Sassy Blonde - Stacey Kennedy Page 0,7
right. I’m stuck under a keg and need your help.”
Hayes leaned his arm against the top of the coarse wooded fence. “Say that again?” He had to have heard her wrong.
She sighed heavily. “Please don’t make me repeat it.”
He grinned. “Sorry, I’m going to need you to.”
Another sigh, even more exaggerated this time. “I’m stuck under a beer keg in the storage area and need you to come help me.”
Unsure if this was serious or not, since on any given day, Maisie always seemed to get herself in unusual situations, he decided not to drag this along. “I’ll be there in ten.”
“Thank you. Oh, and Hayes?”
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t say anything about this to Clara or Amelia.”
Hayes chuckled. “Mum’s the word.” He ended the call and approached his black RAM truck.
Maisie was the most accident-prone person he’d ever met. If something went wrong, she was usually involved. Hayes had tried to distance himself from Maisie after Laurel’s funeral. Hell, he’d tried to distance himself from everyone. Only Maisie and Beckett hadn’t allowed it. Hayes was pretty sure he’d be lost or dead without them.
The drive to the brewery took him eight minutes, and when he reached the farm, he drove up the long driveway, pulling in next to Maisie’s MINI. A beautiful landscape painting sat on the passenger seat. Maisie had more natural talent than Hayes had ever seen. He, for one, thought she wasted it working in a brewery, but who was he to argue with her life choices? He certainly had no idea where his life was headed anymore.
When he entered through the side door, he caught Amelia’s curses. She was bent over in the tank, looking like she belonged in a chemical lab. “What’s the brew this time?” he asked.
Amelia jerked up in surprise, covered in spent grain. She smiled when she realized who stood before her. “It’s a fruity beer I’m playing around with. You’d hate it.”
“Then I won’t ask for sample,” he said. Playing cool, he asked, “I’m here to see Maisie. She in the back?”
Amelia wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm. “Yeah, she’s getting ready for some festivals.”
“Nice.” He gave an easy smile, hoping to hell Amelia didn’t pick up on his urgency, and gestured at the tanks. “Hope your day gets better.”
“You and me both.” She laughed.
Hayes loosed the breath he didn’t know he was holding as he left her behind. Luckily, Clara wasn’t in her office when he strode by. She was the toughest sister, and he really didn’t want to lie to her. When he passed the last rows of tanks, he lengthened his stride. The second he walked into the open storage area, he called, “Maisie.”
“Shh,” she said to his right. “Close the door.”
He shut the door gently and followed her voice, stopping short when he saw her. He didn’t initially see the problem. She was lying on her back, like she was waiting for him. His body temperature rose, his groin filling with heat. That wildly inappropriate reaction to her had started happening a few months ago. It was the day he remembered he was a man. Maisie had come to see him at the farm and wore a sexy, short dress. The hard-on that followed, and every single one after it when she came near him, told him how truly fucked up he was. She was his friend, not his to lust over. But when he finally spotted her hand stuck under a keg, he rushed forward. “Shit, Maisie. What happened?”
She gave him a lopsided smile. “I tried to move the keg. It didn’t like that.”
He circled her, getting a good look at the keg. “How hurt is your hand?”
“It’s fine,” she said. “Not hurting one bit. Get this off me.”
He doubted she wasn’t hurt but settled in front of the keg to free her. “I think there’s only one thing to say now.”
“What’s that?”
He grabbed the top handle of the keg. “This might sting a little.” As fast as he could, he yanked the keg up until she could pull her arm out.
Her eyes shut, lips parted in a silent scream, and her skin lost all of its color. “I’m okay,” she gasped, breathing deep. “I’m okay.”
He set the keg down and took one look at her hand. “Hate to break it to you, Maisie, but you’re definitely not okay.”
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at her finger that was bent in the wrong direction. Her eyes flicked to his and became distant. “Uh-oh.” Then