Tonight, several people had asked if they were together, but this was the first time boyfriend had been mentioned. It surprised Kaitlyn that she liked the idea. She wouldn’t mind if Nate were her boyfriend.
Movement from the doorway caught her eye. Nate had stopped and put one hand on the doorframe behind Scarlett. This evening he’d exchanged his billowing white button-up for a green plaid one, which made his eyes shine like emeralds. And hid the hard muscles that she knew were under it.
“No.” she said while looking into his gaze. His eyes flickered, but she couldn’t read the expression on his face. He’d been pretty quiet all evening, in fact. With Bobby bouncing between them, and with Kaitlyn’s focus on the pull, she hadn’t given much thought to what he’d been thinking, but she wished she knew now. She held out the money.
Scarlett took it, her bright pink nails flashing. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow. What time?”
Kaitlyn lifted her brows in question at Nate.
Scarlett turned. “Oh, hi.”
He dropped his hand and walked into the kitchen. “Hi, Scarlett. Gary looked great up there. Sleeping soundly. Thanks.” He stopped beside Kaitlyn and put an arm around her shoulders.
Her body tensed in surprise then, of its own accord, melted into his side. No, she wouldn’t mind boyfriend at all.
“Early tomorrow. Can we have the work done by four?” His chest rumbled by her ear, and it took her brain a minute to process his question.
“I think.”
“Four thirty, Scarlett. Suit you?”
Scarlett’s glossy lips had turned down at the corners when Nate’s arm had gone around Kaitlyn. Her expression stayed sour as she said, “Sure.”
“Thanks.”
Scarlett walked out. The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Kaitlyn and Nate side by side in the dim kitchen.
“Boyfriend,” Nate whispered. Then, he said a little louder. “It’s a label I’ve never worn.” He turned to face her, loosely placing his hands on either side of her waist. “I feel kind of old for it. But I guess I assumed that if I was taking you out on a date, you knew there was no one else.”
“Linda?”
“A friend. We figured that out easily. There’s nothing there.”
She got the impression that he almost wished there were. “And there’s something here?” Kaitlyn indicated the two of them and then placed her hands lightly on Nate’s waist, imitating his position. She stepped closer, inhaling his clean, male scent. With other men, she’d be much more aggressive, calculating her moves, but with Nate, she only did what came naturally. Or maybe less than what came naturally. The goal was not to seduce. Not anymore.
He closed his eyes and pulled her to him, his hands going around her back precisely, as if he was afraid he’d lose control if he wasn’t careful. His voice sounded pained. “For me there is. Tell me you feel it. Tell me I’m the only one, too.”
She wasn’t sure if he was contradicting himself, or if he was making a reference to being her boyfriend. Nate didn’t seem to want to have feelings for her, but he was unable to deny there was something there. She touched her fingertips to his cheek, caressing. “Why is this so hard for you?” Kaitlyn’s throat ached. She wanted him to want her. To need her.
“Man, Kaitlyn.” He pulled her tight and buried his face in her hair. “You’re a spit fire, full of life, and determination, and I’m…”
“You’re afraid I’ll walk all over you?”
“Heck, no.” His arms dropped abruptly and he stepped back, running his hands through his short hair. “I can’t expect you to understand when you don’t even know…”
“What? What don’t I know?” She took a step forward.
He backed away from her again, obviously hiding something. He turned away, rubbing the back of his neck. That he was waging war with himself was obvious.
She just had no clue what was causing it. She touched his back. It was hard. Running her hand lightly over it, soothing, she took a step closer. He spun around, and her hand dropped.
“You’ll regret this, Kaitlyn. I’ll regret this!” He strode to the counter, picked up a pen, grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled on it. “There.” He threw the pen down and turned back to her.
“There what?” She squinted, trying to read what he’d written.
“That’s the address, in Pittsburgh, where I’ll be tomorrow night at 10:00 PM. It’s not a safe place.” He met her eyes, his own tortured. “And I won’t be able to protect you.”
Although he was stronger than he let on, she wanted to snort at the idea of Nate protecting her. It wasn’t his body that attracted her.
But he seemed dead serious, his face tortured, his body tense, his movements agitated. So she swallowed her reaction to him physically protecting her. He was so steady and confident, always having complete control. Such a change from the wild, fly-off-the-handle men she was used to.
“So, we’re still on for our date?”
His jaw twitched. “Yeah. If you still want.”
“I want.” More than anything. “But I don’t understand, and I don’t like the fact that being with me causes you so much turmoil.”
“If you go to Pittsburgh tomorrow night, you’ll understand.”
“Can we go together?”
Slowly, he shook his head. “I’d rather you didn’t go. I’ll explain everything Sunday.” A little smile cracked the tension of his face. “After church.”
Kaitlyn started to protest.
Nate put a hand up. “You owe me.”
Kaitlyn closed her mouth. She did owe him. “OK.”
He pushed off the counter and started toward the door. “I had a good time tonight. Thanks. And congratulations on your win.”
“Thank you for the work you did on my ECM.” The win paled in comparison to the fun she’d had with Nate. And Bobby. Which was completely surprising. What kind of girl went out with a guy she was crazy about and enjoyed having her hyper little brother tag along? But that was the kind of man Nate was. Eeverything was fun with him. “I had a great time too.”
Nate hesitated with his hand on the door, as though he really wanted to stay, or say something else, but then he just nodded. “See you in the morning.”
“Good night, Nate.”
The door clicked shut behind him, and a part of her walked out with him.
19
He didn’t see her in the morning.
Nate was halfway through a scaled-down version of his morning exercises when the last driver who needed to come in for the weekend texted that he was broke down an hour away. So Nate texted Kaitlyn, hating to leave her with all her truck work and the boys, and headed out, spending the forenoon fixing a wiring problem. He brought fast food back with him, assuming correctly that Kaitlyn hadn’t cooked.
Her eyes lit up when she saw the bag. “You are wonderful!” She pulled a rag from her pocket and wiped her hands. “We’re all starved.”
Gary sat in the stroller. He wasn’t crying, not yet, but his scrunchy face and jerky arms said that he would be soon.
Bobby, wearing a small tool belt, came skipping around the other side of the truck. “Nate! You’re back! I helped fix the bumper!”
“Really?”
They looked as if they were busy. It was hard to believe that Kaitlyn would have taken the time to cater to Bobby today, of all days.
“He did, actually.” Kaitlyn grinned down at her brother, who beamed up at her. “I couldn’t hold the bolt in the bumper while I tightened the nut so Bobby held it for me.”
Nate ruffled Bobby’s hair. “I’m so glad you’re helping your sister. Pretty soon you’ll be doing it yourself.”
Bobby’s little chest puffed out and he walked away, almost without bouncing, and waved the wrench in his hand. His head moved back and forth as if he was looking for something else to use it on.
“He seriously was a help. I couldn’t have done it without him.”
“Well, I’d have given you a hand, but it obviou
sly made Bobby feel about ten feet tall to be able to help you.” He bent down, checking Gary’s diaper before picking him up along with the bottle that was in the holder. Gary’s toothless grin was impossible to resist, and Nate made faces at him.
Kaitlyn checked out the sandwiches in the bag. “I know you’d have helped, but I’ve got a hot date tonight, and I’m in a hurry to get my work done.”
“A hot date?” Nate wiggled his brows.
“Yep. He’s handsome, of course.” Kaitlyn batted her lashes at him.
Nate was pretty sure she was flirting with him. His stomach did a slow turn.
“He’s handy with electronics, considerate,” she held up the sandwich he’d brought as evidence, “great with kids, and has tons of character.”
“Sounds like a paragon of virtue.”
“Oh, you could never hope to rise to his high standards. But…the thing that really gets me is his even temper and total self-control.”
Nate blinked. Kaitlyn chewed on her sandwich oblivious to the havoc her words had created in his mind. Even temper? Self-control? He’d never in his life been accused of self-possession. Everyone had always said he was just like his dad. It was true his dad could fix anything; Nate could, too. His dad loved fiddling with electronics, as did Nate. But his dad was also where he’d gotten his lightning fast reflexes and his natural fighting abilities. When drunk, his dad had used them on his wife and children.
Kaitlyn would find out tonight how wrong she was. Where had she gotten these ideas? His heart stuttered. If she came. Why had he scribbled the address down? Maybe the girlfriend thing had thrown him, and he’d felt guilty that everyone except his girlfriend knew that he was going to a fight.
These fights were not like what one saw on television. Minimal organization and rules, some drugs, a lot of alcohol, and complete and uncontrolled violence. Nate had never attended one that he wasn’t fighting in; it just wasn’t his thing. But he’d made good money winning, and he was a good fighter. Extremely good.
Thankfully, Bobby came skipping back just then. “I’m hungry! Did you bring one for me? Huh? Did you?” He couldn’t stop moving, and he jumped up and down while Kaitlyn dug in the bag.
“Hang on a second, bud. Let’s see what’s in here.” She brought a hamburger out along with apple slices. “Wow. Healthy. And you are also the only man I know who actually eats semi-healthy. Apple slices, home-cooked meals…”
“I like apples.” Bobby talked around the apple slice he’d put in his mouth.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, kiddo,” Kaitlyn said.
Bobby started to skip away.
“Hey, stay here, bud.” Nate jiggled the baby who was slurping down his bottle in record time. “Stand here with us while you eat. We’re not sitting down, but you shouldn’t run while your mouth is full.”
~*~
The afternoon flew by; it was three o’clock before they knew it. “This truck is due for an oil change, but I’ll let it go until next week.” Kaitlyn stood at the work bench, a clipboard in her hand as she updated the maintenance record to reflect the afternoon’s work.
“Yeah. I did the same with unit 77. It’s about a hundred miles over. Another week won’t hurt.”
“I think you’re looking forward to our date, too.”
“Your excitement is infectious.”
Kaitlyn snickered. She was excited. But she’d been trying to hide it. She squirted some cherry grease-remover soap on her hands and started rubbing them. “Where’re we going? How should I dress?” She really, really wanted to dress up. To look feminine and girly and appealing.
Nate looked at her.
Kaitlyn shivered. He never looked at her in a suggestive, or even a remotely heated way, but just now…his eyes had darkened, and it took him a long time to answer, as though he was thinking about something that he couldn’t say. Finally, he shrugged. “You look fine just the way you are.”
She didn’t even try to hold back the snort that erupted. Her jeans were loose; she wore them because of their comfort, not because of how good she looked, and she had on an old t-shirt covered in grease. She probably had smears on her face, too. Flipping her ponytail over her shoulder, she rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you were trying to compliment me.”
“I was just being honest.”
Bobby, making truck sounds and holding an imaginary steering wheel, bounced by.
“Think your sister’s pretty, Bobby?”
Bobby stopped and looked serious. “Yep. I’m going to marry a woman just like her someday.” He scrunched his lips up. “But if my wife ever hits me, I’ll punch her lights out.”
Very aware of what he was doing tonight—although he would never fight a girl—Nate said, “Never hit girls, Bobby. No exceptions.”
“Oh. Forgot.” Bobby smirked and drove off in his imaginary truck.
“How about I take Bobby home with me? Hardly seems fair that you have to keep both boys and get ready.”
Kaitlyn widened her eyes.. “Oh. Thanks. That’d be great!”
~*~
Ninety minutes later, Nate pulled back in to Driver’s Door Trucking. Scarlett’s car wasn’t in the drive. He wasn’t early, although he was eager to be out with Kaitlyn alone. It was the perfect way to take his mind off the fight tonight. Of course, he wanted to hold her, breathe her scent, and watch the play of emotions over her perfect face, but he also wanted to talk to her. To confess his personality flaws and see her reaction. She should have some say in the matter, rather than him just making the decision that they couldn’t be together. Absently, he nodded his head, sure that was the right choice.
“Why are you nodding?” Bobby asked from the passenger seat. Nate had dug one of his nieces’ old CDs out of the bottom of the glove box, and Bobby had been quiet and semi-still during the short car ride.
“I’m just a little crazy.” Nate shut the car off. He was actually five minutes late, but Scarlett was even later because she still hadn’t shown up. “Let’s go see if your sister needs help with Gary.”
Bobby already had the door open and jumped out. He banged through the kitchen door three steps in front of Nate but stopped walking as soon as he noticed Kaitlyn.
“Wow, Kaitlyn. You’re wearing a dress! I ain’t never seen you in a dress.” Bobby gawked at her, as though she was a Martian or some other exotic alien.
She leaned on the counter, pencil in hand, note, baby formula, and a clean bottle beside her. Glancing up, she straightened quickly when her eyes met Nate’s. He read insecurity in her bright blue eyes before she covered it by tossing her head and smiling a challenge.
“I think I beat you ready.”
Her blue dress wrapped in the front, bringing out the blue of her eyes and dipping into a V neck. The skirt swung to a stop just above her knees. She wore heels. Nate took a deep breath at the sight of her legs. Sculpted. Perfect. Quite possibly the nicest legs on the planet. It should be against the law for her to wear jeans. Or to cover them in any way.
“OK. OK. The tan is out of a bottle.” She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to be so obvious about noticing.” Grabbing the handle of Gary’s car seat, she studied it while Bobby climbed up in a chair and stuck his face in front of his brother’s. She seemed irritated, but Nate thought he detected a note of uncertainty in her tone.
“I…” Nate cleared his throat. Why was it suddenly hard to talk? “I didn’t notice.”
“You were staring.” Kaitlyn looked up from under her brows, her lip twisted in disbelief.
“Didn’t say I wasn’t. It wasn’t the color I was looking at.” His throat still squeezed tightly, but at least he could talk again. Kaitlyn wasn’t used to dressing up. She needed him to tell her how good she looked. But he wasn’t used to spitting out compliments. Especially to a woman who was so beautiful she magnetized his eyes.
He walked over and took hold of her bare upper arms. Her skin was warm and soft under his hands, and he couldn’t help picturing
the way she’d looked earlier—grease covered and holding the big air gun in both hands. Both images pulled forcefully at his heart. “I was staring at your legs because, because…I was thinking they were the most beautiful legs I’ve ever seen.”
She stared up at him, her face covered in insecurity.
It wasn’t a look she wore often, but he thought of how he felt with his ‘businessman’ clothes on. Those clothes totally changed the way he thought and even acted. He was willing to bet that Kaitlyn used her garage clothes the same way—a buffer against the world.
His fingers slid down her arms and he grabbed her hands. There was one spot of grease embedded in her thumb that she hadn’t been able to get out, but she’d painted her nails bright red.
“You look amazing.” He stepped back and lifted her arms away from her body slightly. He couldn’t stop his gaze from taking in the change in her again. “That dress, the way it makes you look, I don’t want to do anything other than sit and look at you all night.” That wasn’t quite true. He stepped closer and put his mouth next to her ear. “Actually, it makes my hands itch to touch. I want to hold you and never let go.”
“Oh, Nate.” She smiled, confident once more. Her lips sparkled and her eyes seemed highlighted. So she’d found makeup. It humbled him that she’d done all this for him. To be with him.
“I can’t wait to go. I want to show the world the beautiful woman who’s chosen to be at my side tonight.”
A crash in the living room reminded them that Bobby hadn’t buzzed by in a while.
“Oh, no.” Kaitlyn turned.
Nate stood planted as he watched her swish away, her ankles trim and defined, her stride confident, even in the unaccustomed heels.
Bobby came running out and flew into Nate, wrapping his arms around him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Nate put his arms around the sobbing back. “I know. I’m sure your sister does, too. But that’s why you get told not to goof off in the house.”
Kaitlyn appeared in the doorway. “He knocked the lamp off the stand, but it didn’t break.”
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