Loving the Country Boy. Mia Ross

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СКАЧАТЬ more rustic work environment than she was accustomed to, and she was ridiculously overdressed.

      Paul handed her and Heath some shop headphones before donning his own. Then he did a quick visual check of the waterwheel through an opening in the floor and gave them a thumbs-up. With some effort, he pulled a wooden handle that looked to be original to the building and stepped back to join them.

      Once everything got up to speed, the entire structure shook as the leather belts whipped around and through the mechanism that ran the huge saws. Used for ripping timber into usable planks, it was hard to believe so much raw power came from damming up one small stream that bubbled so pleasantly through the woods.

      When Paul shut everything down, he was all but humming with excitement for what he’d accomplished. “So?”

      “It’s amazing. I can’t imagine they make most of the parts anymore. Where did you find replacements?”

      “Some are still around in one form or another,” he explained. “When I could, I modified them to work. When I couldn’t, I made ’em myself.”

      That kind of technical expertise was way beyond her realm of understanding, and she was impressed by his resourcefulness. Not to mention his dogged determination. Resting a hand on his arm, she smiled up at him. “Granddad must’ve been thrilled when you got this all put back together again.”

      A bit of the sorrow she felt moved through his eyes, telling her just how much Will Barrett’s grandson still missed him. “I’m glad he got to see it.”

      “So am I.”

      * * *

      Heath held the front door open for Tess, admiring her ability to walk in those silly shoes.

      “Chelsea, you just put your feet up and relax while I’m gone,” Tess ordered as she moved toward the exit. “Make a list of what needs to be done, and you can walk me through it before you and Paul go to the doctor.”

      “That sounds wonderful, but there’s no need to rush back here. Things are pretty quiet right now.”

      Her claim didn’t match up with the job list he’d seen posted in the carpentry area, and Heath gave her a long look. Which she artfully ignored. Once Tess had sidled past him and onto the front porch out of earshot, he leaned his arms on top of the half door and winked at Chelsea. “I know what you’re up to, Mrs. Barrett, and you can forget about it.”

      She blinked at him with all the innocence of a springtime fawn. “What?”

      “No need to rush back here.” He imitated her musical drawl in a passable falsetto, then switched back to his own voice. “Ya gotta be more subtle if you’re planning to take up matchmaking.”

      “Was it that obvious?” she asked with a laugh. “I thought I was being pretty smooth.”

      He knew she meant well, so he eased back with a smile. “People get married, start having babies, they get all gooey about stuff like that. I get it, but I don’t want you getting any ideas about pairing me up with Tess. I’m not looking for anything serious right now, and she made it clear she’s not interested in anything but helping you out while you’re on maternity leave.”

      Brutally clear, he added silently. He didn’t know why her icy warning still stung, but only a complete moron would ignore it.

      “She’s only been in town a couple of days,” Chelsea reminded him. “When she gets more comfortable here, her feelings might change.”

      “Not hardly,” he said evenly. “Besides, she’s not staying that long, so there’s no point in trying to make something out of nothing.”

      “But you would try, if she wasn’t going back to California?”

      Heath hesitated. Would he? Their unexpected run-in had knocked him for a loop, and he hadn’t quite regained his usually even-keeled perspective. He kept trying to convince himself that was a normal reaction for someone who’d narrowly avoided an accident and was now late for work. The explanation made sense, but part of him knew that wasn’t the reason he still felt off-kilter.

      It was Tess.

      Thinking that way would only get him in trouble, Heath knew, so he shoved the thought back into the corner of his mind he didn’t visit very often. “You take care of yourself and that little one. Your assistant will be back soon.”

      With a good-bye wave, he trotted down the porch steps and met up with Tess just as she was finishing a call. She hit the end button and said, “Gram wanted me to tell you hi and thanks for lending a hand with this.”

      “Lemme guess,” he replied with a grin. “She couldn’t care less about the car, and she wants to pay me for the repair work.”

      “So you’re a mind reader,” she teased with a mischievous grin that reminded him of her cousins. “What am I thinking?”

      The tone was more playful than flirtatious, which was fine with him. Closing his eyes, he rested his fingers on his temples as if he was concentrating very hard. “You’re thinking your coffee is cold by now, and you need to get some more while you’re in town. Around here, the best place for anything food-related is The Whistlestop.”

      “Wow,” she said around a barely muted yawn, “you’re good.”

      “Not really.” He chuckled. “That’s the third time you’ve yawned since we got here. Either you’re incredibly bored, or you’re not totally awake yet.”

      He opened the driver’s door and motioned for her to get in. When she blinked at him, he realized she wasn’t following along. “It’s all yours.”

      “You want me to drive?”

      “You’re dropping me off, so that’s the easiest thing to do.” The sunlight glinted off the flecks of gold in her eyes, and he caught a spark of something he couldn’t quite put a finger on. But anyone could see he’d hit a nerve with her. “Am I wrong?”

      “No, it’s just—” She stopped abruptly, and he waited for her to continue. Thankfully, her annoyance drifted away, leaving behind appreciation. “My ex always drove, even if we were in my car and he didn’t know where we were going. It kind of bugged me.”

      “I can see why.” He could also understand why the guy was an ex. Anyone that heavy-handed wouldn’t last long with this very headstrong woman.

      “It’s refreshing to be treated like someone with a perfectly good head on her shoulders,” she confided with a sigh.

      “I can’t imagine treating you any other way,” Heath blurted before it occurred to him how a comment like that might come across to her. Her grateful smile eased his concern, though, and he was glad he’d spoken his mind.

      “Thanks, Heath. That might not seem like much to you, but it means a lot to me.”

      “You’re welcome. Want a hand up?”

      “No, I’ve got it.”

      Standing on the toe of one high heel, she grasped the interior handle and pulled herself into the cab of the old pickup. He shut the door behind her and strolled СКАЧАТЬ