Seeds of Desire

by Karenna Colcroft

  She yanked the door open, stepped into the hall and slammed it shut on his protest.

  Back in her own room, she curled up on the bed and shut her eyes tightly against the tears that threatened. She hadn’t wanted the evening to end this way. Hadn’t meant to hurt Jared. Or herself.

  She’d tried so hard to keep her distance from him, both because of his arrogance and because she had to work with him, and look where it had left her.

  Her body still tingled with the remnants of her climax. Her cunt still contracted slightly. If she hadn’t walked out on him the way she had, she might have waited ’til they recovered, then fucked him again.

  She couldn’t let that happen. Maybe she didn’t hate him. Deep inside her heart, she knew she didn’t. That didn’t mean she had feelings for him, though. They worked together. That was all, assuming she hadn’t just ruined their working relationship by fucking his brains out.

  Gradually, her breathing returned to normal. She stared at the darkness of her room until exhaustion and embarrassment forced her eyes closed and she slept.

  Chapter Four

  Cassidy woke early the next morning, an unfamiliar ache between her legs. For a moment she stared at the ceiling, trying to place herself.

  Then the events of the previous night flooded back and she rolled over to bury her face in her pillow. I fucked Jared Jackson. How the hell am I supposed to look him in the eye this morning?

  She needed a shower. That would wake her up enough to think rationally.

  She rose and rummaged in her suitcase for the baggy faded jeans and sweatshirt she wore for gardening. The clothes would be perfect for tree planting. She didn’t care enough about them to worry about how filthy they might become.

  After a nice, hot shower she felt more alert and less sore. Her racing mind had settled after she remembered that she’d ordered Jared never to mention what they’d done. If he was smart, he’d follow that order, and as long as he didn’t bring it up, she would be able to keep her business face firmly in place.

  Once she was ready, shoulder-length blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, she left her room and headed for the motel office, where a sign promised “Contnental Breakfast”. She shook her head at the sign. Hopefully it would be better than the spelling.

  She’d just sat down with a cup of tea and a toasted bagel when Jared came in. He half-staggered to the coffeepot and filled two of the small foam cups, then carried both of them to Cassidy’s table and sat across from her. He didn’t quite manage to look her in the eye.

  “I don’t drink coffee,” she said, refusing to react any more strongly to his presence.

  “No kidding,” he muttered. “These are both for me.” He drained a third of one cup and set it down. “Caffeine. I should mainline the stuff.” He blinked at her through sleep-bleared eyes. “You look way too perky in the mornings, have I told you that?”

  “I don’t think you usually see me this early in the morning.”

  Jared nodded and polished off the first cup of coffee. “True.” He gave her an appraising look. “You must be pretty damn sexy with your hair all messy, before you get up and make yourself presentable.”

  She rolled her eyes, ignoring the tingle in her belly at his implied compliment. He’d come just a bit too close to a reminder of their encounter and she definitely didn’t want to let him—or herself—continue that train of thought. “Drink more coffee, because I don’t think you’d have said that if you’d had enough caffeine.”

  He grinned and picked up his second cup. “Probably not. My internal censor goes on the blink when I’m tired. If I’d had more coffee, I would have just thought that instead of saying it.”

  The man was incorrigible. Not only had she insulted him the night before, she’d gone to his room and fucked him silly, all the while ordering him around and being pretty much a bitch. And yet here he sat flirting with her.

  Of course, getting off twice the night before had probably put him in a pretty damn good mood.

  He took another swig of coffee. “So what time does the planting fun start?”

  Thank god. Back to business. “Nine o’clock.” Cassidy checked her watch. “We have about an hour to finish our breakfasts and drive out to the site.”

  “Think any of the people who signed up will actually show?”

  None of them had seemed especially thrilled with the idea. However, curiosity went a long way, and she knew the townspeople were curious about their motives. “Some of them, probably,” she said noncommittally. “Maybe even most of them. They’ll want to know exactly what we’re doing, and you may have convinced a few that they actually have a chance to find jobs with JaBro.”

  “A few of them do, if they have any experience,” he replied firmly. “I didn’t lie to them, Cass. Dad said if anyone seemed to have a good work ethic and had worked in construction in the past, he’d take their applications, at least.” He paused. “We have a couple road repair projects coming up in the area, and it’s cheaper to hire local labor than to find housing for our regular employees.”

  Confused, she said, “I thought you only worked in the southern part of the state.”

  “We’re expanding.” He didn’t sound impressed about it. “A couple companies around here have gone out of business, and Dad and the uncles are taking up the slack. You should know all this. You do work for us, after all.”

  “I don’t work for you.” She found the idea offensive. Maybe JaBro helped her pay her bills, but she didn’t consider herself their employee. That would give them a level of power over her that she didn’t want anyone to have. “I consult for you. I work for myself. Unless the road repairs impact the environment, which they shouldn’t since the roads already exist, I don’t need to know where you’re taking over next.”

  “All right, all right. Nitpick much?” He finished off the second cup and stared glumly at the dregs at the bottom. “At any rate, yeah, anyone who shows up can fill out an application, and anyone who has the experience JaBro is looking for might end up with a job. At least a temporary one. So hopefully we’ll have some kind of turnout.”

  “You’d better hope so.” She nodded toward his shirt, a button-down blue oxford that augmented his blue eyes perfectly. With it he wore slacks similar to what he’d had on for their town meeting the night before. Even on a day like this, the man had to show off his wardrobe. Maybe she would teach him how to dress properly for planting, since they would have to do this in other towns too. She could take him back to his room right now and unbutton his shirt, slip it off and let it fall to the floor. His slacks would come off next, revealing— She stopped herself before she could picture him in boxers or briefs, whichever he wore today. “Otherwise that nice shirt and pants of yours will be ruined, because you’ll end up having to do some of the planting. You have jeans with you, right?”

  He looked down at himself. “I’m the rep, not the heavy labor. I have to look professional.”

  “If you expect these people to take you seriously, you need to be both,” she countered. “Think about it. They’re all blue-collar, down-to-earth people who are used to working hard for a living.” Okay, she might be stereotyping. But having grown up in a town like this, she had a pretty good sense of the people around here. “You waltz out there in a suit and tie and their first instinct is going to be to brush you off. You’re nothing like them, and they know that.”

  “You wore a suit last night too,” he argued.

  “Yes, and I’m a woman.” She chuckled. “That’s different. Women are seen as foreign anyway. Besides, look at me today. Do I look all citified and stuff?”

  He snorted. “Yeah, you’re definitely foreign. And far from citified.” He scanned her outfit.

  She blinked. Is he putting me down or checking me out? She wasn’t sure what to think.

  “Okay, so we’ll finish eating and head over to the site. Our prep people are probably there already anyway.”

  “I hope the nursery people are too.” She took
her cell phone out of her pocket, though she didn’t dial the nursery’s number. She didn’t want to seem too paranoid. “It wouldn’t work out too well if we had people there to plant trees that haven’t shown up yet.”

  They’d arranged with a nursery an hour south to bring up as many saplings as they could load onto their own delivery truck and a few of JaBro’s flatbeds. The nursery owner hadn’t seemed confident of his ability to provide so many saplings. The amount of money JaBro had offered him had convinced him to try.

  “Shouldn’t be a problem,” Jared assured her. “The guy positively drooled when we quoted him a price. And he knows if he does well this time, we’ll hire him on for the other tree-planting gigs.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Is that all the planting is to you, a gig?”

  He sighed. “Don’t even start, Miss Consultant.” He stood and tossed the empty coffee cups into a nearby trashcan. “Come on, let’s go.”

  They arrived at the planting site at quarter past eight. Small spots of green where the plants encouraged by JaBro’s people’s work had begun to grow broke up the monotony of the bare brown earth. A few straggly bushes lined the perimeter. Inside the space, the ground waited to accept the saplings and seeds.

  Several trucks had lined up around the outside of the area and two had parked within the boundaries of the planting range, heavy tires denting the soil.

  Cassidy jumped out of the car before Jared shut it off and ran to those trucks, fists clenched. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she yelled.

  “Easy, lady,” one of the drivers said. “We’re helping with the trees, obviously.”

  “You’re parked where the trees are supposed to go,” she snarled through gritted teeth. “Get these things out of here!”

  He gave her a “you can’t be serious” look. “Last time I checked, we worked for JaBro,” he snapped. “Who the hell are you?”

  “She’s in charge here.” Jared came up beside her, eyes flashing. “If she tells you to move your trucks, you move the goddamn trucks. Planting all the trees in the world won’t do any good if you ruin the ground where we’re supposed to plant them.”

  “All right,” the driver muttered. He started the truck and ground it into gear. “Christ.”

  “Watch your language. There’s a lady present.” Jared winked at Cassidy.

  Ignoring him, the driver motioned to his buddy and the two of them pulled their trucks into line with the rest.

  “Thanks,” Cassidy said to Jared.

  He gave her a half bow. “No problem. I have to keep my consultant happy.”

  Their eyes met and a sudden current shot through her from her cunt straight up to her heart. A connection she’d never felt to Jared before. For the first time, she and Jared were on the same page. She judged from his frown that he’d felt it too.

  Before she could let her bewilderment show, Cassidy turned away. “Let’s get to work.”

  Within the next hour, many more vehicles showed up, mostly four-wheel-drive pickups and SUVs, with a few old backyard clunkers thrown in. Most belonged to the townspeople who’d signed up to volunteer or who had decided to help out because their neighbors had signed up. A couple of trucks from local TV stations joined them. No surprise there. Of course Jared would have alerted the media to this grand display of altruism on the part of JaBro Corporation.

  At nine-fifteen, on a signal from Jared, one of the dump truck drivers blew his truck’s horn, attracting everyone’s attention and silencing some of the chatter.

  “Welcome!” Jared climbed up onto a flatbed, disregarding his dress slacks, and raised his voice to be heard above the crowd. “If we can just have your attention for a few minutes, we’ll be able to start.”

  Gradually everyone quieted. Respectful hands helped Cassidy up onto the flatbed.

  “Thank you for coming,” she said, trying to make her voice as loud as Jared’s and not quite succeeding. She scanned the crowd, the men, women and few children from the town and the JaBro employees, and wished she’d taken time to prepare another speech. She sucked at improvisation. She gulped and went on, “This is going to be a wonderful day for your town and for JaBro. Together we can counter the damage done by the ice storm and bring a little more green to the area.”

  Jared stepped up beside her. Thank goodness. He must have realized how much she was struggling to find the right words to say.

  “The folks from Killarney’s Greenhouses are here to help with the planting,” he boomed. “We ask that you follow their instructions. Any child under sixteen must have the direct supervision of an adult, and only those over eighteen can use any power equipment. Don’t try to trick us, and kids, don’t try to trick your parents. Adults are smarter than you think.” That earned a cheerful laugh from the crowd, and once again Cassidy found herself impressed by how well Jared handled the public.

  His confidence was pretty damn hot.

  “Please form an orderly line at one of Killarney’s trucks and we’ll start handing out the saplings and shovels,” Jared instructed. “Once you’re ready, our environmental consultant Cassidy Shelton will do the honors of planting the first tree.”

  Under the guidance of the greenhouse employees, people picked up plants and equipment and spread out around the area. They looked expectantly at Cassidy, who waited until everyone had their things and a spot before she accepted a shovel and sapling from one of the JaBro men. Jared helped her down from the flatbed and led her to a clear patch of ground. Cassidy raised the shovel above her head and said loudly, “Here’s to a new future for your town!” The crowd cheered and Cassidy blushed and dug the shovel into the ground.

  She and Jared took turns digging until they created a hole deep enough for the sapling. One of the greenhouse workers helped them settle the tree, then Cassidy replaced the dirt around it. More cheers went up from the crowd and she grinned. Apparently, the trees meant a lot to these people, who’d had nothing attractive to look at in the three years since the storm. Despite her dislike of large groups, she couldn’t deny the pleasure their approval brought her.

  For the rest of the morning, she and Jared wandered the site, checking in with townspeople and watching the new woods take shape. Occasionally, their arms brushed against each other or she caught him glancing at her, and each time she tingled. What the hell is going on here?

  Jared made small talk with some of the adults on the site, while Cassidy admired the work the children showed off. As the workers set more saplings in the ground, the area began to resemble the woods that had occupied the space before the ice storm, albeit with much smaller trees. The greenhouse workers had mapped out the site to avoid the chance of artificial rows, instead ensuring that the scattering of trees looked natural.

  The atmosphere became that of a celebration as the barren site took on shades of green. Everyone cooperated with one another. Cassidy even saw a few of the JaBro men sharing coffee and snacks with some of the townspeople, since JaBro’s corporate headquarters hadn’t seen fit to provide refreshments for the planting as they had for the meeting.

  As she and Jared walked over to see a sapling a little girl wanted to show them, Cassidy tripped. As the ground rushed up to meet her, her heart pounded and she threw out her hands to catch herself. Of all the clumsy, stupid— She didn’t react fast enough and landed flat on her stomach with her face gashed on the sharp edge of a spade that had been left lying on the ground.

  Fuck, it hurts! She groaned and tried to stand until the pain sent a jolt of dizziness through her. “Cassidy, lie still,” Jared urged her. “You’re bleeding. We’re calling 9-1-1.”

  “No, we aren’t,” someone else contradicted. “Cell phones don’t work out here.”

  Cassidy became dimly aware of a child crying nearby. The little girl who’d wanted to show her the sapling, probably. “Take the kid away,” she mumbled, her words slurred by pain and her position.

  Jared turned and relayed her order. “Take that kid out of here. She doesn’t need to se
e this.”

  “I’m sorry!” It sounded as if the child was standing right beside Cassidy. Without being able to turn her head, Cassidy didn’t know for sure. The child sobbed, “Daddy told me to pick up the shovel. I didn’t mean her to get hurt.”

  “It isn’t your fault, sweetheart,” Jared said gently. “Accidents happen. I’m not telling you to go away because I’m mad at you. It’s just that this is kind of scary and I think you probably shouldn’t see it. Okay?” He kept his voice calm and soft.

  It impressed Cassidy, even through the pain haze, and she revised her belief that he didn’t like kids.

  “Okay.” The little girl sniffled.

  Hoping to reassure the child, Cassidy again tried to rise. This time, hands held her down. “Lie still, damn it,” Jared murmured. He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face, taking the sting from his tone. “You’re hurt. Just wait a minute.” He raised his voice. “Hey, if cell phones don’t work around here, how the hell do you call an ambulance?”

  “Most of us have them old-fashioned landline phones,” someone muttered. “Why don’t you try having one of your drivers radio?”

  “Yeah.” Jared sounded distracted. “Good idea. Cassidy, if you try to move, I’ll fire you. I’ll be right back.”

  “Stay with her.” The mutterer sounded a little more sympathetic now. “I’ll go.”

  “This is uncomfortable as hell.” Cassidy shifted her weight a bit, careful not to move her head even though most of the discomfort focused there. “Damn thing.”

  “Your face is on a shovel,” Jared said, sarcasm tingeing his voice. “More to the point, you’re bleeding on a shovel.” Taking her hand, he spoke more kindly. “We can’t move you, Cass. I can’t tell how bad you’re hurt, and since it’s a head injury, if we let you move, the paramedics would probably have our hides.”

  “No paramedics up here,” someone corrected. “EMTs, mostly.”

  “And let me guess, the nearest hospital’s an hour away,” Jared snapped.

  “Pretty close,” the other voice said evenly. “More like fifty minutes by car. A little less by ambulance. Not a hospital, really, either. Just a health center. They send a helicopter if someone’s hurt real bad, take the person to Bangor or Portland. I don’t think she needs that, though.”