by Joanna Blake
Not yet anyway.
I'd been cleaning for hours already. So far the kitchen was half done, and the sunroom was spotless. Then I would do the living room and downstairs bathroom.
My room could wait. I needed to get Casey comfortable first. And quickly, because the movers would be here in a few hours.
I lifted the newspaper and brought it down again with a hard thud. Probably harder than I needed to. Then I thwacked it again for good measure.
"I think you got it."
Casey was laughing at me. I couldn't help but laugh along with her. I had been a little rough on the tiny spider. In fact, there wasn't a trace of it left on the counter other than a small dark smudge.
"Angelina, Spider Hunter."
I shrugged.
"I might be a little tense."
"You?"
I shook my head, running my hand over my forehead.
"Go for a walk, you are exhausted. I'm going to rest."
"I need to get ready for the movers."
"Nah, you did enough. It doesn't have to all get done in one day."
I smiled. She was right. I could take a quick walk and then come back with a clear head.
"I wish I could help you."
Tears stung my eyes as I looked at my sister. She was in daily pain. I hated to see her suffer. But the worst part for her was the feeling of helplessness.
I reached out and took her hand.
"I know Case. You will soon. Just watch, I will have you doing all the chores by Christmas."
For a moment we just smiled at each other, both of us hoping for the same thing. Such a simple thing for most people. All we wanted was her health back. A little normalcy and relief.
It wasn't so much to ask, in the grand scheme of things.
"Go on, I know you are itching to get out there and look at the land."
"You are sure you don't need anything?"
She smiled at me, tilting her chair back into the recline position.
"I'm fine. You get some air."
I nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"See you in a bit."
Chapter Three
Jackson
It was a beautiful day. A bright, beautiful, clear day. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. The sky was bluer than blue.
And I wanted to punch all of them.
I grimaced, shading my eyes with my hand. Even the dark sunglasses I'd borrowed from Jake did little to cut the painful glare. It seemed to pierce straight to my tired, angry, hungover soul.
Oh yes, I wanted to hit something.
Especially the sun.
"Cut it down or just trim it? I'd say it's about done, though you could leave it a few more years once we take off most of the branches. Won't be too pretty though."
I nodded at Dave, making a slicing motion with my hand. He was running a crew of about five or six guys. They had a small crane, a wood chipper, and lots of chainsaws.
He gave the signal and the roar of the chainsaws tore through the air.
I walked away slightly, wishing I had a pair of those ear mufflers that the crew were wearing.
This was too much. And scheduling it today of all days had been a real fuck up on my part. But Dave was booked months in advance.
It was what it was. I would get through this, and then I would crawl into a deep dark hole and sleep for twelve hours. And next year, I would not get nearly so shitfaced.
Or at least, I wouldn't plan anything for the next morning.
Our property was covered in trees. Many of them were a hundred years old or more. We were in an area at the edge of the property where we didn't ride much, but still, it was our property and if a tree came down and injured someone, it would be our responsibility.
And I took my responsibilities very seriously.
I was still backing away when I slammed into something. I nearly fell over as I turned to see what the hell was behind me.
I reached out, just as the person behind me started to fall. A loud feminine squeak let me know it was a woman. I could also tell by the smell. She smelled nice.
Really, really nice.
I helped her stand and froze, stock-still. I could hardly believe my eyes once I got a good look at her.
Huge green and gold hazel eyes started up at me. She had an oval face with a pert nose and pink luscious looking lips. Her long, rich golden hair had slid over her eyes and she pushed it back angrily.
I was thunderstruck as I stared down at her. It took a second for me to realize I was still holding onto her arms. For a moment she looked as stunned as I did.
Then she scowled at me, brushing my hands off.
"What the hell are you doing with my tree?"
"Your tree?"
"Yes, it's my damn tree!"
"That's on Delancey property right there."
"Delancey property?"
I nodded, trying to ignore the hot surge of lust this rude woman was instilling it me. It was hard to believe my cock was functional, hungover as I was. But I felt it twitching in my jeans, almost as if it was trying to escape and rub itself all over her.
"This land has been in our family for five generations. And that tree has been there the whole damn time. It's ours!"
"Oh no it isn't! I have a survey! Don't move an inch- I will be right back with it!"
I narrowed my eyes at the very pretty, very angry intruder. I shook my head. No matter how gorgeous she was, I wasn't going to budge. And she was gorgeous.
The best damn pair of tits I'd seen in a dog's age too. No. Longer.
My mind was reeling as I watched her walk away. Her long legs ate the ground like nobody's business. But that did nothing to hide her deliciously feminine curves.
Oh yeah, she was stacked to say the least.
Not to mention a massive pain in the ass.
That's when I realized who she was.
I groaned, running my hand over my hair.
It looked like I had just met the new neighbor.
Angelina
"Of all the nerve!"
I stomped home, eager to show that rude man he was wrong. I could not believe it was our first day here and already some big, macho Southern cowboy was trying to push me around?!
It didn't matter that he was by far the best looking man I'd seen in my life. He might look like a movie star but he was so rude I barely noticed. And now he was cutting down my tree!
I'd waited my whole life to have my own trees and here he was, chopping one of them down without a by your leave!
Casey was dozing when I slipped inside so I tiptoed around the place, trying to find the survey. I realized I must have packed it when I couldn't find it. It wasn't in my messenger bag or the small suitcase I'd brought ahead with me. I closed my eyes.
He was going to win dammit!
I couldn't bare the thought of going back there empty-handed. He would look at me in that condescending way he had and call me a silly woman. Then he would cut down MY TREE! I almost kicked something I was so mad!
Then inspiration struck.
Of course! They had emailed me a PDF of it as well. It wouldn't be easy to see on my phone so I started looking for my tablet.
At least I knew where the tablet was! I pulled it out of my bag and grinned. It had been turned off for the past ten hours or so. I prayed it had enough juice left to show that man what a jerk he was!
I sighed with relief when I saw that the tablet still had about 40% power. It would have to do. I straightened my spine and marched all the way back to the properties edge.
I was full of butterflies and nervous energy as I stomped my way across the field, barely noticing the weeds or wildflowers around me. By the time I got there, I was even more fired up than I'd been when I left. It wasn't just righteous indignation either.
I was looking forward to wiping that smirk off his handsome face.
But when I got there, I stopped short.
Yet another large, outrageously good-looking man was standing b
eside him. Good lord. Did they grow on trees around here or something?
"Hello, I'm Daniel Delancey. This is my brother Jackson."
I nodded, accepting his hand.
"Angelina Randall."
He smiled at me. His brother on the other hand, was scowling. Damn him, the man looked good even doing that.
Life really wasn't fair sometimes.
"I've brought my survey."
"Perfect. Maybe then we can get back to work."
"Please ignore my brother. He's not always this bad tempered."
I lifted my chin.
"That will not be a problem."
The sandy haired giant let out a disbelieving snort. I frowned at him before remembering I had just said I would ignore him. I turned my attention to his brother Daniel.
"I thought Dave could look at it. He's a third party so he has no vested interest."
"He's under your employment isn't he?"
Daniel laughed.
"He's in high demand, he certainly doesn't need us. Right Dave?"
Dave stepped forward and shrugged.
"It's true."
I pulled up the map and scrolled to the northern edge of my property, which was the southern edge of theirs. Then I handed it over to the foreman. I glared at Jackson Delancey, who was watching me with a hooded look on his face.
I looked away, my cheeks flushing for some indefinable reason.
How the man could make me blush at a time like this was a mystery!
The foreman took a look at the tablet and pointed.
"See, look here. The border really falls just north of the tree."
Jackson Delancey smiled at me arrogantly.
"See? It's our tree. And it is dangerous for horses and humans alike. It has to come down."
Daniel shook his head.
"It appears to have grown over the border Jackson. So it is mostly on our side of the line, but not completely. But Miss Randall, it does pose a safely hazard. That's why we are clearing this area up."
I looked at the trees above us. They did look a bit weathered. I chewed my lip, not sure what to say. I hadn't been wrong exactly. But I wasn't right either.
"How about this? Dave here will take a look at all the trees in the area and trim or remove them. He can do your side of the line as well. Then he can make a few piles of mulch for you."
"Mulch?"
"For your crops. You are a farmer right?"
He smiled at me charmingly. I couldn't help but smile back.
"I am."
It felt funny to say that. But I liked it. And I liked him for saying it. His obnoxious brother on the other hand...
"So it's settled?"
I nodded and shook his hand again. I was not about to shake the other one's hand. Not that he offered. Jackson was rude, even in victory! I was about to say goodbye when Daniel glanced at his brother and then at me. Then he started grinning mischievously.
"You should come to the house for dinner. Be neighborly. How about Friday night?"
I shook my head.
"That's very nice of you but I can't leave my sister alone for too long."
"Bring her with you."
"She's in a wheelchair."
I saw Jackson's head turn. I thought he'd been ignoring me completely this entire time. Now he was watching me closely.
"My father is too. The house is wheelchair accessible."
I chewed my lip. I had run out of excuses. I'd been horribly rude to his brother and now Daniel was being nice.
Too nice.
I was about to ask myself why when I caught the flash of blue. Jackson's eyes were literally boring into me. Not just staring at me either, he was inspecting me.
Jackson Delancey was not so subtly checking me out. Not like you looked at someone you didn't like. No, he was looking at me the way a man looks at a woman he wants to... do things with. I swallowed, realizing his eyes were doing strange things to my pulse. I also realized that I looked like a mess. My hand flew to my hair and brushed it back.
Not that I gave a damn what he thought. He was a brute. A big, rude, entitled, wealthy Southern brute.
His brother on the other hand, was a gentleman.
"We'd be happy to join you."
Daniel grinned at me.
"See you at 7 o'clock."
Chapter Four
Jackson
I could not stop frowning as we headed back to the house for lunch. That woman was a blight on peace! And now Daniel had invited her to our home. I would have to be pleasant to her.
I did not want to be pleasant dammit! I wanted to... I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted, but it was not to make small talk with a cantankerous woman like that!
For some reason I kept thinking about kissing her. Just to shut her up!
"Why did you do that Daniel?"
"What? Invite her to dinner?"
I nodded curtly.
"I was just being neighborly."
I glared at him. He held up his hands. Daniel was always the peacekeeper. I wondered what the hell had gotten into him, stirring up trouble like that.
"Okay fine. I couldn't help but notice the sparks flying back and forth between the two of you."
"Sparks? Now you sound like a girl."
"You didn't think she was attractive?"
"I didn't say that. I'm not blind for God's sake."
Daniel laughed at my quick refusal. I cursed and walked away from him. I knew he was right. My reaction to that woman had been strange to say the least.
Hungover or not, nobody made me lose my cool.
Especially not adorable, annoyingly spunky city girls.
Even with dirt smudged on her face, and her hair tied back under a kerchief she was cute as a button. No, not cute. Fucking beautiful.
Never mind the fact that her body looked like sex on wheels.
For the second time I found myself wondering what it would be like to shut her up with a hot, deep, let's get down to business kiss. I'd toss her on her back and yank her clothes off her. I'd be sure not to stop kissing her.
Just to make sure she didn't start talking again!
I'd screw her until she was too tired to yap anymore. Or complain. Or run away.
Then I'd do it all over again.
Of course that might be hard considering the woman hated me. I'd seen the look she'd thrown at me. If her eyes were a fist, I would have hit the ground. A woman like that was not going to just tumble into bed with me, no matter how badly I wanted her to.
And I had a feeling that this particular itch was not going away anytime soon.
I groaned as the chainsaws sprung back to life.
Angelina
"How was it?"
"Huh?"
"Your walk."
"Fine."
"Uh huh."
Casey was giving me the stink eye. She knew I wasn't telling her everything. I sighed, wiping my hand over my brow.
"I met our neighbors. Well, I met two of them. We are having dinner with them Friday night."
"And?"
"And one of them is a pain in the ass!"
"Was he cute?"
"Casey!"
I tossed a paper towel at her and she ducked. I was on my hands and knees, scrubbing the tub on the first floor bathroom. I'd already installed the safety rails that would help Casey get in and out of the tub. Now I was making it clean so she could have a salt bath.
The minerals helped with the pain and getting a good night sleep.
"I think it's clean, Ang."
I looked down. She was right. It wasn't just clean, I was close to scrubbing the porcelain right off. I was on a rampage ever since my run in with Jackson Delancey.
I'd cleaned the living room and moved our bags to our prospective bedrooms. I'd even opened up the windows upstairs and down to start airing things out. And I had an eye on the third floor attic for a photography studio.
"Well, was he?"
I stood and stretched, running the water to rinse the tub. Then
I checked the temperature and let the tub start to fill.
Finally I looked at her.
"Yes."
"How cute?"
I sighed.
"Movie star cute. If movie stars looked like muscle bound cowboys. But he's far too old for you."
She grinned at me as I helped her strip and climb into the bath. I poured salts into the water and leaned on the edge of the tub.
"I wasn't thinking about me."
"Who were you thinking about then? Me?"
"Yes, you! When was the last time you went on a date?"
"I don't have time for dates. Besides that is not what this is! Why would I go on a date with someone I hated on sight?"
"Uh huh. Sure. You know what they say Ang."
"No, what?"
"Love and hate are two sides of the same coin."
"Well, that coin happens to be a royal pain in the ass."
I rolled my eyes at her and handed her a dog-eared romance novel. Casey loved to read in the bath. That did sound nice actually.
Maybe I would try it someday.
"It's because of me."
My hand was on the doorknob when I heard her. She spoke so softly I almost missed it. I turned to see her with a strange look on her face.
"What did you say?"
"You don't date because of me."
"Case- that's not true."
She looked at me, her big brown eyes shining.
"It is. So for me, give this a shot." She held up her hand when I started to argue. "If not this guy, someone else. Please Ange."
I stared at her, my emotions in turmoil. I didn't want her to feel like that. Not for a second. None of this was her fault.
"You are not a burden, Case. I would do anything for you."
"I know. So do this for me."
I bit my lip and nodded.
"Alright. I will if you stop saying things like that. Or thinking them."
She smiled at me then and sunk lower in the bath.
"Deal."
"Call me when you want to get out."
She nodded, already opening her book.
I went to start cleaning the room I would sleep in tonight. Except, when I thought about everything Casey had said, I had a feeling I would be up late thinking.