by Petrova, Em
“You test him yet, boss?” Abe released Levi’s hand and nudged his hat back again.
Reardon spat a stream of tobacco juice onto the leaf mold. “Yeah. He’s quick. You’ll like this one.”
The corner of Levi’s mouth twisted in a smile of obvious satisfaction.
“Let’s hope. I’m tired of breaking in these greenhorns, and then they bug out in a month because the work’s too tough for them.”
“It’s not too tough for me.”
From the determined set of Levi’s jaw, Abe believed it. With a jerk of his head, he gestured toward his truck a few hundred yards away. “Grab a saw from the back of the truck and let’s get to work.”
“Yes sir.”
Abe grinned and backhanded a trickle of sweat before it stung his eye. “Not sir.
Abe is good.”
For a brief moment, Levi met his gaze. He read a lot in that look—this guy was grateful for a chance to prove himself. Abe had worked with a lot of different types in his years in the logging industry. He could confidently size up a man.
Levi gave a short nod before loping off through the clearing toward the truck. Abe and Reardon watched him go.
“Train him up. I have a good feeling about this one.” “Yeah, that feeling is contagious.”
“Good to hear that. I trust your judgment. Now get to work. We’re burning daylight.”
“Yes sir.” Abe poked a forefinger into each of his ears, securely positioning his hearing protection. He fired up his saw and assessed the wedge he’d cut partway into the thick oak. The top of the tree was broad, with one heavy branch on the right, which meant the weight of the branch would guide the old tree right into the clear spot he’d made for it.
Quickly he scanned the area to ensure no person was standing in the tree’s path, then set his blade into the wedge and sliced through the wood as if it were butter. He set his teeth into his lip, his biceps quaking from the saw’s vibrations. The tree gave a great crack and leaned to the right.
That’s it, baby. Shoot the gap.
As the sawdust flew, the familiar excitement of harvesting a tree gripped him. He loved the thrill this job gave him, and he reveled in every sore muscle at the end of the day. The aches and stiffness meant he’d put in an honest day’s labor, and he was proud of that.
Besides, Chapel could always soothe him.
At the thought of his little beauty, a dark heat captured his core. Last night she’d been wild in bed. And when she woke up. And in the shower…
The tree plummeted in a slow arc, gaining speed as it went, striking the earth with a bone-jarring crash. A figure clad in the Blue Jay Forestry yellow t-shirt darted by him.
Abe watched in amazement as Levi fired up the saw and tore into the felled log. He made short work of cutting it into lengths that would be easy for the trucks to haul out to the mills.
Levi seemed to work in a frenzy, slicing through the wood as fast as he could. He anchored a boot on the trunk and shoved the piece he’d cut to make sure it had been sliced completely. Damn, this guy was a worker.
While watching Levi, Abe allowed his mind to wander. He longed for the lunch hour, when Chapel would sway onto the job site decked out in tight jeans, work boots and a down vest. He loved seeing her dressed that way because only he knew the curves that lived beneath those masculine garments.
She often arrived bearing a small lunch cooler packed with all his favorites. Besides being a sexy vixen, she was one hell of a cook. Good thing he worked off all the spare calories he consumed, because otherwise she could definitely put some fat on him.
When Levi was finished, he switched off the saw and looked to Abe for approval. “Nice work, man. You’re quick, but you don’t need to kill yourself. A nice, easy pace will do for me.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. It just felt so good to get out here, you know?”
Abe nodded. Yeah, he understood the calm of the woods, and the stress that could be eased by logging. Stress like how to bail himself out of a socking amount of debt so he could ask Chapel to marry him.
Also, the stress of knowing her father would buck at the idea. He and Mr. Caldwell weren’t exactly bosom friends.
“Where are you from?” Abe asked Levi.
He twisted away, kicking the wet leaves. “Oh, here and there. I lived in the West most of my life.”
“So that’s where you learned the business. Well, you’re good. Where are you staying?”
Levi’s shoulders hunched and his head dropped low. “Ahhh, you know. Town.”
Alarms sounded in Abe’s mind. “Town?” They were an hour from the nearest town where a guy could rent an apartment or get a hotel room. “Do you have relatives here?”
“No.”
He studied the thin set of Levi’s lips. He was lying. Without a doubt. “You’re staying in your vehicle, aren’t you?”
Levi’s head jerked up and his gaze bored into Abe’s. “How the hell do you know?”
Abe gave a huff of a sigh. “You just told me. Look, I understand you’re new to the area, and probably a little down on your luck.”
Levi started to protest, but Abe held up a palm to quiet him.
“No, no, it’s none of my business. Let me say that I’ve been in your shoes. I know what desperation looks like. So let’s cut the shit, and I’ll invite you to crash at my place.”
“What? I can’t—”
“You can. You stick around, you’ll get a paycheck in three weeks. At that time, you can pay me rent if it makes you feel better. In the meantime, I can’t have a worker sleeping in his car.”
Levi shook his head in wonder. He threaded his fingers through the hair at his temple. “Wow, man. Thanks.”
Abe clapped him on the back. “We’ll see if you’re thanking me after we fell all these hardwoods marked with the Blue Jay stamp.” He waved a hand at the miles of forest bearing the light-blue painted medallion indicating which trees to cut.
Levi grinned and a bracket appeared around his mouth. “I’m ready.” “Then let’s roll.”
Abe whipped around toward the next eighty-footer and set his blade against the bark. Satisfaction oozed up inside him at the thought that he’d helped a guy out. He prided himself on being a good judge of character, and had no doubt he and Levi would get along as housemates. Maybe by sharing expenses, Abe would be able to dig himself out of the trench of debt he’d fallen into after his personal logging business had failed. He hadn’t expected to lose his shirt, but that was the nature of the industry. What he did know was, he sure as hell didn’t want to start a life with Chapel while he was sunk thousands of dollars in debt.
But he did want a life with her. The need to secure her was strong. Primal. And his determination more stalwart than the oldest growth trees in Pennsylvania.
“Take a lunch,” Abe said a couple of hours later.
***
Levi set his saw on the ground and pulled off his hard hat. Damn, he’d forgotten how hot these things could be.
Maybe he really needed to cut his hair.
Everything in him recoiled at this idea. After having it forcibly shorn off, he’d do anything to keep it shoulder length. He didn’t consider himself a vain man, but he was keeping his hair.
He ran a hand through it. The cool April air touched his scalp and he sighed at the blissful sensation. Everything about being out here again—working hard and being free—made his blood hum.
The freedom was the most important.
He stooped and hefted the saw again, then took off toward Abe’s truck. His stomach was an animal trying to claw its way out. Too bad he had a half-mile walk to his own beat-up pickup truck to get to a measly peanut butter sandwich and a wrinkled apple.
He laid the saw in the back of Abe’s truck and set about tuning it up and oiling the chain so it would be primed for an afternoon’s work.
The sound of tires on mud drew his attention. He looked up as a blue Jeep trundled to a stop on the logging road. Abe came across
the clearing at a half run, leaping logs and brush in order to reach the glorious woman who stepped out.
Who the hell could blame him?
Levi’s breath caught. He leaned heavily against the side of the truck. His body reacted instantly—heart tripping out of control and heat climbing the walls of his core.
A warm brown tendril of hair blew across her face and she brushed it away to reveal a smile. A smile brighter than any ray of light he’d seen, even on the day he’d been released from prison.
Abe caught her up against him, pulling the petite woman on to tiptoe and crushing his mouth to hers in a tongue-swirling kiss that sent Levi’s blood pounding in his veins. For a long moment he stood frozen, unable to tear his gaze from the lovers.
The woman gripped Abe’s face to draw him closer, angling her head to receive his kisses more deeply.
A shudder of need racked Levi’s frame. Damn, how would it feel to be with a woman like that? Hell, to be with any woman? He hadn’t laid a finger, tongue or other body part on a woman in seven long years besides one woman in a bar on the drive to Pennsylvania. She’d been soft and willing, and he’d been hungry for a female’s touch. But she was simply physical release and he knew it. Fortunately, he’d avoided linking up with other men in prison. It wasn’t his thing.
Abe splayed his fingers across the small of her back, locking her hips to his.
Levi ripped his gaze away as his cock throbbed to life. Though he was suddenly far from hungry, he twisted away and started down the road to retrieve his lunch.
“Hey, Levi, wait up, man!”
He stopped walking but didn’t turn. Don’t do this to me, Abe. I can’t stand before that angel, look her in the eyes and pretend I don’t want to bend her over the truck bed.
Slowly he walked back to where the couple stood with their arms around each other and grinning.
“Chapel, this is our new team player, Levi Black.”
Levi let his gaze lift to hers. A strange thread of longing wove through the hardened part of his heart, unlocking feelings he thought long ago dead.
The last thing you need is to hope a woman would want you. Especially not a tender one likethis.
Chapel. Did he call her Chapel?
“Nice to meet you.”
She stuck out her hand and he stared at it for a moment, warring with the idea that he’d somehow taint her by touching her delicate skin.
The wind freshened, bringing the sweet notes of her vanilla perfume to him. Taking her hand, he looked into her face, trying not to be horribly jealous that her full lips were swollen from Abe’s kisses. Her chocolate-brown eyes met his and held.
A puff of air burst from her. Her lips fell open. His heart stuttered as a spike of electricity hit it. Did she feel that spark in her soul too?
He gave her hand a quick squeeze and released it before he could do anything like yank her into his arms and bury his face in the fragrant locks of her hair.
“I brought lunch. Will you join us? There’s enough.”
“No, thanks, I’ve got a sandwich at the truck.” He jerked a thumb toward the road.
Abe’s smile revealed no trace of worry over Levi’s reaction to his woman. Levi breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was a tense working relationship, especially since Abe had offered to let him stay at his place. The thought of sleeping with his neck cricked against his truck door for one more night made him balk.
“C’mon, man, you can’t miss out on a taste of Chapel’s cooking. She’s exquisite.”
Yeah, she’s that.
“Please share with us, Levi. It’s fried chicken.” She pitched her voice as if questioning him. And the sound of his name falling from her lips blew his mind.
Reluctantly, he nodded.
Better control yourself. Abe doesn’t look like the kind of guy to put up with someone ogling his girl.
With a grin that set her eyes aglow, she spun toward the Jeep and retrieved a small cooler from behind the seat. Abe took if from her, brushing a hand over the crest of her cheekbone as he did.
“We’ll picnic in the back of the truck.”
Levi expected her to wrinkle her nose at the suggestion she sit amongst grimy chainsaws, but she took off at once. He watched her round little ass in form-fitting jeans twitch away. The way she placed her feet so carefully mesmerized him.
Abe seemed to read his mind. “She grew up out here. She knows more about logging than all of us put together.”
Surprise flitted through Levi’s mind. “How’s that?”
Creases formed around Abe’s eyes as he smiled. “She’s the owner’s daughter.”
She hitched herself into a sitting position on the tailgate and waited for them to catch up to her. Her hair tumbled down her shoulders, gleaming almost red in the sun.
Like whiskey.
Abe set the cooler beside her and braced his thighs on either side of hers, hugging her one-handedly while popping open the cooler.
Delicious scents of chicken wafted out, making Levi’s stomach cramp.
Chapel peeked around Abe’s big body and shot Levi a smile. “Help yourself. There’s chicken and warm biscuits. And hot coffee in a thermos in the bottom.” Damn, when was the last time he’d had food like that?
Seven years ago, before you were locked up.
He shook himself. It was bad enough he felt inadequate, but did he have to experience every low feeling right now? With his new boss and one of the most gorgeous women on earth looking on?
He tried to smooth his features. Abe pulled away from Chapel and dug into the cooler. He withdrew a foil packet and cracked it open, releasing a puff of heavenly steam into the air.
Chapel distributed napkins and Levi accepted a drumstick and a hot, buttery biscuit. As he tore into the food, he found her gaze on him. He swallowed hard and met her eyes, too aware of the swell of her ripe breasts peeking from the V of her partially unzipped vest. His thoughts ran rampant.
“So, Levi, tell me about yourself. When did you start?” “Today.”
Her almond-shaped eyes widened, drawing his attention to her thick fringe of lashes. Her face was utterly devoid of makeup, yet her cheeks and lips appeared to be naturally rosy and, dear God, she had a spattering of freckles across the bridge of her upturned nose.
He gulped the scalding coffee Abe handed him and scorched the fuck out of his throat. Struggling not to cough and choke, he managed to swallow the brew, but his eyes watered.
“Today… You are green. How’d he do, Abe?” The way her sweet lips twisted up at the corner told him she was teasing.
He was half in love with her already.
Get a grip, Black. You’re reacting strongly to the sweetest female you’ve been in contact with since Bush was in office.
Besides, she was taken.
“He did great. Haven’t seen energy like his…well, ever. He’s going to do fabulously.”
She held her smile and stared directly into Levi’s eyes. A heartbeat ebbed between them. Suddenly his burning mouth was no longer an issue because his burning need had taken over. His cock swelled against the fly of his jeans, the head throbbing painfully.
A pink blush climbed her throat and captured her high cheekbones. She dropped her gaze. “Daddy will be happy to hear this crew is well-manned.”
Abe let out a sharp bark of laughter. “Your father hates me.”
“Maybe, but he always thinks with the business side of his brain before the father half speaks up.”
“Ah, yes. Well, we’re hitting our quota and we’re on time. Two things he’ll appreciate. What are you doing tonight?”
Levi leaned his back against the fender and stared off at the cut-down. He felt as if he was an intruder on their private time. He focused on the evergreens that were left standing. They were select-cutting this patch of land, allowing the smaller trees to grow to maturity. The scents of freshly cut wood and sap were in the air. He drew a deep gulping breath of it and relished the fact that he didn’t smell
crowded prison cells and disinfectant…and worse.
He finished his drumstick and tossed the bone into the brush. Why was he thinking about prison now when he was thousands of miles from it? He’d come to Pennsylvania to start anew and dammit, he would.
“Well, my beautiful lady, I thank you kindly for the lunch. Levi and I better get back on the job or your daddy will have another reason to dislike me.”
She didn’t argue her father’s cause, simply jumped off the tailgate and went onto tiptoe to kiss Abe fully on the mouth. Levi ground his teeth against the thought that she’d taste like chicken and her personal feminine musk. How he longed to know that. As soon as he was on his feet and in a better frame of mind, he hoped to find someone to call his own.
As he watched Abe tuck Chapel into the Jeep and lean through the window for one last lingering kiss, he couldn’t help but hope it happened soon.
Chapter Two
Chapel stabbed the phone’s “off” button with the tip of an oval nail and sat back in her spinny desk chair. Her breath rasped in and out. Too fast. Had she really just taken that call? The one that would forever change the way Blue Jay Forestry did business?
She twisted her fingers into her hair and stared at her father’s empty chair for a stunned minute. Every cell in her body urged her to get up and race to find him. He needed to know that one of the largest logging operations in the country was contracting them. If Blue Jay proved they could handle a job of this magnitude, they’d be guaranteed more contracts with KeerSaw.
Daddy would be ecstatic. This would set them up in a big way—give them financial stability and rank them among the top in their industry.
Thanks to her knowledge, she’d proven Blue Jay was capable. She’d negotiated the contract without a lick of assistance and KeerSaw had agreed to her terms at once. The documents would be overnighted from Washington and in her hands tomorrow afternoon. When she thought of her father’s reaction, her heart soared.
On the other hand, would he believe she’d nailed this big-time contract on her own without screwing it up badly?
Immediate doubt threaded through her. She hadn’t forgotten to relay an important bit of information or ignored a clause, but her father wouldn’t believe that.