“Hot day-um!” A voice a ways behind her followed up the words with a whistle.
A shiver went up Scarlett’s spine as she was overcome by the mental image of eyes crawling over her ass. Bolting to stand straight, she instinctively whipped around to see who was staring at her. She froze in place, her heavy chest rising and her nostrils flaring as she sucked in a long, single breath. Right in front of her eyes, just a few feet away, the most gorgeous man she had seen in nearly an eternity was chopping firewood. Getting an eye full, she repressed a gasp and pursed her lips to keep from drooling. Who the hell walked outside in 45-degree weather without a shirt? Oh, who the hell cares…massive biceps, rock-hard pectorals, rippling abs and that sexy V leading down below his low-hanging jeans—yummy!
“Well, hey there, neighbor,” he said, taking a break from swinging the axe to give her a sexy smile. His brown hair brushed his shoulders as he tilted his head slightly to the right, his deep-set, sea-green eyes gobbling her up.
“H-hi,” she said, nearly breathless.
As he lifted the axe, his arm muscles bulged. He brought the axe down hard, leaving it lodged in one of the logs. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he headed her way. In a nearly dumbstruck haze, she took a few steps forward, meeting him halfway.
He extended his hand. “I’m Davis.”
Lifting her arm, she placed her much smaller hand in his, expecting a shake. He brought her hand up, lowered his head and brushed his lips just above her knuckles.
She steadied her buckling knees as the stubbly shadow of a couple days of beard stubble rubbed against her cold skin. “Scarlett.”
“Pleased to meet you, Scarlett. Oh!” he said, reaching up to grab the cowboy hat off his head and giving her a slight nod.
Her cheeks flushed with heat and she shyly averted her eyes while nodding.
“Likewise,” she said, reaching up and nervously fingering her ponytail.
“So…you just move in, Scarlett?”
“Sort of… I’m renting for Christmas.”
“Cool…” He nodded, shifting his weight to one side. “You have family meeting you in the middle from somewhere.”
A lump formed in her throat and she swallowed it back, looking down at his rugged, leather work boots as she said, “No.” It was all she could do to hold back tears. She’d come here to avoid her family’s questions about her failed relationship and didn’t want to discuss why she was here with a complete stranger.
“Glad to hear it.”
Huh? Her head shot up and she looked at his face. Wow! A tinge of crimson highlighted his manly bone structure. He had a very rugged, outdoorsy look but he was a shy one.
“Um…I mean to say…um…maybe you’ll have some time to hang…”
“Whoa, dat ass!”
Scarlett turned in the direction of the female voice, laying eyes on a short, bubbly, young woman—a brunette with an hourglass shape but definitely no larger than a size eight. Mortified, Scarlett’s jaw dropped and she took a step back. Glancing over at Davis, she was relieved to find him glaring at the young woman while wearing an expression that showed he was gob-smacked and just as chagrined as Scarlett was.
“Melly, watch your mouth!” His voice was stern.
Scarlett’s heart sank as she realized this woman was probably his girlfriend.
Putting a hand on her hip like a bratty sixth-grader, the brunette shot him an audacious look while balking. “I was just sayin’ she’s got a lot of ass…I didn’t mean…”
“Get in the house,” he said, pointing back toward their two-story abode.
Melly stuck out her tongue at him and rolled her eyes.
“I’m warning you, Melly. You’re gonna get it.”
Uncomfortable, Scarlett took a couple of steps back. She hadn’t slurped up thirty-two ounces of ginger ale to settle her tummy while driving round-and-round up a mountain in the middle of the night just to get mixed up in another couple’s drama.
“You’re not the boss of me!” the girl said.
Could she be any more childish? Scarlett glanced back at Davis. His brow furrowed and he frowned as he and Melly engaged in a heated staring contest. Taking the opening to slip away, Scarlett turned in the other direction, booking it toward the porch. She had just made it to the door when she heard Davis’s voice.
“Wait, Scarlett…”
Hurrying inside, she shut the door behind her but peeked through the door’s small, beveled-glass window just in time to see Davis throw his hat down on the ground while pulling his belt from the loops around his waist in one fluid motion.
As he folded the leather over, the girl squealed.
“Eek!” Melly cried out, turning and running back toward the door of the other house.
Scarlett’s eyes widened. What the hell? Calmly, Davis followed Melly inside, belt still in hand. Scarlett gasped. No way—surely he wouldn’t really hit her? Unless…maybe they were in one of those type relationships. She shook her head. This was none of her business. She was here to forget her problems, not to deal with other people’s bullshit. Turning away, she headed toward the den.
* * * * *
Snuggling in her blanket by the fire, Scarlett used the remote control to flip between channels on the television. With no cable or satellite, there wasn’t much of a selection. She couldn’t deal with any damn romantic comedies right now and she especially wasn’t in
