“You okay?” Mac said.
“Yeah.” She straightened and brushed the dirt off her palms. “I was just thinking about my dad. The last time I was up here was with him. We were discussing where to install the panels. It was the last time he and I were out to the house together, and one of the last great days we had together. He had his heart attack six weeks later.”
Mac put a hand on her shoulder, a comforting, sweet touch. Those were the moments that tempted her to open her heart to Mac. When he was there with a smile, a touch, a word that said he understood and he cared.
“I’m sorry,” Mac said. “He sounds like he was a great man.”
“He was.” She smiled, but the smile wobbled. “One of a kind.”
“Then let’s get these panels installed. Then he can look down from heaven and see that you are continuing his legacy.”
Savannah’s gaze landed on that sunny spot again. You’re a great daughter, her dad had said. You’ve always made me so proud to be your father.
“Am I? With the way the business is struggling and the house is falling apart—”
Mac put a finger against her lips. “You are doing fine, Savannah. He’d be proud, I’m sure.”
“I hope so.” She glanced again at that sunny spot, then decided Mac was right about one thing. The best thing she could do was keep moving forward, keep fulfilling those promises she had made. She handed a second rope to Mac, which he clipped on to the harness with a carabiner.
He gave the connection a shake. “You sure this is safe?”
“As long as you do what I say, it is.” She grinned. Mac’s face was a little pale, and he gave the ground far below them a leery glance. She bit back another laugh. The first-timers were often nervous and worried about falling. Even big, strong, tall Mac Barlow was no different. Apparently the CEO was used to being at the top of the business world, but not used to being on the top of a house.
“You’re clipped in now,” she said. “Even if you slip, you should be fine. Now, let’s start setting the mounting brackets. And remember, I’m in charge.”
He chuckled. “I bet you like that.”
She grinned. “More than you know, Mr. Barlow.”
Savannah explained where to put the brackets, how to find the best place for the screw holes and how to add a sealer around the holes after the brackets were in place. They worked together in the sun for a half hour, the whine of the screw gun the only sound breaking the early-morning peace. Once the brackets were installed and the panels attached, Savannah sat back on the roof and propped her elbows on her knees.
“This is a pretty dangerous job,” Mac said, mimicking her position, though still moving a bit gingerly. After thirty minutes on the roof, he’d gotten slightly more confident. “I’m surprised your dad had you doing installs.”
“He didn’t want me to do it. In fact, he forbade it. But I talked some of the crew into letting me tag along and before they knew it, I was scaling the ladders.”
“You have some kind of death wish?”
She laughed. “No. I didn’t do installs because I wanted to take risks. I did them for this.” She waved a hand at the view before them, the vast blue ocean, the trees that seemed to form undulating green carpets on the southern side of the house. Birds soared above it all, disappearing in black slashes against the sky. “Every view from a roof is different, but they are all breathtaking. Once I finished working, I’d sit on the roof for as long as I could, just taking in the world. Looking out at all this would remind me that in the scheme of things, my problems are pretty small.”
Mac’s gaze followed hers, and for a long moment he was quiet. “It is pretty humbling, isn’t it? You see this wide expanse, and you realize that people are rather insignificant.”
“As are whatever problems we seem to think are so huge. There are hundreds of people just in the space we can see right here.” She waved at the tree-covered area, dotted with vacation homes. Within those walls, there were families laughing over breakfast, widows mourning lost loves, dreamers picturing a rosy future. Other lives tumbling along rocky paths. “All those people facing their own challenges and triumphs. Some have harder challenges than others, some celebrate greater triumphs. But we’re all in this together.” She shrugged and felt her face heat. He probably thought she was being silly, given how cut-and-dried he was. “Anyway, not to wax all philosophical, but that’s what I think. It must be the thinner air up here.”
“Don’t apologize, Savannah.” He shifted on the roof to touch her chin, waiting until she was looking at him. She leaned into the touch a little more, craving it, craving him. “I think that’s good advice. Wise advice, actually. Something most of us have trouble remembering.”
His hand was against her jaw, his touch light but hot, as if a slice of the sun was sliding against her cheek. Her gaze met his, those blue eyes of Mac’s seeming to fill the space in front of her until all she thought about was him. What was it about this man that mesmerized her so? She was supposed to keep him firmly on her Enemies list, but every time he touched her...
Her brain misfired and she started wondering what it would be like to take him to bed. To be with him, here and everywhere. Just looking into his eyes made the office seem a thousand miles away, the rest of the world on some distant planet.
That was dangerous. Distracting. She’d made a promise, and falling for Mac would definitely not be keeping that promise. Regardless of how her body melted when he touched her, or how her lips still tingled with a remembered kiss.
“Uh, we should get down,” she said. “We have to get to work. I have that meeting with the sales staff in an hour.”
“Yeah.” His hand dropped away. “You’re right.”
Disappointment filled her, which was crazy. This was what she wanted—yet it still made her ache with regret. She turned away before Mac could read the truth in her eyes, reminded herself the install was done—so she gathered her tools and got down from the roof.
Because she was right about one thing—the thinner air had her mind running down very nonsensical paths.
* * *
Mac was in his sweet spot. Or should have been, at least. An hour after they’d left the beach house, he sat at the desk in the cubicle at Hillstrand Solar, multiple programs open on the screen before him. Accounting, sales, website—he had it all running at the same time.
But his mind was on Savannah. She was in the conference room finishing up their earlier meeting with the sales staff about the realignment of territories, and every time he tried to focus on work, his gaze wandered to her.
She’d stopped at her apartment in town to change before coming in to work. He kind of missed the shorts and T-shirt she’d been wearing this morning, the easy ponytail she’d had in her hair. On the roof she’d looked relaxed and happy. He’d liked that about her. Liked the casual Savannah so much more than the work Savannah.
Here, she was wearing yet another pantsuit—which made him wonder if the ones from the days before cloned themselves while she slept—and her hair was back in that clip, all neat and tidy, no stray tendrils to lure him closer. The happy, relaxed look had disappeared from her face. Beneath the matching jacket her shoulders appeared tense, her posture ramrod straight. It was as if she had become someone else the minute she stepped into this building.
Mac pushed away from the desk and headed into the conference room. Savannah glanced up when he entered, and a smile bloomed on her face. For him? He sure hoped so. Because just seeing that smile made an answering one curve across his face and wiped away all the stress that had plagued him moments before.
He knew he shouldn’t get involved with her. Knew he should keep it just about the business. Already, he was finding himself wavering about his plan to help her for a week and then talk her into selling. He had no other plan, because he knew realistically he couldn’t stay her
e forever helping her, but he also didn’t want to go back to Boston.
The thought of walking into the office and not seeing Savannah in one of those damnable pantsuits hit him like a punch to the gut. This was crazy. He barely knew the woman. But a part of him—a growing, vocal majority—wanted to get to know her much, much better, especially after that incredible kiss. Even if it was a mistake. Getting closer to Savannah Hillstrand would only further complicate an already-complicated proposition.
But when that smile lit her eyes and she held his gaze for a long moment, complicated didn’t sound like such a bad idea.
“How’s it going?” Mac asked.
“Great. The staff is on board with the new sales territories you and I proposed today. I think everyone’s excited about the changes.” She glanced over at the trio of salesmen, who nodded agreement. “That’s all I had, guys. Unless Mac wanted to add something?”
“No, no, I’m good.”
Savannah said goodbye to the salesmen, and they filed out of the room, talking as they left about the new customer assignments. They seemed excited, which Mac took as a good sign. Savannah clearly had handled the meeting well, and done a great job tidying up after he’d left to go back to the books. He liked the way she’d tweaked his idea for realigning the territories. She had a good way of reading people—maybe there was something to her building-personal-relationships theory, after all—and she intuitively knew what would work for them. Those skills had helped her create a stronger territory strategy than he’d suggested, a step above the scattered way her father had done it.
Savannah stacked the papers before her and tapped them into a neat pile. “Did you need something from me?” she asked Mac. Her voice was all business, her posture as severe as the pantsuit. This wasn’t the Savannah who’d had him climbing across the roof a couple hours before, teaching him how to install a solar panel.
His gaze lingered on her lips. Why hadn’t he kissed her again today back at the beach house? They’d been alone, no one in the world but them. He’d been trying to keep things from getting too personal, but right now that seemed like a moronic idea. Because every time he saw Savannah Hillstrand, he wanted, no, craved, personal.
“Mac?” she prompted again.
Oh, yeah. He was supposed to have had a reason for coming in here. A reason other than I was staring at you and couldn’t concentrate on my work. “I, uh, saw that they’re predicting rain for early tomorrow. I was wondering when you were going to finish up that porch roof.”
“After work today, I hope. I’ll only have a couple hours, but I can get a good start on it in that period of time. Though I won’t be able to finish it without a crew and—” Then she waved a hand, cutting off her thoughts. “Unless there’s something else we should be working on for Hillstrand Solar tonight?”
“No, no, we’re good. I did have some more ideas for turning things around that I wanted to run past you, though.” Okay, so he had no such ideas. He’d barely accomplished anything this morning. All he knew was that he didn’t want to go back to work yet, and he wanted a reason to keep on talking to Savannah.
“Sure, sure.” She gestured toward the chair at the head of the conference table, then pulled out one for herself.
It was all very businesslike and distant, which was how Mac usually liked everything in his life. But after that incredible kiss the other day and the tender moment on the roof this morning, businesslike left him feeling...deflated. As if he’d missed something really incredible. He wanted to get back to those moments when Savannah was laughing and happy. Relaxed.
“Let’s not talk here,” he said.
“Okay. We can get coffee—”
“Let’s get away from the office entirely.” As the words left his mouth he had to wonder who was saying them, because that sure as hell couldn’t be Mac Barlow suggesting they play hooky. “And get that roof on before it rains. I figure if we start now, we can be done before dusk.”
“Are you saying you want to take the day off?” She arched a brow. “Are you feeling sick or something?”
He laughed. Yes, he was sick, but only with longing for more of what they’d had this morning and last night. He wanted to sit on the roof with her again and watch the boats drift by and the seagulls dive for their lunch. He wanted to watch the sun dance across Savannah’s features, and wanted to hear her laugh again. “Just tired of being cooped up,” he said, instead of the truth.
“That roof is a pretty big job, even for two people,” she said. “We can start on it, but to do it right, and do it in one day, we really need a crew. I don’t think I can get any of the subcontractors I’ve worked with in the past out on such short notice.”
“Don’t worry about that. Let me make a couple phone calls, and I’m sure I can get you all the help you need.”
And that was how Mac ended up on the beach an hour later with his brothers and Savannah. At the time he’d called Jack and Luke, he’d thought it was a good idea. Until his brothers acted like brothers and made him wonder what kind of insanity had caused him to bring his family together with the woman he kept trying to convince himself he was most definitely not interested in.
Chapter Nine
Savannah liked the other Barlow brothers from the very first second she met them. Jack was the more studious of the two, with his military bearing and his detail-oriented nature. He took charge of the roof after consulting with Savannah, and had laid out a step-by-step plan for getting it done in the time allotted. Luke was the most relaxed of the three, a true devil-may-care, come-as-you-are kind of guy. It was clear they loved Mac, and loved teasing him mercilessly, which left the usually serious Mac in a state of perpetual discomfort.
That was the part of the afternoon Savannah liked best. Seeing Mac a bit off his game.
“So, big brother, Jack and I are taking bets on what made you do this today. Jack thinks you just found out you have two weeks to live. I think you’re in love.” Luke sent a wink in Savannah’s direction.
She blushed and turned back to the chop saw, where she was cutting the lumber for the roof framing. But she held off turning on the noisy machine until Mac answered. Not because she was curious. At all.
Mac scowled. “Why would you think either of those things?”
“Because you’re outdoors. In the middle of the day. Instead of at work. You’re either dying, insane or crazy head over—”
“I’m just helping Savannah. Nothing more.” Mac nodded toward the other cut pieces of wood at his feet. “Now make yourself useful and grab those so we can get this roof on before you two idiots talk the day away about complete nonsense.”
Luke smiled at Savannah as he walked by, heading for the porch. “Don’t let Mac’s bark fool you. He’s a big softy at heart.”
From his place on the porch, Jack scoffed. “Mac’s about as soft as concrete.”
“Exactly,” Mac said. “So quit teasing me about my impending death.”
“Or impending leap over the love cliff.” Luke drew out the word and patted his heart. “It happens to the best of us, Mac.”
Savannah fired up the saw and chopped the wood, rather than listening to the rest of the brothers’ teasing. There was no way Mac was falling for her. Heck, they barely knew each other. And they were work colleagues. That was all. He was merely here to help her finish a project that needed to get done before the rain. That kiss... That had been an aberration. As had all the other touches since then. His refusal to even entertain the idea of falling for her made that clear.
She carried the cut wood over to where the three men were working, each armed with a hammer and a handful of nails. Jack, the most experienced of the three, directed the placement of each timber. “Here’s the next set,” she
said.
Luke stepped away from where he was standing beside Mac. “Why don’t you work on the installation for a while with this big idiot here, and I’ll go cut,” he said to Savannah. “Mac’s all thumbs and needs someone to make sure he doesn’t accidentally hammer his finger or something.”
Mac scowled. “I’m fine. I don’t need you to—”
“Sometimes, big brother—” Luke clapped Mac on the shoulder “—you do need me and Jack to tell you what to do.” Then he glanced at Savannah with a devilish smile on his face. “Good luck with him. He can be a pain in the ass sometimes.”
“Oh, I know that already.” Savannah grinned at Mac.
“Gee, thanks.” But a smile toyed with the edges of his mouth.
“Anytime. I’m here all week.” But secretly, she was glad to change places with Luke. She’d been watching Mac work all afternoon, his dress shirt draped over the fence, leaving him in just a white T-shirt. His biceps strained at the edges of the fabric, and a fine sheen of sweat had plastered the material to his chest, outlining every inch of his amazing chest. Quite frankly, she was surprised she remembered to breathe every time she got near him.
One of the brothers pulled a portable speaker out of Jack’s truck, and they turned on some pop music while they worked. The four of them developed a quick system, with Luke cutting the lumber while Jack, Savannah and Mac hammered the pieces together. When the roof was framed, Jack and Mac climbed on top and installed a few pieces of plywood that would serve as the basis for the new shingles. It went by too fast, Savannah thought, far too fast.
“That looks great, guys.” Savannah stepped back and surveyed the finished frame. Straight, sturdy and done with a minimum of waste. They’d gotten a lot done in a short period of time. “You made a tough job much easier.”
Harlequin Special Edition October 2015, Box Set 1 of 2 Page 49