by A. C. Arthur
They’d each perked up at that comment, which had surprised Garrek.
“Oh, yeah, she seemed fine at dinner,” Arnold said. “My nephew Marlon called to tell us about the incident.”
“And I immediately called Sherriff Duncan and told him to get his butt in gear. Tractor-trailers aren’t supposed to be on residential streets. Highways and main thoroughfares is what the town ordinance says,” Linus added.
“Well, I’m just glad it turned out the way it did,” Garrek replied. “She seems to have vanished, though, before I could really talk to her.”
“Oh, no, I know just where you can find her,” Linus announced as he puffed on his pipe.
That’s how Garrek ended up walking about fifteen feet from the main house and around the side of a huge barn. It was already getting dark, but he moved about, ignoring the sound of whichever animals were kept on this farm. He found her when he rounded the last corner that would have taken him into a complete circle. She was loading the back of a pickup truck with heavy-looking boxes, bending over so that he once again had an unfettered view of her shapely bottom.
“Here, let me do that,” he said, coming up behind her and attempting to take the box she’d just lifted.
“What? Oh, no. I have it.” She held on to the box.
He pulled on his end. “I said I’ll do it for you. These are heavy.”
She huffed and gave another tug. “I can handle it. It’s my job, and I don’t need any help.”
Garrek did not move, but held her irritated gaze. “There’s no need for us to argue. I’m just trying to be nice.”
“I don’t need you to be nice to me. I’m perfectly capable of moving out of the way when a truck speeds toward me. And I’ve been lifting heavy boxes on construction sites since I was ten years old,” she said and tugged on the box once more. “And furthermore, I’m also perfectly capable of getting my own date! Thank you very much!”
At those last words, Garrek let go of the box. Apparently she wasn’t holding on as tightly as he’d thought, because his actions forced her back a step until she hit the edge of the open truck bed. The box slipped from her hands and fell to the ground with a thump.
“What did you just say?” he asked.
She was slightly winded, her chest moving up and down quickly, strands of hair that had been pulled back when he approached now touching the sides of her face.
“I...I, um, I said I don’t need your help with the boxes,” she told him.
Garrek took a step closer to her. He should have been moving in the other direction. In fact, he shouldn’t have come out here in the first place. It was apparent that she was just fine. She’d looked more than fine when she’d walked away from him earlier today. She’d looked stubborn, independent and beautiful.
“No, the other thing you said,” he stated, his voice going lower.
She licked her lips, and Garrek bit back a moan.
“I already thanked you for saving my life,” she said. “You didn’t have to come all the way out here. Isn’t that like stalking?”
He was closer now, so close that she tried to back up but ended up sitting on the edge of the truck bed. He moved quickly then, because if he gave himself one moment to think about what he was doing, he would turn and run as far as he could get from this farm. This was crazy and ridiculous. It was reckless and stupid in light of all he’d been through in the past few months. At the same time, Garrek knew that nothing short of lightning striking at that truck was going to stop what was about to happen.
“You said something else,” he whispered. “About getting a date for yourself.”
“I can,” she insisted and tried to scoot back farther onto the truck.
Boxes already stacked in the truck bed hindered her progress, and Garrek pushed her knees apart to stand between them. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled so that she slid snugly up against him. Her hands slapped against his chest and she pushed at him. It was a light, unconvincing push; otherwise he would have been forced to back away.
“I didn’t need you to pay to go out with me,” she said.
“I didn’t,” he replied. “At least I didn’t know that was what was going on at the time.”
Her eyes grew wide then, and for a moment Garrek wasn’t sure if it was because of what he’d said or the fact that his hands had slid beneath her bottom, cupping her gently.
“They were taking bids on dates for me,” she said with a tinge of hurt.
“They were being idiots,” he said and lowered his face to hers.
She shook her head then. “If you weren’t bidding on me, why did you pay the money?”
That was the million-dollar question. And up until this moment he hadn’t admitted the answer, not even to himself.
“Because the moment I realized what was happening I wanted to fix it for you. Had I simply walked off that stage, I figured you would have been further humiliated. I was trying to make things better for you,” he stated, the words leaving a warmth in his chest that he wasn’t totally sure wasn’t the beginning of a coronary event.
“You don’t even know me,” she said, and dammit, she licked her lips again.
It was as if she couldn’t help it. Just like he couldn’t help what he was about to do next.
He moved in closer, until the tip of his nose brushed against the tip of hers.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice just the barest whisper of warmth across his face.
Garrek tilted his head. “Getting this out of the way,” he said, and then touched his lips to hers.
It sounded like a simple act, though it was anything but. Her lips were warm against his, and when his tongue slid alongside hers, there was an explosion in his mind, behind the closed lids of his eyes and spreading throughout every recess of his body. It seemed as if the earth moved, or something equally jolting, but Garrek did not let her go. He couldn’t.
What he did was pull her even closer, letting his hands move down the backs of her legs until he had them fastened behind his back. Her hands were still on his chest, but her fingers had clenched in his shirt as she leaned into the kiss. Her mouth was hungry, her teeth nipping against his lips when he pulled away slightly. So Garrek sank deep once more, tasting her the way he would have a delectable dessert.
She was wrapped tightly around him and he felt her bottom once more, squeezing her mounds in his hands and this time letting that moan break free. This was it—this right here was what he’d really come out to this farm for. This one unforgettable kiss.
Chapter 5
His lips felt every bit as good as she’d imagined they would. That thought had come to Harper just as her tongue moved languidly against his for what felt like the billionth time. She was drifting, floating on a fluffy cloud of pleasure. At least that’s what this kiss felt like.
He held her so tightly against him, his mouth moving masterfully over hers. Harper sighed into the kiss, letting her hands move upward to cup the back of his head and hold him to her. He’d wrapped her legs around him just as she had imagined it.
Last night she’d imagined all sorts of things about Garrek Taylor. But she would have never conjured the way he had so dominantly taken her on the bed of her truck. Now she knew that it would be emblazoned in her memory forever.
She was drowning. Harper was sure of it. Drowning in the delicious taste of him as surely as he was feasting on her. His moans told the story. He was enjoying this kiss just as much as she was. She didn’t know what to think of that.
Correction, she couldn’t think. Not right now. Because if she did...
The memory was quick and ferocious, flashing through her mind like a lightning bolt. On her next inhale, the pain spread through her chest so that she was immediately turning her head away from Garrek, effectively severing the connection of their lips. She gasped and tried to take in as m
uch oxygen as she could. The effort only caused more pain, until she was heaving and panting so loudly that he moved back. His hands were on her arms now, shaking her gently until she looked up at him.
“Harper? Are you all right?”
He was speaking. She could hear him, but her vision had gone blurry and her body began to shake. She wasn’t all right. After all this time, she still wasn’t all right.
“I have to go,” Harper finally managed to say.
She pushed at his arms and eased off the truck when he dropped his hands from her and took a step back.
“Harper,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
She was already walking away from him when she heard the words. There’d never been an apology before. She would have liked one, but it never came.
“Good night, Garrek,” she said and walked as fast as she could—refusing to run again—until she was at the house.
There, she took the front steps two at a time and quickly crossed the wood-plank porch until she reached the screen door. Inside, she ran. Straight upstairs to the room that had belonged to her since she was five years old. Once there, Harper closed the door and fell back against it. She stuffed her fist into her mouth to stifle the cry of pain and sorrow, and, yes, of regret. Because no matter how hard she tried, no matter how hard she worked, Harper knew she would never get over her past. And as long as she couldn’t get over her past, dreaming about doing more with a man like Garrek was not a possibility.
* * *
A week had passed since Harper had spoken to Garrek. She’d seen him, because she worked at his brother’s house five days a week and because Temptation was a very small town. Especially when there was someone to be avoided.
She should be used to it by now—the flaming feeling surfacing in her cheeks and the sweaty palms. She was a mess and was smart enough to admit that, at least to herself. But she didn’t have to show it.
All week long, Harper had gone to work and focused solely on her job. From the time she was thirteen years old and spent the day at her uncle Giff’s lumberyard, she knew she’d found her refuge. She gained a feeling of accomplishment from building something new. Planning how it would look and then working with her hands to see that it came to fruition.
It was that summer when she’d followed her uncle from one end of the lumberyard to the other, riding with him as he delivered pieces of furniture he made, or shipments of lumber that went to construction sites in neighboring towns, that she’d decided what her future would be. At that moment, she’d committed herself to learning everything about the construction business so that one day she could build on her own. New homes, renovations, upgrades—all of it had been her goal. And finally, that day had come.
The Taylor house was the biggest project for her two-year-old company to date. And Harper knew that having this job turn out well and gaining a recommendation from Gray Taylor was going to put her into the big league. With Gray’s connections around the world, she was sure to pick up more jobs in the Virginia area, and for Harper, that meant everything. Even Morgan’s word carried weight in this town. Most of the women had already adored Morgan as she taught their children at the elementary school. As for the men, they’d come to rally behind Morgan some months back when she and Gray had uncovered the connection between Harry Reed and Gray’s former assistant, Kym Hutchins. Those two had been arrested for burning down the community center.
Harper had always liked Morgan’s friendly nature. She enjoyed Morgan’s sister, Wendy, as well, and had often sat with the ladies at town meetings and church functions because nobody seemed to bother them. That was most likely because Ida Mae Bonet was known for protecting her granddaughters like a regal mother hen. Harper loved Ms. Ida, especially since she’d grown up without the benefit of her own mother or grandmother.
Jaclyn Presley had died from complications of pneumonia when Harper was just four years old. And since her father was stationed overseas at the time, Harper had been taken in by her uncle Giff and aunt Laura, who were still living in the farmhouse her grandparents had bought thirty years before. When her aunt and uncle finally found their own home, Harper hadn’t wanted to leave the farm, and rather than cause her any more distress, Linus Presley had announced that she would live right there with him.
Harper had grown to love that big rambling house that sat on sixty-four acres of land. She’d also enjoyed being out at the farm, away from all the whispers and stares of the townspeople. That was when she was young; now that she was an adult, Harper recognized the need to hold her head up high and conduct herself with the highest level of professionalism and integrity, even if most of the time she felt like slapping every one of the busybodies who commented on her single status and so-called boyish appearance.
“Mama says we have to be careful not to get the white dirty,” a small girl’s voice spoke.
It was a pleasant sound that effectively interrupted Harper’s thoughts.
“Oh, but I used a washable paint, so things like fingerprints and smudges can be easily wiped off,” Harper told Lily, who had quietly come out onto the back porch where she was working today.
Morgan wanted an enclosed porch that would provide an outdoor space her family could enjoy no matter the weather. So Harper followed the original slanted roofline, repairing all the existing shingles and then adding new, more supportive beams to the entire structure. French doors led down the double-wide stairs into the backyard. The furniture—a complete living room set and six-foot table with benches—would be delivered tomorrow. Royal blue and yellow would be the accent colors out here.
“Jack’s messy when he paints,” Lily added as she held her doll close.
The little girl wore pale green shorts and a white shirt with green-and-yellow polka dots. She was only five years old but had a mature way about her that reminded Harper of herself when she was younger. Only for Harper, there had been no playing with dolls or dressing up. She’d had nobody to do that with, since her cousins were boys.
“It’ll be fine,” Harper told her. “I’m sure you’ll teach him how to be neat.”
Lily nodded and walked to the other end of the porch. She was adorable, her little hands lightly touching the knob on one of the French doors. Harper had just finished inspecting the floors. They’d decided on wooden planks with a worn look that would continue the rustic-chic decor that Morgan had implemented throughout the house. Because they were on a tight schedule, yesterday’s installation had been done during hours of thunderstorms and humidity. Today, Harper wanted to make sure there was no buckling.
“Boys are hard to teach,” Lily announced.
Harper couldn’t help but smile at the comment. “You might be right about that.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I learn pretty quickly.”
Harper spun around so fast at that voice, she stumbled back against the corner wall where she’d been standing.
“Uncle Garrek!” Lily exclaimed before running across the floor to jump up into his arms.
He lifted her high above his head, and she giggled. Harper righted herself and swallowed. She had to get herself together, or Garrek Taylor was sure to think she was as flighty as they came in this town.
“Ready for our picnic?” Garrek asked Lily when he’d settled her on his hip.
Harper tried to go on with her work, moving to another corner and then pulling out her tape measure to be sure the table that Morgan had insisted on was going to fit on this side of the porch.
“Yup. I’m ready,” Lily replied.
Harper was leaning over slightly to read the measurements on the tape when she suddenly felt warm.
“Are you ready, Harper?” he asked about two seconds before she quickly stood upright and found her backside flush against his front.
“Whoa,” Garrek said with a chuckle as his arm wrapped easily around her waist, holding her to him. “Be careful. Wouldn’t want y
ou to hurt yourself.”
He’d whispered those last words in her ear, and Harper had immediately moved out of his reach as the warmth traveled quickly down her side. Where was Lily? Hadn’t Garrek just been holding her in his arms? If so, how could he now be standing so close...too close to her?
Harper spotted Lily standing a few feet away from them and quickly cleared her throat before speaking, “Ah, I’m...um, yes, I’m ready to finish up my work here. I also have to check in on the progress of the playroom and...”
“You gotta eat like the rest of the staff,” Lily stated. “That’s what Uncle Garrek said.”
Harper looked to Garrek, who had glanced from his niece and back to Harper with a sheepish grin.
“We’ll fix a nice lunch and take it down to the lake,” he said.
“She won’t say no because she usually eats when the rest of the staff does.” The child even attempted to mimic her uncle’s voice as she spoke.
Harper might have smiled at that if Lily’s diatribe didn’t give away Garrek’s duplicity.
“Did I get it right, Uncle Garrek?” Lily finished, looking up at Garrek earnestly when the silence stretched on.
Garrek chuckled and then nodded to his niece. “You got it just right, pretty girl.”
“I don’t understand,” Harper said, even though she thought she was close to figuring it out.
Garrek was going to ask her to lunch. The question now was, would she go?
“We want you to come have lunch with us,” Lily announced.
If Harper wasn’t feeling so uneasy, she might have been amused by the slightly exasperated look Lily was now giving her.
“Oh, no, I have too much work to do, Lily. But it’s a lovely day, so you two should go ahead and enjoy yourselves,” Harper told her quickly.