Hometown Series Box Set

by Kirsten Fullmer

  Chad chuckled. “Yeah, but it’s come a long way. You should come by and see what we’ve done to the place.”

  Alex bent with a grunt to scoop up the puppy’s nasty job, then tied a knot in the bag. “It’s a flower shop now, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right, Julia owns it. I just do what I’m told.” Chad laughed.

  Cocking his head to one side, Alex took in how happy his old school buddy looked. “Well, I’m glad it’s working out for you.”

  Chad’s face grew serious. “I’m really sorry to hear about your leg, man, you doing okay?”

  Alex waved him off with one hand, then slapped his other thigh, calling for Fish. “I’m good, no worries.”

  “Who is this?” Chad asked, bending to play with the rambunctious puppy. “You’re a funny little thing, aren’t you?”

  Alex cocked his hip, watching his boyhood friend play with the dog. “His name is Fish.”

  Chad ruffled the dog’s ears, then looked up at Alex. “Fish?”

  Alex didn’t explain.

  “He’s a French bulldog, isn’t he? They always look like they’re smiling,” Chad said, then laughed as the puppy romped in circles, growling and barking. “Our dog is a mutt, but they’re about the same size. You should bring him over to play.”

  “I’ll have to do that,” Alex lied, wishing he could wrap things up and go sit down.

  Picking up on Alex’s fatigue, Chad stood and brushed off his hands. “I better get going.” He motioned toward his truck. “I’m blocking traffic.”

  There were no other cars on the road, but Alex nodded. “Thanks for stopping, it’s good to see you again.”

  Chad turned to leave, then hesitated and turned back. “Julia will be working on the landscaping at the new RV park later this week, will you still be out there? Maybe I’ll come along.”

  Alex ran his fingers through his hair, thinking through his work. “Yeah, I should be finishing up the meters.”

  “Okay, then, I’ll see you later,” Chad said with a grin and wave.

  Alex watched as the man loped back to his truck, climbed up into the cab, and put it in gear. The truck clanked and chugged down the road, and he bent to scoop up Fish and tuck him under one arm. Frowning, he headed across the yard toward the garage. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he and Chad had been friends. Now, his old buddy had his own business, a fiancé, and a house.

  Fish wiggled in his grip, and he situated the puppy tighter under his arm, so he could grab the handrail to go up the steps. “…and I’ve got a Fish,” he grumbled, feeling sorry for himself.

  Three hours later, Alex threw back the sweaty bed sheet, and his eyes stared into the darkness, wide with fear. Fish whined and licked his face. Frantic, Alex pushed the dog away and sat up, staring wild-eyed into the darkness of his room. Relentless, the little dog climbed into his lap, licking his chest, arms and hands.

  “Fish!” Alex bellowed, “Stop it!”

  But the puppy continued to whine and lick, forcing Alex to climb stiffly from the bed. He glared down at the little dog. “Leave me alone, will ya?”

  Fish jumped off the bed and trotted across the room, seemingly unfazed, to pad in a circle in front of the door.

  With his eyes now adjusting to the dark, Alex could see the puppy’s googly eyes, bright and awake, as he looked up expectantly, knowing that Alex always let him outside to pee first thing in the morning.

  “It’s not morning,” Alex huffed, flinging one hand in the air.

  Fish turned in another circle, then grinned up at Alex.

  “If I don’t take you out, you’re gonna pee on the floor aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question.

  Cocking his head to one side, Fish studied Alex.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sakes,” Alex blustered, scooping up the dog and yanking open the door. Angry and still shaken from his nightmare, he tromped stiffly down the steps. The only light was the single bulb by his dad’s back door, causing him to go slow and careful, grumbling under his breath the whole way.

  As soon as he let the puppy down, Fish ran to the edge of the grass and lifted a leg.

  “You’re learning; I’ll give you that,” Alex muttered.

  The little dog finished and ran back to the steps, hopping up one step, then the next. Alex climbed the steps behind the puppy, ready to catch him if he slipped.

  Back in his room, Alex closed the door and reached for the box of dog treats on top of the fridge. “You did good, Fish, come here.”

  The puppy trotted to his feet, eager for his reward. As Fish took the treat, Alex’s eyes widened in realization. The dog was a pain in his butt, but he had to admit that that was probably the quickest he’d ever recovered from one of his nightmares. Dropping awkwardly onto the floor, he welcomed the puppy onto his lap. Fish stood up on his little hind legs and lapped a wet kiss across Alex’s face.

  “You have bad breath, but you’re okay,” he admitted, smoothing his hands down the little dog’s back.

  The first stirring of composure crept back into Alex’s mind as he glanced around his room, taking in the rumpled bed, the pile of laundry, and his dirty boots. He reassured himself that he was home, in his room. He was making progress. Now, all he had to do was fall back to sleep.

  He shoved the puppy up onto the bed, then pushed himself up to join the dog. It took a moment of jostling pillows and blankets and Fish, but soon enough he lay staring up through the darkness with his fingers clasped behind his head. What had he done before he went into the Army to fall back to sleep after a bad dream?

  Read a book, that’s what he’d done. Maybe it was high time he dug through his old stuff in the basement. He was pretty sure his dad had saved his hardbound book collection along with his other mementos.

  * * *

  Katherine sloshed the rag back into the bucket by her feet, trying to ignore the sound of Alex’s truck arriving. Twisting the rag to wring it out, she stood and wiped the inside of her elbow across her face.

  She’d set her alarm for 5:30 a.m., hoping to get the cupboards scrubbed before it got too hot, but the morning wasn’t as cool as she’d hoped. Her shirt was already wet in rings around her armpits and along her bra line, as well as down the middle of her back. Even her shorts were feeling sticky and gross.

  With a sigh, she went back to scrubbing the inside of the cupboard, scheduling another trip to the laundromat in her mind. At least the well drill crew assured her that they should hit the water table today. Now she just needed the pipes laid, and her days of laundromats and outdoor showers were behind her.

  “I should ask Alex when he intends to dig the water line trenches,” she muttered as she scrubbed back and forth on the inside corner of the wooden cupboard over her head. Ready for a break, she tossed the filthy rag back into the bucket and decided now was as good a time as any to face him.

  As she stepped from the little trailer, she could see Alex organizing pieces of conduit, spools of wire, and tools in the back of his truck. Fish stood on the seat of the truck, his head barely visible through the back window, barking as if Big Foot were approaching.

  “Shut up, Fish!” Alex yelled, “I’ve about had it with you this morning.”

  Alex didn’t hear Katie walk up behind him, so she reached out and touched his arm. “Good morning, I—”

  He whirled around, his eyes wild, with a wrench in one hand and his muscles bunched ready to take a swing at her.

  Katherine cringed, and one arm came up to protect her face.

  “Dammit!” he bellowed. “Don’t ever do that to me!”

  She lowered her arm, her eyes wide in shock. “I’m sor—sorry I—”

  Alex dropped the wrench and reached out, snagging her arm to pull her to his chest. “Oh my God, Katie,” he gasped into her hair, as he held her tight against him. “I could have killed you. I’m so sorry.”

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” she muffled into the shoulder of his shirt.

  “I know, I know, it was me, not you,” he as
sured.

  Both stilled at his words, and Katherine pulled back. Her eyes came to meet his, then she blushed, and her gaze dropped to his chest.

  He reached up and lifted a damp tendril of hair from her cheek. “Are you okay?”

  She wanted to push back, needed to back away, but she was still a bit shaky and… and no one had held her this way for years. She hadn’t been enveloped by a man’s arms since she and Alex were kids, and to her surprise, as awkward as it was, it somehow felt very right. Lovely actually.

  Gathering courage, she met his eye, her cheeks blooming pink.

  He too appeared to be held by some odd force, and they both took a moment to feel it out, each scanning the other for an indication of what was happening between them. Then before Katie could come up with anything to say, Alex leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Just like that. No asking, no waiting, no talking, no arguing, just kissed her. And she kissed him back.

  * * *

  About the time Alex deepened the kiss, and his hands slid down Katie’s back, reveling in her slim waistline, pulling her even closer, Fish’s shotgun burst of barks interrupted their haze and Katie stiffened in his arms. He loosened his grip, and she stumbled back a step, her fingers coming up to touch her lips.

  An apology sprang to his lips, but Alex wasn’t sorry he’d kissed her, so he stayed silent. As a matter of fact, kissing Katie was about the best thing he’d done in months. Not wanting to say the wrong thing, his brain slowly reengaged, sorting out options.

  “I really am sorry I scared you,” she said, looking down.

  “It ended up okay,” he teased, hoping she’d agree. She smiled, and her blush deepened, sending relief flooding through his body. “Did you want to ask me something?”

  “Oh, I—” she stammered, “I was going to ask you about— about the ditches.”

  He glanced toward the trenches dug all across the property, then back to her. “Which ones?”

  She laughed nervously. “For the water lines.” She motioned with one hand toward the other side of the tree line, where the drill could be heard chugging as it dug the well. “The well should be ready tomorrow…”

  His eyes followed where she pointed, then came back to her face. “They’re dug.”

  Surprised, her gaze turned sharply back to scan the many ditches and trenches.

  “Let me show you,” Alex offered. “I bet you’re ready to get water to the trailer.” He motioned for her to follow him. “I imagine you’re probably sick of showering under that tree.”

  She gave him a questioning look but let it go and continued on toward the trenches.

  “See,” he pointed out, “these with the conduit in them are for the electrical. Those others are for the water in and the sewer out.”

  She put her hand up to shade her eyes as she took in the multitude of trenches.

  “It’s on the drawings,” they said in unison, causing them both to laugh.

  “Feel better?” he asked, not specifying if he was talking about the waterline trenches or their kiss.

  She nodded, her smile warm. “Does Steve know the trenches are dug?”

  He massaged his beard. “Yes, I told him I was almost done a few days ago. I believe he plans to come put in the lines this weekend.” His hand dropped to his side and his brow creased. “He said he had to order the pipe and squeeze you in between a few other jobs. Have you talked to him?”

  Katherine glanced away, remembering the conversation she’d ended so abruptly. “Yes, I guess I misunderstood.” She shrugged.

  Fish barked, back in the truck, and they both turned to look. His head was out the driver side window, his tongue lolling, with a smile on his funny little face.

  “I should let him out,” Alex said.

  “Once he’s set up, come on over to the Aljoa, I want to get your opinion.”

  Glad to have them back on even footing, Alex agreed, then turned to head toward his truck.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Alex got Fish settled under a tree, then knocked on the trim of the little Aljoa’s door. “Can I come in?”

  Katherine motioned for him to enter as she moved into the back of the trailer between the two pieces of plywood that would be the twin bed supports.

  He ducked and stepped up into the rig, his gaze taking in the old unpolished wood of the cupboards, along with the new paneling Burt had installed in the front and back curves of the ceiling. “Wow, it’s tiny in here,” he said as he reached up to try a pinch latch on the cupboard over the stovetop.

  She kept quiet, watching him check out the trailer.

  “What goes there?” he asked, pointing at the open space under the stovetop.

  Pleasure sparked in Katherine’s heart as she watched him experience exactly what she had only a few short months ago -- his wonder, his questions, his concerns.

  “The fridge. It’s being fitted with a pump handle to make it look old. You know… to match.”

  A smile bloomed under his beard. “That’s really smart.” Their gazes locked, holding an intensity that disarmed him and he looked away to stare at the gleaming oil heater.

  She hesitated as well. “It—It wasn’t my idea. The fridge, that is.”

  “Whose was it?” he asked, reaching out to touch the chrome on the heater.

  “Burt, you know, he helps me with my trailers,” she said. “He showed me a lot of tricks.”

  He stopped mid-reach, his hand hovering in the air, his eyes coming back to hers. “Tricks?”

  Katherine could have sworn an electric arc jumped between them when their eyes met, and she couldn’t understand why it happened, nor could she will it to stop. Their conversation was trivial; he wasn’t reaching for her, yet— some very insistent part of her wished he would. Finally realizing that he’d asked her a question, she gave herself a shake and collected her thoughts. “You know, tricks, remodels, alterations— to make the trailers more comfortable.”

  He tucked his hand in his front pocket. “What kind of alterations?”

  “Uh,” she sputtered, her eyes on his fingers in his jeans pocket. Was he thinking about reaching for her as well? “Like— like the dining bar in my trailer,” her words picked up speed as she hurried to take her mind off his touch. “… and painting appliances, air-conditioning units, bathrooms, that kind of stuff. I was against it, and he had to convince me.”

  His eyebrows shot up in question. “You were against bathrooms?”

  “No, no…” she laughed, “not—”

  “What then?”

  She started back at the beginning. “When I first decided to build this park, before I’d even bought a trailer or looked inside of one, I was determined to keep my trailers original, not change anything, simply restore them.”

  “And they didn’t have bathrooms or air-conditioners.”

  She smiled, relieved. “Exactly.”

  “So, what changed your mind?”

  With a grimace, she wiped the sweat on the back of her neck. “The heat, for one thing.”

  He nodded in understanding. “It is hot as hell in here.”

  “That’s what I need your help with,” she hurried to explain. “I need to cut the hole,” she pointed above his head, “and put in the unit.”

  He glanced up, then back to her. “Do you have it? The air unit?”

  Her head bobbed a yes. “It’s in my storage container. I’d much rather work in here with air-conditioning—”

  “But the damn electrician is slow getting power connected,” he finished for her.

  “I didn’t say that,” she hedged.

  “Are these marks where you want it cut?” he asked, running one finger along a pencil line on the wood paneling of the ceiling.

  She stepped up next to him, craning her neck to see where he pointed. “Yeah, that looks like Burt’s mark—”

  His chin tilted down, his face only inches from hers, and a wicked grin spread across his face. “So you want me to open her up?”

  She could only nod,
uncertain of his intentions. His grin, his proximity for that matter, was affecting her in ways she couldn’t comprehend. What was it about Alex that made her brain disengage? All the years of keeping herself separate from men, from people, and being alone, she’d forgotten how delicious this felt. She remembered the passion of sex, that was hard to forget, but she’d forgotten how even a glance could make her heart pound. She felt like a kid, careless and willing—

  “I’ve got tools in my truck, shouldn’t be a problem,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.

  “You always w—were prepared, with a tool for every job,” she stuttered, working to get back on track. “What was it you used to say, ‘A man’s truck—’”

  “—is his second home,” he finished.

  Both considered the lost memory, which in turn drew out a million others.

  “Whatever happened to your old truck?” she mused, thinking of those nights long ago, stretched out in the bed of the old rig, with his arm under her head as they watched the stars.

  “Alas, poor Yorick,” he quoted, his expression somber, but his eyes sparkled with humor.

  “I forgot that you named your truck Yorick.” She laughed. “You were so into Shakespeare.”

  He rubbed his beard. “I was, wasn’t I. Let’s see, what was my favorite quote I used to say it all the time… Something about ‘It is not in the stars…’”

  “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves,” Katherine said without even thinking.

  His eyes met hers, and each of them analyzed the quote. Given their situation, thrown back together as they were, the words held meanings galore. Katherine couldn’t say how Alex felt about his own path in life, but lately, she felt as if she’d broken out of a shell. Everything was different. It felt good, but she also felt as helpless as a baby chick, especially at times like this when she had no skill or experience, to know what she should say or do. Or even how to escape from the situation.

  These moments with Alex were becoming more and more common and for the first time, Katherine wished that she’d led a different kind of life -- was more prepared for awkward, sexually-charged situations. “So anyway, when do you think you can install the unit?” she asked, running out of patience with herself.