew it wouldn’t go over well.
“Not yet. I stayed in a hotel for the last few days, so this is the first night in the new house.”
“I can help you fix up a few things if you want. Anything I can’t do, I will know someone that can.”
“Thanks, but I feel like I am imposing. You have already helped me so much.”
“I really don’t mind. I wish you would let someone stay with you or go elsewhere tonight, but I have a feeling you would not like that suggestion.”
“Are you offering?”
He thought he was hearing things. What did she say, offering?
“Yes, if you would like someone to stay on your couch or wherever, I would be more than happy to.”
“One night, huh?”
“What?”
Kallie shook her head. “Never mind. Thanks for the offer, but I think I will be okay. No mosquitoes, so I couldn’t ask for more.”
Grabbing his coat off of the back of a chair where he had tossed it, he looked back once at her before he left. There was a need in her eyes that he was sure mirrored his own, but she had refused him. It didn’t happen to him often and the very fact that she said no, made him think about her more. The feel of a challenge always pushed him. What had she meant by one night?
Chapter 7
It was as painful for Kallie, as it was for Caspin. He had left hard and needy, while she had watched him go with sadness and wetness between her lips. There was so much that she wanted to do to him, say to him, but he was gone because she had sent him away. Still not knowing why she had done it, Kallie knew deep down that a night would not be enough for her and it would only leave her yearning for more.
She went to the feed store in the morning and took care of some deliveries. It was her third day on the job and she was already starting to like the routine of it. Kallie never thought that she would like learning about animals, but she was having a good time while she did it.
It had only been about a week and she was already getting pressure to come home. But she wasn’t ready yet. When she was around Caspin, Kallie thought that she might not ever be ready to go home. The fact that he seemed to be everywhere that she was didn’t help.
Even at lunch, she was running into him. “Hey, Kallie.”
“Hi, Caspin. I am starting to wonder if you are stalking me.”
He shook his head that he wasn’t. “It’s a small town Kallie and you are right across from my office. I have lunch here pretty much every day.”
“Oh well that is disappointing.”
“Sit down and eat with me.”
“What’s good here?”
“Everything.” His eyes took in her jeans and tank top. Kallie was getting over the fact that she was never dressed nice when she saw him. She was usually grunge out at the feed store, so she was accepting of her new look. He didn’t seem to mind, his eyes just as dark and needy as they had been before.
Sitting down across from him, Kallie picked up the menu and ordered a club sandwich when the server came back around. “So do you really work next door?”
He nodded. “Yeah that is the family headquarters for the business. I am not here as much as I should be but that’s because I would rather be at the ranch with my horses.”
“A ranch and a Fortune 500 company. When do you have time to do anything?”
“I don’t really.”
Kallie felt bad that she had been taking up so much of his time lately. He had helped her more than once and never seemed rushed about it. His jobs made the state of his muscles far more likely. She couldn’t help but think about him shirtless and sweaty. The hat and boots were optional in her mind.
“Kallie, are you okay?”
“Huh, yeah. Sorry about that.”
“Where did you just go?”
She kind of laughed a little. “You don’t want to know.”
He leaned in and he was suddenly right next to her. She sat back quickly like if they touched she may burst into flames. As hot as she felt, it may have been possible.
“I think you know that you are a dangerous man Caspin. But don’t worry, I have been warned about you.”
“What do you mean dangerous and warned?”
; “You could jump start my heart it is beating so fast. I think you know exactly how you affect women.”
“Yes, that very well may be, but who has warned you?”
She smiled and sat back as the waitress brought her a plate with the sandwich and some French fries. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
He leaned forward and smiled at him. “I think you are the one that knows how to affect someone Kallie.”
Not answering, she took a drink of tea and avoided his dark eyes. He looked at her in such a way that made her insides quiver. She couldn’t taste anything and after a few bites, Kallie gave up trying. There was nothing to take the wonder out of her mind. What if he would have stayed the night before?
“There you go again.”
She blushed a little. “See dangerous.”
***
Kallie was the first to leave after lunch. She was sure that he had meetings, a full schedule to attend, but instead he tried to coax her out to some activity. Kallie found herself declining. It was becoming a trend with the two of them. He was as understanding as always, but there was a moment where she thought he was going to kiss her. When he didn’t, she was disappointed. Kallie gave him her phone number and told him that they could do something soon. She was putting him off, but only to catch her breath.
She spent the rest of the afternoon getting a window bought and put in at the old house, as well as some cleaning done. It was starting to feel more like a home and Kallie decided that it needed some cooking in it to break it in. She hoped that Caspin would call so she could invite him over, but he didn’t so she went to bed discouraged.
The next morning brought the same routine and it was several days before there was a break in it. The weekend came and she had nothing to do when she woke up. Kallie was half tempted to go in to work to make sure everything was okay, but she knew it would be. The staff had been there a long time and it ran with or without her there. So, she was left with open time and Kallie was pressed for an idea. The only thing she could think to do was finally tackle the upstairs that she was avoiding or the basement that she had twice failed to get the courage up to go down the stairs. She was procrastinating all through breakfast.
