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“But is it even safe to run that thing in the rain?”
“It’s gas-powered,” he replied.
“That makes it safe?” She’d been raised on a farm, but she couldn’t remember her brothers or father using a chainsaw in such bad weather. But maybe that was just because they didn’t want to be out in it...
“You can use a gas-powered chainsaw in almost any weather,” he said. “It’s the wet shingles that arereallydangerous.”
“Then get off the roof!” she cried. “I realize you want to fix your house, but it’s already wet inside. I can’t imagine it will hurt anything to wait one more day.” Lightning flashed behind her, adding an exclamation point to her words. “The weather’s about to break,” she predicted.
He wiped the moisture from his face with one hand before moving carefully so he wouldn’t lose his footing, lugging the chainsaw to the ladder.
Everything he’d been doing seemed dangerous. She was glad she’d come over and stopped him. She held her breath while she watched his harrowing descent—the ladder didn’t look entirely stable—and relaxed only after he reached the ground.
Skirting the pile of limbs he’d cut off and thrown in the same general spot, she took the sandwich over to him. “You’ve got to be wet and cold.”
“It would be nice if this weather would clear up,” he said.
Instead of handing him the sandwich like she’d planned to do, she pulled it back when he reached for it and beckoned him to follow her. “Come on. You’re not going to eat this out here in the wind and rain, and you’re not taking it into that soggy house, either.”
He started to protest, but she lifted her hand. “You just told me not to go inside because it’s dangerous,” she said.
“It’s not as dangerous for me,” he responded.
She gave him a skeptical look. “Really?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You will if you come over to the main cottage.”
“It’s my job to take care of this place,” he said, gesturing to show he meant the entire Windsor property.
“No one can expect you to work under these conditions. And youwilltake care of everything—when it’s safe. Trust me, getting that tree off the bungalow isn’t worth your life.”
She started out ahead of him, hoping he’d simply fall in step with her. But when she looked back, she saw that he hadn’t moved an inch. “Aren’t you coming?”
His eyes narrowed. He didn’t trust easily. She felt like she was coaxing a skittish animal to take a piece of food from her hand—every time she came close, he backed away. But she didn’t see that he had much choice. What she was suggesting was the only thing that made sense.
“You can’t really believe the Windsors would rather you were out in this...” she said.
The quizzical expression he gave her suggested he reallydidbelieve that.
“Come on,” she said. “Don’t make me stay out in the wet and cold.”
“Youshould go in,” he said. “I’m fine here.”
“I’m not going back without you, so if I get struck by lightning while I’m trying to make you see reason, it’ll be your fault.”
“What?”he said, obviously surprised she’d take such a hard stand.
She felt her smile widen. There was something about this guy she liked. His prickly, stoic manner seemed to warn her not to assume they were friends, even after the camaraderie they’d shared last night. And yet...she sensed his tough shell harbored a very sensitive heart and he liked her as much as she liked him, in spite of not really wanting to. “You heard me.”
“You won’t leave...”
She set her jaw. “Nope. So...it’s your choice. I can watch you work and probably catch pneumonia out here, or you can come in and save this problem for another day.”
Only then, when she made it aboutherwelfare, did he reluctantly follow her to the main house.
7
