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A soft sound nearly resembling a giggle burst from her lips. “I can’t believe I’m actually agreeing to this.”
Zeke took both of her hands in his. “I can.”
“That’s not fair. You don’t even know me.”
“I know you’re strong, independent, and a pain in the you-know-what when you want to get your way.”
She laughed. “Sure doesn’t sound like the kind of woman you’d want in your life.”
He tugged her closer. “You are definitely not the kind of woman I would have considered even five years ago. But perhaps that’s part of the fun. This… what’s happening between us… it’s exciting.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
16
Agatha
Agatha pointed at the wall where Riley needed to add a bit more texture. “Right there. If we paint over that area, it will definitely be noticeable.”
“With all due respect, ma’am. I’ve gone over that area at least three times.”
“Well, you haven’t done a good enough job at it.” Agatha placed a hand on her hip. “The reason I’m here is to point out the small details that get overlooked.” A pang of embarrassment and uncertainty swirled within her, and she nearly backed down. She had to remind herself that while a lot of these men were volunteers, she was allowed to ask them to touch up certain areas. If it didn’t get fixed now, it would be a bigger headache later.
She could go track down Zeke and get his assistance on this matter, but she couldn’t help wondering if doing so would draw too much attention to the two of them. Over the past couple of days, she’d put forth a lot of effort to keep her distance from the man whenever anyone was around.
Now, she stood up against one of Zeke’s sons-in-law trying to explain why this was so important without stepping on his toes. Her eyes drifted toward the spot where she could clearly see the texture was uneven, her will dissolving with each passing second.
“Come on, Riley. Even if you can’t see the difference, she can. Just do it again.” Wade moved past her, lugging a cardboard box containing the new tile for her bathroom. He didn’t even bother meeting her gaze as he strode toward the stairs.
Riley sighed. “Where did you want me to focus?”
Agatha pointed again, relieved she didn’t have to find Zeke this time. She didn’t know how much longer she’d be able to boss these men around without any official pull, but for now, she could breathe easy.
They spent the next ten minutes painstakingly getting the wall exactly how she wanted it. Then she felt it.
Like a cool breeze on a warm day, she could feel his gaze on her.
Zeke.
She shivered, then rubbed her arms up and down vigorously. It took every ounce of her self-control not to turn to find his gaze. This was how it had been for the last several days. And as soon as they were done working here, he’d take her back to the cabin where they could spend some time just being themselves.
Another chill coursed down her spine.
“Ma’am?”
Agatha jumped and stared at Riley. “I’m sorry?”
“Is there anything else you’ve noticed that needs to be fixed? This texture stuff is almost gone, so you might want to choose wisely.” While his tone was indifferent or perhaps a little irritated, at least his expression was kind. He was being so patient with her; she really should do something in return.
The whole wall actually looked better now that the one spot had been filled in. She took a step backward and appraised it much like she would any project she was working on for herself or anyone else for that matter.
Shaking her head, she offered Riley a smile. “I think it looks great. In a few hours we should be able to paint it.” She touched his forearm, preventing him from moving on to the next project. “Thank you so much for humoring an old woman like myself.”
Riley snorted. “If you’re old, then I’m a cowboy.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better? I thought it was customary to deny a woman’s comment regarding her age.”
His laugh was the furthest thing from what she’d expected. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forget you’re a transplant here like me. I’m a vet, not a real cowboy.”
