wood he’d bought.
“I’ll pay for that,” Mara said, nodding towards the wood. “Just give me the receipt.”
“Don’t worry; I got it.”
“Neil.” She narrowed her eyes and put a hint of threat into her voice. “I’ll accept your help, and I’ll even take your couch, but only as long as you’re not out of pocket at the end of this. Give me the damn receipt.”
“Okay, okay. Stubborn thing.” Neil double-checked a measurement then sat back on his haunches. “I’ll get it for you later. Did you need any help upstairs?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah—did you happen to pack an axe in one of those boxes?”
Neil’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t, but I found a cupboard full of tools in the laundry last night. You might have some luck there. What do you need an axe for?”
“I want to dismantle a bed, and an axe seems like the easiest way to do it.”
Neil jumped to his feet and hurried after Mara as she wove through the kitchen. “Whoa, what? I’m sure there’s an easier way to pull a bed frame apart—”
She wrenched the cupboard doors open and caught sight of a large axe sitting in the corner. “No, this’ll do nicely.” She flicked the cobwebs off it and hefted it to head height.
Neil made a faint noise of alarm and nudged the axe so that the blade wasn’t pointed at Mara’s face. “You’ll lose a limb with that thing.”
“Naw, lumber jacking runs in my blood. Apparently, some of my great-grandparents were woodcutters.”
“That’s not a reassuring resume.”
“You need to worry less.” Mara tried to lower the axe and use its blunt head to nudge Neil’s chest, but the shifting centre of gravity threw her off balance. Neil had to step backwards to avoid being bludgeoned. “Keep patching the walls. I’ll have the bed sorted before you’re done.”
“Jeeze,” Neil muttered. “Let me do it at least.”
Mara clutched the axe close to her body and ducked out of the laundry. “Not a chance!” She raced up the stairs, ignoring Neil’s pleas for her to slow down, and skidded down the hallway and into the bedroom. The bed waited under the window. Mara approached it, raised the axe above her head, and let gravity swing the heavy metal towards the wood. The blade hit the brace near the headboard and became lodged. Mara strained to pull it free then tried wiggling the handle, but the axe wouldn’t budge. She turned to find Neil standing behind her, arms crossed, and gave him the sweetest smile she could muster. “I don’t suppose you’d be kind enough to free it for me?”
“Mara.” Neil seemed to be fighting to keep a smile off his face. “I have a moral obligation to prevent you from decapitating yourself. Yesterday you promised you’d compromise sometimes. So—let’s compromise. We can butcher the bed if you like, but let me do it.”
Mara gave the axe a final tug then sighed. “All right, okay. Have at it, Mr White Knight.”
Neil’s calloused fingers brushed a strand of hair away from Mara’s face as he passed her, and the simple gesture was enough to fill her chest with a bubbly, giddy feeling. She settled back against the wall and watched him pull the axe free with one hand.
Why was I arguing again? A grin grew as she watched Neil swing the axe in a smooth, practiced motion. His muscles bulged under his shirt, and there was something deliciously attractive about the way he stood, legs braced and head high, that Mara found irresistible. This is way more fun.
Neil made quick work of the bed. He seemed to have an innate sense of where the fragile sections were and attacked them efficiently. Within a minute, Mara was left with a headboard and bed end, and a mess of splintered braces and slats.
“Don’t touch the wood,” Neil said as he leaned the axe against the wall. “It’s full of splinters. I’ll cart it downstairs.”
“Or…” She stepped closer and examined the slats. “It’s dry. I have a fireplace now. Why don’t we have a fire?”
Neil considered
“I’ll pay for that,” Mara said, nodding towards the wood. “Just give me the receipt.”
“Don’t worry; I got it.”
“Neil.” She narrowed her eyes and put a hint of threat into her voice. “I’ll accept your help, and I’ll even take your couch, but only as long as you’re not out of pocket at the end of this. Give me the damn receipt.”
“Okay, okay. Stubborn thing.” Neil double-checked a measurement then sat back on his haunches. “I’ll get it for you later. Did you need any help upstairs?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah—did you happen to pack an axe in one of those boxes?”
Neil’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t, but I found a cupboard full of tools in the laundry last night. You might have some luck there. What do you need an axe for?”
“I want to dismantle a bed, and an axe seems like the easiest way to do it.”
Neil jumped to his feet and hurried after Mara as she wove through the kitchen. “Whoa, what? I’m sure there’s an easier way to pull a bed frame apart—”
She wrenched the cupboard doors open and caught sight of a large axe sitting in the corner. “No, this’ll do nicely.” She flicked the cobwebs off it and hefted it to head height.
Neil made a faint noise of alarm and nudged the axe so that the blade wasn’t pointed at Mara’s face. “You’ll lose a limb with that thing.”
“Naw, lumber jacking runs in my blood. Apparently, some of my great-grandparents were woodcutters.”
“That’s not a reassuring resume.”
“You need to worry less.” Mara tried to lower the axe and use its blunt head to nudge Neil’s chest, but the shifting centre of gravity threw her off balance. Neil had to step backwards to avoid being bludgeoned. “Keep patching the walls. I’ll have the bed sorted before you’re done.”
“Jeeze,” Neil muttered. “Let me do it at least.”
Mara clutched the axe close to her body and ducked out of the laundry. “Not a chance!” She raced up the stairs, ignoring Neil’s pleas for her to slow down, and skidded down the hallway and into the bedroom. The bed waited under the window. Mara approached it, raised the axe above her head, and let gravity swing the heavy metal towards the wood. The blade hit the brace near the headboard and became lodged. Mara strained to pull it free then tried wiggling the handle, but the axe wouldn’t budge. She turned to find Neil standing behind her, arms crossed, and gave him the sweetest smile she could muster. “I don’t suppose you’d be kind enough to free it for me?”
“Mara.” Neil seemed to be fighting to keep a smile off his face. “I have a moral obligation to prevent you from decapitating yourself. Yesterday you promised you’d compromise sometimes. So—let’s compromise. We can butcher the bed if you like, but let me do it.”
Mara gave the axe a final tug then sighed. “All right, okay. Have at it, Mr White Knight.”
Neil’s calloused fingers brushed a strand of hair away from Mara’s face as he passed her, and the simple gesture was enough to fill her chest with a bubbly, giddy feeling. She settled back against the wall and watched him pull the axe free with one hand.
Why was I arguing again? A grin grew as she watched Neil swing the axe in a smooth, practiced motion. His muscles bulged under his shirt, and there was something deliciously attractive about the way he stood, legs braced and head high, that Mara found irresistible. This is way more fun.
Neil made quick work of the bed. He seemed to have an innate sense of where the fragile sections were and attacked them efficiently. Within a minute, Mara was left with a headboard and bed end, and a mess of splintered braces and slats.
“Don’t touch the wood,” Neil said as he leaned the axe against the wall. “It’s full of splinters. I’ll cart it downstairs.”
“Or…” She stepped closer and examined the slats. “It’s dry. I have a fireplace now. Why don’t we have a fire?”
Neil considered
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