Which was why when the delicious meal was over, Cal volunteered to do the dishes.
He didn’t expect Miss Applegate to join him.
“You don’t have to help,” he said as he filled the sink up with soapy water. “I’ve got this under control. You can go watch the game with everyone else.”
She moved next to him at the sink. She smelled like the flowers his mother had grown in the flowerbeds in front of their trailer. He couldn’t recall their name, but he remembered their scent. Subtle and sweet. “I’m not really a football fan. Besides, I enjoy doing dishes. Our housekeeper usually insists on doing them at home.”
“Suit yourself.” He started rinsing a plate. They worked in silence—he rinsed and she placed the dishes in the dishwasher. Once the dishwasher was full and turned on, Cal started washing the pans by hand.
Miss Applegate picked up a dishtowel and finally spoke. “It’s obvious that you’re still angry about what happened the other day at your garage, Mr. Daily. I spoke out of turn and I apologize. I shouldn’t have interfered in your business.”
The sincere apology took some of the wind out of his angry sails. He felt a little stupid and immature for holding onto his anger on a day when he should be counting his blessings. He nodded as he finished washing the pan. “Apology accepted.” He reached to turn on the faucet so he could rinse the pan. But Miss Applegate had the same intention and he ended up covering her hand with his.
He’d thought the electric current of awareness he’d felt the other day when he grabbed her arm had been a fluke. Now he realized that wasn’t the case. Just the feel of her soft skin beneath his scarred, calloused hand had heat rushing through his veins straight to his crotch. He didn’t understand why. He had touched other women in the last few years—shaken their hands or danced with them at dances or wedding—and hadn’t felt a thing. Now suddenly he felt all hot and bothered with Jolene Applegate. It made absolutely no sense. And yet, when he lifted his gaze to her sea-over-sand eyes, he knew she felt it too. Just like he had known she felt it the other day when he’d touched her. He had felt her slight tremble and seen the warm melting of her eyes.
They melted now too. Her pupils dilated and her eyelids grew heavy. A soft huff of air came out of her parted lips. She had full lips. In fact, her top lip was almost as full as her bottom. They looked pillow soft and slightly moist like she had just run her tongue over them. He wanted to taste them too. He wanted to sink into their softness and taste the heat of her wet, warm—
“What are you two doing?”
Cal startled and turned to see Boone standing in the doorway. His friend’s head was cocked to one side like he was trying to figure out what was going on. Cal was trying to figure that out as well. He didn’t have a clue. Thankfully, Jolene wasn’t struck as speechless as he was.
“I was just helping Mr. Daily with the dishes,” she said in her no-nonsense banker’s voice.
Boone’s confusion cleared. “Oh. Well, Cheyenne and I are heading out to the barn to feed the horses. Emma fell asleep on the couch and I wanted to make sure you didn’t wake her.” His face grew concerned. “She’s been tired a lot lately and I’m starting to get worried.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about,” Miss Applegate said. “Opening a new business takes a lot out of you.”
Boone nodded. “You’re probably right. Thanks for helping her so much, Jolene. You’re a good friend.”
“So is she.” Once Boone was gone, Miss Applegate looked at Cal. “You can let go of my hand now.”
He looked down at his hand where it still covered hers on the faucet handle. He jerked it back. “Sorry.” He glanced at the empty doorway. “I better go explain to Boone. I wouldn’t want him to think anything was going on between us and say something to Cheyenne. She already thinks I need a woman.”
“And you don’t?”
He froze in the process of grabbing a papertowel to dry his hands and turned to her. “No, I don’t. I’m not interested in getting into a relationship right now.” He cleared his throat. “I hope I didn’t make you think otherwise.”
“I’m not interested in a relationship either, Mr. Daily. I’ve been burned before too, and I have no desire to be burned again. And you don’t have to worry about Boone or Cheyenne considering me as a dating possibility for you. No one in town thinks we’d make a good couple. In fact, they think just the opposite. We are completely wrong for each other.” She turned on the water and started rinsing the pan. “We could be caught naked together and no one would think anything was going on between us.”
Just the thought of them being naked together had him growing hard beneath the zipper of his jeans. He lowered the crumbled paper towel to hide his erection. But Jolene wasn’t paying attention to him. She was drying the pan and looking out the window with a soft smile on her face. “When you think about it, it would be the perfect secret affair.”
He stared at her, thinking he’d heard her wrong. “E-Excuse me?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head. “I was just thinking aloud.” She set the pan on the counter. “I think I’ll watch the game after all.”
She sashayed out of the kitchen as if she hadn’t just dropped the mother of all bombs.
The perfect secret affair?
Chapter Four
“Now that’s a Christmas tree.I think it’s even bigger than last year’s.” Hanna studied the huge Fraser fir that filled one corner of the library. She had been the Applegates’ housekeeper since Jolene was a child and was more family than employee.
Jolene stood next to her and looked up at the top of the tree, which was only inches from the fourteen-foot ceiling. They studied the tree for a few more moments before they looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“Your daddy is going to have a fit,” Hanna said as she dabbed at her eyes with the hem of her apron. “What did he call last year’s tree?”
“Embarrassingly vulgar.” Jolene wiped at her own laugh tears.
