19. Lacey

CHAPTER NINETEEN

lacey

I climb into my truck and try the ignition again. Sure enough, it still won't start. Jalynn picks me up from work, and after a few YouTube videos and the purchase of a hammer from the hardware store, I am ready to tackle the problem with the starter on my pickup.

I wiggle my way under the truck and locate the starter. Just like the videos suggested, I lightly hammer on it, roll out from under the truck, and try to start it again. Like magic, the truck rumbles to life. I grin to myself and toss the hammer in the passenger seat. It's not pretty, and it's not permanent, but it will do for now until I can afford the labor and parts to get it replaced.

I drive home, park the truck in the driveway, and head down to the creek. I haven't been down to the creek since moving here, and I'm craving some time in nature. A narrow dirt path leads the way down to the creek bank. Little white and yellow flowers grow in spurts near the water's edge. A wooden swing hangs from a tall tree limb overhanging the bank. I slowly ease down onto the swing, making sure it will hold, then settle all of my weight on it. With a gentle push off the ground, I swing back and forth over the bank.

My phone buzzes in my pocket.

Billy: Ben is causing a stink around town.

Me: What now?

Billy: He's doing his damnedest to get your phone number. Says he's a changed man and needs to talk to you.

Me: What do you mean a changed man?

Billy: He claims he's found Jesus.

Me: I don't care who he's found as long as it ain't me. You didn't give him my number did you?

Billy: Of course not. Just wanted to keep you in the know.

Me: Thanks Billy. Miss you.

I slide the phone back in my pocket and push off again, swinging higher this time. It'll take more than a little bit of Jesus to convince me to give him another chance.

Eventually, unable to shake off the anxiety Billy's update brought me, I head inside. I lock the door behind me and tap my fingers on the kitchen counter, trying to decide what to do with myself. Remembering some books I brought with me, I head for the back of the camper to choose one off the shelf above my bed.

I run my finger across the spines until I come to one that sparks my interest and stretch out on the bed with it. A folded slip of paper falls from the pages of the book as I open it and lands on the blanket. Picking it up, I quickly recognize what it is. It's the funeral program for Ben's little brother. My eyes rest on his picture on the front of the paper, and I study his sweet face. Without warning, the emotions and memories take over my thoughts.

Ben rolled over toward me and wrapped an arm over and across my torso, pulling me back against his chest. I knew what he wanted, but I still hadn't gotten over our argument from last night. He kissed and lightly nipped at my ear. I was grateful when the ringing of his phone sitting on the nightstand interrupted him. He rolled over and picked up the phone, answering it with a gruff "Hello."

Ben sat up abruptly on the edge of the bed. Despite the anger I was still holding on to, I could feel the new tension wash over the room. I rolled over to look at him, trying to figure out what was going on.

His mom's panicked voice came through the speaker of the phone. There was an accident. It was Ben's little brother, Brian. Something about a tractor. Ben jumped out of bed and started throwing clothes on. He told his mom we would leave right away and tossed the phone on the bed.

"Get up and put some clothes on," Ben said. "Brian's hurt bad. We've got to hurry." Already dressed, he grabbed his wallet and keys from the top of the dresser and slid a pack of Pall Malls in his pocket.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked, pulling on the first clothes I touched.

I'd always loved Brian. He was a cute kid and had the sweetest personality. He was like the little brother I never had.

"No," was all Ben said.

I wipe the tears off my cheeks and sniffle as I run a finger across the picture of Brian's face. Twelve years wasn't enough time for that sweet soul. He should have had many, many more. His death was hard on all of us.

I tuck his funeral program into the back pages of the book and flip open to the first chapter to read.

"Mia had an employee call out sick this morning. They have a big wedding to set up for, and Mia needs all the help she can get," Maddie says. "I've got to go to Bozeman to help her with the wedding setup."

"Okay. I'll handle things here," I reply.

"Put this number in your phone." Maddie pauses for me to get my phone out and recites a number to me. "That's Jacob's number. He should be here shortly. He's going to be working on some projects around the shop for me today so you don't have to be here alone. I don't like having only one person at the shop all day, though I don't expect anything to happen that you couldn't handle on your own."

I save the number in my phone.

"Is there anything special you want me to accomplish today?"

"Nope, just do your thing. You can help Jacob out if he needs extra hands on any of his tasks."

"Okay. Good luck with the wedding stuff. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I'll be back," Maddie says and walks out the door.

I tie on my apron and start setting up for the day, writing the special on the sidewalk sign and unlocking the door. This is going to be an interesting day.

Jacob strolls in looking all manly and sexy with his stubble and mischievous grin. The sleeves of his green T-shirt bunch slightly over his biceps earned from regular manual labor. A brown leather belt holds his light wash jeans over his hips, the denim loose but fitted over the muscles of his thighs and resting on the vamp of his boots. I have to remind myself to pick my chin up off the floor and not to drool over a taken man, though I try to casually sneak another look as he approaches.

"Hey," Jacob says. He leans against the counter.

"Hey. How's my bestie?" I ask, wiping chalk from my hands.

Jacob chuckles.

"Honestly, I wouldn't know."

I forget to act like I'm busy, my curiosity getting the better of me. Butterflies assault me when my eyes lock back on Jacob's.

"What happened?" I ask.

"You were right. She's manipulative and toxic. I told her to hit the road."

"I'm sorry I was right."

Jacob shrugs.

"I'm going to get to work," he says and brushes by, his touch making my head spin.

I bite my lip, trying to kill the smile overtaking me as I go back to my work. That was an interesting tidbit of information. I wonder what happened to finally make Jacob call it quits with Ashley. It doesn't hurt my feelings that they ended things.

I look over the orders that need to be assembled today, take the list with me to the back room, and start gathering my supplies for the first one.

I'm acutely aware of Jacob's comings and goings as he moves through the shop doing general maintenance and working on specific projects. I'm busy cleaning up my mess from the orders I assembled when Jacob walks back in with a large box. He sets the box down on the work table and begins opening it.

"If you have time, I could use some help with this one," Jacob says looking back at me.

"Sure. What do you need?" I ask, coming around the table to take a closer look

"I've got to change out the light fixture over this worktable. I'll need you to hold the fixture while I do the wiring."

Chills run over my body when Jacob looks at me as he's explaining.

"Okay."

"Think this table can hold the both of us?" Jacob asks with a smirk. He holds out a hand to help me climb up.

"I'm light as a feather, obviously, so if it breaks it's all your fault," I tease. Jacob climbs up on the table behind me.

"Are you calling me fat?" he asks, straightening up.

"No. It's all your big muscles that make you weigh more," I say, reaching over to squeeze one of his firm biceps.

My mouth goes dry at our proximity, and I lick my lips. Jacob's eyes stay locked on mine. He doesn't bother with a reply.

"So," I say nervously, trying to cut through the tension I feel between us, "what do you need me to do?"

Jacob clears his throat and shifts his focus to the task at hand. He grabs the drill sitting at our feet and motions toward the fixture.

"Start by holding this," he says, showing me where he wants me to hold while he works.

Much too soon, the light fixture is changed out. Jacob jumps off the table, then turns back, grabs me by my waist, and lifts me down to the ground. My feet reach the floor, but his strong hands linger on my hips, his body only inches from my own. My breath catches, and I lift my eyes slowly to meet his. I succumb to the magnetic pull radiating off him and slowly allow my body to lean in toward him, ever so slightly closing the space between us. The heat in Jacob's eyes warms my body.

Jacob's hands drop from my hips. He turns from me, gathering the pieces of the old light fixture to discard. He whistles a tune as he drops the pieces into the box. Embarrassment and shame sweep over me. Of course, I was misjudging the moment. He just ended his relationship with Ashley. That was thoughtless of me to make assumptions.

I escape to the greenhouse, kicking off my shoes outside the door, and head inside to water. I pull the nozzle off the hook and twist the water on, my mind drifting away to the day not so long ago when the spigot broke off and things got steamy between Jacob and me in the back of the greenhouse.

The greenhouse door swings open and Jacob walks in with a ladder. He sets the ladder up a couple of rows up from where I'm watering and retreats back out the door. Minutes later, he returns with a pane of glass. I watch as he climbs the ladder. I drift back into my head while I move down the row, watering plants, as Jacob replaces a broken glass in the greenhouse.

Shattering glass around my feet startles me out of my daydream. I stumble backward without thinking, and a sharp pain bites into my foot. My legs want to give out under me to remove the weight from my bare feet, but I catch myself on the workbench at my side. Blood seeps into the crevices of the cement under me.

"Don't move!" Jacob yells down to me over the noise of the fans.

He quickly descends the ladder and rushes to my side. Without a word, he scoops me into his arms and carries me out of the greenhouse. He sets me on the worktable in the back of the shop.

"Sit here while I get the first aid kit," Jacob orders me. I couldn't argue even if I wanted to. My voice is strangled by the tears I'm trying to keep down.

When he returns, several drops of blood are pooling on the floor beneath my feet. Jacob looks at my watery eyes, his own face pained, and he swipes away a lose tear from my face that manages to spill over. He pulls a stool over to sit on and reaches down for my feet, inspecting them both for cuts.

Addressing the large gash on one of my feet, he opens a sterile pair of tweezers and dabs the blood trailing down my foot from where a shard of glass still sticks in my flesh. He uses the tweezers to carefully remove the glass from my foot and gently dabs my foot again. Jacob inspects the gash, making sure he got all of the glass. Satisfied, he treats the cut with antibiotic cream and covers it with a bandage. Jacob stands from the stool and closes the space between us.

"I think I got it all," he says quietly, his hands resting on the table, on either sides of my legs.

"Guess I'm lucky I had a medical expert close by," I respond breathlessly.

"Not the hooves I'm used to working on, but I figured it out," Jacob says with a smirk, easing the tension.

Slowly, he moves closer. I bite at my bottom lip, the anticipation rising as I feel his hands on my thighs now. Will he kiss me this time? I hold his gaze, but I don't lean in, not trusting my judgment. His warm breath dances over my skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake.

Softly, his lips finally brush over mine, so lightly at first that I might have imagined it. Hungrily, I raise my chin, pressing further into him, urging him on. He takes the hint, and his hand slides up to my hair, grasping a handful, and he deepens the kiss. My fingers rub over the stubble on his jaw, and I graze his lip with my teeth, earning a low moan from Jacob. Heat floods my body, pooling low in my belly. I wrap my legs around his, pull his body flush against mine, and feel his excitement as our bodies press together.

The chime of the bell over the front door breaks us apart. My heart is beating wildly in my chest and a flush covers my cheeks. Jacob clears his throat and steps back from the table.

"You don't have shoes on," he says. "I'll go up front and take care of the customer."

Jacob turns, adjusting himself as he walks through the door leading to the front of the shop.

I carefully slide off the table, being cautious at first with my injured foot. Did that really just happen? And what did it mean? I head back out to the greenhouse and slide my feet into my shoes. Inside the greenhouse, I clean up the broken glass. Sweeping up each piece, I hope my heart isn't the next thing to shatter all over this floor.

Jacob seems to be keeping his distance as the afternoon drifts by, filling me with anxiety. Finally, at closing time, I lock the front door and approach him. He's busy gathering his tools, getting ready to load up and leave. I watch him for a moment.

"Thanks again for doctoring me up," I say, walking up to him, unsure of how to start the conversation I want to have.

"Since I'm the reason you got hurt in the first place, I don't think thanks is necessary, but you're welcome."

"Your bedside manner is beyond this world. Do all of your patients get that treatment?"

Jacob chuckles. He stops what he's doing, turns toward me now, and leans back against the workbench in a relaxed manner.

"No. You are the first. Think I should make a thing of it?"

"Only when I'm the patient," I say. My cheeks burn with the confession.

"About that—" Jacob starts.

"Uh-oh. It's never good when someone starts with those two words."

Jacob gives me a sympathetic look, and his hands slide into his pockets. I fold my arms across my chest and wait for him to speak.

"Gypsy, don't get me wrong, I think you're gorgeous and funny. You are a remarkable woman. I shouldn't have kissed you, though."

"Why not? Neither of us are taken." I chew at my bottom lip, a nervous habit I haven't been able to break.

"I just ended things with Ashley. I'm not in a state of mind yet that would be fair to you for us to get involved. I like you. I just need some time to get things straight in my head and figure out if I'm even interested in getting in a relationship with anyone."

"Alrighty then." I slowly back away, beginning my retreat. "I've already locked up. I'm just going to head out and go nurse my wounded pride in private."

"Gypsy—"

"Nope, we're good. It was just a kiss. You don't owe me anything."

I walk out the door before Jacob can stop me.