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Something strange happened between the time when Zeke showed Agatha the tent and the moment they got onto the ATV. Zeke would like to have said that it had occurred when he bore his soul to her—telling her things he would have never told his daughters.
And perhaps that was part of it, only it didn’t help him understand why spending breakfast with her had felt so good. Nor did it explain why a billowing of heat seared the organs in his chest when they touched.
The brush of his skin against hers had been unintentional, and yet it had left a lasting impact. Now, he was dealing with a similar problem.
Agatha’s arms were around his middle, holding on as if her life depended on it—and part of him wanted to push the speed of the ATV to the limit just so she would hold on to him that much tighter.
He couldn’t help but enjoy the way she clung to him, reminding him very much that he was still a man who wanted to share his life with someone. There was just one big problem.
She most definitely wasn’t his type.
Up until this point, they’d butted heads. She had an attitude. Nothing was worth dealing with that. Agatha was one of those women who was single for a reason, and he knew exactly what that reason was.
Unfortunately, his heart and his body didn’t care about that. His heart seemed to thrum with a nervous energy, and for what? Some woman he’d met several weeks ago?
Nope.
That wasn’t going to happen. He was just having an off couple of weeks. All of this would blow over after the house got done.
Zeke continued to remind himself of this the rest of the ride to the house. And when they arrived, he practically launched himself from the ATV and toward the building. The exterior looked just about done. All it needed was a fresh coat of paint. Thankfully, the men he’d enlisted were the kind who got work done.
He didn’t bother keeping an eye on Agatha. Wherever she was going to go, she’d do so with or without his permission. It would be best if he were to just throw himself into the work that needed to be done so he could get his mind off her and the feelings she had elicited.
“Nice of you to show up.” Tuck pulled away from Sean and Riley, a coffee in hand. “After the way you left yesterday, we didn’t know if you’d be back.”
“What are you talking about, Tuck? This is my project.”
“And you seem to be having the hardest time getting along with the one person you’re doing this for.”
“She’s the one who’s being difficult,” Zeke said, low enough that only Tuck could hear him. “She doesn’t even bother staying safe when she’s here.”
Tuck chuckled as they wandered through the kitchen that was now getting taped and mudded. “It’s not like this place is as dangerous as you’re making it out to be. It’s a house. Are we using tools? Sure. But it’s nothing I wouldn’t let my daughters use if they wanted to do a remodel.”
Zeke stopped to look at his friend, raising one eyebrow as he stared at the man. “You would let your daughters use a table saw? Because I can tell you one thing. I wouldn’t let my daughters touch one with a ten-foot pole.”
“It’s not so different than riding a horse.” Again, Tuck chuckled.
The fire in Zeke’s stomach rolled with indignation. “That’s completely different. Riding a horse when one has been raised in the saddle is something expected. But for someone who doesn’t know the business end of a saw… well, they have no reason to be here in the first place. Agatha Birch is one such woman. At any moment she could—”
Tuck’s eyes darted to one side, then right back to Zeke, but it was too late to stop himself even after seeing Tuck’s subtle shake of his head.
Zeke froze. Agatha was right behind him. It wasn’t until that moment he could feel her presence, but now that he did, it was overwhelming. Why hadn’t Tuck said something, for Pete’s sake?
Slowly, he turned around and faced the woman who he knew would be glaring at him.
Surprisingly enough, Agatha simply gazed at him with an unreadable expression. Tuck shifted, then ducked out of the room, mumbling something about a delivery coming.
Agatha crossed her arms, her head tilting with a bit of curiosity. “You don’t think I can handle myself.”
Zeke had to snap his mouth shut in order to prevent himself from saying something really stupid. He’d been saying as much all this time. What did she think he was referring to?
“Well, you’re wrong. Just because you don’t know something doesn’t mean you can’t learn. It doesn’t matter how old you are. An old dog can learn new tricks.”
He huffed but still stopped himself from uttering a word.
“And I’ll have you know that you hired one such person. Before Slate Rock Ranch, my son had never worked with horses. He’s got a natural talent, that’s all.”
Zeke lifted his brows. Granted, he hadn’t been the one to hire the boy, but finding out that he had someone working for him who hadn’t grown up in this world unsettled him to a small degree.
