Close Contact

by Lori Foster

  “And groceries,” Miles said, taking the bag from Fletcher and squeezing it in with everything else.

  Pulling off his sunglasses, Fletcher took in the posthole digger and post driver, both long, heavy tools that took up a lot of space in the cargo area. His gaze shifted to Maxi. “You putting in some fencing?”

  Miles noticed how Maxi judiciously avoided eye contact with him while explaining about her plan for goats.

  When he’d steered Maxi to the hardware store to pick out the tools, he’d known that he might be ending their truce over the distribution of work. So far, though, she hadn’t mentioned that a hired contractor would already have those tools to use.

  Whether or not that meant she’d go along with him doing the work, he didn’t know yet.

  “Goats, huh?” Fletcher gave her a fond smile. “No cows or horses?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Let me start with goats, and then I’ll see.”

  “Think they’ll get along with the cats?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  He cast a glance at Miles, before giving her a longer look. “If you need help maintaining the property—”

  “She doesn’t.” How dare the dick flirt with her right in front of me?

  Maxi said quickly, “No, I don’t. I’ll have the goats, right?”

  “But if you’d rather not get goats—”

  “Now, Fletcher,” she teased, “don’t you start, too. I’m looking forward to the goats. Cows and horses are a bit much, but I might get some chickens, too.”

  Fletcher laughed. “Next time I see you, you might be growing corn.”

  With a slanted glance, she confessed, “Well, I was thinking of a garden in the spring.”

  Picturing that, Miles smiled at her. She kept taking on more work with enthusiasm. As a personal stylist, Maxi was amazing, but here, in this small-town setting, she was in her element.

  Fletcher finally gave all his attention to Miles. “Don’t know how much experience you have, but woven wire fencing is best for goats. If the wire squares are too large, they get their heads in there, then get their horns stuck.”

  “We don’t want that,” Maxi said.

  “Denton Lumber is your best bet. They have the posts and the wire and they deliver to the job site. They’re about a mile south of here, past the vet’s, over the railroad tracks and then to the right.”

  Miles nodded. “Thanks. Any idea how long they take to deliver?”

  “In a hurry to get started, huh?”

  While Maxi was agreeable? Yeah. But he only shrugged.

  “Odds are if you called Larry Denton now, he’d deliver by tomorrow morning.”

  Nice. Holding out his hand, Miles said, “Appreciate it.”

  Fletcher accepted without any attempts at one-upmanship, just a friendly handshake and a fare-thee-well as he went on his way.

  Miles watched him go, wondering what the officer was up to.

  “He was nice, Miles, so why are you looking so suspicious?”

  “Because he was nice.” Putting his arm around her and leading her to the passenger side, he asked, “How do you feel about one more trip? It’s still early enough that we could be back to your place before dinner.”

  She fastened her seat belt. “The lumberyard?”

  Leaning one arm over the open door, the other on the roof of the SUV, Miles nodded. “Might as well.”

  “Do you mean ‘might as well, since she’s not fighting me,’ or ‘might as well because we’re nearby’?”

  Knowing he’d already won, he grinned. “Both?”

  “You’re incorrigible.”

  Miles laughed. “That’s a new one.” Bending down to steal a quick kiss, he said against her lips, “Thanks, honey.”

  Maxi was still shaking her head when he got behind the wheel. “Only you would be thanking me for letting you put in a fence on my property.”

  Only me. Yeah, he liked the sound of that.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  MAXI COULD HONESTLY say it was the best week of her entire life. Justice came out one day with his fiancée, Fallon, who fell in love with the cats. She and Maxi spent most of their time in the barn, playing with the animals, while Justice helped Miles hang a heavy bag from one of the beams.

  That fascinated Maxi, especially when Miles did some hits and kicks to ensure the bag was secure. He moved so fluidly, with seeming little effort that caused incredible impact. It further boggled her when Justice, despite his great size, moved with equal speed and ease.

  Fallon had leaned toward her to say, “Isn’t it amazing?”

  Maxi nodded, unwilling to take her gaze off the men.

  “Justice stays in that amazing shape, although he tells me he’s not as ‘shredded’ now as he used to be. How that’s possible, I don’t know, because he’s definitely solid.”

  “Miles is, too, even though he eats three times what I do.”

  “He’s three times your size,” Fallon said with a smile. “And they’re always busy doing something. I’m convinced that fighters have incredible metabolisms.”

  Maxi watched as Fallon tucked back her silky dark hair. She, too, had brown eyes, but on Fallon, her eyes were probably her best feature, fringed by long black lashes. She was a very pretty woman with a gentle nature that naturally drew the cats to her.

  “Miles does.” Feeling like she had a new friend, Maxi said, “He gets irate when I don’t want him to work.”

  Fallon laughed, then nudged her with her shoulder. “So let the guy have fun. I’m sure he relaxes when he wants to.”

  Probably good advice. Besides, it took too much effort maintaining a distance from Miles. She’d end up with some heartache, no doubt about it. But the payoff in the meantime would be more than worth it.

  Before they left that day, Fallon promised to return for the upcoming weekend when Justice and Miles would start on the fencing.

  It still amazed her that Justice was just as willing to work as Miles was. In fact, he didn’t consider it work, saying, “A day in the country? Maybe a dip in the pond? Sounds like fun to me.”

  Two days later, Leese came out with Catalina. Together, the four of them walked down to the bank of the pond, each carrying a handful of cat food. Naturally, several cats followed them.

  Catalina, a pretty brunette with blue eyes, looked around in awe, taking in the tall trees, the way a breeze carried a leaf over the water, how fluffy clouds reflected on the surface of the pond. “Such beautiful scenery,” she whispered. “If I lived here, you’d find me down here every morning to paint.”

  “She’s a talented artist,” Leese explained. Then he sat down and pulled Catalina onto his lap.

  Catfish, carp, bluegill crested the surface of the pond, causing circular ripples that expanded until they faded away. At the far end, a frog croaked, leaped in and disappeared. The scents were different down here, richer, muskier. It felt hotter, too, maybe because of the sun’s reflection off the water.

  Maxi wondered if she could commission Catalina to do a painting, then she could hang the artwork in her house. The idea made her smile.

  It was odd, but in such a short time the bad memories connected to the pond had left and now only the good remained. With Miles she’d made new memories, feeding the fish, skipping rocks, picking wildflowers. Walking and talking, usually hand in hand. Yes, she’d been violated, nothing would ever make that go away. But it wasn’t the predominant feeling anymore.

  She owed Miles for that.

  * * *

  AS MILES DROPPED in the food, more and more fish gathered.

  “They’re huge,” Leese said. “Do you ever swim with them?”

  “Good God, no.” Maxi quelled at the thought. “You said it yourself, they’re enormous.”

 
“They’d swim away from you,” Catalina said, then added with worry, “But are there any snakes?”

  “Yes.” Maxi peered at the green water. “I assume there are turtles and frogs, too.”

  “Let’s see,” Miles said, already peeling off his shirt. “Come in with me.”

  Horrified by that idea, Maxi backstepped. “Nope. Not on your life.”

  “Chicken.”

  As he waded in along the rough bank, her eyes widened more. “You’re going to cut your foot on a rock!”

  “Actually, my toes are sinking into mud.” He slipped but caught his balance.

  The fish didn’t swim away. In fact, they converged on him, no doubt looking for another bite.

  Laughing, Leese tossed food behind Miles to draw the fish away.

  When Miles suddenly dropped, going completely under, Maxi screamed, thinking something had grabbed him.

  Before she knew what she was doing, she was hip-deep in the water and reaching for him. “Miles!”

  Sputtering with laughter, Miles resurfaced with his hair slicked back, his body glistening in the sunlight. When he saw her, he lifted a brow.

  “You’re okay?” She touched his shoulders, his chest, her gaze searching his.

  His smile came slowly. “Careful. It drops off suddenly.”

  Realizing that she’d overreacted, she slapped the water, splashing him. “You scared me half to death!”

  “Half to death, huh?” His gentle, amused tone infuriated her more.

  With a growl, she spun around to leave, but he caught her waist—and good thing, since she slipped and would have gone under, too.

  Against her struggles, he gathered her to him until her feet were off the bottom and her breasts pressed to his chest. He kept her there with his hands opened wide over her bottom. In a low, sexy rumble, he asked, “Were you saving me, honey?”

  Now feeling like a fool, especially since she could hear Catalina and Leese chuckling, Maxi grumbled, “I thought something got you.”

  “And you came in anyway?” He nuzzled her face up until he could treat her to a kiss that took away the chill of the water. “Thank you.”

  He sounded sincere, which probably meant she’d just given herself away. Why else would she act against her own fears unless she already cared too much for him? Luckily he didn’t pin her down. In fact, as she stared into those intense green eyes, she decided he looked arrogantly pleased.

  Huh. She’d have to think about—

  She screeched when a fish nibbled on her toes, startling Miles. Before he could ask, she thrashed her way out of his arms and back up onto the shore.

  “What?” Miles asked, looking around as if he expected to see Nessie in the pond with him.

  “Something bit me!” Her ignominious exit from the pond was bad enough, but worse, the second her feet were on dry land, she did the crazy “panic dance,” bouncing around with her arms flailing wildly.

  Miles laughed. “It was probably just a water reed.”

  She saw the others watching her in amazement but didn’t care. Pointing at Miles, she said, “Water reeds don’t bite! And don’t you ever do that again.”

  All innocence, he asked, “Do what?”

  “Scare me and then distract me.” She shuddered.

  The arrival of Woody Barstow on his ATV, which he rode right down to the pond, drew attention away from her humiliating hysterics. Soaked from the waist down, splashed from the waist up, the ends of her hair sticking wetly to her skin, Maxi made a face as she walked over to greet him.

  Trying to sound normal instead of still frazzled, she said, “Hey, Woody.”

  With his gaze glued to Miles, his tone appalled, Woody asked, “What are you doing?”

  Not understanding, she glanced back at Miles, who was now climbing onto the bank. “Swimming?”

  “In the pond?”

  So odd. “Well, I know I’m afraid, but there’s probably no reason, right?” Unless...maybe Woody was a kindred spirit? Not everyone was adventurous enough to swim with fish as big as her thigh in water so dark you couldn’t see the bottom. Noting Woody’s pale face and the sweat beads at his temples, Maxi touched his arm. “I take it you’re not a swimmer either?”

  A flash of some strong emotion narrowed his eyes, but it was there and gone before she could identify it. A bad experience in his past? She wouldn’t make him more uncomfortable by asking.

  He swallowed, pulled a bandanna from his pocket and mopped his brow before managing a weak smile. “I think the heat is getting to me.”

  He did look far too pale beneath the broiling sun. “Why don’t we go up to the house, where it’s cooler? I’ll get you some tea.”

  “No, no, I’m fine.” He flapped a hand, irritated at his own weakness, then changed the subject. “I see you have more friends visiting.”

  A hint to be introduced? She felt sorry for him, knowing he must be lonely since her grandmother’s passing.

  Miles had already left the pond and was approaching. Leese stood up with Catalina held in his arms, but he set her on her own feet before joining them.

  She must not have been the only one to note Woody’s pallor, because Miles steered everyone into the shade and Leese watched him with concern.

  Once the greetings ended, Miles asked him, “You okay, Woody?”

  The sickly smile reappeared, and he looked at the pond again. “Guess I’ll have to confess that your pond spooks me. I’ve seen water turtles in there as big as tires.”

  “Tires?” Maxi gulped, feeling a little sickly now, too. She glanced at the pond. “Seriously?”

  He nodded. Sheepish, he said, “Fished one out for Meryl once. She had no idea my knees were shaking. Couldn’t tell her I was afraid, now could I? But she was worried that turtle would eat one of the cats, it was so damn big.”

  Miles smiled. “How’d you get it out?”

  “Used a sturdy net with a real long handle. The thing was on the bank sunning itself, so it was easy to sneak up on it. I got it snagged in the net easy enough, too, but hauling it up the land and to my truck was a job. It kept snappin’ at the air.” He shook his head as if reliving the horror.

  “What did you do with it?” Catalina asked, and her tone made it clear that she hoped it hadn’t been hurt.

  “Lots of folks around here like turtle soup, but Meryl wouldn’t hear of it. That big soft spot in her heart covered all critters, not just the cats. So I took it to the river and turned it loose.”

  “Without getting bit?” Leese asked.

  “Just barely. I pulled back the net, then ran like hell for my truck. Lucky for me, the turtle went into the river. Don’t mind telling you, I was pretty shook up, but it was worth it to be Meryl’s hero.” He gave a genuine grin and boasted, “She fed me homemade cookies for a week.”

  When the laughter died down, Miles said, “Worth the payoff, huh?”

  “Definitely.” He nodded back up by the house. “Make up your mind on the addition to the barn?”

  “The posts were delivered yesterday.” Miles looped his arm around Maxi. “Got them from Denton Lumber.”

  Woody nodded. “Was gonna suggest them.”

  “We’re all set.” Leaning against Miles, Maxi added, “I’m thinking since I already have the tools, and such a willing worker, it might be a nice idea to add a dock to the pond, too. That way I won’t have to worry about running into any turtles on the bank when I come down here to feed the fish.”

  Miles looked down at her with surprise. “Seriously?”

  “Unless you’d rather not—”

  “Are you kidding? I love the idea.”

  Of course he did. She had to laugh and then explained to Woody, “He’s a one-man construction crew. Claims he’s happiest when he’s working.”

 
“I reckon that’s most men,” Woody said with a smile. “Keepin’ busy also keeps you young.” He winked as if that was his own secret to staying strong and capable.

  Was Woody angling to help? She just didn’t know, so she compromised by inviting him back over the weekend so he could check out the progress. He happily agreed.

  For another hour or so, Woody stuck around asking questions about her various plans, offering suggestions and reminiscing about her grandma. Being able to share with someone else who’d known her gave Maxi a lot of peace.

  Not long after Woody left with the promise to see her that weekend, so did Leese and Catalina. Like Justice, they promised to be back to help with the work. And Miles planned to ask the boys, Lee, Hull and Billy, to help out, too.

  With a lightened heart and a serene smile, Maxi realized they’d be having a party after all.

  * * *

  SATURDAY MORNING BROUGHT a slight breeze and overcast skies, which Miles considered perfect for working outdoors. He didn’t think it would rain, but the clouds cut down on the heat of the sun.

  Beyond frazzled, Maxi ran around, doing her utmost to make sure everything was perfect. It amused him, this domestic side of her. The woman he’d first met had been more of a fashion plate, sexy in her boldness and direct approach. She’d fascinated him so much.

  But seeing her like this, her thick hair in a ponytail, feet bare as she repeatedly went from the house to the yard setting up seats and tables—with burning candles on them to keep the cats from sprawling everywhere—affected him in a different, yet no less powerful, way.

  As she hustled past, she asked, “Will you get out the coolers and fill them with ice?”

  “Sure.” He admired her lightly tanned limbs beneath cutoff shorts and a halter that did more to heat his blood than the sun ever could. No matter what she wore, or didn’t wear, it spiked his interest.

  While he got the large coolers set up at either end of the back deck near the table, she raced out again, this time with flowers.

  Miles felt the smile tugging at his mouth.

  When she rushed past on her return to the house, he caught her. “Slow down, babe. Take a breath.”