“I wont drop you,” he smiled at her a split second before lowering his face to hers and kissing her quickly on the lips. “So you need me tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” Anna laughed, her feet touching the ground again. “I need those big manly muscles,” she teased.
Eric slapped her hard across the ass, once, as she turned away. “They are at your service,” he shrugged. “What time?”
“Nine,” she said, moving toward the window at the back and looking out.
“In the morning?” Eric exclaimed, incredulous.
Anna smiled, walking over to him and patting his cheek. “You can use to lose a little beauty sleep,” she said, walking toward the door.
Eric watched her as she stepped onto the top stair. “See you tomorrow, baby.”
Anna left Eric’s feeling lighter. It was strangely nice to just share a quick kiss with someone. A kiss that didn’t ask for anything. A kiss that didn’t demand for more than that.
At a loss for what else to do, she walked back toward her car. As she got closer, she saw Sam leaning against the hood, casually waiting.
When she walked into view, he smiled sweetly at her.
“You look happier,” he remarked as she got closer.
“Thanks to Liam O’reilly,” she said, stopping about a foot in front of him.
“Liam?”
“Yeah he rushed out to tell me that if I remove the salt and the land underneath that the soil wont be ruined.”
Sam’s face lit up. “That’s great news, kid.” He reached for her, pulling her against his chest for a tight hug. “So what’s the plan?”
“Tomorrow at nine,” she said, stepping back from him, partly worried that somehow Eric would see.
“You already lined up recruits?” he asked, chuckling. “That a girl. Who’d you get?”
“Liam. I tricked him into it but he’s coming. And Hank. Devon. And…” her voice trailed off, feeling awkward.
Sam took a deep breath. He knew. Of course he knew. “And Eric,” he supplied for her, his mouth in an uncharacteristically straight line.
Anna looked down at her feet. He was upset about it. She had almost never seen Sam anything but kind and happy. One mention of Eric’s name and he became a different person.
Sam sighed and gently chucked her on the chin. “And me,” he said and was rewarded by her big, grateful smile.
“Thank you,” she said, knowing she meant it in two different ways.
Sam leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Of course.” They climbed into her car and started back toward home. “So none of the town ladies are coming to watch us men work?”
Anna smiled. “Well Maude is coming. She’s bringing the lemonade.”
Sam laughed a sly, knowing laugh. “Of course she is.”
Fourteen
Seven A.M. came fast and Anna climbed out of bed, dragging on clothes while still half asleep. A sharp knock at the door shocked her fully awake.
“Open the door, woman,” Devon’s voice called.
Anna smiled, tripping over Sylvester as she shuffled to the door. There stood Devon in impractically tight dark wash jeans, a white and black checkered shirt, and black loafers. He held a cardboard coffee tray with two large iced coffees already sweating in it.
“I went two towns over to get this,” he told her, stepping past her in the doorway and putting the tray down. He handed one to her. “If today is going to go anything like I think it will, you’re gonna need all the caffeine you can get.”
Anna sipped at the perfectly sweet and creamy coffee with a groan. Devon smiled. “I know… it’s going to be a lot of work.”
“Yeah,” Devon laughed, pulling his horn-rimmed glasses off. “that is not what I meant.”
Anna quickly tried to change the topic. “So why did you agree to come? No offense but you don’t seem like the digging in the dirt kind.”
“No offense taken. I’m not. But like I said… I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress. And,” he said, smiling at her. “I wont be able to get this kind of drama anywhere else.”
“There isn’t going to be any drama,” Anna grumbled.
“Keep telling yourself that,” Devon smiled as he walked around, touching things on shelves like he had been there before.
They both turned toward the window when they heard a door slam in the driveway.
“What is with this town? Do you guys just… like getting up super early?” Anna asked, moving toward the door.
To her surprise, making his way up the path was Aiden.
“Hey sheriff,” Anna said, a question in her voice.
Aiden smiled sheepishly. “I got the strangest call last night. Maude Mays told me my services both personally and professionally would be required here. I don’t have the damndest clue what that means, but I am happy to lend a hand.”
Devon nodded at Aiden who was dressed in loose blue jeans and a green t-shirt that made his hair look even more blonde. “O’reilly and Flynn will be here eventually,” Devon supplied.
A knowing look crossed Aiden’s face. “Ah, I see.”
Liam showed up next looking thoroughly annoyed and out of place. He wore jeans and a t-shirt like usual without his usual grandfather sweater. He nodded to Devon and shook Aiden’s hand before looking at Anna.
“Thanks for coming, Liam. I really appreciate it.”
“Oh no. No thanks,” he sent her a wicked smile that reminded her of his brother. “you’re going to owe me a year’s supply of tea for this.”
Anna laughed happily and all the men looked at her with smiles. “That seems fair,” she conceded as Maude shuffled out of her car.
She was wearing a flowing blue summer dress and oversized hat. “Well,” she shouted. “there are three strong men in there and I need some help with these coolers.”
The second the words were out of her mouth, the men scrambled outside, obliging her every demand. Maude seemed to have a supernatural power over the men in Stars Landing.
They all filed back inside, the walls of the house seeming to close in around them. Maude engaged everyone in conversation as they shuffled from foot to foot. Maude looked over at Anna suddenly, a weird look in her eye. “So it begins,” she said cryptically.
And then Sam was coming in through the back door, stopping in surprise when he saw the packed living room. His eyes landed on Anna’s first before he greeted everyone else.
A few seconds later, there were footsteps on the walk and Anna looked over at Maude who was nodding at her.
Eric stepped into the doorway in a black t-shirt and grease-stained jeans. He had a strange, cocky smile and he winked at Anna. She could practically feel Sam tense up next to her. Eric must have sensed it too because he inclined his head toward Sam, “Flynn,” he said as a greeting.
“Well,” Devon clapped, startling her. “You could cut this tension with a knife,” he supplied and Anna wanted the ground to open up underneath her and swallow her whole.
Eric recovered quickly, his face turning toward Maude with a charming smile. “Miss Maude, I hope you brought some of that famous lemonade,” he said and she almost cackled.
“Save those puppy eyes for someone else, boy. I have your number,” she said but reached for his hand and squeezed it.
“So are we going to get some work done or stand here awkwardly all day?” Liam asked, walking toward the door.
They all followed him out, one big procession of people, three dragging coolers as they walked. “I hope you don’t mind,” Sam started, walking up next to her. “I dropped off some supplies back there earlier. That’s why I was late.”
“Oh my god,” Anna rolled her eyes. “You weren’t late. Literally everyone was over an hour early,” she shook her head and saw him smiling down at her.
They all got to the spot a few minutes later. Sam had driven his truck up onto her property, the bed laid open. All the men climbed effortlessly up and grabbed shovels and pulled a wheelbarrow down. “I figured we would fill this and then s
omeone could scoop all the soil and salt into my truck. I’ll find somewhere to safely dispose of it,” he said, jumping down from the bed with two shovels. Anna reached for one of them and Sam handed it to her.
Anna looked over at Maude who had situated herself on top of one of the coolers looking very calm and comfortable. Her eyes met Anna’s and she grinned. “I’m here for the view,” she winked and Anna laughed.
It was much harder than she had anticipated. She shoved the tip of the shovel into the dirt, putting one foot on the top and pushing. It barely budged. With a frustrated huff, she jumped on it with both feet. As she pulled it up, her arms straining against the heavy grass, she looked around. She felt strangely jealous of the men as they seemed to effortlessly get up huge chunks of land without a problem. Even Liam and Devon who weren’t the type accustomed to manual labor.
It must be nice to be a man, she mused. You were naturally stronger. More emotionally controlled. No one would bat an eye if you dated two women at once.
She looked over at Eric, his forehead beading with sweat as he hauled a huge piece of dirt and grass into the wheelbarrow. He caught her eye as he turned. An infuriatingly cocky eyebrow quirked up and she looked away quickly. But she could hear his chuckle as she jumped again on the shovel.
“Take it easy,” Sam said, walking up next to her, his fingers brushing her hip. “You’re gonna run out of steam fast if you keep digging like that.”
“Easy for you to say with your manly muscles,” she grumbled.
“My manly muscles, huh?” Sam repeated, amused. He reached out, grabbing her bicep and squeezing. “Your girly muscles are doing just fine. I just don’t want you to overdo it. There’s a lot of us here.”
Anna gave him a tight-lipped smile and he walked over to the truck, hauling the contents of the wheelbarrow into it.
Eric walked up next to her, grabbing the handle of her shovel. “Tell you what,” he said, his hand resting on hers for a second before she pulled them away. “I will do the digging part. You do the shoveling it up and getting rid of it part.”
Anna felt her pride prickle up before she pushed it down. “Thanks,” she said, moving away from the shovel stuck in the ground. She was on her third trip over to the wheelbarrow when Devon called her over.
“Do you see this peacocking?” he asked, sweat trickling down the side of his neck.
“This what?”
“Peacocking,” Devon said, looking at her like she was an idiot. “like… strutting. You know like how a male peacock fans out its tail to impress the female peacock?”
“Ah, ok,” Anna said. “But who is peacocking?”
Devon rolled his eyes at her. “Oh please. Don’t tell me you don’t see it. Eric has claimed the space next to you practically since we got here. And Sam finds any excuse he can to talk to you.”
“They’re here to help me,” Anna insisted. “of course they are going to talk to me.”
“Really?” Devon said, smiling. “then how come Aiden and Liam have kept to themselves?”
Anna looked over at them. Aiden was working further away, his shovel going effortlessly into the soil. Liam was also working alone, his face half hidden as his hair fell forward. He was shoving his shovel mercilessly into the dirt. She turned to Devon and shrugged. “They’re… loners.”
“Oh honey,” Devon said and she laughed.
“I’m not late,” a voice called, huffing slightly. Hank was hustling toward them, swatting at the sweat on his brow. “Everyone else was early,” he insisted.
Anna smiled at him as she walked over. “Tell me about it,” she said. “That one was here around seven,” she grimaced, pointing to Devon.
“With coffee,” Devon clarified.
“Well I’m here now. Point me to a shovel.”
Anna handed him hers and stood back helplessly. There wasn’t an extra shovel for her. And it was probably better to let those who could actually make progress with them use them. Anna moved over to where Maude was sitting, still silently watching the men work.
“The point of having men around is to do all the heavy liftin’,” she said as Anna sat on another cooler. “You just sit down and look pretty. That’s all the incentive they need to keep working.”
“I feel guilty just sitting here,” she admitted.
Maude reached over, patting her knee. “I’ll never understand your generation of women,” she said. “You’re all so concerned with being independent women that you fail to realize that men actually like doing things for us.”
“Tell that to Liam,” Anna smirked.
Maude’s eyes went to Liam, working like his life depended on it. “He could have said no. He coulda not shown up. He’s here.”
“The problem with that is,” Anna said looking from Sam to Eric. “they always want something in return.”
Maude’s eyebrow raised. “Not if they raised right they don’t. The boys here,” she said, gesturing toward the field. “I know their mamas and daddies They were raised right.”
“Then how did Eric get such a reputation?”
Maude cackled. “Girl, every man enjoys women. Eric just enjoys all of them. Doesn’t make him a bad man.”
“Then why did you warn me off of him when I first moved here?” she asked, realizing Maude was the first person to ever speak fondly of Eric aside form her.
“There’s a right girl for him. Some day. But I don’t think you have what it takes to make him give up his whoring.”
“Gee thanks,” Anna grumbled, feeling more irritable that usual from the heat.
“Maybe I’m wrong. Mind you that ain’t never happened before,” she shrugged. “but there’s a first time for everything. Oh speak of the devil,” she said as Eric walked toward them.
There was sweat glistened on his forehead, his chest, and arms. He swiped the back of his arm across his face.
“I’m sitting on the lemonade,” Maude said as he stopped in front of them. “she’s sitting on the beers.”
Eric nodded, walking up to Anna. She stood up quickly, but he was right in front of her. Her calves were pushed up against the cooler as Eric squatted down in front of her, his face almost resting against her pelvis. His arms reached around her, opening the cooler and grabbing a bottle. He stood up slowly, his body brushing the front of hers as he did. He stayed there, twisting the top of the beer behind her back and turning his head to the side, taking a long swig. Anna watched his throat move as he swallowed, feeling her own throat go dry.
“You look sexy all sweaty,” he said, offering her the beer.
“Anna,” Sam called from across the half-dug up field.
Anna started, trying to step back and tripping over the cooler. She felt the sick feeling inside of knowing she was going to fall a second before an arm swung around her back and hauled her back onto her feet.
She put a hand to her chest, feeling her heart beating wildly. “You alright baby?” Eric asked.
Anna shook her head slightly, “Yeah, fine. I gotta…” she said, waving her hand toward Sam.
Eric looked over at Sam for a second then looked back at her, smirking. “Of course,” he said, handing her his beer and walking away first.
Maude clicked her tongue. “Yeah yeah I know,” Anna sighed, making her way across the field.
As she passed, Devon coughed under his breath, “Peacocks.”
She laughed, looking over her shoulder. “Shut up you.”
Sam had a v-shaped stain of sweat soaking the chest of his t-shirt and his hair was wet and darker than usual. “What’s up, Sam?” she asked, as she got closer.
“Do you know if Mam has any extra tools laying around? I’m sure she has something in the shed.”
Anna’s eyes went wide, feeling stupid. “Wow I’m an idiot,” she admitted. “I should have thought about that.”
Sam smiled, sitting up on the bed of his truck. “No you’re not. Things were kinda crazy this morning. But if she has shovels, spades, level rakes and especially an extra wheelb
arrow or wagon for carting the stuff to the truck would be great.”
Anna took a swig of the beer in her hand. Sam’s forehead wrinkled up and Anna realized she was drinking out of something Eric had drank out of. In front of Sam. She really needed to get her stuff together. “Okay. I’ll be right back,” she said, walking so quickly she was almost running to get away from everything.
She took her time in the shed, rummaging around despite quickly finding a wheelbarrow and shovels. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t entirely sure what a spade or a level rake was. There were normal leaf-raking rakes in a corner. She shuffled them around finding something with short, strong metal claws and threw it in the wheelbarrow. It certainly looked like something that would be called a level rake.
She rolled the wheelbarrow back toward the crowd, going straight to Sam. “I think I got everything. But no spades,” she shrugged.
Sam smiled, shaking his head and reaching for the handle of something in the wheelbarrow. “This,” he said, holding up a shovel with a flat tip and laughing. “is a spade.”
“Well that’s just stupid,” Anna rolled her eyes. “A spade is a funny round and point shape… like… like a shovel! So shovels should be called spades. And these flat things should be called something less confusing.”
Sam laughed, shaking his head. “I think you’re the only person to be so upset about a spade.” Then he reached out, touching her cheek with his thumb, rubbing. When she looked up at him, her eyes questioning he said, “You have some dirt here.”
For a quick second, everything around them slipped away. The feeling of his skin on her skin sent her memory rushing back to his fingers tickling her thighs, his lips on her breasts, stomach…
His hand dropped down to his side. “Sorry,” he said, looking sheepish. “I didn’t mean to get you all hot and bothered,” he said.
Anna’s breath hissed out of her, feeling embarrassed and more than a little annoyed at being so transparent. “Don’t worry,” she said, sounding haughty. “you didn’t.” She grabbed the perplexing spade and walked over toward where Liam and Hank were working, throwing it into the ground with more force than necessary. As she walked to the wheelbarrow, Aiden caught her eye as she stood up, sending her a knowing look but said nothing. She silently thanked her stars that there were still some of those strong and silent type of men around.
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