The Clockwork House

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘A valid point,’ he nodded.

  ‘Come on then?’ she challenged him, ‘unless you’re chicken?’

  His green eyes narrowed once again as he kicked off his shoes and peeled off his socks. Next went the jacket and shirt, followed by his jeans until he stood in front of her interested gaze in nothing but tight black boxers.

  She lifted an eyebrow in challenge.

  ‘Yeah, yeah,’ he shook his head. ‘Turn around, the water’s probably freezing, and I won’t be looking my best.’

  She threw her head back with a silvery peal of laughter before turning and diving into the water.

  Yanking his boxers down and kicking them off he ran for the water.

  ‘Shit… cold… cold…cold,’ he chanted until he was far enough out to dive cleanly in and swim out to the rock.

  She watched, treading water comfortably while he lathered up and soaped his body, pleasantly surprised to find his tall slim frame, which tended toward lanky, was actually hard and wiry with flat washboard abs and a delicious v which disappeared down below the water line.

  ‘You know you’re pretty fit for a teacher,’ she mused.

  ‘Don’t objectify me,’ his mouth curved in amusement, ‘anyway, I may teach English, but I also coach the swim team.’

  ‘Looks good on you.’

  ‘So, you do this often?’ he asked as he washed and scrubbed his hair.

  ‘What? Roll in dead fish guts and get naked with the local teaching faculty.’

  ‘No,’ he snorted, ‘bathe in the ocean. I have to say, it’s a completely new experience for me.’

  ‘I’ve done it a few times since I’ve been here,’ she admitted, ‘before I didn’t have an alternative. This time, I didn’t want to stink up the shower in the RV. It’s a pretty confined space and I needed to wash Bailey too. This seemed like the best option.’

  ‘Sensible.’

  ‘So why the swim team?’ she asked.

  ‘It was the only sport in high school I didn’t suck at,’ he replied with a laugh. ‘Killian ran track and field, played football and basketball. My idea of working out was turning the pages of a comic book but put me in the water and I was unstoppable.’

  Ducking under the water he rinsed off the last of the shampoo and as his head broke the surface and he took a deep breath he swam over to her. He ached to reach for her, to pull her body in until they were pressed tightly to each other as they sank beneath the waves, but he didn’t. He respected her boundaries even if she was the most tempting thing, he’d ever seen in his life.

  They splashed and played like kids, laughing like idiots until the sun went down, the temperature dipped, and they were losing the light. Wrapped in nothing but towels, they gathered up their ruined clothes and chased each other up the stone steps to the cliff top, before finally collapsing in the back of Ava’s truck, still wrapped in their towels, with Bailey spread out across their legs as they shared a bottle of Don Julio and watched the stars winking to life in the vast indigo sky.

  Neither of them noticed as the front door of the house swung slightly open, nor did they see the small child like footprints and a trail of broken seashells leading into the house.

  9

  Kelley groaned at the loud thumping sound; his head was splitting as he threw his hand up to protect his eyes against the harsh glare of the blazing sunlight, but merely succeeded in slapping himself in the face.

  He murmured a soft Ow and began to half doze once again.

  He was aware of the warmth of the sun against his bare skin and the cold hard metal of the truck bed at his back. He swallowed tightly, his mouth dry and still tasting of tequila.

  His arm was dead from being pinned beneath another body. He didn’t need to open his eyes to know who it was. She was curled into his side, naked skin pressed to his where their towels had slipped and gone askew during the night while they’d slept or passed out drunk. He wasn’t sure which had come first. At some point one of them had pulled a rough old blanket from the truck bed over them but again he couldn’t quite recall who.

  He could feel the heavy weight of Bailey over his legs, her body rocking slightly as her tail wagged, banging lightly against the side of the truck in a steady rhythm.

  Aware he should probably move or something, he shifted slightly but Ava mumbled something unintelligible and snuggled closer. Her hair wrapped around him in long fragrant ropes, smelling of the sea, which once again made him think of mermaids, which inevitably led back to him picturing her naked in the dark water of the cove.

  He’d move in a minute…

  He was just drifting back off when the loud thumping began again. It took him a second for his hungover brain to realize it wasn’t pounding inside his skull but at the side of the truck they were currently sleeping in. Cracking open one bloodshot eye he winced against the bright glare stabbing his eyeball like a thousand tiny sadistic pins.

  Damn Don Julio.

  He felt Bailey leap up, this time her whole body wagging in excitement as she leaned over the side of the truck. Pulling himself up onto his elbows, Kelley blinked a couple of times as his eyes slowly began to focus and found himself staring at a beige clad chest and an official looking badge. His gaze slowly traveled up the length of a freshly pressed uniform before stopping on a familiar face shaded by a wide brimmed sheriff’s hat.

  ‘Uh…’

  ‘Morning Kelley,’ the deep voice rumbled.

  ‘Hi Dad…’ Kelley swallowed thickly.

  ‘DAD?’ Ava shot up next to him clutching the blanket to her chest, her eyes wide with embarrassment.

  She blinked her gritty eyes a couple of times, but the hallucination wouldn’t clear. There was an extremely good-looking older guy standing at the side of her truck, with the same trademark smile and green eyes as Kelley. His skin was tanned a pleasing caramel color and his gray shot hair was combed neatly beneath his hat.

  He watched her with an unreadable expression as he petted her dog. Bailey woofed in greeting and relished the attention.

  ‘You must be the Miss Cortez I’ve been hearing so much about,’ he offered his hand.

  ‘Um humm,’ she nodded slowly, her voice disappearing as she shook his hand, clutching onto the blanket for dear life in case she accidentally flashed the local Sheriff, who also appeared to be Kelley’s father, apparently.

  ‘August Ryan,’ he introduced himself, ‘but most folks around here call me Gus. I see you’re already well acquainted with my boy.’ He nodded toward Kelley who was yawning silently.

  ‘Dad, what are you doing up here?’ he squinted, wishing he had his glasses.

  ‘Got a call from Francis down at the Pack and Plate yesterday afternoon, says there was an incident involving you, a woman and a dog.’

  ‘Yeah sorry about that,’ Kelley sat up, ‘we’ll go down and apologize later.’

  ‘Oh God, I really am sorry about that,’ Ava flushed. ‘You can blame that giant idiot there; she can’t resist fish gut aroma. If it stinks you bet your ass, she’s gonna roll in it. I may never get the smell out of my truck.’

  Gus laughed, a slow warm rumble in his chest as his eyes twinkled in amusement. He reached out and ruffled Bailey’s fur.

  ‘She sure is a big girl.’

  ‘Yeah well,’ Ava muttered sourly, ‘she is half moose.’

  He chuckled again.

  ‘Are you two going to get dressed? Or am I going to have to haul you in for public indecency?’

  ‘Last I checked this was private property,’ Kelley replied easily.

  ‘Tell that to your brother, who was heading up behind me with a full crew and several large trucks of equipment.’

  ‘SHIT.’ Ava’s eyes widened as she leapt up and shuffled to the end of the truck, grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around herself as she slid off the tailgate and dashed for the RV, leaving Kelley scrambling to cover himself with the small towel.

  ‘I like her,’ Gus watched as the door to the RV slammed shut. ‘Make sure you bring
your girl home to meet your mama.’

  ‘She’s not my girl,’ he flashed a cheeky grin, ‘but I’m working on it.’

  ‘So I see,’ he sighed. ‘Just keep the public nudity to a minimum.’

  ‘You got it,’ he climbed down from the truck carefully, wearing nothing but the towel knotted around his waist.

  ‘Where are your clothes?’ Gus frowned.

  ‘In the trunk of my car covered in fish guts and goop.’

  Gus shook his head slowly.

  ‘Honestly Kelley, I don’t know how you get yourself into these messes sometimes. It’s like the spring formal all over again.’

  ‘Hey, that wasn’t my fault,’ Kelley protested.

  Suddenly he felt a tug and the towel loosened around his hips. It slid from his skin and he just about managed to snag it in time, holding it up in front of himself as Bailey growled and pulled on the other end.

  ‘Bailey, ah shit…. cut it out, will you?’ he swore as he yanked hard on the towel.

  She growled again playfully, her tail wagging as she enjoyed their impromptu game of tug of war.

  ‘I’m serious,’ he hissed to the dog as his father stood back with his arms crossed, his eyes filled with amusement. ‘Um a little help here?’

  ‘Sorry son,’ he shook his head. ‘You got yourself into this mess, you get yourself out.’

  ‘That’s just cruel,’ Kelley scowled.

  ‘It’s character building,’ Gus informed him.

  Suddenly Kelley heard the loud blare of a horn and several trucks rumbling into the clearing. Bailey gave a final yank and the towel slid from his grasp as he tried to cover himself.

  ‘BAILEY!’ he growled as she pranced out of reach with the spoils of war dangling from her mouth like a 1st place ribbon.

  Spinning around, he searched frantically for something to cover himself with. He ended up grabbing the nearest item, which happened to be one of Ava’s brand-new frying pans which were stacked next to the fire pit. He held it in front of him like a shield.

  The trucks parked up one by one and doors began to open as the crew piled out, laughing openly and wondering what the hell they’d just walked into.

  Killian climbed out and headed over with a wide grin, as he nodded first to his dad then to his naked twin.

  ‘What the hell did you do this time?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Kelley replied, tilting his chin and trying for as much dignity as he could manage while wearing nothing but a kitchen utensil.

  Killian lifted his phone and Kelley heard the unmistakable click.

  ‘Oh, come on,’ he whined.

  ‘You wait till Hope sees this,’ Killian snorted.

  ‘Very responsible,’ Kelley scowled. ‘You know there’s a very real possibility she could end up laughing her way into premature labor.’

  ‘Thanks for the concern,’ Killian smirked, ‘but trust me Bean and Button aren’t in any hurry, a fact Hope reminds me of at least every half hour.’

  Kelley glowered at his brother as he lifted his phone and snapped another picture.

  ‘That one’s for Grandma.’

  ‘Oh great,’ Kelley rolled his eyes, ‘just give the old lady a heart attack, why don’t you?’

  ‘Oh please, it’s not like she hasn’t seen you naked.’

  ‘Yeah when I was like five,’ Kelley snapped.

  ‘All right that’s enough you two,’ Gus intervened.

  The sound of a door rattling had him looking across to the RV. Killian watched the look on his brother’s face with great interest as Ava climbed down the steps. She was wearing denim shorts and a tank, but her red sneakers, which were now ruined, had been replaced with army boots. She scraped her long thick wild hair back, wrapping it into a messy knot.

  ‘Dude you’re drooling,’ Killian whispered in amusement.

  ‘Huh?’ Kelley replied, not listening to a word he was saying.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Ava stopped in front of him and glanced down at her new frying pan.

  ‘Bailey stole my towel,’ he admitted sheepishly, ‘she has a freakishly strong grip with her jaw. You sure she’s not part python?’

  Ava’s lips twitched as she turned and tucking her fingers into her mouth, she let out the loudest, shrillest whistle he’d ever heard. After a few seconds Bailey bounded back into view still carrying the towel which now looked as if it had been chewed to death in a shark attack.

  ‘Hand it over,’ she stared Bailey down, who let out a token woof of resistance. ‘Bailey,’ she warned.

  Trotting over reluctantly she spat the soggy mess at Kelley’s feet.

  He leaned down ignoring the loud wolf whistle behind his bare ass and picked up the towel, dangling it between his fingertips.

  ‘Thanks,’ he replied dryly as he stared down at the dog who looked completely unrepentant. ‘I don’t suppose you have another one?’

  ‘Sorry,’ Ava replied trying not to smile, ‘hang on a minute though.’

  She disappeared back into the RV, reappearing moments later with the small tartan blanket they’d been sharing.

  ‘All right boys, show’s over,’ she dismissed them.

  ‘She’s right,’ Killian decided to take pity on his brother. ‘Let’s get set up and get to work.’

  They all moved away murmuring amongst themselves as Ava approached Kelley and stopped directly in front of him, with barely a few inches between them as she glanced down.

  ‘That a frying pan in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?’

  ‘Both,’ he smiled slowly.

  She leaned in and wrapped the blanket around the back of him, covering his rather fine ass as he lifted the frying pan and she continued to wrap the blanket around him like a kilt.

  ‘There,’ she smiled as he handed her the frying pan, ‘very William Wallace.’

  ‘So, you do read.’

  ‘No,’ she laughed lightly, ‘Mel Gibson fan.’

  ‘Mel really?’ he asked in disbelief.

  ‘’Fraid so,’ she nodded.

  ‘Thank you for coming to my rescue,’ he swayed closer to her.

  ‘You’re welcome,’ the barest hint of a dimple appeared in her left cheek as she looked up at him. ‘Sorry I abandoned you, I panicked.’

  He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

  Impulsively she rose up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek, feeling the rough scratch of a day-old stubble against her lips.

  ‘I think we can do better than that,’ he murmured, enchanted by her.

  Every thought drained from her mind as his lips pressed against her mouth, soft and warm. The whole world seemed to tilt as he wrapped his arms around her and dipped her backward sinking deeper into the kiss. It was only when she heard the familiar click of a camera, they both looked up, blinking like deer caught in a set of headlights as she still clutched the frying pan.

  ‘That’s one for the family album,’ Gus grinned.

  ‘Dad,’ Kelley hissed.

  ‘Go on,’ Ava laughed and righted herself, giving him a little shove with the pan. ‘You’d better go find some clothes.’

  ‘I’ll call you later,’ he dropped a light kiss on her lips as he headed toward his car and climbed in.

  ‘Well this is going to be interesting to watch,’ Killian grinned to his father.

  Ava turned around to find the two Ryan men watching her.

  ‘Don’t you both have something to do?’ she asked pointedly, her cheeks flaming slightly with embarrassment.

  ‘As a matter of fact, I do,’ Gus adjusted his gun belt, ‘dinner at our house on Sunday Miss Cortez. Kelley will pick you up.’

  ‘Oh I…’ her brow folded into a frown.

  ‘And welcome to the island,’ he patted her shoulder as he walked past.

  ‘But I…’

  ‘Don’t bother Ava,’ Killian shook his head, ‘it’s easier just to go along with it. Mom makes the best pot roast, and Grandma’s peach cobbler is awesome, but don’t tell Hope I said that. Sh
e’s been trying to perfect her cobbler for the last five years and it always manages to look like it’s been run over by a truck.’

  ‘I feel like I’ve just been run over by a truck,’ Ava frowned.

  ‘It gets easier,’ he laughed. ‘Welcome to island life, where your business is everyone’s business.’

  ‘Kelley said the exact same thing,’ she grumbled.

  ‘Well in this case he’s right,’ Killian grabbed the frying pan she was still holding on to and began to tow her back toward the house. ‘Speaking of business, I’ve got a friend of mine coming in on the afternoon ferry. He’s an architect and trust me when I say you’re going to need one. Once we get inside and shore up the structure, it’s going to need some serious remodeling, but for now we’ll get the fencing down and the scaffolding up. We need to get a good look at the roof. Once we’re sure the house is more or less safe, we’ll start ripping out the guts. We’ll save anything that can be saved but from our preliminary look the other day I can’t say I’m hopeful.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ she shook her head, ‘I’m not sentimental, and I’m also not sure I’m even keeping the house, so do what you need to do.’

  He stopped and turned to stare at her.

  ‘You not planning on staying on island then?’ he asked thoughtfully.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she shrugged glancing round at her cliff top. The portable restrooms were being backed into the clearing strapped to the flat bed of a beeping truck, while several big burly guys were making short work of disassembling the protective metal fences surrounding the property, stacking them up at the edge of the woods.

  Her gaze trailed up the huge, gray, sooty looking building in front of her and her heart gave another dull thud. Once again, she felt that weird little tug, like someone was squeezing her solar plexus.

  ‘It’s a lot of house for just one person,’ she murmured, ‘what would I do with it?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Killian answered as if she’d been speaking to him, instead of musing out loud. ‘Share it?’

  She turned to look at him dryly, her brows rising slowly.

  ‘Just saying,’ he held up his hands, ‘although, you wouldn’t get Kelley through the door. He’s terrified of the ghost of Luella Lynch.’