“I hear we have an official masseuse,” Liam said, swiping his damp forehead with the back of his arm. “Macy tells me she’s blind and that you’re smitten with her. Macy’s words, not mine.”
Macy, the local hardware store owner and longtime friend. And clearly something to the closed-off Liam.
Braxton froze, his hands in the dirt of the pot he was working on. Glancing up, he quirked a brow. “First of all, I’m not smitten with anyone. Cora and I are friends. And second, since when are you and Macy talking privately for her to tell you this and who the hell told her?”
Both men turned to Zach, who shook his head. “Not me. I’m building a house for her, not gossiping while we get our hair done. If I had to guess, I’d say Sophie said something, but I never discussed Braxton or Cora’s status with her. She’s picked up on something all on her own.”
Braxton shook his head, silently vowing to speak with Sophie later. “Let’s circle back to you and Macy.”
Liam turned, crossed the patio, and brought another empty pot over to the corner. “There is no me and Macy. She contacted me about catering something, I returned her call to tell her I couldn’t, and we started talking. Lasted all of five minutes and that’s the end of it.”
Braxton glanced at Zach.
“Stop it,” Liam growled. “You two are like a bunch of women. Quit looking for something that’s not there. I’m friends with Macy. We’re allowed to talk.”
Braxton was keeping his opinion to himself. He’d always had his suspicions about Liam and Macy, but the two never did more than dance around each other, so maybe there was nothing to see. Still, Liam would rather eat nails than talk on the phone, especially with a woman, so the fact that he’d called Macy back spoke volumes because he could’ve easily texted her.
Granted, if Liam had feelings for anyone he was good at hiding them. The man had always been a bit standoffish, but after the accident he did everything he could to close in on himself. When Zach had gone to prison for a year, Liam didn’t even make an attempt to visit him. To Braxton’s knowledge, Liam didn’t do relationships of any kind. Whatever demons he faced from his past, they were giants and Braxton had his own occupying his mind. While he cared for Liam and loved him, Braxton didn’t have the mental capacity to dig too deep into Liam’s heavy backstory.
Zach jerked up from his squatting position and pulled his cell from his pocket. Apparently, the vibrate setting is what sprang Mr. Moody into action. He gave the screen a brief glance before answering.
“Tell me he passed.” Zach cringed. “No, tell me he failed and we have to drive him everywhere and keep an eye on him.”
Liam snorted and shook his head as he packed the dirt into the pot around a freshly planted spray of blood grass. While Zach pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a groan, Braxton went around the patio area and picked up their trash, shoving it all inside a deep contractor bag. From the look on Zach’s face, Brock had passed his driver’s test. Poor Zach. No doubt he was already figuring up the insurance, another car, gas. He’d have Brock working even more to help pay off those added expenses.
Brock was exactly what Zach needed and Zach was exactly what Brock needed. The two couldn’t be more alike. Besides the eighteen-year age difference, the two could’ve been cloned. Brock was damn lucky Zach had taken him in, gone through the proper channels, and was now his legal guardian. A piece of Braxton’s heart broke thinking how cold and heartless Brock’s biological father had been. The man signed away his own son as carelessly as making out a grocery list. Braxton hated that for Brock, but the teen was in a much better place now and Zach could easily relate to the broken childhood.
Braxton shoved another empty container into the trash. Not all childhoods had to be broken to be bad. Braxton had parents who were married and a mother who adored him. It was his controlling father who had destroyed any happy childhood, any chance at a family life they could’ve had. Things were always strained, but toward the end, when Braxton kept trying to fix all the cracks in their relationships, to help calm the currents crashing through their home, his father had gotten violent, accusing Braxton of meddling, of trying to take over as man of the house.
When Braxton’s mother came to his defense, his father turned on her.
Swallowing the guilt, closing his eyes against the flashback of that horrendous day, Braxton wondered yet again if he’d actually caused his family’s downfall.
The moment Zach hung up, he dropped to the closest chair. Elbows resting on his knees, head dropped between his shoulders, he sat there silently gripping his phone between his hands.
“You do know that all sixteen-year-olds typically get their license, right?” Braxton asked. “It’s how things work. In two years he’ll vote, too.”
Zach swiped his hat off, raked a hand over his sweaty head, and slapped his hat on his knee. “Shut up.”
Liam crossed the patio and slapped Zach on the back. “Brock is a smart kid. He’s going to be fine and so are you. But you better act happy for him when he gets home or I’ll kick your ass. That kid is a teen boy and he’s finally gotten his first taste of freedom. He deserves for all of us to be happy and not automatically thinking the worst.”
Zach came back to his feet, shoved his hat back on, and shook his head. “It’s the fact he’s a teen boy that scares me. I was a teen boy, I know how they think. Cars, sex, booze. I think I’d rather have the toddler stage of parenting. I’m pretty sure I could handle toys being flushed down the toilet before I can handle this.”
Braxton laughed as his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he cringed.
“Not again,” he muttered. Why did this woman have to harass him?
“Problem?” Zach asked, raising a brow. Braxton wanted to punch that smug smirk off his face.
“Kiss my ass,” Braxton replied before shoving the phone back into his pocket. “I had a moment of weakness one time and damn if I’m not still regretting it.”
“Better you than me,” Zach replied.
Evelyn Barkley was a divorcée who also happened to be Zach’s neighbor. She was blatantly horny. There was no other way to describe the woman who was constantly on the prowl. And in a time where Braxton wasn’t thinking clearly, after coming off a life-altering breakup, he’d lost his mind and taken Evelyn out . . . he may have stayed around for the proverbial nightcap, too.
Braxton didn’t regret many things, but giving this woman any attention was ranking high on his short list. He wasn’t a long-term man, not anymore. Not that Evelyn was looking for a relationship. No, she somehow got it into her head that he was her go-to booty call guy.
Hell. No.
“If you want to call her back, we’ll give you privacy,” Liam joked with a wink. “Don’t let us come between you and your lover.”
“She’s not my lover,” Braxton ground out. “And I don’t need any damn privacy. We’re not talking about my life here, we were talking about you and Macy and then Zach and the teen driver he’s responsible for.”
“Damn it.” Liam slapped down his hand onto the back of a wrought-iron chair. “There is no me and Macy. Lay off. Zach sees her more than me. He’s the one building her a house. Harass him.”
Braxton shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “Zach has Sophie. I know he’s not interested in Macy.”
“Neither am I,” Liam ground out through gritted teeth.
Oh, yeah. He was. A man wouldn’t get that fired up over it if there were no feelings whatsoever. Braxton only hoped if Liam did make a move that Macy reciprocated the feelings because Liam couldn’t handle any more hurt in his life. He’d been treading on careful ground for so long that Braxton truly feared one more heartbreak and Liam would snap.
Braxton wiped his hands down his jeans. “Ladies, I’m sorry, but I have to run. I have plans later and they don’t involve you two losers.”
“When are you going to take one of those puppies off my hands?” Zach asked.
Braxton really didn’t want a do
g, but he felt sorry for Zach being stuck with the mommy and seven rowdy, chewing, pissing puppies. Braxton was gone so much when school was in session, he didn’t feel it fair to take an animal into his house just to ignore it for hours upon hours.
“I never said I was,” Braxton retorted as he headed toward the side of the house. “Ask around town. All you have to do is find a kid and a parent who can’t say no. They’ll take a puppy in a heartbeat.”
Zach nodded. “I know they will, but I don’t want just anyone to have them. Whoever gets them needs to know how to care for a puppy properly. It’s a commitment.”
Liam snorted. “Don’t tell me you actually care about puppies. Grumpy, snarky, grouchy Zach has gone soft over fur balls.”
Zach shrugged, apparently his only defense. “You could use one to make you a more chipper person, too. I can’t keep them all. Thor already chewed Brock’s new tennis shoes and Hulk keeps pissing in my work boots.”
Braxton shook his head. “Names are cool, but I still can’t take one. Sorry, man.”
As he rounded the house, he heard Zach calling out to him, but Braxton kept walking. He loved the dogs when he visited his brother, but Braxton really didn’t need one and there was no way Zach would just turn them loose. The pups were in good hands, as was Brock.
Braxton laughed as he climbed into his SUV. His disgruntled brother who had been a loner for a decade now managed to have a fiancée, a teenage boy, and a houseful of animals. Their mama always said God had a sense of humor.
Before he could start his engine, his cell vibrated once again in his pocket. When he pulled it out, he stared at the screen, sure he was seeing things wrong.
He’d taken Anna’s contact information out of his phone, but he still recognized the number. Whatever she had to say, he didn’t care. That may be cold, but whatever. Why the hell would she be calling him at this point? They’d been broken up for nearly a year and she’d moved on. He wasn’t wasting another minute of his time on her.
He had another date tonight and didn’t want his day ruined with a call from his ex.
As he headed down the long, curved drive, a niggle of doubt settled into his chest. He’d never doubted going on a date before, never questioned them at all, actually. So why now did going out seem so wrong? Why did he want to call and cancel, coming up with some lame excuse?
Braxton knew the answers, he just didn’t want to admit it. He was hung up on their new employee and he had no idea what the hell to do about it. Liam and Zach would kick his ass, or give it their best shot, if Braxton opted to see Cora on a personal level. But she’d made it clear she needed a friend. He had female friends, Sophie and Macy. He could add Cora. Sure, no problem.
Except that he’d never kissed Sophie or Macy and he sure as hell had never wanted to explore anything further with them. Cora, on the other hand, he wanted way too much. He’d just met her and he was already finding himself thinking of her, wondering what she was doing, replaying that kiss in his head, her hands on his bare body when she’d massaged him.
Damn it. Braxton headed home with a new purpose in mind. If she wanted to be friends, so be it. This may be an all-new test to his self-control.
Chapter Six
“No, Eric. I’m staying. I love this town and my new house.” How many times did she have to tell the man? “I highly doubt this will put a damper on your plans to head up the company.”
Silence filled the line. Yeah, she’d called him out on the reason for his misplaced concern. He sure as hell didn’t care about her needs so much as what it would look like if they didn’t marry and grow into the next generation of CEOs. No thank you.
“Corinne, please.”
Cora rubbed her head and leaned back on her sofa cushions. The only people who insisted on calling her by her full name were her parents and Eric, and he most likely did it to appease them. At one time she’d truly thought he had to be the man for her because he gave her attention, she knew they were compatible in the business world, but then she’d slept with him. That’s when she knew there was no way they could spend their life together. The sex wasn’t terrible, but it was . . . lackluster. She’d felt nothing and Eric didn’t seem to mind the fact the encounter was short, lifeless, and no fireworks went off.
Okay. The sex was bad. Surely it had to be better . . . right? Maybe not so far as to have the fireworks, but at least a little toe-curl would’ve been nice.
“I do care,” he went on in that soft tone that was borderline demeaning. “I also think we’d make a great team here at Buchanan. I know you have a rift with your parents, but don’t let that interfere with us.”
“A rift?” She laughed, unable to hold it in. “What I have with them is more than a rift. Eric, I moved to get away from the business, to find a piece of myself that’s been missing. I have no idea what I’m going to do regarding my place in the company but my parents love you and I highly doubt you and I not tying the knot will hinder your position.”
Silence once again greeted her. She’d just let him process all of that . . . apparently he needed yet another explanation. Besides, even if she knew what she would end up doing with her part of the company, she didn’t need to run it by him. Regardless if he were to become the CFO like her parents intended, this was between her parents and her.
Loud banging outside her house interrupted her thoughts. The steady beat of a . . . hammer? What on earth? Heidi started barking, but it wasn’t a warning bark, more like a happy, excited bark. Her tail swished back and forth, smacking Cora’s leg with each sway.
“Eric, I need to go,” she told him before he could reply to her statement of moments ago.
Cora hung up her phone and slid it back into the pocket of her summer dress. Barefoot, she stood and snapped for Heidi. “Let’s see what that noise is all about.”
Cora gripped the collar and moved slowly toward the front door. She’d been here long enough to no longer need to count the steps, but she still moved with caution. Cora reached for the lock and flicked it open. The instant she eased the door open, the hammering stopped. Thankfully, her screen door had a lock.
“Hello?” she called. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me.”
That familiar tone of Braxton’s washed over her and she wished she weren’t so affected by a man she barely knew. Now she knew why Heidi was wagging her tail so enthusiastically. She’d known who their guest was.
“What on earth are you doing?” Cora unlocked the screen door and pushed it open before moving onto her porch. Heidi blocked her from going any farther, so Cora stopped.
“I’m fixing this step where you fell earlier.”
He . . . what? Cora didn’t know what to make of that simple statement. She had already made a mental note to watch that bottom stair and not step right on the edge of it. To stay safe, she always had to remind herself about quirky things like that, but she never dreamed he would come and fix it. Didn’t he have things to do? It was a Saturday night. No date? No social life?
“Thank you,” she told him. “I don’t know what to say, really.”
The hammer pounded three more times. “Thank you works just fine.”
She pulled in a deep breath and froze. “What’s that smell? Is that . . . pine?”
“Yeah. Sophie sent a Christmas wreath for your door. I tied some twine around the back of it and the knocker. Hope that was okay.”
Speechless, Cora reached back to the door and felt her way up until the prickly needles of the evergreen poked her. She lightly moved around the wreath, feeling the pinecones, finding a fat bow at the top. Emotions clogged in her throat. She didn’t even know this family, but they were taking her in and doing things for her without asking for anything in return. Did people like this truly exist?
“Please tell her thank you. I love it.”
“She wanted to send a tree, but I didn’t know if you’d want one in your house or not.”
Cora started to tell him that she’d love a tree, but stopped. Crossi
ng her arms over her chest, she drew her brows in. “What made her think to send a wreath to me? She already got me flowers for a housewarming present after I moved in.”
Silence. Even the banging had stopped.
“Braxton?”
“I may have mentioned it to her.”
Cora pulled in a breath at the same time her heart swelled. Damn it. Swelling hearts were not invited to her new life.
“So I should be thanking you for the wreath?”
“You don’t owe me thanks, Cora.”
Braxton shifted around, the hammer beating the wood once more, then Braxton sighed heavily. She assumed by the slight grunt and shuffle of boots he’d come to his feet.
“That should do it,” he stated with a long sigh. “Anything else you need done while I’m here?”
Cora let go of Heidi’s collar as the dog sat next to Cora’s leg. Crossing her arms, she thought to all the miniscule things that she’d like fixed in her new home, but there was no way she was asking him to do anything. She could hire someone to come in and fix them.
He’d already fixed a step and brought her a wreath. Just what kind of man was Braxton Monroe?
“The wheels are turning in that head of yours,” he declared, his voice growing louder as he approached her. Again, boots scuffed against the porch floor and Cora remained still, waiting to see if he’d reach for her or just drive her madly insane with wonder. “What is it that needs fixed? Don’t be stubborn. I’m here and I’m all yours.”
Okay, the man found ways to make simple conversations sound so amazingly erotic. “Don’t you have somewhere else you should be?” she asked.
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