With a start, she peeked at her watch. She’d be late for confronting Murphy if she didn’t get a move on. She’d talk with Dad and deal with this other problem later, she decided.
Hopefully, Murphy was on his way into the cabin right now, Kate thought, marching across the construction zone. As if on cue, he appeared at the door of the cabin and halted. Those beautiful green eyes, deep, dark and mesmerizing, were drawing her towards him as his eyes met hers.
And she hesitated, suddenly feeling defenseless.
And vulnerable. She hadn’t asked for this. Murphy was a complication she just didn’t want to have to deal with right now.
Her anger was evident as she strode through the work zone. Silence gradually descended as several members of the crew paused, observing Kate. Obviously intent in her rage, doggedly approaching the cabin, her eyes remained focused on Murphy.
* * *
Kate’s long leggy body was fluid in motion as she stomped up the path in her steel-toed work boots, intent in her rage. And her fiery-blue eyes were focused on him.
Something in his gut clenched. Yeah. Why not admit it? He was so in trouble.
As she continued to approach the cabin, her boots left clouds of dust suspended in the air behind her. When she climbed determinedly up the steps of the porch, he stood waiting dumbly within the open front door.
Coming within inches of Murphy, Kate halted, jabbing her finger into his ribs. “What are you – some kind of an idiot?”
Damn, she was hot. Her jeans were tight over those long, long legs that seemed to go on forever. The T-shirt she wore was tie-dyed blue, and tucked into jeans belted low on slim hips. Even the work boots that would’ve looked clunky and unflattering on any other woman looked sexy as hell on Kate.
Distractedly, Murphy listened as Kate continued her tirade.
“That floor needs to dry at least another forty-eight hours before we can even apply a second coat of polyurethane – let alone walk on it.”
Lifting his boot to move forward, Murphy heard a pop of sticky suction. “Uhh-humm.”
And then he grimaced.
Kate’s gaze immediately dropped down to Murphy’s feet.
Reluctantly following the direction of her gaze, he stared sheepishly down at his boots. “I guess...I didn’t realize...”
Suddenly, she snorted.
Murphy’s eyes jerked up to Kate’s face. She definitely didn’t appear to be angry anymore. He studied her suspiciously when she hastily turned away, covering her face with her hands.
Apparently hearing the commotion, Luke Arnett scrambled up the steps of the porch to join them. Glancing at Murphy’s feet, he gaped. But then he quickly regrouped. When the crew boss peered into the cabin, he began to groan, “Damn it, Murphy. What in the hell have you done now?” He shook his head with exasperation. “Get the hell out of there. Go back out the same way you came in – before you do any more damage. That floor’s gonna need to be sanded right away again once it’s dry.”
Hanging his head, Murphy quickly turned away from Luke’s deprecating stare. Cautiously, he retraced his footsteps back through the cabin and out through the door.
Peeking back, Murphy watched as Luke took a closer look at the damage to the floor.
“Damn.” Luke rubbed a hand over his forehead. “We’re gonna have to start all over. That was the second coat. This could put us at least a week behind, Kate.”
Murphy couldn’t help but cringe when Luke glared at him, when he appeared after making his way from around the back of the cabin.
Sighing resignedly, Kate appeared to be sympathetic. “Why don’t you just put Murphy on cleanup duty, Luke?” Luke followed Kate down the steps from the porch. “Our deadline’s coming up pretty quick. We can’t afford to waste more time. He can vacuum out all the cabins and maybe do some light-duty painting.”
“Alright, Kate,” he grumbled. He turned to glare at Murphy. “You can bet I’ll be working your butt off, until you do something right,” Luke muttered.
“Everything looks great otherwise, Luke. Thanks for your inventory count.” She held up her clipboard. “Dan will be sure to ship out your remaining materials from the warehouse next week. Dad mentioned he’d be by at the end of the week to check on your progress.” She glanced at her watch. “I guess I’d better get moving. We’ve got plumbing going in this afternoon at the Ivers’ place.” With a frustrated shake of her head, she deliberately glowered at Murphy before turning and heading up the path towards the parking lot.
Luke heaved a sigh, reluctantly turning his attention back to Murphy. “It seems like disaster strikes wherever you go, Murphy.” Standing with his hands on his hips, Luke shook his head in annoyance. “Just get the hell outta here, and go to lunch.”
Luke was still cursing under his breath when he shuffled away from the scene.
Gazing down at his boots, Murphy immediately realized he had an even bigger problem. A healthy dusting of sawdust and pine needles covered the uneven surface of the construction area. The sticky soles of his boots were picking up more and more debris, as he made his way through the work zone, and his feet were becoming heavier.
When Murphy eventually stomped up from the path into the parking lot, obviously off-balance in his weighted boots, Kate Callahan began laughing so hard she nearly fell to the ground. When she finally attempted to speak, she stopped laughing just long enough to stare down at Murphy’s feet.
And then, she began laughing helplessly again.
Murphy grinned, rolling his eyes. Waiting her out, he ineffectively attempted to scrape away some of the pine needles and debris sticking to the soles of his boots. Bending down to untie his laces, he slipped the boots from his feet and dropped them into the bed of Kate’s pickup.
“Are you about done, now?” he finally asked. “We’d better get outta here before someone sees us. It’s a good thing you gave me these beat-up boots to wear when we made our plans. I would’ve ruined my good ones, for sure.
Still chuckling, she motioned him into her truck. “Well. Our diversion obviously worked – even though I almost blew it by laughing at you. You’ve got access to the entire construction site now, during the day.” Kate hopped into the driver’s seat.
“Yeah.” Turning to study her from the passenger seat, Murphy dryly added, “And now, since everyone thinks I’m an idiot anyway, no one should be suspicious.” He frowned. “We don’t have much time left. I promised your dad we’d discover who was stealing those construction materials before I left at the end of the summer.”
She met his gaze. “You know – if Dad had mentioned you were in on this to me just a little bit earlier, we probably could’ve come up with a better plan.”
“He figured my incompetence would be a whole lot more believable to the crew if you didn’t know.” Murphy grinned. “He was counting on you giving me hell for being so inept.”
“Great strategy.” She snorted. “Obviously, he was right.”
And then Kate smiled.
That smile had a devastating effect on Murphy again. What in the hell was wrong with him? He’d never had this kind of reaction to a woman before. Why was he so attracted to Kate? Reluctantly, he acknowledged that he’d suffered silently in half-arousal, ever since he’d seen her.
And these last few weeks had been killing him.
When she slid the key into the ignition and started up the truck, he continued to study her silently. Pulled back from her face into its customary ponytail, silky, strawberry-blonde hair swept down over her shoulder, tickling the enticing curves of her breast.
A breast his fingers were itching to touch.
Sucking in an unsteady breath, he hastily forced his eyes back up to her face. Damn, she was lovely. Although her chin stuck out stubbornly, her well-defined cheekbones and an upturned nose somehow seemed delicate in her heart-shaped face. And that mouth...well...rosy-pink, her upper lip was slightly plumper than the lower.
Apparently noticing the intensity of his gaze, Kate turned
with widened eyes, curiously searching his face.
And then she caught her breath.
Immediately drawn in by her gaze, Murphy stilled, mesmerized by the darkened depths of her beautiful blue eyes.
“Damn it, Kate,” he whispered, hoarsely. Reaching over, Murphy yanked her into his arms.
Kate gasped.
And his mouth covered hers.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Feeling the hot slick glide of Michael’s tongue against hers, Kate’s head was reeling when she kissed him back. Just a kiss, she mentally swore. But kiss was far too simple a word to call this powerful connection that simply rocked her world. Surging through each and every nerve in her body, she could feel his kiss all the way down from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
She hadn’t expected this. Usually, she couldn’t even stand being held – it was confining and restrictive. But when Murphy drew her against him, every bit of resistance fled. When he deepened his kiss, the heat of it melted away the last rational thought still left in her head. Sinking up against him, the burning pleasure was almost unbearable. Breathtaking and pulsating, the kiss went on and on.
And on.
Until, finally, common sense gradually invaded, and they slowly, reluctantly, began to pull apart.
Yet they still kept staring into each other’s eyes.
But then, Kate suddenly became aware of movement in the distance. One of the crew members was approaching the parking lot from the path.
She cleared her throat. “Let’s get outta here.”
Murphy reached for her hand. “Yeah. We definitely need to talk.”
Kate nodded. She avoided his gaze, awkwardly pulling her hand from his. Had he noticed that her hands were shaking? She jerked the gears of the truck into reverse, before quickly spinning the vehicle around and exiting the parking lot.
Her entire body was shaking. What was wrong with her? But – oh – my – God – what a kiss! No one had ever kissed her like that before.
She heaved a sigh. But, then again, no one had ever made her feel like this before. She was actually nervous.
Kate turned, surreptitiously stealing a quick glance at Murphy.
His gaze was focused, his fiery green eyes watching her intensely.
And suddenly, she was finding it difficult to breath. Oh man, oh man, oh man – she was really in trouble this time.
Determinedly, she squared off her shoulders. “Dragonfly Pointe. It’ll be quiet out there today,” she suggested softly.
Murphy nodded, but remained silent. He sure seemed to be a heck of a lot calmer than she was.
They were quiet for the entire fifteen minutes that it took for Kate to travel through town and along the graveled road leading out to Dragonfly Pointe. She pulled the truck into the parking lot belonging to the beach.
After shutting down the engine, Kate stared sightlessly through the windshield at the concession stand.
“Have we got enough time for a walk?” Murphy asked. His voice was terse, and Kate began to realize he wasn’t as calm as he appeared.
“Yeah – no problem. I’m not really hungry, anyway.” Taking in a deep breath, she turned to Murphy. “How about you?”
“I’m fine,” he said. Hopping out from the truck and strolling around to the other side, Murphy pulled open the door before Kate could reach for the handle. “C’mon.” He calmly reached for her hand.
His touch sent an electric shock zipping straight through her fingers, and his eyes immediately jerked to hers.
Kate sighed with relief. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one feeling that jolt between them.
And now, Murphy seemed to be at a loss for words.
Just like she was.
Murphy cleared his throat uncomfortably. “I’ve brought Kelly and Jeff out here to the beach, a couple of times, now, along with a few of their friends. We had ice cream at the concession stand, on Saturday night.”
With those words, the tension eased between them and Kate stared at Murphy accusingly.
He shrugged and offered Kate a grin. “What? I can’t help it – I actually kind of miss my brothers. We did a lot of stuff together.”
She gave him a wobbly smile. “I bet that little sister of mine has you wrapped around her fingers, too.
When Murphy appeared sheepish, Kate lifted a brow when he grinned. “Probably. She sure is a cutie.”
Kate snorted. “She’s a natural-born flirt. Kelly’s gonna be gorgeous when she grows up.” She met Murphy’s gaze. “Dad will probably have to beat off men with a stick.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that your dad had suffered the same problem with you and Lucy, too,” Murphy said dryly.
Kate rolled her eyes. Still holding his hand, she steered Murphy along the mossy pathway.
“It’s really quiet out here today. I thought Dragonfly Pointe was booked up solid?”
Following the direction of Murphy’s gaze, Kate glanced across the sand at the deserted beach. “This week’s guests are only just beginning to arrive – Monday’s check-in day. The previous week’s guests depart on Sunday.”
“Gotcha.” Murphy nodded. “I forgot that the inn takes weekly reservations.”
“Apparently, they take half-week reservations, too. They even have an entire block of rooms reserved for overnight guests. They certainly have the capability now, with six times the capacity of the original inn.”
They lapsed into silence again, still holding one another’s hands. Reaching a grassy ledge overlooking the lake, Kate stopped walking and nodded towards a rocky outcrop. “Let’s sit.”
When Murphy settled alongside her on the grass, and he slipped an arm over her shoulders, Kate didn’t protest.
“The question is, Kate – what are we gonna do about this?”
“What can we do, Michael?” She stared up into his eyes. “You’ll be leaving in a few weeks.” But, oh, how she wanted him to pull her into his arms and kiss away her cold, clear reasoning.
Along with the fresh cool breeze that was lightly fragrant with pine, the faint scent of his aftershave wafted through her senses. It was a heady combination. Somehow it all mixed in with her desire for Murphy, making her want him even more.
And more.
“I don’t think I can fight this, anymore, Kate.” Murphy continued, “Do you know how much trouble I have sleeping in your room every night? Sleeping in your bed every night? Your scent’s on the comforter – it’s in the closet. Hell – it’s even on the towels in your bathroom.” His eyes held hers and he was brutally frank. “I don’t just wake up in the morning with a hard on because of you, Kate – I fall asleep with one, too.”
Kate was at a loss for words. His candor was the last thing she’d expected. And it seemed to make Murphy much more vulnerable.
As well as desirable.
He grinned ruefully. “Hell. Every time I’m around you, I have a hard on.”
Kate couldn’t help it – she began to giggle. She’d never, ever, laughed as much with another guy as she had since she’d met Michael Murphy.
Obviously embarrassed to have revealed so much, Murphy’s face was ruddy as he rolled his eyes.
She finally stopped giggling just long enough to speak. “Eh-hem...” Kate cleared her throat. “Thanks for your...honesty?”
Murphy snorted.
Abruptly, they both began laughing.
Murphy’s arm remained wrapped around Kate’s shoulders. Growing quiet again, they settled back for a few peaceful moments and gazed across the lake, both lost in their own thoughts.
“I...I’m sorry, Michael,” Kate said quietly. “I just don’t think it would be a good idea for us to start something now.”
Murphy agreed, although he sounded hesitant. “Of course, you’re right, Kate. It’d have to be a long distance relationship. We’ll both be busy – you with your work, here – and I’ve got school and a new job to deal with. I guess the odds are totally against us.”
She no
dded reluctantly, but mentally scolded herself. What? Had she wanted him to argue with her logic?
Checking her watch, Kate sighed. “I suppose we’d better be on our way.”
Her mind kept sorting through his confession as they hurried back to the parking lot. Relationship? That word kept repeating in Kate’s mind. She’d assumed that they’d go for a one-night stand – if anything. Michael was obviously much more serious about her than she’d initially thought.
Stopping off at the concession stand, Kate insisted on buying a couple of hot dogs along with a few bags of chips.
Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of the campgrounds. They hadn’t said a word to each other during the entire drive back. Murphy hesitated, with his hand on the door. “Are you sure, Kate?”
She nodded imperceptibly, before turning away from his gaze.
But she wasn’t really sure at all, she admitted to herself.
She heard him sigh before he opened his door.
Kate watched dejectedly, as Murphy made his way down the path into the work zone, never once turning back.
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Sitting at her desk in the offices of Callahan Construction, Kate stared down at the stack of paperwork she’d finally decided to sift through. She sighed, stealing a glance at her watch. She’d better get home soon. It was almost seven. Somehow, even her father had managed to take off over an hour earlier. But throughout the day, she’d been distracted – Kate hadn’t been able to quit thinking about Michael Murphy. Had she made the right decision?
“Hello, Kate.”
Her eyes snapped up from the ledger she’d been studying. “Melissa!” Jumping up from her seat, Kate threw her arms around Luke Arnett’s ex-wife. “And Amy,” she added, as the ten-year old popped into the office behind her mother. “You’re so grown up!”
Amy’s big brown eyes twinkled as she gazed up at Kate, smiling. “Hi, Kate. We’re coming home to my daddy,” she added excitedly.
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