Cocky Carpenter: A Hero Club Novel

by Maggie Mundy

  “You win. I’ll play nice. I hate needles and definitely not the rectal thing. I think you and I have started off on the wrong foot. Sorry.” He burst out laughing as he glanced down at her leg.

  “That’s not funny. Has anyone ever said you have a sick sense of humor?” Autumn couldn’t help but laugh.

  “All the time. So, what I was trying to say is . . can I make it up to you for invading your privacy? Even if the scene is indelibly printed on my brain—especially the boob bit. Let me take you out to dinner.”

  She shouldn’t. Should she? But then, he wasn’t officially her patient, and it was just dinner. “I’d like that very much. Not having to get pots and pans out sounds good by me.”

  “So, the incredible kitchen I’ve built will go to waste?” Brett shook his head and pulled a sad face. “I’ve finished here for now. I’ll grab my tools and pick you up at seven.” Then he was gone.

  Autumn had only known him since yesterday and yet the place seemed empty without him in it. There was something larger than life about Brett.

  No. She was being silly and probably a bit homesick.

  As she drove to the surgery, Autumn could not keep the smile off her face. Simon would crack up when he heard what had happened. He would be the only person she would ever tell. She should have sworn Brett to secrecy as well. The bottom line was this guy made her smile, and it had been a long time since anyone had done that.

  When she arrived at work, there was a long list of appointments. Her day would go fast and she could lose herself in her job. When all else failed in her life, work always grounded her.

  As she drove home, she considered what to wear. She should have checked with Brett where he was taking her. It might be to the local fast-food joint for all she knew. He didn’t come over like a five-star cordon bleu type of guy but she could be wrong. She was smiling again like a silly schoolgirl. It was a thank you dinner, not a date. Just because he had seen her naked did not mean he fancied her.

  Did she fancy him? Hell, yes. Who wouldn’t? The guy was hot with big guns. She chuckled to herself.

  Autumn turned the car into the driveway and peeked across at the other cottage. Brett stood at the gate and waved to her. He was not alone. A tall leggy blonde stood next to him. She was wearing shorts, and Autumn sighed as she stared at her perfect legs. The girl leaned forward and kissed Brett on the cheek.

  Well, that answered Autumn’s question. It was definitely not a date. His date was just leaving. He had probably told her he was taking the boring doctor from next door out for dinner. The two of them had probably laughed over the bath experience.

  Get over yourself. Get out of the car, go inside, and get ready.

  She could put her professional face on. It was a mask she was used to wearing.

  Chapter Four

  Brett wanted to impress Autumn, which was weird for him. He usually just hankered after the sex and never had a problem finding someone who was as eager as him. He liked the idea of Autumn being eager but considered the chances of that were rare. Tonight would be something special, and he hoped she would appreciate the evening he had planned. Maybe it would convince her to have a second date. Her body was beautiful, even if he had only seen it for a brief moment. He knew he wanted more.

  Brett was more worried about her taking off her fake foot and throwing it at him. He probably deserved it for laughing so much this morning. Of course, he could run and she would never be able to chase him. He could not see that getting him in her good books either.

  Brett knocked on her door and hoped she would not be dressed too fancy. Both times he had seen her, she had been wearing flat shoes. Could you wear heels with a fake foot? He wasn’t sure and had no intention of asking. Brett put on his best smile. It was not hard as he was excited to see her.

  Autumn answered the door, but there was no smile.

  Uh-oh. What had he done now?

  She was wearing pants and a pretty red top. It dipped between her breasts, showing cleavage. From their moment in the bathroom, he was aware she had decent-sized boobs, and her butt was not too shabby either. You could not blame a bloke for looking.

  He had better raise his eyes back up before she said something.

  “Hi there, Autumn. You look lovely.”

  “Thank you,” she replied abruptly.

  “Well, let’s go. I’ve booked us in at the local carvery, then I have a surprise for you.”

  “That’s very kind of you but I don’t like surprises,” Autumn replied as she followed him down the garden path to the white picket fence.

  “Trust me, you’ll like this one. It will bring out the kid in you.”

  Autumn raised an eyebrow as she stared at him and shook her head.

  “It’s no good looking at me like that—I’m not going to tell you where we’re going. Now how was your day?”

  “I can’t say. It’s professional.”

  Grumpy voice.

  “That’s reassuring to know you haven’t been discussing my nether regions with the neighbors.”

  “I hope you haven’t been chatting with anyone about this morning, too.”

  “Let’s see, who did I tell about your butt and boobs? Well, to start off with, Dorothy across the road. She will spread it around the neighborhood fast. Then I popped into the local bakers. The customers all gathered ‘round to listen. Some felt sorry for you but most just cracked up.” He chuckled. “Then my mate’s sister popped in. Wanted to chat about the surprise workshop I’m building for her hubby. Seems even she was more interested in your backside than the work I’m doing for her.”

  Brett glanced across and could see a smirk forming as the corners of Autumn’s mouth started to curl. Boy, this woman had a tough exterior and that was okay. He had a whole load of hammers he could chip away at her with. His charm, his good looks, his amazing skills in the sack. He would say his great cock as well but she had already seen that—but not when it was in action.

  “Okay. I get it. Touché. I did notice a leggy blonde at your place when I got home from work.”

  “She is leggy, isn’t she? But completely off-limits. Her husband’s in the army, over six-foot, and built like a super robot. She wants to surprise him when he gets back with a workshop. They have an old garage I’m doing up for her.”

  Brett liked the fact that the lovely Autumn had noticed him talking to someone else. There was hope for him yet.

  He pulled up outside the carvery and rushed round to open the door for her. She shook her head.

  “My effort at being chivalrous is wasted. I’ll look around for muddy puddles to carry you over. After all, I wouldn’t want your fake foot to get wet and rusty.”

  “You know I’ve killed people for saying less.”

  “And I’m sure the police are still looking for the bodies.” He offered his elbow and she slipped her arm through it. He would get her to soften if it was the last thing he did.

  The place was busy as usual, but they found a table near the back. The waitress came and took their order.

  “You’ve seen my medical history so you know all about me, but I thought we could chat and get to know each other as we are neighbors. The real estate agent said you wanted the place for six months to a year.”

  “I have the job for six months and can possibly extend it. Then I could try somewhere else in Australia or just travel. Sometimes you need a break and a change of pace. I lived in London and it can be a bit mad at times.” She sipped on her water.

  “I’ve never been overseas. Kept saying I would but never got around to it. Done most of Australia, though. So, what do you have planned?”

  “I haven’t decided yet. I like to schedule things, but not this time. I just needed to get away.” Autumn went quiet as their food arrived.

  Did she think she had said too much? It didn’t seem that bad a question but she had clammed up again. Everyone runs away from something. Hell, he had.

  Brett chatted on about the cottages and what he intended to do to the
m. He wanted her to be comfortable around him and it was an easy topic which did not require much of a response.

  “I’m building a new pantry and kitchen for a client. Cabinetmaking is a part of the job I like, along with making garden furniture. I love using recycled wood I collect when doing renovations. I’ve sold a few pieces but need a bigger workshop. Working on chairs and other pieces of furniture is my downtime. My latest work of art is a wooden archway with a swinging seat. Sorry, I’m probably boring you to death with this.”

  “No, you’re not. I understand having a passion. It’s the way I feel about medicine. By the way, the food is great but I assume this isn’t the surprise.”

  “Nope. Why don’t you like surprises anyway? Sorry, again. You don’t have to answer that.”

  “You know, you’re very nosey for someone who has just met me. Okay. I came home sick one day from work and found my husband having sex with someone. Haven’t liked surprises ever since.”

  Brett almost choked on his food. That would teach him for asking questions. Maybe she thought as they had seen each other naked she could come out and say stuff like that. He wondered if that was why she was here—to get away from her ex. Was she still married? There was no ring on her finger. He liked sex but not with someone else’s woman. “Fuck. That would kill me for surprises too. I don’t have many morals, but cheating is shit as far as I’m concerned. Not together anymore, I assume?”

  “Nosey again, but no. The divorce came through and he’s now engaged to someone else and currently living on an estate in the Scottish Highlands,” Autumn said with venom in her voice, and then took a large gulp of wine. There was still some pain there.

  “He’s roughing it, then.”

  Autumn laughed.

  Her ex-husband had been a real dickhead. He didn’t know how she’d lost her foot but it was obvious she’d been through a rough time. Being cheated on was the pits. Since she knew about his sex life, she probably thought he was talking a crock of shit.

  “I was pretty much like you until recently. I’d never traveled much. Did the Channel Tunnel thing to Paris for a weekend but that was it,” Autumn said.

  Brett refilled their glasses with wine. “Paris sounds pretty out there to me.” Brett considered he had been pretty boring so far in comparison. “The craziest thing I did was up in Queensland. Went white-water rafting down the Tully River. The rapids were insane and the guide on our boat told us that when he shouted ‘hold on to your tits’ it meant there was a big rapid coming. I held onto my tits a lot. Of course, if you had been there, I could have held onto yours.”

  She did that raised-eyebrow-and-pursed-lips look. On anyone else it would have been disapproving but on her, it was damn sexy.

  “Just because we’ve seen a lot of each other does not give you any entitlement to my breasts.”

  “Okay, but just because some other fool didn’t appreciate them doesn’t mean I can’t.” He winked and Autumn went bright red and the blush went in blotches down her neck. It was adorable and he intended to make her blush more. The crap her ex-husband had given her meant she deserved some wonderful surprises. He set himself the task to deliver them, and if he was lucky, he might do so in and out of the bedroom.

  “I think we need to get this discussion back onto a more respectable topic. So, tell me about how you ended up in the Blue Mountains. You said you came from Melbourne, didn’t you?”

  “Funny you should ask. It’s a bit like you and why I hate cheats. Found out my fiancée was pregnant with someone else’s kid. Kick in the pants for me, so to speak. I couldn’t stay around and watch the two of them together so I got out.” There were other reasons but she did not need to know the shit about his family.

  “Well, you chose a beautiful place to come to. It has an energy about it that is almost calming.” She took in a deep breath and sighed, then looked up and smiled. “Let’s not talk about our pasts. I hope to travel a bit while I’m here, so what do you recommend?”

  Brett would have loved to get the subject back on her breasts but would take the hint for now. “I reckon you should start with Sydney. It’s showy, but the harbor is amazing and you could climb the bridge.”

  “You did notice I have only one foot this morning?” She shook her head.

  “People do it all the time. If you struggle, I could chuck you on my back.”

  “That is never going to happen, but I will set it as a goal to do before I go back to the UK. Deal?” She put her hand out to shake on it.

  Brett shook her hand. “Deal. In the meantime, you should see more of the local sights. How are you with heights?”

  “I’m awful.”

  “Great, then I can see some torture coming up.”

  “I could just say no?”

  “You won’t. I recognize another stubborn person when I see one. You hate it when something beats you.”

  Autumn stared into her wine glass and sighed.

  Oops. He had obviously hit a sore spot. Him and his big mouth.

  She eventually glanced up. “You’re right. There’s no point in going to the other side of the world and just working. I could do that back in London. I’ll take you up on your offer of seeing the local sights, but I reserve the right to say ‘no way in hell’ if anything is too much.”

  “Fine. I’ll cancel the bungee jump then. Not sure the band would fit on just one foot.” This time he hadn’t overstepped the mark, as she burst out laughing. “I think it’s time we go to your surprise if you’ve finished.”

  “I hope I’m not going to regret this,” Autumn said as she stood.

  “You probably will but you’ll do it anyway.” He insisted on paying the bill and they headed back to his pickup.

  It was dark when they arrived at the local farm. There were about ten people of all ages waiting in a shed where there was tea, coffee and biscuits.

  Autumn was giving him that piercing gaze again. “What is this? Why are we in a farm shed? As surprises go, it’s a bit odd.”

  “You’ll see.”

  A woman walked in. “Hello, everyone. I’m Maureen, the owner. Once you have finished your drinks, we’ll head off. I’ll walk at the front and my husband, Joe, will be at the back. Stay close and on the track. We don’t want any phones or lights, and once we get there, we will all stay still with the flashlights off and you’ll see the glowworms.”

  Brett peered at Autumn, who had a big grin on her face.

  “So, you do like the surprise then.”

  “It’s wonderful. I’ve never seen them. Stay close though as I don’t want to stumble in the dark. Being on unsteady ground can be a nuisance sometimes.”

  He was more than happy with her request. He would have put his arm around her waist but that was probably being a bit forward.

  They followed everyone out of the shed, through a gate, and across a paddock.

  “Don’t worry. If there are any crazy animals, I’ll throw you over my shoulder and run for the gate. You walk in a cow pat though and you clean it up yourself.”

  “I thought you wanted to be chivalrous?”

  They continued through a thicket of trees and then along beside a rockface. Autumn stumbled and grabbed his arm.

  “You okay?”

  “Yep.”

  She kept hold of his arm as they marched higher and the path became windier.

  Eventually, Maureen stopped. “I’ll turn off my flashlight and if you all look to the rocks and let your eyes acclimatize, you’ll be able to see them.”

  Autumn stood so close he could smell her perfume. It was floral but light and reminded him of the jasmine climber he had on the side of the cottage. When you brushed against it, the smell would waft over you. He wanted to brush against Autumn.

  Autumn gripped his arm tighter. “Look, I think I can see some.” She pointed in front of them. There were oohs and ahhs coming from all around as people started to see the twinkling lights before them.

  Brett didn’t think he was soppy but there was somethin
g magical about the whole thing, even if it was just nature. All you could hear was a rustle of leaves in the trees. The smell of the eucalypts danced in the breeze and the tiny bugs looked like Christmas fairy lights. It was as if everyone was sharing a special moment together.

  After about thirty minutes, the guide and her husband turned their flashlights back on and they headed down the hill to the shed. Autumn held onto his arm all the way and Brett enjoyed every moment of it.

  They thanked the couple and got in the pickup.

  “Thank you, Brett. That was fantastic and something I would never have dreamed of doing.”

  “So, am I forgiven for bursting into the bathroom now?”

  “I think you are. Do you know, Maureen was saying the bugs get caught in spider’s webs and they still glow? Their glow attracts others to the web and they get caught too. I thought it was sad. But then I hate flies and spiders eat flies.”

  She was changing the subject from the bathroom and nudity, then. Pity.

  “I’ve never been bothered by spiders, so you can always come and knock on my front door if you find one in the bathtub.”

  “That is very gallant of you but I’ll keep a large can of bug spray in the kitchen too.”

  He pulled up outside the cottages. Bluey was barking at the sound of the pickup.

  “Do you want to come in for a hot chocolate?” Autumn asked. “I’d offer you a nightcap but I don’t have anything. I should have picked up something duty-free when I came over.” She was rambling.

  Was she nervous about asking him in?

  “I’d love one. I’ll just let Bluey out for a pee and then be right there.”

  Brett stood by his back door. Damn, the dog was taking a long time to do his business. He would go around the yard in the morning and make sure he cleaned up all the little bombs his dog would have left.

  Once Bluey was back inside, Brett headed next door.

  It was only hot chocolate but they were having fun with each other. He thought her stiff when he had first met her but could now see she wasn’t and wanted to find out more.