grinned, shaking his head again at her acid tongue. “That’s kind of you, but what about my suggestion? I’m not going to do you any harm, and—”
“I know you’re not. If you lay a finger on me, I’ll—”
“Listen to me, damn it!”
His sharp command got her attention. She whirled around to face him, plastering herself against the rickety coop. She raised the hammer, making it a weapon against him. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the hammer and her breasts rose and fell beneath the shapeless shirt.
“Thank you kindly,” Rook said after a few moments of blessed silence. “For your information, I don’t want to lay any part of my anatomy on you.” He saw her momentary confusion and strove to enlighten her. “I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole. Understand? There’s no use in you being scared of me or threatening me with bodily harm. You’re helping me out, and I’d like to return the favor as much as possible. I don’t mind work. I’m used to it.”
She surveyed him a few moments. He sat with his knees bent and his elbows propped on them. He was chewing a blade of grass but threw it aside while she continued toevaluate him. She looked at his hands, remembering that they were unblemished and unscarred.
“You work for a living, do you?” she asked, lifting one brow in haughty disbelief.
“I do,” he intoned, slightly resentful of her dubious tone.
“To support your family back East?”
“My fam—” He squinted one eye and regarded her smug expression of satisfaction. “Who said I had a family somewhere?”
“Jewel did.”
“Jewel.” He pondered this statement a moment, glancing up at the fleecy clouds and a sky that was the exact shade of her eyes, then decided to let her go on thinking he had a wife and children. She might trust him more if she thought he had a devoted woman waiting for him somewhere. “Yes, to support my family. When I get my strength back I can do more to help you.”
“When you get your strength back you can get on your horse and get. That’ll help me a bunch.”
He sighed laboriously as she turned back to her work. With great care he rose to his feet, stood still for a moment until his dizziness subsided, and then went to stand beside her. He held the plank while she nailed it into place.
“Have you lived out here all your life?”
“Mostly.”
He craned his head forward to glimpse her face beneath the bonnet. “Just you and your pa?”
“Yep.”
“Your ma died when you were little?”
“Yep.”
The hammer came down right alongside his thumb and he jerked his hand away and stared at her, wondering if her aim was intentional.
“Hey, look out! You might have smashed my thumb!”
“I know what I’m doing,” she said, giving the nail one more whack. “If you don’t want to help, then get back to bed and leave me to my work. I got things to do.”
“Oh, I know. You’re a busy little woman.” He rested his hand against the tender area across his shoulder, coveringit in an instinctively protective gesture. “Someday you’ll have to stop and face what’s happened.”
She made a sniffing noise of contempt.
“Go ahead and make fun,” he said. “But mark my words, you can’t keep running on fear. You’ll run out of it sooner or later.”
“Hope I get some good layers,” Cassie said, standing back from the coop and letting him know that she wasn’t listening to a word of his advice. “My luck, I’ll get some lazy hens who’ll do good to lay an egg a week.”
She pressed the back of her wrist to her forehead and sighed. Rook smiled to himself, finding the gesture familiar now and endearing. She did it often; that limp wrist pressed to a furrowed forehead that spoke fathoms about her mental and physical condition. For a few moments he wanted to embrace her and let her rest her head on his shoulder, but he knew better. She’d scratch his eyes out first.
“Best get supper started,” she murmured in that tone she
“I know you’re not. If you lay a finger on me, I’ll—”
“Listen to me, damn it!”
His sharp command got her attention. She whirled around to face him, plastering herself against the rickety coop. She raised the hammer, making it a weapon against him. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the hammer and her breasts rose and fell beneath the shapeless shirt.
“Thank you kindly,” Rook said after a few moments of blessed silence. “For your information, I don’t want to lay any part of my anatomy on you.” He saw her momentary confusion and strove to enlighten her. “I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole. Understand? There’s no use in you being scared of me or threatening me with bodily harm. You’re helping me out, and I’d like to return the favor as much as possible. I don’t mind work. I’m used to it.”
She surveyed him a few moments. He sat with his knees bent and his elbows propped on them. He was chewing a blade of grass but threw it aside while she continued toevaluate him. She looked at his hands, remembering that they were unblemished and unscarred.
“You work for a living, do you?” she asked, lifting one brow in haughty disbelief.
“I do,” he intoned, slightly resentful of her dubious tone.
“To support your family back East?”
“My fam—” He squinted one eye and regarded her smug expression of satisfaction. “Who said I had a family somewhere?”
“Jewel did.”
“Jewel.” He pondered this statement a moment, glancing up at the fleecy clouds and a sky that was the exact shade of her eyes, then decided to let her go on thinking he had a wife and children. She might trust him more if she thought he had a devoted woman waiting for him somewhere. “Yes, to support my family. When I get my strength back I can do more to help you.”
“When you get your strength back you can get on your horse and get. That’ll help me a bunch.”
He sighed laboriously as she turned back to her work. With great care he rose to his feet, stood still for a moment until his dizziness subsided, and then went to stand beside her. He held the plank while she nailed it into place.
“Have you lived out here all your life?”
“Mostly.”
He craned his head forward to glimpse her face beneath the bonnet. “Just you and your pa?”
“Yep.”
“Your ma died when you were little?”
“Yep.”
The hammer came down right alongside his thumb and he jerked his hand away and stared at her, wondering if her aim was intentional.
“Hey, look out! You might have smashed my thumb!”
“I know what I’m doing,” she said, giving the nail one more whack. “If you don’t want to help, then get back to bed and leave me to my work. I got things to do.”
“Oh, I know. You’re a busy little woman.” He rested his hand against the tender area across his shoulder, coveringit in an instinctively protective gesture. “Someday you’ll have to stop and face what’s happened.”
She made a sniffing noise of contempt.
“Go ahead and make fun,” he said. “But mark my words, you can’t keep running on fear. You’ll run out of it sooner or later.”
“Hope I get some good layers,” Cassie said, standing back from the coop and letting him know that she wasn’t listening to a word of his advice. “My luck, I’ll get some lazy hens who’ll do good to lay an egg a week.”
She pressed the back of her wrist to her forehead and sighed. Rook smiled to himself, finding the gesture familiar now and endearing. She did it often; that limp wrist pressed to a furrowed forehead that spoke fathoms about her mental and physical condition. For a few moments he wanted to embrace her and let her rest her head on his shoulder, but he knew better. She’d scratch his eyes out first.
“Best get supper started,” she murmured in that tone she
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