Hometown Series Box Set

by Kirsten Fullmer

  How had she ever allowed herself to get so closed off and alone, anyway?

  She’d done it to cope with loss.

  With a sigh, Katherine opened the trailer door and climbed the steps, determined to turn her attention to the next phase of the project -- finishing the trailers.

  * * *

  Fish’s incessant barking was getting on Alex’s last nerve. How did one deal with a dog that failed training school? He had to wonder if the puppy was even capable of learning manners or if he was doomed to using earplugs in order to stay sane.

  Yes, the dog was excited because Chad and Steve were there working on the water lines, but for heaven’s sake! Or maybe he was barking at Bobby and the girls as they worked on the new courtyard around the trailer spots. Either way, it didn’t really matter, Alex was at the end of his rope. Throwing down the tool he was using to strip the plastic coating off the wire, he stomped to where the little dog strained against his lead.

  “Calm down!” he yelled, a little embarrassed that he was the furthest thing from calm himself. He gripped Fish’s collar and unhooked the lead, then snapped on the leash.

  Understanding that he’d been freed, Fish took off toward the other men, determined to see what they were up to. When he reached the end of the leash, catching Alex just as he straightened, the lurch nearly pulled Alex off his feet.

  “Knock it off,” Alex hollered, tugging on the leash to get the dog to comply. Finally, after a game of tug of war, as well as unwinding a wrap of the leash from around his knees, Alex managed to get the little dog back to the spot where he’d been working. “You sit here by me, and keep your little yappy mouth closed, you hear me?” he instructed the rambunctious puppy.

  It had been a Godsend that Katie had been willing to deal with the dog. Alex knew he would have reached his limit days ago if the dog had been out here with him. As he secured the leash to the meter post, he wondered what on earth he’d do with the puppy on the next job.

  Determined to get on with it, he retrieved his wire stripping tool and searched for the end of the wire he’d flung away moments before. Fish was contented to nose around the base of the post, sniffing tools and equipment. The leash was wound around the post, and Alex kept an eye out in order to not get tangled.

  * * *

  Hefting another softball-size rock and adding it to the two already balanced in her arms, Katherine headed toward the pile she and Bobby had been building near the tree line. At some point she’d make them into a rock wall of sorts, but for now, the rocks had to be cleared in order to lay turf inside the circle that would be surrounded by trailers.

  Hobbling across the uneven ground toward the trees, Katherine couldn’t help but notice that Fish was all worked up. She’d be happy to take the dog inside and cool down, but the rocks needed to be moved, and the more she helped, the sooner the grass could be laid.

  On the way back from the rock pile, she brushed dirt and grit from her arms. But she was sweaty and sticky, so the dirt was more apt to stick than brush off.

  As usual, against her will, her eyes searched the park for Alex. He stood on the other side of the site working on a meter. Her view was partially obstructed by a slight rise between them, as well as tools and the excavator moving across the site. Wiping her forehead with a dusty arm, she wondered how he managed to work with electricity every day and not get shocked.

  Then, as if her thoughts had somehow caused it, she was horrified to see Alex jerk violently, then drop to the ground. She froze in shock, then took off at a sprint heading across the work site. Her vision blurred with fear as she neared, seeing Alex crumpled on the ground.

  Desperate and scared out of her wits, she rushed to his side. He lay face down thrashing, causing her to panic. “Alex!” she screamed, grabbing him by the shirt in an attempt to roll him over. “Alex, are you okay? Oh my God! Talk to me!”

  Pushing with all her might, fighting his awkward thrashing, she finally squatted in the dirt and heaved him over onto his back. To her amazement, however, once she got him rolled over, Alex glared up at her.

  “Wh— are you okay?” she gasped, searching his body with desperate hands for any sign of burn or injury. Belatedly, she realized that she shouldn’t have touched him if he actually was being electrocuted, or she would get shocked too.

  “What are you doing?” he bellowed, flailing his arms.

  “I’m trying to—” her words cut off as she realized he was angry, not hurt. “I saw you fall, I thought—”

  Alex yanked at the leash wound around his legs and feet. Fish whimpered as the attached harness tugged him backward. “I tripped on the damn leash!” Alex hollered, working to free himself.

  Still too wound up to comprehend what had happened, Katherine plopped backwards onto her butt. With a dry mouth and still panting, she watched as Alex unwound the leash from between his legs.

  “Come here, Fish,” he called to the puppy. “You stupid mutt, are you okay?”

  Fish, with his head down and tail between his legs, knew he was in trouble as he slowly approached his master. Once Alex was convinced the puppy was fine, he turned his attention back to Katie. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She stared at him dumbly, her eyes still wide.

  * * *

  Alex should have been livid, laying there looking like a fool, and he would have been if Katie didn’t look like she’d seen a ghost. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked, taking in her filthy, disheveled appearance as she sat spread eagle in the dirt, filthy from head to foot. Her dark skin was pale, her bun falling out, and her eyes shone with tears.

  With an effort, he lunged up to one knee and awkwardly crawled through the dirt to her. “What happened?”

  Still shaking, she stared at him, her expression changing slowly from fear to astonishment, then anger. “I thought you got shocked,” she flung one arm toward the meter, “…from the meter.”

  He glanced to the meter post and back, his brow furrowed. “It’s not even hooked up,” he said, then he had to chuckle in spite of himself. She’d run over here and thrown herself on him when she thought he was being electrocuted? That wouldn’t have helped him, but the notion was sweet. Especially coming from her.

  “It’s not funny!” she cried as tears sprung into her eyes. “I thought you were dying!”

  “Nope,” he laughed, “no luck there.”

  A noise— part wounded bear, part angry panther— came from Katie as she sprang forward, landing on Alex, pushing him over backwards into the dirt. “You jerk!” she shouted, beating him on the chest. “How dare you laugh at me when I thought you were dead!”

  Her vehemence made him laugh all the harder as he tried to catch her hands in an attempt to ward off the assault. “I didn’t know you cared,” he teased, finally grasping one of her wrists.

  She froze, her eyes wide, as his words registered. She stilled, lying flat out on his chest, their noses nearly touching. “Ugh!” she gasped, unable to find the words to defend herself.

  “I care about you too,” Alex said before he could consider the consequences.

  Her expression fell, the anger draining away.

  Even though it had been years, the feeling of her body against his invoked the same sensations it had that summer long ago. Throwing all caution to the wind, he reached up to draw her head down for a kiss.

  At first she tried to pull back, but with his hand on the back of her neck, she relented and dove into the kiss wholeheartedly.

  Memories mixed with the moment, drawing Alex back through time, yet suspending him in space. And when Katie’s tongue met his, he couldn’t think of anything but having her back in his arms. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t think of a single reason he’d let her go in the first place.

  She moaned, her hands coming up to frame his face, and his other arm wound around her back.

  “What happened here?” Chad asked, breaking the spell.

  Katherine reared up, scrambling backwards to get off Alex, resembling a crab. />
  With the leash still partially wrapped around his legs, Alex couldn’t do much but lay there grinning.

  Julia stood wide-eyed next to Chad, followed by Steve, huffing and puffing and holding his chest. Bobby brought up the rear, as they gathered around the couple, their stares keen with interest.

  * * *

  Tara pinched the phone to her ear with her shoulder so she could lower Isabelle into the stroller. “Then what happened?”

  Julia continued her story on the other end of the line, as Tara circled around to the back of the stroller. The baby clapped and bounced in her seat, anxious to get moving.

  Tara chuckled. “So, they finally made a move,” she said, amused to think of Alex and Katie caught rolling in the dirt, kissing. “Sounds like things may work out after all.”

  The voice on the phone hummed and Tara’s happiness lessened. “Yeah, I’m sure she’s gun shy. How could she not be, considering how it ended last time?” The baby squealed with delight as they moved down the sidewalk, and Tara continued. “I really should make an effort to get out there and help.”

  Julia agreed, her words buzzing across the line.

  With the idea now firmly planted in Tara’s mind, she straightened her shoulders and her step picked up the pace. “It’s done then. We need to start making some plans as to the best way to offer her our support, so keep your eyes open and let me know.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Taking another long sip from her coffee mug, Katherine leaned back into the sofa and tucked her feet up under her. All night long she’d lain in bed, tossing and turning, sweating like a pig, thinking about Alex’s kisses, and this morning she hadn’t managed to do much else. Around midnight she’d run out of ice for her cooler, and even though the trailer was already heating up, she was in no mood to go into town for more. She couldn’t face the gossip.

  What must Julia, Chad, Steve, and Bobby think of her? She could still see their faces, curious and surprised, as they stared down at her and Alex, rolling around kissing like there was no tomorrow. She’d never been caught in a compromising situation, and she didn’t like it one bit.

  She sniffed in disgust and squirmed in her seat. Dang that Alex! She’d planned exactly how this whole park setup should go, and everything was on track, except for him.

  How had this happened? It felt as if she and Alex had been dancing around the issue of their past connection, yet getting things done. And then somehow, some way, they’d… they’d… She frowned down into her coffee, unsure exactly what they’d done.

  Did she have feelings for Alex? Feelings other than anger and resentment? Or were her responses to him based solely on lust and loneliness? She’d certainly been celibate for a long time, but that had been normal. She’d been fine with it, maybe even contented and happy in her own way. She’d been sure she’d live out the rest of her life alone. She didn’t need a man, or even want a man, why would she? She’d never had a dad, and the only man she’d ever cared about had proved that love hurt. Maybe she’d just forgotten how good physical attention felt and once that door had been reopened…

  Taking another long slurp from her mug, she went back in her mind to the months after Alex left all those years ago. It wasn’t fair to put all the blame for her pain on him. Before she’d fully recovered from their breakup, her mother had fallen ill. It was the combination of losing both of them that had driven her into isolation.

  She shifted her position on the sofa and adjusted her mug on her lap. Alex had certainly been the one to start her downward spiral. Before she came to Smithville that summer, she’d been confident, open, innocent. She’d believed in her own power, her strength, her intelligence, and that most people were good at heart.

  How very wrong she’d been. But was that Alex’s fault?

  Lifting her mug she frowned and then lowered it again. She could still feel the fear that had pierced her soul the day before when she thought he was dying. Even though it had all been a stupid mistake, it had been real to her and the thought of losing him had taken her breath away.

  But how could one lose something they’d never had?

  It was all too confusing.

  Determined to get past her issues with Alex, she put down her coffee and reached for her tablet, ready to get on with her inspection of the new trailers. The Shasta looked to be in great condition, but Burt had warned her that the EL Rey would need some work. She’d been putting off dealing with it, but the time had come.

  Was that Alex driving up now? No, just the wind.

  Her eye went from the window to the stack of boxes at the other end of the sofa. Fixtures and fittings had begun arriving, and it was time to open the packages and make sure they were right. Maybe that would keep her from jumping at every noise outside.

  A tension headache threatened, and she retrieved her mug to finish off her coffee. All she needed to do was focus her attention on the work. The information was all logged; she just had to stay organized.

  * * *

  Fish barked inside Katie’s trailer, but Alex was determined to finish the last meter before he went to check on his dog. He was nearly done like he’d promised, then all he’d have to do was hook up to the pole and Katie would have power. Sweat trickled down his forehead and into one eye, but he didn’t stop working.

  The door to Katie’s trailer banged shut, and he wondered if she was coming to talk to him. Part of him wanted to spend every damn minute with the woman, but most of him just wanted to keep his head down and get his work done. Listening, he could hear her footsteps coming closer, so he swabbed the back of his hand across his forehead and glanced at his watch. He had no time to chit-chat. A storm was due at seventeen-hundred, and he wanted to finish before it arrived.

  “How’s it going?” Katherine asked, shading her eyes with her hand.

  One glance her way told him he shouldn’t have looked. All he could see were long tan legs and tight cut-off shorts. He couldn’t even think about her damp T-shirt or he’d completely lose his train of thought.

  “Do you still think you’ll be done today?” she asked, undaunted.

  He stopped working and planted his fist holding the wire-stripping tool on one hip. “I will if I’m not interrupted.”

  Taken aback she hesitated, and he could see that she had something to ask him. He was being a jerk. “You’re fine,” he said putting on a grin. “I was just out here stripping—”

  Her brow puckered.

  “Wire,” he finished, with a chuckle.

  Now she was irritated too. So, why was he glad that he’d upset her? She hadn’t done anything to him.

  “I won’t keep you,” she said, staring at her hands, “I just wondered if you were still planning on helping me install the air units.”

  More than one? That made sense, he supposed, since more trailers had arrived. “I told you I would,” he said as he reached for the wire, clipped the covering a few inches from the end, and stripped it away.

  “Okay, tomorrow then?”

  He grunted in agreement.

  “Oh,” she turned to leave then turned back. “I’ll need an invoice, so I can get you paid.”

  For some reason, her words stung. How stupid is that. He’d been out here busting his ass for weeks, and now he felt awkward about getting paid? “Roger that,” he muttered. “I’ll tell my dad.”

  She turned to leave again, then stopped once more. “Thanks, Alex. I appreciate your help.”

  Now he felt like a real heel. His hands dropped, and he turned to face her. “It’s not a problem; I’ve been looking forward to it actually.”

  A hopeful light lit behind her eyes, and he hated that it made his stomach jump.

  “The Mansion is supposed to arrive tomorrow,” she started. “You’d said…” her expression was doubtful, “…you said you were interested.” Her words trailed off, and she looked at her feet.

  “I am.”

  Her head came up, but her eyes narrowed. “I don’t expect you to—”

&nb
sp; “I’m actually very interested,” he added, working to get his mood swings under control.

  Her eyes widened, unsure exactly what he was referring to.

  “I’m good with old machines and the like, and I don’t have another job to go to. If you’d like help getting the trailers finished, I’d be interested in learning more about them.”

  He wasn’t sure who was more shocked by his words, Katie or himself. Sure, he’d toyed with the idea of getting back into restoring vintage stuff, but—

  “Well, I—” she stuttered, blinking rapidly. “I hadn’t thought…”

  “No pressure,” he said, waving one hand. “Just an idea.”

  “It’s a good idea.”

  He could see the wheels in her mind spinning behind her eyes.

  “I really could use some help,” she admitted.

  He cocked one hip, squinting into the sun as he regarded her. What had he done now? Here he was within hours of taking some time off, which he sorely needed to train his dog and rest his leg, and now…

  * * *

  Katherine couldn’t help but grind her teeth as she watched Alex work on top of the power pole.

  “Looks like you’re hooked up,” Steve said. He wiped his hands on a rag, then tucked it back into the pocket of his overalls.

  Tearing her eyes away from the window, Katherine thought he was referring to Alex, then realized he was talking about her kitchen sink where beautiful, clear water flowed from the tap. The sight would have brought her to tears if she wasn’t so worried about Alex. Ever since the electrocution misunderstanding, she’d been jumpy. The wires on that pole were live. Was it hard for him to get up and down the spikes of the pole with his bad leg?