But Shelby wanted me back the next day, saying she had a shed problem, so I was back on Granny’s Acre Farm again, helping a woman my family had wronged. I kept reminding myself of that, which helped keep me motivated. Also, if I was being totally honest with myself, I just liked hanging out with Shelby.
The sun had gotten hot as it rose in the sky. It made a man miss the rain, although I certainly didn’t miss the mud. It was everywhere out here after a storm and it was hands-down the worst part of being out here.
The mud got on everything, splattering not just on my shoes but on my pants and shirt too. And I didn’t know what was in the damn mud, but it stained like a son of a bitch, ruining thousands of dollars’ worth of clothing on this trip alone.
Which was why I was loving these overalls.
This denim was rugged as hell, and even if the mud ended up ruining them eventually, they also didn’t cost much. I could fill my closet with them for the cost of a single Italian suit. And the comfort was amazing. Nothing pinched or rode up when I knelt to pick up something heavy. It had all kinds of pockets and loops, which were coming in handy while I fumbled my way around fixing Shelby’s shed.
“What the hell happened to this thing?” I asked after a while. “It looks like it was hit with a tornado.”
“It was the snow,” she said. “It accumulated on top and I didn’t get a chance to come clear it off. The old wood just collapsed.”
“Old wood tends to do that.”
Shelby didn’t laugh at my joke, which only made me want to try harder. I never gave up, even in the face of overwhelming odds, and I was determined to earn another smile from her.
A sweet breeze blew, cooling the sweat on my forehead and fluttering her blonde hair, shining in the sunlight. She was in her element out here, standing tall, in total control like a queen. I kept staring without realizing it, averting my gaze when I noticed. Moments later, I would be looking at her again instead of sorting through the wood.
Some of the wood could be used for the rebuilt shed, some of it could be salvaged for other uses, and some of it was just plain rotten. Shelby had to show me what to look for, but once she did, I could spot the rotten chunks and I put them in their own pile.
Shelby helped with some of the wood, but I did the bulk of the heavy lifting, as it should be. So, I was sweating like a pig at a barbecue. It didn’t help that I was sore as hell.
I kept in shape but working on Shelby’s farm was nothing like working out in the gym. Muscles I didn’t know existed were hurting. Was Shelby absolutely ripped under her denim shirtand jeans? Because there was no way she had been doing all of this on her own for so long unless she was solid muscle.
For her part, I didn’t see a drop of sweat on her. It didn’t seem fair.
Screw this,I thought and unfastened the straps of my overalls. I peeled it down to my waist and then shed my T-shirt. The slight breeze immediately kissed my skin. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, sighing with relief.
When I opened my eyes, I caught Shelby staring, mouth open like she had frozen in place at the sight of me. I pretended not to notice, happy to let her enjoy the show. This body took hard work and I was comfortable showing it off.
Sweat dripped down my chest and I used my T-shirt to wipe it off. “Hot out here.”
Shelby nodded. “It sure is.”
I glanced over at her then, grinning, and she let out an annoyed huff, glaring at me like she was pissed off at my very existence.
“Get over yourself,” she said.
I chuckled and clapped my hands once. “Alright, who’s ready to build a shed? I hope it’s you because I’ve never done this before.”
Shelby shook her head like she was coming back to her senses, looking cute as hell. I wanted to kiss the frown lines off her forehead, but I thought she might slap me if I tried. Getting slapped would be worth it, but I had to respect her boundaries.
We got to work. Luckily, she knew more about getting the frame up than I did, and she walked me through the steps, supervising while I did the grunt work. It was a far cry from my office back in LA, but I was enjoying the physical labor.
I felt manly working with my hands for a change. My mind slipped into a groove and I lost myself hammering nails andjoining pieces together. It wasn’t long before we had the skeleton up, and it was rewarding to see the results with such immediacy.
Business deals took a long time to close, and at the end, all you had was some documents and maybe a handshake. I liked having tangible progress. Maybe I would get into woodworking once I got back to LA.
But man, was it hot. I might not miss signing documents in my office, but I sure as hell missed the air-conditioning.
I took a step back to survey my progress, wiping away more sweat. I was starting to feel gross, but I must have looked all right. Shelby was staring at me like I was the last chicken wing at a Super Bowl party. I supposed she thought she was being sneaky, but subtlety was not one of her many impressive qualities.
I locked eyes with her, making it clear I knew exactly what she was doing. “If it’s too hot for you, feel free to take your shirt off too.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “You wish, Carter.”
I did but I didn’t say it. “Is it break time yet, boss?”
